JUNE 2010
In This Issue
CASE STUDY: Travel Incentives Boost Performance, Retention EGYPT: Centara’s SPA Cenvaree Opens GEORGIA: Sheraton Debuts in Black Sea Resort Destination RESEARCH: ICCA Publishes Country and City Rankings for Association Meetings GERMANY: Starwood Announces New Westin Hamburg Hotel GREECE: Starwood’s Romanos Debuts in Costa Navarino HUNGARY: Ablon Group Celebrates First Hotel Opening GREEN EVENTS: Global Green Alliance Launches at IMEX SOUTH AFRICA: Fairmont Adds Second Property in Zimbali In The Air
IATA Slams German Air Tax Plan
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Results from a recently conducted analysis of one company’s long-standing use of travel awards as a motivational tool show that such incentives have a clear, measurable and positive impact on employee performance and retention. The Incentive Research Foundation conducted the study to document the “anatomy” of an incentive travel program (ITP) and provide a better understanding of the broad reach of a successful ITP. One key measurement of program success was its relationship to retention and performance. Examining the tenure and performance ratings of 105 employees who earned the incentive trip at the company, researchers found that the largest group had a performance rating of 1 (1 being the highest level of performance and 4 the lowest level of performance) and tenure of 4 years or more, while the second largest group had a performance rating of 2 and tenure of 4 years or more. Together, these two groups accounted for 55% of incentive travel earners, showing a very real correlation between incentives, longevity and quality. Overall, 88.5% of incentive travel earners had a performance level of 1 or 2, compared to 31.2% of the employee population with those same performance ratings.
For a copy of the white paper, Anatomy of a Successful Incentive Travel Program, go to: www.TheIrf.org |
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 SPA Cenvaree, the luxury spa brand of Thailand’s Centara Hotels & Resorts Group, is making its entry into Egypt with a premium spa that will blend Egyptian heritage and a Thai touch to create a unique spa experience. The new SPA Cenvaree will be a prime feature of Centara Grand Beach Resort & Spa Sokhna, set on the beach at the resort of Ain Sokhna and due to have its grand opening on August 1st. Centara Grand Beach Resort & Spa Sokhna has 98 rooms and suites, as well as 21 villas. And with six function rooms, the hotel will be an attractive venue for planners who want to organize meetings and seminars in an ideal setting close to the capital. Designed in traditional Thai style, the spa features 11 multi-function therapy rooms with separate rooms for men and women and private suites for couples, sunken Jacuzzis, pedicure and manicure salon, relaxation lounges, Vichy rain shower, steam bath and hot-air sauna. spacenvaree@chr.co.th · www.centarahotelsresorts.com |
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 Starwood Hotels & Resorts has announced the official opening of the Sheraton Batumi Hotel, Georgia. The 203-room property is the first internationally branded hotel in the emerging Black Sea destination of Batumi and is designed to appeal to both business and leisure travelers. It features 43 suites, including one penthouse with breathtaking views of the Black Sea. The hotel’s ballroom is the largest in Batumi at over 929 sqm/10,000 sqft and is ideal for corporate events. For smaller meetings and conferences, the hotel has six other state-of-the-art meeting rooms and a fully equipped business center. Leisure amenities include an 743 sqm/8,000 sqft Shine Spa for Sheraton, as well as indoor and outdoor swimming pools and the brand’s signature fitness offering – Sheraton Fitness by Core Performance. An independently operated casino will be located on the ground floor, with a dedicated entrance. petra.kessler@starwoodhotels.com · www.starwoodhotels.com |
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The International Congress & Convention Association (ICCA) recently released its annual rankings of the world’s most popular association meeting destinations. Once again, the U.S. and Germany were the two most popular countries for international association meetings, while Vienna and Barcelona topped the list of the most popular cities.
For more information, including the complete country and city rankings, go to www.iccaworld.com |
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 The new Westin Hamburg Hotel will open in 2012 under an agreement between Starwood and its joint venture partner, Arabella Hospitality Group. The hotel is designed by world-renowned Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron as part of the highly anticipated Elbe Philharmonic complex, Europe’s most ambitious development projects. Tailored to both business and leisure travelers, the ultra-modern 10-story Westin Hamburg Hotel will feature 244 guest rooms, including 39 suites, a restaurant, cafe, destination bar, lounge, spa and an indoor swimming pool. The hotel will comprise close to 836 sqm/9,000 sqft of state-of-the-art meeting and event space equipped with cutting-edge technology, including eight meeting rooms and a ballroom. www.starwoodhotels.com |
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 Starwood Hotels and Resorts recently opened the Romanos, a Luxury Collection Resort in Costa Navarino, Greece. Located in the Messinia region on Greece’s southwest Peloponnese coast, the Romanos Resort is part of a mixed-use beachfront development called Navarino Dunes and will include the first signature golf course in Greece designed by Bernhard Langer in cooperation with European Golf Design, a 4,000 sqm/43,056 sqft spa, various restaurants, lounge areas, retail and entertainment options. The property features 321 luxurious rooms and suites, including 121 with individual infinity pools. The Romanos also offers access to a multi-functional conference center, “The House of Events,” with dedicated space of more than 5,000 sqm/53,819 sqft that can accommodate up to 2,000 guests. It includes a grand ballroom, 11 meeting rooms, a large exhibition area and three atriums with a spacious adjacent outdoor event space.info.navarino@luxurycollection.com · www.starwoodhotels.com |
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 Ablon Group Limited, a real estate owner and developer in Central and Eastern Europe, has announced the opening of its first hotel development in Budapest. The Courtyard by Marriott Budapest City Center Hotel consists of 235 rooms in a newly built contemporary building that combines modern comfort and traditional refinement. The four-star hotel is located in one of the busiest squares of Pest, Blaha Lujza Square, at the heart of the Hungarian capital, and includes seven meeting rooms with a total of 543 sqm/5,845 sqft of space. In addition to the hotel, the Ablon development includes 5,500 sqm/59,201 sqft of retail space and 295 parking spaces. www.marriott.com |
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A collaboration of three of the world’s most renowned eco-friendly convention centers was officially announced at IMEX on Tuesday May 25th. The Global Green Alliance, made up of Arena and Convention Centre Liverpool, Cape Town International Convention Centre and the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, is a combined effort to promote industry best practise for hosting sustainable events across the globe. The initiative, which was a direct result of relationships forged at the 2009 ICCA Congress in Florence, emphasizes helping clients ‘go green’ when choosing where to hold meetings. “IMEX will provide us with the pedestal we need to project the Global Green Alliance to all potential buyers, media and existing clients,” says Kerrin MacPhie, Head of Sales at BT Convention Centre, part of ACC Liverpool. “The affiliation we’re embarking on is set to give the meetings industry a breath of fresh air – especially for those event organizers searching to encompass CSR and sustainable targets to their events.” For more information, go to http://meetingsreview.com/news/2010/05/12/The_Global_Green_Alliance_seeks_to_make_its_mark |
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 Fairmont Hotels & Resorts has opened the Fairmont Zimbali Resort, an exclusive and elegant 154-room property located along the eastern coast of South Africa. Fairmont Zimbali Resort joins the Fairmont Zimbali Lodge, a 76-room property set nearby along the beach. The resort is just 15 minutes from the brand new King Shaka International Airport (KSIA), which replaced the old Durban International Airport as of May 1st. Guest rooms are styled with stone, wood and the natural materials of the African environment, with sweeping private verandas and luxurious soaking tubs. The property’s ballroom can accommodate 180 guests, and the resort is surrounded by an abundance of recreational sites and activities, including game-viewing expeditions, safari outings, animal and crocodile farm tours, horseback riding, hiking, mountain biking, surfing, micro-light flying, boating, fishing, shark and dolphin tours. There are also five outdoor swimming pools onsite, including a freshwater pool and saltwater pools overlooking the Indian Ocean. For golf aficionados, an 18-hole golf course is currently under construction, designed by golf champion Gary Player. sales@fairmontzimbali.com · www.fairmontzimbali.com |
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In The Air |
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The International Air Transport Association lashed out at German plans to impose an air travel tax while Europe’s aviation industry is struggling to make a profit amid a weak economic environment. Reuters reports that German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced the tax plan, stunning aviation industry executives who had gathered for IATA’s annual meeting in Berlin. “The most vulnerable part of the industry is in Europe,” says IATA Chief Economist Brian Pearce. “The last thing the industry here in Europe needs is additional taxes and measures that will slow down economic growth.” The world’s airlines had their worst year ever in 2009, when demand dropped faster than capacity could be cut as companies and consumers shrank travel budgets to weather the global economic crisis. The Americas and Asia-Pacific have started to recover, but Europe’s airlines have been dogged by airspace closures, strikes and a weakening of the euro. German flagship carrier Lufthansa, which said the levy represented a “black day” for the airline industry, will likely take the biggest hit. Analysts and industry associations estimate the proposed tax could raise the price of air travel by an average 8-14 Euro/$9.50-$16.75 USD per ticket.
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