Holiday Inn Melbourne on Flinders reopens

Holiday Inn Melbourne on Flinders has completed the refurbishment of all its guest rooms, bathrooms and suites, giving travellers to the city a fresh hotel experience in the heart of the city.

Source: Holiday Inn website. The Holiday Inn Melbourne on Flinders.

Each room was completely gutted to create a blank canvas for the architect to design a room with the modern traveller in mind. Floor-to-ceiling windows frame the striking new interiors, with electronically-switched block out blinds which can be controlled by the bedside.

The bathroom, luggage rack and wardrobe have been purposely designed outside the bedroom space, giving guests more of a 'living room' feeling while relaxing on new Holiday Inn pillowtop beds. Large HD TVs have been integrated into a stylish wall panel with HDMI and USB connectivity, allowing travellers to connect with free Wi-Fi to their favourite digital content.

The new bathrooms have been completely renovated and now feature large showers and an opaque window into the bedroom that means the bathroom is flooded with natural light. The stone vanity countertops offer plenty of space and all fittings are water conserving, ensuring that the hotel continues to minimise the impact on the environment through the IHG Green Engage™ system.

The hotel enlisted architects Wilson & Hill of New Zealand, to reinvent each hotel room and add seven additional, bringing the room count to 209.

David Hill, Director of New Zealand architect firm Wilson & Hill said, “The refurbishment of the existing rooms provided an opportunity to create modern hotel rooms and corridors containing up-to-date features and fittings. The materials, finishes and colours create a contemporary Melbourne interior with a high level of quality.”

Garry Beadel, Holiday Inn Melbourne on Flinders Hotel Manager believes it has set a new standard of hotel in Melbourne. He says: “The hotel offers a new and fresh experience to our guests. We know that everyone will enjoy our modern rooms and stunning bathrooms, no matter if they are travelling for business or leisure.”

Located on Flinders Lane in the Melbourne CBD, the hotel looks forward to launching the new conference and event space in Q218.

Details:

Book the Holiday Inn Melbourne on Flinders

Rolls-Royce sites new showroom in Melbourne, Australia

Source: Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. The reception area for the Rolls-Royce showroom in Melbourne with the limited edition commissioned Collection Rolls-Royce Dawn – Inspired by Fashion car finished in Andalusian White and Mugello Red on the right.

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, the super-luxury brand, has launched a new lifestyle-themed showroom in Melbourne, Australia - its largest in Asia Pacific outside of mainland China.

Bobby Zagame, MD, Zagame Automotive Group, the sole dealership for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars in the state of Victoria, Australia said at the unveiling: “Melbourne already accounts for almost one-third of economic growth in Australia, and more than 10% of global ultra high net worth individuals (UHNWIs) are slated to invest in Melbourne in the next 10 years – with an increasingly younger demographic becoming more apparent than ever. With this new lifestyle-themed facility, Zagame Automotive Group are well-poised to continue towards a prosperous and exciting future ahead.”

Ian Grant, Asia Pacific Regional Sales Manager for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars added, "Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has recognised the Zagame family's success in Melbourne, an authentic testament to their hard work and meticulous attention to detail in everything they do.”

"Like Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, Zagame Automotive Group strives for excellence and their constant focus is on outstanding customer service. Rolls-Royce is delighted to be partnering this highly regarded luxury retailer here."

Housed in a purpose-built space, the new facility represents the new pinnacle of luxury retail in Melbourne with a ground-floor car showcase, a six-car display space in a first-floor showroom, undercover customer parking as well as 15 long-term car storage spaces exclusively for customers.

A Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Ownership Services Centre is also housed within the premises, enabling qualified technicians to ensure fast, accurate servicing and maintenance with three dedicated service bays for Rolls-Royce vehicles.

In the Zagame tradition of providing sublime customer service, the showroom features a full-service café and lifestyle-themed elements in their Bespoke lounge.

Often touted as the fashion capital of Australia, Melbourne is where Australia’s first ateliers and fashion designers debuted. More than 200 years on, it remains one of the most stylish cities in the world.

The new House of Rolls-Royce in Melbourne was hence a natural choice for the Australian debut of Dawn – Inspired by Fashion, a collection of bespoke Drophead Coupés that express the spirited youthfulness of Rolls-Royce Dawn as an attitude it shares with some of the world’s most celebrated fashion designers.

“Dawn – Inspired by Fashion with its timeless style and energetic contrast presents a vibrant new way forward for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. This is exactly why we chose to debut this car at our new showroom launch with the only example currently available in Australia,” said Zagame at the unveiling of the new car.

In creating Dawn – Inspired by Fashion, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Design Director Giles Taylor and his team selected the neutral canvas of Andalusian White upon which to base three roof colours, Mugello Red, Cobalto Blue or Mandarin to create the boldest of statements. A handpainted coachline then drapes over the curve of the car’s hip as the line flows backwards along the car, reflecting the identical splash of colour provided when the soft-top roof is in place.

A contemporary Arctic White and Black interior colour scheme is highlighted by matching roof accents. The black leather of the seats is further enhanced with embroidery of the headrests, as well as the stitching and piping around the seats. Seamless stitching, a highly-complex craft technique from the world of fine tailoring, is applied to the steering wheel to ensure perfect line joins of the two colours of leather around the rim.

Orders for the model unveiled closed in May 2017, making it the only model of its kind available in all of Australia.

posted from Bloggeroid

Free USB devices could be vectors for malware, Check Point warns

Source: Victoria Police. The unmarked USB drives used are similar to these.

On 21 September the police in Victoria, advised residents of Melbourne suburb Pakenham to be wary of USB flash drives left in their mailboxes.

"Members of the public are allegedly finding unmarked USB drives in their letterboxes. Upon inserting the USB drives into their computers victims have experienced fraudulent media streaming service offers, as well as other serious issues. The USB drives are believed to be extremely harmful and members of the public are urged to avoid plugging them into their computers or other devices," Victoria police said in a statement.

Check Point Software has commented on the phenomenon. "Hacking by USB devices are not new, and can wreck serious or fatal damage to computers (including holding users' data at ransom), or embed malware to infect the computers as zombie/attack hosts, potentially even landing users in legal trouble. While this form of attack has not been seen blatantly in Singapore yet, it would make sense to educate the public on how to avoid such risks, especially since some may succumb to the temptation of getting a 'free' USB device. What's worse, such attacks can also target business mailboxes, putting businesses at jeopardy should unsuspecting corporate users plug in such devices," a Check Point spokesperson said.

Interested?

Anyone with information about those behind the scam is urged to contact Crime Stoppers in Australia on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report online

Qantas flies between Melbourne and Tokyo from December 2016

Qantas will launch daily direct flights between Melbourne and Tokyo’s Narita Airport from 16 December 2016*, responding to growing demand and marking the next step in its Asian growth strategy.

The number of visitors to Australia from Japan grew by 17% in the 2015/16 financial year, with those travellers spending A$1.5 billion – up 14% on the previous year. Outbound travel by Australians to Japan is also growing rapidly, having seen a 24% increase in 2015.
The new route will be operated by an upgraded, two-class A330-300 with 297 seats – the aircraft widely seen as best in class for the business market.

The route adds to Qantas’ Sydney-Tokyo (Haneda) and Brisbane-Tokyo (Narita) services, launched in 2015, and will connect travellers with the broader Qantas Group network – including Jetstar’s extensive domestic network within Japan and the Group’s services across the Tasman.

Qantas and Jetstar will both operate flights from Melbourne to Tokyo (Narita) during the December 2016-February 2017 holiday peak. Jetstar will then cease flights on the direct route 25 February, 2017. Jetstar continues to operate direct international services from the Gold Coast and Cairns in Queensland, Australia to Tokyo (Narita) and from Cairns to Osaka.

Chief Executive Officer of Qantas International and Freight, Gareth Evans, said the new service built on Qantas’ long history of flying to Japan and significant expansion in the market over the past year. “We’re delighted to be stepping up our commitment to the Japanese market at a boom time for tourism and business travel,” Evans said.

“The Qantas Group is perfectly placed to support the resurgent growth we’re seeing, with the biggest Australia-Japan network, the biggest domestic network in Australia, and the biggest low-cost carrier network in Japan through Jetstar.

“Our dual-brand strategy and the size of our fleet means we have the ability to move quickly to meet demand where it’s strongest, putting the right aircraft on the right route. We have received great feedback on the world-class product we’ve created for our Airbus A330 fleet, and now even more customers flying to Japan will be able to enjoy the reconfigured aircraft.

“We lifted Qantas’ capacity on Asian routes by 17% last financial year, so this is very much part of a larger pivot to Asia.”

Interested?

Fares for Qantas’ new Melbourne-Tokyo (Narita) service are available for sale today for travel from 16 December 2016.

Existing customers booked on Qantas’ Sydney-Tokyo (Haneda) and Brisbane-Tokyo (Narita) services who want to change their flight to the new Melbourne-Tokyo (Narita) direct service can contact Qantas customer care.

Jetstar customers who are booked on Melbourne-Tokyo (Narita) flights from 26 February, 2017 onwards will be re-accommodated on Qantas’ Melbourne-Tokyo (Narita) flights.

QANTAS SCHEDULE (effective 16 December 2016; no service on 24, 25 and 31 December)

Dep-Arr	Flight No.	Timings	Frequency
MEL-NRT	QF79	9:15am/5:30pm	Daily
NRT-MEL	QF80	7pm/7:30am +1	Daily

*Subject to government and regulatory approvals.

Etihad Airways adds Melbourne as an A380 destination

Etihad Airways has begun a new era of luxury travel on the Melbourne-Abu Dhabi route with the inclusion of Melbourne as one of Etihad Airways’ expanding network of A380 destinations. The flagship superjumbo will operate one of the airline’s double daily flights between Melbourne and Abu Dhabi. It will replace one of the three-class Boeing 777-300ER aircraft currently deployed on the route.

• Brings The Residence and next-generation cabins to the route
• A Butler, Inflight Chef, Flying Nanny and Food and Beverage Managers offer innovative hospitality services inflight

Etihad Airways’ double daily service from Melbourne provides travellers from Victoria access to more than 900 weekly connections in 50 markets across the Gulf region, the Middle East, Africa and Europe. The Abu Dhabi-Melbourne A380 flight – EY460 – departs Abu Dhabi Airport at 10.15pm and arrives at Melbourne Airport at 5.45pm the next evening. The return Melbourne-Abu Dhabi flight – EY461 – departs Melbourne at 10.10pm.

Etihad Airways Senior Vice President of Marketing, Shane O’Hare, said: “With Melbourne joining our A380 network, Australia is the only country in our global network with daily A380 services to two cities – Melbourne and Sydney.

“Deploying our latest technology aircraft and class-leading product and service to Australia recognises its importance to our business and the strong demand from Australian travellers for premium travel experiences. From the product and service innovations in every cabin to our inspired approach to hospitality, the Etihad Airways A380 offers touches of luxury to every guest and sets the benchmark for inflight comfort, entertainment, connectivity and service."

The A380 will increase the total number of two-way seats on the Melbourne-Abu Dhabi route by 26%, to more than 11,500 seats per week. O’Hare said this would ease the capacity constraints on the Melbourne-Abu Dhabi, particularly for business and premium leisure travel.

“Our Abu Dhabi to Melbourne services generate very high seat load factors year-round. The A380, with 70 seats in business class, enables us to better meet the demand we have for our premium cabins and will boost our market share of this important segment,” he said.

Lyell Strambi, CEO Melbourne Airport, said: “Our partnership with Etihad continues to go from strength to strength since the airline’s arrival to Melbourne Airport in 2009. Last year we were thrilled by the introduction of a second daily service between Melbourne and Abu Dhabi and a new Premium Lounge opened at Melbourne Airport last month. Now, capacity has been increased again with the upgauge to an A380, replacing one of the airline’s daily 777 services.

“Entrenched in Melbourne life, particularly in our sporting culture, Etihad’s name looms large over our city’s second biggest stadium and the airline is the principal partner of the Melbourne City Football Club.”

“The Melbourne to Abu Dhabi route is an important connector for Victorians to Europe with this market already experiencing considerable growth since Etihad’s second daily service commenced last August. The arrival of Etihad’s A380 is a great show of commitment to Melbourne and Victoria by this important airline partner and plays an important part in meeting our expected growth in passenger numbers.”

Etihad Airways’ A380 carries 496 passengers in a four-class configuration: The Residence, First Apartments, Business Studios and Economy Smart Seats. It offers an unprecedented level of luxury, space and privacy in the most highly customised cabin interior in commercial aviation.

The Residence is the world’s first three-room private suite on a commercial aircraft, unique to Etihad Airways. Measuring 125 sq ft, it is located on the forward upper deck of the A380 and is available for single or double occupancy. Features include a living room, separate ensuite shower room and a double bedroom. It has a large 32” LCD monitor in the living room and a separate 24” version in the bedroom.

Its exclusive hospitality offering includes a personal Butler, trained at the world-renowned Savoy Butler Academy in London and dedicated to meeting the needs of discerning guests. An onboard Chef complements the Butler service, offering a bespoke, made-to-order dining experience.

There are nine First Apartments in First Class. These private living spaces feature a reclining lounge chair and an ottoman, upholstered in Poltrona Frau leather. The ottoman opens up to become a separate 80.5” long fully flat bed. In addition, each First Apartment has a 24” LCD TV monitor, a chilled mini bar and personal vanity unit. A fully equipped shower room is available for the exclusive use of First Apartment guests.

Seventy Business Studios are located on the upper deck of the A380, all offering direct aisle access, a fully flat bed of up to 80.5” long, and an increase of 20% in personal space. Upholstered in Poltrona Frau leather, the Business Studio is equipped with an in-seat massage and a pneumatic cushion control system.

The Lobby, a luxurious lounge located between the First Class and Business Class cabins, features two comfortable leather sofas and a staffed bar serving a selection of snacks and refreshments.

The main deck features 415 Economy Smart Seats, which 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.

Guests in all cabins enjoy the latest Panasonic eX3 entertainment system with more than 750 hours of on-demand entertainment, live TV news and sport channels, improved gaming, and high definition screens across all cabins. The A380 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 Food and Beverage Managers, handpicked from the world’s top hotels and restaurants, to guide guests in Business Class through the ala carte and dine-anytime options and provide recommendations on the ideal beverage to accompany their meal choice.

The commencement of A380 services to Melbourne complements the airline’s recently-opened Premium Lounge at Melbourne Airport. The 800m² space, with the ambience of a sophisticated restaurant and bar, is the airline’s largest airport lounge outside its Abu Dhabi home base. It also features a separate private lounge for the exclusive use of guests travelling in The Residence.

The Abu Dhabi-based airline has strong ties to the city of Melbourne and the state of Victoria through partnerships with Etihad Stadium, Melbourne City Football Club, Sport Australia Hall of Fame, Melbourne Recital Centre and the Islamic Museum of Australia.

Within Australia and to New Zealand, Etihad Airways codeshares on Virgin Australia and Air New Zealand flights from Melbourne to Adelaide, Auckland, Brisbane, Cairns, Canberra, Christchurch, Coffs Harbour, Darwin, Gold Coast, Hamilton Island, Hobart, Kalgoorlie, Launceston, Mildura, Newcastle, Perth, Queenstown, Sunshine Coast, Sydney, and Wellington.

Interested?

Flights to and from Melbourne can be booked with a travel agent, Etihad Airways Contact Centre or at etihad.com. A round trip fare for The Residence between Melbourne and Abu Dhabi is A$70,900 plus applicable taxes, and between Melbourne and London A$111,200 plus applicable taxes.

MUJOSH now available in Australia

Source: MUJOSH. The Melbourne store on opening day.

MUJOSH, a fashion eyewear brand headquartered in Hong Kong, has opened a specialty store in Melbourne Central, Australia. The move follows store openings in Thailand and Malaysia.

Said Alan Chen, Founder, MUJOSH: "After five years of fast but solid development, MUJOSH decided to expand into the international market at the beginning of 2015. Having our first store in Australia is an important milestone for our international business development."

Managed by GPT, Melbourne Central in the heart of Melbourne, attracts a wide variety of customers from the inner suburbs of the city. "Melbourne Central is always on hunt for emerging brands both locally and internationally. This fast-growing eyewear brand is a fantastic addition to our dynamic mix of fashion and lifestyle brands," said Melbourne Central General Manager Leigh Dunn.

"We handpicked a selection including our bestsellers and limited-edition designer series for our customers in Australia," said Grace Zhang, Director of International Business Division for MUJOSH. "(The) latest MUJOSH collections will also be unveiled in here at the same time as (they) will be in other territories."

Interested?

Mujosh can be found at Putra Mall in Malaysia and at Mega Bangna in Thailand.

Etihad to add more flights between Abu Dhabi and Melbourne

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, will start daily A380 services between Abu Dhabi and Melbourne on 1 June 2016. The flagship superjumbo will operate flights EY460/461, one of the airline’s twice-daily Abu Dhabi-Melbourne services. It will replace one of the three-class Boeing 777-300ER aircraft currently deployed on the route. It will also bring to Melbourne The Residence by Etihad, the airline’s private three-room suite in the sky, as well as ground-breaking product and service innovations in all cabins.

James Hogan, Etihad Airways’ President and Chief Executive Officer, said: “From June next year, guests on our Abu Dhabi-Melbourne A380 flights will discover what travellers the world over are talking about – the superior level of luxury, comfort, service, and inflight technology that is redefining luxury air travel and transforming the flying experience. What’s more, the A380 service from Melbourne will connect seamlessly in Abu Dhabi to the A380 to London, offering our London-bound guests the convenience and class-leading comfort of an all-A380 service all the way.”

The new A380 will increase the total number of two-way seats on the Melbourne-Abu Dhabi route by 26%, to more than 11,500 seats per week.

Hogan added: “Melbourne is an important point on our global network, and our Abu Dhabi to Melbourne services continue to generate very high seat load factors on a year round basis. After just three months of operations, demand for our second daily service is already exceeding our expectations.

“Deploying the 496-seat A380 to Melbourne will enable us to accelerate our growth in the Victorian market by providing additional capacity, particularly in business class, where demand for seats continually outstrips supply.”

Victorian Minister for Tourism and Major Events, The Honourable John Eren, MP, said: “Etihad’s decision is good news for Victoria’s visitor economy and further proof we’re headed in the right direction. It means more visitors from all over the world will see for themselves everything we offer.

“Victoria has a positive relationship with Etihad Airways and, through our partnership marketing efforts in the key markets of UK and Europe, more visitors can experience Melbourne and regional Victoria's award-winning tourism attractions and nature-based experiences."

Within Australia and to New Zealand, Etihad Airways codeshares on Virgin Australia and Air New Zealand flights from Melbourne to Adelaide, Auckland, Brisbane, Cairns, Canberra, Christchurch, Coffs Harbour, Darwin, Gold Coast, Hamilton Island, Hobart, Kalgoorlie, Launceston, Mildura, Newcastle, Perth, Queenstown, Sunshine Coast, Sydney, and Wellington.

Etihad Airways commenced services to Melbourne on 29 March 2009. It added a second daily service to the route on 1 August 2015. It is the only airline offering double daily non-stop services between Melbourne and the UAE.

The airline has strong ties to Melbourne and the state of Victoria through partnerships with Etihad Stadium, Melbourne City Football Club, Sport Australia Hall of Fame, Melbourne Recital Centre and the Islamic Museum of Australia.

The daily flight schedule between Abu Dhabi and Melbourne, effective 1 June 2016:

Flight no.	Origin	Dest	Dep	Arrive	Aircraft	Freq
EY460	Abu Dhabi	Melbourne	21:45	17:20+1	A380	Daily
EY461	Melbourne	Abu Dhabi	22:40	06:45+1	A380	Daily
EY462	Abu Dhabi	Melbourne	10:30	06:05+1	B777	Daily
EY463	Melbourne	Abu Dhabi	15:00	23:05	B777	Daily

Note: All departures and arrivals are listed in local time. 

Interested?

Read the WorkSmart Asia blog post on Etihad's boutique hotel flight experience

Singapore's CPF retirement savings systems slips in the MMGPI rankings

A slight drop in the index value of Singapore’s retirement savings system, the Central Provident Fund (CPF), has seen it slip from a B grade to C+ grade in the 2015 Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index (MMGPI). Singapore’s overall score decreased from 65.9 in 2014 to 64.7 in 2015, moving it further away from an ‘A’ grade, which is given to pension systems that score above 80. Denmark and Netherlands are the only countries to achieve an A grade in the history of the index.

The drop in Singapore’s score is attributable to:

1) A change in calculation which reduced the level of pension assets as a percentage of GDP for Singapore. This calculation represents the amount of money set aside for retirement;

2) Most recent data from the Economic Intelligence Unit showing a decrease in the net household savings rate for Singapore;

3) The United Nations’ updated life expectancy figures in its World Population Prospects: The 2015 Revision report, showed a continued decline in mortality rates for Singapore.

“While Singapore’s retirement income system remains amongst the best in Asia, we are not the best globally. Improvement will be influenced by the legislative and regulatory environment,” said Neil Narale, Asia Retirement Leader for Mercer.

“However, Singapore is on the right track, having announced improvements to CPF in 2016, including increasing the wage limit, contributions and guaranteed investment returns for older members and introduction of the Silver Support Scheme to help low income retirees."

Now in its seventh year, the MMGPI measured 25 retirement income systems against more than 40 indicators under the sub-indices of adequacy, sustainability and integrity. The MMGPI is the world’s most comprehensive comparison of pension systems. It covers close to 60% of the world’s population and suggests how governments can provide adequate and sustainable benefits that protect their citizens against longevity risk, the risk of their ageing population outliving their savings, potentially one of the biggest economic and social risks facing many retirees today.

Author of the report and Senior Partner at Mercer Dr David Knox said, “Implementing the right reform to improve pension systems and provide financial security in retirement has never been more critical for both individuals and societies.

“The MMGPI is an important reference for policy makers around the world to learn from the most adequate and sustainable systems. We know there is no perfect system that can be applied universally, but there are many common features that can be shared for better outcomes.”

The 2015 MMGPI looked beyond the annual rankings to observe changes over the last seven years and assess which pension systems will continue to deliver and which ones are at risk.

“Our seven-year snapshot highlights the importance of measures such as adjusting the state pension age, increasing workforce participation amongst our ageing population, or funding additional contributions for future retirement income,” said Dr Knox.

All of the 11 countries that have been part of the MMGPI since it began in 2009 have experienced an increase in the expected length of retirement from 2009 to 2015, with the average length rising from 16.6 years to 18.4 years.

Five countries – Australia, Germany, Japan, Singapore and the UK – have increased their pension age to offset the increase in life expectancies, but these are not enough to halt the increasing length of retirement.

The Index also looks at the average expected length of retirement in 20 years, and by this measure, three countries have witnessed a reduction. For Canada and the Netherlands this is due to a projected increase in the state pension age from 65 to 67 during the 20 years, while for the US, life expectancy has reduced slightly. The other eight countries showed an increase.

For the 16 countries that have been part of the MMGPI since the 2011 report, the average labour force participation rate for 55 to 64 year olds has increased from 57.9% to 62.2% between 2011 and 2015, or just over 1% per year.

However, averages can be misleading. The labour force participation rate at older ages actually went backwards in the US. In Brazil, India and China, it increased by less than 4%.

“Extending the years that individuals spend in the workforce is one of the most positive ways of developing sustainable retirement systems when life expectancies are increasing,” Dr Knox said.

“While there is a natural limit to the participation rate at older ages, with most countries still below 70%, the scope for significant increases across the world remains, which would improve the sustainability of many pension systems.”

The sustainability of a pension fund cannot be assessed without reviewing the level of funds set aside today to pay future retirement benefits so that the expected pension are not a financial strain on the next generation.

There is an enormous variety in the level of pension assets held ranging from 1.8% of GDP in Indonesia and 6% of GDP in Austria to 160.6% of GDP in the Netherlands and 168.9% of GDP in Denmark.

“The diversity in pension assets held as a percentage of GDP recognises that some countries have very limited private pension arrangements whereas others have well-developed and mature pension systems. However, it is an important warning for all countries to prepare, prepare, prepare,” said Dr Knox.

The MMGPI notes that there is room for improvement in all countries’ retirement income systems. Suggested measures to improve Singapore’s system include:

· Reducing the barriers to establishing tax-approved group corporate retirement plans;

· Opening CPF to non-residents (who comprise more than one-third of the labour force);

· Increasing the labour force participation rate amongst older workers.

“Employers continue to be interested in either sponsoring a corporate retirement plan, or privately managing parts of the CPF investments. Policies that include employer participation would further increase Singapore’s grade in the future,” said Narale.

The Index looks objectively at both the publicly-funded and private components of a system, as well as personal assets and savings outside the pension system. It is published by the Australian Centre for Financial Studies (ACFS) in conjunction with Mercer and is funded by the Victorian State government of Australia. 

Interested?

Look at the Index in more detail

Six Accor hotels in Australia enter TripAdvisor Hall of Fame

In addition to the many Accor hotels across Australia recognised by TripAdvisor for their outstanding performance from businesses within the tourism and hospitality industry, several Accor hotels and resorts were acknowledged for achieving the honour five years in a row, earning a TripAdvisor Hall of Fame award.

Six Accor hotels in total were admitted into the Hall of Fame this year:

The Sebel Melbourne Flinders Lane
Quay West Suites Melbourne
The Sebel Maroochydore
Pullman Palm Cove Sea Temple Resort and Spa
Pullman Cairns International
The Sebel Mandurah

Chief Operating Officer of Accor Hotels Australia, Simon McGrath, said the number of hotels and range of brands and destinations represented by Accor in TripAdvisor‟s Hall of Fame roll call for 2015 reflected the high calibre of hotels and resort's the group represent across the nation.

“Maintaining a focus on guest experience, and a commitment to anticipating needs are essential to any hotel's ongoing success, and the honest feedback provided by customers via TripAdvisor is highly valued by Accor.

“It‟s particularly impressive to be inducted into the Hall of Fame as this award relies on having consistently positive online reviews for five years in a row – a difficult achievement by any measure,” he said.

TripAdvisor is a travel community site allowing travellers to create and read reviews from hotels, restaurants attractions and more all over the world. The site has 340 million unique visitors each month and is home to more than 225 million reviews.

Now entering its fifth year, the Certificate of Excellence is awarded to establishments which have continuously earned positive online reviews on TripAdvisor. A handful of Accor properties have been initiated into the TripAdvisor Hall of Fame – an accolade reserved for hotels which have won the Certificate of Excellence five years in a row.

posted from Bloggeroid

Discounted gym classes in Melbourne with this new website

Source:
FILLMYCLASS.

Just as there are discounts for last-minute flight and hotel bookings, cheaper gym classes can also be had at the last minute. 

A new website called FILLMYCLASS has been launched in Melbourne, Australia to match fitness enthusiasts with available class spaces in nearby gyms and studios.

"It's all about flexibility," says FILLMYCLASS founder Daniel Waide. "The goal is to get more people moving, and being able to pick and choose classes that suit you at any gym or studio means you're more likely to get active and stay active.

"FILLMYCLASS gives people the chance to attend classes without the intimidation of a lengthy membership, or the inconvenience of limited locations. You might want to attend yoga at a lunchtime studio near work, do a Pilates class on your way home, and meet a friend for a cycle class near a cafe on the weekend.

"This site means you're not limited by the geography or timetable of a single gym and for fitness locations it's a great opportunity to get people in the door, to try new fitness options and get comfortable with classes and instructors."

Fitness locations see how FILLMYCLASS can help them. "We're running these classes already and the atmosphere is always more fun when we have full classes and new people," says Clare Gioules, Head of Projects and Innovation for Goodlife Health Clubs.

FILLMYCLASS.com.au is up and running now, and offering limited free classes until the end of March 2015. Book a class here; no membership is required.

United expands trans-Pacific routes with Taipei, Tokyo connections with in-seat power

United Airlines is expanding its trans-Pacific network with the connection of its San Francisco hub with Taipei, Taiwan, beginning March 29, and launching a second daily flight between Houston and Tokyo on March 30. Services to China and Australia are in the pipeline.
  

"With the most extensive route network, the broadest alliances and hubs in the largest US cities, United offers travelers more choices to more of the world than any other US airline," said Jim Compton, United's Vice Chairman and Chief Revenue Officer. 

"The new Taipei and Tokyo services strengthen our commitment to the Pacific, where United is already the leading US carrier, and to the San Francisco and Houston hubs."

With the addition of Taipei, the airline will offer nonstop flights between San Francisco and eight cities in the Asia-Pacific region. United will operate the Taipei and Tokyo services with Boeing 777-200 aircraft. The aircraft flying San Francisco-Taipei will offer 269 seats – eight in United Global First, 40 in United BusinessFirst and 221 in United Economy, including 113 extra-legroom United Economy Plus seats. The aircraft flying Houston-Tokyo will offer 267 seats – 50 in United BusinessFirst and 217 in United Economy, including 72 United Economy Plus seats. 
 
United is the only US airline to offer flat-bed seats in its premium cabins on every long-haul, international flight from the continental United States. The airline also offers more extra-legroom economy seating than any US airline. The United Global First and United BusinessFirst classes offer seats that recline into fully flat beds, personal on-demand entertainment, in-seat power and USB ports. Customers in United Economy also enjoy in-seat power and personal, on-demand entertainment at every seat.

These Taipei and Tokyo additions come as United plans to introduce three-times-weekly Boeing 787 service June 9 between San Francisco and Chengdu, China, pending government approval. This nonstop service would be the first by a US airline from the United States to mainland China, beyond Beijing and Shanghai. 

The company also plans to offer, subject to government approval, nonstop Boeing 787 service between Los Angeles and Melbourne, Australia, six times weekly beginning October 26.

San Francisco-Taipei Service

Flight 871 will depart San Francisco daily at 1.50 pm and arrive in Taipei at 6.30 pm the next day. Flight 872 will depart Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport daily at 11.10 am and arrive at San Francisco International Airport at 7.30 am the same day (all local times).

United is the largest carrier at San Francisco International Airport, offering nearly 300 daily flights to more than 90 destinations worldwide, more than any other airline from the Bay Area. From its San Francisco hub, United also offers more nonstop trans-Pacific service to and from the United States than any other airline, with nonstop flights to Taipei, Beijing, Hong Kong, Osaka, Tokyo, Seoul, Shanghai and Sydney. 
 

Houston-Tokyo Service

Beginning Sunday, March 30, Flight 1 will depart Bush Intercontinental at 9 am and arrive at Tokyo's Narita International Airport at 12.35 pm the next day. The return flight 2 will depart Tokyo at 6.55 pm and arrive in Houston at 4.55 pm the same day (all local times).

The second Tokyo flight complements United's existing daily Houston-Tokyo service, which began in 1999. The Tokyo flights offer convenient round-trip connections at Narita to the airline's flights to Guam, Seoul and Singapore, as well as to flights operated by United's joint-venture partner ANA to 19 destinations in Asia, including Bangkok, Hong Kong, Jakarta and Taipei.

This additional flight to Japan's capital is timed to provide travellers with a new option for travellers shuttling between Japan and Central and South America. From Houston, United and United Express offer nearly 560 daily flights to 176 destinations around the world, including top business and leisure travel markets in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas.

Top 3 universities in Asia are from Singapore, Australia and Japan

A university ranking based on research citations plus reputational surveys of over 90,000 academics and graduate employers worldwide has listed the
National University of Singapore (NUS), the University of Melbourne and the University of Tokyo as the most successful universities in the Asia Pacific region in terms of the number of top-ten rankings.

The Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings for 2014, covering 30 academic disciplines and the 200 top universities in the world, includes five universities in the region with top-ten rankings:

• National University of Singapore (NUS), which is now 5th worldwide for Chemical Engineering 
• University of Melbourne
• University of Tokyo
• Nanyang Technological University (NTU)
• Kyoto University

Other universities to make the global top ten in at least one discipline include mainland China's Tsinghua University (Materials Science), Hong Kong University, and five in Australia: ANU, Monash (Pharmacy & Pharmacology), University of Sydney, University of Queensland and the University of New South Wales.  

The University of Tokyo and the University of Kyoto were both in the top ten for Chemical Engineering. Both universities and the University of Hong Kong were also named in the top ten list for Civil and Structural Engineering. The University of Tokyo is also listed in the top ten for Mechanical, Aeronautical & Manufacturing Engineering and Physics & Astronomy, while the University of Melbourne has been recognised for Law.  

Globally, Harvard is the most successful all-round institution, ranking first in 11 disciplines, while New York University is no. 1 in the world for philosophy and Stanford for statistics. University of California, Davis is best for agriculture, the University of Wisconsin-Madison for communications and media studies, the Institute of Education for education, and University of California, Berkeley for the environmental sciences. 

"The range of institutions that are world-leading in a given discipline is much wider than we are often led to believe by overall rankings," said QS Head of research Ben Sowter. "We are conditioned to think of a handful of big-name institutions such as the Ivies and Oxbridge as being the best regardless of the subject. It may be time to challenge that received wisdom."