According to the recent European Green City Index, which was conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit and sponsored by Siemens, Copenhagen ranks as Europe’s greenest city followed by Stockholm, Oslo, Vienna and Amsterdam. The study, which was presented last month in Copenhagen during the UN Climate Change Conference held at the Bella Center, analyzed 30 European cities in the following eight categories: CO2 emissions; energy; buildings; transportation; water; air quality; waste and land use; and environmental governance.

Copenhagen has addressed environmental issues since at least the 1970s and it shows; the water in the harbor is so clean you can swim in it, forty percent of the residents bike to work or school, and the public transportation system is easy, clean and efficient. Copenhagen’s hotels and venues are environmentally savvy making it easy to create green meetings.

Website: www.visitcopenhagen.com

The InterContinental Berchtesgarden Resort sits 1,000 meters (3,281 feet) above sea level in the beautiful Bavarian Alps. The resort features 150 guest rooms and suites. Personal conference coordinators are on-site to assist with events, and meeting facilities include seven meeting rooms, a business center and the ballroom, which can accommodate 280 attendees.

The hotel’s award-winning Mountain Spa features panorami c mountain views and heated indoor pool, all-season outdoor pool, meditation room, Finnish sauna, herbal sauna and aroma steam bath. On property recreation includes mountain biking, hiking horseback riding, Nordic walking, paragliding, and boating. For dining, the Restaurant 360 serves international cuisine with 360 degrees views of the Alps, and Le Ciel is a Michelin star restaurant. VINOTHEK serves wine and tapas and the Bayernstube Schalander is a Bavarian beer garden serving regional fare and beer from Berchtesgadener Hofbräuhaus, the local brewery.

E-mail: berchtesgaden@ihg.com
Website: www.ichotelsgroup.com
InterContinental Berchtesgaden Resort on www.i-mi.com

The 523-room Holiday Inn Moscow Sokolniki is located near Sokolniki Park north east of downtown Moscow. The 4–Star property has ten meeting professionals on-site. Meeting facilities include 15 meeting rooms, a 24-hour business center and the Sokolniki Ballroom, which accommodates up to 750 attendees. All meeting rooms feature wireless Internet.

The hotel’s dining venues include the ANT-25 Restaurant offering fine cuisine, Moskva for European and Russian cuisine and the Wine Garden, which offers a wide variety of wines and a sommelier.

The property is next to the Sokolniki Metro station and the train takes only 11 minutes to get to the city center. The Holiday Inn Moscow Sokolniki is also less than a kilometer from Sokolniki Exhibition Center and 54 kilometers from Domodedovo International Airport.

Website: www.ichotelsgroup.com

On 1st December 2009, the Hyatt Regency Istanbul became the Grand Hyatt Istanbul. The property overlooks the Bosphorus and is close to Istanbul’s Old City with its historic icons like the Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace. The hotel, which features 360 room and suites, 7 duplex apartments and a Hyatt Grand Club, is within walking distance of Istanbul’s convention and exhibition centers.

Event facilities comprise 1507 sqm. (16,221 sqft.) of flexible meeting space with 13 function rooms including the Grand Ballroom that accommodates 500-theatre style. Food and Beverage venues include the Mezzanine Bar & Lounge, The Library Lounge, Gazebo,restaurant Spazio serving Italian cuisine, and Agora serving a mix of International, Turkish and Asian cuisines. The Gaia Sap and Fitness Center includes a sumptuous organic spa befitting the 5-Star property and a fitness and recreation center with Yoga and Pilates classes, Turkish bath, outdoor swimming pool, and floodlit tennis court.

E-mail: istanbul.grand@hyatt.com
Website: http://istanbul.grand.hyatt.com

In 2008, the ACC Liverpool opened making Liverpool a conference city with its interlinking Echo Arena and BT Convention Centre. Another new development called Central Village will bring two more hotels to the city.

The Millennium & Copthorne Hotels group will open two properties in the heart of the £160million Central Village project. The Copthorne Hotel Liverpool and the Millennium Hotel Liverpool will add more than 360 guest rooms to Liverpool’s inventory. The 4-star deluxe Millennium Hotel Liverpool will be created in the refurbished and extended Watson Building that is adjacent to the city’s Lewis building. The hotel will be geared to both the leisure and corporate meetings markets. The property will feature conference facilities and function space, a gym and spa, restaurants and bars, and a car park. Both properties are scheduled to open in 2012.

Website: www.millenniumhotels.com

The Zara Spa at the Mövenpick Resort & Spa Dead Sea was voted ‘Favorite Destination Spa’ by the readers of Condé Nast Traveller magazine at the recent Condé Nast Readers Awards held in the UK. Zara Spa features 24-treatment rooms and suites and five unique pools, and also offers over 70 à la carte treatments and massages.

The property, which is on the Condé Nast Gold List for 2009, is designed as a traditional village with lush gardens and 346 guest rooms. Some guest rooms are located in the main building, others in the village or on the beachfront. For events, the resort’s convention center includes three conference rooms, five break out rooms and accommodates up to 1,500 attendees. Facilities include an open-air amphitheater seating 800, the Beach Lounge seating 150 for gala dinners, and an auditorium seating 198. Nine restaurants and bars are on property including an Italian, a Mediterranean and an Asian restaurant.

E-mail: resort.deadsea@moevenpick.com
Website: www.moevenpick-deadsea.com
Mövenpick Resort & Spa Dead Sea on www.i-mi.com

Last month, Emirates Airlines increased flights in the Middle East with an addition of three services per week to the Dubai/Amman route and the addition of one service on the Dubai/ Doha route.

On 29 December, Emirates launched an A380 Dubai/Paris service. Due to the popularity of this route, this service was launched one month earlier than originally planned. The A380 flights started with a thrice weekly service and will godaily on 17th January 2010.
The aircraft is outfitted with 489 seats configured into three classes of service with 14 Private Suites in First Class, 76 fully flat seats in Business Class and 399 seats in Economy.

Salem Obaidalla, Emirates' Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, Europe & Russian Federation, said, “Our forward carryings out of France are extremely strong. Coupled with the earlier aircraft availability on that route, it means we can provide passengers with the experience of flying this highly popular aircraft between Dubai and Paris much sooner than originally anticipated.”

Website: www.emirates.com