DOHA: Qatar Airways has partnered with Mobiqa, a mobile content optimization company, to launch a mobile version of the carrier’s website. The new mobile website enables travelers to easily access the most popular services of qatarairways.com through their Internet-enabled mobile device. The website provides convenient access to online functions such as flight check-in, flight status information, seat selection, travel information and important information about the airline. Users can also sign up to receive the latest flight offers from the airline as well as receive their boarding pass directly to the mobile phone. The airline already offers its passengers the option of having their boarding pass sent straight to their mobile device following online check-in up to 36 hours in advance. With the launch of the new mobile website, passengers can check-in on-the-go, using the web browser on their mobile device. Simply enter qatarairways.com in the browser on your mobile device.

DAMMAM: nasair celebrated the opening of its first sales office in Dammam and the second in the Eastern Province recently. Mohammad Al-Rajeh, senior manager sales, Saudi Arabia, and Ahmed Ismail, CEO of Saudi Nova Co., nasair’s sales agent in the Kingdom were among those present at the ceremony. According to Turki Al-Jawini nasair sales director, the opening of this office comes within the scope of a plan drawn up in coordination with nasair’s Saudi agents to expand the sales offices and meet the growing demand for getting bookings directly through sales offices, although other alternatives are still available through the call center and flynas.com. nasair currently has 10 sales offices covering Makkah, Madinah, Riyadh, Jeddah, Jazan, Dammam and Alkhobar.  The new sales office in Dammam is located on Prince Mohammed bin Abdul Aziz Avenue, near the sports stadium and King Fahd tunnel. It is open seven days a week from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., except on Friday when it is open from 3:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts last week launched its third ‘Road to Awareness’ campaign with UNICEF to raise money so that children in South Africa can realize their right to a basic, quality education, with a special emphasis on helping the most disadvantaged young people to stay in school. This year’s campaign, which runs until November, revolves around a fundraising bike-ride climbing the Dolomites, a section of the Italian Alps, and features three representatives from Starwood hotels in the Middle Eastern region. Guido De Wilde, vice president and regional director, Starwood Middle East, and two other Middle East representatives, will join a team of 24 cyclists and fundraisers for the arduous journey, which begins on Aug. 26 and lasts for three days. During the trip, the cyclists will cover a total of 360 km, racking up between 120 km and 150 km per day while spending an average of six hours in the saddle, and traversing some seriously steep gradients over the course of the campaign.

DUBAI: Hilton Worldwide has announced the signing of a management agreement with King Saud University Endowment for the 241-room Hilton Riyadh King Saud University and the 155-room Hilton Riyadh King Saud University (KSU) Residence, both expected to open by 2012. The university and the Residence will feature all-day dining facilities, health clubs, swimming pools and business centers. The hotel will also offer a spa, retail space, four meeting rooms, an executive lounge and additional F&B options including a specialty restaurant, lobby lounge and a pool bar. “Riyadh is drawing both domestic and international visitors from strong business and corporate markets, and we are delighted to meet this demand with two additional Hilton branded properties with the same owner,” said Andrew Clough, senior vice president, development, Hilton Worldwide, Middle East & Asia-Pacific. KSU is Saudi Arabia’s oldest, largest and most prestigious higher education center with a student population of 70,000 attending various colleges and research centers.