Author: Charlotte Gill

Transferring money back to the UK: the risks of exchange rate volatility

Posted on by Charlotte Gill

When travelling or living abroad, you will need to send money between countries, often back to the UK. Whatever your reasons for moving money back to the UK – such as selling overseas property, moving back from another overseas destination, or making regular salary payments – it’s important to consider the financial implications. One of the biggest considerations, of which many people are not aware, is the effect of fluctuating exchange rates on the money you will be transferring or ‘repatriating’ to the UK – no matter what source this money comes from.

Events at the beginning of this year highlighted just how quickly exchange rates can move

Ever-fluctuating exchange rates
Events at the beginning of this year highlighted just how quickly exchange rates can move. A positive start to the day on the second of January saw sterling rise to its highest level against the euro in over six years. However, a slowdown in UK manufacturing growth below the forecast level saw sterling lose value across the board, dropping to a 16-month low against the US dollar and losing over a cent against the euro.

Exchange rates change continuously in this way, because they are affected by a number of different factors – the political stability and the performance of global economies, as well as speculation about future geo-political events. These factors are always in a state of flux, meaning the exchange rates are fluctuating by the minute. In real terms, this means that the amount of sterling receive when transferred from euros one day can be of higher or lower value just between the morning and the afternoon of the same day! Over the course of the next day, week, or even months, these changes can be even more dramatic.

Exchange rate volatility is not always a bad thing…
However, this exchange rates volatility doesn’t always mean you lose out. Take Mr and Mrs Peters, for example. They bought their home in the Languedoc in France in 2004, for €400,000, before deciding to move back to the UK in 2014 to be closer to their family. In the preceding decade, they had renovated their French property considerably, meaning they decided to put their property on the market at €500,000, considering offers in the region of €450,000.

At the very beginning of this process, the couple contacted FranceBuyingGuide.com, part of the Overseas Guides Company, for information and guidance on selling their property in France and moving back to the UK. They needed to move back to the UK to be closer to their family, after health issues forced the move. Once they had the relevant legal and financial information they needed, they spoke to a currency specialist recommended to them at SmartCurrencyExchange.com, who assessed the current euro-sterling exchange rate, which at this time was 1.19.

A healthy profit – despite the drama
They decided to use a currency product called a Forward Contract to set the rate at this level, meaning that once they had received an offer they could complete on the sale with price certainty. This enabled them to accept an offer lower than they had originally planned, at €400,000 (the same as they’d paid ten years before), and with the favourable exchange rate, they were still able to make a profit of £26,786.

It pays to understand the full implications of moving money from any destination to the UK, whether as regular payments or a lump sum following the sale of a property. As always, speak to an expert to find out the facts.

Words by OverseasGuidesCompany.com, publishers of buying guides in over 15 countries, 0207 898 0549.

How do other countries spend their Christmases?

Posted on by Charlotte Gill

A recent survey by the OverseasGuidesCompany.com looked at differences in how some of the world’s most popular countries spend Christmas. The information was gathered by their expat writers based in these destinations full-time.

Angelos Koutsoudes, Head of OverseasGuidesCompany.com, said: “We often advise overseas buyers to spend some time in their chosen location during the winter months – this is a good time to view the warmer climates as it gives you an idea of how cold and dark it gets. It’s a slower time for estate agents as well, so they should give you more attention – and with demand at its lowest, you may also find you can negotiate a lower price on your overseas property!”

Spending winter in a new location inevitably means spending the festive season there – but how different is it spend the holidays in your new location, compared to in the UK?

Key findings of the OverseasGuidesCompany.com’s survey:

Spain
The biggest difference between celebrating Christmas in Spain instead of the UK is that the main meal is eaten on Christmas Eve, and will usually contain seafood. If you really wish to recreate the traditional British Christmas in Spain, you will need to think about importing the following products: Christmas pudding, brandy sauce, mince pies, cranberry sauce, mincemeat and sage, and onion stuffing.

France
Here you will find that there is not as much ‘hype’ surrounding the Christmas season as you would find in the UK – generally it is much more traditional and religious, and less commercial. A traditional French shopping list will include oysters, foie gras, turkey, goose and duck. You can buy all of these items, locally sourced, at the market.

Portugal
Real trees are quite rare in Portugal, and most people will chose an artificial one. Quite often the large ones on show in each town will be imaginative metal structures.

As in Spain, the main meal is eaten on Christmas Eve, and this will usually be a kind of shellfish – particularly bacalhau (salted cod). Turkey does feature but is not really the main event.

US
Many families in the US traditionally buy their Christmas trees on the weekend following Thanksgiving, and have their homes decorated before the first day of December. Christmas decorations are much the same as in the UK, although outdoor lights are particularly popular.

In the mountains, you can go and choose your own tree, but by the beach you will find that numerous Christmas tree lots spring up at churches, parks, DIY stores and grocery stores.

Italy
Here you will find that the run up is much more restrained and religious than in the UK – Italy is predominantly a Catholic country, and so you should find a distinct lack of commercialism and pressure from retailers. The beginning of Christmas is marked on the seventh and eighth of December – and the eighth is a national holiday.

You will usually find that the gift sets for friends and family in Italy are based on food and wine, such as wine, cake and cheeses, instead of plastic gadgets. The holidays really are about sharing food with family and friends in Italy. The Panetonne is one of the most popular Christmas desserts.

Canada
Christmas in Canada is seen as an opportunity to spend time with family, friends and neighbours, and Canadians pride themselves on undertaking a celebration that the whole community can be a part of.

Christmas cake, pudding and mince pies are not widely available, but there are speciality stores where you can find them at a premium.

Turkey
You may well find it difficult to get hold of Christmas decorations and other items here. This is because Turkey is largely a Muslim country, and most expats will take the chance to return to the UK for Christmas – and those who do stay will usually attempt to celebrate in the traditional English way at a bar specifically focussed on Christmas.

Christmas Pudding, the usual sweets, gift wrapping and other Christmas items are rarely available in Turkey – you may have to buy early on a trip to the UK, or have friends bring them over. Most drinks, apart from wine, are not available, so these will also need to be imported. You will be unlikely to come across a turkey, but many expats choose to eat chicken instead.

New Zealand
New Zealand is much more laid back, as it is summer there – usually the festive season is celebrated with barbecues and other seasonally appropriate food (which Brits may find it hard to adjust to!). Other than this, Christmas Day is very similar – and you will find all the usual decorations and trimmings, and even turkey (although this is often eaten cold, on the beach!).

Words by OverseasGuidesCompany.com, publishers of buying guides in over 15 countries, 0207 898 0549.

Australia’s Gold Coast fast becomes a top place to travel to, and settle

Posted on by Charlotte Gill

Locals describe weather in the Gold Coast as ‘beautiful one day, perfect the next’ – and with over 300 days of sunshine per year, it’s not hard to see why. Sprawled across a 35-mile stretch of golden, sandy coastline, the subtropical city is a traveller’s paradise. Surfers flock to the Gold Coast for its incredible point breaks, A-listers frequent its avenues inbetween shooting blockbusters, and conservationists use it as a base for exploring the spectacular Great Barrier Reef, which is situated just off-shore. As a result, the Gold Coast has swiftly become one of Australia’s fastest-growing cities. Around a quarter of the city’s 500,000 population hails from overseas, bringing with it a series of diverse ideas and flavours to a nation that is too often associated with over-assimilation.

The Gold Coast maintains nine times more navigable man-made waterways than the city of Venice, is littered with Michelin-star restaurants, and offers visitors some of the best-preserved slices of rainforest in the southern hemisphere. Around 10m visitors flock to the area each year, even though the laidback city’s international profile is still relatively low-key. After it hosts the 2018 Commonwealth Games, however, that might start to change.

Lofty ambitions
While the Glasgow 2014 Games served as a major rebranding for Europe’s unhealthiest city, the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games will act as more of a grand unveiling. The competition, which is predicted to bring at least AUS 2bn (£1.1 bn) into the regional economy and provide around 30,000 new jobs, is already being pegged as Australia’s biggest sporting event of the decade. This is the first time that a regional city in Australia has been given the opportunity to host the Commonwealth Games and, as such, a costly infrastructure boost to help support the venture is already underway. And the region’s authorities aren’t taking this task lightly: construction is set to begin next year on two new leisure centres, each with a capacity in excess of 10,000, and in July this year officials cut the ribbon on the city’s new AUS 41m (£22m) world-class aquatics centre – which arrived both ahead of schedule and under budget. Yet even so, the city’s single biggest pre-Games undertaking will be the creation of its new Athletes’ Village.

Sprawled across a 35-mile stretch of golden, sandy coastline, the subtropical city is a traveller’s paradise

Home to the Gold Coast’s decrepit greyhound racing industry, the Parklands area of the city has had a long-standing need to be placed under the hammer. Now, developers have finally been given a licence to reimagine the prime potential of this palm tree-loaded locale, which will see it being transformed into a village to support the Commonwealth Games’ 6,500 athletes. It’s already being hailed as the biggest urban renewal project in Gold Coast history. After the sporting event is over, the site will go on to form the key residential, commercial and retail section of the new Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct, with work on over 1,200 apartments and townhouses and a neighbourhood retail centre already underway. The project will inject some AUS 500m (almost £273m) into the local economy, and will require a locally sourced crew of 1,500 during construction. Tourism bosses reckon that the city’s infrastructure will be the envy of every Games visitor – although there’s still plenty to admire in the meantime.

Movie magic
The Gold Coast might be striving for sporting excellence in the run up to the 2018 Games, but the city already serves as the continent’s Tinseltown capital. Situated 20 minutes outside the city are the Village Roadshow Studios; a vital outpost for the likes of Warner Brothers and several of Hollywood’s other big production operators. Comprising of eight sound stages, editing suites and world-class workshops for wardrobe and carpentry, the complex has accommodated a vast number of international blockbusters. The studio back lot, one of the largest in the southern hemisphere, also features three colossal water tanks that are able to house an entire fleet of Spanish galleons.

The studio is so well equipped that municipal officials are relying on it to provide the overspill for the 2018 Games. Two sound stages have already been booked to host rounds of boxing and table tennis, which will also give over 6,200 people a rare, behind-the-scenes glimpse of a back lot that is typically held under lock and key. And those unable to secure a ticket or tour of the Village Roadshow site can still take solace in the neighbouring Warner Bros Movie World – operated by adjacent studio executives, the sprawling complex is Australia’s only film-related theme park and features diverse street shows, costume characters and river rides. The park is a must for any family passing through the area. Yet further up the coast, a vast majority of Gold Coast visitors prefer to take on slightly more daunting outdoor pursuits.

Surf’s up
The Gold Coast has long been a haven for surfers, even boasting a district named Surfer’s Paradise. With over 35 beaches, wave riders are spoilt for choice. Winds and easterly surges regularly conspire along the length of the city’s coastline to produce two-foot swells, while the point break delivers a constant barrage of uncrowded waves. Every few months offshore cyclones also sweep in, creating the four-foot waves that are known to draw in throngs of people with boards in tow. Standout beaches like The Spit, Narrowneck and Mermaid Beach are frequently littered with would-be surfers looking to catch their first wave.

International competitions are also fairly commonplace in the city, but beginners are more than welcome on the circuit. World champion Cheyne Horan runs his own Gold Coast surf school on the corner of Surfer’s Paradise Boulevard, which guarantees to have newcomers standing on their very first lesson. Those who laugh in the face of danger – namely, sharks – also often paddle across the Gold Coast Seaway to South Stradbroke Island, which boasts some of the most challenging waves in Queensland. Further south, the aptly named Superbank is home to the world’s longest waves, which can be ridden for nearly 2km if fortune favours the surfer.

Hidden depths
Yet the coast’s prolific surf is only the tip of the iceberg: scientists and travellers alike are often far more concerned with what lies beneath the city’s waves. Stretching for more than 2,000km along the Queensland coastline, the World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef is among the globe’s most lauded natural creations. The sprawling, vibrantly coloured coral underworld plays home to tens of thousands of endangered species, and the opportunity to experience it first-hand is a life-changing adventure to many. Every year, hundreds of thousands of visitors from across the globe flock to the Gold Coast just to experience the reef, bringing an estimated AUS 3bn (£1.6bn) into the local economy. Vast swathes of the delicate reef are protected by the authorities, but numerous drop-off points and specially allocated visiting sites offer would-be scientists a brief taster of the underwater realm’s endless wonders.

Glass-bottomed boat tours leave every hour from coastal hubs outside the Gold Coast, with travellers also welcome to snorkel or dive into the waters on various day trips. The continental shelf is best experienced at Agincourt Reef from nearby Cairns, but once-in-a-lifetime diving options exist all over the coast. As the reef slowly continues to dissipate at an alarmingly rapid rate, visitors to the Gold Coast would do well not to put off an excursion – they might not get another chance.

From towering skyscrapers to the prehistoric coral barrier, there is something in the city to soothe every palate – yet these stark contrasts are united by the fierce determination of locals to maintain a lifestyle that emulates the clear, relaxing waves that line the city. Even as municipal officials scramble to secure space and build infrastructure that will dazzle the visitors of its Commonwealth Games, the Gold Coast already maintains a magnetic pull that’s near impossible to resist. 2018 might serve as the city’s grand unveiling to the world, but it never hurts to try and get a sneak peek of what’s to come.

Top Tips for learning the local language

Posted on by Charlotte Gill

One of the best ways to quickly settle in into your new home country is by getting to grips with the language – the sooner you can understand more about what’s happening around you, and converse with the locals, the sooner you will start to feel less ‘foreign’. Here are Overseas Guides Company’s top tips for getting to grips with a local language, and finding your feet!

Take a few classes before you go
Many colleges will offer basic classes for beginners in several languages, and having a basic understanding before you make the move will be a tremendous help as you begin your life there.

Practice daily
Even taking a few minutes every day can be advantageous. Make some flashcards and say them aloud to yourself, or find someone to have a conversation with.

Take some more classes in your new country
Sign up for evening classes at the local college or adult education centre. It can be easier to learn if you are around other people in the same position, and by having a fixed time to study every week you are more likely to stick to it.

Listen to the television or radio
This can help you get used to pronunciation and rhythms of language. Watching/listening to the news can be quite helpful as this tends to be spoken more slowly. Listening to songs will also assist you – and you can even look up the lyrics.

Try and speak to the locals
If you attempt to speak in the local language, they will respect you a lot more than if you don’t try at all – even if you get it wrong! They will forgive you the odd mistake and even try to help you – and you may find that they love hearing you attempting to speak their language in an English accent. Try and use your skills as often as possible, even if you are limited at first to simple greetings and ordering food and drinks. Try and learn a phrase to let those you are speaking to understand that your knowledge of the language is limited. You may also find that locals are interested in helping you in exchange for you teaching them English.

Read magazines and newspapers
Attempting to read the newspaper or magazines (with the help of a dictionary at first, perhaps) will help to improve your reading, and you could even try out the crosswords or puzzles.

Carry a pocket-sized dictionary
Any words you hear that you don’t know, you can look up and make a note of for next time.

Be aware of local dialects and even different languages
Just as in the UK someone from Norfolk will speak completely differently to someone from Newcastle, you will find that different people in different countries speak differently! In Portugal’s Algarve, you will find that Algarvians have a tendency to chop off the beginning, and occasionally the end, of plenty of words. In Spain, you will need to decide what the best language to learn is for your area – Spanish, Catalan, Galician or another, depending on your location – but having the basics of Spanish understood before you move should help you on your way.

Words by Overseas Guides Company.com, publishers of buying guides in over 15 countries, 0207 898 0549.

Luxury afforded at Basic Hotels

Posted on by Charlotte Gill

Understanding that luxuries are of little importance for those planning an adventure of a lifetime, Basic Hotels is just one of a growing number of budget hotel operators targeting travellers in need of decent accommodation at an affordable price. In recent years, challenging economic circumstances have asked that holidaymakers reconsider how they’re spending their money, and as a result – similarly to what has been seen in the aviation sector – budget hotels have emerged as the new frontier for the travel and tourism industry.

In the years since the financial crash, hotels priced at competitive rates have really gathered momentum, and recent findings show that the upward trend looks set to continue into the foreseeable future. While numbers in mid-range accommodation have been hit by changing spending patterns, budget offerings have thrived to the point that the sector has become a key driver in the hotel industry as a whole.

Arguably the most significant development in the market for budget hotels is the growing number of business travellers

Benefiting businesses
Arguably the most significant development in the market for budget hotels is the growing number of business travellers, who are today seeking adequate facilities and conveniently located accommodation ahead of exuberant décor and additional extras.

Particularly post-financial crisis, businesses have become increasingly conscious of the ramifications of lavish spending on corporate-sponsored trips, and, in a bid to boost their bottom lines, have looked to more competitive stopovers as a solution. With competition on the up and travel spend being monitored more closely by corporate clients, the changing dynamic of the travel and tourism sector has lent itself well to those businesses with functional services to offer, especially at a more affordable price.

Historically, it has been small- and medium-sized companies that have taken pains to get bang for their buck, while large and state-owned enterprises have been quick to splash out on added extras. However, the changing complexion of the business climate has asked that organisations – no matter their size – squeeze every last penny out of their operations, particularly when it comes to minimising the costs of company-sponsored travel.

Low prices, high quality
As awareness of this trend has grown, so too has the number of budget hotels looking to capitalise on what is fast emerging as an increasingly cost-conscious consumer. And nowhere else is this more so the case than with Basic Hotels, which has, in the space of only a few short years, become a major player in the affordable hotel sector. Despite the company’s low prices, it offers high-quality hotel rooms that are comfortably furnished. Customers pay for just what they need and no more – a room that simply allows you to sleep well and work efficiently.

Basic Hotels offers its guests everything that they need for a good night’s sleep, and all at a low cost. By maintaining that, when setting out to have the adventure of a lifetime, all a traveller really needs is a clean room and a comfortable bed, the company has identified a series of changes to the consumer and the industry at large. As such, the Bergen-based hotel operator has cemented its status as a major player in the budget hotel sector.

Situated in the heart of Bergen, the company’s hotels have each been lovingly designed to appease any budget traveller, with practicality and affordability the two most important considerations throughout. With three hotels to choose from, Basic Hotels offers its guests a modern room, a good night’s sleep on a comfortable bed, a hot shower, free Wi-fi, an electronic kettle, a refrigerator and a television. Put another way, those choosing to stay with Basic Hotels have everything they need at their disposal.

Basic Hotels provides high quality, stylish accommodation at a low price
Basic Hotels provides high quality, stylish accommodation at
a low price

The company’s hotels come without the unnecessary extras that are characteristic of more high-end establishments. And by focusing only on the fundamentals, Basic Hotels has been able to offer decent accommodation at an affordable price. With an occupancy rate of over 95 percent in only its first full summer season in 2011, it’s clear that the company was amongst the first to identify a key demographic change in the travel and tourism sector.
By focusing on the customer and straying from unnecessarily extravagant features, the emphasis remains very much on the guests. One picture posted on the corridor wall offers a friendly reminder: “Keys, wallet, phone, smile,” whereas another on the bedroom wall reads: “Sweet dreams, sleep tight, we wish you a good night.”

Desirable locations
As if the hotels and their facilities were not enough, the fact that they’re each situated in Bergen makes Basic Hotels hard to resist. The Norwegian city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was chosen as a European City of Culture in 2000, owing to its many attractions and enduring appeal among domestic and international travellers alike. Bergen is a city full of tradition, adventure and charm, and as such it is rapidly becoming more and more popular to travellers and businesses the world over.

Home to a wealth of important historical and cultural sites, Bergen is best known for its rich maritime history and musical heritage – being the birthplace of the much loved composer Edvard Grieg. The city’s vibrant cultural scene also means that visitors will be hard pressed to find a spare moment, which makes Basic Hotels’ accommodation all the more fitting. “A city full of hustle and bustle – all year round. Daily you will be able to choose between cabaret and theater, dance, shows and international concerts with world stars in a variety of scenes,” says Kenneth Klementsen, Hotel Manager at Basic Hotel Bergen.

Recognised the world over as ‘the gateway to the Fjords of Norway’, Bergen has maintained its small town charm, even as visitor numbers have risen year-on-year and it has steadily come to be recognised as one of Europe’s must-see destinations. Take a look at the harbour and you’ll see Bryggen, an old Hanseatic wharf and a key part of the region’s cultural and economic heritage. Head further inland, however, and it’s hard not to be won over by the city’s picturesque collection of small, wooden houses: characteristic of the various architectural changes the city has undergone over the centuries.

“Not content with our existing range of hotels, Basic Hotels now plans to expand its business both within the city and beyond. With a strong foothold in the Norwegian market already, Basic Hotels is well positioned to capitalise on a budding budget hotel business and boost its renown as a pioneering player in the sector,” says General Manager Mona Sandvik. With its no-frills experience and keen understanding of changing consumer spending habits, the company stands as a benchmark of what can be achieved in the affordable hotels business.

The misery of ePassport gates

Posted on by Charlotte Gill

Trudging through an airport after a long flight has never been a particularly joyous exercise. Shortly after the unnaturally chirpy cabin staff finally agree to let you stand up, remove your hand luggage from overhead and disembark the plane, travellers are usually sent off on a unnecessarily long traipse through one of many advert-filled corridors that reach the chaotic confluence known as passport control.

Whereas in the distant olden days of about five years ago such places were filled with rows of stern looking border staff sat in impenetrable glass cocoons, now the more modern airports around the world have been quick to install self-service biometric ‘ePassport gates’ that read the recently issued ePassports. Designed not only to reduce staffing costs, but also to speed things up and get customers out of passport control and into the retail paradise that is the arrivals lounge as quickly as possible, ePassport gates in fact make the whole process a complicated charade that requires staff to be on hand to help baffled travellers work the biometric readers, as I unfortunately discovered on my return from a recent trip to Venice.

I stormed past my fellow passengers and got to the back of the queue

Incompetent travellers
As is tradition during the late summer, Gatwick airport was full of typically red-faced, overcooked British tourists, grumpily trudging back from their alcohol-fuelled European escapades. At the same time, however, there were many arrivals from other far-flung parts of the world; keen to sample the overpriced delights that London has to offer. By creating two options for all these people to choose from resulted in havoc caused to that greatest of British institution – the queue.

Determined not to be stuck behind this sea of angry travellers and armed with my newly issued ePassport, I opted for the shiny new gates of the future. Big mistake. As people took their turns at the gate, one by one they failed to work the passport readers, ultimately having to fetch a member of staff in irritated frustration, who promptly came to their aid with a look that suggested they were secretly pleased at the failure of the machines to render them obsolete.

Exasperated at my fellow travellers’ failure to work a simple piece of modern machinery, I impatiently waited until it was my turn, where I would show them all just how easy it was. Eventually that time came, and I nonchalantly walked up to the reader. Placing my passport down on the reader and looking up at the camera, I casually waited for the doors to open. Nothing.

As the crowds behind me started to get more irritated at yet another incompetent traveller, I wondered whether the fault was with my new passport photo and thought back to the concerned comment made by a passport centre employee about my head not fitting in the standard box size (mother tells me my head is large because of all my brains). Panicking that people were starting to stare at my freakishly big bonce, I was thankfully saved by a member of staff and let through.

Old-fashioned queuing
After this tortuously embarrassing wait, I vowed never to repeat the mistake of attempting to go for modernity over efficiency. As I set off on another trip – this time to Latvia – I dreaded the thought of returning to Gatwick’s mess of a passport control hall, and so determined to storm ahead of the competition and get my place at the front of the old-style passport check queue. Walking at a pace that made me look (in my mind) like an Olympic power-walker – but in reality like someone who was in desperate need of getting to a bathroom – I stormed past my fellow passengers and got to the back of the queue, safe in the knowledge it would be moving faster than the malfunctioning shambles of a barrier that was meant to be the future of air travel. Smugly glancing over hoping to see some poor tourist struggling to place their passport on the reader properly and having to call a member of staff to do it for them, to my dismay, all I saw were people breezing through the barriers without incident.

As I looked back at my queue, I soon realised that the party of at least 30 Latvians in front of me had not got their passports ready, while their leader – a cheery elderly woman – was engaging the passport control officer in an exhaustive description of all the sites they planned to visit in London on their trip. I didn’t make it through for another 20 pathetic, inefficient, stuck-in-the-past minutes.

Dubai establishes itself as a rapidly growing global business hub

Posted on by Charlotte Gill

Dubai has established a strong international reputation as a vibrant and diverse destination, offering quality hospitality, first-class infrastructure and a range of headline-grabbing attractions. Only a few short years ago, Dubai was a little-known destination off the Gulf coast, whereas today it stands as one of the most popular spots in the region. And while the city is well known for its luxury appeal, it also offers great value for those travelling on a budget.

A remarkable city
Perhaps the most important development, however, is the city’s newfound status as a global business hub – and it is in this department above all else that it has excelled. “Dubai as a destination for meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) and sports events is growing rapidly as the infrastructure including transportation, hotels and other facilities are expanding along with increased standards of services delivered to our visitors and clients,” says Steen Jakobsen, Director of Dubai Business Events (DBE), the Official Convention Bureau. “With a population of two million and counting and more than 200-plus different nationalities, the city offers a strategic location midway between the Far East and Europe. The same distance from London as from Beijing, we are easily accessible from all of the major economic centres in Asia, Africa, Europe and Russia.”

The emirate’s exceptional infrastructure makes doing business in Dubai easy: passage into the city is expedited by Dubai International Airport (DXB), which is one of the busiest in the world in terms of international traffic, served by more than 125 airlines flying to 260 destinations across six continents. In addition, Dubai’s second international airport, Al Maktoum International at Dubai World Central (DWC), opened in October 2013 and is set to increase the emirate’s global accessibility even further.

Dubai has established a strong international reputation as a vibrant and diverse destination

Within the city itself transport options abound. These include the Gulf region’s first-ever metro system, as well as fairly-priced taxis, water taxis, buses, chauffeured cars and the soon to be launched tram network. Sitting at the head of global developments in transport infrastructure, the continued adoption of smart technologies and the implementation of innovative city planning techniques mean that the transport network’s efficiency is second-to-none in the region. By encouraging the use of public transport, improving safety protocols and managing congestion, Dubai’s transportation system has overcome a number of challenges over the course of the emirate’s expansion.

Endless choice
In terms of accommodation, there are currently more than 89,000 hotel rooms within the city, ranging from five-star luxury to pocket-friendly mid-range options. Estimates show that 15,000-25,000 hotel rooms will be added to the market by 2016, further increasing the options available to international visitors. On average, 17 hotels have been opened every year since 1999 and, with capacity tipped to reach 160,000 by 2020, the boom shows no sign of slowing in the years ahead. The country as a whole is already among the most productive in terms of new hotel openings, and the speed at which visitor numbers, and so occupancy rates, are soaring means that it is unlikely that the expansion will grind to a halt any time soon. As such, an abundance of new tourism opportunities along with an influx of business travellers visiting the emirate means that the Dubai Tourism Vision target of 20 million tourists per year is looming large on the horizon.

For business events, Dubai’s many hotels also offer a plethora of flexible facilities – whether that’s simply a meeting room for 10 people or a convention centre for tens of thousands. And of course, this is all supported by the extensive facilities offered at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) – the host of over 50 percent of all exhibitions and conference events in the whole of the Middle East region.

Dubai at night
Dubai is one of the world’s safest and fastest growing tourist destinations. It offers an array of truly memorable experiences with itineraries that will capture the very essence of Arabia

Supporting local businesses
Dubai also has a hospitable business climate of its own, offering enterprises of all sizes a number of opportunities. Whether it be its free trade zones, various tax benefits, or its budding business environment, Dubai has recently become home to a huge number of aspiring multinational names looking for an accommodating place in which to do business.

Dubai’s services sector contributes considerably to the city’s GDP, and is its fastest growing industry. Firms, particularly in hospitality, real estate and business services, are flooding into Dubai seeking to capitalise and expand on the favourable conditions that already exist for businesses much like their own. Underpinned by explosive growth in visitor numbers and bolstered by continued infrastructural improvements, businesses in Dubai have license to feel positive about the city’s future. And, provided that those in the city abide by a responsible business culture and take pains to realise sustainable and responsible growth, Dubai’s standing on the world stage looks set to only improve.

Dubai also has a hospitable business climate of its own, offering enterprises of all sizes a number of opportunities

Backed up by a professional service and a ‘can do’ attitude, business event organisers appreciate the opportunities on offer in the city – which goes some way to explaining why Dubai has been named among the top three most vibrant cities in the world in the latest City Momentum Index, released by Jones Lang LaSalle in January 2014.

Dubai is also one of the world’s safest and fastest growing tourist destinations. For delegates it offers an array of truly memorable experiences with itineraries that will capture the very essence of Arabia, such as desert safaris, dune bashing, falconry and camel riding; while adrenaline junkies can go sky-diving over Palm Jumeirah, dive with sharks at the Dubai Aquarium or go skiing at the world’s largest indoor snow park. VIP groups, on the other hand, can take a seaplane or helicopter ride over the city and indulge in afternoon tea at the Burj Al Arab.

The DBE’s mission is to further develop Dubai’s share of the MICE and special events market, while at the same time maximising the city’s major economic opportunities. “Our main goal is to establish the emirate as a leading business tourism destination,” adds Jakobsen. “From selecting the perfect convention and exhibition venue to choosing the ideal hotel, helping you with airline bookings to arranging local guides and ambassadors, our experienced staff will take care of all the details so you can be confident that your event will be an outstanding success.”

The possibilities in Dubai are endless – nowhere else can you wrap up your meetings and within minutes be spending time at the beach, skiing on the indoor slopes, or testing your limits while dune bashing in a 4×4 in the desert. By providing quality services, introducing key industry and government contacts, and delivering a world-class visitor experience, DBE can play an important role in establishing the emirate as a leading business travel and tourism destination.

Ryanair raises profit guidance for fourth time in a year

Posted on by Charlotte Gill

Europe’s leading air carrier Ryanair has lifted its forecasts to between €810m and €830m. The budget airline had already raised them three times earlier on in the year following its shift in business strategy.

A further 22 percent rise – taking total passenger numbers to 6.35m in November – and a seven percent boost in load factors have led to the revised forecasts. Passenger number predictions for the year have now been risen to just over 90 million.

Ryanair has also been trying to rid controversial CEO Michael O’Leary of his tinged reputation with a nice-guy overhaul

The most recent revision came just a month ago, when forecasts were increased to a €750-770m range. That’s against initial guidance at the start of year, which predicted a range of €580m to €620m following profits of €523m in 2013.

Two profit warnings that year nudged Ryanair to review its strategy. Since then the Dublin-based airline has been trying to shed its cheap-and-cheerful image by targeting business travellers and boosting the number of flights on business routes.

The carrier has improved its website, introduced ‘Business Plus’ and softened hand luggage restrictions so passengers can now take on two pieces of carry-on baggage. Ryanair has also been trying to rid controversial CEO Michael O’Leary of his tinged reputation with a nice-guy overhaul.

Efforts appear to be paying off, with Ryanair now aiming for a return to yearly profit growth after five straight years of falling profits.

Half-year profits after tax to September 30 rose 32 percent to €795, which led to the initial guidance update in early November.

Stock has risen 47 percent over the year, lining it up for what’s expected to be the airline’s highest annual return in nine years, Bloomberg Businessweek reports.

Pick of the best: Christmas markets in Europe

Posted on by Charlotte Gill

Strasbourg, France

Home to Europe’s first Christmas market (‘Christkindelsmärik’, dating back to 1570), nowhere does the festive season quite like Strasbourg. Wafts of cinnamon, mulled wine and spiced bread blend with the fresh pine smell of Christmas trees which line the endless rows of quaint Christmassy chalets dotted around the city. The market is made up of 11 different ‘villages’ offering delicacies from the Alsace region, local wines, decorations, gifts, books and culinary treats – including ‘bredele’ biscuits, which locals traditionally hang on the tree before devouring.

The heart of Strasbourg’s yuletide scene lies on Place Kléber in the form of the city’s towering Christmas tree, which marks a tradition now several hundred years old.

Copenhagen, Denmark

CopenhagenFor those who won’t be making it to Lapland this year, Copenhagen’s Tivoli is the next best thing; home to traditional market stalls, cosy winter restaurants, rollercoaster rides and fairy-lit Alpine chalets. It’s the place to head for those looking for a slightly different take on the usual Christmas markets. Elements of Nordic tradition meet a Russian theme brought in last year.

This season sees the introduction of a 2000 square metre Alpine Village, which offers visitors the true picture of a winter’s tale; snow-capped wooden houses, smoking chimneys, skis, sledges and its very own train – the Alp Express.

As visitors wander round the gardens they’re greeted with music from the Tivoli Pixie Band and the Tivoli Boys Guard, and when it gets too cold theatres offer festive music shows, concerts and ballets – this year it’s The Nutcracker.

Vienna, Austria

ViennaAustria’s capital comes alive in the run up to Christmas with an array of markets illuminating its snow-covered streets. Roasted chestnuts, Glühwein and Vienna Sausage are all staples.

Spittelberg market is one of the best places to check out rarer offerings; located in the pedestrianised, cobbled ‘village in the city’, it’s surrounded by historic architecture and offers over 100 stalls-worth of arts, crafts and delicacies – which have been drawing in over 500,000 visitors each year since it opened 25 years ago.

Stalls by the ornate Schönbrunn palace are likewise worth a wander. From hand-painted baubles and traditional beeswax candles to dried meats and locally baked goods, the market has a distinctively upmarket, and authentically Austrian, feel. It’s made all the more magical by the golden lights which illuminate the ornate, 1,441-room Baroque palace.

London, UK

LondonChristmas in London wouldn’t be complete without a trip to Hyde Park’s Winter Wonderland, where traditional chalet stalls inspired by the country’s European neighbours tempt visitors with the likes of pulled pork buns and traditional hog roasts. Other attractions in the park include ice sculptures, rides, a rotating carousel bar and an ice rink.

Southbank Christmas market is another popular choice for locals and tourists alike. Cinnamon-spiced goods, bratwurst rolls, vintage books and handcrafted products offer visitors a chance to indulge every sense, while taking in the region’s iconic sights in a stroll along the Thames.

Cologne, Germany

CologneCologne should be on the destination wish list of every yuletide enthusiast. And among its impressive hoard of festive attractions is the Am Dom, a UNESCO World Heritage site which lays claim to being the biggest Christmas market in Germany. Situated by the city’s awe-inspiring gothic Cathedral, its 160 plus wooden stalls sell everything you’d expect and more.

The Alter Markt is a hub for families, housing a grotto alongside a vast array of toys and twinkling lights, while Cologne’s oldest Christmas market – Angel’s, located in the city centre – is also impressive; it offers a range of artisanal products, such as decorative plates depicting festive scenes of bygone days. Other worthy stop-offs include the Harbour Christmas market, located on the banks of the river Rhine, and the Stadtgarten market, which is relatively new to the scene.

Stockholm, Sweden

StockholmSkansen, an outdoor museum decked out like a traditional Swedish village, comes alive during the festive period with its Christmas market, which first opened in 1903 and hasn’t missed a year since. Swedish specialities, from grilled herrings to pepparkakor (ginger snaps) characterise this beautiful, oldy-worldy bazaar where an array of handmade souvenirs fill the quaintly decorated stalls and historic Skansen houses.

Christmas confectionary, preserves, glögg (mulled wine), toys and craft goods await visitors, alongside a range of festivities – from watching choir singers and home brewing to taking part in a Christmas craft workshop.

The Christmas market at Gamla Stan (Stockholm’s Old Town) is also well worth a visit, offering plenty of food and craft stalls alongside an intriguing history that dates back more than a century.

Frasers Hospitality: a global leader in hospitality

Posted on by Charlotte Gill

Memorable experiences are what Frasers Hospitality aims to deliver, every time. As an established global leader in premier serviced apartments and hotel residences, providing innovative and intuitive service is the company’s top priority. Through every service that it offers to its guests, Frasers Hospitality strives to ensure that it remains the number one choice for business travellers worldwide.

The company’s reputable footprint, which stretches across Europe, Asia, Australia and the Middle East, gives travellers the choice of three distinctive brands: gold standard Fraser serviced residences (which include Fraser Suites, Fraser Place and Fraser Residence), Modena serviced residences, and Capri by Fraser hotel residences.

Business travellers will always find themselves in the heart of the city while staying at any Frasers Hospitality property

The company is internationally recognised and frequently awarded, with its most recent accolades including the World Travel Award for Leading Serviced Apartment Brand in several different categories including Asia, Europe and the Middle East, and Best Serviced Apartment Operator at the TTG Travel Awards.

Thoughtful extras
Business travellers will always find themselves in the heart of the city while staying at any Frasers Hospitality property. Situated in choice locations within the world’s key business districts, residents do not need to waste time commuting the extra distance to work. This gives every guest the chance to truly experience the city that they are staying in – a rare treat in the world of business travel. Whether one is seeking to shop, dine or discover the city’s nightlife, local highlights can always be found right on Fraser’s doorstep.

To help guests to settle into their temporary homes, Frasers Hospitality provides a complete range of in-house services in every residence. With daily housekeeping, breakfast and a 24-hour concierge and security service at their disposal, guests feel taken care of from the moment that they arrive. This gives business travellers, in particular, the ability to focus entirely on the purpose of their trip.

Fraser Suites Singapore
Fraser Suites Singapore

Other beneficial amenities include free, unlimited and high-speed internet across all properties; an interactive e-concierge service that provides helpful information on the surrounding city, including its transportation, attractions and events; a dedicated wellness space, The Retreat; and a ‘pillow menu’ that allows guests to personally select their pillow preference, guaranteeing them a good night’s rest.

Beyond business
Frasers Hospitality is where the best of business and leisure meet. As such, every property offers an extensive range of leisure and lifestyle facilities. Guests are guaranteed use of not only sleek, sophisticated meeting rooms and comprehensive secretariat services, but also 24-hour gymnasiums, swimming pools, steam and sauna rooms, restaurants and residents’ lounges; all of which are intended to help busy business executives maintain a healthy balance between their personal and professional lives. Also aiming to make children feel just as welcome as their parents, Frasers residences offer playrooms, wading pools and babysitting services, as well as access to the Fraser Kids Club.

Weekends are never dull at Frasers Hospitality, where the social calendar is always full. Regular get-togethers and trips to local attractions promote interaction between families and other guests, ensuring that corporate travellers do not lose out on experiencing the unique highlights that each extraordinary city has to offer.

Frasers Hospitality’s international portfolio, including projects that are still in the pipeline, currently stands at 92 properties in 49 key gateway cities, and more than 16,000 apartments across the globe.

For further information email jastina.balen@frasershospitality.com

Love him or hate him, American Apparel’s Dov Charney has talent

Posted on by Charlotte Gill

Love him or hate him, Dov Charney is one of the fashion world’s leading innovators. Since achieving his tumultuous rise to power over the last decade, the self-made entrepreneur has gone from smuggling wholesale tees across the Canadian border to single-handedly overseeing one of the largest domestic textile operations that the US has seen for a generation. In just a few short years, Charney’s trendy heritage brand, American Apparel, has earned itself both a fiercely loyal consumer base and a gaggle of fashion awards.

That rise has been driven by Dov Charney’s unrelenting provocateur status. American Apparel’s controversial advertising campaigns are regularly banned for their overt sensuality; consequently racking up a flurry of priceless publicity for the brand as an instigator of dynamic public debate. Yet Charney’s overt voice has simultaneously helped the brand break ground as one of the fashion industry’s leading activists. American Apparel maintains a firm stance against foreign sweatshops, and has long been among the globe’s top advocates for improved ecological sustainability. Such political forays have proved invaluable in earning American Apparel a place of honour among the trendiest of the trendy.

It’s a pity that marketing success is not translating into profitability. Since last year sales at the label’s 250 retail stores have flat-lined, and in October a third of its UK outlets were earmarked for closure. American Apparel has reported losses in 17 of the last 18 quarters, and it’s no secret that weary board members have pegged this underwhelming performance on the company’s insistent figurehead.

Charney became a firm advocate for sustainable employability, dishing out an average salary of $30,000 to American garment workers whose Bangladeshi equivalents would bring in less than $600

It’s been said a number of lenders now refuse to do business with the controversial brand based upon various allegations of sexual misconduct raised against Dov Charney. With that in mind, in June the board of directors that Charney himself hand-picked tossed him out in the cold and appointed an interim CEO to rule in his stead. With the aid of new capital investors, Charney was back in-store within two months – not as the brand’s chief executive, but as a ‘strategic consultant’. Whether the role has any real gravitas remains to be seen; however, it can’t be denied that it has been Charney’s bold decisions that actively define American Apparel’s stock as a brand.

A man with a vision
The son of a Harvard-educated urban planner and a Quebecois artist, Charney was reared in Montreal and schooled in Connecticut, where he swiftly developed a passion for US heritage design. Enthralled by the sexualised style and marketing of 1970s Americana, Charney began his fashion career smuggling Hanes T-shirts across the Canadian border and turning a tidy profit flogging them off to area teens and distributors. A brief stint at Tufts University saw Charney selling his own shirt designs from his dorm room before a $10,000 loan from his father allowed him to drop school and pursue fashion full-time. With two employees under his tutelage and bringing in around $1,000 per month, Charney was off. In 1990 he took his business down to South Carolina and found relative success until one of his biggest customers failed to clear their debts. Charney’s insurance provider refused the cover the losses, and so he was forced to file chapter 11, move to California, and start from scratch.

Charney landed in LA and began liaising with local manufacturers. In 1998 he entered into a series of partnerships that saw new American Apparel factories opened in Santa Fe and outside of LA. Both swam against the tide of competition by maintaining 100 percent domestic production from start to finish, and Charney began to unleash his heavily politicised management style. He became a firm advocate for sustainable employability, dishing out an average salary of $30,000 per annum to American garment workers whose Bangladeshi equivalents would bring in less than $600. If that didn’t raise eyebrows, Charney’s controversial marketing techniques did – instead of hiring expensive models, Charney recruited talent at local strip bars. This didn’t make the brand any friends among the religious right, nor the feminist left, and ads depicting Charney himself in bed with scantily clad women have since done little to earn that respect back. Yet the brand’s refusal to airbrush would-be amateur models have won it a string of advertising awards and a tinge of respect from LA’s trendy independent fashion community. By 2003 American Apparel opened its first retail store, and the seeds for success were incontrovertibly sewn.

Thinking big
Few fashion labels have experienced the sort of rapid growth that American Apparel experienced in the years that followed. By 2005 Dov Charney was jetting across the globe, cutting the tape at a dozen new retail stores a month. His company was listed as one of the world’s top up-and-comers, having experienced a growth rate of 440 percent over the preceding three years and revenues of over $211m. That level of growth was undeniably difficult to steward, and Charney attempted to manage the vertically-led firm on every level. He would sit in on design and photography sessions, visit stores unannounced and test new products on himself. In what co-workers came to call the ‘everyone reports to Dov’ strategy, Charney would spend hours conducting weekly conference calls with shop managers across the globe, attempting to unlock the secrets to cracking diverse foreign markets. The all-encompassing management style allowed Charney to develop a keen affinity for every aspect of the business. Yet as American Apparel continued its aggressive (and costly) expansion campaign, Charney was also forced to pursue new avenues of funding.

An American Apparel store
An American Apparel store

In 2007, a reverse merger saw American Apparel listed on the public exchange. As part of the deal, and as a continued vow of faith to his 10,000 employees, Charney allotted 2.7m shares of the company to its workers. The following year, Charney was recognised by the LA Fashion Awards for excellence in marketing and brand research, and The Guardian named his company fashion brand of the year. New advertising campaigns continued to shock, becoming talking points all across Europe, and the brand soon reached its peak at 250 outlets in 20 countries. Within two years, however, mounting debts began to crack the façade of Dov Charney’s ironclad, trend-setting label.

Following the 2010 resignation of auditors Deloitte & Touche over unreliable financial statements, the company was forced to sell some 15.8m shares to Delvaco Capital for just 90 cents each in order to raise cash. Similarly, in April 2013, American Apparel had to issue a private offering of $206m in senior secured notes to repay a high-interest credit facility from Lion Capital. This calling in of debts couldn’t have come at a worse time for Charney, who had been spending the past two years working to settle a gaggle of costly lawsuits, including several charges of sexual harassment, while attempting to maintain his micro-managerial status as the brand’s unrelenting leader.

In June of this year, Charney’s fellow board members decided that they’d had enough. America Apparel’s founder was ousted and replaced with an interim-CEO pending the results of an internal investigation concerning potential misconduct. But, perhaps unsurprisingly, Charney refused to budge. The exiled CEO swiftly turned to hedge fund bosses at Standard General for aid, and together they were able to amass 44 percent of the company’s shares, demand a board reshuffle, and inject some $25m into the ailing label (while its Q2 sales fell by another six percent in August).

As part of that deal, a new, independent committee is being formed to oversee Charney’s misconduct review – and in the meantime, he’s been allowed to stay on as a strategic consultant at American Apparel. He’s still making daily appearances in retail stores, dishing out orders to area managers and visual merchandisers, and appears to be retaining his position as the label’s heart and soul. At present, the future of American Apparel appears uncertain. However, with an influx of new capital, an injection of fresh blood and its maintained cultural status beast of controversy, there’s plenty of hope yet for the still relatively young firm. Dov Charney’s bold decisions and acquired taste have helped American Apparel to materialise from nothingness in just a decade – at just 45 years of age, it appears unlikely the fashion world will be bidding him adieu any time soon.

The Swiss Diamond Hotel, Prishtina: a gem in the heart of Kosovo

Posted on by Charlotte Gill

Prishtina, the capital city of the Republic of Kosovo, is a city that is attracting increasingly more and more tourists from around the world. Indeed, more than 36,000 tourists visited the city in 2012, representing around three-quarters of all the foreign visitors who went to Kosovo in that year.

On the face of it Prishtina may seem rather off the beaten track, but in actual fact the city is easily accessible from most European cities. There are regular and inexpensive flights to Prishtina from London, Paris, Geneva, Zurich and Milan, and upon arrival Prishtina is an ideal city to explore on foot. The many intriguing historical attractions of the city include the Newborn Monument, which was unveiled on February 17 2008; the day Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia. The Newborn Monument is decorated with the flags of the ninety-nine nations that recognise this declaration, acting as a symbol of gratitude and loyalty from the people of Kosovo.

Other attractions in the capital city include the National Museum of Kosovo, which holds a fascinating collection of artefacts situated in a building dating from the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The museum’s treasures include antiquities from as far back as Neolithic period, the best known of which is the stunning terracotta figurine, Goddess on the Throne. Elsewhere in the city there is a stream of striking historical attractions, including the beautiful Kosovo clock tower, Kosovo National Theatre, the National Library, and a wide range of religious sites including the Cathedral of Blessed Mother Teresa.

A splendid five-star establishment in the centre of one of Europe’s most vibrant, remarkable cities

The height of luxury
Naturally, a major part of any successful international trip is choosing the right hotel. The Swiss Diamond Hotel, which is located in the heart of Kosovo along the Mother Teresa pedestrian boulevard, is a hotel to make anyone feel comfortable and cared for when visiting this fascinating city.

There is a vast range of rooms at the Swiss Diamond Hotel to suit the needs of any guest, including deluxe and business rooms and a wide range of suites, including executive suites, junior suites and the hotel’s exquisite penthouse suite. The hotel’s single rooms feature elegant queen-sized beds of the highest quality, furnished with hypoallergenic pillows and comforters made of feather down. Rooms also feature work desks and dual phone lines for the most committed of business travellers, as well as bathtubs and showers made from the most elegant Italian marble.

Extras that are incorporated into every booking include a full American breakfast in the mornings and access to the hotel’s Venus Wellness Centre. All the rooms and suites are fully outfitted with the very best equipment available to ensure that every guest, particularly those staying with the hotel on business, are able to feel completely comfortable during their stay: these facilities include high definition televisions, intelligent climate control systems, a safe, a well-stocked mini bar and access to the high-speed internet.

The very highest standard of luxury is visible throughout the hotel, from the single rooms all the way up to the Swiss Diamond’s presidential suite: this gorgeous collection of rooms is the most luxurious of apartments, its facilities including an elegant dining room with seating for eight guests, two high definition televisions with dual speakers, and a walk-in dressing room with two-sided wardrobes. The bathroom is the epitome of luxury itself, complete with a hot tub, whirlpool bath, private sauna and rain shower. The Swiss Diamond Hotel’s meticulous attention to luxurious details across the whole hotel, and in the presidential suite in particular, will ensure that any guest is at the height of relaxation throughout the duration of their stay.

Exquisite dining
As a splendid five-star establishment in the centre of one of Europe’s most vibrant, remarkable cities, the Swiss Diamond Hotel naturally offers the most exquisite dining facilities. The hotel’s main restaurant, the Iliria Restaurant, offers a magnificent range of Mediterranean dishes that are created from the freshest ingredients and served with care and style. In the summer months the Iliria Restaurant has a spacious additional terrace with seating on the main Mother Teresa Boulevard, enabling guests to enjoy the sights and sounds of Kosovo as they dine. The hotel also has a Lounge Bar, which features a piano lounge and a cocktail bar: these are places regarded as the height of fashion in Prishtina and offer a friendly, relaxed atmosphere in which guests can relax with friends or colleagues. The bar serves a wide range of drinks, including a rare collection of wines and cognacs and an extensive list of cocktails, along with an impressive staff force that is all too happy to provide guests with whatever they are partial to. Naturally, the Lounge Bar is open until late and is the perfect place for guests to relax after a successful day in the hotel’s multiple function rooms.

The Swiss Diamond Hotel also boasts the most luxurious of amenities for its most erudite guests. The hotel’s cigar club is dedicated to smokers who wish to enjoy the very best products among convivial company. The lounge offers rare cigars and great service in a private, comfortable and spacious room featuring a classical design, luxurious green and gold-coloured seats and classical artwork depicting traditional Kosovo life.

A woman relaxes in the Swiss Diamond Hotel's Venus Wellness Centre
A woman relaxes in the Swiss Diamond Hotel’s Venus Wellness Centre. A spacious swimming pool, a spa, a fitness centre and an infra-red sauna are among the facilities available

Personal wellbeing
The widespread recognition of the importance of fitness is, of course, a major part of modern culture. The Swiss Diamond Hotel’s Venus Wellness Centre is unquestionably one of the main delights of the hotel: featuring a classical design complete with marble pillars, the Wellness Centre accommodates a spacious swimming pool, a spa, a fitness centre, solariums, infra-red sauna, a steam bath, an ice cave, a salt room, a relaxation room and hair dressing salons, all equipped with Piroche Cosmetiques; the Swiss Diamond Hotel’s own lifestyle and cosmetics brand. The Venus Wellness Centre offers a wide range of the best spa treatments and fitness facilities to ensure that guests are relaxed, comfortable and focused for the duration of their stay.

A final service offered by the Swiss Diamond Hotel, a feature that is rare even among the world’s leading five-star hotels, is the ‘business check-up’ package. This health facility ensures that hotel guests are healthy and comfortable throughout the entirety of their stay and even aims to help improve the health of their guests by the time that they check out. Normally lasting a week and beginning on Sunday evenings to ensure that the hotel’s business guests can enjoy the service every day, the check-ups start on Monday with an evaluation of the guest’s current state of health, conducted by the hotel’s physicians and nutrition experts. The service also features an energy test to investigate the guest’s body mass, eating habits and general overall health. The programme aims to improve the guest’s health and fitness throughout the week by using a combination of fitness activities and personalised diet plans, sauna, swimming and massage. These special treatments aim to detox the body, improving the skin’s appearance, body tone and muscular strength.

The Swiss Diamond Hotel, Prishtina, is the perfect location for travellers seeking luxury, comfort and an authentic look at the fascinating city of Kosovo. Business travellers in particular will feel completely at home in the hotel’s luxurious rooms and sumptuous lounges, experiencing first-hand the exemplary hospitality and service that has won the hotel numerous awards over recent years. It is the hotel’s welcoming staff, splendid facilities and second-to-none services that truly make it the gem of Prishtina – a haven of luxury, recreation and enjoyment in the very heart of Europe.

For further information visit sdhprishtina.com.