Today (May 25, 2018): May 2018 luxury travel news.

Every last Friday of the month, you can read my news round-up of what’s happening in the world of luxury travel. In this issue:

1. Mandarin Oriental announces a new hotel in Muscat, Oman
2. Mandarin Oriental will open a new hotel in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
3. The Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas will become a Waldorf Astoria hotel
4. Air New Zealand is revamping its Business Class cabin
5. WOW Air announces it first route to Asia
6. Viceroy debuts its newest property in Los Cabos, Mexico
7. Four Seasons will open a new resort in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
8. Delta will debut its new cabin crew uniforms next week
9. SilkAir will be merged into Singapore Airlines
10. Southwest Airlines will start flying to Hawaii

1. Mandarin Oriental announces a new project in Muscat, Oman

The ultra-luxe Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group has announced that it will manage a new resort and branded residences in Muscat, the capital of Oman, which is expected to open in 2021. Mandarin Oriental, Muscat will feature 150 guestrooms and suites, five restaurants and bars, a spa, and an outdoor swimming pool. A variety of banqueting and meeting spaces will accommodate social and business events. The group will also manage 155 Residences at Mandarin Oriental, which will feature some of the most select private apartments in the capital ranging from 75 to 260 square metres. The property will be located on the beach and the low-rise architectural design will take full advantage of the views over the Arabian sea. The hotel will be a 20- minute drive from the airport and will be based in a prestigious and central district with a mix of retail and leisure facilities, including the nearby Royal Opera House, the Grand Mosque and Muttrah, the city’s traditional souk.

2. Mandarin Oriental will open a new hotel in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

There’s some more exciting news from the Mandarin Oriental brand. The group announced that it will manage a new hotel in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, scheduled to open in 2020. The property, which will be called Mandarin Oriental, Saigon, will form part of Union Square Saigon, a commercial building in the heart of the city, that is currently under renovation. The hotel will be situated on the upper floors of this mixed-use complex, which will also house a variety of international luxury retail outlets. Mandarin Oriental, Saigon will comprise 227 guestrooms and suites, six restaurants and bars, a range of meeting and banqueting spaces, a fitness centre, a spa, and an outdoor swimming pool. Mandarin Oriental, Saigon will be adjacent to the Saigon Opera House and the People’s Committee Building and within walking distance of most of the key landmarks in the city. Its position is ideal for guests wishing to enjoy the city’s vibrant dining and shopping areas.

3. The Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas will become a Waldorf Astoria hotel

There’s also some unfortunate news for the Mandarin Oriental group, as the company received notice of termination of its management agreement for the Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas. The group will cease managing the hotel with effect from 30 August 2018, after which it will become a Waldorf Astoria hotel. The termination is consequent to the sale of the hotel by CityCenter Holdings, LLC, a joint venture between MGM Resorts and Infinity World Development Corp. Mandarin Oriental launched the property in 2009 and established it as a best hotel in the city. The hotel is one of only 13 properties around the world to have received the Triple Forbes Five Star Award – three five stars for the hotel, the spa and signature restaurant which it has received for seven consecutive years. The hotel towers 47 stories high above the legendary city. With views of the city and the desert, the hotel offers the perfect mix of style, serenity and luxury in a non-gaming and smoke-free environment. Its 392 rooms and suites are fantastically comfortable with a sleek décor incorporating subtle Asian-inspired touches.

4. Air New Zealand is revamping its Business Class cabin

The NZ Herald reports that Air New Zealand has launched a top-secret project to revamp its Business Class cabin. The airline has taken space in a secure building near its downtown Auckland headquarters to develop new seats for its business premier class, timed for fitting into its next generation of long-haul planes early next decade, and for retrofitting into the aircraft that remain in its fleet. While the airline is not releasing details of the project, the test site has been dubbed ”Hangar 22′ and for the past month a handful of its customers, including some of its most frequent long-haul flyers have started trialling early-stage product development. The new Business Class seats are likely to lead to new versions of premium economy and economy seats in other parts of the plane. During testing for new seats participants typically sleep on lie-flat seats for hours, sometimes overnight to provide feedback to airlines and designers. They sample new food, entertainment and service. It is understood work at Hangar 22 is so sensitive that the airline’s top executives are not allowed to enter the site without an innovation team escort.

5. WOW Air announces it first route to Asia

WOW air – the Iceland based low-cost carrier – announced it will launch a new route from the U.S. to Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) in Delhi, India via Iceland. The route will provide millions of Americans in nine major cities across the country affordable access to the bustling Indian metropolis. The route will launch December 5, 2018, giving business and leisure travelers affordable and easy access to the heart of India. One-way fares will start at $199 USD and WOW premium seats will be available for $699 USD. “I am thrilled to broaden WOW air’s offerings and bring low fare international flight service to India,” said Skúli Mogensen, founder and CEO of WOW air. “We are passionate about continuing our mission of enabling everybody to fly by making international travel accessible and affordable for all, and look forward to expanding our global service to provide travellers with the opportunity to see many parts of the globe, whether for business or pleasure.” WOW air will use brand new Airbus A330neo aircrafts on the Delhi route, which are outfitted with the new WOW premium seats offering at least 37 inches of legroom.

6. Viceroy debuts its newest property in Los Cabos, Mexico

The Los Angeles-based Viceroy Hotel Group proudly opened its 15th property worldwide, the Viceroy Los Cabos. The latest addition to The Viceroy Icon Collection – an elite group of the modern luxury brand’s most breathtaking properties – Viceroy Los Cabos is located in the heart of San José del Cabo on the picturesque coast of Baja California. Originally concepted by Mexico-based architect, Miguel Angel Aragonés, and formally known as Mar Adentro, the 194-room masterpiece has re-emerged as a Viceroy property after undergoing renovations and enhancements. With a dreamscape design embracing the natural beauty of water throughout every facet of the resort, the new Viceroy Los Cabos is a canvas for discovery with cinematic views and alluring experiences around every turn. Completely reconceptualized and brand new to the resort are a beachfront pool and bar, a refreshed and vibrant lobby and arrival experience, five dining venues, and a state-of-the-art fitness center curated by Los Angeles-based celebrity trainer Harley Pasternak.

7. Four Seasons will open a new resort in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Positioned along the Atlantic Ocean and the beaches of Fort Lauderdale, the first Four Seasons in Fort Lauderdale will include 90 private residences and 130 hotel rooms. The 22-storey oceanfront property will combine luxury and legendary Four Seasons service for visitors and residents alike. The hotel rooms will reside on the fourth through the 11th floors and the private residences begin on floor five. The property will boast an oceanfront terrace on the third floor with dual pool experiences and luxury cabanas, a world-class Four Seasons spa, fitness centre and a ‘Kids for All Seasons’ program for children. A signature all-day restaurant with interior and alfresco seating will also resides on the oceanfront terrace with a pool bar, lounge and an ocean-view outdoor café. Of the residential portion, the developer has achieved more than USD 100 million in sales to date, a record in Fort Lauderdale that has elevated fully serviced residential offerings in the city. The private residences have been sold to an international mix of buyers from across the Americas and Europe.

8. Delta will debut its new cabin crew uniforms next week

Delta Air Lines is gearing up to launch its new staff uniforms this month, in partnership with New York-based designer Zac Posen. For the past three years, Delta’s dedicated uniform steering committee has worked to ensure the quality and comfort of the new collection meets the highest standards for the airline’s 60,000 uniformed employees. Uniforms will be different depending on whether staff work “over wing” (in the air) or “under wing” (on the ground) but Posen’s signature “Passport Plum” suits will be worn by female cabin crew, while men will be in “Graphite Grey” with purple ties and pocket squares. Delta’s customer service agents, Red Coats, will wear “Cruising Crimson”. The colors were specifically chosen for Delta Air Lines and complement the carrier’s branding. They also set Delta apart from other US airlines that tend to go for patriotic red, white, blue and gray. The new designs will be officially unveiled in a fashion show on May 29.

9. SilkAir will be merged into Singapore Airlines

Singapore Airlines’ (SIA) regional wing, SilkAir, is to undergo a significant investment program to upgrade its cabin products as part of a multi-year initiative that will ultimately see it merged into SIA. The program will comprise investment of more than $100 million USD to upgrade the wholly owned subsidiary’s cabins with new lie-flat seats in Business Class, and the installation of seat-back in-flight entertainment systems in both Business Class and Economy Class. This will ensure closer product and service consistency across the SIA Group’s full-service network. Aircraft cabin upgrades are expected to start in 2020 due to lead times required by seat suppliers, including to complete certification processes. The merger will take place only after a sufficient number of aircraft have been fitted with the new cabin products. SilkAir operates a fleet of 11 Airbus A320-family aircraft and 22 Boeing 737-800 and 737 MAX 8 aircraft. It is currently transitioning to an all-737 fleet, and serves 49 destinations in 16 countries.

10. Southwest Airlines will start flying to Hawaii

Southwest announced plans to serve four airports in the Hawaiian Islands: Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu (HNL), Kahului Airport on Maui (OGG), Lihue Airport on Kauai (LIH), and Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keahole (KOA) on the leeward side of The Island of Hawaii. Oakland Metropolitan Airport (OAK), San Diego International Airport (SAN), Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC), and Sacramento International Airport (SMF) would gain Hawaii service in the carrier’s flight schedules following FAA authorization for Hawaii service. In the latest of a two-year series of community meetings across the Islands to gain insight ahead of potential service, Southwest President Tom Nealon shared the carrier’s intention to eventually offer some interisland flights as operations ramp up initially across four airports in Hawaii. “The way we plan to serve Hawaii requires us to share these initial details now so that our facilities in the airports will be ready for all that we intend to offer,” Nealon told at a meeting in Waikiki. “We’re on-track with our plans to sell tickets this year and are respectfully engaged in the process to receive FAA authorization to operate between the mainland and the Islands.” 

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Today (November 26, 2015): November luxury travel news.

Every last Friday of the month, you can read our news round-up of what’s happening in the world of luxury travel. In this issue:

1. Aman opens a new resort in the Dominican Republic
2. Etihad Airways to commence A380 services to Melbourne
3. Marriott acquires Starwood, creating the world’s largest hotel company
4. American Airlines adds new service between Los Angeles and Auckland
5. SLS Las Vegas is now a Starwood hotel
6. WOW air announces Los Angeles and San Francisco routes
7. Starwood partners with Design Hotels
8. Lufthansa & Singapore Airlines announce a joint venture
9. The Ritz-Carlton Announces two sanctuaries of luxury in Asia
10. British Airways to offer onboard WiFi

1. Aman opens a new resort in the Dominican Republic

Aman, the world’s most exclusive hotel brand, officially opened Amanera, its newest ultraluxurious resort in the pristine natural beauty of the Dominican Republic. Nestled within more than 2,170 acres of pristine Caribbean jungle,  Amanera  overlooks the ocean from Playa Grande, whose golden sands make it one of the region’s most beautiful beaches. Presenting the first fully-integrated Aman Golf Course, the resort is located alongside the lauded fairways and greens of Playa Grande. Amanera has 25 free-standing Casitas, that all come with ocean views from an expansive terrace, as well as a private garden and biodiverse roof that seamlessly blends with its surroundings. Thirteen casitas have a private pool.

2. Etihad Airways to commence A380 services to Melbourne

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, will commence daily A380 services between Abu Dhabi and Melbourne on 1 June 2016. The flagship superjumbo will operate flights EY460/461, one of the airline’s twice daily Abu Dhabi-Melbourne services. It will replace one of the three-class Boeing 777-300ER aircraft currently deployed on the route. It will also bring to Melbourne The Residence by Etihad, the airline’s luxurious private three-room suite in the sky, as well as ground breaking product and service innovations in all cabins. The A380 service from Melbourne will connect seamlessly in Abu Dhabi to the A380 to London, offering London-bound guests the convenience and class-leading comfort of an all-A380 service all the way.

3. Marriott acquires Starwood, creating the world’s largest hotel company

Marriott International, Inc. and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. approved a definitive merger agreement under which the companies will create the world’s largest hotel company.  The transaction combines Starwood’s leading lifestyle brands and international footprint with Marriott’s strong presence in the luxury and select-service tiers, as well as the convention and resort segment, creating a more comprehensive portfolio.  The merged company will offer broader choice for guests, greater opportunities for associates and should unlock additional value for Marriott and Starwood shareholders.  Combined, the companies operate or franchise more than 5,500 hotels with 1.1 million rooms worldwide.  The combined company’s pro forma fee revenue for the 12 months ended September 30, 2015 totals over $2.7 billion.

4. American Airlines adds new service between Los Angeles and Auckland

American Airlines will add new nonstop service between its trans-Pacific gateway hub at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Auckland Airport (AKL) in June 2016, pending regulatory approvals. The route to Auckland provides American’s customers direct access to a new destination and further strengthens the airline’s joint business with Qantas Airways. American has added six new trans-Pacific routes over the last three years, nearly doubling its presence in the region. American plans to operate its new daily service between LAX and AKL with the newest addition to its fleet, the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner. The Los Angeles to Auckland flight will depart 10:45PM arriving 6:35AM (+2 days), while the Auckland to Los Angeles flight will departing 1:20PM arriving 6:30AM.

5. SLS Las Vegas is now a Starwood hotel

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. announced its single largest addition of hotel rooms in North America since pre-recession with the signing of SLS Las Vegas on the world-famous Las Vegas Strip and Sahara Boulevard. Owned by Las Vegas Resort Holdings, LLC, the three distinct hotel towers, encompassing more than 1,600 guestrooms and suites, will be branded by the end of this year under Starwood’s recently launched Tribute Portfolio, while the 289-room “LUX Tower” will be converted to a W Hotel upon completion of a renovation in 2016. The W Las Vegas conversion will include the addition of a W Living Room (the W brand’s take on the traditional hotel lobby), a dedicated entrance for W guests, nearly 14,500 square feet of new W-branded meeting and event space, signature Away Spa, state-of-the-art fitness center, and an exclusive outdoor pool deck and bar. The other two hotel towers, comprising 1,324 rooms, will be operated as SLS Las Vegas, a Tribute Portfolio Resort.

6. WOW air announces Los Angeles and San Francisco routes

WOW air, the ultra-low-cost transatlantic airline from Iceland, is to begin flying to the US West Coast in summer 2016 with Los Angeles and San Francisco confirmed as their fifth and sixth destinations in North America. The routes will be serviced by three new Airbus A330-300 aircraft, the first wide-body planes in the WOW air fleet, which will each carry 340 passengers in a single-class configuration. The routes will connect with daily flights to Keflavik from London Gatwick (and other WOW air destinations in Europe), allowing Brits to travel with the airline to Los Angeles four times per week and San Francisco five times a week, all year round. WOW air’s A330-300 aircraft will host a single-class configuration with a capacity of 342 passengers. Seat pitch will vary from 30 inches as standard to 34 inches at an additional charge.

7. Starwood partners with Design Hotels

Established in 1993 as the first of its kind, Design Hotels represents and markets a hand-selected collection of hotels around the globe. Its large, vibrant, and engaged community of followers understands Design Hotelsportfolio offers them the unexpected and the original, as well as genuine hospitality, cultural authenticity and thought-provoking design and architecture, all in a wide variety of settings, including great capital cities, island retreats, mountain resorts, offbeat spots and far beyond. A selection of Design Hotels has joined forces with the Starwood Preferred Guest Program. For SPG Members this means the opportunity to experience additional amazing hotels in top destinations – while being recognized and rewarded with SPG benefits unique to Design Hotels.

8. Lufthansa & Singapore Airlines announce a joint venture

Singapore Airlines and Lufthansa have signed a wide-ranging partnership agreement that will see the two airline groups operating key routes between Singapore and Europe on a joint-venture basis, in addition to significantly expanding codeshare ties and deepening commercial co-operation. Flights between Singapore and both Frankfurt and Munich, as well as flights between Singapore and Zurich, are to be operated under revenue-sharing arrangements. The new Singapore Airlines operated flights between Singapore and Düsseldorf, which are to be launched in July 2016, will also be covered under such arrangements.  In addition to SIA and Lufthansa, the agreement includes SIA subsidiary SilkAir, and Lufthansa subsidiaries Austrian Airlines and Swiss.

9. The Ritz-Carlton Announces two sanctuaries of luxury in Asia

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company announced the development of two new hotels in Asia Pacific, The Ritz-Carlton, Koh Samui on the naturally beautiful island resort of Thailand and a Ritz-Carlton Reserve in Niseko Village set at the base of Mount Niseko-Annupuri, the Japanese ski haven. The Koh Samui property will be located at the north-east end of Koh Samui in the stunning Choeng Mon area and feature 187 luxurious guest rooms and pool villas. With only 50 guest rooms, the ski-in and ski-out resort in Niseko will be the first in Japan and is scheduled for completion in 2020. The resort will be located at the heart of the all-season Niseko Village, which is highly lauded as one of the world’s best ski resorts, taking its place alongside St Moritz, Switzerland and Aspen, Colorado.

10. British Airways to offer onboard WiFi

According to the Business Traveller, British Airways has confirmed that it plans to offer both short-haul and long-haul connectivity across its fleet. IAG, the carrier’s owner, said that it is evaluating WiFi retrofit for over 100 existing long-haul aircraft while short-haul will look at extending Inmarsat’s Air-to-Ground (AtG) offer to over 300 aircraft. In addition, it is setting targets for the installation with 90 per cent of long-haul aircraft to have wifi fitted by early 2019 and the first in-service short-haul AtG aircraft planned for 2017. The news comes as no surprise. Last month, Willie Walsh, the chief executive of IAG and former CEO of BA, was quoted by Reuters as saying: “We think the technology platforms are well established now and can facilitate our requirement which is for global coverage. So watch this space is what I would say.”

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Today (July 10, 2015): Travel tip: fly $99 one-way from the US to Europe.

The battle over the skies between Europe and the USA has reached a new momentum this week with the announcement of the lowest transatlantic airfares ever offered by an airliner: $99 one-way from the US to Europe. This price may sound too good to be true, but this week it became reality (on selected routes from Boston and Baltimore to Paris and Amsterdam) thanks to a sale by a low-cost carrier that you have probably never heard of before.

WOW Air is an Icelandic low-cost carrier – based in Reykjavik – that describes itself as “the airline with the biggest smile and lowest prices”. The airline started flying in 2011 and currently serves more than 20 destinations in Europe and the USA. They have a small but young fleet of narrow body Airbus planes: one A319, three A320s, and two A321s. While not (yet) well-known to the general public, WOW air does comply with all international safety and maintenance standards, and has excellent pilot and crew training.

To celebrate the announcement of their new routes from Boston and Baltimore to Paris and Amsterdam (starting October 1^st, 2015), WOW Air is launching $99 one-way airfares. From Baltimore-Washington International Airport, WOW air will fly to Paris (Charles De Gaulle Airport) and Amsterdam (Schiphol Airport) respectively 5 and 2 days a week. From Logan Internation Airport (Boston), WOW Air will fly to Paris and Amsterdam respectively 6 and 3 days a week. Of course, flights are not direct but connect through Reykjavik International Airport in Iceland.

The $99 one-way airfares are inclusive of taxes, fees, and one carry-on bag of 5 kg (11 lbs) or less per passenger. That’s an amazing deal, unless you need to check a bag because luggage fees add up fast. In addition, WOW Air is a low-cost airliner, meaning that you will have to pay extra for anything, such as in-flight meals, seats with extra leg room, and seat assignment.

WOW Air is a no frills airlines, so all essential features have been removed to keep the price very low without compromising on safety. Seats lack on-demand entertainment and meals are not provided (unless you buy one). This may seem like a straight-from-hell scenario for a transatlantic flight, but keep in mind that with WOW Air your transatlantic journey is broken up in 2 separate legs of +/- 3 to 4 hours. Note that you will not be able to have a bite at Reykjavik International Airport in between your WOW Air flights from the USA to Europe, since the layover take place pre-dawn when the airport facilities are not yet open (this is not a problem when flying from Europe to the USA).

To book the $99 one-way airfare, visit WOW Air’s U.S. website and book as soon as possible, for travel from October through December 2015 and January through March 2016. Unfortunately for Europeans, one-way airfares from Europe to the USA start at 206.66 euro (which is more or less in line with the cheapest tickets provided by the legacy carriers).

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