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It is I&MI Media's pleasure to bring this collection of hotels and DMC's that have recently been added to our website and will be a part of our annual directory,
The Workbook, in the 2008 edition.
CZECH REPUBLIC: St. Augustine Opening Summer 2008 - Rocco Forte Does It Again
PORTUGAL: Three Portugal Hotels Named in T&L's "World's Best" List
GERMANY: Germany's Oldest City Is Right for 21st Century Events
EGYPT: Sofitel El Gezirah Cairo
South Africa is getting ready for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, infrastructure is being upgraded and new stadiums are being built to accommodate the event. One of the new stadiums is the Greenpoint Stadium in Cape Town being built on the slopes of Table Mountain. Teral Cullen, Cape Town Municipality's 2010 coordinator, said, "... Cape Town promises the visitors to the 2010 FIFA World Cup a fantastic and spectacular party in one of the world's most beautiful cities. We are planning to be the '2010 party capital'. All the event infrastructure, our world class stadium, accommodation, public viewing and iconic tourism infrastructure, such as the V&A Waterfront, Table Mountain and Robben Island are centralized within the inner city, setting the scene."
Until next time
Best
Helena Miele, CITE
Editor electronic newsletters
The Vasa Museum in Stockholm houses The Vasa, the world's only surviving 17th century ship. The ill-fated ship, built during the 30 Years' War of 1618-1648, capsized on its maiden voyage. The ship remained underwater for 333 years. In 1961, The Vasa was raised from Stockholm Harbor and eventually the museum was built. Today, the Vasa Museum also serves as an exciting event venue. It is possible to have a banquet sitting next to the fifty-meter hull of the ship. Banquets for up to 730 guests can be created as a classic medieval feast with epoch-style table settings, décor, music and costumed serving staff or 1,400 can have a cocktail reception around the ship. The museum's large screen movie theatre, which seats 290, is available for meetings, lectures and seminars. For smaller gatherings the icebreaker ship 'Sankt Erik', moored right outside the Vasa Museum, is available for receptions and dinners. The ship's salon has been restored to its original 1915 condition with the brass and mahogany fittings of the time. The Sankt Erik accommodates 24 guests on board. During spring and summer, 150 guests can have a reception on the Sankt Erik's rear deck. In addition, the Vasa Restaurant accommodates 180 guests for dinner and dancing.
Email: bokningen.vasa@maritima.se
Web site: http://www.vasamuseet.se
The latest jewel in the Rocco Forte Collection is the St. Augustine Hotel in Prague, which is set to open summer 2008. The hotel is named after one of the 13th century monasteries, the most important structure in the group of buildings, being transformed into this unique 5-Star, luxury property. The Monastery provides the hotel with picturesque courtyards and gardens and its historic cloistered terraces, wooden ceilings, wine vaults and stone arches will be incorporated into the hotel design. The hotel's interior design will be overseen by Olga Polizzi, The Rocco Forte Collection's Director of Design and as always the hotel will reflect the area in which it is located, in this case Prague.
The 101 guest rooms and suites will have views of the courtyards, monastery chapel or the city's main cathedral. Event space includes a 150 sq m/1,615 sqft vaulted hall with its own pre-function lobby and a purpose-designed business center with four meeting rooms and two boardrooms. The hotel will have a 90-seat restaurant, a bar in the monastery's barrel-vaulted double-height hall and a second bar/restaurant with 130 seats. The property will also have a fitness center with gym, four treatment rooms, sauna, steam and a relaxation area.
E-mail: info.Augustine@roccofortecollection.com
Web site: http://www.roccofortecollection.com
Three of Portugal's hotels were named in the January 2008 edition of Travel & Leisure Magazine's top 500 list of "The World's Best Hotels." The properties, Hotel Quinta do Lago, Four Seasons Hotel Ritz Lisbon and Lapa Palace Lisbon are all excellent for meeting and incentive travel programs.
Hotel Quinta do Lago, a Leading Hotels of the World property, is situated in a 2,000-acre nature reserve in the Algarve region. The property has 121 guest rooms and suites and event space consists of three function rooms accommodating up to 200 attendees.
Email: info@quintadolagohotel.com
Web site: http://www.hotelquintadolago.com
The Four Seasons Hotel Ritz Lisbon sits atop of one of Lisbon's seven hills. The property has 282 spacious rooms and suites, 272 of which have private terraces. Event facilities comprise 16 function rooms accommodating from 24 to 500 attendees.
Email: joana.raues@fourseasons.com
Web site: http://www.fourseasons.com/lisbon
Lapa Palace Lisbon is an Orient Express Hotel set in an opulent palace dating back to the 1870’s. The hotel has 109 guest rooms and suites, many with views of the River Tagus and Lisbon or the hotel's gardens. Event space includes six meeting rooms and an auditorium with a capacity for 100.
Email: info@lapa-palace.com
Web site: http://www.Lapa-palace.com
Cologne, founded by the Romans over 2,000 years ago, is Germany's oldest city. It has history, beauty and all the modern amenities for an amazing 21st century event. The city has 250 hotels with some 25,000 beds, museums chronicling ancient times and modern day artists, a famous shopping mile (the Hohe Strasse), inviting cafes and unique venues. The city is easily accessible via air, rail, land and water. Cologne is less than an hour from Frankfurt Airport via the ICE high-speed train and nearby Düsseldorf Airport connects Cologne with over 200 destinations worldwide. In May 2006, Continental Airlines launched a daily direct New York/Cologne service.
The Congress-Centrum Kölnmesse seats up to 19,500 delegates and is directly linked with 3,056,976 sqft /283,974 sqm of exhibition space. For smaller events, there is the medieval Gürzenich, a festival hall built in 1447, or the Flora Köln, a 19th century villa situated in the botanical gardens. The Tanzbrunnen in Rheinpark on the banks of the River Rhine offers an open-air theatre, beautiful grounds and the Rheinterassen (Rhine Terrace) restaurant. The Tanzbrunnen's prime waterfront location offers panoramic views of Old Town, the Cologne Cathedral and the city. In addition, the Cologne Beach Club; the Bastei, part of Cologne's ancient fortifications; the ZooLocation; and the Zeughaus, which houses Cologne's Municipal Museum all offer unusual and inviting options for all events.
E-mail: info@koelntourismus.de
Web site: http://www.koelntourismus.de
The Sofitel El Gezirah Cairo, situated in the heart of Cairo near the Opera, museums and government ministries, was fully refurbished in 2007. The property features restaurants, bars, spa, casino and 850 sqm/9,149 sqft of meeting facilities.
Each of the hotel's 433 guest rooms have wireless Internet connection and private balconies with views of the ancient Nile. Meeting facilities comprise seven event rooms accommodating from 20 to 500 attendees. Two of the rooms are divisible into three separate rooms and all event facilities are outfitted with state-of-the-art audio-visual equipment including the latest in video conferencing.
Dining at the El Gezirah is a treat. Among its food and beverage venues is the famous Buddah Bar, which serves 'thematic' Pacific Rim cuisine. In addition, the hotel offers a choice of Middle Eastern and barbecue, international, Mediterranean and French restaurants and five bars, including the scenic Windows on the Nile. For rest and relaxation, the hotel's well-being center overlooking the Nile, has a fitness center, relaxation pool and spa, indoor and outdoor pools.
E-mail: H5307@accor.com
Web site: http://www.accor.com
Emirates Airlines recently launched a thrice-weekly, nonstop service between Houston and Dubai. The new service increases to daily frequencies on 1st February 2008. Equipment used on the route is the new Boeing 777-200LR configured with 8 private suites in First Class, 42 lie-flat seats in Business and a spacious Economy Class with 216 seats. Flight time from Houston to Dubai is 15 hours and 17 hours from Dubai to Houston.
This is the second Emirates route coming to the States. The Dubai based carrier established its Dubai/New York route in 2004.
Web site: http://www.emirates.com/english/
Delta Airlines launched a nonstop, daily service to Lagos, Nigeria last month. Equipment used on the route is the Boeing 767-300ER configured with 214 passenger seats. Delta is adding to its Nigeria service with a second daily nonstop flight between New York-JFK and Lagos beginning on 9 June 2008. The airline will continue to build Africa service with the launch of new flights to Nairobi, Cape Town, and Cairo later this year. Delta already flies Atlanta/Johannesburg and New York/Ghana.
Web site: http://www.delta.com