Innholdsfortegnelse for January - March 2023 i Business Traveller Asia-Pacific Edition

BRITISH AIRWAYS HAS RESUMED FLIGHTS to Japan for the first time in 12 months, with flight BA7 from London Heathrow arriving at Tokyo Haneda airport on November 14. Japan has lifted restrictions on international travellers, meaning triple vaccinated visitors no longer need a Covid-19 test, and don't have to be part of a package tour. BA’s daily flights are being operated by B787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, departing London at 1145 and arriving into Tokyo at 1025 the following day, with the return leg leaving the Japanese capital at 0945, landing back into London at 1525, Return fares start from £610 (US$740) in economy, £1,708 (US$2,071) in premium economy and £3,141 (US$3,809) in business class.…

UP FRONT HILTON HAS REOPENED ITS HOTEL on New York’s 42nd Street close to Times Square, following a change in ownership last year. The 478-room hotel features a fitness centre with Peloton bikes, and the 21st floor Restaurant Above for buffet breakfast. Pinnacle Bar is also available, overlooking Times Square. Meanwhile Hilton has also announced plans to debut new lifestyle brand, Tempo by Hilton, in the city this year. The 661-room hotel will be located in TSX Broadway, a purpose-built 46-storey entertainment and hotel tower at 47th Street and Broadway which will also house The Palace Theatre, a permanent outdoor stage and the “first and only full-building LED facade system in New York”.…

PRIORITY PASS HAS ANNOUNCED increases to its annual charges for Standard Plus and Prestige membership, as well as a hike in visit fees. Members (and guests) previously paid US$24 for entry, outside of inclusive entitlements, but this has now increased to US$35. Annual fees for Standard Plus members (who benefit from ten free visits per year) also rose on December 1 - from US$229 per year to US$329 - while Prestige members (who get unlimited lounge usage but pay for guest entry) now pay US$469 per year. The charge for Standard membership (which does not include any free entries remains at US$99. Members of The Club by Business Traveller can get up to 20 per cent off Priority Pass annual membership fees - for more information, visit businesstravellerclub.com…

ACCOR plans to open nine hotels across Australia and New Zealand this year, including two properties under the group’s business-oriented Pullman brand. The 313-room Pullman Auckland Airport is scheduled to open in the fourth quarter of 2023, featuring a top-floor restaurant and bar with views across the runway. Pullman Sydney Penrith is also scheduled to open in the fourth quarter, with the 153-room hotel connected to the Western Sydney Conference Centre. Sydney also sees the reopening of the historic West End Hotel at 412 Pitt Street and the Manly Pacific Sydney M Gallery Collection in January, while Cairns will welcome a Mercure. In New Zealand the apartment-style Sebel Wellington Lower Hutt is expected to open in the second quarter, followed by the 63-room Jo and Joe Auckland Fort Street, the…

AMAN NEW YORK has opened a jazz club at the Crown Building, accessible by secret entrance on West 56th Street off Fifth Avenue. The 280 sqm venue designed by Jean-Michel Gathy is inspired by the speakeasies of the Prohibition era, and features a 1962 Steinway baby grand piano at its centre, advanced acoustic technologies from Meyer Sound Laboratories, and 150 loudspeakers and microphones. Performances are on Tuesday to Saturday evenings from 7pm to 10pm, followed by DJ sets from 10pm to 2am, with six-time Grammy Award nominee Brian Newman filling the shoes of creative director. Snacks include seared A5 wagyu and a signature truffled grilled cheese sandwich, and cocktails are inspired by 12 of Aman’s global destinations.…

LONG HAUL: HALLYU! THE KOREAN WAVE, LONDON, UNTIL JUNE 25,2023 London’s Victoria and Albert museum’s latest exhibition showcases the colourful popular culture of South Korea, with around 200 objects and digital displays across the creative industries of cinema, drama, music, fashion and beauty - from the Oscar-winning Parasite and Netflix series Squid Game to K-Pop music. MEDIUM HAUL: AUSTRALIA OPEN, MELBOURNE, JANUARY 16-29,2023 The Grand Slam tennis tournament kicks off the new year in Australia’s Melbourne Park. It is the 111th edition of the Australian Open, with events for professional players in singles, doubles and mixed doubles. Watch all the action on court to see if Rafael Nadal will be able to defend his title as champion of the Men’s singles for another year. SHORT HAUL: CLOCKEMFLAP, HONG KONG, MARCH…

Welcome to our round-up of the long-haul business class seats currently available on European airlines. This is the first part of a series on business class seats - so Asian carriers, Middle East, as well as US, will be forthcoming. Here we are focusing on the seats available rather than service elements, such as food and drink, inflight entertainment, amenity products and whether there is wifi available onboard. In part this is because these elements change frequently, and often depend on the length of the flight sector, and also for reasons of brevity. If you visit businesstraveller.com you will find numerous reviews of most of the airlines here, and those aspects are discussed and assessed. The good news for travellers is that tire majority of airlines offering long-haul flights now…

BACKGROUND In 2022, Finnair introduced a new business class (called the Airlounge), premium economy and economy on its retrofitted A350s and A330s. The new seats will also appear on the A350s that are yet to be delivered. Finnair expects the whole long-haul fleet to have Airlounge business seats by the end of 2023. CHECK - IN The gate was already open for my 2325 flight (AY0131) once I connected from Heathrow. I went straight through to the priority boarding area and we started to board at 2300. As soon as I was at my seat I was offered a drink and my jacket was taken, then my main course food and drink order was taken. The plane pushed back a few minutes late at 2342 after de-icing, and was airborne…

BACK GROUND Singapore Airlines has three configurations of its A350-900 aircraft for medium-haul, long-haul and ultra-long range services, This service from Singapore to London Heathrow was operated with the long-haul configuration, which includes 42 seats in business, 24 seats in premium economy and 187 in economy class, By contrast, the medium-haul configuration only has business and economy seats, while the ultra-long range offers business and premium economy only, SQ13 had a departure time of 1245 and arrival time of 1910, CHECK - IN I checked in online and downloaded my boarding pass into my Apple Wallet, It’s worth downloading the SIA app as it provides useful information such as the check-in and bag drop location, This was Zone 4, Row 7, which included check-in desks on one side, self-service boarding…

BACKGROUND The Reverie occupies the upper floors of a 39-storey mixed-use building - Times Square - containing luxury showrooms and offices. It opened in 2015. WHERE IS IT? In District 1, on Dong Khoi Street and Nguyen Hue Boulevard in Ho Chi Minh City’s central urban area. WHAT’S IT LIKE? From reception on the ground floor you are quickly whisked to the seventh floor lobby for check-in. It’s an opulent space created almost exclusively by Italian designers. Reception has pale blue carpeting, walls of white-grey marble with multicoloured mosaics, and a five-metre ‘Esmeralda’ sofa designed by Colombostile upholstered in purple ostrich leather with amethyst detailing. There’s a malachite and gold-plated clock weighing 1,000 kilograms by Florentine company Baldi. There are crystal chandeliers, liveried staff and a baby grand piano in…

CHINA’S NATIONAL HEALTH COMMISSION removed mandatory quarantine for travellers arriving from overseas as of january 8. Strict Covid quarantine rules have been in place since the early days of the pandemic, although the quarantine period gradually reduced from three weeks to five days in a hotel. Since January 8, visitors no longer need to quarantine, although they still have to provide proof of a negative PCR test 48 hours before departure, and wear a mask on the flight to China. Airlines are likely to start ramping up their services to China - Etihad Airways has already announced plans to double the frequency of its Abu Dhabi-Shanghai route from February. Dr Xie Xing quan, IATA’s regional vice president for North Asia, said: “The announcement by the Chinese government, including the removal…

THE FIRST AIRPORT LOUNGE by JP Morgan Chase has opened in Hong Kong in conjunction with Airport Dimensions. The Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club is located in the West Hall of Hong Kong International’s Terminal 1, on level seven of the departures hall close to Gate 40. Features include fresh and seasonal dining options, signature cocktails, local beer and a curated wine list, as well as free wifi and plenty of power outlets. An “in-lounge digital experience” enables guests to order food and drink, as well as access digital media. Readers can access the lounge with a Priority Pass or Lounge Key membership, while Sapphire Reserve cardmembers can use the complimentary Priority Pass membership that is an existing benefit on the Sapphire Reserve card,…

MARRIOTT’S luxury lifestyle brand Edition Hotels is set to grow its portfolio to 30 properties by 2027. Edition Hotels currently operates 15 hotels worldwide, with an additional five set to open this year in Rome, Mexico, Singapore, Jeddah and Tokyo. Expansion will continue into 2024 with signings in destinations such as Lake Como and the Red Sea. The first standalone Edition branded residences are also under development in Miami Edgewater and Fort Lauderdale and anticipated to open in 2026 and 2027 respectively. Josh Fluhr, senior VP and global managing director of Edition Hotels, commented: “By the end of 2023, we expect that Edition will operate in 20 destinations as we add hotels in new and existing markets across three continents while continuing to build a robust pipeline.” Edition Hotels was…

WHETHER TO CUT YOUR GRASS or let it grow for the birds and bees is a debate many gardeners have. The Laguna Lang Co in Vietnam has a novel alternative - leave it to water buffalo. The course, which was designed by Sir Nick Faldo, incorporates rice fields, while the wider resort has a ban on single-use plastics and has just installed its own water bottling plant to eliminate plastic water bottles and utilise reusable glass bottles. Other key green initiatives include a treeplanting programme to increase tree cover while providing a new income source for underprivileged communities in Lang Co, trash collecting activities, sponsorship of underprivileged youths through the resort’s Seedlings Mentorship Program, and sustainability workshops in local communities.…

BRITISH AIRWAYS HAS A NEW sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) partnership - this time with Lanzajet and Nova Pangaea Technologies. The aim is to develop cost-effective SAF for commercial use in the UK through Project Speedbird. This would transform agricultural and wood waste into 102 million litres of SAF per year, and become the UK’s first SAF facility utilising these feedstocks. British Airways says that construction could begin later this year, and the facility, which is planned to be built in Northeast England, could be producing SAF by 2026. The SAF produced would reduce CO2, emissions, on a net lifecycle basis, by 230,000 tonnes a year, which is equivalent to the emissions from approximately 26,000 British Airways domestic flights.…

UP FRONT Marriott International has debuted its luxury St Regis brand in the capital of Indonesia, situated near foreign embassies, commercial spaces and upscale retail areas. The property features 282 guestrooms, with 28 suites featuring private balconies. Dining venues include all-day dining in The Drawing Room and Bel Etage; plus deli-style options at Rose with artisanal coffees and teas. The property has a pool bar and its signature St Regis bar, with a bespoke cocktail menu and signature martini collection. There is more than 2,500 sqm of meeting and event space, including two ballrooms. Leisure facilities include an outdoor pool, spa and fitness centre with Technogym equipment.…

BACKGROUND Bamboo Airways is a private airline that launched in 2017 and has quickly expanded, with domestic flights to 21 out of Vietnam’s 22 airports and an increasing roster of international services such as London and Sydney. Its long-haul routes are served with a small fleet of B787 Dreamliners, which were originally intended for Hainan Airways. The airline launched weekly flights between London Heathrow and Hanoi in March 2022 - this is a review of the return fiight. The outbound flight review is available on businesstraveller.com, with video reviews of both on our YouTube channel. On October 29, the carrier suspended the Hanoi-London Heathrow route, launching a Hanoi-Gatwick service instead. Ho Chi Minh City-Gatwickflights also launched in December. FIRST IMPRESSIONS I arrived at Hanoi’s Noi Bai International airport at midnight…

BACK GROUND This luxury property opened in late 2020, marking the return of the Four Seasons brand to Bangkok five years or so after the closing of the old Four Seasons Hotel, Bangkok near Siam Square, It’s been designed as part of a mixed-use waterfront development including private residences and another five-star property, WHERE IS IT? On the riverfront side of Charoen Krung Road, to the south of the Saphan Taksin BTS Skytrain station, Walking to that station takes about ten minutes, and Suvarnabhumi airport is a 40-minute drive away, The hotel has a private pier and boat service to the Sathorn pier and other stops upriver, The surrounding area is the city’s Creative District, boasting lots of art galleries, boutiques and cafes, WHAT’S IT LIKE? Turning into the hotel’s…

BACKGROUND The Okura Tokyo was founded in 1962 and closed in 2015 for a reconstruction by architect Yoshio Taniguchi. The new structures remain faithful to the original design and include a re-creation of the original lobby. The hotel reopened in September 2019 and the site (known as Okura Square) houses the Okura Museum of Art (free for guests) and two perpendicular buildings - the 17-storey Heritage Wing, for more private stays, and the 41-storey high-rise Prestige Tower, home to guestrooms, dining and leisure facilities and offices. A covered walkway on the ground floor connects the two buildings. WHERE IS IT? In the city’s Toranomon business district. The main entrance is opposite the US embassy. WHAT’S IT LIKE? While it has had a modern makeover, The Okura retains its old-school glamour…

Airports are busy, airlines are advising arriving early and some lounges have yet to reopen, Here is our roundup of the current situation with lounges at the UK’s London Gatwick South Terminal. THE REGUS EXPRESS BUSINESS LOUNGE LANDSIDE (This lounge is temporarily closed) Where is it? Landside in the South Terminal Arrivals area. Take the lift next to Costa Coffee down to the ground floor, This lounge is before you go through security, so make sure you leave the lounge with plenty of time to get through security and to your gate. Who can use it? Travellers with premium tickets and membership cards or Regus memberships. No children are allowed. What’s it like? Fully equipped with business facilities, wifi, tea, coffee and snacks. If you are flying you might like…

TWO OF THE WORLD’S LARGEST HOTEL GROUPS have launched new extended-stay concepts. Echo Suites Extended Stay by Wyndham is the group's 24th brand, with 120 properties already under development. The new-build prototype of the economy brand includes 120 rooms across single and two-queen studio suites, with facilities including a fitness centre and 24-hour guest laundry. Meanwhile Apartments by Marriott Bonvoy will be positioned in the upper-upscale and luxury segments, with units featuring a separate living room and bedroom, full kitchen, and in-unit washer and dryer. The brand is expected to launch in the US and Canada.…

ACCOR HAS PARTNERED WITH EXPEDIA GROUP to launch a new ‘Flight + Hotel’ site, which will allow customers to “seamlessly add flights to their hotel stay”. For members of Accor’s ALL loyalty programme it will mean points can be earned on both the hotel and flight portion of packages purchased through the new site. Expedia said that the site will first launch in Australia, followed by the UK, France and Germany. Expedia pointed to two pieces of research to explain the move - the first showing that over half of travellers state that it is “more important to travel with their loyalty providers than before the pandemic”, and the second showing that package customers cancel 75 per cent less, stay twice as long and book twice as early compared to…

UP FRONT AIR NEW ZEALAND is partnering with four companie in the fields of electric, green hydrogen and hybrid aircraft to launch its first zero emissions demonstrator flight. Eviation, Beta, Volt Aero and Cranfield Aerospace will work with the airline on Mission Gen Aircraft, developing the technology and associated infrastructure required for flying zero emission aircraft from 2026. Air New Zealand CEO Greg Foran commented: “Mission NextGen Aircraft is about working with a range of leaders in zero emissions aircraft technology to help move the whole ecosystem along. “The learnings we will take from flying an aircraft with next-generation propulsion technology from 2026 will then pave the way for our longterm partners to deliver an aircraft that can replace our Q300 turbo prop domestic fleet.”…

UNITED AIRLINES has announced plans to resume its passenger flights to Hong Kong, the first since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. The first westbound service from San Francisco to Hong Kong will depart on March 3, 2023, with the first eastbound flight departing on March 6. For operational reasons there will be no westbound flight on March 4. The daily nonstop route will be operated by the carrier's B777300ER aircraft, configured with 60 seats in Polaris business class, 24 in Premium Plus and 266 in economy. Flight UA877 will depart San Francisco at 2240, arriving into Hong Kong at 0600 two days later, while flight UA862 will depart Hong Kong at 1220, arriving into San Francisco at 0845 the same day.…

QANTAS will launch nonstop flights between Auckland and New York JFK in June. The new route will initially be operating three-times-weekly using B787 Dreamliner aircraft. It will form part of a revamped Sydney-New York service, which will have been on hiatus for some three years by the time it resumes. The route had previously flown via Honolulu, but will now stop in Auckland before continuing on for a nonstop, 16-hour flight to New York. The flight will depart New Zealand on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Flight QF3 will depart Auckland at 1700, arriving into New York at 1715 the same day. The return leg QF4 will depart New York at 1930, arriving into Auckland at 0500 two days later.…

TWO HILTON PROPERTIES have received their second Green Globe certification for outstanding sustainable initiatives. The Hilton Seychelles Labriz Resort and Spa, in Silhouette National Marine Park, has teamed up with the Island Conservation Society (ICS) to offer guests the chance to participate in reef and sea cleanups, exploring the undersea world while helping to keep the waters clear of debris. Hilton Seychelles Northolme Resort and Spa meanwhile has collaborated with the Marine Conservation Seychelles Society to develop a Coral Reef Restoration programme aimed at protecting and restoring the remaining reef. Guests are invited on snorkelling tours to learn about the restoration process and adopt a piece of coral, which can include Acropora and Pocillopora - both of which have been negatively affected by the rising sea temperatures caused by global…

UPFRONT SUSTAINABLE TRAVELLER DUSIT HOTELS AND RESORTS has become the first hotel chain in Thailand to offer 100 per cent organic rice across its entire portfolio of properties nationwide. Embracing a ‘farm-to-table’ concept, Dusit has selected four farming communities to work with, including collectives in Surin and Sisaket provinces. Driven by Dusit International’s food business unit, Dusit Foods, and the company’s Sustainability Committee, the initiative sees Dusit work directly with farm collectives and provide support in everything from quality control to training, packaging and distribution, helping to support sustainable development.…

UP FRONT SACHA JAFRI is a globally celebrated contemporary British artist, known for his humanitarian work. TELL US ABOUT THE JOURNEY OF HUMANITY? My work is always driven by that notion of reconnecting humanity. The Journey of Humanity is the worlds largest painting on canvas [created in Dubai at Atlantis, The Palm]. It took 11 months, with 22 hours of work per day, and raised a lot of money for charity [it sold for £45/US$54 million at auction]. It had an extraordinary impact. WHY IS CHARITY SO IMPORTANT TO YOU? My work is powerful, magical and has the potential of legacy when it is connected to humanity, either in monetary ways or building awareness for various causes in our world. It helps drive me and inspire me as an artist.…

A LUXURY THREENIGHT STAY IN THE FULLERTON BAY HOTEL SINGAPORE • lx 4D3N stay in a Bay View Room at The Fullerton Bay Hotel Singapore • Daily breakfast for two • Afternoon Tea for two at The Landing Point The Fullerton Bay Hotel Singapore is a sleek, modern hotel that pays tribute to a bygone era. Elegantly appointed in a contemporary international style, the 100-room waterfront jewel is a spectacular addition to Singapore’s vibrant heritage precinct. The guest arrival experience has been carefully choreographed to celebrate the transition from past to present as one steps into the Art Deco-style Clifford Pier - a former landing point for Singapore’s early settlers, which now serves as the main entrance and lobby of the hotel - before walking through the stylish, modern building…

DESTINATION A sea of blue and white flags wave in time to the beat at the Place des Festivals in Montreal. While it was my first evening in the city, it might be a touch too vain to assume that the welcome party had been designed for me. My visit coincided with the start of La Fête Nationale on June 24, Québec’s national holiday, observed across the city with parades, bonfires, fireworks and street parties. My trip to Québec’s largest city was long overdue; initially booked and planned for May 2020 and cancelled due to the ensuing pandemic. What followed were some of the strictest Covid-19 restrictions in North America, with a state of emergency renewed more than 100 times over the course of the pandemic. The Québec government officially…

BACKGROUND Sofitel has two hotels in Singapore, one on the mainland and this 27-hectare property on Sentosa, an island resort off the country’s southern coast. The resort and spa opened in 2015. WHERE IS IT? The resort is located on the southern edge of Sentosa. A complimentary shuttle bus runs between the hotel lobby and the Harbourfront MRT station, with services every 30 minutes from 0915 to 2330. WHAT’S IT LIKE? The resort is made up of several open-air pavilions, interspersed with beautiful water features and manicured gardens. The grand arrival driveway is flanked by palm trees, opening onto a landscaped forecourt, Bellhops immediately take your luggage and hand you a tag. The pink-hued lobby is spacious and airy, with a glass installation suspended from the soaring pink ceilings. Reception…