The charming Hotel Villa d’Estrées is a 4 star luxury hotel in Paris France betwwen Latin Quarter, Saint Germain des Pres and Seine.

Enjoy an excellent location between Saint-Germain des Prés and the Latin Quarter in an intimate hotel on the Left Bank. Villa d’Estrées features spacious stylish rooms. The tasty continental breakfast is served in the neo-classical lounge. At the hub of the Paris transport system, all important bus, Metro and RER lines are accessible from Villa d’Estrées and St Michel, permitting transit from the two main airports within a half-hour.

The Hotel du Louvre has a gracious yet comfortable lobby and reception area with a warm welcoming feel. The marble walls and dark wood are highlighted by ambient lightings. Elegant green marble columns and an impressive chandelier add a refined touch and the sweeping staircase is a dramatic feature.

The rich décor throughout the hotel has been inspired by the original Napoleon III style and all the public and guest rooms have contemporary comforts whilst retaining a traditional atmosphere. At the very hub, the Defender Bar is frequented by an eclectic mix drawn from the fashion and business district that surrounds the hotel. The buzzing brasserie looks across to the Comédie Française and the Louvre Museum with a terrace that sits on the Place de Palais Royal. Hotel du Louvre is a perfect place to stay for those on business or pleasure, there are 8 well equipped meeting rooms and a range of 177 bedrooms and suites, each with a different outlook and character.

Built in 1855 and originally located in the building which is now known as the Louvre des Antiquaires, the Grand Hôtel du Louvre was the first luxury hotel in France.

The Hotel du Louvre stands in the heart of old Paris. A culturally rich location with easy access to the fashion and business districts. Step from the Brasserie du Louvre and immediately opposite is the Comédie Française, the Louvre Museum is so close that exhibits can be observed from the windows in some of the rooms and suites! The Opera Garnier is set to one side of the hotel and the Palais Royal to the other. The area is busy with many brasseries and cafes and it is just a few minutes walk to Galeries Lafayette and the sophisticated boutiques of the Rue St Honoré.

Comédie Française – 1 min
Palais Royal – 1 min
Louvre des Antiquaires – 1 min
Musée du Louvre – 2 mins
Rue Saint-Honoré – 2 mins
Jardin des Tuileries – 2 mins
Musée des Arts Décoratifs – 3 mins
Place Vendôme – 7 mins
Opéra Garnier – 10 mins
Place de la Concorde – 10 mins
Boulevard Haussmann – 15 minutes
Notre-Dame Cathedral – 20 mins

Hotel du Louvre
Place André Malraux | 75001 Paris | France

The British Airways strike is creating a bonanza for other UK based airlines Virgin Atlantic, RyanAir, Flybe and easyJet for their Christmas and New Year flights.

British Airways plc (LSE: BAY) is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in Waterside near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport and is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations. Its second hub is London Gatwick Airport.

Premier Inn, the UK’s biggest hotel chain, has launched its first hotel in India and announces plans to open nine further hotels in India in the next five years.

Premier Inn is expanding in India to capitalise on the country`s developing business traveller market. Currently there are a limited number of budget hotel brands in India – and this represents an excellent opportunity for Premier Inn, with its strong budget hotel model.

Premier Inn India Managing Director, Aly Shariff, said: “Large Indian corporates, multi-national companies, SME’s and small privately owned firms are the kinds of customers we are targeting – there is a huge and rapidly growing junior and middle management population that represents an excellent opportunity for us. We have planned 10 hotels in five years, with our Bangalore hotel now open, following this will be properties in Delhi (2010) and Pune (2011), as well as looking at other potential sites.”

Patrick Dempsey, Managing Director of Premier Inn UK, said: “India represents one of the fastest growing economies in the world today, and we are confident that Premier Inn will be successful in India. Our strong budget hotel model of great quality combined with excellent value will no doubt be an attractive proposition for business and leisure travellers alike.”

Premier Inn Bengaluru will cater for its guests with 105 rooms, a multi cuisine restaurant, bar, gymnasium and a conference room.

Premier Inn’s development in India comes just 18 months after Premier Inn launched its first international hotel in Dubai. Premier Inn Dubai now has 2 hotels, with the third site opening in December 2009.

easyJet, Europe’s leading low-fares airline, today became the first airline to call for tough, mandatory emission standards for aircraft that would lead to a 40% reduction in CO2 emissions from the next generation of aircraft.

Speaking at a press conference in London today, Andy Harrison, easyJet’s Chief Executive said:

“Aviation needs a global solution. Government’s first instinct is to tax, but this won’t deliver sustainable aviation as the industry’s growth is concentrated in China and India. Step change technology is in the pipeline, and we need tough legislation on emission standards for it to be delivered sooner.

Wartime has led to the biggest leaps in aviation technology. Governments must ensure that the war on climate change delivers the next big leap in technology.

We demand legislation for cleaner aircraft to stop the industry flying old, inefficient aircraft. If we get cleaner aircraft and ground the old smokers we can reduce the industry’s overall emissions and tackle climate change head on.

Since most aircraft are manufactured in Europe and America, tough emissions standards at the manufacturing source will deliver the global environmental benefits as these aircraft are exported to the fast growing markets of China and India.

Minimum standards of efficiency are already legislated for aircraft noise, diesel engines, refrigerators and many other products. ICAO and European leaders must extend these minimum standards to aircraft emissions.”

The standards would be introduced in three steps, starting with short-haul aircraft where the current aircraft families, the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 families are already over 20 years old. easyJet proposes that:

* By 2015 every new aircraft type would have to meet the standard
* By 2024 airlines could not add to its fleet any new aircraft that did not meet the standard
* By 2030 airlines could not operate aircraft that did not meet the standard

Under easyJet’s proposal, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) should lead the process to ensure global reach and consensus and to establish standards and timescales for other aircraft types. The standards would apply to all developed countries. Governments would have to play an active role in funding research and development.

easyJet has been a leader in the field of environmental policy and the call for action comes on the eve of the UK Climate change Commission’s report on aviation and the environment and the Copenhagen Climate summit where the inclusion of aviation in a global post-Kyoto agreement is on the agenda.

The airport’s first terminal opened in 1955 and fast became a backdrop to the gliterati as icons from the stage and screen passed through its doors. Stars and royalty including The Beatles, Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Gwyneth Paltrow, Princess Grace and Princess Margaret have all used Terminal 2.

Colin Matthews, BAA Chief Executive said: “The closure of Terminal 2 marks an important moment in the modernisation of Heathrow. We look forward to the new Terminal 2 providing a new home for the Star Alliance and a better experience for our passengers, with less impact on the environment.”

Lee Hock Lye, Vice President Product and Services, Star Alliance said: “The closure and subsequent demolition of Terminal 2 will make way for our new home at Heathrow. This will finally allow our member carriers to operate under one roof at one of the world’s largest aviation hubs, placing us on at least an equal footing with others.”

Work will begin on the new Terminal 2 in 2010 and will open to passengers in 2014. The new Terminal 2, along with a major rebuilding programme ongoing across Heathrow, will ensure the airport remains one of the world’s most exciting aviation hubs.

Passengers travelling on Air France to and from Paris will be the last to use Terminal 2. From Tuesday 23rd November, Air France will operate from Terminal 4 which has been recently transformed with a £100 million new check-in and forecourt.

All passengers flying from Heathrow are urged to check their terminal before leaving for the airport at www.heathrowairport.com.

A short history of Terminal 2

• 1951 – Construction of Terminal 2 started. The architect was Frederick Gibberd (who also designed the former Heathrow control tower, Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral and London Central Mosque). The original cost for the Central Terminal Area improvements including the road tunnel was £21 million.
• April 17 1955 – The terminal opened and was officially inaugurated by Her Majesty the Queen on December 16 1955 along with the adjacent Queens Building (the former office block, closed in June 2009) and the former control tower. The terminal was originally named the Europa Building.
• 1957 – The first non-stop flight from Heathrow to California set a new record for distance and time.
• 1961 – The Oceanic Building (now Terminal 3) opened. The Europa Building became home to short haul flights.
• 1964 – The Beatles famously travelled through the terminal.
• 1965 – The M4 Motorway to Heathrow airport opened.
• 1968 – A cargo tunnel opened in 1968, linking Terminal 2 and the rest of central area to the 160 acre cargo site on the south side of the airport.
• 1969 – The building was renamed Terminal 2 when Terminal 1 was opened.
• 1977 – The London Underground link provided the world’s first direct connection with an airport.
• 1996 – Terminal 2 closed for a short while, renovated and reopened.
• 1998 – The Heathrow Express direct link to Paddington was opened in 1998.

Terminal 2 at a glance

• Terminal 2 is 49,654 square metres in size.
• Terminal was originally designed to accommodate 1.2 million passengers annually but in its last years regularly saw around 8 million passengers a year.
• In its history, Terminal 2 has seen 316 million passengers pass through.
• The average number of Terminal 2 passengers per year was 5.8 million.
• The busiest day ever at Terminal 2 was 19th July 2003 with 35,918 passengers.
• The busiest year at Terminal 2 was 2002 with 86,824 flights.
• In 2008, its last full year, Terminal 2 saw 7.5 million passengers.
• Airlines operating from T2 in February 2009 (the last month when a full schedule operated) were Aeroflot, Air Algerie, Air Astana, Air France, Air Seychelles, Air Transat, Alitalia, Arik Air, Atlas Blue, Austrian Airlines, Azerbaijan Airlines, Bellview Airlines, Bulgaria Air, China Eastern Airlines, Clickair, Croatia Airlines, CSA Czech Airlines, Iberia, Jat Airways, Libyan Airlines, Lufthansa, Olympic Airlines, Rossiya Airlines, Royal Air Maroc, Swissair, Syrianair, TAP Portugal, TAROM, Tunisair, Uzbekistan Airways and Yemenia.
• Heathrow Airport handles an average of 180,000 passengers and 1350 flights daily. It is the world’s busiest international airport and serves over 180 destinations on around 90 airlines.

Amersfoort (NL), 12 October 2009; Golden Tulip Hospitality Group is proud to announce the latest addition to its Dutch hotel portfolio: the Golden Tulip Noordwijk Beach.

Golden Tulip Noordwijk Beach Hotel

Golden Tulip Hospitality Group and Golden Green hotels will strengthen their cooperation by signing a new franchise agreement. Golden Tulip Noordwijk Beach will be the fifth Golden Green, positioned on the market as Golden Tulip hotel. Other Golden Tulip hotels owned by Golden Green hotels are Golden Tulip Leiden Centre, Tulip Inn Leiden Centre, Golden Tulip Zoetermeer Center and Tulip Inn Zoetermeer Centre.

Golden Tulip Noordwijk Beach, a former Accor hotel, is centrally situated at the boulevard of Noordwijk, at 20 meter distance from the beach. The hotel has 82 rooms which will all be renovated by the beginning of 2010. Besides a restaurant and modern conference facilities, the hotel also features a beautiful indoor swimming pool with sauna, whirlpool and Jacuzzi.

Haike Blaauw, Senior Vice President Franchise Operations Golden Tulip, comments: “We are very pleased to welcome this new hotel to our group. This expansion symbolizes our successful relationship with Golden Green hotels. Golden Tulip Noordwijk Beach complements our existing portfolio, offering business and leisure guests yet another exciting destination in the Netherlands.”

Willem Gossens, Director of Operations Golden Green hotels, adds: “Golden Tulip Noordwijk Beach is the fifth hotel for which we have signed a franchise agreement with Golden Tulip. The success of Golden Tulip & Tulip Inn Zoetermeer Center and Golden Tulip & Tulip Inn Leiden Center has convinced us that branding this hotel as Golden Tulip hotel, will add value to the market and will result in an increase of turnover. Due to synergies with Golden Tulip in distribution, reservations and sales & marketing, the benefits for our five Golden Tulip hotels will be massive. Noordwijk welcomes the new Golden Tulip Noordwijk Beach, and is excited with the many opportunities of this hotel!”

About Golden Green Hotels
Golden Green Hotels is a dynamic company, founded in 1992 by Cor van Duijn. Today the group consists of 5 multi-branded hotels in the mid scale market segments, located in Leiden, Noordwijk and Zoetermeer.

The basic principle of this hotel management company is that the decisive ingredients for the satisfaction of the guests are the atmosphere and the service of a hotel. That is why these two aspects are of constant attention to the staff of the joining hotels.
Specific for the group its strategy is the ownership of both hotel properties and hotel operation. Further growth of the group is scheduled for 2010, which will be realized by increasing the room number of existing hotels and expansion of the portfolio with a new opening in the Leiden region.

About Golden Tulip Hospitality Group
With nearly 50 years experience as hotel franchisor, Golden Tulip Hospitality Group (www.goldentulip.com), with its head office in Amersfoort, Netherlands, is a worldwide hospitality company offering services in the mid- upper- and luxury scales to over 230 hotels representing 27.000 rooms in more than 40 countries.

The 3 brands present in Europe, the Middle East & Africa, the Asian Pacific Region and the Americas, promise International Standard of services and facilities throughout hotels which retrain their own unique flavours and personality.

Tulip Inn are three-star properties in convenient locations usually in city centres or close to major access routes. Each hotel benefits from its regional situation, but they all provide comfortable and functional accommodation along with friendly service. All hotels are designed to offer business and leisure travellers an exceptional value for money.

Golden Tulip are four-star properties by means of modern facilities, personal service and international standards of comfort. Each hotel offers its own individual character, whilst reflecting the flavours of its location. The hotels enjoy a perfect situation in business or leisure destination, aiming to exceed guest expectations.

Royal Tulip encompasses five-star properties offering the most elegant and luxurious facilities with a deluxe level of comfort and delicate service. Situated in gateway city centres and business districts, all hotels are equipped with ultra-modern amenities to ensure an exceptional stay. Royal Tulip hotels provide the discerning traveller with security, exclusivity and discrete excellence.

Since the signing of a commercial alliance with Louvre Hotels group, representing the Premiere Classe, Campanile, Kyriad and Kyriad prestige brands, the total portfolio combine 1072 hotels representing 83.000 rooms and covering all hotel categories, creating the 8th biggest hotel chain worldwide.

Noordwijk is a modern village in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland, with a rich history . Situated at the seaside. It is the energetic heart of the famous bulb-growing region, with an eyecatching 13 km of fantastic sandy beaches. The village also boasts bustling boulevards, an old friendly town centre, rugged dunes and magnificent woodlands. It’s the best place to be for a relaxed break, a business meeting  or a wonderful holiday. This hospitable seaside resort with excellent restaurants  , events and a lively entertainment scene is never boring. Moreover the cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Leiden and the Hague are to be found within a 40km radius. There are plenty of options for a day out before returning to this delightful sea-side: Noordwijk is not only captivating, but tempts one to stay!

The municipality of Noordwijk consists of the communities Noordwijk aan Zee and Noordwijk-Binnen, separated by a narrow green belt. Besides its beaches, Noordwijk is also known for its bulb flower fields. It is located in an area called the “Dune and Bulb Region” (Duin- en Bollenstreek). Noordwijk is also the location of the headquarters for the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC), part of the European Space Agency (ESA). ESA’s visitors’ centre Space Expo is a permanent space exhibition.

http://corporate.goldentulip.com/pressroom/news.aspx?id=280&NewsLanguage=EN&year=&pageAt=1

http://www.noordwijk.info/EN.aspx

LONDON—The European hotel industry posted mixed results in year-over-year results when reported in U.S. dollars, euros and British pounds for October 2009, according to data compiled by STR Global.

Figures for occupancy, average daily rate and revenue per available room ranged from double-digit losses to double-digit gains, depending on the market and the currency used for comparison.

“Europe saw the best monthly RevPAR improvement compared to the other three global regions”, said Elizabeth Randall, managing director of STR Global. “European RevPAR only fell 1.6 percent, boosted by a 0.7-percent increase in ADR in U.S. Dollar terms compared to October 2008. This is good news but it needs to be noted that Europe was the first region that saw strong RevPAR declines in the last quarter 2008. Eastern Europe remained one of the harder-hit European sub-regions in October whilst average room rates improved across Southern and Western Europe”.

Highlights from key market performers for October include (year-over-year results, all currency figures are in euros):

• Tel Aviv, Israel, reported the largest occupancy increase, jumping 33.2 percent to 78.1 percent. Four other markets experienced occupancy increases of more than 5 percent: Cardiff, Wales (+9.3 percent to 79.1 percent); Venice, Italy (+7.1 percent to 69.1 percent); Rome, Italy (+7.0 percent to 77.7 percent); and Düsseldorf, Germany (+6.1 percent to 67.4 percent).
• Lisbon, Portugal, posted the largest occupancy decline, falling 9.3 percent to 68.1 percent, followed by Athens, Greece (-8.7 percent to 73.6 percent), and Budapest, Hungary (-8.6 percent to 63.2 percent).
• Cologne, Germany, experienced the largest ADR increase, rising 23.3 percent to EUR127.69.
• Two markets reported ADR decreases of more than 25 percent: Moscow, Russia (-36.6 percent to EUR156.35), and Prague, Czech Republic (-28.2 percent to EUR79.15).
• Cologne (+26.4 percent to EUR89.15) and Tel Aviv (+20.4 percent to EUR118.42) reported the largest RevPAR increases among the markets.
• Four markets posted RevPAR decreases of more than 25 percent: Moscow (-38.3 percent to EUR106.29); Budapest (-30.7 percent to EUR42.46); Prague (-30.3 percent to EUR51.32); and Athens (-29.8 percent to EUR86.51).

About STR & STR Global:

For more than 20 years, Smith Travel Research, Inc. (STR) has been the recognized leader for hotel industry benchmarking and research. STR and STR Global offer monthly, weekly and daily STAR benchmarking reports to more than 38,000 hotel clients, representing over 5 million rooms worldwide. STR is headquartered in Hendersonville, Tennessee, and STR Global is based in London. For more information, visit www.strglobal.com or www.HotelNewsNow.com.

- focus on core network serving key destinations
– frequencies and capacities that match market expectations

bmi has today announced the restructuring of its mainline and regional operations. The move takes place against a background where the airline industry is facing the challenges of a downturn in demand and the worst recession in the UK since records began. In addition to cost saving initiatives the programme also includes a wide range of revenue enhancement initiatives.

The restructuring plan will see bmi focus on the following key areas:

• Suspending loss making routes
• Adjusting capacity to optimise efficiency and profitability
• Strengthening organisational productivity and efficiency in all areas
• Making use of the synergies of Lufthansa and other partner airlines in all areas
• Maximising revenue generating opportunities with codeshare and Star Alliance partners

The airline’s goal is to focus on maintaining within bmi mainline and bmi regional a core network of services in the UK and Ireland, Europe, the CIS, The Middle East and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Through a combination of improved aircraft productivity and efficiency, and from early 2010 the suspension of non-core and unprofitable services, bmi will reduce the number of aircraft in its mainline operation by nine from the current 39. This reduction will include two of five Embraer aircraft operating on mainline routes that will be returned to bmi regional.

Leases will not be extended on aircraft when they expire in the first half of 2010, including two of the three long haul A330 aircraft. bmi will therefore continue to serve mid haul markets with two long-range aircraft and its fleet of A321s.

bmi regional, which through its niche market position and a long term charter agreement with Airbus, is maintaining a viable operation but is feeling the impact of a prolonged downturn in business-type travel. The return of two Embraer aircraft from the mainline operation at Heathrow and one additional spare aircraft will result in these three units being surplus to requirements. The company is in discussion with potential customers with a view to mitigating this situation.

A reduction in the number of aircraft deployed in bmi mainline and bmi regional operations will result in job reductions coming from all areas of the business, operational and corporate functions. The number of full-time equivalent jobs at risk of redundancy is expected to be approximately 600. However further job cuts cannot be ruled out as corporate overheads will also be cut to reflect the reduced flying programme. Management has today commenced consultations with unions and staff representatives with a view to minimising the number of compulsory job losses wherever possible.

The Lufthansa Group took over bmi in July 2009 and shortly after undertook a due diligence exercise which highlighted the need for a restructuring of the business. Lufthansa has given bmi its full support for the actions it is undertaking in this restructuring programme.

Once stabilised, the business can then be grown again in the years ahead when the economic environment improves and market demand justifies it.

http://www.flybmi.com/bmi/en-gb/about-us/information-centre/press-releases/20091125.aspx