The Hilton Jeddah Hotel celebrated its 10th anniversary in Jeddah recently, with a visit and congratulations from Rudi Jagersbacher, Hilton Worldwide area president operations Middle East and Africa, and a cake-cutting ceremony in the hotel’s capacious foyer. Hotel General Manager Wolfgang Maier, a five-year veteran of the 388-bedroom hotel, thanked the staff present for their vital contributions to the well-running of the hotel as the bustle of the opening Islamic Development Bank’s annual general meeting ebbed and flowed round the gigantic cake created in the Hilton’s kitchens for the occasion. “A hotel is a business, but to make it a success it requires much more than that; it needs to have the attitude of a family toward old friends — the guests,” said Maier adding that the staff as a whole generated the hotel’s unique atmosphere. Slices of the cake were in heavy demand and more than a few ended up with IDB delegates to the conference in the hotel’s Qasar Ballroom, part of the Hilton’s ample MICE facilities, in something of a party atmosphere.
With global leisure trends highlighting the ‘staycation’ as the new vacation, Riyadh’s ultra-luxury hotel offers “the perfect summer escape” for guests staying in the capital city between July and September 2011. “Sumptuous suites and superbly appointed rooms” are offered at competitive rates in both Al Faisaliah Hotel North and the newly-opened Al Faisaliah Hotel South, the finest dining options in the city, and the unrivalled luxury retail shopping pleasures offered in the adjoining Al Faisaliah Center, make Summer Escapes at Al Faisaliah Hotel, A Rosewood Hotel the perfect luxury stay at the most affordable. Summer offers the perfect opportunity to indulge in the world-renowned magnificence of Al Faisaliah Hotel North and the fabulous contemporary luxury of the new South wing. Both hotels offer exceptional comfort, style, personalized service and a choice of cuisine from some of the finest chefs in the world — an unbeatable combination for our discerning guests,” said Peter Finamore, MD, Al Faisaliah Hotel, A Rosewood Hotel. A haven of hospitality and personalized service that includes round-the-clock butlers for every room, the Al Faisaliah Hotel North and South offer “unprecedented” special summer rates on a wide range of ultra-luxury suites and superior rooms. “There is no doubt that a summer stay at Al Faisaliah Hotel, whether for business or leisure, offers a welcome escape for both our long-standing and first time guests,” said Finamore.
Lufthansa has launched an app for travel fans in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE, Oman and Qatar. Until Aug. 31, the public can visit http://lufthansa.com/virtual-postcard and start sending postcards from exquisite travel destinations served by Lufthansa to their friends and families. Virtual postcards can be sent via social networking sites Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Recipients of the postcards have to virtually ‘stamp’ the cards, and the more virtual stamps from friends a sender gets, the better their chances of winning — with the first prize of two Lufthansa Business Class tickets to any destination in Europe up for grabs. “Social media is definitely the way forward,” said Peter Pollak, Lufthansa’s GM for UAE and director for Gulf, Afghanistan & Iraq. Stefan Loecherbach, director for Saudi Arabia & Bahrain, Lufthansa German Airlines said: “Through social media, we get to communicate directly and interact with our customers and their friends. We launched our Virtual Postcard as a fun and entertaining way to engage with customers and allow them to share their love of traveling with friends across their online networks.” As well as the two Business Class flights to Europe, there are second and third prizes of an Economy Class ticket to Europe and an Economy Class ticket Germany for the Virtual Postcard senders who collect the most stamps. All participants will receive a special code to unlock a fare discount for future Lufthansa flights taken between Sept. 1 and Dec. 31.
Saudi-based low fare airline — nasair — is launching new flights to Islamabad, Pakistan on July 15. The airline will operate four weekly flights from Riyadh and three weekly flights from Jeddah. Seats will go on sale for an introductory price of SR499, inclusive of taxes, allowing passengers to book from today up to July 14 for travel through to October. These new flights will bring the number of nasair’s international destinations to 21 cities. The addition of Pakistan’s Capital of tranquility to nasair’s international destinations will greatly expand the travel options. The routes will be flown by nasair’s modern Airbus A320 aircraft. These critical route expansions, coupled with nasair’s recent addition of Lahore and Karachi, the financial hub of Pakistan, will help support the travel needs of about 200,000 pilgrims who fly to the Kingdom every year from Pakistan. Furthermore, by increasing its market share in Pakistan and diversifying smart travel options for passengers, nasair opens the door for the strengthening of bonds between the Kingdom and Pakistan, whether in terms of business or leisure. Turki Al Jawini, nasair’s deputy chief commercial officer, expressed his optimism by saying, “We are proud to announce this major milestone for nasair as our flights now cover all major international airports in Pakistan. This is an important step in our route expansion and we look forward to providing our passengers with more smart choices to our destinations.”
Malaysia Airlines last week commenced 15 scheduled Boeing 777-200 flights between Riyadh and Kuala Lumpur to meet the summer holiday rush. Regional SVP for MEA & South America Merina Abu Tahir said: “Malaysia is a value for money and convenient destination for the Saudi nationals as they do not need visas to visit Malaysia. We thank the Saudi authorities for their timely assistance for us to mount these flights.” The thrice-weekly service is being operated till July 27 with flight MH153 departing on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday from Riyadh. The return flight MH152 from Kuala Lumpur departs on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. “Malaysia Airlines is encouraged by the response from Saudi nationals who have always preferred Malaysia as their summer vacation destination. This service will cater to the needs of those from Riyadh and the Central Province of Saudi Arabia,” Merina added. The airline has had a long presence in Saudi Arabia with its annual Haj services between Kuala Lumpur and Jeddah operated on April 1, 1974. By June 4, 1978, Jeddah was added to Malaysia Airlines’ network of scheduled services. Today Malaysia Airlines’ operations between Kuala Lumpur and the Middle East cover Jeddah (6 times a week), Dubai (daily flight), Istanbul (3 times a week) and Dammam (2 times a week). Malaysia Airlines also serves Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Muscat, Doha and Amman through codeshare partners Etihad, Oman Air, Gulf Air, Qatar Airlines and Royal Jordanian.
Oman Air was named winner of the World’s Best Business Class Airline Seat award at the 2011 World Airline Awards, at a ceremony held in the French Air and Space Museum in the Paris Air Show. The runners-up in this Best Business Class Airline Seat category are Singapore Airlines taking 2nd place in the category, ahead of Qatar Airways in 3rd position. The national carrier of Oman was presented with the Best Business Class Seat award at a ceremony attended by more than 50 airlines. The awards are based on the views of nearly 20 million air passengers, who were surveyed by Skytrax over the last year. Oman Air’s CEO Peter Hill said: “Our Business Class seat is regularly mistaken for First Class. It offers unparalleled levels of space, comfort and amenity and has proved extremely popular with our customers. Competition at the World Airline Awards for the Best Business Class Seat title is fierce and it is enormously satisfying to know that air travelers regard our seat as the best in the world. The World Airline Awards, also known as the Passenger Choice Awards, are recognized as the benchmark for excellence in the airline industry. They are informed by a survey carried out over a period of 10 months by independent airline experts Skytrax. The views of 18.8 million air travelers, from more than 100 different countries, are surveyed and responses cover over 200 airlines of all sizes. Standards across nearly 40 different items of airline frontline product and service are measured and analyzed.
British Airways will increase its frequency from Riyadh to London Heathrow, from five times a week to six, using a Boeing 777 fitted. The aircraft will offer a choice of four cabins that includes the award winning Club World (business class) and the airlines flagship cabin, First. The additional flights will take place for the winter schedule, which starts at the end of October. Together with its five services a week from Jeddah, British Airways operate a total of 11 weekly flights from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to London Heathrow. Paolo De Renzis, regional commercial manager Middle East, said: “June marks two years since we resumed flights to the Kingdom, during which time we have enjoyed strong business in all cabins. The need for an additional service to Riyadh is a clear indication that demand continues to grow and we are delighted to announce this additional service re-affirming our long term commitment to the market.” Entry into the UK or transiting to other destinations in the British Airways network, will also be much easier and pleasurable this summer following the recent opening of a $554 million satellite extension to Terminal 5, the airlines exclusive home at London Heathrow. The satellite extension, Terminal 5C, is the third and final section of Terminal 5 to open since operations started with the original main building in March 2008.
