As airlines cut back on VIP services, luxury hotels are stepping in to fill the gap by offering new airport services to their valued guests. One of the first luxury hotels to see the need for a resident airport concierge was the Peninsula Beverly Hills. They now employ a team of five staff to meet guests at Los Angeles International Airport and help departing guests by securing better seats or helping with minor emergencies. The airport concierge service is free on arrival but departing guests are charged $100 per family for speeding them through security and giving them access to private airport lounges.
Luxury hotels in Jamaica, including the Island Outpost Hotel and Round Hill Hotel and Villas offer a similar Club Mobay service at Montego Bay Airport. For $30, departing guests can enjoy speedy processing through security and immigration and can relax in the private hotel lounge with Wi-Fi internet access, a mini-spa and a kid’s corner. The Four Seasons Marrakesh goes one better and whisks its guests out of the line at immigration to a VIP lounge where their passports are checked in comfort. Guests are catching on and are choosing to stay in luxury hotels which offer these valued extras.
As in-flight food becomes an optional extra, luxury hotels are also offering meals-to-go. The Jefferson in Washington D.C., the Four Seasons Seattle and the Montage Deer Valley in Park City, Utah are all offering delicious lunch boxes for passengers to enjoy in the airport lounge or onboard. Treats include sandwiches made with Creminelli salami, homemade granola bars and honey pops made by the hotel’s resident beekeeper!
by Gillian
When Richard Branson says he is developing Virgin hotels, you somehow know that it will be a concept like no other. Although the first Virgin luxury hotel in London is still two years from opening, at a recent hotel conference Branson let slip that he wants his Virgin hotels to be based on the same concept as his Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse lounge at London’s Heathrow Airport.
If you have ever had the pleasure of spending time in the high-class VA lounge, you will know it is like no other airport lounge anywhere in the world. Set out on two levels, small areas are separated by chest-high dividers providing cozy corners for working, small bistro tables for dining or comfortable home-from-home armchairs for enjoying the vast array of magazines and newspapers. There’s even a full-size billiards table provided.
All the latest facilities are available for those wanting to check their emails, but that’s pretty standard these days. What’s different in Branson’s Clubhouse lounge is that there are freebies at every turn, from notepads to shoeshine. Giant jars of candy invite you to dip in and even gourmet meals are served without charge from breakfast through dinner at the deli or a la carte restaurant. Waiters are on hand to bring you a drink from the full-service bar.
The stylishly modern and spacious lounge is a virtual playground with hanging chairs to swing in, phones on hand, office supplies, showers and even a Bumble and Bumble hairdresser standing by for a quick trim or blow-dry. However you feel when you arrive at the Clubhouse Lounge, you will leave feeling refreshed and invigorated. I guess it’s the only place in Heathrow where passengers are reluctant to leave.
No doubt that is exactly how Branson intends his Virgin hotel guests to feel after a stay, and whatever the price, you can be sure there will be plenty of inclusive benefits thrown in. We’ll keep you posted.
by Gillian at Luxique Luxury Hotels
The much vaunted Terminal 2 at San Francisco Airport opened recently with the touch-down of Virgin Galactic’s WhiteKnightTwo and SpaceShipTwo spacecraft at the airport, alongside a more familiar-looking Virgin America Airbus A320 with Sir Richard Branson and several other dignitaries on board.
This new airport will serve Virgin Atlantic and American Airlines and promises to pave the way for the airports of the future. With many travelers citing airport hassle as a major deterrent for international travel, perhaps airports do have to take note of how this new terminal aims to make flights a pleasant, calm experience without going soft of security.
For example, recognizing the stress passengers feel after being man-handled sometimes all too literally through security screening, the new terminal tries to compensate by leading passengers into a calmer “recompose” post-security area. With mood lighting, quality art works and on-site spas, hopefully blood pressure levels quickly return to more normal levels with the anticipation of a host of amenities for passengers to enjoy free during their waiting time.
Drinking fountains are offered specifically for filling water bottles free of charge - after your own have been confiscated earlier by diligent security staff. Free WiFi and plug-in stations offer work counters for those who have struggled and cursed getting their laptops in and out of awkward briefcases for security scanning. Kids, bored by long lines, can now try out the interactive play areas and the world should hopefully return to a more normal level of harmony.
San Francisco Terminal 2 has prepared us with high levels of expectation. Let’s see what real travelers have to say about this terminal of the future in the forthcoming weeks.
by Gillian at Luxique Luxury Hotels
Those who remember flying into New York’s JFK Airport in the good old days, pre 9/11 that is, may remember the modernist structure with its iconic winged roof which served as the TWA airline terminal building. When American Airlines bought out TWA in 2001 the building was defunct and was left to gather dust.
Designed by Eero Saarinen in 1962, it was one of a rare group of airport buildings which actually have some semblance of design, which is probably what has saved it from the bulldozers so far.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey have just announced plans to reinvent the building as a 150-room boutique hotel in New York.
“Sounds a little big for the boutique hotel label”, I hear you say, but it does qualify for boutique status on the grounds of it offering something a little different and unique – in this case the design.
The building will house the hotel entrance and lobby along with restaurants and shops - after all, it is at the airport - and a newer extension will be squeezed in behind it to create the hotel rooms.
Hopefully, sound-proofing permitting, this boutique hotel in New York should prove both popular and very convenient. However it has way to go financially to break into the black. The Port Authority has already spent $20 million removing asbestos and making it developer-ready.
by Gillian at Luxique luxury hotels
Airport security hardly seems to stay out of the news, but this catalogue of errors really takes the biscuit.
One JetBlue pilot, who is probably currently filling in job applications by the dozen, was boarding his plane for pre-flight procedures when he set down his backpack to pass the time of day with a fellow crew member. During boarding, a passenger on a different flight picked up her bags, including the pilot’s backpack and got on her plane. Stories of misplaced luggage are an everyday occurrence in airports, but unfortunately this backpack held the pilot’s TSA issued 40-caliber handgun provided, ironically, as part of the Federal Flight Deck Officer Safety Program.
When the passenger realized the backpack was not hers, she set it down on an empty seat on the plane. Fortunately another passenger noticed the “unattended baggage” and reported it to the crew who alerted the authorities.
Meanwhile the pilot was frantically searching high and low for his missing backpack, delaying his own flight in the process. Concerned for his position, he took 40 minutes before ‘fessing up to the airline about the incident, at which point he and his bag/handgun were reunited. However the TSA in their wisdom confiscated his gun whilst conducting an investigation into the incident.
We all make small mistakes at work, and most go unnoticed, but had the backpack continued on its journey, it could have arrived in Florida in the hands of a complete stranger. Imagine explaining that to the Customs officers!
by Gillian at Luxique Luxury Hotels
Virgin America is already known for its unconventional marketing practices but it has pulled out all the stops at the soon-to-be-opened Terminal 2 at San Francisco International Airport.
The new terminal will have features such as LED ticket counters that change color to reflect the light outside and gates will be more like living rooms than waiting areas. They plan to have elevated work desks, free WiFi access and ample laptop outlets. Despite all this high technology, it will be the first airport terminal in the US to receive the LEED gold environmental certification awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council.
Green features include low-energy ventilation systems, skylights which allow natural sunlight to illuminate the lobby and preferential parking for hybrid cars. The airport will also feature “slow food” which will focus on organic food and locally grown produce rather than traditional fast food outlets.
Most practical of all, thirsty travelers will be able to find free water at the hydration stations around the terminal and outlets with filtered water for filling up empty bottles.
This environmentally-friendly airport is scheduled to open in spring 2011. Costing $383 million and covering 640,000 square feet, the terminal will be the home base for the rapidly expanding Virgin America which will occupy half of the 14 gates.
by Gillian @ Luxique Luxury Hotels
Travelling to West Coast? Check out Luxique’s unique selection of luxury and boutique hotels in San Francisco.
The popular UK consumer TV programme, Watchdog, recently revealed some remarkable hard-luck stories from people who’d parked their vehicles on off-site airport car parks.
One man left his car at a ‘secure, 24-hour patrolled parking’ lot, but returned from a holiday in Cyprus to find it had been rented out to a tourist. He discovered this only when he received a phone call from an Australian man, who’d noticed he was driving a private vehicle after finding the owner’s paperwork in the car.
The mix-up had occurred because the company was housed next to a car rental firm. The car owner received an unreserved apology and cash compensation.
The programme also featured a couple who left their car with a ‘meet and greet’ company before flying off to Tenerife. Just hours later, they received a phone call from the police, telling them the car had been written off. An 18-year-old employee, driving without insurance, had crashed and abandoned the car on a motorway.
A third case involved an owner whose car had received a parking ticket from a supermarket, when it was meant to be secure at the airport.
by Andy Moreton
There’s now a high-speed rail service linking Bangkok’s international airport with the city centre.
The 15-minute airport rail link was first approved by the government in 2003, and was supposed to open at the same time as Suvarnabhumi Airport in 2006, but it’s been dogged by delays.
Several reported problems with the rail link still need to be fixed, including loud door noises and the large gap between the train and platform in some stations. A baggage check-in service modelled on Hong Kong’s super-efficient airport express train has yet to begin operating.
A ride to the city centre costs 100 baht (£2/$3) for the 18-mile trip – about half the price of a cab. The train drops passengers in the Makassan area of the capital. Fares on the City Line – a slower rail service with eight stops – start at 15 baht (30p/50 cents).
by Andy Moreton
Luxique offers the best rates at 5 luxury hotels in Bangkok.
One of Moscow’s three major airports created controversy when it decided to re-name its terminals.
The problem arose because the authorities at Sheremetyevo decided to use letters from the English alphabet instead of the Cyrillic familiar to millions of Russians.
MPs said the move violated the constitution and made life difficult for Russian speakers. It was nothing less than a betrayal of the Russian language, they said.
In an official complaint to the Russian government, they demanded that the authorities revert to the old system of naming terminals after numbers rather than letters.
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When you’ve made the journey from the airport and are settling down in your luxury hotel in Moscow, you might notice that it’s a little quieter outside.
Russia’s state parliament, the Duma, is considering proposals to restrict the use of car sirens that allow some drivers to by-pass traffic regulations.
The sirens – known as ‘migalki’ – are used by businessmen and state officials to move rapidly through traffic jams, but it’s been suggested that far too many people are enjoying the privilege.
by Andy Moreton
If you’re heading to the Russian capital, check out Luxique’s two luxury hotels in Moscow – the Baltschug Kempinski and the Golden Apple Boutique.
Work has begun on a $1.5 billion (£1 billion) expansion of the international terminal at Los Angeles airport (LAX).
Upgrades to the Tom Bradley Terminal will include new restaurants, fifteen new boarding gates and other passenger services. It’s thought the project will be completed by 2013.
All this is not before time, some travellers might say, as LAX has frequently been judged among the worst in the United States. A recent survey found the airport received poor ratings for accessibility, terminal facilities, food and retail services, security screening and overall customer satisfaction. It achieved a ranking of just 2 among large airports in the US.
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was at the ceremony marking the beginning of the project. “By modernizing the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX, we will provide a better service for passengers from around the world,” he said.
“Tourism and international trade are major contributors to Los Angeles’ economy that generate jobs and contribute to the city’s ability to retain its position in the ever-increasing competitive global marketplace.”
by Andy Moreton
If you have a visit to the City of Angels in mind, take a look at Luxique’s selection of luxury hotels in Los Angeles, which includes all the top names.
