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 Thomas Cook, the struggling tour operator, has reported that its summer booking levels have fallen by a third. January is usually a key time for travel operators as people are booking their summer holidays but holidaymakers are spending less money on travel and this has caused a significant fall in booking levels.
The average decline in the industry is about 15 percent and so Thomas Cook’s figure is about double the industry average. The company was close to collapse in November after a period of very poor trading and in order to survive it had to turn to its lenders for additional funding.
The company is still the second-largest travel company in the UK but the reputation of the company has been severely damaged by its cash problems and the amount of consumer confidence in the company is at an all-time low.
In the last year the share price of Thomas Cook has fallen by over 90 percent after the exit of the Chief Executive as well as numerous profit warnings. The company has around 1300 shops in the UK and it is planning to turnaround its business in the next year. It is going to focus on fewer amounts of only higher quality hotels and is hoping to get more of its bookings done online.
Over the next year and a half the company plans to get rid of £200 million worth of its assets in order to reduce the amount of debt the company is in. Currently this figure is just below £900 million, a figure which saw an 11 percent rise in the last year. Investors feared the company would collapse after it asked for a loan of £100 million from its lenders and this caused investors to sell their share amid fears that the company would collapse.
 The Costa Concordia often travelled to a port near Rome and on its journey the ship would pass the island of Giglio. Local residents would often come to the shoreline to see the huge vessel as it passed along, normally far out at sea. The last time the vessel passed though, the residents were very surprised to see that it was incredibly close to shore and very close to the rocky outcrops that are around the island.
At 9:30 in the evening, the vessel struck rocks and this caused an enormous disturbance through out the ship. The vessel had over 3000 passengers on board and most of them were sitting down to their dinners at this time. The hull had been torn beneath the waterline by rocky outcrops and within an hour the ship had almost capsized.
Shortly after the ship hit the rocks the captain gave the order for the vessel to be evacuated and people started scrambling for the lifeboats. The question that is remaining in people’s minds is why the ship was sailing so close to the shore, where it is known to be very dangerous. Some people on the shore said that the ship could have been as close as 150 metres from the coast.
The captain of the vessel has said that he was still 300 metres away from the rocky outcrops and this is a safe distance. He also claimed that the charts indicated that there were no rocks underwater in the area. The owner of the ship, Costa, has stated that the vessel was on its normal route and the navigation system indicated that there were no problems.
The statement is contrary to what people on the island are saying, with many stating that the ship was much closer than they have ever seen before. Prosecutors are currently examining the case and one theory being considered is that the captain was sailing close to shore in order to honour the tradition of the ship passing the island.
The ship had apparently sailed close to the shore last year and this had encouraged the mayor of the town on the island to congratulate the captain of the ship as he was responsible for boosting tourism in the area. The mayor of the town has commented about the event, “The passing of the ship is a popular event on the island and many people come to the jetty to watch it go by. There is tower that we light in celebration of the ships passing and it is quite an astounding sight”
World’s first online bidding website selling hotel accommodation across the world has just been launched
‘Only Bidding’ is a company with a whole new concept that is based in the fact that an unoccupied hotel room equals lost revenue. Only bidding gives the consumer the empowerment to pay the price for their hotel accommodation that they are happy to, and that the hotel is happy to accept. This balances supply and demand, resulting in a win win situation for all.
As far as the customer is concerned, they are grabbing a hotel room that may normally be out of their price range for a bargain price. Customers will find the best deals during the quiet periods and in low season, as well as last minute when hotels would rather reduce a room rate than have the room stay empty. A hotel room is effectively an inventory that expires every night, so hotels will often accept rates that are cheaper than normal.
For hotels, the advantages of registering with Only Bidding are clear, they are getting to fill otherwise empty rooms with paying guests. Hotels pay indirect costs to run a hotel, whether they have one room, or one hundred rooms, occupied. The hotel will increase their occupancy and also revenue.
There is also the opportunities for the guests to then use the hotel’s bars, restaurants, spa facilities etc. resulting in even more income.
Is Only Bidding any different to Ebay or Groupon?
It is different from eBay as Only Bidding sells hotel accommodation with specified dates and not vouchers. This guarantees availability thus being advantageous over vouchers which can leave customers disappointed if they can’t book their chosen dates.
Is Only Bidding any different to Priceline?
Only Bidding is different to Priceline because with Only Bidding you will know the name of the hotel that you are bidding on- so no apprehensive guessing needed! Additionally, Priceline allows a customer to name a price once every 24 hours. With Only Bidding, if the customers bid is unsuccessful then they can always place another bid.
How to get a bargain hotel room!
Step 1- Search auctions & find a hotel you want to stay at.
Step 2- Bid on the hotel auction until you’re the highest bidder
Step 3- Get your suitcases packed & enjoy!
So, if you are a hotel and want to achieve full occupancy then join Only Bidding! And if you want to make bargain hotel reservations then place your bid at Only Bidding.
Only Bidding
http://www.onlybidding.com
Twitter- @OnlyBidding
 ‘Hospitality’ is a word that has gradually become synonymous with the variety of public accommodations, dining and entertainment commonly provided by hotels, from the simplest to the most lavish. Hilton Worldwide is an undisputed leader in the hospitality field, and they have just announced another significant expansion project in the UK and Europe.
Hilton expects to open more than 20 new properties in the UK over the next several years, with one in Lincoln scheduled by the end of this year and two in St George’s Park, Burton on Trent, by the end of 2012. The careers of about 1,900 hotel employees will be ‘safeguarded’ with the conversion of ten existing hotels to the Hilton brand, and around 1,500 hospitality careers will be launched with the new ones.
The company is also supporting the government’s Get Britain Working campaign with its apprenticeship programme, which provides on-the-job training combined with college-based courses. 60 young British chefs-in-training have already been recruited into the twelve month course at Hilton’s Chef Apprenticeship Academy.
There are many options and career opportunities in the hospitality industry, and Hilton says they mean to attract and retain the best of the best. Sales and marketing, finance, procurement, human resources, management and many other fields are all part of the Hilton Worldwide team; apprenticeships and Hilton’s online e-learning programme (more than 2,000 courses in 18 languages) are on offer to qualified candidates.
Russia, Germany, Poland and Turkey are also targeted as major growth areas, and hundreds of job and career opportunities will be opening up in those countries in the next two or three years. Hilton’s VP of
human resources for Europe said that the company is recruiting candidates who are highly motivated, and may have diverse backgrounds in fields that are transferable to the hospitality industry.
 The Hotel Booking Agents Association was created for the purpose of providing management information and advice, cost savings and networking opportunities amongst those hotel operators and corporate agents using hotel accommodations for conferences, seminars, events etc. Their charter covers such aspects of the industry as payment terms, commissions, inquiry response times and overall best and most cost effective practices.
HBAA is made up of more than 70 of the UK’s largest booking agencies, and is considered the best source of expertise for the process of setting up large-scale meetings and events. Dolce Hotels and Resorts has just become one of the first global chains to sign up for the HBAA Charter. The chain currently consists of 27 top quality hotels, conference hotels and resorts in Europe and North America.
Goals of the HBAA International Charter include encouraging and supporting cooperation between overseas venues and UK agencies, providing information and giving them the benefit of the organisation’s buying power of more than £3.2 billion per year.
Dolce’s European global sales director, Juliette Knowles, said that her company anticipates significant benefits from working with HBAA, and HBAA’s chairman, Juliet Price, expressed pleasure that such a high calibre organisation is backing up their charter and demonstrating its influence on an international scale.
 Business travel is something that a large number of individuals still undertake, with a study revealing that one quarter of business executives expected the amount of travel their businesses undertook to increase last year. For many companies, out of the office meetings are an essential part of business development and travel is something which is considered both a priority and a luxury.
For forex traders, however, travelling can have its problems. Working on such a fast moving market means that any disruption or absence could result in a missed opportunity – the nemesis of all traders. An investment network provides traders with a new way in which to conduct their business, making business travel an asset once again. So what is an investment network and what role does it play in business travel?
What is an investment network?
An investment network is effectively an online social platform from which forex traders are able to conduct their business. The platform is typically hosted by a broker or service and allows traders to benefit from the skills and experience of other traders as well as their advisors.
How does an investment network operate?
An investment network operates in similar ways to how other business networks work. This means that traders share tips, experience and advice with others in order to produce a beneficial and thriving trading environment. In terms of investment networking, this is offered through online social means whereby traders are able to “copy” the work of others.
This online format makes access to an investment network more widespread – something which is particularly important within the business world. This means that whether you are in London, New York or Dubai you will be able to conduct your forex trading operations with ease.
What role does an investment network play within business travel?
In terms of business travel, investment networks can have a huge role within this area. This is partly due to the fact that forex trading itself is based on international business and the exchange of foreign currencies. This means that travel can be an important part of the operation, giving people the chance to stay in control of their business whatever their location.
Investment networks provide investors with the freedom to travel, ensuring that it is beneficial and advantageous for them. This allows individuals to travel the world whilst still trading on the forex market, giving them the chance to visit new areas whilst making money.
What are the benefits of investment networks?
Perhaps the best advantage of using an investment network when forex trading is that it offers benefits to both new and experienced traders. This means that everyone is put on an even playing field, helping to make the market fairer to trade on.
The increased convenience and availability also means that peoples forex trading does not need to be disrupted by business trips or business travel. Instead, the online platform can be utilised across various locations, ensuring that investors are able to achieve the best possible results in their business whilst getting the chance to explore numerous international locations.
 The travel technology partner, Amadeus, has recently announced the introduction of the Amadeus Hotel Optimisation Package. This is a group of technologies and services that allow travel agencies, and those responsible for managing travel, to make their businesses more efficient.
One of the most important technologies involved in the package is the Hotel Dynamic Saver. This is a business intelligence solution which allows corporate travel managers and travel agencies to ensure that contracts are kept in compliance. The key capabilities of the solution include identifying rate squatters and highlighting availability.
The company boasts an impressive 10% total saving rate for corporations and travel agencies who utilise this technology. If a Fortune 500 company were to utilise this technology they would save an average of around $1.6 million.
Another important feature of the package is that it integrates hotel aggregator content. Amadeus has a great many links as a hotel aggregator which is managed through the point-of-sale solutions that the company implements in hotels. The inventory was started in 2011 and there are now over 50,000 hotels involved in the system. There is a great deal of money and time that can be saved by companies to implement this part of the package.
Another solution is a fast track service which allows integration with hotels that can be specified by the user. This service is called LinkHotel and allows potential corporate customers to connect with hotels that are not currently available to be booked on the GDS system.
This might be because the hotels are in remote locations, such as those near to manufacturing sites and are therefore not capable of appearing on the GDS system. Currently the system is already connecting 6000 hotels that were not previously reachable and these are also available for reservations to be made in real-time.
 Travel Republic is a leading UK travel agency based online and is now a subsidiary of Emirates, the large airline based in the Middle East – after a recent takeover deal was completed. Thomson Reuters announce that the deal was completed in late December and currently there has been no other information released about the value of the takeover.
Initially Dnata World Travel purchased all of the shares for Travel Republic and is a company based in the Middle East which is ultimately owned by the airline. There have been rumours going around for several months that Travel Republic was up for sale but nothing had been confirmed.
In September Kane Pirie, the managing director of Travel Republic, only made the announcement that he was thinking about future options for the company which might have included entering the stock exchange. Mr Pirie had previously denied that the company was looking for a buyer but had said that they were seeking advice from a financial adviser after several companies have approached them with an interest in buying.
Mr Pirie has not commented about the sale but he has said, “2012 is going to be a very busy year for the company and we are still planning to expand and recruit new people throughout it.” Many people have previously speculated that the company might be bought by a larger UK travel agency and there was little indication that the company might be entering foreign ownership.
Travel Republic has been one of the leading travel agencies to come to prominence in the last few years and has largely been successful by basing holidays around low-cost airline flights. The company faced a legal challenge from industry regulators but eventually was found not guilty of breaching consumer protection regulations. The company was established in 2003 by two university students.
 True Hotels have opened their second property in the capital at Liverpool Street and have rooms from only £35 a night. Located a mere 500 metres from Liverpool Street Station, this latest True Hotel has 183 ensuite bedrooms, and they are all 20% bigger than the rooms in its sister property. It also has twin bedrooms, a first for True Hotels in the UK.
Another benefit of this latest True Hotel is the 550sq metre private courtyard/garden which all guests staying at the hotel can access at their leisure. The guests who stay here can enjoy low cost rooms that have high quality basic facilities; power showers, comfortable beds, a clean environment, a central location and 24 hour security, they only pay extra for any services or facilities they use.
Mark Lankaster is the Group CEO of True Hotels, and he has said that they were committed to London being one of their core markets and would be striving to make the Liverpool Street repeat the success of their hotel in Westminster which, since opening in August 2010, has enjoyed average occupancy rates of over 96%.
Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, has said of the new hotel that there is a constant high demand for affordable hotel rooms in London, and that is was fantastic to see the investment that True Hotels were making in the capital at what is a crucial time for tourism.
 Singapore Airlines have earned a great reputation as being a leader in the international aviation industry and have also received numerous awards for both their innovation and commitment to customer service.
The latter in particular is an integral factor to the success of the airline, and their marketing icon the ‘Singapore Girl’ is instantly recognisable and gives them a great advantage over competitors.
The Singapore Airlines network covers 103 destinations in 39 different countries, which include non stop routes between Incheon and San Francisco. It also joined the Star Alliance network in the next step of its globalisation strategy, and ongoing commitment to improving both its customer service and benefits.
In 1995 Singapore Airlines introduced ‘KrisWorld’, their state of the art inflight communications and entertainment system across all 3 of its classes, and since then the number of individual options have increased to over 1000, which includes 100 of the latest films and sections including 180 television programmes.
They are also the first carriers to carry business applications within their on demand system which ensures that their passengers can still work whilst on board without a laptop as they can access their files from a flash drive with a remote control that is equipped with a full qwerty keyboard.
The gourmet cuisine provided by Singapore Airlines is second to none and their menus boast a selection of both tantalising and exclusive signature dishes. An international culinary panel that includes world famous award winning chefs works closely alongside the company wine consultants and chefs to provide a top end dining experience while in the sky.
The flagship carrier of the South Asian country also recently unveiled a new first class that provides passengers with the finest air experience in the world. There are only 8 seats in the Boeing long range 777-300ER and customers privacy is further enhanced thanks to fixed back shells that extend round the sides of the seats.
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Airport Hotels and Parking
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Thomas Cook, the struggling tour operator, has reported that its summer booking levels have fallen by a third. January is usually a key time for travel operators as people are booking their summer holidays but holidaymakers are spending less money on travel and this has caused a significant fall in booking levels.
