Innehållsförteckning för March 2024 från Business Traveller

I’m writing this with a slightly fuzzy head, I must admit. Last night, we celebrated the Cellars in the Sky awards 2023, where we toasted the victorious airlines and sampled their award-winning wines (I mean, who’s really going to use the spittoon?). The awards – now in their 38th year – recognise the best wines in the sky, with an intentional focus on how flavours and taste can be affected at altitude. If you’re reading this inflight and the drinks trolley is approaching, turn immediately to page 42 to find out which wine you should ask for and why. This month we also pay tribute to International Women’s Day (8 March) with a look at gender representation in the aviation industry and how innovators are forging a path for new…

READ: The Trading Game: A Confession, Gary Stevenson This memoir from Citibank’s most profitable trader explores the ruthless, thrilling and stressful nature of the trading floor and its moral implications. Stevenson discusses how he closed deals worth nearly a trillion dollars, and the toll this took on his own life. Pick it up from 5 March. Allen Lane; £25. LISTEN: Tom Dean Medal Machine This weekly podcast follows double Olympic swimming champion and Team GB swimmer Tom Dean MBE on his journey to attempt to win a record-breaking five medals this summer in the Paris 2024 Games. Whether soaking up wisdom from guests including Jessica Ennis-Hill and Jordan Stephens, or discussing cheat meals with celebrity chefs and motivational songs with musicians, each episode will play a part in helping Dean…

LINDA BORONKAY is an interior designer whose studio has worked on hotels, restaurants, bars and members’ clubs around the world. MOST IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS FOR INTERIOR DESIGN? We start with a client brief and then look at the neighbourhood, country, culture and architecture. I try to convince the client to allow us to stay for an extra couple of days to walk around and get to know the area. Lots of ideas come during those trips. You can’t get that on the internet. SOURCES OF INSPIRATION? I look at fashion a lot – fabric and texture combinations – and get a lot of inspiration from fashion show set design, music, colours and lighting. I also love old movies, or those that are relevant to the location of the project. We looked…

NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL A DIVERSION → FDOS In late January, my daughter left EDI for an afternoon flight to BRS, but instead arrived in CDG, thanks to Storm Isha. Fortunately, she was carrying her passport and did not have to work that day, but that was one heck of a diversion. I reckon by the time you add the mileage for some holds near BRS, the diversion mileage will be about the same as the original flight – and to another country. As a frequent traveller, I have had a few diversions (part of the game), but never anything like this – how about anyone else? → TOMINSCOTLAND That’s amazing, FDOS. Interesting that nowhere in the UK could take the flight. I got back into Edinburgh with QR…

1 BLUE MOSQUE This Ottoman-era structure is best known by its colloquial colourthemed moniker, owing to the tens of thousands of blue Iznik tiles that adorn its interiors. Offcially it is called the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, named a’er ruler Ahmed I who commissioned the monument as a marker of imperial strength – hence the dramatic curved domes and six minarets stretching to the skyline. The mosque was designed by architect Sedefkar Mehmed Agha and constructed between 1609 and 1617, rivalling the Byzantine-era Hagia Sophia located on the opposite side of Sultanahmet Square. This UNESCO World Heritage Site closed for a five-year restoration, reopening in April 2023 to tourists and locals alike. The building remains a working mosque so take care to wear respectful clothing – women can borrow shawls at…

BACKGROUND The first Raffles hotel in London, owned by the Hinduja Group and operated by Accor, opened in September 2023. It is housed in The OWO, a legendary Edwardian Baroque-style building, with the guest experience built around its exceptional history. The Grade II Old War Office was built for the British Army in 1906, based on the site of the original Palace of Whitehall. It has witnessed world-shaping events and been the office of political leaders including Sir Winston Churchill. The inception of MI5 and MI6 took place here, inspiring Ian Fleming to write the Bond series. It was then used as a location for multiple Bond films, from 1983’s Octopussy to Spectre in 2015. WHERE IS IT? On Whitehall, central London, an area synonymous with politics. It faces Horse…

HANNAH RALPH Hannah is an editor across British Airways’ portfolio of print and online magazines, and a former in-house writer at the Sunday Times Travel Magazine and the Times and Sunday Times’ travel section. This month she explores whether the aviation industry has a gender problem and shines a spotlight on impressive women in the sky. See page 26. EVE LIVINGSTON Eve is a Glasgow-based freelance journalist who has covered news, social affairs, culture and more for outlets including The Guardian, The Observer, VICE, The Independent and BBC Newsnight. On page 30, she takes a tour of new business and cultural developments in her home city. TAMARA HINSON Tamara is a freelance travel writer based in Surrey and a keen scuba diver, snowboarder and mountain biker. She loves off-the-beaten-path destinations like India’s…

Virgin Red discovers the UK’s attitude towards loyalty programmes 92% are a member of a loyalty programme 82% use loyalty points to make future purchases cheaper 74% use loyalty programmes to supplement their income and save money 66% use points to reduce the weekly food shop 35% collected more loyalty points in the past 12 months than ever 55% plan to use their points to reward themselves with things they usually wouldn’t be able to afford, such as holidays or flights Source: Virgin Red’s The Points Index, ‘Making Points Go Further’ report, research carried out in January 2024…

DOMESTIC: AFFORDABLE ART FAIR BATTERSEA SPRING, LONDON, 6-10 MARCH This year marks the 25th anniversary of this fair, offering contemporary art priced from £50 to £7,500 at Battersea Park. The 2024 edition features exhibitors from 16 countries, and highlights include an exhibition to mark International Women’s Day, and feministthemed Art After Dark Lates on Thursday and Friday with female DJs. Pictured is artist Osaka Chika's lithograph I Can Only Understand Their Feeling (£380). Tickets from £10, under 16s free. SHORT-HAUL: ROY LICHTENSTEIN: A CENTENNIAL EXHIBITION, VIENNA, 8 MARCH - 14 JULY 2024 Vienna’s ALBERTINA Museum is celebrating the late pop artist’s 100th anniversary with this comprehensive retrospective that features 90 paintings, sculptures and prints. The exhibition starts in the sixties with early works, including Look Mickey and Popeye, but you’ll…

DESTINATION For many outside of Glasgow, the city – Scotland’s most populous – might still evoke images of manufacturing and heavy industry. Once christened the “second city of empire”, Glasgow’s industry and economy thrived in the 19th century with factories making everything from soap and sugar to steel and cloth. Of particular note was its booming shipbuilding sector, which at one time produced a fifth of all the world’s ships and many of its most famous. The Cutty Sark; the world’s largest warship HMS Hood; and the royal family’s HMY Britannia all proudly bore the status of being “Clyde-built”, synonymous with high quality and expert shipbuilding. Today, looking out over the imposing River Clyde from the city centre, a few signs of this industrious past remain: the iconic Finnieston Crane,…

CELLARS IN THE SKY AWARDS SUPPORTED BY S ince 1985, the Cellars in the Sky awards have been celebrating the best inflight wines in first and business class. The competition is open to all airlines who think their bins can tantalise the tastebuds of the judging panel, which this year comprised Charles Metcalfe (Head Judge), Masters of Wine Peter McCombie and Sam Caporn, and winemaker John Worontschak. There are 16 categories, ranging from Best Business Class Sparkling wine to the coveted Best Overall Cellar. This year, 30 airlines entered the awards, in up to seven categories each, and the awards were sponsored by Château d’Esclans, Bottega, Pimentae, The Pickle House and The Uncommon. A total of 280 bottles of wine were blind-tasted by the four-person judging panel over two days.…

Guests at Gira&e Manor, a 1930s luxury boutique hotel near Nairobi in Kenya, have long appreciated its famous resident herd of Rothschild’s girffes. While diners browse the breakfast menu, gira&es pop their heads into the restaurant through large windows to see what delights are on the buffet. Welcoming animals inside properties has historically not been quite so popular. But pampered pooches, fussed-over felines and one or two other unusual travelling companions are increasingly appearing in some of the most upmarket hotels. Pet passports and revised policies by airlines and train providers have made it easier than ever for people to travel with their four-legged friends. And after the years of lockdown and working from home, the number of business travellers with pets they can’t leave behind has also increased. As…

BACKGROUND Royal Air Maroc (RAM) operates 16 weekly flights between Casablanca and London – nine to Heathrow and a daily service to Gatwick. In 2019, RAM introduced the Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft on the Heathrow route. RAM operates the Safar loyalty scheme and became the first African airline to join the oneworld alliance in April 2020. CHECK-IN I arrived at Terminal 1 of Casablanca Mohammed V International airport at 0930 for the 1210 flight AT 802 to London Gatwick. A passport check to get into the terminal took about ten minutes. Flight information screens informed us that our flight was delayed until 1310. The RAM check-in area had dedicated business class counters and the fast-track security channel was quiet. THE LOUNGE The Royal Air Maroc lounge, known as the Zenith…

Looking sharp The tenth International Landscape Photographer of The Year Award attracted more than 4,000 entries from both professional and amateur photographers around the world. Among the ‘Top 101’ photos is this scintillating image by Ruxuan Hou of jagged icicles framing the Renjo La Pass in Nepal, against the backdrop of the Himalayan landscape. Each year, the competition publishes the ‘Top 101’ photos in a book, with the threshold for inclusion being a score of 85.4 per cent by the judges. The book is available to order and view at internationallandscapephotographer.com…

INBOX YOUR LETTER AND COMMENTS FAN MAIL Business Traveller is my favourite magazine. I am an employee from a global airline dealing with VIP and business class passengers at London Heathrow airport, and this magazine is the jewel of the Nile for us. I discovered this magazine some years ago while I waited to preboard a first class passenger and noticed a shelf of complimentary publications provided by LHR for passengers. Since then, I grab it each month and read it during my breaks. My favourite section is Air Miles. I just love reading the stories of the frequent flyers and learning what is important for them while they travel. This helps with my job in dealing and talking with this profile of passengers. The ‘Dine in Style’ restaurant guide…

SOFITEL CASABLANCA TOUR BLANCHE The Sofitel, which opened in 2012, recently completed a renovation of its 171 rooms and suites. Up next are the F&B spaces, with a Japanese eatery set to be revealed this summer. The luxury property is located in the historic centre, close to the Medina, and a ten-minute walk to the train, with a tram station nearby. Facilities range from a spa to two meeting rooms for groups of up to 300. HYATT REGENCY CASABLANCA Mahogany panels and a marbled lobby frame Cartier and Berluti boutiques at the glamorous Hyatt Regency, also in the historic centre. There are 255 rooms and suites. Dining includes breakfast under a magnificent dome at Bessat, Moroccan cuisine and belly dancing at Dar Beida and modern bites at French Brasserie Café…

The Address Glasgow Opened in December 2023, The Address Glasgow, from Irish-owned hotel group The Address Collective, is the city centre’s newest luxury hotel. It o"ers 95 beds, a wellness centre featuring a cold plunge pool and Himalayan rock salt sauna, plus a 70-seater restaurant boasting fresh Scottish produce and an impressive cocktail menu. theaddressglasgow.com Crossbasket Castle A few miles outside of Glasgow city, Crossbasket Castle o"ers a luxurious stay for visitors keen to experience Scotland’s countryside. Having opened in 2016, the castle is expected to relaunch this summer following a £15 million expansion that will see 40 new bedrooms and two five-bedroom eco-friendly lodges. crossbasketcastle.com AC Hotel Glasgow Located just moments from historic George Square, the AC Hotel Glasgow, by AC Marriott Hotels, opened its doors in November 2023.…

What is your background? I have been with The Leading Hotels of the World (LHW) for just over ten years. I joined as the chief marketing o(cer and was elevated to CEO in 2019. Before that, I spent 16 years at American Express where I got a great education in marketing, customer centricity and the power of data and analytics, with seven years in the leisure travel division, managing various programmes including Platinum and Centurion card members. How do you select properties for LHW? We have three criteria: 1. Are they remarkable, with quality products and experiences? 2. Are we working with remarkable owners and visionaries of independent luxury hospitality? 3. Do they deliver uncommon experiences and authentic connections to the destination? We also have annual ‘Mystery Shop’ inspections, where…