It's our pleasure to deliver the latest edition of the Europe, Middle East, Africa Newsletter to you.

Until next time
Best

Helena Miele, CITE
Editor electronic newsletters

Rocco Forte Collection's newest property, The Augustine, opened on 14th May in the heart of Prague’s cultural center. This boutique property, created by combining seven historic buildings, including the 13th century Augustinian St. Thomas’s Monastery, offers 101 guest rooms and some very unique meeting and dining venues. Event facilities include four meeting rooms, a ballroom accommodating 200 for a reception and two boardrooms, some of which have direct access to inner courtyards. The Wallenstein Gardens are also available for outdoor events. The hotel’s dining options include The Monastery restaurant, situated in a glass covered courtyard, Tom’s Bar in the cloister arcade and The Brewery, a unique cellar bar located in the former St Thomas's brewery building. The hotel even produces its own brew, St Thomas beer. For relaxation there is a health and fitness center with steam, sauna, hammam and four treatment rooms.
Website:www.theaugustine.com/

The city of Hamburg introduced the Hamburg Convention Bureau on 29 April 2009 to help promote Hamburg to the international MICE market. Given all that Hamburg has to offer this should not be a difficult task. Hamburg, one of Europe’s greenest cities, has an excellent infrastructure and many fine meeting hotels and venues. The Congress Center Hamburg (CCH) features 10,000 sqm/107,639 sqft of exhibition space, 23 halls and seats 12,500. In addition, the Hamburg Messe offers 87,000 sqm/936,460 sqft gross space with 11 halls and an outdoor area. There are many fine quality hotels such as the Marriott, Hamburg Hilton, Mövenpick Hotel Hamburg, the Hotel Louis C Jacob and the Fairmont Hotel Four Seasons. The Hamburg Meeting Guide, available on CD-Rom or in printed form, can be ordered by e-mailing the address listed below.
E-mail info@hceb.de.
Website: www.hamburg-tourismus.de

In 2008, the Hotel Cipriani by Orient-Express celebrated its 50th anniversary and also embarked on a renovation project that included refurbishment of the hotel’s guest rooms, the addition of a new swimming pool and the enlargement of the wellness center. The Casanova Wellness Center now has a new sauna and hammam, a couples’ massage room, improved gym and a new hair salon.
This iconic property features 95 deluxe guest rooms and suites decorated with Venetian artisan crafts such as hand-made stuccos, Murano glass and detailed fabrics. Event facilities are located is a series of three large interconnected brick buildings with very high ceilings called the Granaries of the Republic. The venue is ideal for meetings, receptions, banquets and executive retreats. The largest event space, the Longhi Ballroom, accommodates up to 400 for a reception. As the hotel is part of the Orient-Express group, it is possible to create a two tier incentive program that combines a stay at the hotel with a journey on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express for top winners.
Website: www.hotelcipriani.com

Milan has set its sights on becoming Europe’s Number One convention city in the year 2011. That is the year when MIC Plus, the expansion to the Milan Convention Center (MIC), will open. Presently the Milan Convention Center, part of the Fiera Milano, is already the largest and newest convention center in Italy with capacity for up to 25,000 delegates, 36 meeting rooms with seating 10 to 2,000 delegates and 8 multipurpose halls. It is also fully equipped with fiber optic connections and state-of-the-art audio-visual equipment. The new MIC Plus complex will have seating capacity for an additional 18,000 delegates, an auditorium that seats 1,500, an assembly hall with 4,500 seats, 73 modular rooms with capacities ranging from 20 to 2,000, plus 54,000 sqm/581,251 sqft of exhibition space.
Website: www.micmilano.it/Home_en.html

The Kempinski Hotel Aqaba on the Red Sea just had its soft opening. The resort, which is situated on the white sandy beach of Aqaba, features some of the best diving and coral reefs in the world and is also within walking distance to the shopping, historical and business districts of downtown Aqaba. All 201 guest rooms and suites have views of the Red Sea as the building was specifically designed in a curved teardrop shape giving all rooms an exceptional view. For events, the ballroom accommodates 400 attendees and several smaller meeting rooms will be opening, all serviced by a fully equipped business center. For dining, six restaurants and bars will provide a choice of regional and international cuisines. Leisure activities include a plethora of water sports, health club and private yacht charter.
The resort will have its official opening in October.
Website: www.kempinski-aqaba.com

The Mövenpick Hotel Sanaa features 338 guest rooms and suites, friendly service and the largest convention facilities in town. The hotel’s convention center is comprised of a Grand Ballroom that accommodates 1,000 attendees, a 212-seat auditorium and five meeting rooms, three of which accommodate 70 attendees each and the other two rooms accommodate 12 attendees each. In addition, the hotel has a 1,000 sqm/10,764 sqft main ballroom with a large foyer area for events. Dining and entertainment options include Dar Fez for Moroccan, Panorama Lobby Lounge, Horse Shoe Night Club and the Al Fresco Restaurant. For rest and relaxation, there is a spa and beauty center, gym with sauna, steam and Jacuzzi, squash court and indoor and outdoor swimming pools.
The Mövenpick Hotel Sanaa is seven minutes from the city center and twenty minutes from the airport.
E-Mail: hotel.sanaa@moevenpick.com
Website: www.movenpick.com

US Air is increasing its service from the United States to several of Europe’s major cities. A non-stop service from Charlotte, North Carolina to Paris’ Charles De Gaulle was inaugurated on 21 April of this year. Equipment for this flight is a Boeing 767-200 with 18 seats in Envoy (Business) class and 186 seats in economy. Service from Philadelphia to Birmingham, England and Olso, Norway began last month. Both routes use Boeing 757 aircraft with 12 seats in Envoy (business) class and 164 seats in economy. The Philadelphia/Tel Aviv flights will begin on 3 July and will utilize A330-200 aircraft with 20 seats in Envoy (business) class and 238 seats in economy.
Website: www.usair.com

The 5-Star luxury Jordan Valley Marriott Resort & Spa just installed one of the largest solar projects of its kind in the world. During the first week of using the solar panel installation, the hotel saved a record 67% on its diesel energy costs. Clearly, this type of saving is not only good for Marriott’s bottom line, but also for the planet and the planner as lower operating costs help keep hotel rates in check. Jordan Valley is a fine meetings hotel with 251 guest rooms and duplex and royal suites that face the Dead Sea, as well as 938 sqm/10,097 sqft of event space. There are ten meeting rooms including the Vartanii Ballroom, which seats 500, six breakout rooms, exhibition space and outside terraces. There are eleven restaurants and bars, three outdoor swimming pools and whirlpools and a spa that offers treatments using natural elements from the Dead Sea.
Website: www.marriott.com