Big Fat Hotel Wrap
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Belmond welcomes the world to Rio de Janeiro
Belmond welcomes the world to Rio de Janeiro with a series of art installations by award-winning Icelandic artist, Kristjana S Williams, at the city’s landmark beach-front hotel, Belmond Copacabana Palace. Inspired by cartography and nature, the most dramatic of the artist’s creations is a butterfly-themed theatrical light projection that shows butterflies gliding over the seven-story high hotel façade.
The display will run nightly at 7pm for ten minutes until 14th August. It can be enjoyed by the general public from the beach promenade in front of the hotel, and spectators are encouraged to share the moment using #DiscoverBelmond.
Each butterfly carries a different country’s flag on its wings, designed to represent the coming together of nations from around the globe in celebration of cultural diversity. Belmond adopts the butterfly as a symbol of hope, strength found in fragile beauty, the promise of new life and a journey well-travelled.
Paresa Phuket exclusive incentive scheme
The Paresa Phuket has launched an exclusive Australia Market Incentive Scheme, valid for bookings now until 30 September 2016 (inclusive). Incentive program applies to all new FIT only and bookings must be materialized and paid for. The Paresa reservation team will issue the notification email to agent when the agreement is complete and the Sales Representative will pass shopping voucher on accordingly. The shopping voucher cannot be exchanged for cash.
So how to win? Book the following to receive the corresponding amounts:
All rooms (except Grand Residence Pool Villa)
– Book and paid 5 nights, receive shopping voucher value 40 AUD
– Book and paid 7 nights or more, receive David Jones or Westfield Voucher value 70 AUD
Grand Residence Pool Villa
– Book and paid 5 nights, receive shopping voucher value 90 AUD
– Book and paid 7 nights or more, receive David Jones or Westfield Voucher value 120 AUD
&Beyond Matetsi Private Game Reserve opens near Victoria Falls
The brand new &Beyond Matetsi River Lodge opened near Victoria Falls on 1 August, following an extensive multi-million dollar rebuild. Situated in a 50 000 hectare (123 500 acre) private wildlife concession on the Zambezi River, the lodge is set to provide the most luxurious accommodation and most unique wildlife experiences in the area.
&Beyond Matetsi River Lodge consists of two camps of nine suites each, including a family suite at each camp. With one camp fully open and operational on 1 August, the remaining camp is scheduled to open in September.
Highlighting the area’s cultural heritage, Matetsi is decorated with traditional abstract carvings of wood and stone and features a strong copper theme in homage to the mineral riches of the region. The lodge boasts a generous Safari Shop and state-of-the-art gym, as well as a massage sala and conference facility. A 20-meter-long (66-foot-long) rim flow swimming pool stretches along the river’s bank.
A sole-use private villa, &Beyond Matetsi River House, adds exclusive accommodation for private groups of up to eight. The four-bedroom villa boasts its own kitchen, indoor and outdoor dining areas, a private veranda overlooking the Zambezi, a swimming pool and its own fire pit. It comes with a dedicated guide, private vehicle, chef and butler.
Choice Hotels Asia-Pac adds three WA properties to portfolio
Choice Hotels Asia-Pac, one of Australia’s largest hotel franchise groups, is excited to announce the addition of three new properties to its portfolio in Western Australia – the Comfort Inn & Suites Goodearth Perth, the Quality Hotel Ambassador Perth and the Econo Lodge Karratha.
The two new Perth CBD hotels, are located on Adelaide Terrace, in the heart of vibrant East Perth. Perfectly positioned along the Swan River, the properties provide the perfect base for travellers to explore all that WA’s capital city has to offer.
The Comfort Inn & Suites Goodearth Perth features 180 spacious hotel rooms and apartments and guests can enjoy the convenience of free WiFi and free secure car parking. The hotel also caters for conferences, meetings and events and is perfectly suited for the group market.
The Quality Hotel Ambassador Perth features 170 well-designed hotel rooms and suites that are ideally suited to the corporate business traveller. Guests have access to a gymnasium and sauna and can grab a bite to eat at Café 196 Restaurant and Bar. Businesses can also utilise the meeting and function space available at the property.
New Port Moresby property The Stanley Hotel & Suites open
Heralding a new era for Papua New Guinea’s accommodation and conference facilities and taking the destination’s first-class offering to levels previously unseen, in Port Moresby has officially opened its doors for business.
Dominating the landscape and standing 18-storeys high in the heart of the PNG capital close to Parliament House, government offices and many foreign embassies and consulates, this brand new luxury facility offers 433-rooms, including 99 serviced apartments and a 340-square-metre Presidential Suite located on the 18th floor.
State of the art facilities include a 60-seat, fine dining grill-style restaurant, a split level executive club lounge, more than 2,000 square metres of function space and the largest ballroom in PNG at 1,600 square meters.
Add to this a lobby level, cafe-style restaurant and a lounge bar offering all-day dining, a 3,000-square-metre outdoor area and pool deck on level four, a gym and a full day spa with five large treatment rooms and a hot tub.
Hardly surprising a very excited General Manager, Geoff Haigh has positioned the hotel as comparable with any five-star hotel in the world and “one that has changed the Port Moresby hotel landscape forever.”
“Officially we are still in our soft opening period, but both local and international demand is already strong and interest levels are very high,” Haigh said.
Located just three kilometres from Jackson International Airport and six kilometres from Port Moresby’s main downtown area, The Stanley Hotel & Suites conveniently adjoins the city’s biggest shopping complex, the Vision City Mega-Mall.
Parkroyal Parramatta intimate gourmet event
Parkroyal Parramatta held an intimate gourmet event with celebrity chefs Miguel Maestre and Alastair McLeod, as a celebration of the 2016 Sydney Good Food and Wine Show. Guests were treated with an indulgent four-course 80s’ inspired menu created by the chefs at the hotel’s TABLE:30 restaurant, whilst Miguel and Alastair shared their expert tips and anecdotes.
All four course were matched with exquisite Angove wines, and guests also received free entry to the Good Food and Wine Show.
Myanmar’s Sanctum Inle Resort To Celebrate October Grand Opening
The first upscale hotel to come on line in one of Myanmar’s most compelling tourist destinations will officially debut October 1 when 94-room Sanctum Inle Resort holds its grand opening on the shores of Inle Lake.
An Olympic-sized swimming pool overlooking the lake, the 150 square meter presidential Sanctuary Suite and a Shan and international cuisine restaurant, The Refectory, are among the new features to be unveiled as part of the Brigitte Dumont de Chassart-designed resort’s grand opening.
“In a region long closed off to the wider world, we’re opening the doors on an experience of accommodation that celebrates removal and contemplation,” said Philippe Arnaud, the resort’s general manager. “Our location invites this sort of mind-set, and our design does, as well.”
At 120 square kilometers and 800 meters above sea level, Inle Lake is renowned for its stilted wooden homes, floating vegetable gardens and fishermen, who propel their boats across the water with a singular, one-legged rowing style.
AccorHotels renews global distribution agreement with Amadeus
Searching for the right hotel room can be a challenge as there are so many options. At Amadeus we offer a range of content to our travel agency customers so that they can find the perfect room for their travellers, whether a competitively-priced room or a luxury suite.
With this in mind, Amadeus today announces the renewal of its distribution agreement with AccorHotels for another three years to ensure that the hotel’s full inventory is made available to Amadeus-connected travel agencies and travellers worldwide.
AccorHotels covers all market segments, from economy to luxury accommodation, and Amadeus currently exclusively distributes Ibis Budget hotels, AccorHotels’ benchmark budget brand and a European leader in its category. Comfortable, no frills accommodation is increasingly relevant for both leisure and business travellers, and Amadeus currently distributes 150 Ibis Budget properties, with more soon to become available.
Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au
&Beyond AccorHotels belmond choice hotels Paresa Phuket Sanctum Inle Resort The Stanley Hotel & SuitesLatest News
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Low-cost Indian carrier SpiceJet continues to burn cash
It’s not just low-cost Australian carriers that are facing hardship. SpiceJet, India’s version of Bonza, recently announced a 72 per cent reduction in its net loss versus last year. But, despite this improvement, the airline has posted losses for six straight years. But it has secured board approval to raise up to INR 30 billion […]
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SAKA Museum recognised in TIME magazine’s World’s Greatest Places 2024
AYANA Resort Bali’s newly-opened cultural and events centre, SAKA Museum has been recognised in TIME magazine’s World’s Greatest Places list for 2024. Part of AYANA Bali’s resort destination, the museum integrates Bali’s rich history with state-of-the-art facilities, making it the centrepiece for the island’s spiritual and cultural heritage. TIME magazine’s inclusion of SAKA Museum in […]
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Journey Beyond launches first brand-led campaign during Paris Olympics
Journey Beyond is pushing the boundaries. On The Ghan, you can't even see them!
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Ascott Australia partners with Hotels for Trees
Hoteliers can take a 'Lyf' out of this book and improve their green credentials.
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Victoria’s TAC Top Tourism Town Award winners for 2024
Keep looking in our own backyard. There are plenty of places to go.
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Uniworld partners with Camilla Franks with Egyptian-inspired collection
We are in de-Nile about making puns combining Crocs and leopard prints, given this luxe partnership.
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Aussies at Paris Olympics anxious about travel risks, with incidents already recorded
Fortunately one of our biggest gold medal hopes still held onto his pedals.
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Banyan Tree Seaview Villas elevates Laguna Lang Co
If you've ever played golf in the tropics, start early. LIke way early. It's hot! Damn hot.
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Silversea taps Barbara Biffi as senior vice president for global sales
Ultra-luxury and expedition cruise travel brand, Silverseas, has announced Barbara Biffi as its new senior vice president of global sales. Biffi joined the company in 2007, holding numerous positions and gaining a deep understanding of the brand, the preferences of its guests and its strategic goals, the company said. An Italian national with a wealth […]
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Wendy Wu unveils new Japan travel brochure and itineraries
Get outta town! Off-beat Japan will be a lot less congested we figure than the usual tourist hotspots.
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UK and Europe event organisers look to venues with sustainability integrity, ICC Sydney survey finds
Here in Sydney, you can even eat the table centrepieces. Although we advise they be cooked first.
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Renos Rologas new general manager ANZ for FCM Travel
Two decades in the travel game! Let's hope Renos is in for the long haul at FCM.
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Untamed Escapes to offer Cultural Day Tour from Port Lincoln in partnership with Maba Idi
International visitors travel thousands of kilometres for this experience. Time to share.
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Luxe Finish Line Penthouses offer the best vantage point for the finish of the Sydney-Hobart
Long have we been following the yachts leavings Sydney Harbour and one day, we will see the finish, from this place!
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In a busy world, proximity to nature is the new luxury
Forget Raffles, treat your nearest and dearest to a stay at the local campsite. They'll be super close to nature.
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Circular Quay welcomes new Korean dining experience to Sydney Place
We once took Korean-American chef David Chang around Koreatown, Eastwood. Not happy about driving rain, loved the food.
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MSC Cruises unveils a new outdoor kid-friendly attraction on World America
Drop your kid down the jaws of a shark and they come out 11 decks below. Sounds good to me.
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Amadeus welcomes FCM Travel as new reseller partner of Cytric Easy
Cytric Easy, the travel management tool embedded in Microsoft Teams, is to be integrated into FCM Travel portfolio. Amadeus and FCM Travel have extended their Cytric distribution agreement to include Cytric Easy. With this new agreement, global travel management company FCM Travel, becomes a reseller of the innovative travel management collaboration solution embedded into Microsoft […]
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Australian travellers abandon peer-to-peer stays and gravitate back to big hotels, survey finds
Doom scrolling Airbnb for the best-possible stay options two days out from departure was wearing us down, apparently.
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Quark Expeditions launches the Ultimate Summer in the Arctic sweepstakes for travel advisors
Summer in the Arctic still means it's freezing. But hopefully a winning sweepstakes tickets will warm your cockles.
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‘I bet it smells weird’ – Internet divided over floating restaurant in China
I you are still feeling peckish at the end of your meal, their fish tank is full. But can you eat koi?
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‘Turn up in the Northern Territory this Spring’ campaign deals
Agents and airlines get all hot and sweaty over these enticing deals. Or did someone just turn the air-conditioning up?
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‘Like nothing on earth’: Saudi Arabia’s new Treyam resort set in a Star Wars-style landscape
As long as Jar Jar Binks is not there, we would like a seat at the Mos Eisley Cantina please.
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Raffles Hotels and Resorts is set to open in Tokyo in 2028
Time to get your vision boards at the ready! Raffles is landing in Tokyo!
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‘A true honour’ – Andrew Stark wins Flight Centre Director’s Award for the second time
Congratulations Andrew! If you're a fan of British reality TV you might notice a familiar face.
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Club Med debuts travel agent portal 2.0 with bonus prize for tops sales
See those people by the pool. That could be you. Start selling through the portal people!
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Envoyage announces 2024 Australian Icons and rewards event in the Maldives
We were going to edit our name into the list but we chickened out.
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HIF Global signs collaboration agreement with Airbus on eFuels
We know it's a good thing but can a jet fuel geek out there send in a diagram explaining this please.
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Crystal announces release dates for 2026 itineraries
If you have started collecting 2026 itineraries then here is another one for you.
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Cairns Airport unveils display of support for FNQ youth
If you were craving some winter sun now you have a cultural reason for booking a flight to Cairns.
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Viking announces six new cruise itineraries
Now's the time to start learning Putonghua, Nihongo and Lhasa. Or maybe even know where these are spoken.
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Join Qatar Airways, Celebrity Cruises & Klook – Showcase Your Brand at Click Frenzy Travel August 2024!
Clicking calmly will also be welcome when it comes to this particular deal. Click calmly here to find out more.
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InsideAsia Tours launches new incentive that doubles agent commission
Double commission! We like the sound of that. Hope their system doesn't crash as a result.
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Push to revive Parramatta’s iconic Roxy Theatre into entertainment destination
Long have we wished for this iconic heritage cinema to be revived as a tourist destination. Still waiting.
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Qatar Airways signs an expansion to Boeing 777-9 aircraft order
Known as a quiet rural town in England, the entire global aviation industry now has its eyes on Farnborough.
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Flight Centre shares down following revised profit guidance
The stock market moves fast. What will the rest of the week hold for Flight Centre?