Asia’s First Capella Opens On Singapore’s Sentosa Island

Located on Singapore’s Sentosa island, the Capella Singapore welcomed its first guests following an official opening on Monday. Set amongst 30 acres of lush greenery and designed by Foster + Partners, the hotel blends old and new Singapore with its distinctive architecture. Guests are received in 2 regal Tanah Merah colonial buildings dating back to the 1880s, which is connected to curved, modern buildings in a figure of 8 layout with 61 guestrooms and 11 suites.

 

A range of luxury accomodation is available at the Capella Singapore. The 66 square meter Deluxe Room featuring courtyard views from an expansive balcony, large king-size bed, rainforest shower, LCD television, touch panel room controls, wireless internet access and a complimentary refreshment center. Other room types available include the 77 square meter Premier and Constellation Rooms with views of the South China Sea and an in-room jacuzzi, 86 square meter Singapore Suites and 100 square meter Capella Suites featuring a separate sitting room, bedroom and other luxury amenities.

 

The luxury hotel also offers villa and manor accomodation framing the base of the main hotel building. Available in either 133 square meter and 186 square meter configurations with either 1 or 2 bedrooms, each villa offers views of the hotel’s lush gardens or the South China Sea and features a plunge pool, a separate sitting area and living space. The Capella Manors measure a spacious 434 square meters and offer guests luxury accomodation. The skilfully restored buildings offer a peek into Singapore’s history while providing the modern amenities of a luxury hotel, featuring 3 bedrooms, each with an ensuite bathroom.

 

Dining options at the Capella Singapore include The Knolls, an all-day dining restaurant serving a mix of Western, Japanese, Indian and local Peranakan cuisine. The restaurant has a selection of over 40 varieties of Japanese, British and Indian teas available for Afternoon Tea. Cassia offers guests Chinese fine dining based on regional cooking  and haute Cantonese techniques, while Bob’s Bar replicates the atmosphere of the Cuban island bars of the 1950s and 1960s.

 

To help guests relax and rejuvenate, the hotel boasts the signature Auriga Spa offering treatments incorporating lunar cycles, organic ingredients and Malay heritage. Guests can choose from amongst 9 experience rooms with an outdoor garden, including 3 suites with separate shower and bath, steam shower and dressing area. Other facilities include a fitness center with state-of-the-art equipment from Technogym and 3 hotel pools. In addition, guests of the Capella Singapore can enjoy other recreation facilities on Sentosa island through their personal assistant, who can arrange a game of golf or a private cruise.

 

Capella Hotels & Resorts is a luxury brand of the West Paces Hotel Group and combines the unique architecture and design of boutique hotels with personalized service, attention to detail and luxury amenities. In addition to Singapore, the brand currently operates hotels in Austria, Germany, Mexico and the USA, with new hotels under development in Ireland and Japan.

Qatar Airways Launches Non-stop Service To Houston

Qatar Airways has launched new non-stop flights between its Doha hub and Houston in the USA. Flight QR 077 took off at 0925 hrs and landed in Houston at 1723 hrs. With a flying time just under 17 hours, the flight is the longest in the airline’s network and one of the longest in the world.

 

The Boeing 777-200LR received a traditional water cannon salute at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, followed by an official ceremony with business and government officials. Onboard the inaugural flight was a delegation of Qatari VIPs, media from across the Middle East and Qatar Airways executives led by Chief Executive Officer Mr. Akbar Al Baker.

 

The daily service to Houston offers flexibility and convenience to business and leisure travellers, with the flight timed to offer connections to regional destinations in both directions. QR 077 departs Doha at 0950 hrs and arrives in Houston at 1810 hrs, where passengers can connect onwards to other destinations in North America. The return flight, QR 078, departs Houston at 2030 hrs, landing in Doha at 1940 hrs the next day to connect with Qatar Airways flights to the Middle East and Asia.

 

Qatar Airways will operate the 259-seat Boeing 777-200LR aircraft on the route, offering Business and Economy Class. 42 Business Class seats offering a pitch of 78 inches in a 2-2-2 layout allows passengers either a window or aisle seat. For greater passenger comfort, each seat converts into a 180-degree full-flat bed. In Economy Class, passengers enjoy greater legroom with the new slimline seats offering a seat pitch of 34 inches and greater space in a 3-3-3 configuration. The aircraft is also equipped with an interactive inflight entertainment system offering over 700 on-demand audio, video and gaming content.

 

Operating a modern fleet of 68 Airbus and Boeing aircraft, Qatar Airways flies to 84 destinations across Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America from Doha. Houston is Qatar Airways’ third destination in the USA, following daily services to Washington D.C. and New York. The airline is slated to launch services to Sydney and Melbourne in Australia this year.

Etihad Arrives In Melbourne

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, has inaugurated flights between Abu Dhabi and the Australian city of Melbourne. Flight EY 460 took off from Abu Dhabi International Airport at 1035 hrs and arrived at Melbourne Tullamarine International Airport at 1746 hrs. The capital city of Victoria is Etihad’s third destination in Australia after Sydney and Brisbane.

 

Melbourne is the first of several new destinations to be introduced this year by Etihad, with flights between Abu Dhabi and Athens, Chicago, Istanbul and Larnaca due to be launched. The new service will provide passengers in Melbourne with direct flights to Abu Dhabi and onward connections to over 50 cities in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America.

 

The airline will utilize its Airbus A340-600 aircraft, configured with 12 Diamond First, 30 Pearl Business and 244 Coral Economy seats, on the route. Flight EY 460 departs Abu Dhabi at 1035 hrs daily, arriving into Melbourne at 1815 hrs the next day. The return flight, EY 461, takes off from Melbourne at 2215 hrs and lands back in Abu Dhabi at 0635 hrs the next morning.

 

Etihad Airways is the national airline of the UAE and operates a fleet of 45 Airbus and Boeing aircraft.

Singapore Airlines A330 Officially Enters Service

Singapore Airlines’ new Airbus A330 aircraft have officially entered service, with the deployment of the aircraft on the Singapore-Brisbane route. Departing Terminal 3 at Singapore Changi Airport at 0007 hrs, flight SQ 255 arrived at Brisbane International Airport at 0949 hrs.

 

The aircraft was welcomed in Brisbane by Singapore Airlines’ Chief Executive Officer Mr. Chew Choon Seng and the new Queensland Minister for Tourism, Mr. Peter Lawlor. The inaugural flight of the Singapore Airlines A330 today coincides with the 25th anniversary of the airline’s operation of services to Brisbane.

 

The aircraft is configured in a 2-class layout featuring 30 new regional Business Class seats specially designed for medium-haul routes and 255 Economy Class seats. Offering greater comfort, privacy and functionality, each row has 6 seats in a 2-2-2 layout which converts into an inclined flat-bed. Passengers flying Economy Class can experience the same ergonomic seats found on the B777-300ER and A380 in a 2-4-2 format, designed to improve personal space and legroom. The aircraft is fitted with Singapore Airlines’ award-winning Krisworld entertainment system with audio-video on-demand and in a world’s first, iPod and iPhone connectivity in every seat.

 

Singapore Airlines will progressively introduce the A330 on services between Singapore and other Australian cities (Adelaide and Perth), followed by Nagoya and Osaka in Japan.

Jet Airways Launches New Flights From Mumbai

India’s Jet Airways has launched new domestic and international services from Mumbai to Lucknow and Kuwait. Flight 9W 665 departed Mumbai at 1113 hrs and landed ahead of schedule in Lucknow at 1221 hrs while the inaugural flight to Kuwait, 9W 572, departed Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport at 1854 hrs and is scheduled to arrive in Kuwait at 2030 hrs. Both flights are operated by Jet Airways’ Boeing 737-800 aircraft in a 2-class configuration.

 

Passengers onboard both flights will enjoy comfortable seating and hot meals presented in designer crockery. In the airline’s Première business class, passengers are seated in spacious seats with a seat pitch of 44 inches in a 2-2 configuration, accompanied by a course-by-course personalized meal. Economy passengers are seated in a 3-3 configuration, with a seat pitch of 31 inches, ensuring ample legroom and comfort.

 

Mumbai-Lucknow

Operating daily, flight 9W 665 departs Mumbai at 1110 hrs, arriving in Lucknow at 1320 hrs. The return flight, 9W 666, takes off from Lucknow at 1350 hrs, landing back in Mumbai at 1600 hrs. The new flight complements Jet Airways’ existing service between Lucknow and Delhi, offering passengers greater connectivity to the airline’s domestic network and its international destinations in Asia, Europe, Middle East and North America.

 

Mumbai-Kuwait

Flight 9W 572 departs Mumbai daily at 1900 hrs, arriving in Kuwait at 2030 hrs in the evening. The return flight, 9W 571, takes off from Kuwait at 2130 hrs and arrives back in Mumbai at 0400 hrs the next morning. The new service is Jet Airways’ second daily service between India and Kuwait, complementing the existing Kochi-Kuwait flights.

 

Jet Airways currently operate a fleet of 87 aircraft to 63 destinations within India and beyond, including Bangkok, Brussels, Colombo, Dhaka, Hong Kong, Kathmandu, Kuala Lumpur, London, New York, Singapore and Toronto. In addition to Kuwait, Jet Airways operates daily services to Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai and Muscat in the Middle East.

Accor Expands Sofitel Portfolio In China With Resort In Shanghai

Located 35 minutes from Shanghai’s city center, the Sofitel Huanghe Sheshan Resort is Accor’s latest hotel in China under its upmarket Sofitel brand. The 368-room property has been built to exquisite Mediterranean design, featuring breathtaking grounds and extensive convention space.

 

Each room at the Sofitel Huanghe Sheshan Resort offers guests the Sofitel MyBed, minibar, a spacious bathroom with separate bathtub and shower, satellite television, complimentary internet access, telephone with voicemail function, safe and a private balcony with direct access to the hotel swimming pool for guests staying on the first floor. The resort also offers suite and deluxe villa accomodation options.

 

4 restaurants at the resort serve a variety of cuisines to guests. Vie, the all-day dining restaurant, features international cuisine and fresh seafood prepared in an open kitchen while the M Mediterranean restaurant boasts a romantic ambience paired with food from the Mediterranean countries. Asian food is represented by Prince, the resort’s Cantonese restaurant, and Fukami, featuring authentic Japanese favorites from sushi to teppanyaki.

 

For relaxing and socializing over drinks, the resort also offers 5 lounges and bars. The luxurious Club Millésime lounge offers guests deluxe services including personalized express check-in, a dedicated butler service, daily breakfast and evening cocktails. Located within is the Cigar Bar, boasting an impressive selection of high quality cigars, cognacs and wines. Link Lounge Bar features exotic cocktails, high quality champagnes, wines and a rich selection of coffees and teas, accompanied by live entertainment. There is also a Poolside Bar and a Health Bar offering healthy beverages and light meals to guests following their visit to the spa.

 

The Sofitel Huanghe Sheshan Resort’s SOSPA blends ancient Chinese tradition with the group’s French expertise, offering a variety of treatments and therapies in its 23 secluded treatment rooms and 6 pavilions surrounded by tranquil lagoons. Complementing the spa facilities are a solarium, sauna and a hammam. There are also outdoor and indoor swimming pools, a fitness center, tennis and squash courts, indoor driving range and mini golf course.

 

With an emphasis on meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE), the resort has a custom-built conference center. The center features 12 adaptable function rooms offering 2,100 square meters of convention space, with the ballroom capable of catering for up to 900 guests. The facilities are equipped with state-of-the-art technical support and there is a dedicated concierge to ensure events run smoothly, supported by the fully-equipped business center.

 

The Sofitel Huanghe Sheshan Resort is Accor’s third Sofitel in Shanghai, joining the Sofitel Shanghai Hyland and Sofitel Shanghai Jin Jiang Oriental Pudong.

Singapore’s Newest Boutique Hotel Opens At Orchard Road

Located on Mount Elizabeth, The Quincy Hotel is Singapore’s newest boutique hotel to open at the Southeast Asian city-state’s Orchard Road shopping district. A 5 minute walk from the subway and 30 minutes from Changi International Airport, the 108-room hotel boasts a distinctive facade of lights, modular windows and anodized steel set against the surrounding skyline.

 

Offering an all-inclusive product, room rates at Quincy include the use of guest facilities that are chargeable at other hotels. Guests will be met at the airport and transferred to the hotel by limousine, which is equipped with free wi-fi internet access and enjoy 3 complimentary meals each day at the hotel’s lobby restaurant. Each evening from 1800 hrs to 2000 hrs, drinks and cocktails are on the house for guests. Guests are also entitled to complimentary service for 2 pieces of laundry per room each day.

 

The studio rooms at Quincy feature king-sized beds draped with premium feather beddings, fibre and micro-fibre pillows, large bathroom with separate bath tub and rain shower, a 42-inch LCD television, complimentary minibar and coffee-/tea-making facilities. An executive writing desk, complimentary internet access, telephone with voicemail function and large in-room safe for laptops caters to both business and leisure travellers’ work and entertainment requirements.

 

The Quincy Hotel features a pool deck on the 12th floor illuminated with colour-changing LED lights. Guests can relax in the glass-enclosed cantilevered swimming pool, sauna and steam rooms, or at the gym equipped with top-of-the-line exercise equipment and multimedia stations. The hotel lobby has an all-day dining restaurant serving international cuisine and Apple iMac stations for guests.

 

Owned by Singapore-based Far East Hotels, Quincy joins the group’s Albert Court Hotel, Changi Village Hotel, Golden Landmark Hotel, Orchard Parade Hotel and The Elizabeth Hotel in Singapore.

Continental Airlines Launches Non-stop New York-Shanghai Flights

Continental Airlines has become the first US carrier to launch scheduled non-stop services between New York and Shanghai with daily flights from its hub at Newark Liberty International Airport. The inaugural flight, CO 87, departed Newark Airport at 1122 hrs on 25 March 2009 and arrived in Shanghai Pudong International Airport at 1428 hrs the next day.

 

Passengers onboard the flight experienced a product tailored to the Chinese market, with Mandarin-speaking ground agents at check-in and a Mandarin-speaking flight attendant available to help. The airline has also made all inflight menus, instructional videos, movies and music available to passengers in both English and Mandarin, with meal choices offering a Chinese option. Local Chinese newspapers will also be available for BusinessFirst passengers.

 

Continental Airlines will operate its Boeing 777-200ER aircraft, configured with 50 BusinessFirst and 235 Economy seats, on the route. The improved premium offering onboard features gourmet meals created by the airline’s Congress of Chefs and new 180 degree lie-flat seats with greater storage space, iPod connectivity and a 15.4-inch personal screen. All passengers in both travel classes will also enjoy Continental’s new audio-video on-demand inflight entertainment system, choosing from a selection of more than 250 movies, 300 short programs, 3,000 music tracks, 25 video games and the interactive Berlitz World Traveller foreign language program.

 

Departing Newark daily at 1120 hrs, flight CO 87 will arrive in Shanghai at 1345 hrs the next day. The return flight, CO 86, takes off from Pudong International Airport at 1545 hrs, arriving back in New York at 1820 hrs. The flight timings provide convenient connections for passengers arriving at Newark Liberty International Airport to more than 60 cities throughout the USA and Canada.

 

Shanghai will be Continental’s third destination in China. The airline has operated non-stop service between New York and Hong Kong since 2001 and between New York and Beijing since 2005.

Shangri-La Introduces Customised Hotel Package Programme

Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts has introduced CustomStay, a programme giving guests the flexibility to customize their own hotel package according to their preferences when they book hotel stays at Shangri-La’s website (www.shangri-la.com).

 

Offered when guests choose the hotel group’s “Best Available Rate” and select their preferred room category, a range of optional services and benefits can be added on to create a tailored package. These include airport transfers, dining credits, buffet breakfast, laundry, spa treatments and resort activities. By charging the services separately from the room rate, CustomStay affords guests greater savings from not paying for services and benefits they otherwise would not use.

 

CustomStay is the latest in a series of enhancements Shangri-La has introduced to the guest experience at its hotels. Guests also enjoy complimentary broadband internet access in all guestrooms, public spaces, restaurants, lounges and function areas.

 

Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts currently own and/or manage 62 hotels under the Shangri-La and Traders brand names, with over 28,000 rooms on inventory under its portfolio. The group has more than 40 projects under development in Austria, Canada, China, France, India, Macau, Maldives, Philippines, Qatar, Seychelles, Thailand, UAE, UK and USA.

New Hotels From Hyatt And Rezidor Hotel Group In Middle East

International hotel chains continue to expand in the Middle East, with 3 new properties recently opened in Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia. Hyatt Hotels & Resorts has added the Grand Hyatt Doha to its portfolio in the region and the Rezidor Hotel Group’s Park Inn brand unveiled its first hotels in Muscat and Al Khobar.

 

Grand Hyatt Doha

Situated in Doha’s West Bay district, the Grand Hyatt Doha occupies 38 acres of idyllic beachfront and offers 249 guestrooms and 91 private residences. Each guestroom is stylishly designed using rich woods to complement fine textiles and boast spacious marble baths, in addition to luxury amenities found in Hyatt hotels around the world. The 39 premium suites range in size from 80 square meters to 205 square meters, opening onto large balconies with magnificent views of the beach and gardens.

 

The hotel offers guests 4 innovative restaurants – The Grill, Rocca, Biscotti and Isaan, each individually designed to showcase fine cuisine from around the world. Isaan, the signature restaurant, serves authentic Thai cuisine prepared in an open kitchen while Al Maha offers daily continental breakfast, sweets, light savouries, coffee and high tea. At Dunes, the main bar, guests can relax amidst fine wine displays over drinks and premium cigars in the walk-in humidor.

 

The Grand Hyatt Doha features more than 2,200 square meters of function space, including a 1,500 square meter ballroom, 8 meeting rooms and 3 boardrooms. Business travellers can take advantage of a full-service business center and 24-hour technology concierge service. For recreation, guests can indulge in Hyatt Pure signature treatments at the Jaula Spa, set in an elegant garden with indoor tranquility pools. Separate treatment areas are available for ladies, gentlemen and couples. The hotel also boasts an outdoor swimming pool, 25 meter indoor lap pool and fully equipped fitness center.

 

Hyatt Hotels & Resorts now have 5 properties in the Middle East. The Grand Hyatt Doha in Qatar joins the UAE’s Park Hyatt Dubai, Grand Hyatt Dubai, Hyatt Regency Dubai and the Grand Hyatt Muscat in Oman.

 

Park Inn Muscat and Park Inn Al Khobar

The 175-room Park Inn Muscat is ideally located on the main highway linking Muscat International Airport to the city’s Ruwi central business district and a 5 minute drive away from the Al Gubra beach. The comfortable, bright and colourful rooms feature a large bed, walk-in shower, LCD television, wi-fi internet access, in-room safe, mini-bar and coffee-/tea-making facilities, with 7 Executive Suites available for guests.

 

There are several food & beverage outlets at the hotel, including the RBG Bar & Grill and the all-day dining Atrium Restaurant, which serves Middle Eastern, Indian and Asian favorites. Guests can select from a wide selection of teas and coffees at the Lobby Lounge, or enjoy panoramic views of Muscat and the Gulf of Oman over drinks at the Roof Top Bar.

 

Business travellers at the Park Inn Muscat enjoy the convenience of a business center, 4 modern meeting rooms and an executive boardroom, all equipped with internet access and state-of-the-art audio-visual facilities. After a day of business, guests can relax at the hotel’s fitness center, 2 massage rooms, sauna and Sky Club swimming pool.

 

In the eastern province of Saudi Arabia on the Persian Gulf, the brand has also opened the 148-room Park Inn Al Khobar, located conveniently near the main causeway linking the commercial cities of Dammam, Jubail and Hofuf. 148 colourful and modern guest rooms, including 14 suites, feature large beds, satellite television, direct-dial telephones and coffee-/tea-making facilities. Connecting rooms for families and rooms for disabled guests are available upon request.

 

For dining options, the hotel’s restaurant serves an eclectic menu of international dishes, while the lobby lounge and patio cafe provide ideal locations to relax with a cup of coffee or refreshing beverage. Guests requiring the use of conference facilities have 3 conference rooms from 40 square meters to 55 square meters in size at their disposal. To accomodate larger parties, the Park Inn Al Khobar has a 340 square meter multi-purpose hall equipped with the latest audio-visual equipment. The hotel is also developing a fitness center with its own cafe for guest recreation.

 

Park Inn is the mid-market brand of the Rezidor Hotel Group, built on the foundations of being efficient, uncomplicated, practical and hassle-free. There are currently over 80 Park Inn hotels around the world. In the Middle East, Saudi Arabia is due to welcome the Park Inn Riyadh, Olaya in 2010 and the Al Diyafa Park Inn Makkah in 2011.