Heritage Auckland Hobson Street wing refurbishment

Heritage Auckland’s historic Hobson Street wing is having a revamp, beginning with the foyer which includes a brand new décor with the replacement of carpeting, lounge furniture and lighting. A soothing earth colour palette will complement stylish commissioned furniture for the new interior created by award winning architects and design consultants, HBO+EMTB of Auckland. “We plan to offer a sophisticated but relaxed lounge environment, giving guests a sense of seclusion from the daily hustle and bustle of life in our new foyer concept,” says Karl Unterfrauner, general manager of Heritage Auckland.

In addition to the new lobby look there will be a new café bar which will be open day and night with a redefined premium range of food and beverage items on offer. The refurbishment is the culmination of Karl’s plans to create an enticing new space aligned to Heritage Hotels’ brand standards and client expectations. “This project has been a year in the making and is in line with a broader vision of delivering a high quality product which will reinforce Heritage Auckland’s already strong reputation in the four star plus hotel market,” says Karl. Careful consideration has also gone into the execution of the refurbishment with the work in off peak times, so there is minimal impact for hotel guests. After the lobby refurbishment, improvements will be made in the hotel’s Hectors restaurant and lift lobbies. There will also be a floor by floor upgrade of Hobson Street accommodation rolling out over the next months. Please contact your Executive Travel Consultant for any further information.

Singapore Airlines Business Class EarlyBird Special

Singapore Airlines is pleased to offer Special Business Class EarlyBird airfares for sale until 15 December 2009 for travel ex Auckland or Christchurch. The special fares are applicable for travel commenced between 1 February and 30 November 2010, for two or more passengers travelling together on the same flights and booking. Fly to Frankfurt for $8705 per person, Paris for $8803 per person and London for $8930 per person, or select from the other available destinations - Amsterdam, Athens, Barcelona, Cairo, Istanbul, Manchester, Milan, Moscow, Rome or Zurich. All KrisFlyer members who complete travel by 30 November 2010 will be eligible to receive 5000 bonus miles. En-route, you'll enjoy KrisWorld, your personal in-flight entertainment system with hundreds of options including movies, music, games and more. And of course, the un-rivalled in-flight service that even other airlines talk about. Please note that conditions and flight date restrictions apply; travel is also valid ex Wellington via Auckland or Christchurch, or Dunedin via Christchurch. Quoted prices based on travel ex Auckland inclusive of taxes and excluding agent booking fees. Please contact your Executive Travel Consultant for more information.

Qantas expands seat awards

Qantas Frequent Flyer members can now book Qantas Any Seat Award flights to 100 new destinations. The move means Qantas Frequent Flyer members can travel to new points in Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe and the Middle East on Qantas and selected other arlines - entirely on air points, as one booking. For example if you're heading to Europe you can travel Qantas to London and continue on to Milan, Prague, St Petersburg or Dublin as part of the same booking using Qantas points for the full journey. Qantas says it has also made it easier and more flexible for frequent flyers to redeem their points.

Best of UK and Europe

Please click here to view some great deals to UK and Europe featuring accommodation, sightseeing, peugeot eurolease, cycling and walking tours, cruising and more! Sales to the 15 December, valid for travel 01 Jan - 31 October 2010.

Collect Quadruple Fly Buys points on bookings over $5000*(or double points for bookings over $2500*) to Uk or Europe. Travel 01 May - 30 Nov 10
Spend a minimum of $6000 per booking and receive A NZ$300 Travelex cash passport* per booking (converted into pounds or Euros) plus your choice of a lonely planet Great Britain, Western Europe or Eastern Europe travel guide - 1 per booking.

One of the specials include the Peugeot Eurolease, specially designed for travellers wishing to holiday in Europe from 17 to 175 days.

24 day car hire from just $1469* driving a Peugeot 207 urban.
Earlybird special of 7 free days if you book by 31 Mar 2010 and collect in 2010

Contact your Executive Travel Consultant to book.

How to take care of your Melbourne carbon footprint

With increasing pressure on businesses to take their corporate social responsibility seriously, more event organisers are being encouraged to assess, reduce and offset their carbon emissions, no matter how big or small the event. In conjunction with the Carbon Reduction Institute (CRI), therefore, the Melbourne Convention and Visitors Bureau has launched the MCVB Event Carbon Calculator. The on-line tool enables sustainability conscious Event Organisers to instantly calculate the environmental impact of their Melbourne conference, meeting, incentive or event. "The online tool is easy to use and covers all aspects of running an event - such as venues (inlcuding Melbournes's new 'Six Star Green Star' Convention Centre), food and beverage supply, accommodation, transport and even gifts. Additionally, the website offers tips and information throughout to show how simple it is to reduce the environmental impact of events through planning. The MCVB Event Carbon Calculator is available online now, please click here.

Air New Zealand fast bag

Air New Zealand has recently introduced a new Fast Bag service for Air New Zealand HVCs [Air New Zealand Gold, Gold Elite and Koru members] travelling on single sector regional Link flights within New Zealand, provided they have a Fast Bag tag on their bag. Fast Bag is designed to make travel easier and faster for these customers who are travelling with baggage up to 15kgs per piece. Air New Zealand be sending a tag to HVCs who have travelled on a Regional service 3 or more times over the last 12 months. Qualifying customers [HVCs] who do not receive a tag will be able to request one from a Domestic Koru Lounge.
How it will work:
1. Customers travelling on Regional services who have a Fast Bag tag can go straight to the gate with their bag.
2. Customers will scan at the gate and drop their bags on the Fast Bag trolley on the tarmac before boarding the plane.
3. On arrival at their destination, customers simply pick up their bags from the Fast Bag trolley next to the plane.
Please contact your Executive Travel Consultant for any further assistance.

Enchanting beach escapes

Great land only beach specials available for the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Fiji, Rarotonga, Tropical North Queensland, Samoa and Hawaii.

7 nights on the Gold Coast from $355 per person, various sale end dates apply, please click here to view flyer or contact your Executive Travel consultant for more details.

Air New Zealand domestic fare structure changes

In response to customer feedback, Air New Zealand has this week simplified its domestic fare structure, and has also reduced its airfare prices from the top down. Both these changes mean that you will enjoy significant benefits, including cheaper fares and less confusing pricing structures. Please click here for new fare details:

Tahiti gets the green light for foreign marriages

Looking for a wonderful new location to get marrried? The French government has given the green light for foreign marriages to be conducted in Tahiti and her islands. The minimum 30 day residence criteria has been done away with under the new legislation meaning you will be able to get married in a romantic Tahitian ceremony as long as you also go through a civil ceremony which must be conducted at a local city hall. Previously you could only undergo a symbolic French Polynesian marriage or a renewal of wedding vows legally exchanged elsewhere. Please contact your Executive Travel Consultant for more information.

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