The Radisson Blu Hotel, Birmingham, a landmark hotel in the heart of the city centre, has celebrated its sixth anniversary in style, with over 100 guests enjoying an Italian themed party at the hotel.
Many of Birmingham's finest, including the Lord Mayor Councillor Anita Ward, were on hand to share in the celebrations of one of the city's premier hotels.
In tribute to the popular movie 'The Italian Job', guests were greeted on arrival by blue, red and white Mini’s at the hotel’s entrance. Super stylish Lambretta and Vespa scooters were loaned to the hotel to further celebrate and embrace all things Italian. Inside the party, guests entertained themselves on Formula One stimulators, testing their mettle behind the wheels of a Ferrari in a Top Gear-style "Filini challenge". Meanwhile, Amore Voce, the Italian pop-opera singers with a name that translates as "love voice", provided the evening's entertainment with some striking sounds.
The Italian flavour continued through the food and beverages on offer for guests, with Jonathan Parnell, Head Chef of 'Filini', the hotel's authentic Italian restaurant in Birmingham, serving up delicious treats including homemade pizza, mini risottos and selections of Italian breads and olives.
Christopher Pike, General Manager of the Radisson Blu Hotel, Birmingham, said: "We are all extremely excited to be celebrating our 6th year of business in the city and it is great to be able to celebrate in style with so many of our valued guests and clients, it has been a great six years with some challenges along the way but we are extremely proud to be here and look forward to many more successful years in this wonderful city,"
One happy chap at the end of the evening was the lucky winner of the hotels Formula One "Filini Challenge" who achieved the fastest recorded lap on the Formula One Stimulators, in a hotly contested competition, winning a VIP stay in the hotel's impressive Presidential Suite in the process.
FACTFILE:
Ideally positioned near the business district, convention centre and shopping complexes, the Radisson Blu hotel in Birmingham city centre is located in a 39-storey glass skyscraper. This contemporary hotel offers stylish accommodation, with 211 stylish guest rooms and suites featuring floor-to-ceiling windows, flat-panel televisions, free high-speed Internet access and other desirable amenities. In addition to state-of-the-art conference facilities, this hotel features an award-winning Italian restaurant, two bars, three spa treatment rooms and a health and fitness centre offering spectacular city views from the 18th floor.
Radisson Blu Hotels & Resorts (formerly Radisson SAS Hotels & Resorts), part of The Rezidor Hotel Group, offers first class service, providing guests with a contemporary, upscale hospitality experience. Radisson Blu has received numerous awards for Best Hotel Chain and is renowned for its "Yes I Can!" spirit of service and the "100% Guest Satisfaction Guarantee". September 2005 saw the roll out of a free broadband service across the portfolio - the first international hotel chain to offer this service. Radisson Blu currently includes more than 250 hotels either in operation or under development and with more than 58,300 rooms in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, including Birmingham! (EDITOR: Which is my home city!)
For more information, visit www.radissonblu.com.
Tuesday, 31 January 2012
Sunday, 29 January 2012
National Geographic Traveller - Photography Competition Shortlist Unveiled
National Geographic Traveller (UK) has unveiled the Shortlist for its Travel Photography 2012 Competition, now available to view at: http://photos.natgeotraveller.co.uk As a leader in breathtaking you-are-there photography from across the world, National Geographic Traveller launched its inaugural photo competition last September in association with The Aurora Zone and Tesco.
UK photographers were asked to submit their entries in one of six categories: People, Culture, Nature, Landscape, Adventure and City, for a chance to win a once-in-lifetime trip to see the Northern Lights in Finland with The Aurora Zone and a top of the range camera and kit, courtesy of Tesco.
The judging panel consisted of Carol Enquist, National Geographic’s photo editor; Jonathan Briggs, editor of the British Institute of Professional Photography’s (BIPP) The Photographer magazine; Marina Syrmakezi from The Association of Photographers; and Chris Hudson, National Geographic Traveller’s art editor.
Chris Hudson said: “We had thousands of UK entries in this, the first National Geographic Traveller Photography Competition, and were truly impressed at the incredibly high standard of submissions, whether professional or amateur. Many were exactly what we were looking for: inspirational, high quality images capturing unique moments from all corners of the globe.
He added: “In just one frame, a photo can embody the essence, emotion and atmosphere of a destination and sum up a multitude of feelings in the flash of a shutter.”
To see who made the grade and appears in the short list, visit http://photos.natgeotraveller.co.uk
The winners will be announced in the next issue and supplement on sale 9 February 2012, priced GBP £3.85.
See the 26-page digital sample of the Jan/Feb 12 issue: www.natgeotraveller.co.uk/jan12
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Rezidor and Carlson establish the Carlson and Rezidor Hotel Group
While the legal status and ownership structure of Carlson and Rezidor remain the same, the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group will pursue the global alignment and management of its brands, the ambitious development of its revenue generation engines, global purchasing opportunities, and people development, on a global basis. Commercial activities will be conducted under the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group name, irrespective of geographies.
"Carlson and Rezidor have a long common history and have grown together over the past 17 years," said Hubert Joly, President & CEO at Carlson. "Going to market as one is a next and natural step. We are leveraging the strengths of two great companies to create value for all our stakeholders."
"The goal of this development is to generate more attractive financial returns for the owners and greater value for all shareholders, to be perceived by business partners around the world as one global hotel company, to offer more compelling and consistent value propositions to the guests, and to offer global career and development opportunities to the staff," said Kurt Ritter, President & CEO of Rezidor.
The Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group is one of the world's largest and most dynamic hotel groups, with a portfolio of more than 1,300 hotels, including a hotel in Dresden, Stockholm hotel and hotel Leipzig.
Through a number of concrete revenue generation initiatives, the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group aims to generate more than US$ 400 million in additional revenue and a RevPAR Index increase of more than 9 points by 2015. These initiatives include a reinforced global sales team; unique revenue optimization tools, partnership projects with travel intermediaries, including Carlson Wagonlit Travel; and the rapid growth of Club Carlson, the group's successful loyalty program.
The group will pursue the global alignment and management of its brands to ensure that its guests enjoy a compelling and consistent value proposition around the world. Joint purchasing activities entail the development of competitive sourcing agreements, especially for high-spend and business-critical categories. Global people development programmes also will help the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group fulfil its ambition to be the number one hospitality company to work for.
A global steering committee has been established to oversee these value creation areas and the development of the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. It is co-chaired by Joly and Ritter.
The chosen logo of the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group symbolizes several key elements: the combination of the Carlson name and the Rezidor name highlights the nature of the relationship, i.e. that of a partnership; and the Carlson symbol on top of the logo represents important values such as relationships, heritage, innovation and service.
The group's new website, www.carlsonrezidor.com, will launch on February 1st 2012.
Door2Tour.com reports recession hits romance as Valentines breaks decline
Figures from the UK coach holidays company report a drop in dedicated Valentine weekend breaks by 50% compared to 2011, with an additional 72% drop in overall breaks departing over the Valentine weekend.
Despite offering level holiday prices on 2011 for its most popular Valentines break, the destination to have suffered the most was romance-favourite Paris. In a double whammy with increased costs of living, consumers are thought to still be exercising caution towards the Eurozone due to poor exchange rates. The second destination to have been sacrificed in the romance stakes was London, whose theatre break bookings for Valentines weekend have also weakened, though to a lesser extent.
Kate Glanfield, Web Manager of Door2Tour.com, said: "While there is still time for people to book a Valentines break this year, and patterns show that people are generally leaving it later to book, it does look as though this year's Valentine’s Day is going to lack some va-va-voom in terms of traditional, whisk-away romance."
Despite the decrease in Valentines break sales for 2012, Door2Tour.com has reported a 73% rise in event tours and a revival in theatre breaks London for departures throughout the year. The increasing demand in the latter is thought to have been boosted by a host of new shows such as 'Singin' in the Rain' and Dreamboats and Petticoats and a series of new stars freshening up the London stage.
Kate concluded: "What we've seen with the decline in Valentines breaks but the comeback of theatre breaks is that people are now combining a romantic break with an occasion more personal to them to save money. We frequently receive enquiries from people wanting to get away for birthdays and anniversaries, which just goes to show that that despite the cutbacks, romance is not completely dead."
Martin Randell Travel offers new cultural tours of India
The programme of tours is as follows:
The Indian Mutiny of 1857. Led by Patrick Mercer MP, this is a tour of intense interest for military, imperial and Indian history. The tour explores Old Delhi, Meerut, Lucknow, Gwalior, Agra and New Delhi, providing an excellent overview of Indian landscapes, culture and architecture with arrangements for special access.
Land only price: approximately AUD$5,620 (£3,800) per person. Includes accommodation, most meals with drinks, tips, private coach travel, admissions and the talks by the lecturer.
Dates: 23 October-5 November 2012
Ashoka and Buddhist India, led by Charles Allen. This tour visits major Buddhist sites and sees much of the finest Buddhist and Hindu sculpture at museums in Delhi, Sarnath, Patna and Kolkata (Calcutta), studying the historical Buddha's life and the associated art and architecture.
Land only price: approximately AUD $6,420 (£4,340) per person. Includes accommodation, most meals with drinks, tips, private coach travel, admissions and the talks by the lecturer.
Dates: 1-14 March 2013
Temples of Tamil Nadu, led by Professor Adam Hardy. A tour examining the art and architecture of Hinduism in the southernmost state, including Madras, Mamallapuram, Thanjavur, Srirangam and Madurai. The lecturer is a leading authority on Hindu architecture who has designed a temple in India.
Land only price: approximately AUD $4,955 (£3,350) per person. Includes accommodation, most meals with drinks, tips, private coach travel, admissions and the talks by the lecturer.
Dates: 14-26 January 2013
Kingdoms of the Deccan, led by John M. Fritz. This tour features Islamic forts and mosques and Hindu temples in the capital cities of the Bahmani sultanates founded in the 14th century. Hampi and Hyderabad are also included.
Land only price: approximately AUD $5,810 (£3,930) per person. Includes accommodation, most meals with drinks, tips, private coach travel, admissions and the talks by the lecturer.
Dates: 1-14 February 2013
The British Raj, led by David Gilmour and Gavin Stamp. Led by two eminent lecturers, visiting the major centres of British power, which are still India's leading cities, Mumbai (Bombay), Kolkata (Calcutta) and Delhi. Private visits and special access also feature on this tour.
Price: on application
Dates: February/ March 2013
Other tours planned for early 2013 include Bengal by River, Rajput and Mughal Rajasthan, and Essential India.
A spokesman said: "Our aim is to create the most memorable tours to India available - the best planned, the most informative and the most illuminating. We are careful not to cram too much into each day, and the itineraries may include fewer places, but with more time spent at each, to examine, absorb, contemplate and recuperate. Led by leading experts in their field, these tours feature out of the way and less visited places, resulting in what we believe are the most fascinating range of tours currently available in English."
Visit www.martinrandall.com or call 1300 55 95 95.
Stylish Staycations In South West Wales
One of Britain’s most popular coastal resorts in Victorian times, Tenby remains a great destination for a traditional family seaside holiday.
The town has three wide, sandy beaches (North, South and Castle), totalling 2.5 miles in length, all of which have been awarded Blue Flag status (guaranteeing excellent water quality and beach facilities, such as public loos and lifeguards).
Other outdoor activities include hiking the coastal trail, windsurfing, sea kayaking, golfing and boat trips for pure pleasure or a spot of fishing.
If – heaven forbid – it should rain, there is plenty for families to do that is mainly indoors, such as visit Silent World Aquarium & Reptile Collection, Blue Lagoon Water Park & Adventure Centre, Anna Ryder Richardson’s Manor House Wildlife Park, Folly Farm, the Pottery Shed Café or Caldey Island, all of which are in or just outside Tenby.
Alternatively, guests can return to North Beach Tenby, get the log-burning stoves going and snuggle down in front of the TV or around a family board game. Created from a Regency townhouse, the two-bedroom apartments have sensational views overlooking North Beach and the Pembrokeshire coast, and are well located in the heart of Tenby, just a few minutes’ walk from all the old town’s attractions – shops, cafes, restaurants, medieval walls, National Trust property and, of course, the town’s beaches.
Both apartments accommodate four, each having a double room with an ensuite shower, a twin room and a bathroom with shower, but an additional single bed can be supplied on request at no extra charge to sleep a fifth person. Spacious living spaces have separate cooking, eating and dining areas. The fully-fitted kitchens have every amenity, including ovens, dishwasher and washing machines, while the living areas come complete with flat-screen TVs and DVD players and log-burning stoves. The apartments also come with off-street parking and use of a kayak, subject to availability.
A week’s holiday at North Beach Tenby costs from £650 per apartment in February (perfect for half-term holidays), including use of linens, full cleaning service and the provision of logs for the stoves. In April, during the Easter school holidays, a week’s stay is priced at £750 and in the summer, from £900 per week. Shorter stays are possible, but are subject to a minimum two-night stay and availability.
Reservations can be made through the website www.northbeachtenby.com.
Wednesday, 25 January 2012
That's Christmas: Head East for your Valentine's Day romantic break
That's Christmas: Head East for your Valentine's Day romantic break: Car hire comparison engine eRentals.co.uk has announced a surge in bookings for unusual destinations in Eastern Europe this coming Valenti...
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