Sun International to Open New PE Hotel

Opening in December, the 5-star Boardwalk Hotel, where all 140 guest rooms overlook the Indian Ocean, has been built as part of a R1-billion investment in Port Elizabeth’s Boardwalk beachfront complex by empowerment company Emfuleni Resorts. Designed to accommodate both families and couples, the Boardwalk Hotel has a number of family suites with interleading rooms. The Boardwalk complex has plenty of restaurants, a games arcade, movies, boutique shopping, an open air funfair and live entertainment most weekends. Situated just 10 minutes away from Port Elizabeth International Airport and the main freeway leading into the beach front, The Boardwalk Hotel is easily accessible. The hotel also has a health spa and fitness centre.

Rezidor to Launch Park Inn by Radisson Dakar

The Rezidor Hotel Group, a member of the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, has announced that it will open the first Park Inn by Radisson hotel in Senegal. The Park Inn by Radisson Dakar will feature 122 rooms and is scheduled to open in in the fourth quarter of 2014. The new build will enjoy a premium location between Dakar’s International Airport and the city’s main highway. It will be part of Dakar’s exclusive mixed-use development (Cité Tobago), which includes retail and offices. The hotel will feature a restaurant, a bar, a fitness centre, parking and an outdoor swimming pool. The hotel will also have 489 square metres of meeting space, and will ideally complement Rezidor’s existing Radisson Blu hotel, which is located on the seaside of Dakar.

RwandAir Continues Growth

In a major overhaul of its operations and with two brand new aircraft joining the fleet, RwandAir has adjusted frequencies to the 14 cities it serves. The Johannesburg-Kigali flights will now leave O.R. Tambo International at 08h30 in the morning.
To cater for strong demand over the weekend, the airline has also added evening flights on Fridays and Sundays. These flights will depart at 19h30 on both days. RwandAir is using new Boeing 737-800 aircraft, the first on the African continent with the new Boeing Sky Interior Concept.
 The national carrier of Rwanda connects to Nairobi, Entebbe, Dar es Salaam, Kamembe, Bujumbura, Dubai, Lagos, Brazzaville and Libreville. Earlier this year, RwandAir launched flights to Mwanza, the third largest city in Tanzania. Instead of operating with the current three weekly flights, Mwanza will now be operated four times a week. The flights to and from Mwanza also connect to Johannesburg flights.

iPads for Air France Pilots

 Air France has started to equip its 4,100 pilots with iPads, which they will use outside the cockpit instead of their laptops. Boeing 777 pilots started receiving these iPads back in June, and the roll-out should be completed by mid-2013. With the iPad, pilots have access to an electronic version of all their personal aircraft documentation, of which they previously had a paper version at home.
They will be able to download the manuals of their choice anywhere in the world and be automatically informed of their updates. Pilots will also be able to access airport maps. These dedicated applications will be available for download at the ‘Pilot Store’ specially developed by Air France.
 The use of iPads will facilitate communication processes by giving pilots the ability to electronically draft and dispatch regular reports, such as the Air Safety Report, Captain’s Report and Security Report, at the end of the flight. Pilots will also be able to access the Air France intranet website for specific services and to send and receive emails. Beginning 2013, Air France pilots will also be able to use the iPad to complete training courses, review aircraft systems and complete self-service briefings.
 Air France is also working towards the implementation of Electronic Flight Bags in the cockpit for its pilots, which will lead to greater convenience and efficiency while reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

Hilton Launches Doubletree Brand in SA

 Hilton Worldwide has announced the signing of a new DoubleTree by Hilton hotel in Cape Town, with local operator, Upper Eastside Hotel Ltd. The hotel will be Hilton Worldwide’s fifth property in South Africa and its second in Cape Town. The 183-room hotel, currently known as Upper Eastside, will re-brand over the coming months and is expected to open as DoubleTree by Hilton Cape Town Upper Eastside by the end of 2012. The property is located in the redeveloped district of Woodstock in the north of the city. The newly-branded hotel will boast a business centre, fitness centre, eight meeting rooms and a 300-capacity function room. The property will also feature a bar, a restaurant and a coffee shop. Accommodation includes executive rooms and suites, as well as a number of two-storey duplex loft rooms located on the top floor, offering stunning views of some of the city’s best known landmarks.

Radisson Blu Hotels Launches Experience Meetings

Radisson Blu has launched ‘Experience Meetings’, which focuses on meeting essentials such as breakout rooms, food and connectivity, combined with intangibles such as service, satisfaction and sustainability. ‘Experience Meetings’ is the newest offering at 255 participating Radisson Blu hotels, with a total of more than 2,200 meeting rooms in 55 countries across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Radisson Blu has come up with a variety of tools and services, such as a sophisticated search engine - www.meetings.carlsonrezidor.com - and will be rolling out enhanced hotel web pages for meetings, along with 3D floor plans. Three elements mark ‘Experience Meetings – ‘Brain Food’, ‘Brain Box’ and ‘Connectivity’. The first relates to healthy food, whilst Brain Box relates to the breakout room concept. Connectivity refers to the complimentary Wi-Fi that all Radisson Blu properties offer their delegates.

Award for Royal Livingstone

Hot on the heels of their recent acknowledgement as one of Travel & Leisure’s top 500 hotels in the world, Sun International’s Royal Livingstone Hotel has been voted ‘Zambia’s Leading Hotel’ at the 2012 World Travel Awards - the eighth time the hotel has won this award. The Royal Livingstone offers travellers a fantastic hideaway to unwind and recharge their batteries. The 5-star property has unsurpassed views of the Victoria Falls, and offers the ultimate African encounter to those seeking a quality leisure experience. Over the years, the Royal Livingstone Hotel has also made a sustained contribution to responsible tourism and has received numerous accolades. In an effort to bring about positive change to the Livingstone education system, Sun International united with the government and other co-operative partners to improve the facilities at Zambezi Basic School, Mukuni Basic School, Kazungula GRZ Primary School, Siyanalumba Basic School, Nakatindi Community School and Christ the King Basic School.

Boeing Advances In-Flight Connectivity

Boeing continues to advance its suite of connectivity offerings on its family of commercial jetliners. Systems to be installed during production on the 747-8 and 777 by the end of 2013 have the capability to provide in-flight use for cell phones, Wi-Fi connectivity for passengers, Internet access using in-flight entertainment (IFE), and live television broadcasts. Additional connectivity systems are being evaluated for the 737 that could be available in the near future. The 737 already includes wiring provisions for connectivity systems. The 787 offers a post-delivery retrofit of systems that provide in-flight use of personal cell phones and Wi-Fi connectivity for passengers, and is working toward a full set of connectivity offerings as part of its standard catalog by the end of this year. The prime connectivity systems currently in development at Boeing are the Panasonic Global Communication Suite and Thales TopConnect system. Wireless media streaming is expected to be available on all new Boeing airplanes in 2014.

New Products from Delta

Delta Air Lines is adding new on-demand entertainment options to its fleet of more than 950 two-class Delta and Delta Connection aircraft. The Delta Connect Wi-Fi portal will allow customers to stream television and movie options directly to their laptop or tablet while in flight. Streamed content will be accessible for 24 hours after a flight and available for playback on the ground through the same device used onboard. All 800 of Delta's two-class domestic aircraft will be equipped with this new on-demand technology by the end of 2013. This new technology will be installed on Delta's international fleet in conjunction with previously announced plans to install international Wi-Fi service on more than 150 widebody aircraft, by the end of 2015. This will allow customers to use both their personal device to stream movies and television shows, as well as current in-seat systems. In addition, Delta recently announced that it will add recharging stations at more airports. It has already added more First Class seats and in-flight entertainment to its domestic product; is offering full flat-bed BusinessElite seats with direct aisle access on its entire international widebody fleet; recently completed the system-wide roll-out of Economy Comfort on all two-class aircraft; and has added personal, in-seat entertainment for both BusinessElite and Economy Class customers on all long-haul international flights.

Emirates Increase Seychelles Flights

Emirates will introduce two additional flights to the Seychelles in December and February, thus increasing the service to 13 weekly flights. The 12th flight starts on 3 December and will depart Dubai at 08h45, arriving in the Seychelles at 13h25. The return journey from the Seychelles will depart at 23h50, arriving in Dubai at 04h20 the following day. The 13th flight will be operational from 5 February, 2013. Emirates has been flying to the Seychelles since January 2005. Emirates flies to 125 destinations in 74 countries across six continents. Operating 177 wide-body Airbus and Boeing aircraft, including 21 A380s, Emirates has orders for an additional 226 aircraft, worth more than USD$62 billion.

Travelport and Qantas Sign Agreement

Travelport, the business services provider to the global travel industry, has announced a new long-term agreement with Qantas Airways. The new agreement ensures Galileo, Worldspan and Apollo-connected travel agents worldwide have access to Qantas’ full published inventory, including ancillary content such as paid seating, consistent with the airline’s website.
 Last year, Travelport subscribers received full GDS access to the Qantas advance seat selection product, following the introduction of a new booking capability enabling agents to book and pay for preferred seats on Qantas flights via their desktop.

Park Inn by Radisson for Newlands

Rezidor, a member of the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, has announced that it will be opening a Park Inn by Radisson in the Cape Town suburb of Newlands. The mid-market property is scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2014. It is Rezidor’s second Park Inn by Radisson hotel in Cape Town - the group also has two Radisson Blu hotels in Cape Town (one in operation and one under development). The new build Park Inn by Radisson Cape Town Newlands will be the first internationally-branded hotel in Claremont/Newlands, a key upmarket business and residential node, in the affluent southern suburbs of Cape Town. Besides 122 guest rooms, it will comprise a club lounge, business lounge, the RBG Restaurant & Bar, a breakfast restaurant, a kiosk and help desk, a gym, multi-purpose meeting and function facilities, an outdoor terrace with sculpture garden and an outdoor swimming pool. The hotel will be in close proximity to the Newlands Cricket Ground, Newlands Rugby Stadium, South African Rugby headquarters, the Sports Science Institute of South Africa, and the University of Cape Town.

Urban Hip Acquire PE Property

Urban Hip Hotels has announced the addition of “The Vic”, formerly known as “Victorian Villa Guest Manor”, to its hotel portfolio. This mews of Victorian houses is situated in the heart of Port Elizabeth, the hub of the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Built at the turn of the 19th century, this property features 24 luxury en-suite bathrooms, communal areas, a funky ‘chill zone’ replenished with a bar, coffee station, light and breezy dining area and an outdoor swimming pool. Located on Cape Road in Mill Park, The Vic is only 10 minutes from many of Port Elizabeth’s key attractions, including the airport, CBD, hospitals, sporting facilities and PE’s beaches.

Fahrenheit Hospitality Opens Morning Side Suites

A new boutique hotel has opened its doors in Lagos. Morning Side Suites is a boutique hotel comprising 36 guest rooms, including two luxury suites. The hotel is managed by Fahrenheit Hospitality Limited, which is an international hospitality solutions company that provides high-end quality services, from hotel staff recruitment and training to procurement and furnishing of hospitality and leisure facilities. It is the vision of FHL to create a niche market for boutique hotels in Nigeria and Africa at large, making use of indigenous experience and international expertise. This they believe can only be achieved through an indigenous hospitality group with home-grown experience and international affiliations.

ITMSA Hosts Successful Conference

The Institute of Travel and Meetings Southern Africa held its annual conference at the Velmore Hotel near Pretoria in South Africa. The conference was held in partnership with the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) Africa and delegates represented active practitioners in all sectors of the corporate travel market in Africa. In fact, the 2012 conference also featured the launch of GBTA Africa as the newest region of GBTA. The conference featured a host of respected industry thought leaders, and topics discussed included ‘The Art of Networking’ and ‘Unpacking Billbacks’, as well as buyers-only and suppliers-only sessions.

Qantas and SAA get Draft Approval

The International Air Services Commission is proposing to allocate Qantas seven services per week on the South Africa route for the next five years - but will only permit South African Airways to codeshare on the flights until 31 December 2014. The commission is concerned that the "duopoly environment" on the South Africa route greatly limits the intensity of competition, due to the basis on which each carrier charges the other for its block of seats, the weak competitive constraint imposed by third country carriers, and the knowledge by both Qantas and SAA that if they discount fares too aggressively, it might destabilise the arrangement.

Refurb for Radisson Blu Hotel Waterfront

The Radisson Blu Hotel Waterfront in Cape Town recently completed a R16 million refurbishment of the property’s 103 Standard Superior rooms. Taking inspiration from minimalist, Scandinavian interior design, the refurbishment included fully redesigned bathrooms. 
The renovation forms the second phase of the refurbishment of guest rooms, as all of the hotel’s sea-facing Business Class rooms were revamped and modernised in 2008. Each of those rooms has a private balcony with spectacular views over either the private marina, Table Mountain or across Table Bay to Robben Island.
 In the heart of the hotel is a full-height, enclosed atrium which separates the sea and land-facing rooms, and Lightspace, the designers responsible for the project, used two primary design schemes for the opposing elements of land and sea.
 A nautical theme was incorporated into the sea-facing rooms and corridors, while a richer, earthier theme was used in the other half of the hotel overlooking Cape Town. With the Victoria & Albert Waterfront and the Cape’s beaches only a stone’s throw away, The Radisson Blu Hotel Waterfront, Cape Town is a convenient base for guests. The hotel’s Tobago’s Restaurant and Bar offers a comprehensive wine list and 5-star dining at the water’s edge, while a trip to the spa completes the sensory experience.

Qantas, Emirates In New Global Aviation Partnership

Qantas and Emirates have announced a new global aviation partnership, whereby Qantas will move its hub for European flights to Dubai and enter an extensive commercial relationship with Emirates. Whilst neither airline will take equity in the other, the 10-year partnership will go beyond codesharing by including integrated network collaboration with co-ordinated pricing, sales and scheduling, as well as a benefit-sharing model. 
Qantas will launch daily A380 services from both Sydney and Melbourne to London via Dubai, and together Emirates and Qantas will offer 98 weekly services between Australia and Dubai. Qantas will be the only other airline operating to Terminal 3 and the new purpose-built A380 concourse at Dubai International Airport. Qantas customers will get one-stop access to more than 70 Emirates destinations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and for Emirates customers it will open up Qantas’ Australian domestic network of more than 50 destinations and 5,000 flights per week.
 The Emirates and Qantas frequent flyer programs will also be aligned. The airlines will also provide reciprocal access to tier status benefits, including end-to-end customer recognition, lounge access, priority check-in, boarding and other exclusive services. The airlines will submit an application for interim authorisation to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, in order to begin commercial planning. 
Subject to regulatory approval, it is anticipated that the partnership will commence in April 2013. Qantas will restructure its Asian network to strengthen its focus on services to and within the region. Qantas’ Asian services will no longer be a subsidiary of the ‘Kangaroo Route’, but will be dedicated to connecting Australians with the region, and Asian visitors to Australia. It will also increase dedicated capacity to Singapore and re-time flights to Singapore and Hong Kong to enable more ‘same day’ connections across Asia. Qantas will also withdraw from the Singapore-Frankfurt route due to underperformance. However, the partnership with Emirates will enable it to take place with minimal impact on Qantas customers.

Arik Adds New Route

Arik Air has begun scheduled commercial services between Lagos, Nigeria and Douala, Cameroon, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Outbound flights depart Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos at 11h10 (local time) and arrive in Douala at 12h40 (local time), whilst inbound flights leave Douala at 13h25 (local time) and arrive in Lagos at 14:55 (local time). The route is served with a Boeing 737-700 Next Generation aircraft with a two-class cabin, made up of 12 Business Class seats and 112 Economy Class seats. Business Class passengers enjoy a 44-inch seat pitch, cradle-style seat, while Economy Class passengers have a seat pitch of 34 inches. The new Lagos-Douala route is Arik Air’s second foray into Central Africa, coming after the inauguration of the Lagos-Luanda (Angola) route in December last year.

SAT Chief Marketing Officer Retires

South African Tourism has announced that Chief Marketing Officer, Roshene Singh is retiring after almost 10 years with the organisation. In February this year, Singh was named an "Internationalist" for her leadership in global destination marketing work and ‘outstanding thinking in brand communications’. The honour was bestowed by The Internationalist, a global publication based in New York that explores the best of global branding and marketing. She will be retiring to take some time off to pursue her own personal interests, but will stay with SA Tourism until the end of this year, while a replacement is sought for her position.

Carlson Rezidor Opens Lusaka Hotel

Carlson Rezidor has opened its first hotel in Zambia. The 142-room Radisson Blu Hotel, Lusaka is the group’s 22nd hotel in operation in Africa and brings Carlson Rezidor’s total African portfolio of properties in operation and under development to 48 hotels with 10,889 rooms.
Carlson Rezidor has plenty in the pipeline and future openings include Radisson Blu hotels in Maputo (Mozambique), Nairobi (Kenya), Luanda (Angola), and Kigali (Rwanda). The Radisson Blu Hotel, Lusaka is located in the Zambian capital’s commercial district on the Great East Road, adjacent to the Mulungushi International Conference Centre, opposite the Arcades Shopping and Entertainment Complex, and five kilometres from the city centre.
 All the hotel’s rooms are equipped with air-conditioning and free high-speed, wireless Internet. Guests can also enjoy Italian cuisine at the all-day Restaurant Filini, plus a wide range of other international dishes. They can also relax in the airy Filini Bar, or they can choose to chill out at the Pool Bar. There’s also an in-house spa, modern fitness centre and Executive Lounge, with terrace.
 The Radisson Blu Hotel, Lusaka also has conference facilities. The modern meeting rooms vary in size, offering flexibility for any type of gathering. The spacious ballroom and versatile pre-function area are ideal for large events. All rooms feature modern audio-visual equipment, air-conditioning and free high-speed, wireless Internet access.

Airlink Beefs Up Mthatha Service

Airlink will introduce daily services between Johannesburg and Mthatha, in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, on one of its 12 Embraer ERJ135 37-seat regional jets, from 1 October.
The new service is in line with the growing demand for travel to Mthatha, which is attributed to growing interest in this region, both as a tourist destination and its increasing influence as one of the important hubs in the Eastern Cape. It is also in line with the Mthatha airport upgrade, which includes a new terminal building and upgraded runway.
 The jet service will provide increased capacity as well as shorten the flying time between Johannesburg and Mthatha to just over an hour. Airlink services Mthatha twice daily, Monday to Friday, with a Saturday morning and a Sunday afternoon flight.
Morning flights will depart Johannesburg at 06h15 and arrive in Mthatha at 07h20, before departing again from Mthatha at 07h45 and arriving in Johannesburg at 09h00. Afternoon flights - including Sundays - depart Johannesburg at 16h05 and arrive in Mthatha at 17h10, before departing again from Mthatha at 17h30 and arriving in Johannesburg at 18h45. Saturday morning flights depart Johannesburg at 08h20 and arrive in Mthatha at 09h25, before departing again from Mthatha at 09h45 and arriving in Johannesburg at 11h00.
 Benefits for Airlink travellers include Voyager Miles and convenient interline connections with SAA and its Star Alliance partner flights, both locally and globally.

KQ Takes Delivery of Embraer E190

The first Embraer E190 aircraft to be fully purchased by Kenya Airways touched down at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi in late August. The new acquisition brings the airline closer to its vision of flying to every capital in Africa by 2016.
It currently flies to 46 destinations in Africa with Nairobi as the hub. KQ now has a fleet of 11 Embraer aircraft, comprising a mixture of both E170 and E190 models. It’s believed the new fleet will lead to fleet optimization, by freeing larger jets to operate regional and continental routes, which will translate into better customer care and boosting frequency of flights.
 Besides enhanced comfort with more shoulder room, the E190 will offer state-of-the-art in-flight entertainment technology. It also has a wider aisle and more spacious cabin than its E170 predecessor, with a capacity of 98 to 106. Kenya Airways has nine more Embraer E190 aircraft on order, with six expected to join the fleet every month from now.
The remaining three will arrive in May, August and November 2013. The airline has also ordered nine Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft to be delivered by 2014. Currently, KQ uses Embraer aircraft on domestic and short regional routes, including Kisumu, Entebbe, Kigali, Bujumbura, Addis Ababa, Djibouti, Maputo, Gaborone, Kilimanjaro and Nampula.

Renovations for Winchester Mansions

Cape Town’s Winchester Mansions, located on the Sea Point Promenade, is currently on phase two of the hotel’s renovation project. Winchester Mansions has for many years struggled to shake off a long-standing reputation that it catered for an older, more international crowd - its Cape Dutch architecture often leaving guests feeling that the space was imperial.
From opulent revamps to the grand Harvey Suite, to upgrades to all its public areas and amenities, the newly refreshed hotel is now fitted with stylish furniture, contemporary light fixtures and bronzed mirrors that incorporate the hotel’s signature crest.
 A notable element is that many of the pieces used in the refurbishing are locally made, from the chairs and fabrics to the bronzed light fixtures. The hotel has also completed the upgrade of its new kitchen and work is under way on the refurbishing of its rooms.