Carnival Cruise Line’s newest fun ship, the 130,000-GRT Carnival Dream, has been christened in the New York by her godmother Marcia Gay Harden. The award-winning actress swung an official Yankees baseball bat autographed by player Alex Rodriguez at a 1.8-meter tall faux bottle of Moet & Chandon champagne onstage in the ship’s theater, triggering the release of a real bottle against the ship’s hull.

The festivities, hosted by Carnival’s Senior Cruise Director John Heald, continued throughout the ship and guests at the Encore! show lounge were treated to a live dance performance by Carnival Dream’s Fun Force dance troupe. Dressed in blue track suits, the performers breakdanced and cartwheeled to techno music, with one performer being revealed at the end of the number to be Carnival Cruise Lines CEO Gerry Cahill.

The 3652-guest Carnival Dream is the largest ship in the Carnival fleet and offers a host of innovations, including the Ocean Plaza indoor/outdoor dining and entertainment venue and a 2,206-square meter Cloud 9 Spa. The ship also features the longest water slide at sea as part of the Carnival Waterworks aqua park, to be christened with a ride down by Hailee Steberger, the winner of Carnival’s “Virtual Book of Dreams” contest.

Constructed in Italy, Carnival Dream entered service in September 2009 , sailing in the Mediterranean before crossing the Atlantic Ocean to New York, making her North American debut. She will operate a series of short cruises before repositioning again to homeport in Port Canaveral in Florida to operate Caribbean cruises throughout the year.

For more information, visit www.carnival.com.

Marriott International has announced the launch of a new brand within its portfolio. The Autograph Collection will comprise of upper upscale and luxury, independent hotels with distinct personalities in major cities and destinations around the world.

The Bethesda, Maryland-based company has plans to add up to 25 properties to the brand in 2010. The iconic hotels will be grouped according to the unique experiences they offer to guests, ranging from boutique arts, resort getaways, to historic and urban-edge encounters.

The Autograph Collection combines the experience of an independent hotel with the product and standards of Marriott’s other full-service hotels. Each hotel will be featured on the group’s sales and marketing platforms, with affiliation with the Marriott Rewards guest loyalty program. The properties will also be required to maintain high levels of guest satisfaction and quality assurance to remain part of The Autograph Collection.

Marriott International joins rival hotel groups Hilton Worldwide and Starwood Hotels & Resorts in managing a portfolio of independent luxury hotels under the Waldorf Astoria Collection and Luxury Collection brands respectively.

For more information, visit www.marriott.com.

Tune Hotels.com has opened its first hotel in Indonesia, marking the budget hotel operator’s expansion beyond Malaysia. The 139-room Tune Hotels.com Kuta, Bali is located off Jalan Pantai Kuta and is a 6-minute walk from the famous beach as well as the main shopping and dining areas.

Each of the 84 double and 55 single rooms offer guests a clean, comfortable bed, ensuite shower and a ceiling fan. Guests can also choose to add-on optional amenities such as air-conditioning, laudered towels, television and wireless internet access for a fee.

Despite being minimally-priced, the hotel also provides daily housekeeping, electronic keycard access and 24-hour security. Other hotel facilities include a transportation/tour desk and a convenience store selling food and beverages, newspapers and magazines, essentials and souvenirs.

Malaysia-based Tune Hotels.com currently operate 5 limited service hotels in Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Penang and Kuala Lumpur. The group will add a second Indonesian property when the 170-room Tune Hotels.com Double Six Legian opens next month.

For more information, visit www.tunehotels.com.

Air travellers flying between Singapore and Tokyo will enjoy greater convenience next year. Singapore Airlines has announced that it will begin services to Tokyo (Haneda) from October 2010, in addition to its existing operations at Tokyo (Narita).

The airline will operate twice daily between Singapore Changi International Airport and Haneda Airport, but has yet to reveal flight timings or capacity on the route. Singapore Airlines expects the new flights to cater for growth in demand and boost business and leisure travel between Singapore and Japan.

Located 30 minutes south of downtown Tokyo, Haneda Airport enjoys easy access by rail and road to the city, making it highly attractive to time conscious travellers compared to a 2-hour transfer to Narita. The new flights add a sixth international destination served from the airport, in addition to Beijing, Hong Kong, Seoul, Shanghai and Ulan Bator. Passengers will also enjoy increased accessibility to other Japanese cities, connecting seamlessly to domestic flights which make up the bulk of the airport’s traffic.

Japan is opening up Haneda Airport to more international traffic in a bid to alleviate capacity restrictions at Narita Airport. A fourth runway is due to open in 2010, increasing the airport’s handling capacity and allowing for the opening of flights to new destinations and greater frequencies on existing routes.

Singapore Airlines currently flies twice daily to Tokyo (Narita), as well as services to Fukuoka, Nagoya and Osaka. For more information, visit www.singaporeair.com.

Mexican airline Mexicana has joined Oneworld as its eleventh full member, with its subsidiaries MexicanaClick and MexicanaLink becoming affiliate members of the alliance. The 3 airlines bring forth an extensive Central American network to Oneworld, extending the alliance’s reach to almost 700 destinations in nearly 150 countries.

As part of Oneworld, members of the MexicanaGo frequent flyer program can now earn and redeem mileage awards on any of its partner airlines, with Conquer, Discover and Explore cardholders being accorded Oneworld Emerald, Sapphire and Ruby status respectively. The 100 million members enrolled in the frequent flyer programs of the other Oneworld member airlines will also be able to earn and redeem awards, as well as receive benefits on Mexicana and its subsidiaries.

To commemorate the joining, Mexicana has unveiled 2 aircraft, an Airbus A320 and a Boeing 717, in a special Oneworld livery at its hub at Mexico City’s Benito Juárez International Airport as part of a rebranding and marketing campaign. The airline will also have its logo added to the alliance and its member airlines’ marketing platforms, while featuring the Oneworld emblem on its aircraft, advertising, publications and stationery.

Together with its affiliates, Mexicana serves 67 destinations in 14 countries using a combined fleet of 105 Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier and Fokker aircraft from its hubs in Mexico City, Cancun and Guadalajara. The airline joins American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, LAN, Malév Hungarian Airlines, Qantas and Royal Jordanian in Oneworld, which was recently voted the World’s Leading Airline Alliance at the 2009 World Travel Awards for the seventh year running.

For more information, visit www.mexicana.com and www.oneworld.com.

Low cost carrier Flydubai has added its eighth route since its inaugural flight in June 2009. The airline commenced services from its base in Dubai to Khartoum, the capital of Sudan on Sunday, 8 November 2009. Onboard the inaugural flight was Flydubai’s CEO, Ghaith al Ghaith, who was welcomed by a Sudanese delegation on arrival.

From now until 16 December 2009, flight FZ 631 departs Dubai daily at 1845 hrs, arriving in Khartoum at 2150 hrs. The return flight, FZ 632, will depart Khartoum International Airport at 2235 hrs and land back at Dubai International Airport at 0340 hrs the next morning.

The outbound flight will be retimed to take off at 2045 hrs from Dubai for a 2350 hrs arrival into Sudan from 17 December 2009, with the return leg departing Khartoum at 0035 hrs and arriving back in Dubai at 0540 hrs. All flights will be operated with Flydubai’s 189-seat Boeing 737-800 aircraft.

Khartoum is Flydubai’s third destination in Africa, after Alexandria and Djibouti. The airline is on an aggressive expansion and is set to launch flights to Baku, Azerbaijan later this month.

For more information, visit www.flydubai.com.

Accor’s economy Ibis brand has opened its second property in India. The 175-room Ibis Pune is located 5 minutes away from Pune International Airport and offers easy accessibility to the city’s commercial, leisure and cultural districts.

Each room is furnished with amenities familiar to guests at Ibis properties around the world. Amenities include a comfortable bed and hypo-allergenic pillows, bathroom, LCD television with international programming, high-speed internet access, telephone, ergonomically-designed workspace, in-room safe, minibar and coffee-/tea-making facilities.

For dining, the hotel’s multi-cuisine, all-day dining restaurant Spice It features interactive cooking stations serving a la carte dishes and buffet. An outdoor area adjacent to the restaurant enables guests a choice to dine whilst enjoying Pune’s weather or in air-conditioned comfort within the restaurant. The Hub is a casual lounge offering drinks and light snacks for guests to unwind, with complimentary internet access.

Ibis Pune has 2 meeting rooms for business travellers and event planners that can accomodate up to 24 guests each. Both spaces are supported with the latest audio-visual technology and are designed to allow natural light and views of the bustling city. For recreation, there is a 24-hour fitness room that guests work out after a day of business.

Ibis Pune joins the Ibis Gurgaon as part of the brand’s expansion in India. Accor plans to open Ibis properties in the cities of Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Jaipur and Mumbai.

For more information, visit www.ibishotel.com.

InterContinental Hotels Group has added a new property to its portfolio in Asia. The new Crowne Plaza Hong Kong Causeway Bay welcomed its first guests last week on 1 November 2009. Located on Leighton Road in the heart of Causeway Bay, the hotel is 40 minutes from Hong Kong International Airport and provides easy access to major attractions, business and shopping districts by all means of transportation.

The 263-room hotel offers 4 accomodation types, ranging from the 34-square meter Superior Room to the 84-square meter One Bedroom Suite. Each guestroom and suite is furnished with comfortable, 330-thread count bedding, spacious bathroom with separate bathtub and rain shower, 42-inch LCD television with surround-sound DVD system and iPod docking station, high-speed internet access, dual-line telephone with voicemail feature, full-size executive workdesk, in-room safe, minibar and coffee-/tea-making facilities. In addition to standard amenities, guest staying in the hotel’s Club Rooms and Suites enjoy complimentary access to the Crowne Plaza Club Lounge.

Crowne Plaza Hong Kong Causeway Bay offers 3 unique food and beverage outlets. Kudos is a casual all-day dining restaurant serving an extensive selection of international cuisine. A live kitchen in the middle of the outlet lets guests enjoy culinary displays and performances by the chefs as part of the dining experience. Connections provides a location to start the day with gourmet coffee and breakfast in a lobby lounge environment, while the chic Club @28 lounge bar located on the rooftop terrace next to the swimming pool is an ideal place to unwind over drinks and snacks with panoramic views of the city.

The hotel boasts facilities catering to business and leisure travellers, including a fully-equipped business center and meeting space that can accomodate up to 100 guests for a medium-sized conference. After a day of business, guests can relax at Pavilion, a serene and artistically designed rest area with views of the city below. For recreation, the hotel has an outdoor swimming pool located on the rooftop, as well as a fitness center equipped with state-of-the-art equipment.

Crowne Plaza Hong Kong Causeway Bay marks the brand’s entry in the Special Administrative Region and joins more than 274 locations worldwide. In Hong Kong, InterContinental Hotels Group operates 4 other properties, including the Holiday Inn Express Causeway Bay Hong Kong, Holiday Inn Hong Kong-Golden Mile, InterContinental Hong Kong and InterContinental Grand Stamford Hong Kong.

For more information, visit www.crowneplaza.com and www.ichotelsgroup.com.

United Airlines has announced it will begin flights from the USA to new destinations in Africa, Europe and the Middle East in 2010. The Chicago-based airline will inaugurate a daily, same-plane service to Accra, Ghana and Lagos, Nigeria, as well as flights to Brussels and Bahrain.

Washington DC – Accra – Lagos

From 2 May 2010, United will fly non-stop from Washington DC to Accra, connecting the capital cities of the USA and Ghana. The service is United’s first-ever non-stop flight to Africa and continues to Lagos, Nigeria.

Flight UA 990 departs Washington Dulles International Airport at 2210 hrs, arriving in Accra at 1240 hrs the next day, before continuing to Lagos at 1420 hrs where it lands at Murtala Muhammed International Airport at 1625 hrs. The return flight, UA 991, takes off from Lagos at 2115 hrs for Accra, where it arrives at Kotoka International Airport at 2120 hrs, before departing at 2300 hrs back to Washington DC, where it arrives at 0625 hrs the next morning.

United will operate on the route daily with a 4-class Boeing 767-300ER aircraft configured with 6 First, 26 Business, 71 Economy Plus and 80 Economy Class seats. 

Chicago – Brussels

United Airlines will also expand its operations at Brussels with a new flight connecting the Belgian capital to Chicago. The new service, which begins on 28 March 2010, adds a second US city to the airline’s flights from Brussels, in addition to its existing Washington DC-Brussels service.

Flight UA 972 departs Chicago O’Hare International Airport at 1800 hrs and arrives in Brussels Airport at 0920 hrs the next morning. The aircraft returns to Chicago as flight UA 973 at 1100 hrs, landing back at O’Hare International Airport at 1315 hrs.

Flight timings have been scheduled to allow for connections at O’Hare International Airport to cities in the USA, Canada and Mexico. Across the atlantic, the new route allows passengers to enjoy convenient connections to onward destinations on Brussels Airlines, which joins the Star Alliance next month. United will fly a 4-class Boeing 767 aircraft on the route daily.

Washington DC – Kuwait – Bahrain

Beginning 18 April 2010, United will extend its existing Washington DC-Kuwait service to Bahrain. United Airlines will become the first and only US carrier to serve Bahrain and the flight will be the only same-plane service between Bahrain and the North America.

Flight UA 982 departs Washington Dulles International Airport at 1812 hrs, arriving in Kuwait at 1335 hrs the next day, before taking off again at 1450 hrs for Bahrain, where it arrives at 1555 hrs. The return flight, UA 981, takes off from Bahrain International Airport at 2125 hrs, landing in Kuwait at 2230 hrs. The flight continues to Washington DC at 2345 hrs for a 0647 hrs arrival the next morning.

Operated by a Boeing 777-200 fitted with 348 seats in a 3-class configuration, passengers can look forward to a product enhancement as the airline outfits its aircraft with the new United First and Business Class cabin product in 2010 and 2011.

For more information, visit www.united.com.

W Hotels has opened its 35th property with the unveiling of the new W Boston, marking a milestone in the brand’s ongoing expansion. Located in the heart of Boston near Chinatown and the Theater District, the hotel is designed as a ‘virtual garden’ concept and is the result of a collaboration between local architect William Rawn, TRO Jung|Brannen and New York-based Bentel & Bentel. The building’s glass facade enables light to be subtly transitioned as it filters through into the interior spaces, while the designers have made use of falling water and a modern fireplace to create visual interest of the interior.

The hotel features 235 guestrooms and suites, ranging from W Hotels’ signature Wonderful Room to the Extreme WOW Suite, vividly-designed with high-energy interiors familiar to guests at sister properties around the world. Each room is furnished with the W bed and pillow menu, a spacious bathroom with separate bathtub and rain shower complemented by amenities from Bliss, flat-screen televisions with CD/DVD player and iPod docking station, high-speed internet access, dual-line cordless telephones with voicemail feature, workdesk and a munchie box/minibar.

Dining at W Boston promises to be a gastronomic experience with outlets offering gourmet food and drinks from Michelin-starred Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten and master mixologist Sasha Petraske. Market by Jean-Georges serves a multicultural menu inspired by Asian, French and Italian influences and prepared with ingredients from the New England region. The cozy W Bar boasts stylish spaces to mix and mingle over drinks and light snacks, while Descent, scheduled to open early next year, will be an exclusive underground spot with cocktails created by Sasha Petraske of New York’s Milk & Honey fame.

Business travellers at W Boston requiring conference facilities will have 9 spaces available to them, including the 177-square meter Great Room. Each meeting space is equipped with complete audio-visual support and a teleconferencing system, with business and secretarial services provided by the WIRED business center. Guests seeking a workout can do so at the SWEAT fitness center, or indulge in the variety of spa treatments available at Bliss Spa.

W Boston is the brand’s ninth hotel to open in 2009. W Hotels is on track to double its portfolio by 2011, with new hotels scheduled to open in Athens, Bangkok, Dubai, Hollywood, Koh Samui, London, Marrakech, Paris and Shanghai.

For more information, visit www.whotels.com.