The new management installed at the luxury hotel complex by Setai Owners LLC, a company associated with Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc, is the Trevi Luxury Hospitality Group from Dallas and the company plans to ensure that all existing workers at the resort will retain their jobs.

The main debate centres on the profitability of the Setai South Beach Resort and speaking about the change of management, Anthony Barsanti from Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc, said: “Our goal is to improve profitability, management and overall Seti experience for hotel guests and condominium owners, we believe that under the right management this property has limitless potential.”

GHM disagree and believes that the profits from the Setai South Beach were strong. Non Executive Chair and Director of GHM, Adrian Zecha added: “Under GHM management, The Setai South Beach has provided a strong resident experience that has been key to maintaining and increasing the value of the individual properties, creating record breaking prices for the property sales.”

Setai Owners LLC is to start legal action against GHM on the grounds that the company has violated terms of a contract written on March 20, 2000. Lawyers for Setai Owners LLC, Bickel and Brewer, based in both Dallas and New York announced: “The owner believes that it was in the best interest of the project to exercise its rights, install new management at the resort and initiate the arbitration,” said William A Brewer III. The arbitration suit concerns many millions of dollars in compensation.

Setai Owners LLC clams that the hotel hasn’t achieved maximum occupancy and compares poorly to other properties in Miami-Dade County. GHM disagrees and President Jenni has recently been quoted as saying: “At this time we are not in a position to comment on the specifics of their allegations. We are in conversation with our lawyers and will take the necessary steps to ensure that Lehman Brothers complies with the requirements of the management contract in place.”

The Setai South Beach is a luxury hotel and resort made up of beautifully appointed suites.  The hotel comprises two buildings overlooking the ocean and promises an upmarket experience for its guests. In December 2011 a penthouse suite at Setai South Beach sold for a staggering $ 21.5m.

The history of the spa dates back to the Bronze Age. Early remains have been discovered in both the Czech Republic and France in close proximity to local hot springs that indicate their use as spas. The town of Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic still offers spa treatments today and is visited by travellers from all over the developed world.

Initially individuals visited spas in a bid to regain their health and strength, believing that the waters had great curative properties. The Cretan ruins at Knossos also reveal that ancient societies were starting to use the spas for a cleansing ritual as well as for medicinal purposes. Homer first wrote about the idea that a spa could also be seen as a place of relaxation as early as 500BC. The idea of the spa as a place of luxury started with the Romans. Their beautifully decorated bathhouses with sports and social areas helped foster the idea that a spa was more than a venue for purely medicinal purposes. The Romans spread this idea throughout their empire and the modern spa of Baden Baden in Germany was created as a direct result of Roman influence.

The global spa business is hugely valuable and The Director Magazine has recently reported that the value of this industry is £39bn with over £5.2bn being spent on spa services in the UK alone. In February this year, there were 800 spas in the UK with many of them offering health as well as beauty treatments. Mainstream outlets, including Centre Parcs and Bannatyne Leisure have opened up the market to a wider audience and this has helped to promote the industry.

Others prefer to travel overseas for their spa treatments, and increasingly tourists are visiting Turkey and other countries in the Middle East for holidays that are promoted as a ‘luxury break’ The Turkish ‘Hamm am’ is now seen as an important part of any trip to that country.  The tradition of luxury spas in Turkey was established with the building of Roxelana in 1556, where clients could enjoy a massage, relaxation and steam rooms.

Japan is another popular spa destination. These spas provided luxury and a place for relaxation and were established in Japan as early as 737 AD when the first hot spring opened. The spas themselves started to cater for a wider public with the building of the first ‘Ryoken’ (inns).

The spa industry both in the UK and globally is a hugely lucrative market, Butlins recently invested £20m in a spa at its Bognor Regis Ocean Hotel and the trend of offering luxury for all is growing.

The recent three-day Gulf Incentive, Business Travel and Meetings Exhibition in Abu Dhabi demonstrated how effective the country’s Tourism and Culture Authority already is at attracting and retaining this important business sector. The country has created and updated several venues and is actively pursuing a number of large conferences. Noting that business-event delegates have a tendency to outspend leisure visitors by as much as seven times, it is easy to see why this segment is of such a high interest.

The Gulf Incentive event alone has 250 meetings scheduled for this year, 100 more than the 150 it hosted in the whole of 2011. Abu Dhabi is striving to compete on both price and convenience, advertising hotels that appeal to a wide range of visitors, from the price conscious to sky’s the limit spenders. A look at scheduled conferences includes names like the Affordable Housing Development Summit, the Talent Management Conference and the Entrepreneurial Women Working from Home via Internet Conference, demonstrating the wide appeal of the Middle East.

While businesses based in the region have been traditional customers for these conferences, Abu Dhabi and other hosting locales are reaching further afield. Conference planners from several worldwide corporations have planned at least one event in Middle Eastern countries; Datacenter Dynamics and Incisive Media from the UK, Aero Expo from Spain, the PGA European Tour and Magenta Global, of Singapore are all examples of conference planners looking to the Middle East for upcoming events.

Some of these conferences could end up having a global impact. For example, the 10th Middle East Geosciences Conference and Exhibition aims to facilitate the exchange of science and technology in regards to oil and gas exploration and discovery worldwide. Nutricia ME is due to host a large conference focusing on infant nutrition and the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association moved its conference to Doha, Qatar, in late 2011, after holding it in the United States for the previous five years.

Dubai has some of the largest conference venues in the Middle East, including the famous Dubai World Trade Centre. From the fabulous Dubai International Boat Show to the Inspire Home Fashion and Lifestyle Showcase, the one million square feet of space in Dubai has been a favourite for large-venue events. However, smaller venues, such as the Park Rotana in Abu Dhabi, the Ritz-Carlton Hotel at the Dubai International Financial Centre and the Atlantis Hotel on Dubai’s Palm Jumirah, all offer state of the art facilities.

Some companies that host conferences in the Middle East subsequently end up doing business there, another economic boost to the region. As more and more events of this type are scheduled, it is possible that the economic payoff from conferencing activities might have a much longer lasting impact that either an individual conference or its delegates.

Gone are the days when money could simply be spent because it was there to spend. Many businesses have, during the past few years, tightened controls over which employees are allowed to travel, whether they are allowed to fly in business class or economy class and how far and for how long they are able to travel.

Many employees are nowadays forced to travel on budget airlines and their expense accounts for onboard meals and drinks have also been severely limited.

Once they arrive at their destinations, only top executives are now allowed to stay in five-star hotels; the rest have to accept three star and four-star lodgings. They also no longer have carte blanche when it comes to wining and dining business associates.

Many companies have curtailed the size of corporate delegations. No longer is it acceptable to take everyone from the managing director to the tea-lady if you want to travel to China to negotiate expanding into that country.

When it comes to local travel expenses, such as car allowances, the corporate axe has also been very busy over the last few years. Many executives and sales people are now, once again, forced to buy a vehicle that can bring them from the office to a business meeting in a reliable fashion rather than a status symbol to show off to friends and family members.

Unlimited fuel accounts have also become something of the past in many companies. The good old log book has once again started to make a comeback. Junior staff, in particular, are once again forced to keep track of every trip they make on the company’s behalf.
Beleaguered financial house, City Group, is just one of a long list of companies that have been forced to curtail corporate expense accounts over the past few years. In 2008 Vikram Pandit, the company’s chief executive officer, embarked on a drive to cut the group’s costs by at least 20 percent. Large reductions were made to corporate expenses.

Another side-effect of the corporate austerity drive has been an increase in the use of management information systems (MIS). Today, corporate bosses want detailed information on how the company’s expense account is made up, who is spending what and why.

These developments have also had serious repercussions for companies involved in the corporate expenses industry; one of them being Diners Club. For one, the company has had to launch improved Management Information Systems, because their corporate clients wanted more detailed information to enable them to clearly see where cost cuts could be made.

And it’s all coming to a head. In April the US Senate will consider a ban on American airlines from complying with the European initiative, known as the emissions trading scheme (ETS), designed to clean up its airspace.

In this, America is following China, the first nation to block its airlines from observing the scheme, and India which did so in late March. “In accordance with the government’s directive, no Indian airline will comply,” announced civil aviation minister Ajit Singh in a slap in the eye for Brussels. “The carbon tax will therefore not be levied.”

Furious at what they see as European lawmakers’ high-handed and arbitrary action, these  opposing nations see the scheme as an unwarranted attack on their aviation industries and sovereign rights. They point out that the scheme applies not just to emissions in European airspace but to emissions on the entire flight, there and back.

Also lined up against Brussels is much of Latin America as well as some eastern European nations, while Russia is expected to follow China and India in a boycott.

Patience is wearing thin. At a late-March hearing of the bi-partisan transportation committee in the US Senate, chairman John Mica urged the White House to take action against Europe unless the European Commission modifies its stance. “We have to have a united front and show people we mean business,” he warned. One option under consideration by the Obama administration is retaliation against European airlines flying into North American airspace in the shape of higher landing charges or other penalties.

Hard lines
Both sides have taken hard lines. Europe’s climate commissioner Connie Hedegaard is the banner-waver for the scheme and has been shuttling back and forth between Brussels and Washington to try and strike some kind of compromise. However she insists the EU will only soften its position if the International Civil Aviation Organisation, the United Nations body, strikes a global agreement with its members. There’s no sign of this happening at the moment.

Meantime the deadline for a face-saving resolution of the issue is running out. The scheme will start hitting airlines in the bottom line from next year when they have to buy permits for their carbon emissions. The current year is a transitional one but current costs are rising and future costs will be even higher.

As Lufthansa chief executive Christoph Franz points out, European airlines are already spending millions preparing for the scheme. But by the end of 2020, they will be paying an estimated $12bn collectively; and that at a time when they’re being hit by sky-high fuel prices and low profits.

Anxious Airbus
One of Europe’s biggest export companies, Airbus, has also been caught up in the issue. In protest at ETS, China suspended earlier this year a US$14bn order for the aerospace manufacturer’s passenger aircraft and India is threatening to do the same.

An alarmed Airbus has added its weight to the rest of Europe’s aviation industry –  airlines, engine manufacturers, materials and other suppliers – to plead with Brussels to resolve the dispute before it’s too late. In a rare show of solidarity, even Boeing has joined forces with its great rival and approached the European Commission to hand the impasse over to the UN.

“This is not about Boeing and Airbus. It is about what is best for our customers and how the industry as a whole can reduce its carbon footprint,” Jim Albaugh, civil aviation director for the American group, told Reuters. “In my opinion the European ETS mechanism is not the right approach. It should be suspended and we should work at the ICAO.”

For good measure the scheme has also antagonised the thriving business jet industry, which lobbied against it from the outset. Some operators may have to retrofit newer, more fuel-sipping engines to older aircraft to avoid high penalty charges, points out Steve Brown, vice president of operations at America’s National Business Aviation Association. He suggests operators also look at the advisability of fitting winglets, conducting weight-saving analyses of the payload, and limiting passengers’ baggage allowance among other economies.

Fuel saving techniques offer the biggest pay-off, he suggests. Engines should be started up only when the aircraft is facing in the out-bound direction and, if possible, only one engine used for taxiing. In-flight engines should be run at maximum-range cruise power settings, as research by Gulfstream Aerospace shows.

Gold-plating
Because the scheme gives relative autonomy to different nations to apply it in their own way, business-jet operators fear a “gold-plating” exercise whereby some countries add extra conditions. UK’s Environment Agency, for instance, charges European operators f3,000-5000 – and US operators as much as US$9,000 – for routine compliance in the form of “subsistence fees” and related costs while the process is free in some countries such as France, at least for the moment.

The seeming unfairness of the charges has particularly irritated American operators, they told the magazine. As aviation consultancy Universal Weather’s Adam Hartley, supervisor of the global regulatory services team, points out: “These fees apply before the operator has done anything to the environment.”

Under pressure from business-jet operators such as NetJets, Brussels has made some concessions. For instance, paperwork has been greatly reduced for so-called “small emitters” that produce less than 25,000 tonnes of carbon a year (up from the original ceiling of 10,000 tonnes) or less than 243 flights over three consecutive four-month periods. However that concession, which affects 900 operators, followed a three-year battle by the European Business Aviation Association.

Some of the least happy operators remain US-based Fortune 500 firms whose executive jets typically fly straight in and out of Europe for business meetings. “And the majority of those emissions are not in European airspace,” points out Hartley. Furthermore, many (mainly US) operators were assigned quotas based on the routes they flew two or more years ago, but don’t any longer.

Addng to the chorus of disapproval, Fabio Gamba, chief executive of the European Business Aviation Association, the political pressure on the European Commission to ”abandon, defer or reduce” the scope of the scheme has been “growing by the day”.

26 countries against
At the moment Brussels’ main problem is that ICAO’s member nations are broadly opposed to the scheme under which offending airlines are liable to pay h100 per tonne of excessive carbon emissions. Of the organisation’s 36 member nations, 26 are hostile. They argue that the European scheme should be limited to EU airlines only. It’s highly improbable therefore that the scheme will survive in its current form if it lands on ICAO’s plate.

America’s general aviation industry in the form of the big commercial airlines have spearheaded the battle and goaded the White House into action. Late last year Airlines of America, representing the major carriers, lost out in Brussels when the European Commission’s advocate general advised the scheme was “compatible with the provisions and principles of international law invoked.”  That was a first step to a binding ruling by the European Court of Justice. Next, Airlines of America took the fight to UK courts but have since bowed out and handed the baton to Washington as international pressure grows.

A truce?
What is the likelihood of peace breaking out?  Bosses of most general carriers, even European ones, are fast running out of patience with Brussels. Although he supports greener and cleaner airlines, Lufthansa’s Christoph Franz believes a truce is called for. “It is imperative to avoid a trade war,” he said at an International Aviation Club lunch in Washington in late March. “We are already in the middle of the mess. In order to avoid a trade conflict, for the time being we should sideline the EU ETS and get a commitment to negotiate ETS through ICAO.”

Stephen McNamara, spokesman for Europe’s biggest low-cost operator Ryanair, believes the scheme should be abandoned altogether. Describing it as an “eco-loony tax”, he says airlines account for less than two per cent of all emissions. Anyway, he added, the cost will only be passed on to passengers at a rate of h15-20m in 2012 and, of course, much more next year when it comes fully into force. (Other airline chiefs accept that aviation causes about four per cent of emissions in Europe.)

Meantime Brussels could be backpedalling. The latest message from the European Commission is that, while it’s “confident all airlines will comply with European legislation,” it suggests the ball could yet be thrown into the United Nations court. As spokesman Isaac Valero Ladron said recently, Brussels was “firmly committed to a global agreement and the continuation of work at ICAO.”

In short, if the UN authority was able to strike an agreement, the European Commission would move to amend its laws accordingly. By anyone’s standards, that would amount to a climb-down.

Times have changed. Now, with digital communication technologies keeping the world online 24/7, executives find they have no time to switch off, and time itself, rather than luxury, is what they are demanding from their travel providers.  Despite continuing to charge premium prices for business class service, however, the industry is struggling to deliver.

Many corporate travel policies now proscribe business class on all but long-haul flights, where the ability to stretch out for a sleep is deemed to be value-for-money. On shorter flights, consider the prices being charged: a recent check on the internet shows a leading flag carrier charges g283 for a midweek two-day journey from Berlin to Madrid when booked one month in advance.  A business class seat on the same flights would set you back f944.

Despite what they say, the airlines cannot actually deliver you to your destination any faster. They may let you board the plane first, but then you have to sit and wait while the economy class passengers are loaded in the back. Your luggage may be unloaded first, but you have to get through the same interminable queues at passport control as everyone else; often, by the time you get through to the baggage claim area the luggage from the entire flight has been sent down.

When it comes down to it, only the airports themselves can shave time off your journey, yet getting through an airport today takes more, rather than less time than it did ten years ago. The main delays occur around the security and border control areas. While it is clearly in everyone’s best interests to make flying as safe as possible, the seasoned business traveller must still endure the frustration of standing in a queue with first-time travellers who hold up an entire line of people while they repack cases and remove their shoes for the security scan.

One solution being tested in several major airports is the use of iris recognition software that is linked to a database of pre-supplied personal information. At a recent IATA conference, the head of the US Transportation Security Administration announced plans to trial a system that will differentiate between regular travellers and those less experienced. Unfortunately, several iris recognition systems have already been abandoned because they were breaking down or taking longer than the immigration officer doing a manual check.

But the travel industry is waking up to an opportunity to profit from the plight of the time-pressed business traveller. Low-cost airlines across Europe charge extra for the privilege of boarding ahead of the masses, and airports are beginning to charge for the use of their Fast Track security lines. Paying the price does not always guarantee a faster journey to your flight: if the plane is at a remote stand, the priority boarders will just get onto the transit bus quicker, and passengers who have paid for the right to use Fast Track security often find themselves queuing behind families with small children who have been told to join the Fast Track queue to speed up the other lines.

Despite these occasional frustrations, however, many savvy business travellers told to avoid business class are combining several of these services and finding their experience is not dissimilar to what they used to get in business class – but at a fraction of the cost. With one or two airline loyalty cards plus an airport lounge access card costing around h399 per year in your wallet, and paying for the Fast Track service in the most congested airports, you may find yourself with that precious extra half hour in the office or the airport to deal with emails.

Even the benefits of long haul business class are being challenged: One blogger suggests that by purchasing three consecutive economy class seats (£329 each) on a flight from London to Hong Kong, you could stretch out for a snooze and save yourself £1,065 on the price of a business class seat.

Shirley Redpath is a business journalist, and enjoys globetrotting on a regular basis

There are nearly 3,000 airports between Cairo and the Cape, but fewer than 280 currently host regular scheduled flights, and significantly less if only long-haul flights to and from international destinations are included.

In the second decade of the 21st century, Africa still throws up some truly bizarre anomalies.

A passenger wishing to make the short flight from Freetown in Liberia to Banjul in the Gambia, for example, still needs to take a flight from Freetown to Accra in Ghana, book a connecting flight to London, then fly on to Brussels, before finally reaching their West African destination – travelling more than 15 times the short-hop distance between Freetown and Banjul.

Over the past two decades, dozens of airlines like Ivory Coast’s Air Afrique have disappeared, and hundreds of routes served in colonial times have been withdrawn, as one after another African national carrier went bankrupt because of decades of breath-taking inefficiency, stunning incompetence and corruption on a grand scale.

Few travellers today remember any of these excesses – but some of them were epic. Ghana Airways under independence leader Kuwame Nukruma, for example, used to schedule a regular flight from Accra to Moscow. The aircraft invariably had only a handful – and often no passengers, and haemorrhaged money. But impoverished Ghana was happy to fly empty aircraft to the Russian capital to let the world know that it had close ties with the former USSR during the Cold War era.

President Robert Mugabe regularly commandeered Air Zimbabwe’s schedule aircraft to take him and his wife and family on diplomatic and shopping trips to Europe and the Far East – enraging thousands of passengers – myself included – who had paid hard cash for their tickets, and who were left stranded by his imperial antics. So it’s hardly surprising that Air Zimbabwe doesn’t fly anymore.

That kind of attitude to commercial realities helped eventually to drive scores of African flag carriers into the ground. Running an airline is a difficult and complex operation. You need to have sophisticated ticketing systems, dedicated staff, aircraft that are regularly maintained, adequate ground infrastructure – no carrier is going to allow its sparkling new Airbus to land in a country where the runway at the international airport has potholes and no landing lights – and a reasonably cooperative political environment to succeed. Africa falls down on every one of those criteria.

But the tide is now beginning to turn. Loss-making Air Botswana was turned around by new management which introduced the novel idea that everyone who flew on the airline had to buy a ticket. Most African national flag carriers were government-run affairs, and staff from pilots to baggage handlers (and their extended families), felt that it was their birth right to fly for nothing as a perk of the job. Little wonder that most of them went bankrupt.

Moreover, with continental Africa hosting six of the world’s ten fastest growing economies in 2011, the demand for business travel in Africa has been growing exponentially. The number of regional carriers – which help feed business travellers to the handful of hubs that operate long-haul destinations, are starting to multiply. While the traditional carriers in Europe and America have been slow to recognise this growth, carriers from the new emerging markets in China, India and Brazil have not – and the number of South-South air routes is growing fast.

Stelios Ioannou is currently embarking on a new venture in West Africa.

In an African version of EasyJet called FastJet, Sir Stelios wants to acquire 15 aircraft to link Accra with six regional capitals. Africa-focused conglomerate Lonrho has already launched its Fly 540 low-cost airline in East Africa, and domestically in Ghana and Angola, and it has ambitions to expand. It may still be hard to reach most African destinations – but perhaps not for much longer.

Michael Dynes is a business and lifestyle journalist, specialising in subjects related to African culture and economics

But today, whereas some member states are struggling and require financial assistance from their more stable neighbours, austerity is also proving to be a very bitter pill to swallow.

The plight of Greece, and to a slightly lesser extent Portugal and Ireland, have been well documented. But Italy faces a similar fate. If Italy defaults on its debt of g1.9trn, the fallout could seal the fate of the eurozone.

Recently, Italy’s borrowing rate reached a record g7.5bn following a bond auction. Furthermore, the yield on its current three-year bonds is almost eight percent, and its 10-year bonds also have spiked to 7.56 percent.

History repeated?
But this problem within the EU has repercussions that have the potential to be felt much further afield. Goldman Sachs and some US banks guaranteed somewhere in the region of h1trn of European sovereign debt by selling swaps or insurance against which they have not reserved.

However, the fees these banks received for guaranteeing the value of European sovereign debt instruments has largely been dropped into a pot to report operating profits and pay bonuses.

This is the type of accounting that brought Lehman Brothers and AIG to their knees. Subsequently, if any of the European sovereign debt fails, US financial institutions that issued swaps or unfunded guarantees against the debt will be in for a massive shortfall. The failure of European sovereign debt, therefore, could have a spectacular knock-on effect, essentially re-igniting the US financial crisis. This could therefore culminate in a new round of bailouts and quantitative easing.

Germany, however, is the key nation to help save the euro, the EU itself, and any possible repercussions amongst countries that rely on sovereign loan repayments. The reliance on Germany is not simply because it is the wealthiest of all the EU nations, but because its industrial strength is one that could initiate and support a bailout fund.

Germany’s credentials as the leader of the EU began shortly after the second world war, when, in 1952, it became a founding member of the European Coal and Steel Community – essentially the precursor of the EU. Further to this, partly because of the curbing of its powers of autonomy in the wake of the conflict, but largely because of its astute policies, Germany has unwittingly propelled itself to the forefront of the EU pack, today shaping up as the only member state capable of implementing any form of economic or fiscal reforms to save struggling nations, and indeed the EU.

Standing on the shoulders of giants
While other major EU economies have failed or are in deep recession, Germany has posted growth of three percent for more than two years running. Nicolas Sarkozy, in a battle to win re-election, now openly cites Germany as a model and has enlisted German chancellor, Angela Merkel’s help in the campaign to repair his own damaged credibility.

Indeed, no other nation is better placed to lead the EU out of its current malaise. Since the euro crisis began in 2009, Germany has been the only country to have the financial shoulders to decree the double Greek bailout, and its unwavering demand for austerity help has seen the demise of the profligate Silvio Berlusconi in Italy and George Papandreou in Greece. It has also imposed what has been termed a fiscal compact for EU budgetary discipline.

Despite its prosperity and benevolent position towards fellow EU members, some states seem to have long memories. The unification of the East and West blocs in 1990 should have assuaged anxieties, but this, instead, seemed to re-ignite French, British and Russian fears over the new republic.

Since then its dedication to the EU – Germany having long been one of the most passionate supporters of European integration – should have been cause for celebration. But some quarters responded to Germany’s assertiveness with scepticism, unfortunately recalling the regime of the 1930s and 40s.

Furthermore, in more recent times, Germany’s opposition to the wars in Libya and Iraq was greeted with discontent and a sentiment of disunity. In short, whereas for many years within the EU Germany has held the same rights (and therefore the same obligations) as its neighbours, there remain within Europe people who worry about too much German leadership rather than too little German leadership.

Also, the austerity regulations that Germany and other leading member states has placed on member states such as Ireland & Portugal – with the ultimate objective of them maintaining their own autonomy and identity – has created resentment.

Finally, some commentators have pointed to pivotal actions or omissions by Germany in the mid-2000s that may have been the precursor to the crisis suffered in Southern Europe. From the beginning, there has been a method enabling the EU to police the economies of member states by following the rules that had been laid down for the single currency in the Maastricht Treaty. This was called the Stability and Growth Pact. In 2003, France and Germany had both overspent, and their budget deficits had exceeded the three percent of GDP limit to which they were legally bound.

Whereas the Commission had the power to fine them, the finance ministers – of what was then the 15 eurozone member states – gathered in Brussels and voted the Commission down, essentially letting France and Germany off the hook by deciding not to enforce the rules they had signed-up to and which were designed to protect the stability of the single currency. Some quarters have recently cited this event as one of the first breaches in European policy, and have suggested that Germany has assumed too much power in the wake of this.

The lynchpin nation
If Europe chooses to interpret Germany as an increasing global power that should be checked, then it only needs to look to its abstinence in the Libyan crisis, and should draw comfort from » its lack of interest in non-European conflicts, along with likes of Brazil, Russia, India and China, all of which have abstained from aggressive UN  resolutions since 1973. As is the case with these undoubtedly powerful nations, Germany is not willing to deploy its military.

But despite its criticisms, Germany remains a crucial partner, whether Europe likes it or not. The EU needs to realise quickly that Germany faces a period of great uncertainty, is looking for international partners, and will be open and susceptible to external influences. This is an opportunity for increased interaction and conversation between Germany, its mainland European neighbours, and – perhaps crucially – the UK.

What many EU nations fail to realise is that Germany is, on the whole, sceptical of the EU, and increasingly this discord is forcing the power from the hands of civil servants and political theorists, and back into the proletariat. Essentially, the German people have a number of questions that remain unanswered, and these will be decided by votes of the majority, and this could have a dramatic effect on Germany’s position on the EU over the next decade.

Therefore, it is important to separate Euro scepticism from the realist perspective, both in Germany and in the rest of Europe. In the case of the Euro zone crisis, despite its growing appetite for ‘Euroscepticism’, in the short term it would make little sense for Germany to allow faltering Eurozone economies to default, and to remove itself from the single currency and the overall project of saving the euro.

While many EU nations do not approve of the idea of an EU led by Germany, the EU itself simply could not survive without Germany, and the determination of the German government to save it. For many Conservatives in the UK such a collapse may be desirable politically, but it remains inescapable that such an event would signal the beginning of an economic disaster within the EU.

Looking at the issue from a UK perspective, in the medium term, if the UK can retain much of its sovereign power with limited fiscal responsibility in Europe, whilst Germany continues to underwrite the eurozone, this should be viewed as a beneficial compromise, and one which should be accepted in order to survive the current economic turmoil.

In the long term, the EU should aim to work closely with Germany, as this strategy will be invaluable in ensuring that when the eurozone emerges from the current crisis, a more realistic, and economically-driven EU, emerges, as opposed to the current political and bureaucratic that the EU is subject to today.

One of the world’s most powerful nations sits patiently at the centre of the eurozone, as both the chief architect and financier of the single currency.

For Germany, the leadership of the EU goes beyond the survival of the eurozone, but  also examines its own foreign policy for the last two decades.

Leader of the pack
It cannot be denied that Germany today certainly holds the purse strings.

But this is status is not by pure fluke – it is down to its own austerity measures and prudence. Since the introduction of the Euro, Germany has had the lowest rate of inflation among the major countries, followed closely by France. The highest inflation rates have been in Greece and Spain. While these inflation differentials are not huge, they are large enough to strain a system of fixed exchange rates.

Furthermore, when it comes to productivity, Germany has clearly pulled away from the pack. Partly because of its reforms of its labour market over the last decade, but also because it has been Europe’s powerhouse economy for many decades – achieving vastly higher productivity growth than its neighbours.

As an illustration of this, since 2000, German unit labour costs have risen about 20-30 percent less than unit labour costs in the other EU countries. That gap has left Germany with a large intra-Europe trade surplus. In contrast to this, most other EU nations run at a deficit.  The German economy today is the result of very well organised and structured set of policies. Germany has a pivotal influence on the finance and regulation of Europe, strong as it is on issues of global trade and manufacturing.

Germany is solely responsible for managing the European financial crisis, yet it has been highly reluctant to interfere in global situations.

Both the German government and the voters are very much aware of its strength, and appear to be growing sceptical weary of spending taxpayers’ money on bailing out Greece – or indeed of staying in the EU at all. In a recent opinion poll, 46 percent of Germans believed that Germany would be better off without the EU.

Today, Germany knows that its power will continue to derive from soft institutional structures and economic strength, as opposed to an aggressive foreign policy. What the EU nations should recognise, however, is that its current economic clout is focused on the continuation of the EU as a common economic structure.

Having said that, the German authorities are not ignoring public opinion. And that opinion is, on the whole, that the underwriting the rest of Europe’s fiscal and financial woes is a step too far. But Germany, even in hearing the sentiment of its own people, remains dedicated to the European Union. Indeed, Merkel, has recently acknowledged the growing unrest amongst her own electorate, recently addressed public concern by assuring voters that every country is responsible for its own debts.
But Germany still stands as the nation at the forefront to assuage the EU’s financial issues. If the eurozone fails, Germany will need to again restructure its economy and re-define itself on the world stage. If it bears the brunt of the storm it will sit at the heart of one of the most powerful economic bodies in the world.

The long haul
European financial analysts are waiting for the supposed inevitable collapse of the eurozone. They may see this as the end to the continuing woes of the global recession; economic analysts may yet have to wait as Germany’s resolve to see the continuation of the EU seems unerring.

Historically, the EU itself was born out of a great crisis, long before the notion of a unified Europe was conceived. In this vein of achievement and continuation, Germany sees that the crisis within the Eurozone offers the greatest opportunity yet to embed fiscal unity and central control of the European economy within Brussels.

But Germany’s recently-introduced ‘fiscal compact’ plans were largely met with agreement, with 27 of the 29 leaders of the member states accepting the proposals. However, David Cameron’s veto vote cannot have sat comfortably with Germany, and despite reassurance from Angela Merkel that Britain remains a key partner within the Union; the move may be interpreted by many German politicians as another voice of dissent, this time from of the EU’s largest economies.

More than twenty years after German unification restored national sovereignty, Germany remains uncertain of its role within the EU.

Accordingly, some German analysts fear that if the country finds itself both dominant and disliked, it could abandon its pivotal commitment to the EU. It should come as no surprise, therefore, that Germany is reluctant to assume the natural mantle of the leader of the pack.

It’s called ‘land grabbing’, or, as some would prefer to describe it, “investing in a smaller country to help it sustain growth.” Whatever description one chooses to use, large-scale acquisitions and the leasing of land in developing countries by outside parties has continued apace in recent years.

The game changer was the world food price crisis of 2007-2008, which resulted in an influx of companies from strong economies that saw the advantage and necessity of buying up foreign (often African) land as a means of boosting their own food production. From a socioeconomic standpoint it’s not difficult to see why the siren call of the so-called ‘land grab’ has gained resonance. This is largely because global food production, according to some estimates, will need to increase 70 percent by 2050 in order to feed the expected nine billion mouths on the planet at that time.

With the cultivation of under-utilised land seen as one solution to the problem it should come as no great surprise that agricultural businesses from food-importing countries have flooded into regions such as Africa to set up farms in a desperate bid to increase their supplies and protect themselves from price volatility in an era of possible climate change.

Who is the typical land grabber?
While transactions can take place between domestic outfits and governments of the target country, foreign investors fit the most common profile. Clients may vary, and would-be land buyers can be anything from transnational companies and governmental bodies, such as sovereign wealth funds, through to individuals and universities. Also active have been private equity funds and pension funds.

But in a major report published in January 2012, the International Land Coalition (ILC), found more evidence of harm than good for developing countries. The ‘Global Commercial Pressures on Land Research Project’ – incorporating a total of 27 case studies, thematic studies and regional overviews – included the latest data from the extensive and ongoing Land Matrix project.

Begun as a collaborative effort by a number of organisations back in 2009, the Land Matrix project monitors large-scale land transactions and (for purposes of the ILC report ) covers land deals from 2000-2010. Those deals, amounting to 203 million hectares of land in total, equate to a vast area that is comparable to the size of North West Europe.

The ILC meanwhile is a global alliance of civil society and intergovernmental organisations working together to promote secure and equitable access to (and control over) land for the rural poor. Since its founding in 1995, it has grown to encompass 81 organisations in 40 countries. These include the UN and Bretton-Woods institutions, multilateral organisations, producer and farmer organisations, research institutes, trade unions, NGOs and community-based organisations.

Of the publicly reported deals in the ILC study, 948 land acquisitions totalling 134m hectares (or 66 percent of the global total) are located in Africa, of which 34m hectares have been cross-referenced.

“Cross-referenced” data refer to deals referenced from multiple sources – the cross referencing process involving an assessment of the reliability of the source of the information, triangulation with other information sources – and, if necessary, confirming the numbers with in-country partners in the networks of the Land Matrix partners.

By contrast 43m hectares were sold in Asia (29m hectares cross referenced); while in Latin America 19m hectares were offloaded (6m hectares cross-referenced). The remainder (5.4m hectares reported, 1.6m hectares cross-referenced) were in other regions, notably Eastern Europe and Oceania.

The report notes that this pattern of distribution may reflect the strong media interest in African deals, as much as real-world differences in the volumes of transactions. For example, some food-importing African countries such as Ethiopia that are or were major recipients of food aid have attracted extensive media reporting, while anecdotal evidence suggests there has also been strong acquisitive interest in Australia, New Zealand, and North America.

The report cautions that acquisitions in OECD countries are generally not reflected in the data, as private transactions between one commercial user and another that do not involve a conversion of tenure system or away from smallholder production, are not included in the Land Matrix project.

Crucially, though, the high levels of interest in acquiring land in Africa, for example, appear to be driven by a perception that large tracts of land can be acquired from governments with little or no payment – and for good reason – with most of the world’s rural poor having historically lived with insecure tenure over resources. While traditionally there have been few significant threats regarding continued access to such resources, lack of legal entitlement to them has become increasingly problematical. This has occurred as outside governments and commercial organisations increasingly look for alternative methods of getting food to their own people.

Consequently, rural land users now face the realistic prospect of dispossession in many cases. As the report states, when the term “land grabbing” is used, it follows a formula agreed by ILC members in the Tirana Declaration of May 2011, in which it was defined as acquisitions or concessions that are one or more of the » following: (i) In violation of human rights, particularly the equal rights of women; (ii) not based on free, prior and informed consent of the affected land-users; (iii) not based on a thorough assessment, or are in disregard of social, economic and environmental impacts, including the way they are gendered; (iv) not based on transparent contracts that specify clear and binding commitments about activities, employment and benefits sharing and; (v) not based on effective democratic planning, independent oversight and meaningful participation.

Africa at the core of the land grab
With Africa at the centre of the land grabbing sphere a significant chunk of deals have unsurprisingly already been struck – with Ethiopia, Sudan, Tanzania, Zambia and Sierra Leone featuring prominently.

The Ethiopian government has freely courted foreign investment and its offer has been embraced by a number of countries, including China, Saudi Arabia and India. Dramatic stories surrounding land lease in the country have circulated in the media for some time. In 2010, The BBC reported that the government of Meles Zenawi was pioneering the lease of three million hectares of land; an area the size of Belgium. One local man, speaking on condition of anonymity told BBC reporters at the time: “You cannot speak freely about the land issue now.”

Against this backdrop the Saudis have indicated they are hoping to produce as much as one million tonnes of rice per year, most of which will be used for the domestic market.

Indeed, a deal struck by Sheikh Mohammed al-Amoudi, one of the world’s 50 richest men, attracted particular attention. He is set to invest $2.5bn by 2020 developing a rice-farming project in Ethiopia via his food company, Saudi Star Agricultural Development plc.

To realise his ambitious plan, al-Amoudi has leased 10,000 hectares (24,711 acres) in the country’s western region of Gambella. The contract runs for 60 years at a cost of 158 birr ($9.42) per hectare annually. He is reportedly looking to rent an additional 290,000 hectares from the government.

“There is lots of land in Ethiopia, especially in the lowland areas,” said Haile Assegide, CEO of Saudi Star, in a recent Bloomberg interview.  “So, if you develop this lowland area and help make Ethiopia self-sufficient in food, I see no real problem.”

Abera Deressa, the government minister who in part orchestrated the agricultural development policy opening up land leasing, says foreign investors have been brought in to boost agricultural output by as much as 40 percent. Deressa has however stressed that the rural situation in some parts of Ethiopia has to be updated.

“Pastoralists have enough land for their cattle,” he told the BBC. “But at the end of the day we are not really appreciating pastoralists remaining as they are. We have to improve their livelihood by creating job opportunities.  “Pastoralism, as it is, isn’t sustainable. We want to change the environment.” The goal, according to Deressa, is for investors to bring skills and infrastructure to some of the most neglected regions, as well as helping create thousands of jobs for the rural population.

Long-term risks
While there are benefits to the cultivation of crops on foreign land by international units, critics argue the drawbacks far outweigh any advantages. Local farmers, they stress, lose out as they rent their land at cheap rates to foreign investors. The loss is greater still when taking into consideration that a large percentage of people still rely on food aid.
One of the land grabbing sphere’s most ardent critics is the Oakland Institute. The organisation has published a report based on its findings concerning land deals in Ethiopia, Tanzania, South Sudan, Sierra Leone, Mali and Mozambique. It has warned that hedge funds and other foreign firms have acquired worryingly large swathes of African land, often without offering official contracts. It added that some firms obtained land after deals struck with gullible tribal leaders or corrupt government officials.

“The research exposed investors who said it is easy to make a deal – that they could usually get what they wanted in exchange for giving a poor tribal chief a bottle of Johnnie Walker”, said Anuradha Mittal, executive director of the Oakland Institute in an interview.

“When these investors promise progress and jobs to local chiefs it sounds great, but they don’t deliver,” he added.

Allowing commercial operators to consolidate their hold over global food markets, as well as using land for other export commodities, including biofuels, is creating insecurity in the global food system that could potentially be a much bigger threat than terrorism. Meanwhile, Ethiopia’s Agriculture Ministry announced last year that it plans to relocate 45,000 households – amounting to three quarters of the population of Gambella – by mid-2013.

Posing a further threat, according to environmentalists, is that many of the farms established by foreign investors infringe on Ethiopia’s protected game reserves. In Gambella, for instance, most farms are being ear-marked for rice and sugar production, two of the most water-intensive crops around. And likely to impact local wildlife.

World Bank takes the brickbats
In a 2010 report the World Bank found that of 463 projects covering at least 46.6m hectares it monitored between October 2008 and June 2009; 21 percent of these projects were defined as being ‘in operation’ more than half under ‘initial development’ and nearly 70 percent having been ‘approved’.

Critics were quick to charge that the bank’s data was incomplete as it monitored projects in only 14 countries (as opposed to an original proposed 30) and that it was downplaying the level of commercial activity being undertaken.

Others, such as the Oakland Institute, have consistently argued that the Foreign Investment Advisory Service and the Remove Administrative Barriers to Investment programme, both projects of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Bank’s private sector arm, have “been working – often behind the scenes – to ensure that African countries reform their land laws and fiscal regimes to make them attractive to foreign investors.”

The Bank swiftly rebuffed these charges saying the IFC had consistently recommended governments implement systematic land regularisation programmes that recognise all forms of tenure, formal and customary, including those of pastoralists, or others with weak formal rights.
A spokesman added that the bank’s concern is that large-scale agricultural investment “does not disadvantage smallholder farmers who depend on the land for their livelihoods.”

Writing for Al Jazeera in June 2011, Joan Baxter, a research fellow at the Oakland Institute, noted that investment promotion agencies acting on behalf of governments were developing and advertising a veritable ‘smorgasbord of incentives not just to attract foreign investment in farmland but also to ensure maximum profits to investors.’

Baxter added these included extremely generous tax holidays for 10 or even 30 years, zero percent duty on imports, and easy access to very large tracts of land, sometimes over 100,000 hectares. “Investors may pay just a couple of dollars per hectare per year for the land, and in Mali, sometimes no land rent at all,” she said.

Also noting that the Sierra Leone Investment and Export Promotion Agency was openly boasting about the extremely low labour rates and flexible labour laws in the country, as well as privileges it accords investors, such as 100 percent foreign ownership in all sectors and full repatriation of profits, dividends and royalties, Baxter said that such giveaways: “cast doubt on claims by African governments, and others trying to defend the land deals, that this kind of “agricultural investment” will solve unemployment, generate revenue for cash-strapped governments, reduce the dependence on aid, and bring economic development.”

One example was a $400 million deal in 2010 between Sierra Leone and Addax Bioenergy of Switzerland – the country’s biggest ever agricultural investment – to produce sugar for bioethanol. In a briefing note the Oakland Institute noted that Martin Bangura, the Member of Parliament (MP) for the area and member of the ruling party, described himself as the “bridge” between his people and the company.  He promised community members that their rice-growing areas, known as the Bolilands would not be used by Addax and urged people to accept the project. Community members subsequently reported to Oakland Institute that they had trusted their MP only to be misled – the bolilands having been drained in late 2010 to begin sugarcane cultivation

Change in the air
While land grabbing has been a worrying general trend, a comforting shift may be imminent. Following findings that some investors have not utililised leased land appropriately, the Ministry of Agriculture in Ethiopia, at the very least, has said it will re-evaluate the current status of land for investment purposes before allowing any further contacts to be signed.

Additional pressure is being applied by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which recently confirmed a new set of UN-backed global guidelines on responsible land use had won international consensus – an achievement reached after three years of debate.

The welcome news will see land grabbing regulations tighten while it will also increase food security. In addition, the package will be pushing for equal rights for women in securing title to land, as well as creating transparent record-keeping systems accessible to the rural poor and protecting traditional land rights.

Prior to the guidelines being officially recognised, a voluntary code of conduct was put into place reflecting concerns that powerful economies such as China and the Gulf Arab states had bought up too much land in Africa and Asia.

The code has been set-up to give investors and developers alike clear guidelines on best practices, while at the sane time  providing civil society land rights groups with benchmarks they can use in their work on behalf of rural communities. The voluntary guidelines will play an important part in answering the challenge of ending hunger and assuring the food security of every child, woman and man in an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable way, according to FAO Director. General Jose Graziano da Silva. However, with much still be gained from land acquisitions,  only time will tell if these measures can instigate a lasting and meaningful legacy.

On account of its farming traditions, the bluegrass belt of America has long been known for producing superior racehorses. Horse racing in Kentucky dates all the way back to 1783, when locals would race steeds on Market Street in downtown Louisville. In order to free up city thoroughfares, private tracks were subsequently built on and around local farms to allow for more effective training and racing of colts. The Kentucky Derby itself, however – in addition to the other big-name US horse races that followed – was actually modelled on the great traditions of equine competition in Great Britain and Europe.

The first hurdles
During his travels to the British Isles and the continent in the early 1870s, 26-year-old Colonel Meriwether Lewis Clark, Jr. – grandson to William Clark of Lewis and Clark expedition fame – spent some time visiting the organisers at the Epsom Derby and Grand Prix de Paris races. These most prestigious of the Europe’s horse races had already become part of the fundament of high society across the Atlantic, and Clark saw this pedigree as a way of achieving his dream of bringing high-class horse racing to the US.

Once Clark returned to the States, he set up the Louisville Jockey Club both to showcase Kentucky’s horse breeding industry and to fundraise for the construction of a proper new horse racing facility outside the city. To finance the building of the track – along with a clubhouse, grandstand, porter’s lodge and six stables – Clark sold 320 membership subscriptions to the track at $100 each. The 80 acres of land for the track, located three miles south of downtown, was donated by Clark’s uncles John and Henry Churchill (whence “Churchill Downs”, the name of the track to this day).

The inaugural Derby was raced several years later in May, 1875, when some 10,000 spectators watched 15 thoroughbreds run around a 1.5 mile course. African-American jockey Oliver Lewis rode a chestnut colt named Aristides to victory in 2 minutes 37 3/4 seconds; its owner, Hal Price McGrath, took home a vaunted purse of $2,850.

Over the decades, the track changed hands several times, resulting in a range of improvements and enhancements made to both race and track. A new grandstand was constructed in 1895, complemented by two large twin spires atop the roof – ornaments that have since become the symbol of the Derby itself. This course distance was shortened by 0.25 mile a year later to facilitate horses running in the early spring (the Derby is restricted to 3-year-old horses, meaning a colt only ever has one shot at immortality). In 1908, pari-mutuel machines were installed in the stands and the minimum wager was reduced from $5 to $2.

The 20th Century and beyond
As early as the 1920s, the Derby had become North America’s best-known horse race, drawing top thoroughbreds from all across the country. It spawned other competitions, too: in 1930, sportswriter Charles Hatton coined the term “Triple Crown” to refer to a single horse consecutively running the Derby, the Preakness Stakes in Maryland and the Belmont Stakes in New York. The race was first telecast in 1952, while a “film patrol” was installed two years later in order to allow for semi-instant replays for race officials.

Since then, the financial and wagering sides of the Kentucky Derby has become seriously big business. In 2004, jockeys were allowed to wear corporate advertising logos on their clothing. A year later, award distribution was modified such that horses finishing fifth would receive a share of the purse (previously only the first four finishers did so). Today, Churchill Downs has become a world leader in simulcast wagering and combined betting, with the single day of the Kentucky Derby now taking in as much as $100,000,000. Similar to US sporting events such as the Super Bowl and NCAA basketball, the Derby unites casual fans of sport in general, inspiring otherwise gambling-averse people to bet on horses.

In the days of the original Epsom Derby stakes, large crowds of people would descend on the town from London not just to see the race but to enjoy other entertainment as well – magicians, clowns and minstrels who would occupy the crowds in the fairground. This tradition has since made its way over to the States. For two weeks before the Derby, the city puts on the Kentucky Derby Festival; a series of events that include marathons, balloon and steamboat races and Thunder Over Louisville, which is the largest annual fireworks display in North America.

As with many legendary sporting events, many other Derby traditions have developed over the years. At each final ceremony, for example, the winner is bestowed with a lush garland blanket of 554 red roses – hence the moniker “The Run for the Roses”. Women often appear in long dresses donning large hats, and usually remain the talk of the town for weeks afterwards (the extravagant umbrellas women used to carry, however, have since been outlawed at the track). The highest of high society members and most dapper of spectators tend to occupy the VVIP “Millionaire’s Row” box seats, high up by the spires.

A more casual, down-at-heel crowd, meanwhile, heads for the Infield – the flat, grassy area just inside the track that has mediocre views of the race but sees some serious drinking and partying before, during and afterwards. And the Mint Julep, iced bourbon with mint and sugary syrup, has remained the drink of the race for more than a century.

As a consummate national tradition, the Kentucky Derby has become as American as apple pie and baseball. But the race’s heroes are not just its devoted riders and illustrious spectators. The fastest record thus far is one minute 59 2/5 seconds, set in 1973 by Secretariat, a Triple Crown winner whose hallowed image adorned the covers of Time, Newsweek, and Sports Illustrated.

It was the most last-minute transatlantic trip I’ve ever taken. A Facebook message on the Thursday afternoon translated into a flight the following morning. The best fun in life is almost always unplanned and completely ad hoc – and this was no exception.

Barbados is, as with most tourist destinations, somewhat contrasting. This place attracts them all; from clumps of lobster-red, overweight Brits, to NYC cap wearing Americans, all the way up to the polo tourists, who jet in for a tournament or two…but more on that later.

Friday nights are fish fry nights at Oistins, on the South Coast. Cue dozens and dozens of little huts selling the most amazing grilled fish; Marlin, Shark, Kingfish, Dorado – all accompanied by a vast stage with incredibly loud music. The best hut is George’s; but with huge, huge queues. My boyfriend left me with a brace of girls and a couple of bottles of rum. Oh, the rum – it has a lot to answer for – especially when I found myself on the stage, the only white girl, dancing merrily away to the reggae beat…the fish was delectable, by the way.

The night was yet young – on to Priva, a club on the West Coast, for a polo party. Some of the best British professionals were there; playing in Barbados is really win/win for them – they get their eye in before the English season starts in May, they escape the dreary March weather, they play golf, go sailing, party hard and get paid to boot. It’s a heady lifestyle, and one that I’ve been lucky enough to live for the last few years.

This weekend was all about the final of the Barbados Open – the most prestigious of all the polo fixtures in Barbados. The final had an extra competitive element – father and son were playing on opposite sides. Sir Charles (Cow) Williams, property magnate and staunch Bajan, was playing against his son, Teddy. Even more extraordinary, Cow will be 80 years old this year. How many sports exist whereby the participants can play against family members, much less continue to play at such an advanced age? This is a unique game.

The grounds have undergone significant investment. Maintaining a polo field to a high standard is expensive and time consuming – and absolutely key. The playing surface has to be many things; smooth, flat, not so hard that the horses get jarred up, not so soft that they cut the surface up when they stop sharply. The ball must run true when hit; not possible on a hard bumpy field or one covered in divots. It must not be slippery; a horse cornering at speed puts tremendous forces down onto a small surface area – if they lose their back feet they fall, and fall hard. Injury to both horse and rider is almost inevitable in that situation – if a car is only as good as its tyres, then a polo pony is only as good as the playing surface.

Fortunately, the island is by and large, free draining limestone. The fields are sanded and irrigated, and the climate favours the grass.

The match was close; the hundreds of spectators and sponsors witnessed a fight to the wire; the teams were incredibly even, and superb performances by Jack Kidd (brother of supermodel Jodie and Barbados resident) and Oli Taylor – both big, strong guys who can hit the ball far and hard. They just had the edge on Cow’s team, winning by a single goal.

Polo isn’t polo without a party. After the final, the rum consumption began in earnest. The Lion’s Castle field, high in the hills looking down to the sea, was a fabulous setting to what was a suitably raucous shindig. Cue much dancing on the bar, players carrying one another around on their shoulders, champagne being drunk (what wasn’t being liberally sprayed all over the other players, guests and the DJ’s Macbook Pro) and then slowly the cars began to leave, leaving little toothless gaps in the hills behind the polo ground, as one by one the rather less than sober drivers made their way home. Hey, it is Barbados.

The following day was spent on a Catamaran – owned by a polo player, of course. The boat had been around the world, at a leisurely pace (seven years) as the owners worked around their business interests and the seasons. Well, who wants to sail a boat in winter? Quite.

Our soujorn was much more sedate. We sailed just with the foresail; gently easing along the west coast, allowing a very different view of the island. The east coast is savage; as it is quite literally the first landmass for the waves to hit all the way from Europe. There would be nothing relaxing about sailing around that side of the island.

We anchored about 200 metres off the beach, facing a little innocuous looking bar called Juju’s. Juju’s, as it happens, does grilled fish, and does it well. We all dived off the Cat and swam ashore – accompanied by Sea Turtles and the odd dreadlocked local aboard a Jetski.  A lazy lunch; Marlin with fried breadfruit, as we dripped saltwater onto the seats. No matter. The bar owner didn’t mind, and neither did we. The swim back was rather less energetic – the Cat never seeming to get any closer. As we discussed the personalities in the polo world, the stories got funnier and more risqué the more champagne we consumed. Back in the marina at Port St Charles, the sun went down on a group of happy Englishmen (and women) drinking rose as the water caressed the hull – but once again, the night wasn’t over.

Jack Kidd had extended an invitation to “pop over” to his family pad – Holders. Thinking there’d be just the three of us and him, I was somewhat taken aback and then stunned into quiet by the sight of 3,000 people sitting in absolute silence listening to English musicians Joe Stilgoe and Hannah Waddingham playing Cole Porter songs, in what can only be described as an enchanted forest. The trees formed a canopy over the crowd; branches lit in soft hues of green, red, blue…the sense of serenity and magic was extraordinary, palpable. Unwittingly, we’d stumbled into the highlight of the Holders Season; the biggest performing arts festival in the West Indies.

This island is full of completely unique experiences; ones that the average tourist will never discover. There is so much to do and see if you immerse yourself into it. Eat street food from the boot of a car, dance on a stage with the locals, watch polo (or play it!), listen to Cole Porter in a forest. A life less ordinary, a path less beaten, means a much richer life with infinitely more rewarding experiences. What are you waiting for?

Great promise
Edinburgh’s great cultural melting pot was not yet fully realised. In a few years the historic and contemporary facets of Edinburgh would fuse in a way that had never been envisaged. They would forge a unique identity, combining history, culture, entertainment and the arts, with a thriving business community and demanding tourist industry. The city would soon be on the cutting-edge, but not just yet.

In 1905 when Chesterton made his comments, a new building was just being completed in the city, a building that embodies the dichotomy of historic and contemporary culture. For over 90 years it was the beating heart of Edinburgh as the headquarters of the Scotsman newspaper.

Today this iconic landmark exists as the five-star Scotsman Hotel, a place where rich history is being preserved and contemporary Edinburgh is embraced. The hotel has a great legacy to live up to and so far it’s doing a remarkably good job.

A gateway between two towns
Take a look at the most panoramic photographs of Edinburgh, and you’re likely to catch a glimpse of The Scotsman Hotel. It resides as an appendage to the famous North Bridge, right next to the Royal Mile and at the base of Arthur’s Seat. Just look for the elegant structure by the bridge with a grand flagpole sitting atop it.

The Scotsman was constructed as part of an early 20th century project to widen the North Bridge connecting the old and new towns. The building, a 190ft tower, rushing up like one of GK Chesterton’s rockets, instantly became home to the then 75-year-old Scotsman Newspaper.

Looking around the hotel, clues are abound as to the building’s past. The famous marble staircase, once pounded up and down by editors rushing to and from the trading room, now takes pride of place as the centrepiece of the hotel.

The elegant wood panelling from the editorial offices remains picturesque and intact. But the crowning glory has to be the marble pillars and balcony located in the hotel’s restaurant, the North Bridge Brasserie.

These original features were once part of the newspaper’s trading floor, a grand, expansive room where advertising was painstakingly haggled over and a variety of big deals made.

Since it’s renovation to a hotel a great amount of refurbishment has obviously taken place. The printing rooms are now a state-of-the-art spa complete with Scotland’s first stainless steel swimming pool, steam room, fully equipped gym and a variety of treatment rooms.

The middle floors, once the editorial offices, are now luxurious suites and individually designed rooms, each quaint, unique and brimming with charm; whilst the pigeon lofts – whose occupants were essential for receiving and distributing the latest news across Scotland – are now a two storey penthouse complete with sauna. Yet despite all of these cosmetics, the hotel has lost none of its character. You can still taste the history today.

And this historical badge of honour is clearly worn by the hotel staff, who are earnestly passionate about working in such an august arena. Not least the resident doorman, who mans his post in what can only be described as a uniquely bright and colourful tartan.

The well turned out Ivor can often be heard enthusiastically answering questions about the hotel’s past, and on occasion, can also be heard proffering a sage “It’s better than having a boring family tartan,” to guests who enquire as to the provenance of his dress.

Serving a unique city
In the late 1940s the fledgling Edinburgh Fringe Festival sprang up, closely followed by the installation of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo and a Hogmanay celebration that got bigger every year.  In the space of 20 years Edinburgh became a cultural melting pot like no other. This brought with it diversity, commerce and tourism on a grand scale – and the city has been a hip, fashionable and a very attractive place to do business ever since. By the 21st century these facets had grown exponentially.

For a few weeks of the year the city becomes the entertainment capital of the world, the rest of the time it is a bustling tourist hub for those seeking historical enlightenment. But at all times, Edinburgh is home to a thriving international business community, which needs to be provided for. As with their attitude towards the contemporary and historic sides of modern Edinburgh, The Scotsman Hotel manages to tread the fine line of successfully catering for both business and leisure clientele seamlessly and with immaculate facilities.

Business, pleasure or both?
Business deals are nothing new to the Scotsman’s bustling North Bridge Brasserie restaurant, back when it was an advertising trading floor it must have seen it all.  Things may not appear as hectic and cut-throat anymore; but the venue is certainly conducive to the high-powered business lunch, with its abundance of marble, towering balcony and private dining areas. The establishment is overseen by executive head chef Paul Hart, an award winning artisan who specialises in traditional Scottish cuisine with a contemporary twist.

Chef Hart is equally at ease catering to the upmarket bistro crowd during the day, as he is supplying exquisite a la carte dining of an evening. He’s also the man behind the extensive menus created for the myriad of conferences, product launches, meetings, weddings and social functions that take place at the hotel.

Since opening its doors in 2001, the hotel has built up a steady reputation as the go-to place for business events in the city; a place where clients and customers get to experience a genuine personal touch. Equipped with eight specialised rooms and areas, including function suites, a luxurious boardroom, drawing room and a private screening room; the hotel is prepared to welcome anything from intimate board meetings, to full on press and product launches.

The jewel in the crown of The Scotsman’s meeting rooms is perhaps their exclusive Screening Room & Cinema. It is the only hotel in the city to have one, and is purpose built for media, product and press launches.

Described as Edinburgh’s “best kept secret” by some, it is also set to play a role in the upcoming Edinburgh Festival.

As well as being the physical gateway between the old and new towns of Edinburgh, the hotel is a reflection of everything the city has to offer; the historic and contemporary; a marriage of business and pleasure, entertainment and commerce. It is a hotel for a 21st century city that has achieved greatness and wants to be greater – it embodies everything Edinburgh stands for.

For further information contact: Tel: (0)131 556 5565; Email:  reservations@thescotsmanhotel.co.uk; www.thescotsmanhotel.co.uk

Just a month after my stay at the resort of El Gouna, a self-sufficient five-star community surrounded by desert 20km north of Hurghada, things in Egypt turned markedly uncivilised, as the country got swept along with the Arab Spring uprisings – and the rest as they say is history.

The footage of the revolution we saw on UK TV was predominantly Cairo, a world – and few hundred miles of desert – away from Red Sea tourist resorts, and the environment I’d experienced a few weeks before.

Intrigued, I emailed a resident English lady, Jenny, I’d met in El Gouna who assured me it was business as usual there, just a lot quieter. Like us in the UK, she and her expat buddies were following events in the “outside” world on the TV. Noticeable effects within the resort included less people, due to foreign holidaymakers opting to stay away from Egypt, and the internet and mobile phone networks were down temporarily. Were her husband and she worried about it or considering leaving? Not a chance.

I doubt that when Jenny and her husband bought in El Gouna in 2007, they ever thought they were buying in a country that three years down the line would be subject to a revolution. I wonder if knowing what was to come would have put them off buying there? Actually, after speaking to Jenny about her experience, I don’t believe it would have done.

There are countless “El Gounas” all over the world, that’s to say self-contained resorts offering Western tourists and holiday homeowners a luxury lifestyle within a protected environment. Jenny’s story brings it home just how detached such resorts can be from the real world. It’s not necessarily a good or bad thing, just a lifestyle option for those who want it.

Many people have been put off buying in Egypt, but look closer to home and similar doubts will be going through anyone tempted by a property purchase in Greece right now. The obvious worry is that Greece could still leave the eurozone – not a welcome prospect for anyone who’s just forked out for a property there in euros.

Then there’s the – unlikely – scenario of the level of civil unrest increasing and spreading – the recent TV footage of Athens and other Greek cities hardly make you want to be there. But actually away from these areas – a bit like El Gouna in Egypt – I’ve a sneaky feeling life on many of the Greek Islands hasn’t changed much, with expat life continuing to revolve around the beach, village market and local taverna.

While the Greek government has increased taxes on property owners as part of its austerity measures, one British property agent on Corfu recently told OGC that supermarket prices are actually dropping there, as the main chains compete for business. She thinks taverna prices will follow suit gradually. On property, she noted: “Property is always comparatively safe, and whilst it is true to say that those already owning here are likely to make a loss if they want to sell now, if they can hold on a bit longer, or if they bought long enough ago to still have the exchange rate on their side, then it needn’t be all doom and gloom.

“There are some superb bargains around as those people who really need to sell realise that they will have to accept a lower price if they want to get their property to move. Greece will always have people wanting to come and live here as it is so lovely.”

Choosing where to buy a second home used to be uncomplicated. You went on holiday somewhere, fell in love with the place, had a look at the local property market and made the decision to buy a home there. You didn’t need to worry about the possibility of the local currency changing, the threat of revolution or your property depreciating in value. However, take a broad view of things and sensible approach to a purchase and not much has changed.

Ask yourself this: would the London riots of August 2011 have put you off buying a second home in the Cotsworlds…?

Richard Way is editor of The Overseas Guides Company and an expert on buying property abroad

In 1969 the first case of karoshi was reported, when a 29-year-old married man working in the shipping department of Japan’s largest newspaper company suddenly suffered a stroke and died. His tender age and the fact that he hadn’t displayed any previous signs of ill-health established the association between extremely hard work and death; the term karoshi had entered the corporate environment, and so had the threat to fall victim thereof.

Karoshi culture
But it wasn’t until the latter part of the 1980s that public concern became widespread and the word became popularised. The sinister events that triggered the reaction were the sudden passing away of a number of esteemed business executives – all of whom were young and of excellent health prior to their collapse. The symptoms that sent them to an early grave ranged from acute heart failure spurred by high blood pressure to arteriosclerosis and cerebral haemorrhage – conditions known to be induced by stress that are also readily linked with karoshi. To keep track of the increasing problem and run a tally of the victims, the Japanese Ministry of Labour began publishing statistics on the fatal epidemic in 1987.

Capitalising on the sensational nature of the Japanese peculiarity, a range of karoshi-inspired products has surfaced. One such launch is the video game ‘Karoshi Suicide Salaryman’. “In this game many things are not what you’d expect,” reads the game producer’s introduction. “The goal of each level is counter-intuitive: you need to die…There are 50 clever levels and a boss fight at the end. We hope you have fun (killing yourself)!”

To those not at threat, karoshi might seem exotic to the point of entering black comedy territory, but in Japan it is part of everyday life, despite the fact that companies have started to take more responsibility for the health of their staff. “I used to live and work in London, and despite the fact that the city’s competitive company culture pushes staff hard, it can’t be compared to the level experienced in Japan, where work consumes most waking hours, and leisure time is hardly ever enjoyed at all,” says Naoki Shimizu, who works as an art director at an advertising agency in Tokyo.

“A good night’s sleep shouldn’t be taken for granted, and many Japanese men and women try to snatch a moment’s sleep wherever they can, be it on the train or in a coffee shop. The threat of karoshi is ever-present, but it doesn’t stop Japanese workers continuing to work far harder than is healthy.”

The roots Japan’s the extreme work ethic
The reasons behind Japan’s dangerous work ethics are many and can’t be attributed to a single concern. While Japanese corporations certainly advocate a system of long working hours, unpaid overtime and few holidays, the problem also lies within the psyche of the Japanese people, since the national heritage dictates hard work. Indeed, the days of the leisurely Edo Era (1603-1867) are long gone – a period which inspired pleasurable pursuits and long holidays.

The first seed of workoholism was planted during the Meiji Restoration of 1868, a face that brought about a definite shift in attitudes as the nation was encouraged to work hard in order to compete with aggressively advancing western nations. Japan’s unity policy, which was implemented during the American occupation in 1945, saw the nation’s industrious leanings being reinforced further.

Aside from deeply rooted work ethics, another fundamental element that has contributed to the rise of karoshi is the sense of obligation experienced by Japanese employees, since many are offered lifelong contracts. An ever-lasting commitment between employer and staff might seem an ideal arrangement to those living in the west were redundancies are on the increase. But evidently, it can also serve as a curse since such a devoted and paternalistic relationship is prone to bring about high stress levels and other adverse psychological factors associated with the obligation to overwork.

Even though the lifelong contract system was more commonly practised in the past than it is today, it has somehow cemented a sense of unhealthy respect for the employer, while staff expect very little in return, aside from salary. In addition, Japanese workers are said to lack self-interest, which means that they will very rarely fight back if they feel that they’ve been treated unjustly or being pushed too hard.

The medical specifics of karoshi victims are anything but sprawling; several medical studies support ties between high job strain and cardiovascular disease, which often has fatal consequences. The definition of ‘high job strain’ brings together many factors including high production demands, long shifts with plenty of overtime, coupled with minimum levels of control and lack of social support in the workplace. It also appears that karoshi is particularly prevalent at companies in which employees are subject to strenuous mental effort and delivering work to deadlines.

The legacy of Toshitsugu Yagi
Among the high volume of karoshi deaths racked up in the late ‘80s, one case received more attention than any other, namely that of Toshitsugu Yagi. There was nothing particular as such about the details of the 43-year old man’s karoshi fate. In line with most victims, he ended up paying a high price for his devoted diligence to his employer and died in 1987 from a myocardial infarction brought on by an extreme workload and serving very long shifts.

The case rose to prominence primarily since the victim’s widow, Mitsue Yagi, was refused compensation as Japanese Ministry of Labour decided that her husband had not died from occupational sudden death. To support its case, the institution claimed that Yagi had worked hard every day for many years and should therefore have grown used to his situation. A true victim of karoshi, the Ministry of Labour ruled, needed to prove that he or she had been working twice as many hours as compared to the norm one week prior to the point of death to be granted compensation. Yagi’s insurance policy weren’t inclined to offer compensation either, since the company assessed that the claimant’s husband had “only” put in a maximum of four hours overtime a day in the week before he died, a portion of time that didn’t qualify for a claim.

Despite the unsuccessful compensation claim, Yagi didn’t die in vain – as the illogical and unfair treatment of his case caused public outrage and resulted in his being hailed as something of an “eiyu” (hero) in his native Japan. Before his death, Yagi served as a spokesperson for the inhumane working ethics of Japan. Before his death, Yagi published a set of writings which flagged the hazards and cruelty of Japanese office conducts.

Solemnly, and quite desperately, in one of them he wrote:
“Let’s think about slavery, then and now. In the past, slaves were loaded onto slave ships and carried off to the new world. But in some way, aren’t our daily commuter trains packed to over-flowing even more inhumane? And, can’t it be said that today’s armies of corporate workers are in fact slaves in almost every sense of the word? They are bought for money.

Their worth is measured in working hours. They are powerless to defy their superiors. They have little say in the way their wages are decided. And these corporate slaves of today don’t even share the simplest of pleasures that those forced labourers of ages past enjoyed; the right to sit down at the dinner table with their families.”

To shed further light on the state of the nation’s work ethics and the risk associated with it, the Yagi family was featured in a much buzzed about video promoted by The National Defence Council for Victims of Karoshi following Toshitsugu Yagi’s death. The council was set up in 1988 and consults thousands of people a year who struggle to cope under the pressure of their employers. Today they still offer support and can be found online at http://karoshi.jp/english/index.html

New ruling brings justice – but few benefit
A company that has figured a fair deal in karoshi circles is Toyota. One of the most media-friendly cases reported was that of Kenichi Uchino, a 30-year-old Toyota employee who collapsed to his death in 2002.

ellingly, it was 4am when he died, and he was still at work. “The moment when I am happiest is when I can sleep,” the deceased man allegedly said to his wife, Hiroko, only days before he passed away, leaving her and the couple’s two young children behind. Toyota offered its condolences, saying in a statement that it would “monitor the health of its employees”.

While the car manufacturer’s vow appeared feeble, Kenichi Uchino case contributed to the improvement of the working landscape of Japanese employees via another route, and many years after his death. Offering a glimmer of light, on November 30th, 2007, the Nagoya District Court accepted Hiroko Uchino’s claim that her husband had indeed died of overwork at Toyota. Subsequently, the court ordered the government to pay compensation to the Uchino family. The case proved to be a legal landmark and since karoshi is now recognised as a cause of death for which employers can be held responsible, karoshi related compensation claims and lawsuits have increased.

But obtaining compensation is not a straightforward affair –they can only be achieved if the labour inspection office acknowledges that the cause of death was directly related to work. Moreover, the country’s justice system can be sluggish, which tend to deter some claimants.

The issue of claims aside, the most positive outcome of the groundbreaking 2007 ruling put pressure on companies to accept wider responsibility for the health of their staff, and the corporate environment has subsequently improved a little.

Efforts to kerb karoshi
In response to mounting pressure, many Japanese companies are now making an effort to establish a better work-life balance for their employees. Not surprisingly, Toyota has upped its game, and has attempted to limit overtime to 360 hours a year, which amounts to about 30 hours monthly.

Meanwhile, some companies run recorded announcements to urge their staff to go home or take a break at certain times, while firms such as Nissan have introduced telecommuting to ease the burden of employees with children. Taking the overtime issue more seriously still, a string of large corporations have begun operating with days strictly prohibiting overtime, requiring staff to leave the office promptly at 5:30pm.

Despite efforts made by businesses, employees have little choice but to manage their high volume of work, which means that few can take advantage of the new schemes introduced by employers. To duck the new “no overtime” policy, some workers are known to secretly remain in the office, while others opt to take their workload home to finish – homework is so common that it has acquired a designated term, namely furoshiki (cloaked overtime).

While initiatives have been taken by companies to avoid subjecting their staff to the gruesome fate of stress-related death, Japan’s cutthroat working culture is still renowned to be harsher than most. Shaky financial times and changes in Japan’s industrial structure have put further pressure on the businesses- and their staff- to perform. Until the company culture sees an overriding reform, karoshi remains a tangible threat.

The last few years have shown that growth in the levels of debt – government, personal and bank – have had a very significant effect on a given country’s growth. Consumer consumption can be a very important driver but when it is fuelled by cheap credit and the cheaper credit is stopped, consumer generated growth will dry up too.

Governments attempt to fuel growth by increasing the amounts they spend on investment and government services. However, they have to be able to maintain their credibility to keep on borrowing from international markets if expenditure exceeds income. As we have seen, a number of countries have lost economic credibility and as such lost access to third-party funds.

These countries have been forced to introduce austerity measures which in most cases will reduce growth in the short to medium term. Those who address the problem early, such as Ireland, will emerge and start growing again quicker than those who put their head in the sand, such as Greece, which ended up exacerbating the problem so that it will last so much longer.

Ultimately though, it seems that a bank debt crisis has the greatest effect on economic growth and sadly we are in one of those at the moment. A lot of the growth in the first part of this century was fuelled by bank debt which has since gone bad. This means that the banks’ balance sheets become weak and as such the banks stop lending until they have improved the strength of their balance sheet. This means that companies and consumers have less access to funds and as such are unable to expand, which in turn reduces growth.

The maturity of a country can have a major effect on a country’s growth. Could China continue to grow at 7.5 percent per annum if it had the same industrial history as the UK? Clearly not – and the reverse is true in that the UK’s growth is always going to be constrained in its ability to grow at a high rate as its industrial base is already substantial.

What is interesting in China is that its growth has been fuelled by exports and the cheapness of its products due to low labour costs and the buying binge of these products made possible by cheap credit in the Western world.

With the recession in the West, Chinese growth needs to be maintained by its own consumers and by government spend. Chinese consumption is growing but it is government expenditure that is the major influencer at this moment in time. But you do wonder how motorways to nowhere can be built. However, I am confident that the Chinese economy will continue to grow significantly over the next few years, even decades just given the sheer inventiveness and drive of the Chinese people and the need to keep their huge workforce employed.

So what will cause this growth in China and other Far East countries to decline?

Population growth or the lack of it is put forward as the key factor. Given China’s one child per couple policy, the expectation is that the population will start to decline over the next two decades and population growth is a major factor in driving economic growth. As noted, consumer consumption is a key ingredient for an economy and the more people, the more they will consume. Also, the age demographics will change as the average age of the population will also go up reducing consumer expenditure.

So where in the world will enjoy growth? India is an obvious choice where the population continues to grow and where the age spread is very much to the lower end of the average. Turkey is similar with a young and growing population making it a place likely to see increasing economic activity for quite a long time.

So what of the UK, the USA and Europe? Strangely – and certainly not obvious to me at first – is that the UK and the USA are expected to see growing populations. I thought that we had an ageing population less likely to have children and therefore in decline? However, it appears that immigration from primarily Eastern Europe of a younger generation is having a positive effect here in the UK. Similarly, in the USA immigration from South America is changing the dynamics. Europe on the other hand has a declining economy and subsequently, growth could be curtailed.

In the short to medium term, the Far East will continue to grow. In the longer term, it seems that there are better places to be – even though it is difficult for most of us to believe that this is the UK.

Charles Purdy is MD at SmartCurrency Exchange and a European economic commentator

Named as Best Fixed Based Operator in the Middle East, 2012, for its stunning VIP Terminal located at Doha International Airport, and voted for by customers and crew, it’s an accolade that marks a fantastic first year for the Rizon Jet Doha terminal, which opened in May 2011 and was officially inaugurated in March 2012.

Built for business
The Doha terminal VIP lounge is designed to accentuate the best of modern Arabic design, sporting a minimalistic approach and generous and airy space throughout. With an opulence and attention to detail that are more than a match for anything offered by even the most exclusive of airline operators, the Doha terminal caters for an international clientele in addition to Middle Eastern families and business travellers.

It boasts the very best in service standards giving customers access to luxurious lounges, business suites, beautiful restrooms and all of the facilities one might expect from a seven-star operator. In addition to this, dressing rooms, along with housekeeping and one-to-one concierge services give the traveller complete comfort with all needs catered for from laundry to personal tailoring. There are also snooze rooms and shower facilities available for crews.

To complement the spacious, integrated FBO’s each have base & line maintenance capability on a range of Bombardier and Hawker types and state-of-the-art hangarage for customers who require long-term parking and care. The facility also offers the PA a full suite of business tools from private floors, comfortable set-aside lounges and dedicated offices and boardroom. These are available to conduct business meetings both before departure and afterwards on return from travel.

Recipe for success
Rizon Jet is unique in being the only Middle East operator to have a luxurious VIP FBO based in the significant international aviation hub of London, Biggin Hill. Offering an unparalleled level of service and facilities, both Doha and Biggin Hill operations have been designed to change the way in which the modern FBO works by introducing innovation and technology to equip customers with everything necessary for their comfort and for enjoying successful business trips. Additionally, Rizon Jet focuses on providing a comprehensive suite of private aviation services ranging from aircraft charter, maintenance and management to aircraft sales and consulting.

Part of Ghanim bin Saad al Saad & Sons Group Holdings (GSSG) and the only independent private jet operator with its own terminal in Qatar, Rizon Jet is uniquely positioned to meet the demand of the burgeoning Gulf market. Moreover, with the company’s engineering capability, Rizon Jet intends to be a key player in providing engineering and maintenance services for the business jet and private aircraft in the gulf region. The company can provide seamless services in the Middle East and Europe through owned facilities in Doha and Biggin Hill.

Due to rapid growth during 2011, especially at the London Biggin Hill terminal, Rizon Jet is now confident of being fully ready for the anticipated increase of business brought in the run up to this summer’s Olympic Games in London. The company has been preparing by increasing capacity to handle anticipated demand and extending the range of aircraft services offered and has begun receiving advance booking requests from customers for the Olympic Games period.

For more information contact: enquiries@rizonjet.com
www.rizonjet.com

This year, the Centre will play host to a number of prestigious international events including the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) from 21st-26th April, the 25th Universal Postal Congress (UPU) in September and October, 2012 and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 18) from 26th November-7th December, 2012.

The Centre was launched in conjunction with the opening of the triennial 20th World Petroleum Congress which saw 5,244 delegates from 95 countries attend the Congress, which is also known as the ‘Olympics’ of the petroleum industry. In addition, the event attracted 674 media representatives, record sponsorship, used 35,000sq m of exhibition space and attracted 21,894 visitors to the exhibition.

Leading up to the official opening, QNCC hosted three major events including the Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) 2011 and The Hague International Model United Nations Conference (THIMUN) 2011.

During this period, one of a limited number of Maman sculptures by world-renowned contemporary artist Louise Bourgeois was also unveiled in the Centre. This nine-metre-high steel spider is a permanent feature in the central foyer of QNCC.

Adam Mather-Brown, General Manager said: “There are exciting times ahead for Qatar as a growing destination. While many countries are still recovering from the economic downturn, Qatar’s economy has stabilised. Doha is a highly desirable destination for business investments and tourism and offers world-class facilities and services with an authentic Arabian atmosphere.

He added, “Compared to many other countries, Qatar is undoubtedly one of the safest in the world and consistently ranks high in the Global Peace Index. And we know, today, this is one of the key factors for business travellers and for the Business Tourism industry.”

According to Qatar Tourism Authority, the country recorded a substantial jump in the number of visitors in 2011. Visitors from the Gulf region soared by 50 percent compared to the previous year and an increase of 12 percent for the international visitors. Business tourism accounted for 72 percent of the number of visitors received by Qatar last year.

Transforming the future
In support of Qatar’s transformation to a knowledge-based economy, Qatar Foundation (QF) has made significant achievements in building and developing capacity for creativity and critical thinking through research in education and science. As a member of Qatar Foundation, QNCC advances these objectives as the new global hub for ideas and innovation.

QNCC was designed by renowned Japanese architect Arata Isozaki, who took inspiration from Qatar’s beloved icon, the Sidra tree. The spectacular façade resembles two intertwined trees reaching up to support the exterior canopy. The tree is a beacon of learning and comfort in the desert and a haven for philosophers and scholars to share knowledge under its branches.

QNCC was conceived with a focus on sustainability. The Centre was successfully built according to gold certification standards on Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED), endorsed by the US Green Building Council. The building is designed to operate efficiently with environmentally friendly innovations such as water conservation and energy-efficient fixtures.

The Centre also offers fully flexible and adaptable space options to suit a wide variety of conferences, meetings, exhibitions, full-scale theatrical productions, concerts and gala events. QNCC can host meetings for 10 people to conferences for 10,000 people. Located alongside elite universities and research institutions in Education City, QNCC is furthering Qatar Foundation’s mission to turn Qatar into one of the most vibrant economies in the world. This will be achieved by becoming the convention venue of the future, culminating the value of education, research, and technology into a global hub for ideas and innovation.

QNCC at a glance
- 40,000sq m of exhibition space
- Outdoor exhibition area of 3,100sq m
- 2,300-seat lyric style theatre
- Conference hall for 4,000 delegates
- Three tiered auditoria
- A total of 52 meeting rooms
- Six VIP lounges and seven hospitality lounges

QNCC features
- Built to the highest green building standards of the US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)
- Five-star international in-house catering
- Wireless conference management system
- Latest presentation technology and production capabilities
- 35,000 sq m of modular mobile rigging grids
- 100 percent fibre optic connections throughout
- Full pit and trench services system throughout the exhibition halls
- Wireless communication and digital voting systems throughout
- Radio Frequency Identification Device (RFID) for tracking of delegates and building assets.
- Undercover parking for 3,200 vehicles connected by air-conditioned people mover (travelator)

For more information visit: www.qatarconvention.com

Located at London, Biggin Hill Airport, Oryx Jet is ideally placed for travel throughout Europe and beyond. Its commercial aviation experience assures strength and depth in all aspects of aircraft operation, ensuring personalised attention and a comprehensive suite of services that guarantee exclusivity, comfort and flexibility – whether for corporate or personal journeys.

Oryx Jet’s affiliated partner, Rizon Jet, one of the world’s premier private aviation service providers, boasts a stunning FBO/VIP terminal – also located at Biggin Hill – offering a seven-star facility for all Oryx Jet customers. Rizon Jet offers the very best in service standards giving travellers access to luxurious lounges, business suites, beautiful restrooms and all of the amenities you’d expect from a superior operator.

In addition to this, full dressing room facilities with shower along with housekeeping and concierge services give the business traveller complete comfort with all needs catered for from laundry to personal tailoring. This spectacular facility combined with the luxury and service that Oryx Jet can offer gives the most discerning customers a complete portfolio of aviation services, legendary hospitality, luxury and dependability.

Transport solutions
The well-experienced professionals who make up the skilled team at Oryx Jet bring with them many years of private aviation expertise from across the globe and provide round-the-clock Aircraft Management services tailor-made to your requirements.

Oryx Jet is perfectly equipped to support private and business aviation with a rapidly expanding fleet consisting of Falcon 50 EX and Hawker 900XP jets. Its first-class air charter service is also enhanced by offering Eurocopter EC120B and Eurocopter AS355 Twin Squirrel helicopters as an alternative method of transportation and onward carriage for clients.

The hassles and time-consuming responsibilities of Aircraft Management are left entirely to the highly professional Oryx Jet team. Expert solutions, including effective cost management strategies for acquiring, insuring and managing a private executive jet allow you to enjoy the thrill of your own aircraft – whether it be for personal or corporate requirements.

Aircraft management and charter services are accessible to both private and business travellers throughout Europe as well as offering easy access to the Middle East and other destinations further afield. With The London 2012 Olympics only months away Oryx Jet’s location, only seven minutes by helicopter from the centre of London, means it is ideally placed to offer luxury, private aviation and travel services for VIP visitors and guests to the games – making it a truly memorable experience.

With the primary aim of taking personal and executive travel to a whole new level, Oryx Jet is leading the way in safety, security and luxury – giving the absolute best seats in the sky and ensuring that your flight, no matter how long or short, is a true pleasure.

For more information email: sales@oryxjet.com; www.oryxjet.com

Limited Edition London
Over the next few months London will be more magical than ever before. In addition to annual favourite events like Wimbledon and Royal Ascot, there will be an incredible range of attractions, exhibitions, and events only in 2012.

Unique events around the Olympic and Paralympic Games including the Cultural Olympiad and the London 2012 Festival, the celebrations for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee plus a whole host of museums, galleries and shows offering unique events guarantee that as a visitor to London this summer, you will have the best seats on the planet. What better motivation to bring your event to London than a-once-in-a-lifetime experience?

Celebrate in style
Celebrating the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee will be a long-weekend affair, providing ample opportunity for everyone to enter into the pomp and ceremony with the focal point of the festivities a flotilla of 1,000 boats on the River Thames led by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.  In addition to this sparkling maritime display, Buckingham Palace will open, ‘Diamonds: A Jubilee Celebration’, showing how diamonds have been used by British monarchs over the last 200 years; as well as offering a look behind the scenes with guided tours of the State Rooms.

Throughout the summer, the National Portrait Gallery will stage an innovative exhibition of the most remarkable images of Elizabeth II – some of which have never been seen before. Gastronomic tributes are also appearing across the city including the majestic Royal-Tea at the InterContinental London Park Lane featuring pretty English classics that pay homage to the hotel’s location on the site of the Queen’s former childhood residence.

Getting into the spirit
A nationwide celebration highlighting the best of the country’s talents over the last four years, the Cultural Olympiad will culminate this summer at the London 2012 Festival.  Leading international artists including Jay Z and David Guetta will come together in the UK’s biggest ever festival to celebrate the Olympic and Paralympic Games and to compliment the greatest sporting event on the planet with dance, music, theatre, the visual arts, film and digital innovation to leave a lasting legacy for the arts in the UK. With such a celebratory atmosphere extending throughout the summer and beyond, whatever you’re in the mood to celebrate this year, you’ll fnd it in London to suit every budget.

For more information visit: londonandpartners.com/convention-bureau

Nowadays business means travel, airlines have shortened the distance between one continent and another, opening a world of possibilities for business to be done on the move. Madrid has direct flights connections with more than 168 cities making the capital of Spain one of Europe’s most important destinations.

Business travellers are running against time, squeezing their agendas to make the most of their days, taking early flights, travelling many miles to the meeting venue, arriving late at night to the hotels, catching a taxi and crossing the city to have business lunch in a renowned restaurant, then going back to the Airport to take the latest flight back home.

Hilton Madrid Airport has been fully designed to ensure comfort and a hassle-free experience to all of its guests offering a wide range of possibilities to business travellers whether is a brief meeting or a large event for 600, Hilton Madrid Airport provides businesses with all the solutions to succeed.

Strategically located only five minutes away from Madrid Barajas International Airport, six kilometres from the IFEMA Exhibition Centre and 15 minutes from the city centre, Hilton Madrid Airport benefits its guest with a complimentary shuttle service. This runs to and from all airport terminals from 5.30am to 1am as well as a scheduled service to Plaza de la Independencia, a minutes’ walk from Cibeles, Prado Musem and the Golden Mile Area.

Space totalling 1,700sq m is available for meetings, conferences and conventions of all types and magnitude. Fifteen working areas are equipped with state-of-the- art technology including Wi-Fi Internet, video conference equipment and instant translation systems.

The hotel’s largest function room is the “Isabela Ballroom”, with 754.6sq m and a maximum capacity for 580 people. Due to its particular architectural design, the hotel towers can operate completely separately one from the other providing totally independent spaces and exclusive use to larger events. The North Tower (4* Tower) can be privatised offering complete independent access and space for attendees, personalised corporate identity from a company can be placed across the area to achieve a successful event.

The Hotel offers 284 spacious and modern bedrooms, all with a designated work area equipped with multimedia . Guests choosing to stay at Executive rooms can enjoy the advantages of the Executive Lounge, which has its own reception for check-in and check-out, refreshments available throughout the day, open Bar in the evening and all the necessary features to work in peace.

Relaxing rooms, top cuisine
Hilton Madrid Airport also offers an original concept of rooms: the ‘Relaxation Rooms’, designed so the space, light and colours radiate peace and harmony. These spacious rooms have three different areas: a working area located behind the bed, a King size bed to rest and a luxurious marble bathroom with a hydro-massage bathtub and separate shower. One unique feature of these rooms is that the working area is situated behind the King size bed, concealing it from sight and helping guest completely disconnect form their work while they rest.

Between meetings and conferences, Hilton Madrid Airport guests can enjoy the hotel gym equipped with Precor machines, reduce stress in the sauna or relax in the hydrotherapeutic pool. Take advantage of the advices of Personal Trainers who are specialised in work outs for clients who travel on a regular basis. Don’t have time to work out between meetings but want to relax before or after a flight? Hilton Madrid Airport offer tailor-made in room massages and an in-room bath soap menu to unwind and boost your senses.

When the night falls, the Ferrum Bar becomes one of the hotel’s main attractions with its modern interior decoration and its wide selection of exclusive gins and whiskies. In spring and summer time the Ferrum Bar has a new Terrace to enjoy the summer breeze in the gardens while enjoying a relaxing cocktail and on specific evenings to enjoy music and entertainment.

The stylish Reserva Grill Restaurant is the perfect place to savour delicious local specialties for lunch or enjoy fine dining with its specialised grilled cuisine. Spanish meats and fish are carefully prepared and served with delicious side dishes. Select a glass of wine to perfectly accompany your meal in the relaxed and elegant atmosphere of this modern and stylish restaurant.

Last but not least, at Hilton Madrid Airport we know that everyone’s idea of the perfect breakfast is different. Whether you are in for a heavy day or just want to take it easy, choosing the right breakfast for you is the most important thing we do every morning. Hilton Breakfast allows you to choose between low calories, low, cholesterol with high energy and fibre count or the “the big breakfast” with all the enjoyment of an authentic buffet experience. Just go with “how you feel” and choose the right breakfast every day.

Time for sightseeing? Catch the early complimentary shuttle and head to the City centre. Castilian cuisine and delicious Spanish tapas, time for leisure and moments of relaxations; the city offers a wide range of experiences and the Hilton Madrid Airport manages to combine them all.

Hilton Madrid Airport hotel is more than an Airport hotel; it is the place where business travellers can experience the best in class service from highly trained professionals, dedicated to ensuring that all expectations are not just met but exceeded every time!

For more information visit: www.hilton.co.uk/madridairport

Click on. Click off. H for Hot tap, C for Cold tap. (Except in Spain and South America be warned, where C means caliente which is Spanish for hot.) Oh yes, I was the Albert Einstein of illuminators and shower takers. Put me in a hotel room, and hey presto it was lit before you could say E = MC squared. Abracadabra – a quick twist of the wrist and hot and cold water poured into the bath at just the right temperature.

Notice the past tense? Was? Now I think there should be a seminar for business travellers: “Module One: Discovering how your room lights work. Module Two: How to run a shower. Course length: Four days.” Forgive the sarcasm, but in none of my hotel rooms was the lighting system the same, nor with one exception could I work it without the help of a long-suffering hotel employee.

In Siem Reap, Cambodia I spent a restless night unable to turn off the light in the small corridor adjacent to the bedroom. Exhausted and jet-lagged I flicked this, I flicked that, this off, then on, and then off again. The light stayed resolutely on, taunting me. Later it transpired it had to be done in sequence. First main room light off, then mirror light off, then bedside lights (both) off, only then could you flick the extra bedside switch to turn off the corridor light. Flick it before those actions, or even after, if you’d not followed the right sequence – and it stayed on.

In Malta there was an internal and external switch to turn on the bathroom lights. But if you tried to put the bathroom one on after you had used the external one to turn the light off, then the interior one wouldn’t come on until you’d flicked on the external one again. But the sequence didn’t work in reverse. With me? No. I don’t blame you, I never quite got it.

In a Vientiane, Laos there was a light near the room door that shone permanently and no switch seemed to affect it. Given that I like to sleep in complete blackness this light drove me nuts. The next day a long-suffering maid told me it was a “safety light” and burned permanently. But you could switch it off – from a switch in the corridor!

In Phnom Penh I could work the lights but was faced with bathroom fixtures seemingly designed by Torquemada. There was just one tap, a lever, and a round swivelling ring with red and blue crudely painted on it.

Pulling the lever made the shower come on, but switched the water from hot to cold. Sweaty and irritable I tried every combination. Nothing worked. The next morning a concierge showed me how to do it. It involved another sequence that I couldn’t follow and over the next three days I didn’t get one hot shower.

Why aren’t these damned things standardised? It’s like rental cars. On your own car the lighting stalk is on the left – say – with wipers on the right. You drive out of the airport lot as I did at Malta, only to find the controls on whatever heap of junk the car rental company had palmed off on me, are on the opposite side. I couldn’t see through the windscreen for teeming rain and instead of turning on the wipers I’d got my  lights on full beam and was getting angrily hooted at by very cross Maltese.

We business travellers have got enough to worry about what with jet-lag, deadlines and the fight to beat off deep-vein thrombosis without battling on/off switches. But let me end this rant with an irritated note to the ground staff of an airline serving the Far East that I imagine I daren’t name for legal reasons: When you’ve got a 40-strong line of customers including Business and First Class passengers waiting impatiently to check-in, (and yes I know you don’t open until 8am,) don’t all stand there at 7.57am sipping tea in full view discussing boyfriends and the latest episode of EastEnders.

(Note: the airline is Thai International).

Yet a Mediterranean climate (over five hours of sunshine a day) isn’t all that Malta has to offer. Malta’s many other virtues in the nine categories of the IL index combined to earn it third place overall, pipped to the post by the US and New Zealand. That ranking speaks volumes for the size of Malta’s quality offering relative to the island’s land-mass of just 122 square miles.

How about a stable government, economy and a modern health service? These factors carry a lot of pull for wealthy English and Europeans looking to get away from their frosty climes. In fact, frost and snow are unknown in Malta with shirt sleeve order and temperatures of 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21oC) in November. Flights to many European capitals are also just three hours away, crime is low, education levels high, the locals hospitable and English-speaking with 48 English language schools available. As a result, homes and apartments here have now attracted the international set. So have the historic harbours, five-star hotels, restaurants and summer nightlife.

But overseas domestic buyers aren’t the only ones to recognise the reputation of the island’s property potential. Malta’s success in attracting City hedge fund managers to re-domicile to the island as a result of a well regulated and cost-competitive jurisdiction has spurred more demand for high-quality homes in the sun.

Back in 2000, it wasn’t like this. Sure, the island had a loyal following of repeat overseas visitors but nothing that one could call gold standard.

Despite its geographic location and abundance of sun and sea, Malta’s lifestyle as an up-market destination had little relevance for the aspiring overseas home buyer. That was until Portomaso was built.

George Fenech, the Tumas Group’s Chairman, pioneered the lifestyle concept in Malta. He had a g140m dream. He wanted to enhance the quality of life for those buyers who could make the right investment decision. His vision of the Portomaso marina would bring Malta to the attention of the international property market with the Oscar of the property world –  the Gold Award in the Best Marina Development Category in the 2005 International Property Awards. As a result, Portomaso was acclaimed the most exclusive address in Malta and became home to the well-heeled, international celebrities and footballers.

Those who bought back in 2000 have seen the value of their property rise by over 400 percent since then. Rental returns too, have risen by 10 percent to 12 percent.

Out of the Portomaso mould has been cast two more luxury developments in the north and south of the island, both a stone’s throw from the Med.

They are already reaching completion, thanks to Tumas Developments, the Group’s property arm. As both properties’ websites rather prosaically state, these two new residencies ‘offer lifestyle choices of the highest standards’. More to the point, poured into these two moulds are all those now-familiar expectations of luxury, safety, tranquillity and, you’ve guessed it, lifestyle.

Tas Sellum and Ta’ Monita have been designed to suit most pockets.

Tas-Sellum offers a one-bedroom apartment of 68sq m starting at h158,000 going up to a million plus for larger apartments whilst Ta’ Monita offers apartments starti-ng at k98,000 going up to a million-plus.

Both residences are termed Specially Designated Area, allowing the buyer to purchase more than one property in Malta and Gozo for private use or for business. Perhaps we should create a Portomaso Quality Index. Zimbabwe wouldn’t stand a chance.

Benefits of buying property in Malta
- No tax on capital gains arising out of or into Malta
- Relief through 58 double taxation treaties ratified
- No duty on importing household goods or furniture
- Free repatriation of funds
- No inheritance tax (but duty of 5% is payable on the transfer or transmission of immovable property)
- Reduced registration on importing a motor vehicle, subject to certain conditions
- You can take a mortgage to purchase a property as a non-resident of Malta
- You can rent it out to third parties if bought in an SDA

For more information email: info@tumasdevelopments.com; Tel: +356 21 386 802; +356 79 497 504; www.tumasdevelopments.com

It is also helping to preserve the natural beauty of the area – situated in a protected area of the Red Sea with rare fossil coral headland – Savoy protects the natural beauty of Sharm El Sheikh by reducing activities that might cause pollution. Super diving and snorkelling, optional 4×4 desert treks including Bedouin dinners are all run through sustainable methods.

Bars & restaurants
Top international chefs offer the finest fish, meat and vegetarian meals at six mouth-watering restaurants. The high-quality restaurants at the Savoy reflect the authenticity of each culinary tradition. Each restaurant has been designed to provide unobtrusive intimacy for those wishing privacy and the flexibility to accommodate family and larger groups. Guests may also choose from the array of international fine cuisine on offer at Soho Square. All reflect dining excellence, with only the best local and imported ingredients, including fish caught locally the same day. It also features bars inside and outside, including the African-themed Safari Bar, a waterall cave bar as well as places to drink at the pool and on the  beach.

Leisure facilities
The Savoy Arabian Spa’s top-notch workout facilities and services overlook the pool and include fitness rooms, saunas, steam rooms and Jacuzzis. Qualified therapists are always on hand to help guests unwind and a variety of massage therapy treatments, manicures and pedicures with head-to-toe body treatments available. The grounds also feature two floodlit tennis  courts, two squash courts as well as  table tennis.

The Savoy’s pools are a favourite with guests for sunbathing and swimming, while jetties on the White Knight Beach have boats from which to explore the Red Sea. Volleyball and beach games are encouraged and the hotel’s own dive centre offers courses and training. From here guests can dive and discover the hundreds of wrecks, including the Thistlegorm. One of the most beautiful of all dive sites is Ras Mohamed National Park, where Manta Rays, dolphins and turtles can sometimes be seen. You can book excursions into the desert to Bedouin villages, the Coloured Canyon and St. Catherine’s Monastery close to Mount Sinai.

Rooms and guest services
The Savoy Sharm El Sheikh features 470 superior rooms ranging from singles, doubles and triples as well as a lavish Presidential Suite. Rooms feature Wi-Fi, multi-channel TVs, big balconies with super sofas alongside excellent service. Many also provide great views of the Red Sea and the tropical gardens.

For the morning, a hearty breakfast is provided and guests may drop off the kids at the Kids’ Club and go off to the Red Sea. For lunch, poolside snacks are available and guests are invited to relax by the lagoon pools. For the evening, why not enjoy a cocktail with dinner, or wherever the mood takes you.

Twenty-four-hour guest services include a business centre, concierge, a shuttle bus to Sharm El Sheikh International Airport and to Naama Bay, a bank & ATM machines, car rental, a medical clinic, laundry and dry cleaning. Tourism experts speak English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Russian and Arabic. They can also arrange visits locally and to places such as the Giza Pyramids, a boat trip on the River Nile or to Alexandria or Luxor.

SOHO Square
Just a few steps away from the Savoy hotel, consistently voted Sharm El Sheikh’s leading hotel, Soho Square is the most popular place for visitors to eat, drink, have fun, shop on the Red Sea and the best place to eat and drink of all Red Sea resorts according to international restaurant reviewers.

Unique dining, exciting venues
The top-notch restaurants offer a variety and quality of cuisine from Europe to the Far East. Each has a specialised resident chef, with the knowledge and skills to ensure a memorable evening. Meals are prepared from the freshest foods and local fish is caught the same day whilst meats are carefully selected.

The interior decor for each restaurant is stunning, with entire walls decorated by enchanting murals. Screens separate each room, showing a live feed of the beautiful coral reefs of the Red Sea.

Unique, sophisticated, exciting and fun, Soho Square hosts some of the best venues for dancing and socialising in Sharm El-Sheikh. It is a magnet for young and old alike and everyone can enjoy dancing into the early hours, meet friends and enjoy every kind of bar, from the traditional to the latest fads.

Cafe culture
The new El Kahwa traditional Egyptian café is a wonderful, relaxing spot to sit in the shade and watch the world go by. El Kahwa café imbues the atmosphere of an authentic Egyptian café, serving tea and various types of coffee, including Turkish coffee and minerals. The traditional water pipe (shisha) can be taken with a variety of flavoured tobacco whilst play games of chess, dominos and backgammon.

Traditional English afternoon tea is served at the Salon de Thé with finger sandwiches, scones and an assortment of French afternoon tea pastries.

These are accompanied by a wide selection of teas, which include Earl Grey, English breakfast tea, organic Japanese classic, Assam Irish breakfast and others.

Opening out into Soho Square, Café Chino is the perfect place for a relaxing drink of coffee or tea, or a soft drink. It’s a very Lebanese style bistro, with a great selection of light meals – perfect to watch the Fountain’s fascinating colour-changing display in the centre of the square or to end a night out at Pangaea. Sandwiches on freshly baked bread are also one  of the hotel’s specialities.

Entertainment
Soho Square ice rink attracts both young and old and there’s always room for fun at the popular state-of-the-art 10-pin bowling alley. For the cutting edge in immersive entertainment, guests are invited to the ‘Culturama Panorama’ – an innovative panoramic display that surrounds the audience. By night Soho Square attracts crowds enjoying top international artistes and the ‘cool club set’ at night. It is increasingly the most popular spot for top-ranking artists from the Middle East and elsewhere. The open air stage beside the Dancing Fountain hosts international artists such as leading Arab singers including Carol Samaha and Wael Gassar and international artists including Boney M, singer songwriter Peter Andre and Ukrainian idol Ani Lorak.

For more information visit: www.savoy-sharm.com; www.soho-sharm.com

The Club Carlson programme has made earning Gold Points easier than ever with your stays. Club Carlson offers faster free award nights starting at 9,000 Gold Points, with no blackout dates on standard rooms, as well as a rich array of first-class redemption options such as pre-paid cards, PayPal and the opportunity to transfer points to miles with more than 20 airline partners.

Members can earn 20 Gold Points per US dollar spent on eligible charges, including meals and beverages charged to their room. Members can choose from participating Carlson Rezidor Hotels anywhere in the world and redeem points for free night awards, including 42 stunning resorts in the Caribbean, Europe, Middle East Latin America and Asia Pacific.

The ‘Points + Cash’ award offers a unique opportunity to combine cash with points to reach your dream vacation even sooner. Starting only at 5,000 points for a category one hotel, members can even earn points on the cash portion paid and also qualify for stays and nights towards their elite status. Other rewards programmes do not earn points for the cash component.

Club Carlson members receive 1,000 bonus points for every online booking made on clubcarlson.com or any one of the branded websites. And it gets better; Silver and Gold elite members earn 2,000 bonus points and Concierge members earn 3,000 bonus points. Once more, online booking bonuses are not given in other hotel loyalty programmes. When dining in hotel restaurants in Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific, members will receive up to a 15 percent discount based on their elite tier status (not applicable in USA & Canada).

Membership tiers
The more you stay, the more rewards members can gain. Club Carlson offers four levels of membership tiers. Red is the entry level and after just 10 qualifying stays in a year or 15 nights members can enjoy the Silver Elite tier and start earning a 25 percent bonus, a room upgrade and early check in and late check out. Become a Gold Elite member after you stay 20 times or 35 nights and you will earn 50 percent bonus points and receive a 15 percent discount when dining in hotel restaurants.

Concierge elite tier provides members with complimentary room upgrades and continental breakfast; a 75 percent point bonus on eligible stays; and access to a special Concierge Service desk for theatre and sports tickets, and reservations at top-rated restaurants worldwide.

Unique offers
Club Carlson offers the fastest earning standard free nights of any hotel loyalty programme when compared to the rate of base points earned per dollar in hotel spend. Club Carlson has also restructured the programme to maximise the speed at which consumers can earn free nights. Club Carlson Elite members receive elite rollover nights as a standard benefit and all nights above the threshold needed for elite tier qualification at the end of the calendar year roll over to the next calendar year.

Club Carlson app
To expand and optimise the reach to the mobile audience, Club Carlson has launched a new iPhone and Android mobile application, which features express booking for all hotels, personalisation options, GPS mapping and the ability to redeem points the app also links to “Explore Destinations”, a best-in-class feature, which stores more than 4.4 million points of interest from local restaurants to great tourist attractions and points of interest.

The Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group
Radisson Hotels (radisson.com) deliver vibrant, contemporary and engaging hospitality characterised by its uniquely forward-thinking service culture. One of the most recognised names in the hotel industry, Radisson is a two-tiered hotel brand offering you a choice of an upscale hospitality experience at Radisson hotels or an upper upscale experience at Radisson Blu hotels.

Park Inn by Radisson (parkinn.com) is a fresh, energetic mid-scale hotel brand that focuses on what really matters: a good comfortable stay in a clean and safe environment; from check-in to the moment of departure, the Park Inn by Radisson experience is committed to being friendly, efficient, uncomplicated and hassle-free.

Country Inns & Suites (countryinns.com) by Carlson is a caring and consistent mid-market hotel brand that offers a touch of home that’s both welcoming and genuine. From unique amenities like our complimentary ‘Be Our Guest Breakfast’ to an atmosphere that is comfortable and ideal for business and pleasure, you’ll love all the great reasons to stay with us.

Park Plaza, (parkplaza.com) with smart, spirited service and trend-setting designs, each hotel captures the energy and style of each individual location. A full-service hotel brand that offers award-winning facilities and dedicated staff who live the brands value proposition.

Club Carlson for Business
Club Carlson has designed a reward programme specifically for small and medium sized businesses: Club Carlson for Business. It’s simple, when you become a member of Club Carlson for Business, you receive a Corporate Account ID and for every eligible reservation at one of our hotels with your company ID, you will receive a five percent discount on standard room rates for business travel.

In case your company already has a negotiated rate at a particular hotel (or multiple hotels), you may continue to utilise your negotiated rate at that hotel and take advantage of the five percent discount when you stay at other Carlson hotels. Companies will earn eight Gold Points per US Dollar spent on eligible hotel nights across all brands worldwide.

The programme also offers an additional two Gold Points per US Dollar spent when booked online at clubcarlson.com or any of the brands’ websites. More importantly, travellers continue to earn Gold Points in their individual Club Carlson account (clubcarlson.com/business).

Currently Club Carlson for Business is only valid in the following countries: United States, United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Australia, Brazil, China, Denmark, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Singapore, and Sweden.

For more information and for a full programme of terms and conditions, please visit: www.clubcarlson.com

The Museum of Islamic Art is dedicated to reflecting the full vitality, complexity and diversity of the arts of the Islamic world. It is a world-class collecting institution, which preserves, studies and exhibits masterpieces spanning three continents and 13 centuries. As a centre for information, research and creativity, the museum aims to reach a wide global audience and serve as a hub for dialogue and cultural exchange.

The collection
Representing the full scope of Islamic art, the collection includes manuscripts, ceramics, metal, glass, ivory, textiles, wood and precious stones. Collected from three continents, including countries across the Middle East, and reaching as far as Spain and India, the museum’s artworks date from the seventh through to the 19th century. The pieces represent the diversity found in Islamic heritage and are of the highest quality.

The collection is exhibited on two floors of galleries that encircle the atrium of the museum. Visitors journey in time and across regions, through galleries dedicated to stylistic or historical themes.

Architectural gem
The museum is an architectural masterpiece 60m (195ft) built by I. M. Pei Architect (New York)and located  off Doha’s Corniche. It rises from the sea and is connected to shore by two pedestrian bridges and a vehicular bridge. A C-shaped peninsula which forms the MIA behind the museum offer shelter and a picturesque backdrop. At the end of MIA Park lies ‘7’, a 24-metre-high sculpture by Richard Serra.

The museum is composed of a five-storey main building and the two-storey Education Centre, which are connected across a central courtyard. The main building’s angular volumes step back progressively as they rise around a central domed atrium 50m (164ft) high. The dome is concealed from outside view by the walls of a central tower. A sheet of glass rises to a height of 45m (148ft) on the north side of the museum offering views of the Gulf and West Bay area of Doha from all five floors of the atrium. Ceilings are constructed of intricate cast-in place architectural concrete coffered domes, finished with individual molds.

At the top of the atrium is the circular oculus of a stainless steel dome, which captures facets of patterned light. The form of the dome changes as the structure descends, so its perimeter becomes an octagon and then a square, which in turn is transformed into four triangular column supports.

The Education Centre
The Education Centre allows the public to learn about Islamic art, the Museum of Islamic Art and its collection. It aims to become one of the main learning centres in Qatar. Its programmes, resources, delivery of courses, workshops, talks and activities help local communities play an active and informed role in encouraging new approaches to Islamic art. It also supports a culture of learning to promote the important role museums have in society as centres of knowledge and entertainment.

The Museum of Islamic Art also offers extended outreach programmes and activities to schools, universities and professional institutions to inform them of the essential role the Museum plays in preserving Islamic art and cultural heritage. Additionally, the Museum of Islamic art library has more than 6,000 publications. It will allow the community to have access to a comprehensive lending and borrowing service available to members, researchers and other users.

Inaugurating MIA Park
Officially inaugurated in December 2011, MIA Park is a new 62-acre (25-hectare) public space that has transformed the waterfront of Doha, Qatar. Developed by Qatar Museums Authority (QMA) and located on the grounds of the acclaimed MIA, the Park includes a sculpture plaza featuring a newly commissioned work by Richard Serra titled ‘7’, the artist’s first public work in the Middle East.

Free to the public, MIA Park opened in early January 2012 with a community-wide celebration, including: paddle boats, traditional Qatari folkdance and many other family activities throughout the park.

“MIA Park will be a dynamic place of learning and exploration for children, families and art enthusiasts, with cultural, educational and recreational activities designed to attract one and all”, said QMA Chairperson Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani. “We are especially proud that this new destination will feature an extraordinary work by Richard Serra, one of the leading sculptors of our time. Like the Museum of Islamic Art itself, Richard Serra’s sculpture will serve as a beacon for the arts in Qatar and will further the QMA’s mission to encourage global cultural exchange and introduce the Doha community to art from around the world.”

Designed by Pei Partnership Architects (New York), the crescent-shaped MIA Park curves from the MIA into Doha Bay. C.C. Pei, Partner, Pei Partnership Architects remarked: “Our mission was to work with Richard Serra to create a dramatic sitting for his monumental sculpture. At the same time we are setting the stage for a much larger park that will contain additional commissioned art pieces.”

The Park includes approximately one mile (2km) of lighted pedestrian stone pathways and a formal 2,600-foot (800m) palm-ringed cove promenade connecting the MIA to a 12-acre (5-hectare) man-made peninsula of geometrically shaped abstracted dunes unveiling panoramic views of the West Bay.  Jetting out into Doha Bay is a pier specially created to support Serra’s 7. The nearly 200-foot-long (60m), 79-foot-wide (24m) sculpture plaza on the pier is clad in honed Shanxi Black granite surrounded by water with an elegant set of stairs that rise up from the water’s edge on the south side of the plaza, facing the MIA.

Composed of seven steel plates that are 80ft (24m) high, 8ft (2.4m) wide and four inches (10cm) thick, ‘7’ is Serra’s tallest vertical sculpture to date.

The sculpture is 10 feet (3m) wide at the bottom and nine feet (2.7m) wide at the top.

MIA Park also features a children’s area with an interactive playground and a small cove created in Doha Bay for water activities. Two cafés and a kiosk will offer food, souvenirs and gift items. The Park will be furnished with outdoor furniture designed by Kettal, B+B Italia and Morosso.

Visitors also will enjoy complimentary Wi-Fi access throughout the park and interactive digital signage will be available with information on various activities taking place around Doha. Year-round public activities at MIA Park will include film screenings, sports events, storytelling programmes and art workshops. MIA Park will be developed in phases, with additional elements and amenities to be announced at future dates.

For further information, please contact: Omar Chaikhouni, Qatar Museums Authority; email: mchaikhouni@qma.org.qa; Tel: +974 4422 4608; http://mia.org.qa

The splendid collection, preserved by the capital on the Danube, includes masterpieces not only by Giorgione, Raphael, Titian, El Greco, Velázquez, Goya, Manet, Monet, Cézanne and Gauguin but by many other world-reknowned masters too. The importance of the collection, which is rich by any European comparison, is clearly demonstrated by the Budapest collection, having been successfully exhibited in recent years at Paris’ prestigious Louvre, the Pushkin Museum in Moscow, the Royal Academy in London and the National Art Center in Tokyo.

In 2007 the Museum of Fine Arts was listed among the 50 most visited museums in the world and in the last few years it has hosted such highly successful shows as El Greco, Velázquez, Goya; Van Gogh in Budapest; The Splendour of the Medici; Turner and Italy; and Botticelli to Titian which included Leonardo’s famous Lady with an Ermine. The success story continues and in autumn 2012 a large-scale Cézanne exhibition will be hosted in the museum, while in 2013 an exhibition will be opened in Budapest titled Caravaggio to Canaletto.

The freedom that ensued in the decades after the end of communism has not brought about a breakthrough for the museums of Central Europe.

Although many of the institutions in the eastern bloc had significant collections, they were unable to exploit their inherent opportunities and thus the contents remained hidden from the public of the western world.

The Museum of Fine Arts achieved a breakthrough at the end of the 2000s and in a short period of time joined the leading museums of Europe thanks to its successful modernisation programme and excellent professional ties. These days it is only natural that thousands of tickets are sold for blockbuster exhibitions and visitors have the opportunity to marvel at masterpieces on loan from the Museum of Fine Arts at big international exhibitions.

The permanent collection
The museum’s rich permanent collection forms the foundations upon which its success is built. The diversity of its holdings, its historical continuity and its wealth of masterpieces ensure it a worthy and prestigious place among the collections of Europe. The Museum of Fine Arts houses the treasures of universal art dating from the ancient world until modern days and its walls, which have stood for over a hundred years, preserve more than one hundred thousand works spanning from ancient Egypt to contemporary art.

The Italian and Spanish collection
The most noteworthy collection can be found in the Old Masters’ Gallery. The three thousand or so paintings preserved in the Old Masters’ Gallery showcase the development of European painting almost without a break from the thirteenth to the eighteenth century. The permanent exhibition of the gallery displays works from the great periods of Italian painting  from the Late Gothic to Rococo, and from Giotto to Giovanni Battista Tiepolo.

The abundance of material facilitates a wide selection; thus, the public are able to familiarise themselves with the history of the Italian painting schools through the masterpieces of the most illustrious painters. The Museum of Fine Arts has won outstanding recognition in Europe through the pieces of its Spanish collection. Having received perhaps the most praise of all the collections of the museum, the Spanish section provides a full and comprehensive insight into the history of Spanish painting through masterpieces by El Greco, Velázquez, Ribera, Murillo and Goya.

The Netherlands collection
Similar in size to the museum’s Italian collection, the Netherlands collection spans from the fifteenth to the eighteenth centuries. Following the history of Netherlands painting from its beginnings in the Middle Ages to the Baroque genres, the collection reflects the private taste of the middle-class through works by medieval and Renaissance masters to the greats of Flemish painting and the Dutch Baroque. The Department of Art after 1800 also preserves some 3,000 paintings and sculptures by European artists of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

The Modern collection
The backbone of the collection of nineteenth-century art is primarily provided by an almost uninterrupted cross-section of the development of French painting with Delacroix as its departure point. The department’s permanent exhibition showcases works by prominent French artists such as Delacroix, Courbet, Daubigny, Troyon and Millet, as well as the masters of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism including Pissarro, Manet, Monet, Renoir, Cézanne and Gauguin.

Contemporary art
The Museum of Fine Arts is not only a splendid venue for showcasing the treasures of the past but also an important centre of contemporary fine arts. In 2010 a successful exhibition – the first in the region – was staged of Fernando Botero’s works, and last year the City Park lake next to the museum was the venue for a contemporary exhibition of sculptures on water. This displayed works by 25 artists from 14 European Union countries created just for this occasion and attracting an audience of several hundred thousand. At the end of last year the Budapest public were able to view an exhibition by William Kentridge, who is regarded as one of the most recognised contemporary artists in the world and listed by Time magazine among the world’s 100 most influential people. Visitors were even able to meet the artist at the museum.

The Museum of Fine Arts is located on a one hundred-hectare site of the City Park, a unique cultural and recreational urban space. In the Museum’s vicinity is one of the oldest city zoos in the world, as well as the largest open-air skating rink in Central Europe, the enchanting Széchenyi Baths and the Grand Circus.

For more information visit: www.szepmuveszeti.hu

The furniture in the rooms is made in Italy from kiln-dried wood obtained from sustainable forests in the United States and assemblers were flown in from Italy to ensure top quality installation. The furnishings have soft closing drawers and a unique recessed make up mirror that pops up from the desk surface with illuminating lights that aids a flawless facial touch.

In the desk drawer guests will find a high-wattage hairdryer with an uncharacteristic long-length cord for all ladies’ blow drying needs.

Rooms to impress
Each room has a distinct, intricately carved chief’s stool; an exquisitely spiralling stand turning lamp made of wood and a velour chair seat. With its soft cushions and throws in the living suite, true glamour is brought to your living style. The rooms are further enhanced by a long-stem orchid contrasted by dark wood, and should the illumination in the room be too much for your mood, the blackout curtains will certainly come in handy.

The hotel’s bathrooms are designed like nothing guests will have ever seen. With subtle lighting providing a sensuous aura to your bathing experience, you can soothe yourself from the weariness of the daily grind.

Showers are separated from the bath tub area by a glass wall so that guests choose how they bathe. Showerheads are also adjustable for massaging, whilst a full-length mirror is available to ensure that your presentation is immaculate every time. All this is complimented with the sumptuously soft white bath towels that are found in every room.

Award winning luxury
The Labadi Beach Hotel features a stunning array of 164 brand new rooms after an extensive refurbishment programme in 2010, costing a total of $18m. This, along with the fact the hotel fronts on to a private beach and has facilities such as volleyball and floodlit tennis courts.

Highly recommended by prestigious organisations such as Trip Advisor, Labadi Beach Hotel has received accolades from the West Tourism Awards body (WATHA) and Akwaaba Travel Market Fair, been named best CEO in West Africa 2010, Best Five Star Hotel in West Africa (2010, 2011) and of course Best Luxury Hotel in Ghana, 2012 and Best Business Hotel in Ghana, 2012 in the Business Destinations Travel Awards.

Ethical and green initiatives
Whilst the accolades for Labadi Beach Hotel’s prowess in Ghana speak for themselves, the hotel continues to strive to the premier hotel for business and leisure amenities in West Africa.

During the past year the hotel has shown great commitment to sustainable practices and is helping the local community through a number of events such as a Christmas party for the Helpage Shelter for more than 300 elderly people. As part of its drive for social responsibility, the hotel also held a Christmas party for 100 cured sufferers of leprosy at the Christ the King Chapel School in 2011. Throughout the year, the hotel also organised periodic clean-up exercises around the community for the benefit of local residents.

As part of the hotel’s safe environmental practices, the recycles water for operational use. The hotel also adopts practices that involve less chemical usage and adopts eco friendly activities where applicable. Currently the lagoon in the hotel is dredged and it is supplemented with recycled water from our processing plant and aerated by way of our new fountain.

For more information email: Labadi@legacyhotels.co.za; Tel: +233 302 772501 6; www.legacyhotels.co.za

As a truly global travel partner, CTMS is pleased to serve travellers worldwide, with offices throughout Europe, North America and Asia; with further offices due to open in China, Australia, Canada, Israel and the USA. The launch of CTMS Portal provides customers with a one-stop-shop solution for flights, hotels, cars, private charter, event, sport and meeting management and planning. CTMS also provide travel policy, expenditure management and consulting services, reporting and analysis tools to support your common goals.

Whatever your travel management needs may be, CTMS’s expert team of event managers will work with you through the advanced planning and logistics required for any event, however large or small. At CTMS, the firm’s affiliation with various hotel chains, travel service providers and airlines the world over puts it in a uniquely advantageous position to be able to leverage on its expertise to maximise value across any corporate travel programme for clients.

CTMS are delighted and very proud to have been named Best Travel Management Company, in North America, 2012 – and is certainly testimony of its hard work and dedication.

Simpler corporate travel
CTMS’s portfolio of clients ranges from small and medium to multinational organisations, putting it in a good position to understand a multitude of client requirements from all major markets and industries.

The company has the ability to provide efficient travel management solutions essential to any business as well as maintaining a consistently high standard of quality throughout all transactions.

Being able to provide this service is achieved by having a dedicated team of professionals, who are committed to clients, understand their needs and provide customised solutions. CTMS’ staff are encouraged to think intuitively about the services and products they supply to clients and thanks to them the firm has a very high client retention rate.

With CTMS as your chosen travel provider you will work with a team of professionals who have the knowledge and technical know-how to apply their expertise to your global requirements and deliver a high quality product and service to you every time– ensuring your booking experience with is not only the best-in-class, but also simple.

Tom Osovitzki, CEO of CTMS, had this to say about the firm’s win in the Business Destinations Travel Awards: “We have always placed our clients at the heart of our business and taken a sustainable approach to growth based upon strategic investments in technology, training and development. It has become more important than ever to keep in touch with customers, motivate staff, reduce risk and manage cost efficiently. At CTMS we are committed to helping our clients achieve all of these objectives and we’d be delighted to discuss our approach and services in greater depth with you. We understand, in our own business as well as that of our clients, there is no room for mistakes in the processes involved in booking any form of travel. For that reason we successfully became ISO 9001:2008 certified in 2009. Our Quality Management System gives our organisation the ability to do things better.

We don’t apply our principles purely for altruistic reasons but because they make business sense to us and our partners. That is why our clients see us as a partner going beyond corporate travel. On behalf of all share-holders and staff here at CTMS I would like to thank you for this award and for your continued loyalty.”

For more information email: info.uk@ctmstravel.com; tel:  +44 20 7421 0001; www.ctmstravel.com

Making connections
There are several factors that make it such a great destination for international meetings and events. The first is the ease of access into and around Boston. Logan International Airport is served by major domestic and international carriers. The airport currently offers domestic service to 79 destinations and international service to 36 destinations with more than 1,500 flights a day arriving and departing from the airport. New international air service into Boston’s Logan International Airport in 2011 increased almost 20 percent, and Boston continues to be the shortest non-stop flight from Europe into the United States.

Logan International Airport is just three miles from the city and has completed its $4bn modernisation project, including new terminals, new roadways, and a new harbour tunnel that connects the airport to the city centre. In addition, once in Boston, delegates find that the city has excellent access to air, rail, and bus connections. Its two convention centres feature the fastest airport-to-convention centres in the country.

Boston is known as America’s Walking City, but when you can’t get around by foot, the city is easily accessible by the ‘T’, Boston’s public transportation system. And what’s more, planners and delegates find that Boston is a very safe city to move around in.

Culture of excellence
Boston is also a world centre for education, technology and life sciences.

Known also as the “Athens of America,” Boston’s medical and educational institutions have helped to make it an international centre of learning and intellectual activity. The metropolitan area’s 35 hospitals and more than 60 colleges and universities can be a vast resource for your meeting or group. Groups also have access to world-renowned financial and biotech institutions located in the Greater Boston area as well.

Boston & Cambridge offer upscale, international, and eclectic options for the taste buds, and each unique neighbourhood is home to a whole different dining scene. Great new restaurants join the mix on a regular basis, keeping things fresh and cutting-edge. And the area boasts a variety of hotel products to suit the needs of any group – from five-star boutique properties to independent lodgings, to all of the major domestic and international chains – Boston can offer something for everyone.

Breaking with convention
The Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau (GBCVB) strives to continually position Boston as a world-class destination for meeting planners, delegates and leisure visitors. By offering exceptional, award-winning customer service, the staff and the community are able to offer an inspiring and sustainable experience for clients and visitors.

And now, the award-winning GBCVB makes it easier than ever for meeting professionals to meet in the Greater Boston area. No one knows more about the region than the staff at the GBCVB. From assisting with putting together RFPs to sending it out through an online system that distributes the RFP directly to hotels, attractions, transportation companies and more than 1,200 GBCVB members that planners select, the GBCVB sales department will ensure that all of a planners needs are met.

The GBCVB staff can assist planners with: complimentary RFPs for all of your meeting needs, site inspection assistance, attendance building promotions, (including participating in your convention one year prior). Destination collateral, housing services and a concierge and restaurant services desk are also available during your convention

Leader in international meetings
Boston continues to be a global leader as a destination for international meetings. According to the most recent numbers available, Boston saw 1.18 million overseas visitors in 2010 according to the US Office of Travel & Tourism Industries, a four percent increase over 2009. And in 2011, Boston and Cambridge are on track to see more than 1.25 million overseas visitors, a 5.5 percent increase over 2010 and a new record for the Boston and Cambridge area. For the third consecutive year, Boston & Cambridge were named the Top Destination in the United States for International Association Meetings by the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA). In 2010, Boston & Cambridge hosted a record number of 43 international meetings (up from 36 the previous year), making it the number one destination for international association meetings in the United States. The economic impact of these international meetings to the Boston and Cambridge economies is in excess of $60m.

The campaign for international meetings includes participation in major tradeshows such as IMEX, EIBTM, AIBTM and IMEX America, as well as the coordination of sales missions and other marketing and public relations activities. These serve to build awareness for Boston as a meetings destination and help expand overseas air service. These efforts have not only resulted in an increased number of meetings over the past few years, but also an increase in international air services to Boston, including the first-ever none-stop service from Tokyo to Boston that launched in April, 2012.

Two of the major international events that will be held in Boston in 2012 include BIO, the world’s largest annual gathering of the biotechnology industry, which is expected to bring 26,000 delegates from around the world. And in July, Boston will play host to the Global Business Travel Association’s Annual Meeting, providing an opportunity showcase its attributes to corporate meeting planners and travel managers from around the world.

Sustainable commitment
The cities of Boston and Cambridge have invested millions of dollars in cross-sector conservation initiatives that involve massive energy efficiency implementation throughout both cities. Working in tandem with the Cities of Boston, Cambridge and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau is committed to sustainable practices. As a result, the GBCVB are able to promote the sustainable efforts of area hotels, restaurants and convention centres making the region very green.

Other highlights of sustainability practices include working with the MBTA (T) to promote the use of public transportation to and from events, as well as the commitment to providing digital and online resources for delegates and planners, thereby reducing printing costs.

For example, the GBCVB now offers an iPhone app for as the Official Visitors Guide to Boston, allowing users to find Great Deals, search the Event Calendar and purchase tickets to many Boston attractions. To help visitors and convention delegates connect with local events, deals and discounts, this iPhone app showcases Boston-area attractions and allows meeting attendees to search “what to do” while they are in town, as well as have the ability to purchase tickets in advance to many of Boston’s great tours, cruises, excursions, museums, the Red Sox and more using their handheld devices.  Delegates can purchase tickets on their mobile device and simply show the page for electronic entry to a number of attractions.

It’s clear that this American city has it all. Whether it’s great dining, world-class shopping, or the vibrant arts and cultural community, it’s easy to see why Boston is the ideal place for any meeting or event.

For more information please contact; Stephanie Pappas; spappas@bostonusa.com; Tel: 001-617-867-8222

Variety is guaranteed, but visitors also come for rest and relaxation. Whether in Tiergarten or on the field of former Tempelhof airport – every district has its ‘green oasis’, which improves the quality of living and allows guests to take a short break.

International event planners especially appreciate the offerings as a convention destination. Berlin boasts Europe’s most up-to-date hotel landscape, excellent travel connections and good value for money. And the city is always changing; railway stations are turned into museums, wall remains into an open air gallery and old factories into multifunctional venues. The choice of special locations ranges from the 368-metre-high television tower to the hangar of former Tempelhof Airport accommodating 5,000 guests. To put it in a nutshell: the German capital convinces as a perfect meeting and convention host.

The congress city
The Berlin Convention Office of visitBerlin is initiator of the congress statistics. This initiative was launched in 2001 as a pilot project and has since provided sound data on the development of the meeting and convention market Berlin. On a half-yearly basis the data is collected and evaluated by an independent market research company in order to serve as a basis for future planning. The specialised collection of all Berlin convention and meeting business data shows excellent event and participant numbers for 2011. A total of 115,700 events took place in the metropolis on the River Spree (+2%). These attracted 9.7 million guests to Berlin (+7%).

Berlin’s hotel landscape convinces through an excellent service quality and high quality standards. This is particularly appreciated by meeting and convention participants and 6.05 million room nights from this group of Berlin guests were counted in 2011. This corresponds to a nine percent increase versus the comparable prior year period. The role of the meeting hotels of the German capital remains strong. A total of 101,000 events were staged (+6%) and 5.9 million participants were catered for (+7%).

On a worldwide level Germany’s capital is amongst the four major locations for association meetings. This is confirmed by the statistics of the International Congress & Convention Association (ICCA) for 2010. With 138 events of international associations the German capital left metropolises like Singapore, London and Sidney behind. The leading destinations in the ranking are Vienna (154), Barcelona (148) and Paris (147).

Future-proof event location
The new Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) will be opening on 3rd June 2012. From this day onwards, the entire air traffic for the capital city region will be concentrated in the southeast of Berlin. The new capital city airport is located in the heart of Europe. A starting capacity of up to 27 million passengers per year is planned, but depending on how things develop, the airport can be expanded to cater for as many as 45 million passengers. BER will provide Berlin with many new nonstop connections to destinations within Europe and also worldwide. Lufthansa, for example, plans to increase the number of its nonstop flights from Berlin to 38 from June 2012 – including new direct routes to Birmingham, Manchester, Valencia, Bologna and Geneva. The new airport will provide airberlin with a new home. With its partners, the airline will be offering around 70 nonstop flights and up to 9,500 departures per day from BER Airport, including five long haul connections to the USA and Asia.

Therefore Germany’s capital will become even more attractive for international event planners.

The airport’s infrastructure is characterised by the principle of short distances: this means that the six-storey terminal is located centrally between the launch runway and the landing runway; and the railway station is located directly under the terminal building. Using public transport, the journey to Berlin city-centre takes 30 minutes. As well as S-Bahn (tram) services every 10 minutes and regional train connections, Deutsche Bahn (German Railways) will be offering various long distance connections from day one. Bus connections and a dedicated junction on the A113 Motorway guarantee rapid access.

The German capital also continues to gain in attractiveness as a location for large-scale events. By the end of 2013 a new congress and trade fair centre – the CityCube Berlin – will be built on the site of the former Deutschland Halle. Between 2014 and 2016 it will replace the International Congress Centrum ICC Berlin, which will be completely closed and refurbished during that time. With the re-opening of the ICC Berlin, Messe Berlin will then have almost the double convention capacities. At present more than 438 events with around 161,250 participants per year are taking place in the congress area of Messe Berlin.

Berlin Convention Office
During the past eleven years the Berlin Convention Office (BCO) of visitBerlin has offered competent support at the organisation of conventions, meetings and incentives. Customers benefit from the experienced team, a broad network of contacts and the free-of-charge agency in addition to reservation services for hotel allotments.

Being a member of international associations and organisations is a successful way of promoting Berlin and having access to up-to-date data on the worldwide congress market. Therefore the BCO is networked with the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), MPI (Meeting Professionals International), Site global, European Cities Marketing, the leading British trade organization EVENTIA and the German Convention Bureau.

On the BCO website, convention.visitBerlin.com, Germany’s leading congress destination is presented in a comprehensive, structured and interactive manner. Page visitors also find an innovative compass for incentive travels there. The generator ‘BerlinCentives‘ informs about extraordinary Berlin experiences and helps select the perfect event.  n

For more information email: convention@visitBerlin.de; Tel: +49 (0)30 26 39 183; www.convention.visitBerlin.com

Among the World’s Top 500 Hotels
With unrivalled natural beauty and a rich historical fabric, The Marmara Bodrum was voted one of the ‘World’s Top 500 Hotels’ by Travel & Leisure magazine readers – it was also the first member in Turkey of ‘Small Luxury Hotels’. The Marmara Bodrum is also a recipient of one of the tourism industry’s most prestigious honours, the ‘5 Star Diamond Award’, presented by The American Academy of Hospitality Sciences.

The Marmara Bodrum is a world-class boutique hotel. Its modern architecture and the decoration reflects an essential simplicity with a modern inspiration and is derived from local flavours. These lovingly crafted details are applied with care throughout; from the rooms and the lobby to the corridors which are decorated with paintings of Mevlüt Akyıldız, Bente Christensen, Ned Pamphilon.

Aside from its artistically decorated 89 rooms and seven suites with fascinating views of the historical Bodrum Castle, The Marmara Bodrum also contains a raft of business and leisure facilities. These include Tuti Restaurant, serving Mediterranean cuisine, two bars offering light snacks, one meeting room (cap. 130 pax), an outdoor semi-Olympic swimming pool and an outdoor pool, fitness centre, Turkish bath, sauna, jacuzzi and a spectacular spa, tennis and squash courts. All of these allow The Marmara Bodrum to cater to an upscale clientele with distinctive tastes and requirements, and the hotel will even allow the staying of pets.

Spa treatments and programmes
The Marmara Bodrum Spa is an oasis of tranquillity that offers a wide range of natural therapies and treatments by first-class therapists. The Marmara Bodrum Spa offers a range of treatments. There are healing body massages including; pure relaxation, holistic aromatherapy, sports massages, deep tissue massage, half body massage, shiatsu.

The Marmara Bodrum New Suites
The Marmara Bodrum Dolce Vita Suite offers guests a spacious 300sq m area from the living room to the terrace. ‘Dolce Vita/The Good Life’ Suite name embodies the room’s minimalist luxury and redefines the vacation experience in Bodrum. Embodying the minimalistic design and décor of its name, the Dolce Vita Suite treats guests to a truly bohemian atmosphere which is secluded yet at the heart of all the fun!

For more information visit: email: bodrum-info@themarmarahotels.com
www.themarmaracollection.com

When Johannes Baur opened his hotel Baur in 1838, he was in effect heralding the transition from traditional inns and guesthouses to the modern hotel industry. Travellers in the past had not been too fussy about the accommodation that awaited them. That, however, all changed with the triumph of the railroad. Modern travellers were far more demanding than their predecessors, who had customarily arrived in horse-drawn carriages. All of a sudden, only the newest and best was good enough. Over the years, the tradition of hostelry thus sprouted a new branch, referred to as hoteliery that grew to become one of the most important lines of business in the Swiss economy.

Since 1985, Manfred and Christina Hörger have suffused the Savoy Baur en Ville with their own very personal style. Thanks to their efforts, the Savoy has carved out a regular slot among the ranks of Switzerland‘s leading luxury hotels. Investments in the millions have been channelled into renovating the Restaurant Baur and the Savoy Bar en Ville – the place to meet in the heart of the city. The magnificent ballroom has also been given a fresh face, and the lobby completely redesigned. And, by mid-2011, the exhaustive modernisation of all rooms and suites  was completed.

The luxurious five-star Hotel Savoy Baur en Ville commands a privileged central location right on the Paradeplatz, home to Switzerland‘s leading banks and flanked by the world‘s most exclusive jewellers, boutiques and confectioners all conveniently along the famous and exclusive  Bahnhofstrasse.

Restaurants at the Savoy
Superb cuisine and courteous service have won the esteem of both locals and genuine globetrotters for the Restaurant Baur – a privileged location at the heart of Zurich‘s financial district. Ristorante Orsini, with its powerfully evocative Tuscan flair, ranks as one of the city‘s best Italian offerings. At lunchtime and in the evenings, the Savoy Bar en Ville becomes the beating heart of Zurich‘s business community.

Restaurant Baur Im Savoy
A privileged location right in the heart of Zurich‘s financial district: Superb cuisine, courteous service and subtle elegance have won the Restaurant Baur the esteem of Zurich‘s high society. A distinguished venue for business lunches and dinners, overlooking the famous Bahnhofstrasse, here you can experience lunch time in the special flair of the Swiss financial centre experienced first-hand.

Furthermore, the quality of the cuisine is unrivalled in the city, with the expert chefs taking every care to preserve the aromas of the fine seasonal ingredients used. The menu is based on modern interpretations of French cuisine and Swiss specialities, while the Zurich Gschnetzelte is always a favourite with locals and foreign visitors alike.

Inside the restaurant, guests are greeted with the soothing harmony of luxurious materials laid out in tasteful colour schemes. Dutifully watched over by patrons Manfred and Christina Hoerger, no detail has been neglected in providing the very finest carpets, curtains and valuable chandeliers to ensure that guests can dine in effortless opulence.

Ristorante Orsini
One of the city‘s best Italians, locals and international visitors are unanimously agreed in their positive verdict on the Ristorante Orsini. Here guests can experience a world of culinary marvels amid an authentic Tuscan ambiance – an odyssey your taste buds will never forget.

The historic house between Orsini and Münstercuisine is considered one of the top names in Zurich. This has time and time again been proven from the testimony of international guests who have in time become regulars at this fine restaurant, situated in the centre of prestigious Savoy Baur en Ville.

Under the aegis of the five-star hotel in the centre of the city resides the Orsini Ristorante – a continuing success story for many years, it is testimony to Manfred and Christina Hoerger’s uncompromising sense of quality. The expert kitchen crew are famed for creations such as ‘ravioli de la nonna‘ – which always win the hearts of diners and is the dish of choice for the hotel‘s most esteemed guests.

The restaurant interior is sheer cool elegance and has recently undergone a light refurbishment to keep it looking at the height of sophistication. These include the addition of a new woven carpet, which takes design inspiration from a trio of poppy colours. This décor allows guests to immerse themselves in the illusion of the Tuscan countryside, where all the authentic, sights, sounds and smells are there to behold. Additionally, a well-stocked and expertly chosen wine cellar featuring the very best Italian wines will surely not fail to impress even the most discerning connoisseur.

Savoy Bar en Ville
At lunchtime and in the evenings, the Savoy Bar en Ville becomes the beating heart of Zurich‘s business community. In need of a quick business lunch with a touch of class? Around lunchtime, the Savoy Bar en Ville becomes a vibrant and energetic meetings venue, perfect for high-powered lunches and quick stopovers. Later in the evening, guests can enjoy an aperitif while the pianist gently brings your mind down a gear for the start of some relaxing down time. Whatever the time; this is the perfect place to get to know Zurich from the inside. The Savoy Baur en Ville is also fully equipped to cater for business meetings and private gatherings in tasteful and discreet rooms. The newly revamped banquet hall is also the ideal venue to host conferences and festive occasions.

For more information visit: www.savoy-baurenville.ch/

With a minimum size of 35 square metres, the modern, glazed tower has the largest average hotel room size in Frankfurt. The 218 rooms and suites extend from the sixth to the 25th floor and offer spectacular views of the silhouette of Frankfurt and the nearby Taunus. Guests in search of exclusivity will feel right at home in the select interior of the 215-square-metre Presidential Suite with its two bedrooms, dining room and sauna on the 24th floor.

Timeless design with historic references, this best describes the style of the Jumeirah Frankfurt. The theme of the rooms is inspired by the historical connection with the neighbouring Thurn und Taxis Palais, which has been hosting the headquarters of the Thurn und Taxis post for many years. Peter Silling incorporated numerous details evoking the ancient postal service, such as the elegant retro-style secretaries that shall encourage the revival of the beautiful tradition of the handwritten, personal letter. Many rooms feature an open bathroom concept, providing generous spaces through a smooth transition to the living area. The highlight of each room is an original painting by acclaimed German artist Hartwig Ebersbach.

Standards are not only set by the design, but also the innovative equipment found at the Jumeirah Frankfurt. With its state-of-the-art equipment throughout the hotel, Jumeirah Frankfurt brings hotel technology to the next level. Instead of using conventional air-conditioning technology, the hotel features a hybrid room tempering system that utilises body heat detectors and motion sensors to regulate all in-room energy consumption efficiently and sustainably.

Lighting and climate control in rooms and suites can easily be controlled via a central touch panel. Business travellers, too, can look forward to state-of-the-art technology in the five conference rooms available on a total of 730sq m. A glamorous ballroom with a ceiling of sparkling crystals is perfect for opulent parties and glittering events.

Talise, Jumeirah’s signature spa, offers holistic rejuvenation and relaxation amidst completely tranquil settings. Boasting two saunas, dedicated relaxation areas and seven treatment rooms, guests can enjoy an extensive range of tailor-made experiences.

Jumeirah Frankfurt’s Talise has a European flavour and occupies 400sq m. The spa is designed to dispel the discomforts that so often accumulate after long haul flights and constant travelling, and to revive and energise after a round of long meetings. High-quality cosmetics and therapeutic products, the healing energy of water and the stimulating effects of the crystals all help to re-establish the inner balance of guests.

One of the main goals of Dagmar Woodward, General Manager of Jumeirah Frankfurt, is to turn the hotel into a gastronomical destination. Executive Chef Martin Steiner and his team are following this ambitious goal by enriching Frankfurt’s culinary scene thanks to the hotel’s signature restaurant, Max on One. Ember Lounge & Bar and French inspired café Le Petit Palais on the ground floor are also pleasant meeting places for guests and all those that appreciate unusual design and cosmopolitan flair. Another nice culinary touch is the hotel’s own bee colony located on the roof of the building. This produces delicious city honey, free from artificial additives, high above the roofs of Frankfurt.

For more information please visit: jumeirah.com/frankfurt; tel: +49 (0)69 297 237 0

Vienna is a city where the modern towers of the UNO city blend harmoniously with the Gothic Stephansdom cathedral, where an eventful past meets with a pulsating present
and where business life goes hand in hand with leisure time – Vienna occupies a firm place in the heart and memory of every visitor.

The Vienna Hilton, Austria’s biggest congress hotel is situated in the heart of the city. The Airport of Vienna can be reached within 16 minutes by City Airport Train from the terminal opposite the hotel.

The outstanding location of the hotel offers the opportunity to immerse yourself in all the sights and sounds of Vienna and enjoy a pleasant and relaxing stay in the Austrian capital’s optimal surroundings. Furthermore, many of the city’s must-see attractions are only a few minutes’ walk away.

Art and design
On the 17th of May 2004 the Hilton Vienna reopened after 18 months of reconstruction.

Based on the architectural plans of Prof. Hans Hollein, Austrian’s largest congress hotel
has been completely renovated and rebuilt, with total investment of G61m.

Hilton International is looking at new ways of furnishing hotels in the future. Austrian artists have exclusively completed the contemporary design of the interior decoration. The bright and open feeling is continued throughout the hotel, not least through the use of Canadian Maplewood, cream coloured stone, black granite and lamb’s wool carpets.

Rooms and amenities
Today, the Hilton Vienna offers 579 modern guest rooms, including 23 comfortable suites. Guests can expect the highest luxury in the five penthouse suites and enjoy breathtaking views overlooking Vienna. All rooms are equipped with individually controllable air-conditioning, minibar, cable TV, pay TV, video-on-demand, MP3 radios and high speed internet access.

Additionally, Executive room and Suite guests gain access to the Executive Lounge located on the 12th floor with fabulous views over the green Stadtpark. Here guests are spoiled with breakfast, full bar, pastries and hors d’oeuvres.

The historical Klimt Ball Room, with eight Gustav Klimt-style paintings and Murano chandeliers, gives the perfect location and has the right atmosphere for Celebrations and Gala Dinners. The ballroom can also be used for meetings of all kinds.

Conferences
With its Park Congress Centre the Hilton Vienna is the largest congress hotel in Austria, situated in the heart of Vienna. The new building along the Stadtpark with its ample foyer is ideal for all kinds of events with up to 840 people on an area of 1,256sq m. All banqueting and conference facilities are of top international quality and are centrally located on two floors for easy and efficient use.

The facilities range from small meeting rooms to the Park Congress Centre, which is equipped with a simultaneous translation system as well as a comprehensive package of cutting-edge technical equipment. The 17 conference rooms can accommodate up to 1,800 delegates and the largest suite, which extends to 825sq m, and holds up to 840 delegates.

Additionally, the Business Centre offers computer workstations, internet access and colour printers. The experienced team is available at any time to assist and advise.

For frequent meetings and event planners it is easy to earn HHonors bonus points and airlines miles through the Hilton HHonors scheme, which opens a world of free travel with free nights or fantastic holiday packages for you to enjoy.

Leisure time
The S’PARKS restaurant offers guests the ultimate dining indulgence experience, from signature Hilton Breakfast, local dishes from around the country, buffet and à la carte menus, all tossed with tempting tastes and textures, and exciting twists and turns. The menu is both comprehensive and alluring, encompassing both the traditional as well as the latest trends of Austrian cuisine and wines.

For a more informal setting the meeting point Lobby Bar & Lounge provides guests with an enjoyable and approachable atmosphere that is refreshingly unpretentious. Here you can indulge in the finest selection of national and international delicacies as well as classic and local snacks, such as world-famous Austrian cakes and Vienna’s fine coffee. In the evening, it is the perfect place to enjoy a cocktail to unwind after a long day.

The healthclub is complimentary to all hotel guests and open for 24 hours. Equipped with the latest work out machines, all sportive guests can keep in shape during their stay.  n

For more information visit: www.hiltonaustria.com

The launch in October 2009 of Oman Air’s new fleet of Airbus A330 wide-body aircraft enabled it to operate many more long haul flights than before, from its base in the Omani capital of Muscat. It also offered the opportunity to unveil new first class, business class and economy class cabins which feature the highest standards of comfort and space, and which provide the perfect setting for a demonstration of Oman Air’s attention to detail.

In business class, the clearest demonstration of this is the award-winning seat. Originally designed as a first class seat (and often still mistaken for one), it is fitted in a 1-2-1 configuration that ensures every business class passenger has direct aisle access. Not only is it wide and comfortably upholstered, but it converts to become a fully lie-flat bed that can comfortably accommodate the tallest of passengers. Indeed, when Sarah McKay, the Great Britain international basketball player, tried the seat, she described it as: “Great – I have never been able to stretch out in an airline seat before.” And, at more than two metres tall, she is in a good position to judge.

The seat’s size and comfort set it apart from the competition, but it delivers the knock-out punch with the range of additional amenities that it offers. The 44cm personal monitor screens an impressive range of the latest movies, music and games, as well as a choice of live TV channels, recorded TV shows and flight information – and the rapid rise of personal communications devices means that in-flight entertainment can now be truly personalised. To that end, Oman Air has fitted iPod and Ethernet sockets to the seat, so that passengers can plug in their own technology and watch their favourite movies, play their favourite games or even review their holiday photos on the extra-large monitor.

Stay connected
Surfing the internet or checking emails is also now possible, thanks to Oman Air’s pioneering of complete connectivity – in-flight Wi-Fi and mobile phone connectivity which ensures that staying in touch at 40,000 feet is as easy as it is on the ground. Mini hand-held keyboards are installed in the seat’s arms, but many travellers choose to plug in their laptops or tablet PCs and use the controls with which they are most familiar. This is clearly a boon for many business travellers, who are now able to arrive at their destination without having to face a backlog of emails and phone messages, and for those who would rather use their flights as ‘down-time’, passengers are requested on take-off to ensure that their ring-tones are turned down or phones switched to vibrate.

Rachael Simpson, a lawyer who regularly travels with Oman Air from the UK to the Middle East and Asia, is one of the many who have welcomed the airline’s innovation. “Working across different time zones means I get phone calls and emails at all times of the day and night,” she says. “Being able to deal with them uninterrupted as I fly means that I can arrive at my destination in control, fully prepared and ready for my first appointment – it’s invaluable.”

Hospitality in the sky
As invaluable, perhaps, as the cabin service, which sees Oman Air’s flight attendants, each attired in Balenciaga-designed uniforms, serving everything from snacks and coffee to a la carte meals and champagne. With menus specially designed to suit the tastes of travellers from around the globe and changed four times a year, full-size china place settings and drinks served in crystal glasses, Oman Air’s premium service is returning fine dining to the skies.

Of course, flight attendants offer much more than just table service and Oman Air’s intensive training programme underpins an approach that is both attentive and discreet, ensuring that every one of the business class cabin’s 20 occupants receives impeccable hospitality.

That hospitality is also reflected on the ground, where Oman Air’s new airport lounges at Muscat International and Bangkok airports provide the ultimate in pre-flight relaxation. Business Class and First Class lounges at Muscat were opened early in 2011 and proved an instant success with passengers, including Rachael Simpson. “The old Business Class lounge at Muscat was fine, but the new one is on a different level altogether,” she says. “It is calm, relaxing, comfortable and very elegant, and its facilities are outstanding. I am particularly fond of the Chedi Spa treatments and, of course, the food, which is delicious. I am slightly jealous of the lounge-to-aircraft limo service that First Class passengers can enjoy, but the only real problem with the lounge is that it is so calming that I find it difficult to motivate myself to do some work. When I do get going, though, I can avoid balancing my laptop on my knees by using one of the computers in the lounge’s business centre.” The Muscat lounges have provided a blueprint for Oman Air’s lounges elsewhere, the latest of which opened in Bangkok in late 2011 – to rave reviews.

Commitment to detail
Whilst he is new to the post of Chief Executive Officer at Oman Air, Wayne Pearce is committed to continuing the airline’s focus on getting the details right, insisting that: “Taking care of every aspect of the passenger experience is crucial to our success, from web booking and online check-in to the quality of our wine list – even our amenity kits have won awards for two years running”, he says.

“And that approach applies not just to our A330 long haul fleet, but on all our aircraft and on every one of our 41 international routes. In fact, we have launched Embraer 175 regional jets on our Middle East routes and they offer extraordinary levels of comfort on flights that may well last less than an hour.

“Oman Air is all about quality. We have no intention of going head-to-head with the airline giants in terms of size, but where we can – and do – make our presence felt is where we combine luxury and value to offer a unique experience. Our fares are highly competitive and our levels of comfort, service and attention remain, I believe, unbeaten by any other airline.”

Oman Air’s customers appear to agree – passenger numbers increased by 16 percent last year and 38 percent the year before, leading Wayne Pearce to conclude, “Oman Air is not trying to keep up with the competition; we are leading the way and I am convinced that we are heralding a new age of air travel.”

For more information please contact: Tel: +968 2453 1111, www.omanair.com

The hotel is an ideal place for any type of visit. Guests are pleasantly surprised by the unique and very convenient location of the hotel. It is also the only hotel situated right next to Copenhagen Airport – a central hub in the Nordic region – and is directly connected to the Terminal 3 via a covered walkway. Furthermore, the city centre is just 12 minutes by frequent train or Metro services. The city of Malmoe is right on the other side of the impressive Oresund Bridge and it takes only ten minutes to reach major congress facilities at the Bella Centre.

A transformational design
Entering the premises, you are met by a stylish, contemporary Scandinavian ambiance; the DNA of the interior design of the hotel. This is evident in all areas: In the lobby, where the astounding pieces of  artwork adornng the walls are made by renowned Danish artists from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, in the guest Lounge with the cosy fireplace, and of course in all 382 guest rooms.

This year, however, the hotel is embarking on a new and innovative project – the transformation of the guest room design. This new initiative, with the slogan ‘Room for the new’, is part of the continuous development of the hotel. And it is not just about a new look – it is an ambition.

Claus Steiner, General Manager, Hilton Copenhagen Airport, explained: “We have chosen to call the new venture ‘Room for the new’ to illustrate that it is the beginning of a new stage in the hotel’s 10-year history. We are passionate about delivering exceptional guest experiences, and with ‘Room for the new’, we are developing the physical environment of the hotel, so that it meets our guests’ personal requirements in the future.” Room for the new is designed to give customers a complete experience during their visit, so they can concentrate on the essentials and simply enjoy the pleasant environment.

To travel is to live…
The new room design has now been launched on the 9th to the 12th floor, including all Executive and Deluxe Rooms and has already been highly appraised by the guests, who are excited about the new design. The new rooms are spacious – from 33sq m for Deluxe Rooms to 45sq m for Executive Plus Rooms, and 66sq m for the new Executive Suites offering the ideal base for both business and family stays.

Interior designer Marianne Fryland, who was also part of the original design team when the hotel opened, has created a welcoming decor in warm colours which upholds the Danish expression but also added the international touch. The masterpiece of the room is the clean, white bed with the impressive head-board. Inspired by the Danish fairy tale writer, poet and gifted artist, Hans Christian Andersen, whose famous motto was “to travel is to live”, the head-board illustrates one of Andersen’s amazing paper cuttings.

All Executive and Deluxe rooms are fitted with new designer furniture and in all rooms throughout the hotel you will find huge soundproofed floor-to-ceiling windows offer natural daylight and great views of the airport, the city or the sea.

On the 12th floor is the popular and stylish Executive Lounge – an area exclusively for guests staying in Executive rooms, providing extra comfort and service such as complimentary breakfasts and evening drinks, snacks and canapés. It aims to provide a home away from home; a place to sit back in front of the open fireplace with an international newspaper and relax from the day. A dedicated Executive Floor Manager is present all day to assist guests.

When visiting, do not miss out on restaurants ‘Horizon All Day’ and ‘Hamlet Nordic Dining’, which both cater to delicious culinary experiences. Horizon All Day is the informal restaurant, providing a lavish breakfast buffet as well as a popular weekend ‘taste of Europe’ dinner buffet and the best Sunday brunch in town. While the architectural beauty, Hamlet, offers Nordic dining in a setting that’s perfect for more formal business dinners as well as romantic evenings.

For the ultimate luxury experience, indulge in a visit to the Ni’mat Spa. This Asian inspired spa offers a wide range of relaxing massages and exclusive treatments. Take a quiet moment in the aroma steam bath accompanied by the ‘Ice Buddha’, float in the heated salt-water pool, or powernap in the Golden Egg – a unique universe designed to de-stress in less than 15 minutes. Ni’mat Spa also offers special packages like the ‘Refresh Yourself’ – a break away from the daily pace for the busy business traveller.

Flexible meetings
Hilton Copenhagen Airport is offering the global meeting concept Hilton Meetings and a total of 29 modern meeting rooms to suit any occasion. All are with natural daylight, 14 of these rooms, alongside an additional Business Centre, are  conveniently located at Terminal 3 of Copenhagen Airport. During the summer, a similar ‘Room for the new’ modernisation of the Business Centre and all Hilton Meetings rooms on the second floor of the hotel will be taking place turning the meeting facilities into a state- of-the-art venue for business people.

Flexibility and service are key values at this Hilton. The Hilton Meetings Team, led by the Hilton Meetings Manager, in the Business Centre is at the visitors’ disposal to ensure all those important details are in place to guarantee a successful meeting.

For large events the elegant Ellehammer Ballroom, located on the hotel’s ground floor, accommodates up to 500 people and also offers a large foyer suitable for coffee breaks. A unique feature of the ballroom is the direct access from the outside through three-metre wide flexible doors, making the room ideal for events such as car launches.

Valued guests
Hospitality is at the core of the Hilton Copenhagen Airport and all guests are welcome to join and benefit from Hilton HHonors – the global rewards programme. It is a fantastic option for business travellers offering more value to each stay in a Hilton hotel. Members visiting the hotel in Copenhagen are rewarded for their loyalty by receiving a personalised service and special privileges.

Giving back to the community
For many years, the hotel has worked determinedly to safeguard the environment. General Manager Claus Steiner has led the hotel to its first international certification with the eco-label the ‘Green Key.’ Even the Hilton Meetings concept now has a green approach, with meeting collateral reduced and made recyclable.

But the Hilton Copenhagen Airport is not all about business. The hotel and team members also engage in the local community and in a great number of charity activities. In 2011, the hotel initiated several campaigns in the name of the ‘Hilton in the Community Foundation’, Hilton’s global charity organisation. These prestigious charity events hosted by the hotel raised more than £55,000 for local organisations supporting children in need.

The strong enthusiasm of the team towards the green commitment and charity work continues in 2012 with new, exciting projects.

Tel: +45 32 501 501; Email: cb.copenhagen-airport@hilton.com; www.hilton.co.uk/copenhagen

Officially opened in June 2009, the new Eccelsa terminal is an architectural masterpiece in its own right; its clean, sleek lines seem to swoop skyward like giant wings. Relaxing in the cocoon-like comfort of the terminal your eyes will be drawn to its elegant lines and the beautifully designed natural and artificial lighting, which creates a sense of profound intimacy and relaxation. It’s a strange sensation indeed in an airport that caters for more than 40,000 passengers, who are all bound for what is often referred to as the world’s most beautiful sea.

Eccelsa Aviation really has embraced its role in this regard, combining sheer professionalism with that touch of special charm that comes from dealing with a constant flow of discerning, often celebrity clients. The highly efficient team headed by General Manager Francesco Cossu deals with a variety of ‘high demanding’ requests generated by in excess of 14,000 private jets movements every year. “Since the company was founded in 2002, our passenger numbers and plane movements have doubled, and with that the sheer variety of requests we find ourselves having to satisfy,” explains Cossu with a smile.

Numbers of a highly select kind of visitor to the Costa Smeralda are booming. These are folk that come here to chill out on super yachts or in the dreamily exclusive villas along the shore. The result of this discreet influx has been the building of the new terminal which now includes no less than 4,000sq m of retail heaven, including a plethora of luxury boutiques ranging from Royal Cashmere to luxury eye-wear brands, the best selection of typical Sardinian and Italian products, De Grisogono, Star Dusts jewellery and Ermenigildo Zegna.

At Eccelsa time is kept by Rolex and their beautiful watches can be seen on the walls.

Passengers too are thoroughly assisted by the Eccelsa Team and can cover distances between terminals in a sleek and superb Audi.

There’s also a quality restaurant, coffee shop, Crew Resting room and a conference hall. All glass and glittering design, the air terminal has one feature that makes it absolutely unique in Europe: a formidable outer wing that allows guests to enter and exit the terminal directly from their aircraft. This giant wing will provide shelter even to the big executive B737s and A319 and A320s. These are the nearest thing there is to an airborne villa you’ll find with hundreds of square metres of cabin space that can include three bedrooms, four or five bathrooms, a lounge and office.

The Olbia General Aviation was founded in 1989 by the Olbia Airport Management Company, Geasar, and virtually became an autonomous entity in 2003. Over the last eight years, it has doubled movements from less than 7,000 to over 14,000 aircraft per year. Naturally enough, July and August are the busiest months in the skies over Costa Smeralda.

Privacy and security are two of the qualities private aircraft passengers most appreciate about Eccelsa Aviation, winner of Business Destinations’ own Service Award. It’s just a very quick hop too by helicopter to any superyacht with a helipad from the Olbia terminal and many other passengers will also choose this way to travel to their villas or hotels. The whole process works like clockwork thanks to the undisputed skills and efficiency of Eccelsa’s highly motivated 40-strong team.

The terminal’s own concierge service will organise everything you’ll need to make your stay a perfect one: horse trekking, aircraft or helicopters, Ferrari or Aston Martin rentals, yacht charters, bare-boat or with a skipper and crew to do the work. Eccelsa will also provide in-flight catering offering a menu of 100 dishes ranging from simple sandwiches to mouth-watering lobster.

Needless to say, a wonderful and carefully selected array of local Sardinian and Italian foods and wines are available. The Meridiana Maintenance Team also offers first-class technical assistance on the ground and there are also integrated services for flight crews.

Air taxi companies and their crews are well catered for to boot, as these now make up quite a considerable proportion of the traffic coming into Olbia Costa Smeralda – up to 50 percent at times. Eccelsa Aviation is one of the reasons why people that want to holiday in a genuinely special place come back to Sardinia again and again. A place where friendliness, quality and a first-class service are all part of our nature.

For more information visit www.eccelsa.com

Established in 2008, BAC may be wholly owned by Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company, but it operates as a commercial entity. This gives it the transparency and a commitment to build on the airport’s status as a major international airport in the region and the best airport for Bahrain.

Backed by world-class infrastructure, facilities and services, BAC spearheads with a single-minded focus to create an aviation hub by unifying the goals of the entities which make up the Bahrain International Airport (BIA). This will benefit airlines, travellers, stakeholders and staff, in a facility that is future-ready.

Since taking over the management of Bahrain International Airport in March 2010, Bahrain Airport Company has endeavoured to lay the foundations for change by drawing up plans for a multiple-phased expansion of the Airport and also exploring and pursuing new ways to deliver improved services. All of this is geared towards maximising clients’ and operators’ working experience and passengers’ travelling experience. This includes boosting passenger and aircraft as well as cargo capacities and services.

Bahrain’s open skies policy, its naturally convenient location, and its welcoming culture work in the company’s favour as it aims to sustain and build on BIA’s position as an attractive hub to access the world for airlines and passengers alike.

The blueprint for success of BAC’s plan to expand and develop Bahrain International Airport hinges on it having taken into consideration the trajectory national carriers like Gulf Air and Bahrain Air are aiming to take. After all, its airlines success will be BIA’s success and will ultimately add to the revenue generating capabilities of a sustainable world class aviation hub.

Ambitious as it may sound, Bahrain Airport Company’s ultimate objective to be self-financing and to pay for itself by reinvesting its entire profit in the Airport. This thinking is typical of the sound planning and clear strategy at the core of the company.

The milestones on BAC’s growth curve signify its journey as a company delivering the right infrastructure, providing improved operations and creating maximum convenience.

Attracting and supporting airlines and delivering great passenger service are, therefore, at the heart of everything Bahrain Airport Company does. This has created an image of the company as being friendly – open to partnerships – and always future ready.

As a company operating in a very dynamic environment, it is important that it is prepared for and can capitalise on change. And if like Bahrain Airport Company, one has also clearly identified, not only ones competitive advantages, but ones challenges and constraints, there is little room for doubt that it is well on its way to shaping the Best Airport for Bahrain, to serving as a key contributor in GDP, and to uplifting aviation as a one of the major economic sectors in the Kingdom.

For more information visit www.bac.bh

The failure of demand to keep up with the expanding supply can be partly attributed to the end of major events such as the Beijing Olympics and the Shanghai World Expo, as well as the impact of the financial crisis. However, the problem is more widespread than that and demand side shocks do not explain why hoteliers are still expanding the supply of hotels.

Some of this is due to foreign firms seeking to establish strategic positions in the Chinese market, so to some extent they are indifferent to short-term returns. However, much of the problem relates to how real estate is developed. This is usually done in mixed use parcels of land. Local authorities often insist on a hotel being added for reasons of prestige rather than commercial sense, and developers are not overly concerned with the profitability of the hotel as it is bundled up with commercial and residential properties that they can make money on if the hotel fails. The incentives for containing over-supply are poor.

China’s hotel market has been compared by some commentators to Dubai’s, which also enjoyed a long boom but is now stuck in a terrible and stubborn bust. However, this comparison is unfair and most industry analysts are more optimistic, arguing that in the long term China’s prospects are still bright. It has a wider range of attractions than Dubai and projected visitors are expected to increase. China also has a potentially massive domestic market as it continues to grow economically and its middle and upper classes expand. Some hotel chains have already recognised this. The InterContinental Hotels Group has set up the Hualuxe brand, which is focused on providing a Chinese rather than a Western hotel experience. Growth may not be as rapid as it was during the first decade of the century, but the outlook for the industry is still good.

The former president of the Canadian Safety Council is of the opinion that Ottawa has handed over its regulatory control functions to individual companies, thereby making it unsafe to travel on Ottawa’s trains.

Therien said: “Transport Canada is no longer in the game of being a regulator.” He claims that the rail agency effectively ceded responsibility 13 years ago when the Railway Safety Act was amended, putting the responsibility of monitoring themselves into the hands of the railway companies.

Therien’s remarks came after a Via Rail passenger train left the tracks near Burlington recently, when it was approaching a switch point. The train’s first six cars overturned and hit a building, and the rest of the train was left lying zigzagged across the railway line. Two engineers and a trainee were fatally injured in the accident, the cause of which is, as yet, unknown. Forty-six other passengers were injured, some seriously.

Investigators have not yet determined the cause of the accident. These types of accident are fairly uncommon in the Canadian passenger train service. According to the transportation safety board there were more than 1,000 train accidents in 2010, but most of them involved freight trains.

Therien is happy to concede that the accident that occurred at the end of February is not an everyday occurrence for Via Rail but he is, nevertheless, of the opinion that what happened uncovered a problem in the monitoring systems of Canada’s railroads.

Transport Canada started to set up regulations for Railway Safety Management Systems in 2001, an arrangement that requires employees of the rail company to evaluate safety systems on a daily basis. The agency says the aim of this is to bring about a reduction in the number of injuries, deaths and damage to infrastructure, by establishing an environment where everyone accepts responsibility for safety.

The logic behind this way of thinking is that an employee of the railway company is in a better position to spot a dangerous situation than Federal inspectors who do not carry out daily inspections. These employees are then expected to report the concerns, which will in turn be passed up the ranks.

Transport Canada is adamant that the self-regulating system does not mean it is shirking its responsibility. The organisation says that infrastructure inspections and safety audits still occur regularly.

A statement on the agency’s website reads that: “SMS is not self-regulation and the railway’s SMS regulations do not replace any regulations, rules or standards.”

One has to say, however, that the Railway Association of Canada has been defending the self-monitoring system for many years. Canadian Pacific, CN and Via Rail all belong to the group with its 50-plus members.

In Therien’s eyes, however, the self-monitoring guidelines have allowed Transport Canada to shirk its responsibility and pass it on to the railway companies.