JEDDAH: A Greek food festival opened at Jeddah Hilton’s Al Safina Restaurant on Sunday night. Greek cuisine enthusiasts can now embark on a Greek Food Odyssey to discover the Mediterranean flavors at the festival till June 5. In-house guests and visitors can savor a wide variety of both traditional and modern Hellenic fare served at a daily dinner buffet. An additional highlight of the week, being held in association with Hilton Athens, is a Greek Food Cooking Class hosted by Chef Michalis Iroglidis of the landmark Hilton Athens on Friday (June 4) from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the restaurant. All food creations are prepared under the supervision of Iroglidis who will present his interpretation of typical Greek specialties to the hotel’s residents and visitors. The event features a daily changing selection of all-time favorites ranging from Tzatsiki, a Greek yoghurt with finely chopped cucumber, garlic and olive oil, to Keftedakia, fried meatballs with garlic and bread, and the ever popular Mousakka, potato topped with fresh eggplant, onion, minced beef and béchamel creme.
DUBAI: Air Arabia, claimed to be the first and largest low-cost carrier (LCC) in the Middle East and North Africa, has been named ‘Best Low-Cost Airline’ at the Business Traveller Awards Middle East. “This prestigious award further strengthens Air Arabia’s leadership position in the LCC sector in the MENA region, and highlights its ability to consistently deliver best-value services without compromising on quality, despite the tough economic climate,” said Air Arabia Group CEO and board member, Adel Ali.
JEDDAH: Rosewood Corniche in Jeddah has been named the Kingdom’s leading hotel for the second year by the world’s travel industry in only third year of its operation. Adding to the World Travel Award for Saudi Arabia’s Leading Hotel is the trophy for Saudi Arabia’s Leading Business Hotel, awarded to the Red Sea’s premier luxury property following its commitment to building relationships with the local business community and providing personalized services to business people visiting the Kingdom. The awards, which are voted by travel professionals in the hospitality industry around the world, come after Qatar Airways, the world’s five-star airline announced that Rosewood Corniche is now its preferred hotel for all travelers to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia’s commercial capital. The airline currently operates daily flights from its hub in Doha to Jeddah and Riyadh and double daily flights to Dammam. “We have had a tremendous start to 2010 with the recognition from the SCTA that our personalized services and unique way of looking after our guests is in line with five-star standards around the world,” said Hans-Peter Lietzke, MD, Rosewood Corniche.
RIYADH: In commemoration of the second year of the launch of its flights from Beirut to Riyadh and Jeddah, nas air organized a ceremony in Beirut, which was hosted by nas air Chief Commercial Officer Maria Hanne. nas air was serving its passengers in Lebanon through 14 flights weekly from Beirut to Riyadh and Jeddah — seven flights each, Maria said, adding that the carrier started flights from and to Beirut from July 2008 with only three flights to Jeddah. nas air’s advanced fleet, which now includes 12 modern aircraft, is expected to rise to 15 by the end of 2010, and will enable the carrier to operate more than 400 flights weekly to 30 domestic and international destinations.
DUBAI: Hilton Worldwide has signed a management agreement with Dead Sea Resorts PSC for the new-build Hilton Dead Sea Resort & Spa in Jordan, scheduled to open in the fourth quarter of 2013, as well as the existing King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Center. The location of the 285-room new-build waterfront resort is on the east coast of Jordan overlooking the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth. The property is adjacent and linked to the King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Center, a state-of-the-art meetings facility famed for hosting the 2009 World Economic Forum on the Middle East. Hilton Worldwide will start operating the convention center soon.
JEDDAH: British Airways (BA) aircraft are having the ‘Keep the flag flying’ slogan painted along their fuselages to underline the message that the airline will continue to fly throughout the 15 days of strikes planned by the Unite Union. The message is being placed on 10 Boeing 777s at Heathrow and two Boeing 777s at Gatwick. The Boeing 777 is commonly used to serve the airline’s eight Middle East routes from London Heathrow. Despite the strike, British Airways flew to 85 percent of its long haul destinations and 100 percent of its short haul destinations.
