Travel

Tax hikes loom as state awaits Georgia election outcome, Los Angeles travel ban could hurt Hawaii tourism, COVID vaccinations lag, activists take over Hilo park near Kamehameha statue, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

State Budget and Finance Director Craig Hirai, (l) and Hawaii Senate Ways and Means Chairman Donovan Dela Cruz discuss state budget Jan. 4, 2021. PC:Senate You Tube channel Higher state taxes under consideration. Gov. David Ige’s administration is considering unspecified tax increases and “revenue enhancements” to help plug a projected $1.4 billion shortfall, members of the state Senate’s Committee on Ways and Means were told Monday. Star-Advertiser.State Budget Director: It’s Too Soon To...
Tags: Travel, Senate, Los Angeles, Georgia, Hawaii, HHSC, Pearl Harbor, Big Island, Hawaiian Airlines, Southern California, Maui, Josh Green, Honolulu, U S Senate, Legislature, Los Angeles County

Hotel Operator Launches GuestEQ Messaging Platform to Elevate the Guest Experience

Connecting with on-property guests in a contactless manner is more critical than ever, and now there is a sleek, cost-effective platform that hoteliers can implement immediately to personalize the guest experience and ensure superior guest satisfaction.
Tags: Travel

Alleyway drinks, a lantern and an illuminated face

This old alleyway is a popular place for people to pass through. It also turned out to be the perfect place to stop, drink and happily pass the evening.
Tags: Travel, Photography, Food And Drink

Waste Not - Cherry Pit Syrup!

Don't throw away those cherry pits! They make a fantastic cherry syrup that you can use to flavour your favourite cocktails or soda water for a refreshing and sweet drink!
Tags: Travel, Don

The Last of Christmas

I meant to get to rue Montorgueil to get photos of the Christmas lights before the 25th. I always like wandering down this street. It’s after Christmas but the lights are still up. It was a Saturday night and packed with people. So pretty. Cobbled streets. This looks really old, and pretty too. The other end. Saint Eustache is nearby.
Tags: Travel, Photos, Paris, Christmas Lights, rue Montorgueil, Eustache

6 Key Learnings from an Unprecedented Year in Hospitality | By Matthieu Mauguin

At the end of 2019, hospitality professionals seemed to have a good idea of what to expect in 2020. From the impending advent of new AI solutions to the generalization of online marketing, most analysts predicted that the industry would keep on riding its growth spur towards a complete digital transformation.
Tags: Travel, Matthieu Mauguin

Historic Italian destination property makes significant investment in UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management

Orlando, FL (January 5, 2021) -The Cafaggiolo Terre Dei Medici, a project of the Marzocco Investment & Development Company, has made a charitable contribution of $100,000 to UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management, to support publication and dissemination of hospitality and tourism research to industry leaders, primarily through the Rosen Research Review magazine.
Tags: Travel, Orlando, UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management, Rosen Research Review, Marzocco Investment Development Company

Brandchef, a new brand identity and consulting agency, launches in Amsterdam

Located in the heart of Amsterdam's bustling canals, Brandchef is proud to announce its opening. 'Over the years, Typhoon Hospitality - as a hospitality marketing agency - has received lots of requests for brand consultation, branding and design assignments and now it's time to carry out these assignments under Brandchef's own branding flag.' says Rachel Persoon, owner of Brandchef. 'With Brandchef and Typhoon, we can support companies in all stages of their life cycle'. The hospitality b...
Tags: Travel, Amsterdam, Brandchef, Rachel Persoon, Brandchef With Brandchef

Win-River Resort & Casino Selects Agilysys Solutions To Streamline Guest Self-Service and Improve the Guest Journey

ALPHARETTA, GA. — January 5, 2021 — Agilysys, Inc. (Nasdaq: AGYS), a leading global provider of next-generation hospitality software solutions and services, today announced that Win-River Resort & Casino has expanded its existing Agilysys relationship with the addition of Agilysys' modern cloud-native SaaS mobile solutions, rGuest Express for mobile check-in/out and IG OnDemand for contactless food and beverage ordering and payment, as well as IG KDS for kitchen order management.
Tags: Travel, ALPHARETTA GA, Agilysys Inc, KDS, Win River Resort Casino

Peachtree Hotel Management Forms Strategic Partnership with Zenique Hotels

Officials of Peachtree Hotel Group, one of the nation's fastest growing hotel investment and management platforms, and Zenique Hotels, a family-owned hotel owner, developer and operator based in Calif., today announced the two organizations have formed a strategic partnership. Under the terms of the agreement, Peachtree Hospitality Management (PHM), PHG's operational division, will manage Zenique's current portfolio of four hotels. The strategic partnership also makes PHM the operator of ...
Tags: Travel, Calif, Zenique Hotels, PHM, Peachtree Hotel Group, Peachtree Hospitality Management PHM, Zenique

Duetto Welcomes Back RLH Corporation

RLH Corporation (NYSE: RLH) announced today the decision to re-engage with Duetto, hospitality's innovative software as a service provider of revenue strategy solutions, to roll out real-time revenue optimization across its portfolio.
Tags: Travel, Duetto, RLH, RLH Corporation NYSE, Duetto Welcomes Back RLH Corporation

Oil prices jump 5% on OPEC+ output talks, Iran tension | Reuters

Oil prices jump 5% on OPEC+ output talks, Iran tension | Reuters Oil prices climbed nearly 5% on Tuesday after news that Saudi Arabia will make voluntary cuts to its oil output, while international political tension simmered over Iran’s seizure of a South Korean vessel.Brent crude futures rose $2.51, or 4.9%, to settle at $53.60 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude ended $2.31, or 4.9%, higher at $49.93 a barrel.Saudi Arabia will make additional, voluntary oil output cuts of 1 million ba...
Tags: Travel, Saudi Arabia, Opec, Iran, Reuters, Reuters Oil, Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, Rupert Neil Bumfrey, Bjornar Tonhaugen Rystad Energy

Aimbridge to manage The Diplomat Beach Resort, Hollywood FL

Aimbridge Hospitality announced it will manage The Diplomat Beach Resort, a 1,000-key Hollywood, Florida property that recently underwent a $100 million renovation. The Diplomat features a 200,000 sq ft convention center on the Atlantic Ocean. The property also boasts two pools, 25 poolside cabanas, children's water play area, a spa and fitness center, and a marina.
Tags: Travel, Atlantic Ocean, Hollywood Florida, Aimbridge Hospitality, Hollywood FL, Aimbridge

Saudis Take Extra Burden of Oil Cuts as OPEC+ Reaches Deal - Bloomberg

Saudis Take Extra Burden of Oil Cuts as OPEC+ Reaches Deal - Bloomberg OPEC+ reached an agreement to curb supply next month, with Saudi Arabia carrying a greater burden of oil-output cuts while others hold steady or make a small increase, delegates said.The deal, which emerged after two days of talks, sent crude surging to a 10-month high in New York. It appeared to give most members of the group what they wanted -- the additional price support desired by Saudi Arabia and the production boost Ru...
Tags: Travel, New York, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Opec, Bloomberg, Kazakhstan, Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, Rupert Neil Bumfrey, Bloomberg OPEC

Arab States to Restore Ties With #Qatar as Three-Year Rift Ends - Bloomberg

Arab States to Restore Ties With Qatar as Three-Year Rift Ends - Bloomberg Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud during a press conference on Jan. 5.   Photographer: FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images Four Arab states agreed to fully restore ties with Qatar, Saudi Arabia said on Tuesday, ending a more than three-year dispute that divided the major energy-producing region at a time of heightened tensions over Iran.Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt made the pledg...
Tags: Travel, Qatar, Joe Biden, Iran, Egypt, GCC, United Arab Emirates, Biden, Tehran, Donald Trump, Gulf Cooperation Council, Qatar Saudi Arabia, Rupert Neil Bumfrey, Fayez Nureldine, Faisal bin Farhan, Bloomberg Faisal bin Farhan al Saud

Japan Vistas 2021 DOCOMO Calendar – Mateusz Urbanowicz

I’m a big fan of Tokyo based Polish illustrator Mateusz Urbanowicz, a seasoned artist who has worked on anime films like Space Dandy as well as Makoto Shinkai’s Your Name. He has been working as a freelance artist from 2017 and have since published 2 art books, both of which I have reviewed here and here. Mateusz was approached in 2020 by one of the major Japanese mobile service providers, DOCOMO, to create the illustrations for their next corporate calendar to be distributed to all of their ...
Tags: Japan, Unesco, Tokyo, Anime, Kyoto, Mateusz, Makoto Shinkai, Mateusz Urbanowicz, Takadanobaba, Koinobori, Mateuz, Mateusz Urbanowicz Koinobori Takadanobaba

Guide to Amtrak Sleeping Accommodations

As a long-time Amtrak enthusiast, I’ve stayed in all the different sleeping compartments.  To help you decide what type of sleeper to book, here are the various Amtrak sleeping accommodations found aboard their long-haul, overnight train trips.  Amtrak sleeping accommodations... Read More The post Guide to Amtrak Sleeping Accommodations appeared first on Cruise Maven.
Tags: Travel, Amtrak, Amtrak bedrooms, Amtrak roomettes, Amtrak Sleeping Accommodations, Amtrak sleeping cars, amtrak to Florida, Train Reviews

European, Middle Eastern & African Stocks - Bloomberg #UAE #Kuwait #Israel #SaudiArabia #Qatar close

European, Middle Eastern & African Stocks - Bloomberg #UAE #Kuwait #Israel #SaudiArabia #Qatar [Author: [email protected] (Rupert Neil Bumfrey)]
Tags: Travel, Qatar, Rupert Neil Bumfrey, Bloomberg UAE Kuwait Israel

No Knead You Need Bread

Whole wheat bread using flour milled at the farm up the road.   Have you ever been intrigued by a recipe? Before the internet age often my bedtime reading included reading recipes as it was up there with literature as it had artistic merit which generated my imagination beyond the table and chair and or bed which I sit licking my lips.  As the years have gone by I find myself watching cooking videos versus reading cookbooks a few days ago I came across "Jenny Can Cook" & her straightforward rec...
Tags: Travel, Jack, Corey, Jenny, Julia, Abbot, Julia Childs, French la Vie, Jenny Can Cook, Jack the Giant, Hail Mary Bread

#SaudiArabia offers voluntary oil cut in February - sources | Reuters

Saudi Arabia offers voluntary oil cut in February - sources | Reuters Saudi Arabia has offered to make voluntary cuts to its oil production in February, two OPEC+ source said. [Author: [email protected] (Rupert Neil Bumfrey)]
Tags: Travel, Saudi Arabia, Opec, Reuters, Rupert Neil Bumfrey

OPEC+ Near Consensus on Holding Oil Output Steady Next Month - Bloomberg

OPEC+ Near Consensus on Holding Oil Output Steady Next Month - Bloomberg OPEC+ was nearing a consensus that would hold its oil output steady next month, after the group rejected Russia’s proposal for a production increase.Negotiations were ongoing and not all details were agreed, one delegate said. Formal ministerial talks scheduled for Tuesday afternoon hadn’t yet started after being pushed back, said another delegate.If the agreement is finalized, its significance would go beyond the output in...
Tags: Travel, London, Russia, Rupert Neil Bumfrey

#Qatar leads broader gains on breakthrough in Arab rift | Reuters

Qatar shares ended 1.4% higher on Tuesday, marking the index’s biggest gain in nearly a month, after a breakthrough was reached in the country’s three-year-old dispute with Saudi Arabia and three other Arab countries. As part of the deal, Saudi Arabia would reopen its airspace and land and sea border to Qatar as Gulf Arab leaders arrived in the Saudi city of al-Ula on Tuesday for a summit focused on ending a long-running dispute with Doha.Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt...
Tags: Travel, Saudi Arabia, Opec, Qatar, Iran, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Ula, Bahrain, Doha, Gulf, Reuters, Gulf Arab, Emaar Properties

Traveling to Hawaii during COVID-19: Requirements and what to know before you go

One can’t blame Food and Beverage Director Robert Blackborough for getting misty-eyed when asked how thrilled he is now that Hawaii is sharing the aloha spirit with visitors again. After all, it was only the third evening since the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua’s signature restaurant he oversees was open after a monthslong shutdown because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “When I observed our staff welcoming back guests for the first time since March, I was filled with unexpected emotion,” he said at the beachf...
Tags: Travel, Sport, Things To Do, Soccer, Hawaii, Roy, Pacific, Duke, Kaanapali Beach, Big Island, North Shore, Waikiki, Kauai, Maui, Ruth, Josh Green

New York just debuted a $1.6 billion train hall to upgrade its notorious Penn Station, complete with skylight ceilings and a premium lounge - see inside

New York City's new Moynihan Train Hall. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider Moynihan Train Hall at New York's Pennsylvania Station opened to the public on New Year's Day, after three years of construction and a total cost of $1.6 billion. Amtrak is the primary tenant with its own waiting rooms and a new premium lounge for first class and frequent riders.   Long Island Rail Road commuters also able to use the facility, but NJ Transit will continue use the old station. Visit Business Inside...
Tags: Travel, Transportation, New York, News, Boston, Trains, New York City, US, Trends, Features, Rail Travel, North America, Amtrak, Penn, Times Square, Penn Station

Public-to-private deals could shrink REIT landscape

There could be fewer hotel real estate investment trusts in the next year or so, and public-to-private transactions are more likely than public-to-public transactions in the current environment, sources said.
Tags: Travel

Is contemporary hospitality outdated? | By Katerina Garefou

Traveling and providing services to travelers is what gives to a big percentage of the world's population a colorful tone to their reality. Including myself.
Tags: Travel, Katerina Garefou

The Future Of Business Travel

One of the defining features of the coronavirus pandemic for working professionals has been the huge growth in communication via platforms such as Zoom. Where previously workers would meet face-to-face, the shutdown in travel and of workplaces has forced so many of us to converse virtually instead. With conferences also heading online, the business travel market has ground to a halt as people have learned to communicate without jumping on a plane to do so.
Tags: Travel

Mekong Tourism Forum postponed to September 2021

The member governments of the Greater Mekong Subregion agreed at the recent 46th GMS Tourism Working Group Meeting on December 3rd, 2020 to postpone the Mekong Tourism Forum in Bagan, Myanmar. The Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO) has been working closely with the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism of Myanmar to plan the annual flagship tourism conference in the Greater Mekong subregion. The forum has been postponed three times so far, originally planned to be hosted on April 28-29, 2...
Tags: Travel, Bagan Myanmar, Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office MTCO, Greater Mekong Subregion, Greater Mekong, Mekong Tourism Forum, 46th GMS Tourism Working Group Meeting, Ministry of Hotels and Tourism of Myanmar

After Brexit Major Restrictions Hit EU-UK Business Travel

Business travel between the European Union and its former member state the United Kingdom is set to become significantly more complicated from Jan. 1. The UK left the EU on Dec. 31, 2019 but little changed in the transition period that runs to Dec. 31, 2020. However, annexes included in the 1259-page trade agreement between the EU and UK published on Christmas Eve confirm that once the transition ends many activities carried out by short-term business visitors will require work permits an...
Tags: Travel, UK, Eu, European Union, United Kingdom, EU UK Business Travel

How normalisation of relations will help #Qatar's battered non-oil economy | ZAWYA MENA Edition

How normalisation of relations will help Qatar's battered non-oil economy | ZAWYA MENA Edition Normalisation of relations between Qatar and its neighbors, signaled by the reopening of borders with Saudi Arabia, will help Qatar’s battered non-oil economy but high public sector debt will remain a drag on the country’s ‘AA-’/Stable sovereign rating, Fitch Ratings said. Saudi Arabia reopened its airspace and land and sea border to Qatar on Monday after the kingdom, Egypt, the UAE and Bahrain had cu...
Tags: Travel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Bahrain, Uae, Trump, Fitch Ratings, Hamad al Thani, Rupert Neil Bumfrey, UAE Bahrain Kuwait Oman