Innehållsförteckning för May 2022 från Business Traveller

Welcome to the May issue of Business Traveller. Last month we were looking forward to travel returning in volume, and return it did. The relaxation of many rules and regulations (goodbye Passenger Locator Form, I hope I never see you again) promised hassle-free journeys for the first time in more than two years. Then came the Easter break when families headed off for well-deserved holidays, and airlines and airports looked forward to making some money. And it all went wrong… So who’s to blame? Well, as usual, probably just about everyone. The airlines have had an awful few years, and have made tens of thousands of their workers redundant; workers they are sorely missing now travellers have returned. The same applies to airports, ground-handling agents and ground transport companies (try…

READ: Venice: A Sketchbook Guide, Matthew Rice The best travel books are those with illustrations to match. Author Matthew Rice guides readers through the floating city’s unique architecture and history in this beautiful book, accompanied by watercolour sketches of its canals, palazzos and famous buildings. Published on May 5. Penguin, Particular Books; £18.99 LISTEN: Your Place or Mine This new BBC Radio 4 podcast hosted by Shaun Keaveny is ideal for travellers. Each week Keaveny and comedian Iszi Lawrence are joined by a guest who describes their favourite place on Earth. In the first episode of Your Place or Mine, comedian Sarah Kendall convinces us to visit Newcastle, New Zealand. Free to download on BBC Sounds. WATCH: Gaslit This political thriller series is based…

BEST OF BRITISH NORBERT2008 Getting people from A to B seems to be the most important thing post-pandemic, but I know there are big divisions in British Airways and other UK airlines that deal with this so just putting it out there. We have some of the best cheeses in the world, why is BA not tapping into this? I see two plastic-looking bits of cheese on most BA club trays (tiny too). I am sure there are UK producers that would be so willing to provide high-quality cheese in quantity too. I am also interested to know what people think of as the best second meal offerings on long-haul flights. High-quality afternoon tea seems perfect for UK carriers. STEPHENLONDON ‘He looked quizzically at the oatcake next to the cheese,…

These hard-working professionals seem only to be fully appreciated in times of crisis As the post-Covid sun begins to rise over the ever-growing mountains of travel regulations and shines a cautious light of optimism upon the business travel sector, spare a thought for the people who make it all happen: the ‘corporate travel managers’. This often unrecognised and forgotten group of hard-working professionals seems only to be fully remembered and appreciated in times of crisis, such as 9/11, the Eyjafjallajokull eruption and now Covid-19. While most of us have been basking in the joy of not having to venture out further than our driveways to conduct business across the globe, your corporate travel manager has been tirelessly navigating the complexities of international travel during a pandemic. Not only have they…

BACKGROUND Opened in November 2021, this hotel is in the recently restored National building, designed by George Dahl in 1965, which has had a US$460 million restoration and now houses the 219-room hotel, four restaurants and 324 apartments. Thompson Hotels is part of Hyatt. WHERE IS IT? In the City Center District, a short walk from Dallas Downtown Historic District and an easy stroll to the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza and the Perot Museum of Nature and Science. WHAT’S IT LIKE? The 52-storey building has a wide base clad with 17,555 exterior marble panels sourced from the same quarry as the marble used for the Parthenon in Greece. The building then rises in dark glass cladding with white lines (apparently to resemble the suits of the bankers who…

POM HARRINGTON owns London’s rare book dealer Peter Harrington and fine book bindery The Chelsea Bindery. WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO THE PROFESSION? My father, Peter Harrington, started the business in 1969. I began working at the shop in my teens and later realised I liked the sales side – what made one book more valuable, how to “read” what a customer liked. WHAT DOES THE SHOP SPECIALISE IN? We deal in collectables – rare first and early editions, inscribed and presentation copies, autographs, manuscripts and books that have a story to tell. We are very good at digging out amazing books. For example, a copy of The Screwtape Letters inscribed with a dedication from C S Lewis to Tolkien. WHAT ARE YOUR RAREST BOOKS? A 16th century account of Ferdinand…

DOMESTIC: IN THE AIR, LONDON, MAY 19-OCTOBER 16 This free exhibition at the Wellcome Collection examines our relationship with air – from its healing properties to its use as a weapon or political tool and its role in the coronavirus pandemic. The gallery will display contemporary artworks and objects alongside immersive film installations featuring magnified versions of air particles. Plus, it will look at the history of activism against pollution from the 17th century to modern day. SHORT-HAUL: BERLIN E-PRIX – ABB FIA FORMULA E WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, MAY 14-15 This all-electric racing series features 16 races in 12 countries, with the German leg taking place at the historic Berlin Tempelhof airport. Fans will watch as Germany’s Mercedes-EQ and Tag Heuer Porsche Formula E Team battle it out for medals. Grandstand…

•The British Film Commission has received £4.8 million over three years to promote the UK as a destination for studio space investment. (BFC) •The UK boasts seven production hubs with stage space, crew and infrastructure to support major inward investment for high-end TV and feature film. (BFC) •The combined spend on UK film and high-end TV production in 2021 reached a record-breaking £5.6 billion – £1.27 billion higher than in 2019 (BFI). •Total box office generated by all films on release in the UK and the Republic of Ireland in 2021 was £602 million, a 144 per cent increase on the £247 million generated in 2020. (BFI) •The Bond film No Time To Die was the highest grossing film of 2021 in the UK earning £96.6 million. (BFI) •In 2019…

It was Lufthansa, some of you may remember, that was the instigator of rail-air. It launched its dedicated train from Dusseldorf to Frankfurt airport via Cologne and Bonn. The idea was that all Lufthansa passengers would have a comfortable and reliable connection with its hub airport (at that time, the new Munich Airport had not been opened). Now, several decades later, and in today’s eco-conscious age, we see almost every national airline in mainland Europe jumping on the rail-air bandwagon. However, no longer are they as generous as Lufthansa once was in operating a special train. Instead all airlines now rely on rail operators’ regular trains. The leading rail-air airlines are Lufthansa (again) and Air France. They are followed by Austrian Airlines and Swiss while KLM (so long a rail-air…

BACKGROUND ITA Airways is the new name for what remains of the Alitalia network and fleet. If you book with ITA, part of the booking engine still says Alitalia, many of the aircraft have Alitalia livery, and many of the staff seem to be ex-Alitalia. At the moment ITA Airways is owned by the Italian government, but other airlines have expressed an interest in buying a stake, including Air France/KLM. ITA Airways has launched a new frequent flyer programme called Volare, which I tried to register for. However, the website has a technical fault meaning you need to have a US zip code in your address, so I was unable to complete the registration. As far as I know, this has not yet been fixed. CHECK-IN I arrived at London…

BACKGROUND One of the most historic and famous hotels in Dallas, the Adolphus was built by and named after Adolphus Busch, of the Anheuser-Busch Brewing Company, and opened in 1912. Designed in a Beaux-Arts style by architects Barnett, Haynes and Barnett of St. Louis, its original 19 floors of brick and red and grey granite are decorated with gargoyles, Greek gods, French Renaissance floral designs and mythical animals. It is even topped off with a beer bottle turret. It has undergone several extensions over the years, with a room count at one point reaching 1,200 rooms. After the last renovation, costing US$95 million dollars, it has 407 rooms and 56 suites. It is a member of Marriott’s Autograph Collection and is operated by Makeready. WHERE IS IT? The property takes…

Miles (or points) are a perk of frequent travel and can be redeemed on future flights, upgrades, experiences, merchandise, car hire, accommodation and so on. But sometimes it’s hard to spend them – air tickets may be restricted by time and destination, for instance – and travellers can instead make a difference by donating points to non-profit organisations and charities around the world. AIR FRANCE AND KLM Flying Blue lists 18 charities to which its members may donate miles, including Aviation Sans Frontières, which provides air transport during humanitarian crises, the French Red Cross and WWF.flyingblue.com ALASKA AIRLINES The Alaska Airlines LIFT miles programme offers members the chance to support 12 selected charities – these include Alaska Airlines Disaster Relief Pool, the Nature Conservancy and the United Negro College Fund,…

PRE-TRAVEL 54% understanding Covid regulations and preparing required documents 44% rebooking in case of changes or cancellations 41% reconciling trip and personal life DURING TRAVEL 64% flight delays and cancellations 53% tight connections 40% economy class for long-haul flights POST-TRAVEL 51% catching up on office work 45% preparing expense reports 39% catching up on missed household or family duties Source: Traveler survey: Wellbeing, conducted between February 18 and March 4, 2022, BCD Travel 2021 STARZ ENTERTAINMENT…

BUSINESS TRAVELLER has teamed up with Premier Inn to offer one lucky reader and guest a two-night stay with breakfast in a Premier Plus room – available at selected locations. Premier Plus rooms are perfect for when guests want just a little bit more from their stay with these additional perks providing extra comfort, convenience, and connectivity. For full terms and conditions and to enter visit, businesstraveller.com/competitions…

ORIGIN AUSTIN A Wyndham Hotel, Origin, is scheduled to open soon, promising “Texan hospitality with a side of Lone Star spunk”. The five-storey boutique property, situated in the up-and-coming Mueller neighbourhood, will have 120 rooms and a restaurant with courtyard dining.originhotel.com COLTON HOUSE HOTEL Opened in January 2021, this quirky homestay boutique hotel borrows the best bits from Home Away and Airbnb, with a broad selection of different room sizes (from studio to three bedroom), and excellent deals on extended stays. It also boasts a beautiful pool, a multipurpose rooftop and a 465 sqm lawn for events. coltonhousehotel.com THOMPSON AUSTIN Austin’s incarnation of The Thompson opened to much fanfare in January, featuring an amazing rooftop pool deck fringed with lush greenery and no less than three delectable restaurant options, led…

Lori Balton is a location scout and member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. She is a founding member of the Location Managers Guild International and has worked on films such as Inception, Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood and the forthcoming Top Gun: Maverick. How has the pandemic affected your work? Scouting was tricky with property owners fearful of Covid. I am triple vaccinated and was quick to assure them that we would be masked and follow all safety requirements. At the height of the pandemic, our normally large footprint grew exponentially, as multiple segregated areas for feeding, bathrooms, etc, were needed to accommodate the different level groups. The Ebell of Los Angeles building served us well on [Amazon Studios’] film Being the Ricardos as it…

A hotel manager’s mail is always a delight to read. Grumbling letters tumble through the letterbox at a rate of three complaints to every one compliment. It’s quite a ratio, and the petulant correspondence is the full spectrum; the food, the service, lost property, the bill, the room, the people, and even the weather. Complainants can be very rude. For example, I once received a note which read: “Compared to your hotel in Athens – this place is a cowshed.” I replied by thanking him for his kind remark about the hotel in Athens and then added that I had visited many cowsheds and in my opinion, the particular one I was managing was the most luxurious cowshed I had ever seen. Another correspondent complained about the programming on the…

BACKGROUND There are three JK Hotels, in Rome, Paris and Capri, with a new one planned for opening in 2024 in Milan. Members of Leading Hotels of the World, they are the brainchild of Ori Kafri who named the brand with his father’s initials – Jonathan Kafri. The Rome hotel opened at the end of 2013. WHERE IS IT? On Via di Monte d’Oro off Via della Fontanella di Borghese which becomes Via Condotti as it runs towards the Spanish Steps. It is within walking distance of Piazza di Spagna, Piazza Navona, the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain. WHAT’S IT LIKE? The hotel doesn’t have a grand entrance, just a discreet doorway on a side street, though taxis are able to stop right outside the door and liveried doormen are…

BACKGROUND Open since June 2021, this marked the first outpost outside of the UK for the design-focused aparthotel brand Locke, which is part of the Edyn group. The aparthotel occupies four Georgian townhouses on the site of a former nightclub, to which it owes its name. WHERE IS IT? On Ormond Quay Lower facing the River Liffey and the pedestrianised Ha’penny Bridge. It’s a stone’s throw from the Temple Bar area. WHAT’S IT LIKE? The hotel has a Georgian brick façade that’s typical of the quay, with large windows that look into the café and restaurant. The entrance is via a large gate on the right-hand side, which takes you into a covered walkway. An ideally located and stylish aparthotel, with beautifully designed apartments The building has been restored and…

The bee’s knees The Great Exposure Photography Competition, organised by GREAT Britain and Northern Ireland in partnership with the Royal Photographic Society, is designed to showcase images of the nation in a new light. Among the winning 40 shots is Lucy Barrett’s image of The Hive at London’s Kew Gardens – a 17m-tall installation designed by UK-based artist Wolfgang Buttress in tribute to Britain’s honeybees. The winning photographs are currently on display across all terminals of Heathrow airport and on the Heathrow Express train running from the airport to London Paddington.…