Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2018 i Business Traveller Asia-Pacific Edition

CRIME SCENE AVIATION A Hawaiian Airlines flight from Oakland to Maui had to return to its departure gate after a 15-year-old girl accidentally “airdropped” a photo of a fake crime scene featuring a murdered mannequin to other passengers. The girl had intended to send the photo to her mother as a joke, but mistakenly shared it with 15 people, who thought they were being threatened. TIED DOWN A drunk passenger on board a Garuda Indonesia flight from Bali to Perth had to be physically strapped to his seat after getting into a massive row with his similarly intoxicated girlfriend, resulting in the flight being diverted to Port Headland in Western Australia. EXPLOSIVE CHARGE A woman was arrested at Indira Gandhi International Airport after she caused a ruckus when asked to…

1 Lenbachhaus Start your tour at Lenbachhaus, an art gallery northwest of the centre. Originally built as a Florentine-style villa for painter Franz von Lenbach, it was acquired by the city in 1924 and opened as a museum in 1929. A gleaming modern wing has been added to the ochre villa, encapsulating a more widespread trend in Munich: the juxtaposition of old and new – a consequence of damage during World War II. Do take the time to view the artworks inside if you can. The main focus is artists associated with Munich – the Blue Rider permanent collection, featuring works by Franz Marc, Wassily Kandinsky and Alexej von Jawlensky, is a real treasure. Should you be peckish, the gallery’s Café Ella serves excellent Italian meals in a lovely light…

Istanbul famously straddles the continents of Europe and Asia, and is separated by the Bosphorus Strait, an important body of water that separates “East” from “West”. It’s a crucial international waterway, connecting Russia and Eastern Europe to much of Western Europe via this passage from the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara, and on towards the Aegean and Mediterranean Sea. The “Golden Horn” refers to an inlet near the base of the Bosphorus, which divides the oldest parts of Istanbul. The historic southern peninsula comprises what was known as Constantinople, or the “Old City”, while the northern crop is known as the European part of Istanbul.…

Perched high above the cosmopolitan buzz of Shanghai is one of the city’s most exclusive spots for gourmet indulgences. Located on the top floor (21/F) of Wanda Reign on the Bund, RuiKu offers a luxurious environment for a distinguished crowd. The restaurant and fashionable bar cater to discerning gourmands, with stunning floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Bund’s historic waterfront and Pudong’s futuristic skyline, providing an amazing backdrop for any kind of event. Inside, the sophisticated restaurant continues the hotel’s Art Deco design theme, with intricate radial patterns and striking symmetry. The magnificent marble floor, European furniture and contemporary art displayed throughout the venue embrace both modern aesthetics and classic elegance, creating a backdrop of luxury and comfort for all guests to relish. The menu reveals a trove of seafood treasures and…

BACKGROUND Qatar Airways’ new business class is the Q Suite (or “Qsuite”, as Qatar styles it). It is gradually being introduced on the carrier’s long-haul fleet, and is currently on some of the B777-300ER fleet and this A350-1000 aircraft, which is the larger variant of the A350-900. (We have previously reviewed the A350-900 with the “old” business class seat – see businesstraveller.com for that review. You can also watch a video of this Q Suite flight on our You Tube channel.) BOARDING We arrived at Hamad International Airport in Doha at 1000 for QR001 departing at 1225, a flight of some six-and-a-half hours. This is a quiet time at Hamad International. There were no other passengers at premium check-in, and I was quickly through security. THE LOUNGE I’ve been through…

Packed with fascinating history, diverse cultural highlights and a vibrant independent foodie scene, Jakarta has quietly blossomed into one of Southeast Asia’s must-visit destinations. Thrust into the spotlight as host of the recent 2018 Asian Games, the Indonesian capital has spruced up its offerings for foreign visitors, hoping to use the momentum to encourage even higher tourist numbers. Business travellers used to holing up in the CBD to avoid the city’s notorious traffic, should instead look to extend their trips and explore the captivating blend of Dutch colonial architecture, contemporary skyscrapers and varied entertainment options. So sit back with a piping hot kopi (coffee), and plan your visit to the place known affectionately as the Big Durian. DOWNTOWN DELIGHTS Begin your exploration with a good helping of history, culture and…

Gone are the days of depressing business centres with clinical interiors, retro computers and stale coffee. More and more, hotels are introducing their own take on co-working spaces, so business travellers can stay productive, inspired and well rested on the road. From Hong Kong to Beijing to Sydney, this new crop of smart hotels make remote work more efficient and enjoyable than ever. HOTEL JEN BEIJING, CHINA In booming Beijing, nomad favourite Hotel Jen introduced Prototype, a 320 sqm co-working space, last year. Thanks in part to the hotel’s location within the China World Trade Centre, Prototype is a go-to for start-ups and entrepreneurs with location-independent roles. Unlike more conventional co-working spaces, Prototype provides extra-flexible plans, so you can stop by for just a few hours should you be racing…

Since it first opened in 1974 in New York, Le Cirque has remained in the limelight for its fine-dining French-Italian menu. There are now four Le Cirque restaurants worldwide, with the Las Vegas outlet holding a Michelin star as well as an AAA Five Diamond Award rating. The popular restaurant arrived in Dubai in April 2017, housed in the Ritz-Carlton DIFC. Subtle circus elements are featured in Le Cirque’s décor, with canvases and sculptures of balloons and clowns dotted throughout the otherwise classic and refined bright, airy space. The two carpaccio starters had pronounced disparities in taste. The one with scallops had a citrusy finish, while the octopus carpaccio offered a slightly smoky flavour thanks to the red pepper sorbet dressing. A simple sugar snap salad tossed with feta followed,…

A 2017 study by Swiss International Air Lines found that British people spend an average of 52 days of their lives queuing. One of the most dreaded queues for the frequent traveller is security at the airport. In a recent survey by flight comparison site jetcost.co.uk, 73 per cent of Britons polled said they’d had a negative experience at the gate, and 81 per cent of those said they had been made late for their flight. With a few simple steps, however, you can cut your waiting time down, and make passing through security easier for you and others. TRUSTED TRAVELLER PROGRAMMES Several countries have implemented programmes that allow frequent travellers to have a thorough background check once every few years in lieu of being fully screened each time they…

GO PRIVATE Hospitality brand Anantara Hotels, Resorts and Spas is moving into the aviation business with the launch of its new Anantara Private Jet Experience, combining accommodation and private jet transportation into a single trip that takes customers around the Maldives, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Developed in partnership with bespoke aviation company MJets, larger groups will jet about in a Gulfstream V featuring three zones for working, dining and resting, plus shower facilities, fully reclining beds, entertainment systems and service from two flight attendants. For smaller groups of up to eight passengers, there’s the Cessna Citation X, which offers fully reclining body club seats, entertainment systems and service delivered by one flight attendant. On the ground, customers will stay at the company’s signature properties including the Anantara Peace Haven Tangalle…

Despite its enticingly cheerful moniker, Buriram Province "The City of Happiness" is still one of Thailand's best kept secrets, with a wealth of hidden gems to discover. However, the secret is about to get out. Next month around 400 million people worldwide will be tuning in to Buriram’s Chang International Circuit to watch the thrilling performance of motorcycle racers in the MotoGP championship. Opened in 2014, this world-class racing track is Thailand's first FIA Grade 1 and FIM Grade A circuit, and has already attracted international attention hosting events such as the World Superbike Championships and the Japanese Super GT, with whispers that it will also be hosting Formula One in the near future... When this premium 50,000-spectator grandstand hosts the Moto GP in October – Buriram will be firmly…

“The UNESCOtagged old town has a quintessentially colonial South American feel” Elying into Quito, the first thing I notice is how much more spread out it is than I expected. The second is that we still seem high up. At 2,850 metres, the city sprawls across the eastern flank of Pichincha, an active volcano – after Bolivia’s La Paz, it is the second-highest altitude capital city in the world. We cruise from the smart new airport, opened in 2013, to the old town, which has a quintessentially colonial South American feel. In 1978, the historic centre was made one of the first UNESCO World Heritage sites in the world, and its churches, convents and public structures have recently been meticulously reconditioned. From the rooftop of the 16th-century domed Metropolitan Cathedral…

Yala is a trove of natural beauty. Over two days we spot elephants, buffalo, spotted deer, wild boar... It’s just gone 6am and I’m jolted awake by the aggressive revving of our Jeep’s engine. Rumours of a leopard sighting have been hastily phoned through the network of guides, and every vehicle in the vicinity jumps into action. Our driver slams his foot down and we hurtle forward over the scrubland towards a grove of trees where a cluster of 4WDs have gathered, packed with day-trippers peering out of their open-tops. After a few minutes, Pisandu, our guide, breaks the news: “We just missed them. Drinking at the watering hole… a mother and two cubs.” Yala National Park on Sri Lanka’s southern coast has the densest leopard population in the world,…

I’m heading back to my hotel after a spectacular Turkish feast at Ali Ocakbasi Gümüssuyu (a great little dining spot overlooking the Bosphorus) when out of nowhere, cars begin streaming past with their horns blaring. Passengers are hanging outside the windows shouting, brandishing flags and setting off flares. The traffic lights ahead turn red; one car deliberately swings across all three lanes blocking the highway. Four young men leap out and jump on the roof, chanting at the beeping vehicles behind them and setting off more flares. I’m genuinely quite alarmed – what is going on? An uprising, a protest, a political rally? In the Old City vast mosques rise out of the landscape, commanding respect and attention As it turns out, it’s a football victory. It’s the end of…

This casual Japanese restaurant is one of the many dining outlets at the JW Marriott Marquis, Dubai and is very popular among locals, who voted it Favourite Japanese Restaurant 2017 in What’s On Dubai. The venue offers an upbeat and slightly edgy vibe, with puns such as “We sushilize for the sake of it” peppering the entrance and green-haired “Wasabi girls” ready to mix fresh wasabi at your table. The fish is sourced from Tokyo’s Tsukiji market, and the preparation closely follows Japanese techniques, resulting in dishes that remain true to Japanese flavours. To start was an amuse bouche of toro arare fried at 210°C to arrive at the crunch without absorbing the oil. Next we enjoyed a trio of uramaki sushi (where the rice is on the outside and…