Silverneedle opens Sage Hotel in West Perth

Source: Silverneedle. Sage Hotel, West Perth.

Singapore-based hotel group SilverNeedle has opened a new Sage Hotel in West Perth in partnership with local Perth private property development and investment group Australian Development Capital (ADC).

The A$35 million dollar development signals the entry of the Sage Hotel brand into the upscale hotel segment in Perth, a growing destination for Singapore’s business and leisure travellers.

Sage celebrates the richness, colour and life of local communities, demonstrating the brand’s departure from the commoditisation of global hospitality. Chairman and Chief Executive of SilverNeedle Hospitality Anand Nadathur says: “Sage was the ideal brand to enter Perth – as our largest growing brand, we undertook a partnership with local developers who held our core values of technology, innovation and design. We took every effort to respect and celebrate the heritage of the original family home with our construction process and look forward to a long-term Sage presence in Perth.’’

A 1902 heritage-listed black and white family residence forms the centrepiece to Perth’s newly constructed Sage Hotel, which features 101 guest rooms, multiple meeting spaces and 24-hour room service.

Once the famed Julio’s restaurant known for its celebrity clientele, the in-house restaurant has been renovated to restore original iconic design features. Guests are able to dine in-house for breakfast, lunch or dinner, bringing a much-needed dining offering back into the local area.

In the spirit of showcasing the local community’s produce, in-room mini bars are stocked with Swan Valley snacks, as well as the ‘fair value promise’ - the mini-bar and laundry service prices match those from local suppliers.

Guests receive unrivalled connectivity to the local area through seamless technology and complimentary Wi-fi across all Sage properties. The hotel’s pocket hotspot Wi-fi allows guests to stay connected at all times. Guests can also enjoy the interactive Sage mobile App, created to provide access to points of interest from a local’s perspective, encourage review-sharing and create an online community.

Interested?

Sage West Perth has the Sagacation introductory offer, which includes welcome drinks, breakfast, one course at Julio’s authentic Italian restaurant, a hotspot device for wireless access on-the-go and welcome gift showcasing the best of Western Australia’s local purveyors. The package is priced at S$215 per night for two people on a minimum two-night stay. A child under 12 stays for free and can enjoy free breakfast and one-course dining with an accompanying adult at Julio’s. Book


posted from Bloggeroid

Etihad brings the Dreamliner to Perth

• Travellers will experience next-generation cabins
• Flying Nannies and Food and Beverage Managers offer innovative hospitality services inflight
• A 27% increase in Business Class capacity on the Perth-Abu Dhabi route

Etihad Airways has introduced Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners to Perth, Australia. Guests on the Dreamliner enjoy the industry’s largest windows; air that is cleaner, more humid and at a higher pressure for better comfort; large overhead stowage bins, soothing LED lighting; and technology to sense and counter turbulence for a smoother ride.

Etihad Airways flight EY486 took off from Abu Dhabi at 10.30pm on 1 June and arrived in the Western Australian capital at 1:50pm on 2 June, where it was welcomed by a water cannon salute. The return flight, EY487, will depart Perth in the evening at 5pm and arrive in Abu Dhabi at 12:25am the next day.

With 299 seats, the B787-9 Dreamliner delivers 14% more capacity than the Airbus A330-200 it replaces. In the high-demand Business Class cabin, it offers 27% more seats. Etihad Airways launched daily two-class Airbus A330-200 services to Perth in July 2014.

Etihad Airways Senior Vice President of Marketing, Shane O’Hare, said the decision to upgrade to the Dreamliner reflected the importance of Western Australia to Etihad Airways. “Since launching flights between Perth and Abu Dhabi two years ago we have enjoyed strong two-way demand from business and leisure travellers on the route. 

"The Dreamliner, which adds 518 weekly seats to the route, gives us the extra capacity needed to meet this ever-increasing demand. It also enables our guests to experience the luxury, comfort and hospitality for which Etihad Airways is world-renowned.

“Our Dreamliners, with ground-breaking innovations in all cabins, have raised the passenger experience bar, setting the benchmark in world aviation for superior comfort, entertainment, inflight connectivity, and service.”

The Etihad Airways B787-9 Dreamliner features 28 Business Studios and 271 Economy Smart Seats. The onboard décor and lighting have been inspired by contemporary modern Arabian design, complementing the airline’s Facets of Abu Dhabi livery.

The 28 Business Studios offer direct aisle access, a fully flat bed of up to 80.5" long, and an increase of 20% in personal space. Upholstered in fine Poltrona Frau leather, the Business Studio is equipped with an in-seat massage and pneumatic cushion control system which enables guests to adjust the firmness and comfort of their seat. Each Business Studio has an 18" personal touch-screen TV with noise-cancelling headsets.

The 271 Economy Smart Seats provide enhanced comfort with a unique ‘fixed wing’ headrest on each seat, adjustable lumbar support, a seat width of approximately 19", and an 11.1” personal TV monitor.

The Dreamliner fleet features the latest Panasonic eX3 entertainment system which provides more than 750 hours of on-demand entertainment including seven live TV channels, improved gaming and high definition screens across all cabins. The aircraft has full mobile and Wi-Fi service, with USB and power points at every seat.

The airline’s world-renowned hospitality offering includes innovative services such as Flying Nannies and onboard Food and Beverage Managers. A Flying Nanny, trained by Norland College in the UK, is on board every B787-9 Dreamliner flight to provide assistance to families travelling with young children. Food and Beverage Managers, handpicked from the world’s top hotels and restaurants, guide guests in Business Class through the extensive ala carte and dine-anytime options. 

Etihad Airways uniquely offers travellers from Western Australia the convenience of US Customs and Border Protection at Abu Dhabi Airport. This facility, exclusive to Etihad Airways in the Gulf region, allows guests to complete immigration, customs and security clearance procedures for the US while in transit at Abu Dhabi – avoiding lengthy queues upon arrival at US airports.

Beyond Perth, Etihad Airways offers connections to eight towns and cities in Western Australia in conjunction with codeshare partner Virgin Australia. The partnership enables guests to connect to Etihad Airways’ global network from Broome, Geraldton, Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Kununurra, Karratha, Paraburdoo, Port Hedland and Newman.

In addition to the WA capital, Etihad Airways serves Sydney with double daily flights, in conjunction with Virgin Australia; double daily flights to Melbourne; and daily services to Brisbane.

Perth is the second Australian city to be served by Etihad Airways’ B787-9 Dreamliner aircraft; Brisbane was the first in June 2015. In Asia, the Dreamliner is also deployed to Singapore. Services will commence to Istanbul and Shanghai in coming months.

The Vines Resort & Country Club unveils new garden venue for MICE

Source: The Vines Resort & Country Club. The Pavilion.

The Vines Resort & Country Club has launched The Pavilion, a purpose-built garden structure at the front of the iconic resort in the Swan Valley, on the outskirts of Perth, Australia. Overlooking the golf course and gardens, the new function area, is an ideal location for conference groups' sundowners and launch events.

The open space, which has three sides open to nature and can accommodate 100 guests, complements The Barrett Lennard Room, The Boardroom, as well as the Samuel Copley and Cabernet function rooms, as event venues.

Interested?

Contact the events team at +61 8 9297 3000 or email dos at vines.com.au

Emirates expands A380 networks with new daily service between Dubai and Perth

Source: Emirates.

Emirates will commence a second daily A380 service from Dubai to Perth on 1 August this year, replacing the current 777-300ER aircraft operating on the EK424/EK425 routes.

The second daily A380 service to Perth follows Emirates’ recent announcement that its flagship A380 aircraft will serve more destinations in 2016. For east-bound destinations, this includes a new two-class A380 service to Kuala Lumpur which launched on 1 January, and a two-class A380 service on the Taipei route starting 1 May 2016. Other A380 destinations on the airline’s Far East and Australasia network are: Auckland, Bangkok, Beijing, Hong Kong, Melbourne, Seoul, Singapore, Shanghai, Sydney and Brisbane.

“Introducing our flagship A380 aircraft onto a second daily Perth service reaffirms our long standing commitment to Australia. It means more of our customers flying from or into Australia, can now enjoy their entire journey on Emirates’ award-winning A380 aircraft – not only to our Dubai hub, but also with great connections to popular Emirates A380 destinations such as London, Frankfurt and Copenhagen. Perth is one of the 39 A380 destinations on the Emirates network globally, including 13 east-bound destinations. With more A380s on order, we look forward to continue utilising this highly popular aircraft to serve customer and capacity demand on key routes,” said Thierry Antinori, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, Emirates.

Emirates was the first airline to begin A380 services to the West Australian capital in May last year with the aircraft introduced on the EK420/EK421 routes. With the up-gauge of the second service to an A380, Emirates will be able to transport over 14,000 passengers inbound and outbound between Dubai and Perth per week.

Australia is the third largest A380 destination for Emirates globally, and from August, seven of the airline’s 11 daily flights between Dubai and Australia will be serviced by an A380. This includes an additional daily A380 service from Melbourne starting in March 2016, when the EK404/405 service begins using the aircraft. Emirates currently offers a double daily A380 service from Sydney, as well as daily A380 services from Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth.

Through its partnership with Qantas, Emirates passengers are also able to travel to an additional 55 Australian destinations and above 4,000 flights per week. Frequent flyers with both airlines are able to earn and redeem points/miles on both Emirates’ and Qantas’ flights and take advantage of the expanded network. Qantas and Emirates fly 13 times a day from Dubai to Australia, and provide 'one-stop' access to Australia from destinations across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.

On board the Emirates A380, passengers in all three cabins can enjoy more than 2,000 channels of the latest movies, TV shows and music from around the world alongside a range of games on the ice inflight entertainment system. Passengers can stay connected throughout the flight with Wi-Fi access and mobile phone and data services.

Emirates' First and Business Class experience on the A380 takes luxury to another level. First Class customers can freshen up in the two onboard Shower Spas, while both First and Business Class travellers can socialise at 40,000 feet in the Onboard Lounge while enjoying premium beverages, hors d'oeuvres and delicacies prepared by gourmet chefs.

The Emirates' A380 operating as EK424/EK425 is a wide-bodied double decker aircraft with a capacity of 519 passengers including 14 First Class Private Suites, 76 lie-flat beds in Business Class and 429 seats in Economy Class.

EK424 departs Dubai 10.10am, arriving in Perth at 12.50am the next day. EK425 departs Perth at 6am, arriving in Dubai at 1pm same day.

Emirates adds Airbus A380 to Perth route

Emirates will be adding its Airbus A380 planes to the Perth, Australia route for the first time, commencing 1 May 2015. The airline has announced that it will up-gauge one of its three daily services between Dubai and Perth to its flagship aircraft, demonstrating the growth of Perth as a global destination. 

The change from a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft will see an increase in capacity of 136 seats per flight and 1,904 seats per week, reinforcing Emirates’ commitment to business and leisure passengers visiting the capital city of Western Australia.
Barry Brown, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations - East said the deployment of a fifth Emirates A380 service to the Australia in association with Qantas demonstrates the priority that Emirates places on travel to and from Australia.

“Emirates looks forward to being the first airline to bring the state-of-the-art A380 to Perth, offering residents the chance to experience this revolutionary aircraft and the best service in the sky first-hand, including spacious seating and generous luggage allowances in Economy Class, Wi-Fi throughout, 2,000 channels on ice, our award-winning inflight entertainment system, access to the world’s only on-board shower spas for first class passengers and the on-board lounge where first class and business class passengers can socialise at 40,000 feet,” said Brown. 

"For business and leisure travellers, the Dubai-Perth route is a popular choice and our new Emirates A380 service will be instrumental in helping the airline meet this growing passenger demand as well as deliver substantial economic benefits through travel connections and inbound seats.”

Together with Qantas, a total of seven daily A380 services will operate from Dubai to Australia from May 2015, with onward connections across the country via Qantas’ domestic network.

The Emirates A380 is set in a three-class configuration, with 401 seats in Economy Class on the main deck, 76 fully flat-bed, mini-pods in Business Class and 14 First Class Private Suites on the upper deck.
Emirates passengers will be able to fly the A380 to Perth via Dubai from over 35 European cities including 12 which Emirates also serves with the A380. Emirates’ Perth A380 service will operate daily as EK420 departing Dubai at 0255 and arriving at Perth International Airport at 1735 the same day. The return flight, EK421, will depart Perth at 2210 and arrives in Dubai the following day at 0525, a flying time of 11 hours 15 minutes.

The airline recently introduced a daily A380 service to Brisbane and Melbourne, a double daily A380 service to Sydney and a daily Adelaide service.

Emirates is today the world’s largest operator of the A380 aircraft, with 56 in the fleet and 84 on order. Emirates’ A380 programme has seen 12 new double-decker aircraft join the fleet and launch to ten new A380 destinations in the past 12 months, including to Kuwait. Manila and Tehran have also experienced the flagship Emirates aircraft when the A380 touched down on their tarmac for a one-off showcase in 2014.

Novotel Vines Resort and Golf Club signs reciprocal agreement with Mission Hills Golf Club

Source: Accor. 

The Novotel Vines Resort and Golf Club of Australia has signed a reciprocal agreement with Mission Hills Golf Club in China – one of the most famous cluster of golf courses in the Asian region. The Vines is the only Australian golf club that has the exclusive reciprocal agreement with all these seven courses, namely Leadbetter, Rose-Poulter, Annika, Els, Faldo, Ozaki and Vijay.

Mission Hills is recognised by the Guinness Book of Records as the largest golf course in the world with a 20 sq km complex featuring twelve 18-hole courses. It also hosts The World Cup of Golf and the Asian Amateur Championship. Under the agreement, the Vines Resort Golf Club members will be able to play for free (no green fees) when they visit Mission Hills. 

In addition to access to the seven golf courses, Vines members are entitled to transport their golf clubs for free together with a generous baggage allowance of 2 bags of up to 23 kgs each (46 kg total) if they fly economy with China Southern Airlines, via the Chinese city of Guangzhou. Flying three times a week on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, China Southern offers the only direct flight to China from Perth.

In return, Chinese members can play the two 18-hole courses at The Vines Resort in the Swan Valley near Perth, staying at Accor’s Novotel resort located on the golf course.

For bookings, please call +61 8 9492 5320 or +61 8 9492 5319.

SilverNeedle Hospitality launches second Sage Hotel in Perth

Source: SilverNeedle Hospitality.

Singapore-based SilverNeedle Hospitality has added a second Sage Hotel in Perth, Western Australia, just a month after the company announced the launch of the upscale Sage Hotel brand, with a hotel in Brisbane.

“Sage Hotels cater to an important group of business travellers who desire a stable and uncomplicated life as they conduct their business in unfamiliar cities; a vision that is fast gaining traction with owners,” said Iqbal Jumabhoy, Managing Director & Group Chief Executive Officer at SilverNeedle Hospitality. “This agreement also expands our footprint in Western Australia, where we are confident of the market’s fundamentals.”

Situated in West Perth near the Central Business District, the second Sage Hotel will comprise 101 rooms as part of a two-building site that will include a modern boutique hotel adjoining a renovated heritage building.

Australian Development Capital, a private fund manager that specialises in acquiring and managing property investment and development assets, bought the heritage building and the adjoining apartments in 2013. It will build the new hotel and renovate the heritage building. The heritage building, which used to house the former Julio’s Restaurant, will consist of a restaurant, meeting rooms and several heritage rooms. The hotel is scheduled to open in March 2016.

“When we bought the property, we had the vision of creating a modern hotel that will incorporate elements of the heritage building to provide a unique accommodation offering for the inner city market,” said Adam Zorzi, Director at Australian Development Capital. “We found the perfect partner in SilverNeedle Hospitality and are confident the Sage Hotels brand will provide the best blend of the modernity and heritage for the property.”

The brand promise of Sage Hotels, The Complex Made Simple, the Simple Made Special, focuses on the guests’ desire for simplicity. Its typical guests comprise the small business owner or entrepreneur, or a senior manager or family breadwinner. Sage Hotels are located in primary and secondary urban cities in Asia Pacific in the central business district (CBD) and CBD fringe areas near primary transportation hubs.

Guests at Sage Hotels enjoy the Fair Value Promise of competitive room rates, free Wi-Fi and free local calls. Mini bar items will be priced at 30% above local convenience stores, and laundry services priced at just 20% above street pricing. Another brand standard that all guests will enjoy is the SilverNeedle DreamWeave Sleep System, which consists of the highest quality pillow-top mattress with gel-infused memory foam, Egyptian Cotton 300 thread count per inch linens, and a selection of premium pillows.

Apart from Sage Hotels, SilverNeedle Hospitality also operates the SilverNeedle Collection of boutique hotels, NEXT Hotels, Chifley, Country Comfort, Australis and Sundowner brands. In Western Australia, SilverNeedle Hospitality also manages the 99-room Country Comfort Inter City.

TripAdvisor names world landmarks in Travelers' Choice awards

TripAdvisor, the travel site, has announced the winners of its Travelers’ Choice awards for Attractions. In the second year of the awards for these categories, 929 winners were identified, including the top 25 in the world. Four of the top ten landmarks in the world are in Asia or the Middle East, while one of the top ten parks is in Australia.

Top 10 World Landmarks

2. Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

3. Taj Mahal, Agra, India

6. Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia

7. Bayon Temple, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Top 10 World Parks

6. Kings Park and Botanic Garden, Perth, Australia

“TripAdvisor travelers have helped identify some of the best attractions around the globe,” said Barbara Messing, CMO, TripAdvisor. “These award-winning landmarks and parks are an ideal starting point for taking in the world’s must-see sights.”

Travelers’ Choice awards honour top travel spots worldwide based on the millions of valuable reviews and opinions from TripAdvisor travelers. Award winners were determined using an algorithm that took into account the quantity and quality of reviews for landmark and park attractions worldwide, gathered over a 12-month period.

View the full list of winners here.