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APRIL 2016 £3.95

Into the breach Protect yourself from cybercrime

Persian potential A new era for Iranian aviation

Go figure The latest tech to track your fitness

Food capital London’s new restaurants reviewed

Built to shine Why Munich wins gold for work-life balance

BMW i3.

THE ELECTRIC CAR THAT DRIVES LIKE A BMW. What else would you expect from BMW’s first electric city car?

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The BMW i3, made with lightweight carbon fibre.

Crafted together with an aluminium chassis and 19" alloy wheels.

A car conceived, designed and engineered to be an electric car from the ground up.

For more information or to arrange a demonstrator*, visit www.bmw.co.uk/i

Official fuel economy figures for the BMW i3: mpg N/A, CO2 emissions 0g/km, nominal power output (electric motor) 75/102kW/hp at 4,800rpm; peak power output (electric motor) 125/170kW/hp, total average energy consumption per 62 miles/100km (combined cycle) 12.9kWh. Total range: 118 miles (combined cycle). Customer orientated range: up to 100 miles. Official fuel economy figures for the BMW i3 with Range Extender: 470.8mpg (0.06 l/100km),

BMW i

The Ultimate Driving Machine

CO2 emissions 13g/km, total average energy consumption per 62 miles/100km (weighted combined cycle) 11.5kWh. Range without use of Range Extender: 106 miles (weighted combined cycle). Customer orientated total range: up to 186 miles. Customer orientated range without use of Range Extender: up to 93 miles.

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APRIL 2016

10 I UPFRONT Airline and hotel news worldwide 16 I INBOX Your letters and online posts 20 I TRIED & TESTED La Compagnie all-business class; 1 Hotel Central Park, NewYork 22 I HACK ATTACK Why business travellers are more vulnerable to cybercrime – and how you can protect yourself ON THE COVER: 44 I RIDING HIGH Beer, BMWs and a thriving business scene – welcome to Munich

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30 I PERSIAN POTENTIAL Following the lifting of sanctions, will Iran vie to become a major force in aviation once more?

34 I FRESH OUTLOOK 21 reasons to stay in a serviced apartment, plus new openings 42 I LOYALTY Reward and redemption news 52 I ENTER THE DRAGON Tips to help you seal the deal in China from those who have succeeded in the market

businesstraveller.com

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68 58 I NEWS 62 I HONG KONG 64 I GOLF IN RIO 68 I LONDON DINING

80

74 I FRAGRANCES 76 I CARS 80 I WATCHES

87 I BUY AND FLY

82 I FITNESS TECH

90 I SNAPSHOT

APRIL 2016

6 I Check-in

S

ince we are all travellers, presumably we think travel is a good thing. It helps us to conduct our business, provides new perspectives, and enables associates to visit us. We may even occasionally take time off and go on holiday abroad.

It seems strange, then, that we want visitors, and yet we make it difficult and expensive for them to come. Whether it’s delays to the expansion of our airport capacity in the south-east, visa policies, heavy air passenger duty (APD) or the piecemeal nature of our investment in rail infrastructure, the UK lags in every area of travel and tourism.

Politicians seem to have difficulty in making long-term decisions or even having a vision of where we want to be in ten or 20 years’time.

To state the obvious, infrastructure isn’t a quick decision and it doesn’t provide instant results, particularly in the UK.You only find out the cost of inaction years or decades later.

Sadly, we’re already at that point.

And it’s not just visitors who suffer. Our APD is the highest aviation tax in Europe and one of the steepest in the world – one that disproportionately penalises domestic UK travellers on a per-mile basis compared with both European short-haul and long-haul. We’re not xenophobic in our policies – we also discriminate against ourselves.

It’s a general incompetence, not a specific one. It may be mildly amusing to watch APD distort the markets for air travel around the UK airports’ catchment areas, but only if you enjoy watching yet another misguided government policy unravel while paying for the consequences and getting none of the benefits.

The next time we miss our flights because of a standstill on the M25, or queue at immigration for 45 minutes, or find the trains into town have been cancelled, the joke will wear thin.

Then we can ask ourselves: if MPs are our representatives, exactly what are they representing when it comes to travel?

Tom Otley Editorial director

APRIL 2016

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8 I Contributors

MARK GRAHAM documents the monumental changes in China for a range of international publications.

Based in Beijing for more than eight years, in this issue he explores some of the cultural sensitivities and potential barriers to consider when doing business in the country, and offers advice on getting ahead. Be prepared to drink some baijiu… (Page 52.)

STEVE DINNEEN writes about technology and food, although rarely at the same time. He has been at the forefront of the explosion in wearable tech over the past decade and has tested pretty much every health gadget on the market. He’s not sure whether any of them have helped him to lead a less sedentary existence, though.

On page 82 he reviews new trackers and apps.

MINTY CLINCH is an action

and adventure travel writer contributing to publications in the UK, US and elsewhere.

In August, the golfing elite line up in Rio de Janeiro for the first Olympic tournament since 1904. Her voyage of discovery revealed differences between the purpose-built host course and the exclusive private clubs that fuel the city’s golf habit (page 64).

SUBSCRIPTIONS tel +44 (0)844 477 0943 email jhalling@businesstraveller.com Annual subscriptions: Editorial director Tom Otley Save 5% on a two-year Managing editor Michelle Harbi subscription; 10% on a threeConsumer editor Alex McWhirter year subscription.

Features editor Jenny Southan Built to shine United Kingdom and Art director Annie Harris Republic of Ireland: Contributors Timothy Barber, Nat Barnes, One year, £42.95; two years, £81.60; Mark Caswell, Minty Clinch, Steve Dinneen, three years, £115.90.

Rose Dykins, Mark Graham, Valerian Ho, Continental Europe: Katie Krater One year, £65.65; two years, £124.70; three years, £177.20.

Publisher Rania Apthorpe Middle East/Rest of World: Head of business development Jeremy Halley One year, £78.75; two years, £149.65; Head of travel Sarah Chu three years, £212.65.

Sales executive Jamie Smith Marketing executive Kirsty Clark Circulation manager Jamie Halling Perry Publications Managing director Julian Gregory 5th Floor, Warwick House Events manager Emma Gordon 25-27 Buckingham Palace Road London SW1W 0PP CONTACT tel +44 (0)20 7821 2700 Editorial tel +44 (0)20 7821 2700 businesstraveller.com Email editorial@businesstraveller.com twitter.com/btuk facebook.com/businesstraveller Advertising tel +44 (0)20 7821 2734 Email advertising@businesstraveller.com APRIL 2016 £3.95

Into the breach

Protect yourself from cybercrime

Persian potential

A new era for Iranian aviation

Go figure

The latest tech to track your fitness

Food capital

London’s new restaurants reviewed

Why Munich wins gold for work-life balance

APRIL 2016

NAT BARNES, motoring editor of the Daily and Sunday Express, has been wearing out his shoes touring the annual motor show circuit for the past 25 years. We sent him off to review all the best wheels from this year’s Geneva Motor Show and now he’s trying to save up for a £1.9 million Bugatti Chiron.

Can anyone lend him a fiver until next Tuesday? (Page 76.)

Business Traveller ® is published ten times a year at our address (below left). Business Traveller, the first title of its kind to be published in the UK, has the largest net sale of any magazine in its field in the UK and Europe. Audited average circulation, per issue, JanuaryDecember 2015: 66,260 copies. The magazine is entirely independent of all commercial interests within the travel industry. Unsolicited manuscripts will not be accepted for publication. The opinions expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the publishers, who cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions.

Member Audit Bureau of Circulations In the US, Business Traveler is published at 11 Ryerson Place, 201 Pompton Plains, New Jersey 07444, tel 1 973 839 6200, fax 1 973 839 4390. In Germany, Business Traveller is published at Schulstrasse 34, 80634 Munich, tel 49 891 3014 3215, fax 49 891 3014 3211. In Poland, Business Traveller is published at 36 Swietokrzyska Str, 00 116 Warsaw, tel 48 22 455 3807, fax 48 22 455 3813. In Denmark, Business Traveller is published at Hjertingvej 8, DK 2720 Vanlose, Copenhagen, tel 45 3311 4413, fax 45 3311 4414. In Hungary, Business Traveller is published at 1074 Budapest, Munkas utca 9, tel 36 1266 5853. In Hong Kong, Business Traveller Asia-Pacific and China are published at Suite 405 4/F Chinachem Exchange Square, 1 Hoi Wan Street, Quarry Bay, tel 852 2594 9300, fax 852 2519 6846. In the Middle East, Business Traveller Middle East is published jointly by Motivate Publishing, PO Box 2331, Dubai UAE, tel 9714 282 4060, and Perry Publications. In Africa, Business Traveller Africa is published by Future Publishing (Pty) Ltd, PO Box 3355, Rivonia 2128, South Africa, tel 27 11 803 2040. In Russia, Business Traveller is published at Ul. M. Raskovoy, 34-14, 127005 Moscow, tel 7 495 662 44 39. In India, Business Traveller is published at 20 Vaswani Mansion, 120 Dinshaw Vachna Road, Churchgate, Mumbai 400020, tel 91 22 2281 5538. © 2016 Perry Publications Ltd – a subsidiary of Panacea Publishing International Ltd, United Kingdom, ISSN 0309-9334

businesstraveller.com

10 I Upfront

Mark Caswell compiles the latest news from businesstraveller.com

Emirates unveils new business class seat EMIRATES HAS REVEALED the business class seat that will appear on its forthcoming B777 aircraft.

The fully-flat product will launch on the airline’s 170th B777, which is due to be delivered in November. Emirates president Tim Clark said the carrier had given the seat“a fresh and modern look, retained all the existing features that our customers love and added a few more, while improving the seating and sleeping comfort”.

Highlights include improved lighting, a larger meal table, a 23-inch TV screen, a“conveniently located minibar”, and redesigned privacy panels, footrests and stowage areas. The cabin will retain its 2-3-2 layout and total number of seats (42). All newly delivered B777s will feature it but older aircraft will not be retrofitted. emirates.com

AA adds B787 to Manchester-Chicago AMERICAN AIRLINES WILL SWAP the B767 serving its six-times weekly Manchester-Chicago route to a Dreamliner from June 3.

The wifi-equipped B787 has 28 fully-flat business class seats with direct aisle access, 55 Main Cabin Extra seats with additional legroom, and 143 Main Cabin seats.

Each has a touchscreen showing up to 260 movies, plus universal power and USB outlets. aa.com

BA to launch London City-Berlin route

APRIL 2016

VISIT BERLIN/WOLFGANG SCHOLVIEN

BRITISH AIRWAYS IS TO SERVE BERLIN from London City for the first time this summer.

From June 19, it will operate the route up to three-times daily using an Embraer 190 jet.

Flights will depart LCY at 0820 (Monday to Friday), 1255 (Monday, Wednesday and Friday), 1315 (Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday) and 1810 (Sunday to Friday). The return leg will leave Berlin at 0705 (Monday to Saturday), 1135 (Monday, Wednesday and Friday), 1200 (Tuesday and Thursday), and 1650 (Sunday to Friday).

From May 8, BA will also take over the existing LCY-Hamburg service operated by its franchise partner, Sun-Air. It will use a Saab 2,000 aircraft, which will more than double the number of seats available on the route. ba.com businesstraveller.com

12 I Upfront

Hyatt launches 13th brand AUSTIN CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU

HYATT HAS ANNOUNCED the Unbound Collection by Hyatt – the group’s 13th brand.

Described as “a global collection of unique and independent stay experiences”, it “will include a portfolio of new and existing upper-upscale and luxury properties”.

The brand has launched with four hotels – the Driskill in Austin (below), Hôtel du Louvre in Paris, the Carmelo Resort and Spa in Uruguay, and the Coco Palms Resort in Kauai, Hawaii, which is being renovated and will reopen in 2018. hyatt.com

Virgin Trains boosts LondonEdinburgh links VIRGIN TRAINS EAST COAST will increase the number of services between London and Edinburgh from May 16.

The operator will add four new daily frequencies in each direction (one each way on Sunday), adding a total of 22,000 extra weekly seats. The move has been made possible by extending existing services starting and terminating at Newcastle. The new weekday services will depart London at 0615, 1030, 1330 and 1730, and Edinburgh at 0900, 1300, 1600 and 1935.

Virgin has also extended the period for booking advance tickets from 12 to 24 weeks. virgintrainseastcoast.com

Qatar confirms Doha-Auckland launch QATAR AIRWAYS HAS ANNOUNCED 14 new routes across Europe, nfirmation of what will be the world’s Africa and Asia. Among them is con longest commercial flight, between Doha and Auckland, which will launch as a daily B7777 service on December 3. uckland-bound journey time is 16 hours The Au 20 minutes, with the return to Doha taking 17 hours 30 minutes – this is slightly longer than Emirates’ new Dubai-Auckland service, which launched lasst month.

Other new rroutes include a daily service to Helsinki from October 10 and the resumption of daily flights to the Seychelles on December 12. Last month, the d its first flights between Doha and carrier launched Sydney, its third Australian destination. qatarairways.com APRIL 2016

London Canopy

by Hilton announced HILTON WORLDWIDE has announced the first UK property under its lifestyle Canopy by Hilton brand.

Canopy London City is due to open in early 2018 in the new Minories development in London’s Aldgate, which will also comprise a city square, public garden, offices and apartments.

The hotel will feature the brand’s signature Canopy Central lobby area concept, a restaurant, a rooftop bar, meeting space and a gym.

Guests will receive free wifi and breakfast, as well as a welcome gift “inspired by the City of London”.

The first Canopy property opens in Reykjavik this summer. hilton.com businesstraveller.com

Upfront I 13

Four Seasons adds two UAE properties FOUR SEASONS HAS OPENED its second Dubai property and is now accepting reservations for its new Abu Dhabi hotel from May 1.

The Four Seasons Dubai International Finance Centre (pictured top), set in the 45-hectare financial hub, has 106 rooms, a 24-hour restaurant, a spa and a cigar room with Burj Khalifa views.

The Four Seasons Abu Dhabi at Al Maryah Island (bottom) is housed in a 34-storey glass tower and comprises 200 rooms and suites as well as Four Seasonsbranded private residences. Facilities include an outdoor pool, six restaurants and lounges, and a spa.

The new hotels are the second and third properties from the luxury hotel group in the UAE, joining the existing Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach. fourseasons.com

Lufthansa to fly A350 to Delhi and Boston LUFTHANSA HAS PUBLISHED more details about its forthcoming A350-900 fleet, which will begin operating next January.

The carrier will base its first ten A350s at Munich, with Delhi and Boston “expected to be the first destinations”.

The three-class aircraft will have 293 seats – 48 in business, 21 in premium economy and 224 in economy.

The airline has 25 A350s on order, which will gradually replace its A340600 fleet. lufthansa.com

businesstraveller.com

AIRLINE NEWS OMAN AIR is adding a second daily service between London and Muscat from April 12.

Flight WY104 will depart Heathrow at 0825, landing at 1850, with the return leg WY103 leaving Oman at 0125 and landing at 0630.

EMIRATES is launching a daily linked service to Yangon (Myanmar) and Hanoi from August 3.

It will depart Dubai at 0250, landing in Yangon at 1105, before taking off for Vietnam at 1235 (arriving 1450). The return leaves Hanoi at 2250, landing in Myanmar at 0020 the next day, then departing for Dubai at 0150 (arriving 0505).

NORWEGIAN has taken delivery of its first B787-9 aircraft. It has 309 economy seats and 35 in Premium class, and will operate on selected routes to and from Gatwick.

BMI REGIONAL will launch flights from Southampton to Munich from April 15, with Lufthansa codesharing on the route. There will be 12 flights per week – two daily during the week, and one on Saturdays and Sundays.

SHAHEEN AIR has started a three-times weekly service from Manchester to Islamabad.

The new route is served by A330-200 aircraft, with flights departing the UK on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 2200, arriving at 1830 the following day.

AER LINGUS REGIONAL is to double the frequency of its Liverpool-Dublin service. The Stobart Air-operated route will offer up to four departures per day from May 2, with early morning, lunchtime, late afternoon and evening departures from Liverpool.

PHILIPPINE AIRLINES will up its five-times weekly Manila-London service to daily on June 28. Flight PR721 will depart Heathrow daily at 2250, arriving at 1950 the following day, with PR720 leaving the Philippine capital at 1320 and arriving at 2100.

CHINA AIRLINES will fly its forthcoming Airbus A350-900 to Amsterdam, Rome and Vienna from the end of the year. The Taiwan-based carrier will take delivery of its first A350 in July, before rostering the aircraft on to three of its four European routes from December.

BRITISH AIRWAYS is to drop its six-times weekly service between London Heathrow and Baku from the end of this month.

UNITED will retire its B747 aircraft by the end of 2018. The carrier converted an order for B787 aircraft, which was due to be delivered from 2020. Four B777-300ERs and five B787-9s will now be delivered from 2017.

APRIL 2016

14 I Upfront

Hilton trials robot concierge HILTON WORLDWIDE HAS PARTNERED with IBM to pilot what it is calling “the world’s first Watson-enabled hotel concierge”.

Named Connie, the robot can help guests with information on hotel services, local attractions and restaurant suggestions. It is currently stationed in the lobby of the Hilton McClean in Virginia, and is “learning to interact in a friendly and informative manner”.

Connie uses IBM Watson technology and “cognitive travel recommendation engine” WayBlazer to answer guests’ questions. Hilton says “the more guests interact with Connie, the more it learns, adapts and improves its recommendations”. hilton.com

Business Traveller Denmark turns ten Congratulations to the Danish edition of Business Traveller, which is celebrating its tenth anniversary this month.

Ryanair launches private jet RYANAIR HAS ANNOUNCED a corporate jet service, with a 60-seater B737-700 available for group hire.

The aircraft has 15 rows of business class-style seats in a 2-2 layout, with 48-inch seat pitch.

It will be crewed by a “Ryanair pilot and cabin crew professionals” and is available for medium- to long-range hire, up to six hours, with fine-dining catering available. The cost has not been disclosed. ryanair.com

COMPETITION

Win £300 TO SPEND ON HOTEL TONIGHT This month we’re giving away a £300 voucher redeemable against bookings made on the Hotel Tonight app. For more information and to enter, visit businesstraveller.com/competitions APRIL 2016

HOTEL NEWS VICEROY HOTEL GROUP has opened the Hotel Zeppelin San Francisco, located close to the city’s Union Square. Formerly known as the Prescott hotel, the refurbished property has 196 rooms, a street-level café, bar and lounge, a games room, and 278 sqm of event space.

ROTANA has opened a 249-room property in Bahrain’s capital. Facilities at the Downtown Rotana Manama include a rooftop swimming pool and a restaurant with a sushi bar and pizza oven.

MELIA HOTELS INTERNATIONAL is to launch its first property in New York City next month. The 313-room Innside hotel is located at 132 West 27th Street in the NoMad district, and will feature an Italian bistro with an outdoor terrace.

MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL will open an Edition property in Barcelona next year. The Barcelona Edition will be located in the Ciutat Vella (“Old City”) district and will have 100 rooms, three restaurants, a club and a rooftop bar. Marriott has also opened a property in the Hague. Formerly the Worldhotel Bel Air, the Hague Marriott Hotel has 306 rooms.

PREMIER INN has opened its first German property in Frankfurt. The 210-room Premier Inn Frankfurt Messe is located on Europa Allee, close to the Messe Frankfurt exhibition complex.

ACCORHOTELS has confirmed details of five new UK properties. The 120-room Ibis Styles at Ealing Apex opens in London in June, followed by the 231-room Ibis in Cambridge in September. Next year, the group will open a 146-room Adagio in Edinburgh, a 313-room Novotel at Canary Wharf (at 39 floors, it will be the world’s tallest Novotel) and a 196-room Ibis in London’s Canning Town.

IHG will open its first Intercontinental hotel in Bulgaria in 2017. The Radisson Blu Grand Sofia will be rebranded under Intercontinental once refurbishment has been completed. In the UK, IHG is opening a 298-room Holiday Inn in Manchester’s Piccadilly this month.

STEIGENBERGER HOTEL GROUP has opened its first property in Dubai. The Steigenberger Hotel Business Bay Dubai has 365 rooms, an outdoor pool, a 19th-floor executive lounge, and a meetings and events level.

CARLSON REZIDOR is to open a Radisson Red property in Dubai in 2018. The 171-room hotel will be located in the Dubai Silicon Oasis smart city project.

HYATT has plans for a 300-room Andaz property in Vienna. The Andaz Am Belvedere Vienna will be located next to the Belvedere Palace and is due to open in 2019. businesstraveller.com

16 I Inbox

Tell us about your travels at talktous@businesstraveller.com

Star letter POSITIVITY, PLEASE Every month, as I eagerly tear open the plastic shrink wrap of my latest edition of Business Traveller, I turn to the letters section with a degree of familiarity. I already know what to expect – the usual complaints about seats, meals, delays, stray baggage and poor customer service. And as I read, I can already guess exactly how the appeasing responses will read.“We’re sorry, we try hard, we sometimes get it wrong, we’ve written offering a gesture of goodwill.”

How about we reinvent the section? Let’s make it“feel good”with genuine great feedback about amazing service, products and, most of all, people. And let’s have some brilliantly unpredictable responses from the providers. It will give us all something to smile about, but above all it will serve as a tribute to the people (both suppliers and clients) who make our journeys work. Let me start by thanking you, Business Traveller, for your great and informative publication. David Taylor, London

This month’s Star Letter winner will receive a pass for ten visits of up to three hours at Plaza Premium Lounge in elected locations. For your chance to win the Star Letter, email us at talktous@businesstraveller.com and include your ull postal address and daytime telephone number. We reserve the right to edit letters.

NEVER HAPPY In the February edition, as in most months, readers’letters describe appalling experiences at the hands of airlines, hoteliers or car rental firms. The replies are frequently a bland expression of regret by the service provider:“It is truly disappointing to hear…”; a series of platitudes supposedly explaining how the appropriate policies failed:“On the rare occasions…”,“We always do our best…”; and no meaningful offer of recompense, let alone compensation:“The Montréal Convention…”,“In accordance with our policy…”. Do these companies have any idea how offensive readers must find this? I have a personal blacklist of service providers and they lose my custom. Benjamyn Damazer, Lincolnshire

APRIL 2016

FIRST CLASS LETDOWN

QATAR AIRWAYS REPLIES:

I flew first class with Qatar Airways from Bangkok to Doha in February. There was no dedicated first class check-in and no queue management in operation and, despite the fact there were only three passengers in the cabin, I had to queue for about 30 minutes behind people checking in for business class.

Response from the airline’s customer service was a standardised reply that made no attempt to address my specific complaint and give a reason why first class check-in was not available.

It is disappointing that Qatar seems to be five-star only once on board. My understanding is that at Manchester the airline is not providing any lounge facilities during the refurbishment of the old (substandard) facility. I will not be making any further bookings with Qatar until it sorts out things on the ground, and regret that I still have one more trip with them. Alistair Nicoll, Sheffield

Providing exceptional customer experience both on the ground and in the air is at the heart of Qatar Airways’ five-star service. Feedback is important and is always acted upon if within our control. We would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused if on this rare occasion our service did not meet our usual high standards.

EXPENSIVE DENT

AVIS REPLIES:

I am a regular reader of your excellent magazine – congratulations on creating extremely helpful content for frequent travellers. I wanted to share my recent experience with Avis at London Heathrow. On February 14, I returned an Avis rental car. I liked Avis in the past and have used it at various locations.

The staff identified a dent that I had not noticed when I picked up the car. It was a very small dent at the back, which could hardly be seen. For this, the extremely unfriendly and arrogant drop-off staff charged £418.

Charging this for a barely recognisable dent in a VW Polo is ridiculous. Is Avis subsidising its rates with extremely high damage claims against non-insured customers? After sharing this experience with other travellers, I have heard that similar problems have arisen with Avis in the UK. Rainer Hepberger, Schruns, Austria

Because of the heightened need to respect the privacy of our customers, as a matter of policy we work to resolve customer service matters directly with our renters. We have worked directly with Mr Hepberger to reach a resolution.

businesstraveller.com

Inbox I 17

NOT MY NUMBER ONE

BRITISH AIRWAYS REPLIES:

The British Airways lounge at Gatwick has always been the poor relation to Heathrow, and the food offerings extremely limited. However, at least it had sandwiches, a proper afternoon tea with scones, clotted cream and jam, and a full bar to help yourself to, including champagne in First class.

Now that the Gatwick facility has closed down, BA has offered us access to the No 1 lounge. While it looks more modern and inviting, it is open to anyone who pays an entry fee and, therefore, can get extremely busy with an overspill area in another smaller room nearby.

On my visit in January, the No 1 lounge was so packed that it was hard to find a seat, and the bar was surrounded by people clamouring to order. Soft drinks are available from a machine, but alcohol has to be given to you by a barman; champagne costs £8 for a glass.Very small food portions are available (again you have to queue at the bar to order) and if you want something else then each item is £4.

Unlike the refined BA lounge, this was like Wetherspoons on a busy Saturday night. There were some salad offerings and cakes to help yourself to, but no sandwiches at any time and no afternoon tea.

Also, as a single traveller and because of the layout of the lounge, it was not safe to leave any personal items at the table, which meant having to take everything with me to the bar. In the BA lounge, I always felt comfortable leaving things unattended.

I feel that BA could do better with the temporary lounge. I now understand that the opening of its new one has been pushed back even further into 2017, so I shall be avoiding Gatwick as much as possible.

Martin Clark, London

Our customers are invited to use Gatwick’s No 1 lounge while the current British Airways facility is closed for building work. When our new lounge opens in the South Terminal it will provide a world-class experience for our customers in a much larger, brighter environment.

We have worked closely with Gatwick and No 1 Lounges, which has extended the original space to create a comfortable and enjoyable environment for our customers while the building work happens. Our customers are offered a full selection of food and drinks throughout the day, including wines, beers and spirits. Hot bistro dishes are also available.

NO 1 TRAVELLER CHIEF EXECUTIVE PHIL CAMERON REPLIES: While we offer a different environment and choice of food to the nowclosed BA lounge, our service is no less comprehensive. We place great emphasis on freshly prepared dishes from our kitchen (all of which are designed exclusively for us) and we can offer free champagne [if] airlines request us to do so. Our new Clubrooms product, which opens this month in the North Terminal, will further increase capacity.

V

businesstraveller.com

APRIL 2016

18 I Inbox

Posts from our online forum businesstraveller.com/discussion

POST rferguson DATE March 4, 19:47

NEW EMIRATES B777 BUSINESS SEAT Emirates has released some details of the new business class seats that will be fitted on its newly delivered B777s. All will be private suites and have sliding doors and a plunge pool – er, no. It is keeping the current 2-3-2 configuration, meaning no direct aisle access and still the dreaded middle seat. All will be fully flat, though. What’s more, Emirates has no plans to retrofit any of the existing B777s that still sport the angled lie-flat product.

On the flip side, Qatar Airways will reveal its “super business class”in November, which its CEO says will feature private suites.

Uranium235 March 5, 08:18

It amazes me that the decision to keep 2-3-2 could get through so many people. The inference is that every other airline is wrong, and Emirates is right with the B777 business class configuration. I will continue to avoid.

rferguson March 5, 08:37

Given what it has done in the past, I’d have thought it would take the opportunity to do something really special.

Alex_Fly March 5, 09:05

An issue for Emirates is the massive size of its fleet. Changing to a radical new layout would create problems with aircraft substitutions where its B777 fleet had two very different configurations, and with advertising – what business class product would it promote?

TimFitzgeraldTC March 5, 15:42

POST rodders DATE March 10, 18:31

APRIL 2016

Emirates’ A380s ply the core routes for the most part. The B777s typically (although not always) ply secondary routes, where there is a distinct lack of competition. People [on these routes] will be buying ease of travel as much as product, so it’s probably a calculation that Emirates doesn’t need to massively improve the seat when a return on investment might not be there.

ZKSmith March 11, 18:34

I have to agree with you. Trains connecting the concourse to the landside terminal were very busy, even when I arrived and departed at relatively quiet times.

sleak76 March 12, 08:04

Positives to Concourse D: 1) Great lounges.

Qatar Airways finally has its own; Cathay Pacific doesn’t but you are given access to Lufthansa’s Senator lounge. 2) Great selection of eateries for non-premium flyers.

3) Mobile phone charge points – three-pin UK plugs and USB – in abundance. 4) Boots and other essential shops are available. 5) Large windows at the boarding gates giving great views of planes landing/clearing.

Negatives: 1) Concourse D is only accessible from T1; there’s no direct access by road.

2) Not many boarding bridges – the area opposite Concourse D has a few more parking stands for transit buses, so expect a higher chance of a bus service than was the case when flying out from T1 (C gates). 3) When we landed, the bridge took over ten minutes to dock so expect teething problems.

POST MartynSinclair DATE March 8, 10:17

TRAVELLING WITH MEDICATION

Charles-P March 8, 10:23

I had this problem only recently. I suffer from arthritis and take medication daily for it.

When I came through Heathrow T5 recently for a connection, I was stopped and asked to explain what the medication was, why I was taking it and where my prescription was. I happened to have a spare prescription in my laptop bag, which was in Dutch. The security staff member stared at it for a while (clearly having no idea what he was looking at) and then dismissed me with a wave of the hand.

Drsimon March 8, 10:46

As a GP now working in Australia, I am constantly asked for letters stating medication and reasons for such. I do know from a customs officer patient of mine that Dubai, and no doubt many other countries, is very specific about what is allowed. Basically, for anything “addictive” such as codeine or sleeping tablets, it is advised to have a letter.

DUBAI CONCOURSE D Arriving at Dubai International’s new Concourse D, two flights landed at about the same time – a B737 and A320 – but the gates from the airbridge required a couple of attempts to open. It then took a couple of travellators to get to the new train to the old Terminal 1. When we got to the arrivals station, the platform was cramped and there were only two downward escalators. The whole thing has been poorly planned in terms of passenger flow – I would not like to see two wide-bodied planes arrive at the same time.

I know there are some countries where over-thecounter medication freely available in the UK is banned – has anyone had any trouble entering a country, with medication perfectly acceptable in one country but not in another? I know the key is to carry a prescription, but this is not needed for over-the-counter drugs. Does anyone have a list of medications that could cause trouble for a passenger in certain countries?

businesstraveller.com

ADVERTISING FEATURE I 19

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20 I Tried & Tested Flight

La Compagnie London-New York BACKGROUND French allbusiness class carrier La Compagnie launched in 2013 with flights from Paris CDG to New York Newark, adding a five-times weekly LutonNewark route last April. Timings are 1745 from Luton (landing at 2100) and 2220 from Newark (arriving 1030 the next day). In September it will go daily.

CHECK-IN I was seen to immediately at one of the airline’s two desks and used fast-track security.

THE LOUNGE La Compagnie passengers can use the Aspire lounge for free. (The lift is wheelchaironly.) It had a staffed bar (you need to pay for champagne), a self-service counter for wine, soft drinks and food, and a spa.

BOARDING I headed to the gate at 1705. The plane was only half full so it was a very peaceful boarding experience. A drink was offered once seated. The hand-luggage allowance is generous (two pieces plus a handbag or laptop case) and storage plentiful.

THE SEAT La Compagnie’s B757 has 74 angled lie-flat seats in a 2-2 configuration (A-C, D-F) with rows 16-20 located behind a pair of washrooms. I was

in 11A. The aircraft feels new, clean and fresh. Set in a hard shell surround, with no dividers, seats have 12-inch Samsung Galaxy tablets in seat-back slots.

Controls for recline and lumbar support are in the central armrests but the buttons are quite fiddly. There is no wifi, but there are EU plug sockets – mine wasn’t working so I had to charge my phone at another seat.

Headphones and amenity kits are provided.

WHICH SEAT TO CHOOSE? Exit rows offer plenty of extra space. For direct aisle access, choose C or D. Row 15 is nearest the washrooms, and rows one and 20 are by the galleys.

D F A C

1 2

THE FLIGHT Take-off was at 1800. At 1830 a Piper Heidsieck advert played on the overhead screens, and menus were handed out for a special champagne and food pairing, with three types of Piper Heidsieck served – Cuvée Brut,Vintage 2006 and Rare Millesime 2002 (La Compagnie hosts showcases like this about once a month). At 1900 I was given a glass of fizz; dinner was served shortly after.

My pre-ordered vegetarian meal comprised a cold roasted vegetable salad (nothing special), fruit, a roll and an uninspired chickpea curry with a choice of one white and one red wine (Bourgogne Chardonnay la Part des Anges, and Saint Emilion Château la Bienfaisance). The main menu listed confit duck and seared tuna, followed by cheese and dessert. The crew were polite and hardworking, if lacking a little in confidence and warmth.

The picture quality on the tablets was superb and there was a pretty good choice of films. The cabin lights went out at 2100, and I reclined the seat to get some rest. The lights came back on at 0030 and afternoon tea was served.

3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10 11 12 14 15

16 17 18 19 20

ARRIVAL We landed on time, disembarked via an airbridge and walked eight minutes to immigration, which was empty. Jenny Southan

APRIL 2016

VERDICT La Compagnie has

DEPARTURE TIME

SEAT PITCH

come up with a VIP concept that will suit the business traveller on a budget – its business class prices are very competitive (BA’s all-business class London CityJFK service costs from £2,200 for a return). You won’t get a fullyflat bed, hundreds of movies or top-notch food and wine, but the cabin is tranquil and the product is comfortable.

1745

62in/157.5cm

JOURNEY TIME

SEAT RECLINE

7 hours

175 degrees

AIRCRAFT TYPE

PRICE Internet rates

B757-200

2-2

for a return flight in May ranged between £999 and £3,082 depending on flexibility.

SEAT WIDTH

CONTACT

26in/66cm

lacompagnie.com

CONFIGURATION

businesstraveller.com

Tried & Tested Hotel I 21

1 Hotel Central Park New York BACKGROUND 1 Hotels is an innovative“eco luxury”brand launched last year – so far it has one property in Miami and one in New York (a second will open by the end of the year, in Brooklyn). The Central Park hotel was unveiled last August.

WHAT’S IT LIKE? The entire lower portion of this 18-storey former office building has a“living green façade”, and stepping inside, the“biophilic” theme continues. I instantly warmed to the interiors, which feature air plants (which don’t require soil to survive), lifts clad in tree bark, window seats in every bedroom, and showers with five-minute sand timers.

The colours are muted and earthy, with a pleasing mix of textures and tones. Chairs are draped in soft sheepskins and the reclaimed wood used in the bathrooms and bedrooms is branded with its type and origin. The staff are very welcoming, without the formality you get at more traditional five-star hotels.

WHERE IS IT? On the corner of Avenue of the Americas and West 58th Street, a two-minute walk from Central Park. Available on a first-come, firstserved basis is an electric Tesla car for free rides within a 15-block radius.

ROOM FACILITIES The company sets out to create a place to stay that is at once modern and functional but also environmentally sensitive. It’s high-tech and paperless, tap water is triple-filtered, there are recycling boxes for clothes, dispensers of high-quality shower gel and shampoo, organic cotton sheets, supremely comfy hemp-blended Keetsa mattresses, minibars stocked with agave soda and coconut water, and yoga mats.

Newspapers are available in digital format via Press Reader, and the air conditioning, lighting and 47-inch Samsung TV can be controlled by Nexus smartphone. Room service can also be ordered via the device – select your meal and it will be left outside your door in a brown paper bag. Wifi is free.

There are 229 rooms and suites across ten categories – entry-level Alcove Queens start from 20 sqm, going up businesstraveller.com

to 111 sqm for the Greenhouse suite. My City King room looked on to skyscrapers but also offered a glimpse of Central Park. The Breccia Capraia marble bathroom had a walk-in shower.

RESTAURANTS AND BARS Jams restaurant and bar is a cavernous, convivial space serving modern Californian cuisine. There being no buffet, I ordered an à la carte breakfast of Mexican-inspired chilaquiles – tortilla chips in a rich tomato salsa roja with fried eggs, guacamole and queso fresco. It was an enormous portion, so good value for US$17.

MEETING FACILITIES There is a chunky timber communal table on the second floor, as well as two iPad terminals. The Great Lawn room, for up to 75 delegates, features exposed brickwork and city views.

There are also two offices seating eight in each.

The company sets out to create a place that is at once modern and LEISURE FACILITIES The smart gym overlooks the functional but also street and has Peloton bikes, weights, medicine balls environmentally and Freemotion running and cross-trainer machines.

Otherwise, just head for Central Park. Jenny Southan sensitive VERDICT Apart from the fact that this is a trendsetting eco-luxury property with gorgeous interior design, it really is an excellent business hotel. Everything is set up for convenience, peace and wellbeing, with environments you feel happy to spend time working in. Highly recommended.

PRICE Internet rates for a flexible midweek stay in May started from US$552 for an Alcove Queen room.

CONTACT 1,414 Avenue of the Americas; tel +1 212 703 2001; 1hotels.com

APRIL 2016

Data security I 23

Hack attack Cyber criminals have their sights set on your data – and hotel and airline systems are particularly at risk. Jenny Southan asks how we can protect ourselves

businesstraveller.com

of them.You might want to do the same, because your online security is under threat. PwC’s 2016 Global Economic Crime Survey, which questioned 6,337 respondents in 115 countries, revealed that cybercrime was the second-most reported economic crime, affecting 32 per cent of organisations. To make matters worse, only 37 per cent have a cyber incidence response plan – they are simply not prepared for an attack.

STRANGER DANGER As business travellers, we often handle sensitive information but also risk exposure in many more ways than the average person, and a strong password won’t necessarily be enough to protect against incursions.

Jacob Ginsberg, senior director of email encryption company Echoworx, says: “It’s likely that

your home address, destination, length of time you’ll be away and preference for chicken or beef is all being passed back and forth online. Criminals are always looking for an open window and if an airline sends your flight confirmation details unencrypted, potentially sensitive information will be out in the open.”

Ben Paul, airlines and airport industry leader for PwC, agrees.

“Airlines fundamentally are responsible for passenger information, passport information, a record of movement and a lot of other data that is being used to join up the customer journey. This is very useful information for external parties.”

He adds:“Traditionally, airlines have had a very strong safety culture but what they probably aren’t prepared for is malicious cyber activity.”

APRIL 2016

V

ISTOCK

H

e’s a regular cybersecurity engineer by day but a vigilante hacker by night.“Her password was simple, Dylan2791.

Favourite artist and the year in which she was born, backwards,” Elliot says in the opening episode of US TV series Mr Robot.“His was the easiest to hack, password was 123456, then‘seven’spelled out.”

Your password isn’t as simple as that, is it? In January, password management company SplashData trawled two million leaked logins from last year to find out which were used by the most people. Top of the list?“123456.”

In second place,“password”.

In 11th place was“welcome”.

Some people are just asking for trouble…

None of my passwords have been as weak as these, but after watching Mr Robot I changed all

24 I Data security

Unfortunately, while there are steps we should be taking to bolster our defences (see panel overleaf), airlines and hotels are an increasingly attractive target for hackers.“The travel industry is probably one of the worst out there for securing data,”says Bharat Mistry, cybersecurity consultant for software company Trend Micro.

ATTACK THE CASTLE Over the past year or so, a number of airlines and hotel chains have experienced cyber APRIL 2016

breaches. Last March, hackers accessed tens of thousands of British Airways Executive Club accounts – the airline said no personal information had been viewed or stolen but the accounts were temporarily frozen pending an investigation.

In July, Mandarin Oriental went public about a malware attack on credit card systems at hotels including Boston, Geneva and Las Vegas. It said:“We believe this hacker may have used malware to acquire the names and credit card numbers of [guests].”

United and travel tech company Sabre (which stores the records of more than a billion travellers a year) were said to have been hacked last summer, with rumours circulating that China was responsible. A widely cited report from Bloomberg warned: “A foreign government could use the data to build profiles of US officials and contractors, establishing information that could be used to blackmail them into providing intelligence.”

The problems have continued.

In October, it was announced that businesstraveller.com

Data security I 25

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Trade Commission said that the company failed to take proper security measures even after it became aware of the hack (it was attacked three separate times between 2008 and 2010).

Last year, the case was settled but Wyndham will have to submit to oversight for the next two decades. Patrick Dunphy, manager, workshops and IT for Hotel Technology Next Generation, says: “There is significant reputational risk when a global hotel chain is the subject of a cyber attack. It can take years to build a brand’s reputation, but a single event can destroy it.”

COUNTER TACTICS

Battling the upsurge in cybercrime, the cybersecurity market is expected to grow from US$75 billion in 2015 to US$170 billion by 2020 – with a million job openings up for grabs this year. Hacks have been happening in the travel industry for some time but the scale and ingenuity of them has grown.

Trend Micro’s Mistry says travel companies are at risk because of vulnerable IT infrastructure but also because of the rich personal data they store – including loyalty scheme points and miles, which can be spent, just as any other currency. He says:“The information is used for fraud or sold in underground forums.

Credit card information will probably sell for a few dollars but

if you have more personal data then that could be used to create fake passports, for example, which are more valuable.”

Mistry also flags up the problem of“malvertisements”that are starting to show up on travel sites such as Expedia. He explains that before you know it, clicking on the fake advert will download malicious code to your device.

“This will establish a point of presence for the hacker, like gaining access to the front door of a house. The next part downloads specific tools and utilities to harvest your data.”The scary thing is, you might not even know it has happened. “Attacks are designed to be covert,”he says.

John Wilson, field chief technology officer of email security company Agari, says business travellers “need to be particularly aware of opening emails on smartphones from suspicious sources as it is often easier to be fooled when less sender data is displayed and it is easy to click on links by mistake”.

Echoworx’s Ginsberg says protecting your data should be standard practice: “Companies are always exposed to risk, both internal and external, and that is why encrypting emails and sensitive information such as financial records, customer data and discreet travel plans should be top of mind.”

Using a virtual credit card is a good way to protect your financial APRIL 2016

V

the payment systems supporting the Trump Hotel Collection were infiltrated by malware that extracted account numbers, card expiration dates and security codes in real time between May 2014 and June 2015 – a period of more than a year, unnoticed.

In November, Starwood said point-of-sales systems at more than 50 of its hotels had been infected, exposing customers’card data to criminals. In December, both Hyatt and Hilton experienced breaches to their payment systems, the latter over a period of 17 weeks.

At around the same time, a Financial Times report cited Tom Kellermann, chief cybersecurity officer for Trend Micro, as saying: “Customers should be very concerned because, in general, the industry has insufficiently invested in cybersecurity.”He said one virus, MalumPoS, is able to scrape data from “95 per cent of the point-of-sales systems on the planet”. Kellermann also said “only Marriott had taken cybersecurity seriously”and urged it to “conduct due diligence on the matter as part of its acquisition of Starwood”.

In 2012, the US government filed a lawsuit against Wyndham Hotel Group when 600,000 of its guest accounts were penetrated by Russian hackers via its data centre in Arizona. It was a breach that led to US$10.6 million of fraudulent credit card payments. The Federal

26 I Data security

10 WAYS TO PROTECT AGAINST CYBERCRIME Q Q Q Q Q Q

Q Q Q

Q

Encrypt your data and email.

Browse the web with a VPN. Book hotels with a virtual credit card.

Back up data regularly in the cloud and on a hard drive.

Be wary of rogue wifi hotspots on aircraft and in hotels.

Go through your credit card statements and check your outgoing payments carefully.

Pay attention to links you are sent and don’t click them by mistake.

Watch out for attachments from hotels and airlines.

Beware of spear phishing, whereby an email appears to have been sent by someone you know, and is asking for sensitive data.

Create unique, secure passwords that you change regularly.

company insiders to nation states; terrorists, hacktivists and organised crime syndicates.

Steve Morgan, founder and CEO of Cybersecurity Ventures, says:“Our entire society is computer-controlled and internetconnected, including auto, air, rail, and all forms of travel.”Consider the recent Nissan Leaf case, in which the climate control in its electric cars could be hacked

its in-flight entertainment/wifi and deploy the oxygen masks: “Find myself on a 737/800, lets see Box-IFE-ICE-SATCOM, ?

Shall we start playing with EICAS messages?“PASS OXYGEN ON” Anyone ? :)” United consequently banned him from flying, and a subsequent report claimed he told FBI investigators that he had previously hacked into an aircraft’s systems, altered the code and

at the time of booking, and the amount allocated to the virtual credit card is capped.”

through its smartphone app. In a worst-case scenario, malicious cyber actors and hostile nation states could target air traffic control systems.“Hackers have been warning that passenger jets are vulnerable to cyber attacks for a long time,”he says.

Last April, Chris Roberts, One World Labs founder and chief technology officer, tweeted that he could hack an aircraft through

issued a“climb”command to one of the engines.

While“good guy”Roberts was deliberately showing up security flaws, the concern about in-flight wifi remains real. Last year, the US Government Accountability Office said:“A virus or malware planted in websites visited by passengers could provide an opportunity for a malicious attacker to access the IP-connected onboard

FLIGHT FEARS

Ginni Rometty, chief executive of IBM, recently said that cybercrime “may be the greatest threat to every company in the world”, and that costs could quadruple to US$2 trillion by 2019. Who’s responsible? Anyone from APRIL 2016

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data. Jon West, managing director for hotel booking portal HRS in the UK and Ireland, has seen a steady rise in their use over the past 18 months as they become more widely accepted by hotels.

He says:“They significantly reduce the risk of cybercrime by giving a single-use number to be used only by the hotel merchant. This means that no payment details need to be entered into the system

28 I Data security

information system through their infected machines.”Airlines and aircraft manufacturers insist systems are kept separate and this couldn’t happen, but critics say it might not be foolproof.

An April 2015 article in Wired explained:“A hacker would have to first bypass a firewall that separates the wifi system from the avionics system. But firewalls are

can guarantee you they have already tried to hack an aircraft’s wifi network to get on to the instrumentation. There is no need to get into the cockpit; a jihadist could just sit there on an eighthour flight constantly having a go.”

Even if you can put that out of your mind, Mistry warns that by simply logging on to an airline’s wifi network, you could open

hotel’s, and then steal information sent over an infrastructure that they control.”

Morgan says we shouldn’t give in, however.“You can make an argument that wifi shouldn’t be in a lot of places but we don’t want to let the hackers win. We need better security and, fortunately, the cyber industry is making a lot of innovations.”

not impenetrable, particularly if they are misconfigured. A better design is to air-gap critical systems from non-critical ones – that is, physically separate the networks so that a hacker on the plane can’t bridge from one to the other, nor can a remote hacker pass malware through the internet connection to the plane’s avionics system.”

Mistry says:“If you look at organisations like ISIS, I

yourself up to the risk of hacking.

He says cyber criminals are using tools such as legitimate wireless auditing platform Wifi Pineapple to“sniff”for travellers’data through rogue hotspots.

The same applies to hotels.

Dunphy says:“Hotel wifi is public so criminals can‘spoof’or otherwise cheat hotel customers into connecting their devices to a network that looks like the

But he cautions:“There’s a dogfight for cyber talent and I’m not sure hospitality has the calling card to recruit top cyber people.

Hotels and are prim and proper.

Airlines put most of their people in uniforms. But a lot of the top cybersecurity people are young, with ripped jeans and sneakers.”

It’s these people who, behind the scenes, are keeping us safe. Now, go and watch Mr Robot. Q

APRIL 2016

businesstraveller.com

ADVERTISING FEATURE I 29

Meeting your needs Whether you want to meet clients, stage an event or simply relax, Regal Airport Hotel Hong Kong is the perfect choice egal Airport Hotel has both the location and facilities you need for doing business in Hong Kong, holding memorable events or getting some rest between ights.

The only hotel connected to Hong Kong International airport by an enclosed link bridge, it is just a 24-minute journey from Central via the Airport Express Line and is close to the Asia World-Expo Convention Centre.

The property has 1,171 well-equipped guestrooms and six restaurants and bars, while leisure facilities include a 24-hour gym, indoor and outdoor pools and a tranquil and luxurious spa – ideal for recovering from a long-haul ight, or preparing for your next one.

Regal Airport Hotel’s extensive meeting and banqueting space can accommodate everything from small gatherings to large multinational conferences.

The property has the largest pillar-free hotel ballroom in Hong Kong: measuring 1,050 sqm and featuring a 5.3 metre-high ceiling, it holds up to 1,500 guests.

Make an impression with the ballroom’s newly installed high-deďŹ nition LED wall, which measures nine metres by four metres.

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Regal Airport Hotel continues to win accolades globally for its ďŹ rst-class service and facilities. It has been voted the world’s best airport hotel by the readers of Business Traveller UK for the past eight years, and by Business Traveller US in 2013 and 2014.

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30 I Aviation Iran

Persian

potential The ending of sanctions has cleared the way for Iran Air to become a major force in the Gulf, says Alex McWhirter

APRIL 2016

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Aviation Iran I 31

W

ill there be a fourth major Gulf airline?

With Iran now removed from the sanctions list, it seems national carrier Iran Air is looking to join the ranks of Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways.

As soon as the restrictions were lifted on January 16, Iran Air agreed to receive a large fleet of aircraft worth US$27 billion. Until now, the flag carrier had been flying with ageing planes, some of which were 35 years old.

The initial deal was for no fewer than 118 aircraft from European manufacturer Airbus. A future order may go to Boeing. This was followed soon after by an agreement to purchase 72 ATR commuter planes from French-Italian manufacturer ATR. Twenty of these are firm orders and are expected to be in service later this year. Now a further contract has been signed to acquire 50 aircraft from Brazilian manufacturer Embraer.

Airbus won the lion’s share of potential business.

Provided everything goes according to plan, Iran Air will be taking delivery of 73 long-haul and 45 shorthaul aircraft. These comprise 12 A380s, 16 A350s and 45 A330s. Short-haul planes are all sourced from the A320 family. Deliveries are not likely to be completed until 2023.

Iran has a population of almost 80 million, and a good number will wish to travel

GLORY DAYS

ISTOCK

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Above and right: Iran Air cabin crew and advert from the 1970s

V

Whether or not Iran Air might become a major Gulf carrier is up for debate. On the plus side, Iran has a large population of almost 80 million, and a good number will wish to travel.

Iran Air also has history on its side. Back in the 1970s, in the era of the Shah, it was a small version of Emirates beginning to expand its global reach thanks to some mentoring from US carrier Pan Am. An IATA (International Air Transport Association) member, at the time it was the most glamorous and most Westernised of the Middle Eastern airlines.

Unlike the others, it had an attractive livery and fashionable uniforms (especially for female cabin staff). Onboard food and drink and in-flight service were to Western standards.

In 1972, I managed to fly the former Iran Air from London Heathrow to Tehran on a B727. There were no nonstop flights in those days. It was a US pilot (on secondment from Pan Am) and stops were made en route at Paris Orly (Charles de Gaulle had yet to be built) and Istanbul.

In the early 1970s, Bahrain-based Gulf Air was primarily a regional carrier, controlled by our stateowned BOAC until the middle of that decade, while the likes of Dubai-based Emirates, Abu Dhabi’s Etihad and Doha-based Qatar Airways simply

APRIL 2016

32 I Aviation Iran

didn’t exist. Emirates – the first of today’s large Gulf carriers – did not appear until 1985. In fact, it could be claimed that the rise of the Gulf carriers came about through the absence of Iran Air and, to a lesser extent, Iraqi Airways, which was also developing a long-haul network.

When Iran Air does return, it will face a totally different market. In the 1970s, fares and competition were controlled by IATA. The idea was for members to have a level playing field. It didn’t always happen, but it did lead to an orderly, albeit expensive, marketplace for the traveller. IATA controlled onboard service standards to the nth degree. Member airlines were allowed to serve free drinks only in first class, while economy passengers had to pay. IATA even prescribed an“IATA sandwich”, which had to be of a certain size and composition. And it would not agree to members having business class, so Iran Air, like its rivals, operated two-class flights.

WORK TO DO Today’s Iran Air will have a state-of-the-art fleet but that’s no guarantee for success. It is true that many APRIL 2016

Iranians will prefer their national carrier, but the younger members of society will want a taste of the West. In this case, the airline will be entering a dogeat-dog marketplace – especially in the Gulf, where standards are high.

For a number of years, the Gulf carriers have been the unofficial“national airlines”of Iran. With Iran Air restricted to using 35-year-old aircraft and limited in where it could fly (Iran still has no aviation treaty with the US), the Gulf airlines have been free to syphon off huge numbers of passengers from Tehran and regional Iranian cities. Emirates has already operated an A380 into Tehran to prove it could handle the superjumbo.

Iran will have to invest in huge infrastructure projects to stand any chance of competing. Many thousands of flight crew, engineers and onboard staff will need to be trained to handle modern, sophisticated planes.

If the country’s national airline wants to succeed globally in today’s conditions, it will need to recruit

The airline will be entering a dog-eatdog marketplace, especially in the Gulf

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Aviation Iran I 33

top-class expatriates to share best practice and develop up-to-date products. To compete with foreign carriers, Iran Air must meet the needs of global travellers. Whether the government likes it or not, that means free drinks in all classes, along with attractive, modern in-flight entertainment and fullyflat seating in the premium cabins. Otherwise, it will end up as a niche airline rather than a global player.

It is safe to assume that commuter planes will be used to develop domestic and regional routes. Longhaul aircraft will service Europe and Asia. Its A380s will be rostered on US and busy European routes, assuming that the traffic rights can be obtained.

THE COMPETITION

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Clockwise from above left: Tehran’s Azadi Tower and Tohid Tunnel; Iran Air chairman and managing director Farhad Parvaresh and Airbus CEO Fabrice Brégier APRIL 2016

AFP/STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN

Iran boasts several other airlines, large and small.

Privately owned Mahan Air is the nearest rival to state-owned Iran Air. But unlike the latter, Mahan Air circumvented sanctions by obtaining eight ex-Virgin Atlantic A340s from third parties, which angered the US government. Although US sanctions remain in place, Mahan Air is slowly expanding its long-haul network and has begun flying to Europe and Asia.

No North American or Asian airline has yet announced definite plans for Tehran, so it’s left to the Europeans to lead the way. Most foreign carriers (except those from the Gulf) withdrew from Tehran during the period of sanctions.

Only Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines retained a limited service.

In March, Austrian added extra flights, while Air France will restart services from Paris CDG this month. British Airways will launch six flights a week from Heathrow in July using a four-class B777-200.

Last month, Iran and the UK signed an aviation treaty allowing up to 21 weekly flights between the two nations. Lufthansa was due to launch MunichTehran flights last month but this has been pushed back to July, while its budget subsidiary, Eurowings, has put its planned Cologne-Tehran route on hold.

If Iran Air succeeds in developing a competitive product, it will have to hone its marketing skills, as the region’s airlines are not sitting still. Most of them (including Turkish Airlines, with Istanbul New airport on the way) intend to boost capacity imminently. Q

34 I Serviced apartments

Fresh outlook Tired of staying in hotels? Rose Dykins lists 21 reasons to try an apartment instead

Serviced apartments I 35

IS ROOM TO SWING A CAT 1THERE

Rather than just being somewhere to lay your head, serviced apartments give you the room to sleep, work, cook and relax – so no need to perch on the end of your hotel bed with a dinner tray.

GOOD VALUE 2THEY’RE

Serviced apartment prices are typically 20 per cent less than hotel rates of the same standard – their running costs are lower, as they don’t need to operate a kitchen 24/7 to provide room service, or fund a team of cleaners to offer daily housekeeping.

CAN COOK FOR YOURSELF 3YOU

Sitting at a table for one, night after night, becomes a drag.

And queuing for the expensive breakfast buffet seems silly when all you fancy is some peanut butter on toast. Being able to cook in your own kitchen is cost-effective, convenient and handy for keeping your calorie intake in check.

FAMILY CAN JOIN YOU 4YOUR

The extra space makes it easier and cheaper for you to have several loved ones join you. Simon Morrison, managing director of Select Apartments, says: “If you want your family to stay with you at the weekend, there’s no extra charge, and most apartments have sofa beds, whereas a hotel wouldn’t take kindly to you smuggling additional people in to your room.”

5WIFI IS FREE Left: Staying Cool Birmingham

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Unlike many hotel brands, the vast majority of serviced apartment companies have offered free wifi from the start. Business Traveller was unable to find a provider that charged for it.

36 I Serviced apartments

6

YOU CAN SKIP THE SMALL TALK

If you’re not one for fawning treatment from hotel staff, or over-zealous housekeeping, apartments allow you to bypass the formalities.You often don’t even have to talk to anyone – simply let yourself in and make yourself at home.

7

FACILITIES CAN RIVAL HOTELS

Gyms, pools, restaurants, bars, concierges – if any of these are an important part of your business travel routine, aparthotels and some serviced properties now offer many of these.

8

YOU CAN WASH YOUR CLOTHES

Having the option to do your own laundry – rather than paying for the privilege of having hotel staff do it for you – is cost-saving and convenient. At the very least, serviced apartments have communal laundry rooms, but many have washers and dryers in their kitchens.

HAVE SPACE TO MEET 9THEY Time and money can be saved by hosting small meetings around the dining table of your flat. Alternatively, providers such as Marlin Apartments can book external meeting space for you, while some, such as Fraser Suites Edinburgh, have on-site boardrooms.

IS EASY 10BOOKING

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MINIBAR TEMPTATION 11NO

Many serviced apartment properties offer bespoke hampers or shopping services, where you pre-select groceries that you actually need, rather than reaching impulsively for the US$10 M&Ms when you get hungry.

SAVE ON LONGER STAYS 12YOU Apartments are a good option for those working away from home on a long-term project – the general rule is that after seven nights, the nightly rate starts to fall (unlike hotel rates, which remain static). Joyce Cawthorpe, marketing and media manager for the Association of Serviced Apartment Providers (ASAP), says: “The VAT reduces to 4 per cent after 28 nights. And these days, instead of having to book an apartment for ten weeks solid, many providers allow companies to book from Monday to Friday for a ten-week block.”

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The traditional system of booking an apartment – making an enquiry with a provider and waiting to hear back once they’ve checked availability – has largely changed.

Many are now available on the likes of booking.com, and most providers offer online reservations for short stays. For longer periods, where enquiries are still necessary, the turnaround time

has improved.“We’ll respond in one hour with a detailed proposal – web links, the rates, cancellation details and policies,” Select Apartments’Morrison says.

“Then the client sends us an email about which apartment they’re interested in, and we’ll book it.”

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38 I Serviced apartments

REGULATED 13THEY’RE

Tried Airbnb? Loved it? Great, but if you’re on a company travel policy, you can’t always ensure that its properties meet the necessary safety and quality requirements. Each ASAP member is assessed to ensure they meet the association’s standards, so you won’t arrive and find they’re different from the website, or that they don’t exist at all…

14

THEY’RE UNASSUMING FROM THE OUTSIDE Serviced apartments tend to operate under the radar. Many are housed in converted buildings around the city, which can not only create that“live like a local” experience but can boost their security rating when you don’t want to stay somewhere that screams“tourist”.

NOT ALL BORING 15THEY’RE

Don’t dismiss serviced apartments as boxy, bland spaces with cookiecutter décor. Check out the luxury interiors of London’s Cheval Three Quays, with its Thames views; the exposed 15th-century walls of Old Town Chambers in Edinburgh; the swinging Sixties vibe at Staying Cool at the Rotunda Birmingham; and the plush, masculine interiors with bright accents at Grosvenor House Apartments by Jumeirah Living – to name a few.

16

YOU CAN HAVE PEOPLE OVER

After a long day at a conference, joining colleagues on a bar crawl can be the last thing you want to do. Opting for an apartment means you have the space to invite people over for some actual downtime – sofa space, company, a couple of beers and a well-priced takeaway.

Feeling antisocial?You can relax in your living room and watch TV.

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An additional 112,500 apartments are to be added in the UK by the end of 2018. And as the market is maturing, properties are opening up in new destinations, with brands making ambitious growth plans (see overleaf).

REWARD LOYALTY 18MANY Being part of Accorhotels, Adagio Aparthotels’guests can collect Le Club points, while those who stay at Fraser Suites properties can take part in the Fraser World scheme.

Apple Apartments’Apple 21 Club offers a 21 per cent discount on stays for its members.

WELL LOCATED 19THEY’RE

Struggling to find a hotel near a particular business park? See if there’s a serviced apartment there instead.“A lot of our members started because certain companies had lots of travellers coming overseas and the nearest hotel was quite far away. Phoenix Apartments in Newbury, for example, was set up close to Vodafone,”says ASAP’s Cawthorpe.

You’ll also find them dotted around city centres, near stations and financial districts.

EVERYBODY NEEDS GOOD 20 NEIGHBOURS

Opting for a serviced apartment means it’s highly unlikely you’ll be sharing a building with noisy families and large tour groups – during the week, the clientele will be like-minded business travellers with a need for peace and quiet.

MORE LIKE HOME 21THEY’RE

Staying in the four walls of a hotel room for an extended period can become a bit miserable. A homefrom-home experience can give you a mental boost if you’re spending a long time away. businesstraveller.com

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From top: Capri by Fraser Frankfurt; Fraser Suites Geneva

EVERYWHERE 17 THEY’RE

40 I Serviced apartments

NEWS ROUND-UP SACO opened its first aparthotel property last month, on Cannon Street in the City of London.

The Cannon has 77 studios and one-bedroom apartments with smart TVs and contemporary furnishings. There’s also an on-site gym, a communal lounge and an app that allows guests to check in and open their apartment’s front door. SACO will unveil an aparthotel on Leman Street in London’s Aldgate at the end of this year, with two Edinburgh properties to follow next year. sacoapartments.com

BRIDGESTREET has launched its Mode Aparthotel brand, aimed at travellers who are“connected, creative and crave community”.

Each property will offer a 24hour concierge and communal areas for socialising. The first Mode opened in February in Washington DC and has 46 apartments, a bar/restaurant and a rooftop lounge. The brand will make its European debut in Paris’s 16th arrondissement this autumn, with 47 apartments, a lounge, a breakfast room and fitness centre. bridgestreet.com/mode PREMIER APARTMENTS has rebranded as Premier Suites and Premier Suites Plus – the latter adds Nespresso machines, Elemis amenities and a concierge service. The 45-apartment Premier Suites Plus Glasgow opened in January, and the brand is set to open in 12 destinations – including Belgium and the Netherlands – over the next three years. premiersuites.eu

STAYCITY opened its second Birmingham property in the Jewellery Quarter in February.

Staycity Aparthotels Newhall From top: SACO the Cannon, London; Apple Apartments Limehouse, London; Old Town Chambers, Edinburgh APRIL 2016

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Serviced apartments I 41

Square has 170 apartments and offers the brand’s ďŹ rst ever dining offering – a lounge serving hot drinks, a continental breakfast and afternoon snacks. Staycity also added 125 new apartments to its property near Heathrow last month – bringing the total to 269 – and plans to treble its portfolio to 3,500 apartments by the end of next year in places such as Marseilles, Lyon and London’s Covent Garden. staycity.com

Apartment Hotels, plans to double its portfolio to 80,000 apartments by 2020, 10,000 of which will be in Europe. the-ascott.com

MARLIN APARTMENTS will open its ďŹ rst aparthotel on Westminster Bridge Road, ten minutes’walk from London Waterloo station, in 2017. The 236-unit property will be part of a mixed-use development with a restaurant, ofďŹ ces and shops. marlinapartments.com

APPLE APARTMENTS launched a new Liverpool property last month on Dale Street, with 35 studio apartments and a 24-hour reception.

The brand also opened three new London properties last summer – Greenwich O2 (a tenminute drive from the venue), Kensington Gardens (set along Kensington High Street) and Limehouse in the east. apple-apartments.com

THE ASCOTT LIMITED will complete a renovation of the 129-unit Citadines Barbican by the end of the summer. The company, which also operates Ascott the Residence, Somerset Serviced Residence and Quest

FRASERS HOSPITALITY plans to more than triple its global portfolio from 9,000 to 30,000 units by 2020. Last September, it launched its Capri aparthotel brand in Frankfurt’s central business district, with a 24-hour ďŹ tness centre and an all-day restaurant. In January, it opened the ďŹ ve-star Fraser Suites Geneva, which offers a business centre, a gym and concierge services. frasershospitality.com

OAKWOOD WORLDWIDE SILVERDOOR has added 20,000 apartments to its global portfolio over the past two years, bringing the total to 120,000.

New locations available to book with the agent range from Dover to Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia. silverdoor.co.uk

will triple its number of properties this year, opening in locations such as Brisbane (this month).

It will add another 28 properties in Asia over the next three to ďŹ ve years. oakwood.com Q

Below: Oakwood Leather Lane, London

GO NATIVE plans to double its total number of apartments to more than 3,000 by 2018, with new sites in London Stratford, Waterloo and Victoria in 2016, and London South Bank, Croydon, Manchester and Edinburgh in 2018. These will be followed by Glasgow, Birmingham, Newcastle and Reading. gonative.com

Select Apartments, is one of the UK’s leading serviced apartment agents. Our apartments are a fantastic alternative to a hotel thanks to the space and value they provide.

With over 72,000 apartments, in 230 cities in 40 Countries \RX FDQ EH FRQͤGHQW WKDW RXU FRQVXOWDQWV ZLOO KHOS \RX ͤQG WKH RQH WR VXLW \RXU UHTXLUHPHQWV DQG EXGJet.

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APRIL 2016

42 I Loyalty

Mark Caswell rounds up airline and hotel scheme news and promotions British Airways opens Dubai lounge in new concourse BA has unveiled a lounge for First and Club World passengers at the newly-built Concourse D in Dubai International airport. It has areas for relaxing, dining and working, and features black Nero marble surfaces and European oak flooring, as well as works by Iraqi-born artist Dia Al Azzawi and vintage photography of the Gulf region from the BA archive. BA says it has ensured that “for the first time, every single customer has access to power and USB points throughout”. The facility also includes the carrier’s second Concorde bar for first class passengers (the first having opened at Singapore Changi last year). ba.com

LATAM revamps loyalty programmes LATAM has unveiled enhanced frequent flyer programmes for its member carriers LAN and TAM, as the group continues to roll out its new brand identity. LAN’s scheme will now be known as LATAM Pass, and TAM’s as LATAM Fidelidade.

Both schemes will have the same tiers: Gold (previously Premium for LAN and Blue for TAM); Platinum (previously Premium Silver and Red respectively); Black (previously Comodoro and Red Plus); and Black Signature (previously Black across both programmes).

LATAM says the schemes “make it easier to accumulate kilometres and gain access to superior categories, while enhancing the benefits offered”.

These include earning increased kilometres or points with certain classes and routes.

LATAM Pass members will continue to earn kilometres, while LATAM Fidelidade members will earn points. lan.com, tamairlines.com

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Marriott Rewards adjusts hotel categories Marriott International has revealed this year’s hotel category changes for its Rewards programme.

Among those moving up are seven UK properties, including the London Marriott Kensington and London Marriott Regents Park, both from category 7 to 8. The Renaissance London Heathrow (pictured), which recently completed a £20 million revamp, has moved down one category, from 7 to 6, as has the Courtyard London Gatwick Airport (5 to 4).

Marriott Rewards has also updated its “Cash plus Points” option, enabling members to combine points and cash when booking online for single-night stays (previously two or more nights). marriott.com

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Loyalty I 43

Earn bonus Avios on Birmingham-New York BA Executive Club members flying between Birmingham and New York JFK with American Airlines by April 30 can earn up to 6,000 bonus Avios.

Passengers booking economy class on codes Y, B, H, K, M, L, V, N, S, O and Q will receive 3,000 bonus Avios, while those booking in business class on codes J, C, D, R and I will earn 6,000. Members need to preregister for the offer at ba.com.

In other news, Avios members can now earn three Avios for every £1 spent on bookings at lovetheatre.com.

The online agency sells tickets to West End performances and London attractions. avios.com

Redeem SPG points with Design Hotels Starwood Hotels and Resorts has extended its partnership with Design Hotels, allowing SPG members to redeem Starpoints against select properties in the portfolio (points earning was already possible).

Starwood announced its tie-up with Design Hotels late last year, effectively adding the group as an 11th brand.

So far, 32 of Design Hotels’ 290 properties have joined SPG, with more than 30 due to be added in the weeks following the announcement. India’s The Park hotels in Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad (above) and Kolkata are among those to have signed up. starwoodhotels.com/design

Easyjet sends out Flight Club invitations Easyjet has launched its invitation-only Flight Club. It has been trialling the scheme in the UK, France and Switzerland since 2014 and is now officially promoting it, sending out invitations to its most loyal flyers.

The minimum threshold for membership is 20 return flights per year, although this will not guarantee an invitation (numbers are restricted, and the airline has customers who fly many more times than that in a 12-month period).

Benefits for the lucky few include free flight changes, five name changes per year and a price promise that if passengers find the same flight on easyjet.com at a lower price elsewhere, the difference can be put towards their next booking.

Hilton and Marriott add member-only rates Hilton Worldwide has introduced a new benefit for HHonors members – “exclusive room rates not found anywhere else”.

Members must book through its brand websites, mobile app or call centres, or with preferred corporate travel partners. (The recently opened Hilton Bankside is pictured left.)

Marriott International is also adding exclusive rates for members who book via its brand websites and preferred channels.

Marriott Rewards Member Rates launches on April 11. hilton.com, marriott.com

businesstraveller.com

Emaar launches loyalty scheme Emaar Hospitality Group has launched a reward scheme across its hotels, restaurants and attractions. The Dubaibased company owns brands including the Address Hotels and Resorts and Dubai Marina Yacht Club. The U by Emaar programme allows members to earn points on stays, dining and entertainment, which can be redeemed against brands in the scheme. Tier levels range from Black to Platinum, benefits of which include free breakfast, room upgrades, airport transfers and dining and spa discounts. ubyemaar.com

APRIL 2016

44 I Business in‌ Munich

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Business in… Munich I 45

Riding high From surfing to drinking, Jenny Southan discovers the powerful business city of Munich is adept at balancing work with play

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Left: Surfers in the Eisbach river

– now a pro, he has earned a name for himself on the scene.“It’s crazy how this river has had so much influence on my life. Some might say this wave is boring.

However, it still amazes me,”he says on his Instagram feed.

I first hear about Rohleder at the Flushing Meadows hotel, a small but decidedly trendy 16-room property in the Glockenbachviertel district, about 4km south of the park. Along with ten other collaborators – including local heroes DJ Hell and rapper Michael Beck – Rohleder was tasked with designing one of the hotel’s 11 feature rooms.

His cosy loft has a mezzanine sleeping level, a hammock and an oversized monochrome print of him surfing.

“Since the river was cleaned up, people use it to get around. They jump in, flow downstream and then take the ‘bikini’tram back into town,”says Niels Jaeger, co-founder of the hotel’s parent company, Arnold Jaeger Werner (AJW).

And there was me thinking Munich was all about beer and BMWs. (Which it is – but more about that later.) Opened in 2014, the Flushing Meadows is essentially a long-term pop-up – the owner of the building was looking for someone to take a seven-year lease on the top two floors of a Deutsche Telecomms office building. AJW now has a branch of its Super Danke green APRIL 2016

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ISTOCK

ISTOCK

pring may be here, but on a crisp March day in Munich there are still piles of snow at the side of the road. Still, the chill has not dissuaded a group of men from donning wetsuits and climbing into the churning Eisbach, which flows through the expansive Englischer Garten public park.

Running parallel to the Isar River, this manmade waterway is famous – believe it or not – for surfing.

One by one, the men cautiously hold their boards at the base of the permanent roiling wave forged at the entrance to the Prinzregentenstrasse Bridge. And, one by one, they wipe out – their boards whipped from under them by the violent current, ripping them downstream by the ankle. After a short while, a woman plunges in – she catches the wave perfectly, riding it back and forth with ease as onlookers applaud.

Not just a pastime for a few crazy hobbyists, for the past decade international surf contests have been held in the landlocked city – even at the airport in a temporary wave pool. (A 2009 film called Keep Surfing cemented its position as one of the top river surfing spots in Europe.) One guy who grew up riding the Eisbach was Quirin Rohleder

JENNY SOUTHAN/ISTOCK

46 I Business in‌ Munich

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Business in… Munich I 47

Top row: Flushing Meadows hotel; Super Danke smoothie Middle: Dallmayr; statue of Bavarian statesman Maximilian von Montgelas; Emporio Armani Caffè; bike outside Museum Brandhorst Bottom: U-Bahn station

smoothie chain downstairs, and the hotel is proving a hit not only among tourists but business people representing industries from fashion to insurance.

Wearing a black T-shirt, grey jeans and black Adidas trainers, general manager Eike Gethmann says:“The whole travel industry has changed – travellers want to meet local people. We are very informal and our bar is buzzing in the evening.

People come for the roof terrace.”

With a background in traditional five-stars – Gethmann was previously at the city’s Charles hotel, part of Rocco Forte – he says it’s just as difficult to fill 16 rooms as it is 160, but Flushing Meadows tends to run at 90 per cent occupancy. In an effort to support the community, the Design Hotels member serves Munich’s very own Aqua Monaco glacier water, displays flowers from a nearby florist and publishes its own printed guide to the city, Outside.

STAY IN STYLE

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of two new floors and a penthouse.

The ballroom and event spaces in the Palais Montgelas wing will also be given a facelift. In February, the hotel held the 52nd annual Munich Security Conference, with high-profile attendees ranging from King Abdullah II of Jordan to US Secretary of State John Kerry.

FORWARD MOTION Munich airport is the seventh-largest in Europe, offering direct connections to almost 250 cities. It handles more than 40 million passengers a year but the addition of the new Satellite Terminal 2 this spring will enable it to cope with another 11 million.

Rita Roider, director of marketing and communication for the city’s Department of Labour and Economic Development, says:“Expansion of the public transport system and the airport is of key significance to Munich, as both are straining at their limits. Plans to build a second east-west S-Bahn commuter rail line tunnel through the city centre have already reached an advanced stage.”

Munich’s underground U-Bahn system is among the world’s best, with eight lines connecting 96 stations that often sport futuristic interior design.

Although much of the old town is pedestrianised, take a stroll down designer shopping avenue Maximilianstrasse and you will see countless luxury cars cruising by. The automotive industry is a central pillar of the economy, generating sales revenues of e80 billion a year, and Audi and BMW are both based here. The latter was founded in Munich as Bavarian Motor Works 100 years ago and has its APRIL 2016

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In the past year or so, new hotel launches have included Starwood’s Aloft, Accor’s Novotel Muenchen Arnulfpark

and Wyndham’s Super 8, as well as “budget design”concepts from Nordic Pure and Bold. Airport hotels from Ibis and Marriott’s Moxy have just opened, and coming soon is a 287-room property from luxury German brand Roomers, a 25 Hours hotel and a 274-room Andaz from Hyatt in 2017.

At the top end, anyone familiar with Munich will know the Sofitel Munich Bayerpost,Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski and Mandarin Oriental, but the 175-year-old family-run Bayerischer Hof is the grande dame. Wander along the pedestrianised boulevard from Marienplatz and you’ll see its entrance signposted by an unofficial memorial to Michael Jackson. Here, the base of a statue of composer Roland de Lattre has been adorned with photos of the King of Pop. (The musical tastes of Munchners have shifted since the 1500s.)

Today, the Bayerischer Hof is run

by Innegrit Volkhardt, who took over operations from her father, Falk, in 1994.

Almost completely destroyed during the Second World War, the hotel has been ever expanding and renovating – 2005 saw the addition of a spa, a glass-walled rooftop restaurant and an outdoor terrace. Along with six bars and five restaurants (including the underground Bavarian Palais Keller, Polynesian-style Trader Vic’s and two Michelin-starred Atelier), it has 340 rooms and suites sporting a variety of themes, from floral Laura Ashley to gold-heavy Graf Pilati.

Soren Huber, the property’s director of business development, says the plan for the next 12 months is to rebuild the G wing at the back of the property – it will go from 20 rooms to 28 with the addition

48 I Business in… Munich

From top: BMW HQ with its museum in foreground; BMW's Vision Next 100 design; BMW Museum

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with the help of 7,700 employees and hundreds of dexterous robots. Down the road in the Milbertshofen district, BMW Group Classic will next month relocate to a 13,000 sqm venue in the former Knorr-Bremse AG factory. It will house vintage cars, workshops and space for corporate functions.

Another striking building – home to Bayern Munich football club – is the 71,000-seat Allianz Arena (pictured on our cover). It is encased in thousands of inflated plastic panels that change colour, and was designed by Herzog and de Meuron.

BIG BUSINESS Frankfurt may be the financial capital of Germany, but in terms of the top 50 companies on the German stock exchange, Roider says Munich holds the largest number of headquarters in the country.“This is a healthy and prosperous market,”she says.“As well as BMW, the biggest players are Allianz, Munich Re and Siemens.

LVMH, Microsoft and Google have also moved here.” businesstraveller.com

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headquarters in a quirky“four-cylinder” tower just outside the city centre.

Next to it is the equally eye-catching, bowl-shaped BMW Museum and, on the other side of the road, near the Olympiapark, is BMW Welt, a huge showroom. Built in 2007 and featuring a striking“double-cone”vortex of glass and steel attached to a sweeping auditorium, it welcomes more than three million visitors a year who come to see the latest cars and motorbikes, BMWi electric vehicles, Rolls-Royce and Mini fleets. The company has come a long way since it began building aircraft engines in 1916.

As well as a Michelin-starred restaurant and extensive event space for hire, BMW Welt also houses the company’s European delivery centre, from which 22,000 cars a year are collected by buyers from around the world. As part of its centenary celebrations, designers unveiled the BMW car of the future (pictured above right) but unfortunately for petrol-heads the“Vision Next 100”will be self-driving.

Opposite Welt, the BMW Plant manufactures more than 950 cars a day

My place to be: sofa 22H.

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The new Premium Economy Class: for those who want more

We know it’s the little things in life that mean the most, which is why we’ve packed the new Premium Economy Class full of extras, including wider seats and additional legroom for up to 50% more space, double the baggage allowance and a free welcome drink when you board the plane. So all that remains is for you to sit back, relax and HQMR\ \RXU ɧLJKW HYHQ PRUH

50 I Business in… Munich

Top: Bayerischer Hof

Compared with other German cities, Munich has the lowest unemployment rate (4.6 per cent) and the highest percapita income (E30,800). Other firms located here include Apple, Accenture, Sky, Starbucks,Vodafone, Wrigley,Yahoo and Airbus Defence and Space, just outside in Ottobrunn. In December, IBM set up a global innovation centre in Munich for its new Watson IoT (Internet of Things) business line, creating 1,000 jobs.

The UK is Bavaria’s fourth-largest export partner and its tenth most important source of imports. What does Roider think about the UK’s proposed “Brexit”?“Bavaria in general and Munich in particular have a vested interest in keeping the UK in the EU and, above all, in the single market,”she says.“We value the UK as an important partner within Europe and hope that the British people will decide in favour of keeping their country in the EU.” The city’s economic strength not only rests on manufacturing, high-tech and large corporations, but start-ups (of APRIL 2016

which there are 95,000), traditional crafts and family-run businesses. Walking around, I come across the elegant Bohmler family interiors shop, gourmet food court Dallmayr and hip Brot und Butter, which sells kitchenware and home-baked bread (there is a line out of the door). Roider says:“No single industry is so predominant that the livelihood of the city depends on it. A healthy blend of companies of all shapes and sizes – known in Germany as the ‘Munich mix’– makes the Bavarian capital highly resistant to crises.”

BREW MASTER Munich pulls in 70 million visitors a year for both business and leisure, but the annual Oktoberfest (in fact held in September) attracts six million on its own. Last year, revellers glugged down 7.3 million litres of beer. Even if you are here at any other time of the year, “you need to be prepared to drink”, says AJW’s Jaeger. Traditional beer halls such as the lively Hofbrauhaus are frequented by everyone from lederhosen-wearing

locals to high-flying professionals.

Oompah bands play daily.

My tour guide, Susanna Steensma, says:“Beer is an important part of culture here. There are six breweries in Munich and they are the only ones that can serve beer at Oktoberfest. Hofbrau is the government beer, for example, while Augustiner is a private enterprise.”

The other four are Lowenbrau, Paulaner, Hacker-Pschorr and Spaten – you can see their coats of arms on the maypole in Viktualienmarkt square.

In summer, there are plenty of places to sit outside and enjoy a stein.

Roider says:“Munich’s beer garden culture is symbolic of the city’s downto-earth lifestyle. It reflects a basic undercurrent of laid-back conviviality.

Visits to beer gardens are not just a great way to end the working day, but also ideal for a relaxed business lunch, or to celebrate the signing of a new contract or the acquisition of an important customer.”If you really want to make an impression, you may also want to pack a wetsuit. Q businesstraveller.com

“THEY’VE MOVED THE MEETING” It happens. But with Flybe, it’s no problem.

Our flexible Get More ticket lets you change to an earlier or later flight that same day, at no extra cost.

Now that’s good for business.

Visit flybe.com for full details.

flybe.com

Subject to availability. Only available on flybe.com. Available on routes operated by Flybe and Stobart Air and only applicable on Loganair when there is a mixed itinerary of Flybe & Loganair. Not available on flights operated solely

by Loganair. For full terms and conditions, please see flybe.com. No debit card fees apply. Bookings made by credit card or PayPal will incur a fee of 3% of the total transaction value, with a minimum charge of £5.00 per booking.

52 I Business in‌ China

Enter the

Dragon Want to make waves in China?

You’ll need a patient mind, open eyes and a strong drinking arm, says Mark Graham

E APRIL 2016

veryone who does business regularly in China has a baijiu story to relate, usually one that involves a scenario of smoky cloistered banquet rooms and early-hours karaoke sessions.

Despite the numerous changes in the country, and the increasing popularity of red wine, the instinct after a deal is sealed, or a friendship cemented, is to call for a celebratory bottle of baijiu. Ducking out is not really an option, unless you can cite a medical condition, or are teetotal.

Although it is essentially a male bonding ritual, women are also expected to slug back the clear spirit. Frenchwoman Helene Ponty, one of a new breed of foreign entrepreneurs who has spotted opportunities in China and capitalised on them in a major way, does not really businesstraveller.com

Business in… China I 53

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client, with around ten people at the table – me and my assistant and him and his seven employees – and we were drinking … baijiu.

His employees, to be respectful to me, had to come one by one and toast with me. It meant I had to drink eight glasses of baijiu when they each only had one. As it was at noon, it did not make for a good afternoon! It was, of course, impossible to refuse, as it would have been seen as very impolite.”

She adds:“Etiquette in general is important, although some aspects are becoming less so with the younger generation. As a foreigner, some mistakes will be accepted.”

KNOW THE ROPES

The number one rule for newcomers, Ponty says, is to understand fully the administrative,

legal and taxation landscape when setting up a company, or expanding an existing one.“China is a great market, but it takes a lot of time and financial investment to understand how things work here,”she says.“If you do not have that time or money, you might want to consider another market. Estimate the time and money you will need to get started, and multiply it by two.”

That advice certainly rings true with another, rather larger, wine importer. Miguel Torres, head of the Bodegas Torres Spanish wine company, made an initial foray into China in the 1990s. Myriad problems with partners and distribution channels meant the company lost an estimated US$1 million. Still, Torres persevered and the now-retired patriarch, who hired a tutor in Spain to teach him APRIL 2016

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have a choice, given that she is peddling alcohol – albeit classy Bordeaux rather than rotgut ricebased baijiu.

During her four years in China, she has expanded her family’s business, Ponty Winery, so rapidly that sales now account for more than half of the Bordeaux vineyard’s annual output. The savvy US business school graduate rebranded the wines Le Ponty to give more of an instant French connotation for Chinese consumers, and learnt to speak the language.

“You have to toast many times to celebrate a business deal,”Ponty says.“But it is also important that people who are lower in the hierarchy stand up and toast to people who are higher on the hierarchy, or there as a guest. One time, I had lunch with a potential

54 I Business in… China

basic Chinese, was proved right – revenues now amount to more than US$38.5 million annually with offices in most major cities and a staff count of about 300.

“My advice is simple,” he says.

“Your own people are your most valuable asset, but choose the right partners. I remember saying we will treat our partners as friends, and it turned out to be successful – people became much more receptive.”

LAW OF THE LAND

When Jim Spear first came to China as an expat, there was not much in the way of fine wine.

The former corporate warrior has travelled the length and breadth of the country, speaks fluent Chinese and knows all the potential pitfalls. Or thought he did...

During a post-retirement project to renovate the family holiday home out by the Great Wall, the American encountered a whole new range of challenges. In fact he learnt so much about construction, land leases and dealing with rural officials that it metamorphosed into a whole new later-life career.

The self-taught interior designer now specialises in turning oncederelict village homes into dream residences for city dwellers.

The affable Spear cheerfully admits he was probably ripped off in the early days, but has now acquired the realpolitik skills necessary to deal with local officials, peasant farmers and tradesmen. As well as home conversions, Spear also runs the Brickyard hotel at Mutianyu (brickyardatmutianyu.com), a boutique property with stellar views of the Great Wall from all of its rooms.

An example he cites is a vivid – and amusing – example of the idiosyncrasies of China. When Spear converted his first house, a neighbour complained that pear tree roots were being compressed and damaged by the newcomer’s jeep; the problem was solved APRIL 2016

‘Time and time again I see newcomers being naive about how different China is. Cultural differences can be vast’ with a small annual payment. A neighbour at another conversion property had a problem with building slabs being placed close to his chestnut tree.

“We had to have that case adjudicated in the village hall – it was urban meets rural, foreigner meets Chinese,” Spear recalls.

“We eventually got a settlement that was fair. I originally thought it was just ripping people off, but these people are stewards of the trees. When you live out here, you can see the other side of the story. People here are suspicious of city folk, as they come out and steal fruit from the orchard – it’s a

lack of respect. I have seen people come out and bang on doors and demand that the peasants cook them lunch.”

The fruit-tree episodes took place in a small village, but similar scenarios are repeated daily, on a larger scale, in the big cities. Every visitor will, at some stage, encounter the phrase, “This is the Chinese way” – a saying that invariably involves trying to bodyswerve, or ignore, international protocols. The “Chinese way” tends to be a route that loads the dice firmly against investors from outside; it most certainly does not businesstraveller.co om

Business in… China I 55

involve Western-style rule of law, as China, for all its superficial modernity, is indisputably a one-party state.

GET CREATIVE

Above: T-shirts from Plastered 8

As China opens up, it finds itself increasingly having to adopt and accept outside influences and methods. Long-term resident Dominic Johnson-Hill, founder of T-shirt company Plastered 8, is an individual who manages to move fluidly between expat and Chinese societies, celebrating cultural similarities, rather than differences.

He has even managed to find a commercial market for irony – not a commodity much evident in China at large – with his business, which depicts Beijing icons, everyday consumables and memorabilia on colourful T-shirts. Johnson-Hill is a regular on Chinese TV talk shows and The Apprentice-style reality programmes and has a store in the popular Nanluoguxiang hutong (alleyway), which has seen a visit from Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page.

“I’m fortunate enough to be in the creative market, which is really untapped,” says Johnson-Hill, a father of four who originally came to China as a backpacker.“We generate artwork for graphic T-shirts, and the more creative and bonkers we get, the more we sell. In this very pragmatic society, they love creativity, so that’s what we try our best to deliver – it took a while to work it out.”

Australian entrepreneur Campbell Thompson runs the Wine Republic, which focuses on importing wine from familyowned vineyards. He boasts nearly two decades of experience in China, and is equally bullish about the opportunities presented by the creative industries, believing savvy players can exploit areas such as new media and entertainment as long as they are aware of the potential pitfalls.

“Anything involving culture is a double-edged sword,” Thompson says.“There are tremendous opportunities, but it can be a very sensitive area. I would advise people to take time, do some good research. The days are gone when China was seen as the El Dorado, where projects were rushed so you could get to market quickly.”

Former journalist Sarah Keenlyside developed her business along those lines, growing slowly and aiming for a niche market, in her case high-end travellers looking for personally escorted tours. The Bespoke Travel Company puts together itineraries that focus on art, history or food, featuring local personalities, little-known venues and Englishspeaking guides – along with some humour and quirkiness.

But, as Keenlyside can testify, it is rarely a breeze doing business in China. The regular moving of goalposts, and general opacity, are two of the prime inhibitors.

“Almost no one escapes the woolly changes to legislation,” she says.“Sudden closures, shutdowns, changes in public opinion, or the knock-on effect of any number of factors. No matter the issue, it can happen with lightning speed, rendering much that you’ve been working on or planning towards irrelevant in a heartbeat.

“Aside from that, cultural differences can be vast,” she adds.“Time and time again I see newcomers being naive about how different China is – repeatedly willing their own norms and ways of doing things on to the local population because ‘surely that’s just the common sense/fair/most obvious way of operating, right?’

Everything you think you know is wrong – I can’t put it more simply than that. If you have the patience and fortitude to deal with the fact that China is not the West, you may just crack it and learn to be more open-minded in the process.

I’m still working on that – it takes a conscious daily effort.” Q APRIL 2016

Lifestyle Contents I 57

58 I NEWS Your global downtime hotlist

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62 I 4 HOURS IN HONG KONG Wandering the Wan Chai district 64 I OLYMPIAN CHALLENGE Golfing around Rio de Janeiro 68 I CAPITAL CUISINE London’s latest restaurants

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74 I SCENT OF SPRING This season’s male fragrances

FRANCESCO MAZZEI, CHEF PATRON OF SARTORIA – PAGE 70

76 I NEXT TOP MODELS The hottest newly launched cars 80 I SHAPING TIME Cartier’s creative watchmaking 82 I MOTION CAPTURE Tech to track your fitness 87 I BUY AND FLY Tax-free airport shopping

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90 I SNAPSHOT Caesars Palace Las Vegas hits 500 APRIL 2016

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Michelle Harbi and Katie Krater compile your essential downtime hotlist STYLE

Paul Smith adds travel suits for summer PAUL SMITH IS EXPANDING its “A Suit to Travel in”range for the summer season.

Available from this month, the windowpane-checked fabric is made in Italy from creaseresistant, breathable 100 per cent New Zealand wool and is unlined for warmer weather. The suit comes in navy, grey-green, mustard, mauve or petrol blue, in three different fits (Slim, Soho and Mayfair). The full suit costs £985 but trousers and jackets can also be bought separately. The plain navy suit introduced last year is still available. paulsmith.co.uk

DINE AGNE

Alain Ducasse opens Paris brasserie ALAIN DUCASSE IS ADDING to his stable of Parisian restaurants this month with a contemporary brasserie, Champeaux. Located under the Canopée in Forum des Halles, the relaxed, light-filled venue seats 180 diners, with room for 80 more on the outdoor terrace. The multiple Michelin-starred chef promises to “merrily propel” the market brasserie tradition into the present, offering lighter interpretations of classics such as snails, oysters and tartars. alain-ducasse.com

GROOMING

Chanel adds Bleu shaving range CHANEL HAS INTRODUCED two limited-edition shaving products to its Bleu de Chanel line. Both the shaving cream (100ml) and hydrating after-shave gel (90ml) cost £38 and are available from stores nationwide. chanel.com

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Lifestyle News I 59

RESORT

Easyjet flies to Montenegro EASYJET HAS ANNOUNCED a new summer service from London Gatwick to Tivat in Montenegro, following on from the launch of Manchester flights to Tivat last month. From June 16, the Gatwick route will operate twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays. The Manchester service runs on Thursdays and Sundays. Both operate until October. Tivat is home to the luxury marina development of Porto Montenegro (pictured). easyjet.com

Cyprus’s Anassa completes revamp CYPRIOT GROUP THANOS HOTELS AND RESORTS has reopened its fivestar Anassa hotel for the season, marking the completion of a three-year, multimillion-euro refurbishment for the 166-room property. Situated in Polis, in the west of the island, an hour’s drive from Paphos airport, the resort now features redesigned rooms and suites, four new villas with ocean-facing infinity pools, and a revamped spa. Designed to mimic a Cypriot village, with low-rise buildings set around a “village square” and chapel, Anassa also has a private beach and a high-end boutique. anassa.com

EXHIBITION

ROLLING STONES ARCHIVE

HOTEL Rolling Stones hit Saatchi Gallery A MAJOR ROLLING STONES exhibition opens at London’s Saatchi Gallery on April 5.

Exhibitionism: The Rolling Stones will present more than 500 artefacts from the band’s personal archives across nine themed galleries, taking guests through their 50-year history via instruments, costumes, books, records, films and “exotically random band stuff”. Collaborations and works by Andy Warhol, Alexander McQueen, Shepard Fairey and Martin Scorsese will be included. Until September 4; tickets from £19. stonesexhibitionism.com businesstraveller.com

APRIL 2016

60 I Lifestyle News

ESCAPE

St Regis lands in Langkawi

STARWOOD LAUNCHES A ST REGIS resort in Langkawi on April 6, one of two Malaysian hotels it is opening under the brand this month. The 85-suite, four-villa St Regis Langkawi is in the south of the island, on a private beach and overlooking a natural salt lagoon. Suites start from 47 sqm and come with butler service. Dining options include Asian restaurant Kayuputi, and there is also a spa. The 200room St Regis Kuala Lumpur opens this month in the Sentral district. starwoodhotels.com/stregis

LUXURY

ART GOAL ACHIEVERS, ANCIZAR MARIN; JORDAN MATTER

Elemis and Aspinal unveil travel collection

Art Expo New York returns this month

ELEMIS HAS JOINED FORCES with Aspinal of London for its new Luxury Travel Collection. The set contains the skincare brand’s soothing apricot toner (50ml), skin nourishing shower cream (100ml) and pro-collagen cleansing balm (20g), marine cream (30ml) and oxygenating night cream (15ml), together with Aspinal’s classic travel wallet and passport cover in midnight blue Italian calf leather.

Priced £175; available exclusively from elemis.com

ONE OF THE WORLD’S LARGEST FINE ART SHOWS returns to Manhattan this month. Now in its 38th year, Art Expo New York takes place on April 1417 at Pier 94 and will welcome more than 25,000 art fans. Some 400-plus galleries, artists and publishers from around the world will be exhibiting their works, ranging from paintings, drawings and photography to giclée printing, sculpture and ceramics. Open Thurs 4pm-7pm (preview party, open to all), Friday 12pm7pm, Saturday 10am-7pm, Sunday 10am-6pm.

Entry US$20. artexponewyork.com

APRIL 2016

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62 I 4 hours in...

Hong Kong

Valerian Ho discovers age-old customs and comfort cuisine in the heritage district of Wan Chai

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DA SIU YAHN According to traditional Hong Kong beliefs, if your daily life is consumed by stress, this could mean that there are little ghosts attached to your body. Why not get rid of them the local way before starting your four-hour tour of the city?

An ancient practice originating from Guangdong, da siu yahn (“petty person beating”) is a ceremony to drive away said ghosts. Under the bridge at the intersection of Hennessy Road and Canal Road, you will find old ladies perched on small stools. Sit down, tell them your difficulties, and then one of these “professional beaters” will light candles, put a person-shaped paper cutout on a brick and chant a curse while hitting it with a shoe. Next, she will pour pig grease oil on a white paper tiger, burn it and scatter with raw rice to drive the ghosts away.

It costs around HK$50 (£4.60) to rid yourself of the evil spirits (although you will need a grasp of Cantonese).

Alternatively, observe the spectacle from a safe curse-free distance.

APRIL 2016

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TAI YUEN STREET From the bridge, hop on a westbound tram for about five minutes (HK$2.30/20p) and alight at the Wan Chai MTR station at O’Brien Road.

On your left you’ll see the bustling Tai Yuen (Toy) Street. This thoroughfare attracts people from all over the world looking for collectible items and outof-production treasures no longer available in stores, such as moviethemed models and Japanese capsule toys. While it is called Toy Street, you’ll also find watches, slippers, clothes and antiques here.

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KAM FUNG CAFE K If you’re feeling tired after s shopping, pull up a chair at Kam Fung. This traditional cha chaaan teng (Hong Kong-sttyle tea restaurant) is locateed at 41 Spring Garden Lane, next to Toy Street, and has been serving Cantonese café classics since 1956 – an eclectic mix of Hong Kong-style

Western food. While its décor and service are basic, fusion favourites such as the chicken pie (HK$10/90p), beef and egg sandwich (HK$18/£1.60) and cold milk tea without ice (HK$19/£1.70) are comforting and delicious. It’s open daily from 6am to 7pm.

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HUNG SHING TEMPLE Back on Queen’s Road East, walk west for about five minutes to reach the Hung Shing Temple at number 129. Hung Shing was a Tang dynasty official who championed advances in astronomy and geography, making him celebrated by fishermen and sea traders, and temples were built to honour him as the God of the Southern Sea. Thee Grade I Listed temple was built around 1847, and once stood overlooking owing the ocean. Follo extensive land n, the reclamation structure iss now hind a buried beh sea of skyscrapers. en every day 30am-5.30pm.

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THE PAWN Go north from the temple until you reach Johnston Road, and at number 62 you will see a grand four-storey Chinese tenement building.

Constructed in 1888, it once housed the Wo Cheong Pawn Shop. In 2007, the government renovated the property and transformed it into the Pawn, a high-end British restaurant and bar complete with a rooftop garden sprouting crops for farm-to-table dining.

Helmed by the UK’s Tom Aikens, it’s the perfect urban sanctuary for winding down with a cocktail – infused with herbs grown on site, naturally – while people-watching on the buzzing balcony. Bar open daily 5pm-1am (2am Fri and Sat); restaurant open 12pm2.30pm, 6.30pm-10pm. Tel +852 2866 3444; thepawn.com.hk Q

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64 I Golfing around… Rio de Janeiro

Olympian challenge

HANSE GOLF DESIGN – IMAGES TAKEN DURING GROW-IN

Minty Clinch checks out options near Rio, including the brand-new course built for the 2016 Olympics – the first time the Games has included golf for more than a century

1 THE OLYMPIC COURSE WHERE IS IT? 40km west of Rio. WHAT’S IT LIKE? The expense involved in building a venue for the first Olympic golf tournament since 1904 was widely criticised, not least by Rio’s existing clubs, which wanted to stage it themselves.

Environmentalists reacted because part of the course is in the Reserva de Marapendi nature park, but the project was greenlighted on the understanding that it would become Rio’s first public golf course, a boost for a game that has been restricted to those who can afford private members’ clubs.

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The layout occupies gently undulating land near the ocean in the suburb of Barra da Tijuca, home to the Olympic Park, the main stadium and the athletes’ village. Its 15 competition venues include swimming, cycling, tennis and athletics. The golf course has been designed by American Gil Hanse, best known in the UK for the course at Castle Stuart on the Moray Firth in Scotland.

The land has been reclaimed, with two large artificial lakes as the centrepiece for fairways, greens and thick rough, but the real challenge lies in the south Atlantic winds. Purists hope they’ll blow up a storm to test the world’s finest golfers come August.

CONTACT Avenida das Americas, Barra da Tijuca; rio2016.com PRICE Not yet available.

FACILITIES 18 holes, par 71, 6,522m (7,133yds); golf academy, driving range, practice area, putting green. businesstraveller.com

Golfing around… Rio de Janeiro I 65

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course laid out in the imposing shadow of Devil’s Rock. Nowadays, 10,000 trees shed 30 billion leaves a year, a daunting task for greenkeeping staff. Coconut palms dominate, but mangos provide protection from the sun and a succulent snack from November through New Year.

The river that snakes among the fairways is at its most menacing at the Three Twins, par fours at seven, eight and nine with water to the left that wreck many a promising card.

CONTACT Estrada da Barra da Tijuca 2,005; tel +5521 3883 8323; itanhanga.com.br PRICE Championship course, weekdays R$300/£56, weekends R$425/£80; nine-hole course,

weekdays R$180/£33, weekends R$245/£46; caddie (compulsory for visitors) R$100/£19 plus tip; buggy R$150/£28; club hire R$150/£28 for 18 holes (brands include Callaway, Taylor Made and Titleist).

CLUB HOURS 6am-7pm.Visitor tee times available on weekdays and at weekends after 1pm.

MAXIMUM HANDICAP 32 FACILITIES Championship course, 6,695yds, par 72; nine-hole course, 2,840yds, par 36; driving range, putting green.

AFTER THE GOLF The spacious clubhouse has a terrace with seating overlooking the 18th green, and serves an international menu. There’s a large outdoor pool, plus the only polo club in Rio.

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WHERE IS IT? 25km south-west of Rio. WHAT’S IT LIKE? This exceptionally welcoming private club was established in 1933 by President Getulio Vargas, Brazil’s longestserving political leader, first as dictator from 1930 to 1945, then as elected president from 1951 until his suicide in 1954. He set up Itanhanga as the antidote to Gavea (overleaf), known in those days as the“Englishman’s Club”and, therefore, unacceptable to a dedicated nationalist.

A passionate, if indifferent, golfer – his handicap was 30-plus – Vargas took time out from his programme of industrialisation and social reform to play on a flat

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66 I Golfing around… Rio de Janeiro

3 GAVEA GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB WHERE IS IT? 20km south-west of Rio. WHAT’S IT LIKE? The grande dame of Rio golf, opened in 1926 by Scottish and English expats, and redesigned by Robert Trent Jones Sr and Stanley Thompson in the 1930s, retains the exclusivity that repelled Vargas. That’s no reason not to play it – its location at the foot of the huge Pedra da Gavea mountain is spectacular, and it has the yesteryear charm of a course where strategy and skill are more important than pure power. When city expansion demanded a new highway, Gavea demanded a tunnel to access the four holes nearest to Sao Conrado beach; not that you’d know it, because a high wall keeps beachcombers out.

As befits the stratospheric value of its real estate, this is a short, compact layout, with the emphasis on land-saving

doglegs. The opening holes loop over hilly terrain above the clubhouse: the par 34th provides the best overview, but don’t admire the seascape at the expense of your tee shot as missing left carries a heavy penalty. After the ninth, players duck under the highway to tackle 10 to 13, dominated by hazardous lake, before ducking back for the final stretch.

CONTACT Estrada da Gavea 800, Sao Conrado; tel +55 (21) 3323 6050; gaveagolfclub.com.br PRICE Weekdays R$350/£65; weekends R$450/£85; caddie (compulsory) R$80/£14 plus tip; buggy R$200/£39; golf shoes R$30/£6; clubs R$50/£10.

CLUB HOURS 7am-9pm, visitor tee times available Mon/Wed/ Fri from 8am, Tues/Thurs from 12.30pm.

MAXIMUM HANDICAP Men 24, women 28.

FACILITIES 18 holes, 5,950yds, par 69; floodlit driving range, practice area and putting green.

AFTER THE GOLF The clientele is international, with Rio’s elite well settled on the clubhouse’s long terrace, and the interior is luxurious, with floral chesterfields and brass chandeliers.

4 PETROPOLIS GOLF CLUB WHERE IS IT? 60km north of Rio. WHAT’S IT LIKE? Petropolis was named after the popular Emperor Pedro II, nicknamed“The Magnanimous”, who used it as a summer haven during a reign that lasted from 1831 until 1889, when the monarchy was abolished. No golf in his day, but 20th-century enthusiasts were quick to appreciate the benefits of playing in cooler, drier air at 900 metres above sea level.

The Petropolis course, located in the lovely Nogueira Valley in the mountains overlooking Rio, opened on March 1, 1939; pictures in the clubhouse suggest it hasn’t changed much. Expect a bit of a workout, as the terrain is steep and must be tackled twice to complete 18 holes. The course is very much a world of its own, confined by the surrounding hills and dominated by the river that runs along the valley floor. The opener is an inviting downhill drive, a bit of sweetener for hostile camber and watery perils ahead. Tropical flora growing here includes flame trees, sapucaia (meaning“monkey pot”, named after its bowl-shaped fruit containing edible seeds) and pink ipe, Brazil’s national flower.

CONTACT Avenida Country Club 6,321, Nogueira, Petropolis; tel +55 (24) 2221 2534, petropolisgolfclube.com PRICE 18 holes weekdays R$120/£23, weekends R$200/£39; caddie R$50/£10 plus tip; buggy R$100/£19; club hire R$70/£14 (random mixed sets; brands include Callaway, Titleist and Ping).

CLUB HOURS 7am-7pm daily.

MAXIMUM HANDICAP Men 28, women 36.

FACILITIES 18 holes (nine with two tee boxes on each), 6,268yds, par 70; driving range, practice area and putting green.

AFTER THE GOLF The clubhouse has a simple restaurant and bar. There is also an on-site hotel and a riding centre. Q APRIL 2016

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68 I Taste London

Ccuisine apital Business Traveller tries out the latest arrivals on the London dining scene

APRIL 2016

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Taste London I 69

Probably the most talked-about restaurant opening in the past 12 months, Sexy Fish is the new Mayfair opening from Caprice Holdings (behind the likes of the Ivy and J Sheekey).

Unveiled in October, the spectacular project is said to have cost £15 million, and you can see why. Designed by Martin Brudnizki, the interiors feature swirling green marble floors, a Matisse-style seaweed ceiling mural

by Michael Roberts, and sculptures of ocean-dwelling creatures by both Frank Gehry and Damien Hirst. Downstairs is a 48-seat lair walled in by luminous tropical fishtanks.

In the evening, the main 190-cover dining room is bathed in golden light just low enough that everyone looks good but you can’t Instagram your food (deliberate, no doubt). Frequented by celebrities, bankers and other wealthy business professionals, it can be hard to get a table so book ahead.

Apart from the odd anomaly, such as Beluga caviar blinis (£320 for 50g) and gorgonzola tortilla skewers, the menu is heavily Japanese and the idea is to share.

Artistic dishes are whipped up with speed in the open kitchen and delivered businesstraveller.com

Facing page: Sexy Fish bar Above: Japrese salad, Sexy Fish; M Victoria Street and its Wagyu tartare

to your table in no particular order.

Journey from delicate rectangles of deeppink seared yellowfin tuna (£16.50) and grilled avocado with crispy tofu (£11.50) to moreish miso-glazed Chilean sea bass (£30) and house-smoked Ora King salmon with yuzu (£25) from the robata grill. If there are two or more of you, go for the vanilla cheesecake topped with macerated cherries (£19); failing that, the four chocolate and praline fondant (£9.50) is pure hedonism. Jenny Southan Q Open 12pm-11.30pm (11pm Sun).

Sharing plates average £10-£25, wines from £7 by the glass, from £25 by the bottle. Berkeley Square House; tel +44 (0)20 3764 2000; sexyfish.com

M VICTORIA STREET The second venue for Martin Williams’ luxury dining and drinking brand (the other is in the City), M opened in December. Executive chef Michael Reid is previously of Le Gavroche, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay and the Skinny Duck.

The entrance is through the M wine store – there are more than 300 labels on the list, sourced from the six countries

that the restaurant’s steaks are from – Argentina, Australia, France, Italy, South Africa and the US. More than 100 wines are available by the glass. Downstairs is the bar, a private members’room and the restaurant, which is divided into M Raw, offering a lighter Asian style of cooking, and M Grill, a two-tiered oval-shaped room in muted greens and greys.

M Grill is all about the meat. Glassfronted fridges showcase aged joints of beef, homemade salami and biltong.

Smoked Wagyu tartare (£15) is a speciality – arriving under a smoke-filled cloche, with foie gras grated over it at the table, it is subtly smoky, rich and delicious. The steak range is impressive, from Australian Blackmore Wagyu to the flavoursome 48-day matured US Creekstone Farm T-bone for two (£90).

The Argentinian Colome Estate Malbec 2013 (£66) is a fruity accompaniment, and the staff are well-briefed and passionate. A great addition to Victoria’s food scene. Annie Harris Q Open 7am-12am (from 10am Sat-Sun).

Starters £7-£11.50, mains £16-£95.

Wine from £6 by the glass, from £30 by the bottle. Zig Zag Building, 70 Victoria Street; tel +44 (0)20 3327 7776; mrestaurants.co.uk APRIL 2016

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70 I Taste London

STEVE LEE/PAUL WINCH-FURNESS

SARTORIA D&D London reopened its Mayfair Italian restaurant in December with a new chef patron at the helm – Francesco Mazzei, formerly of L’Anima in the City – and fully refurbished interiors.

Designer David d’Almada was inspired by classic Italian style and the Savile Row location, using luxurious leathers, silks and velvets in the soft furnishings.

It’s chic and immediately inviting – the place had a delightfully warm buzz on the cold winter evening we stepped in.

A bar has been installed at the front, with high stools to sit up and enjoy an Italian cocktail – try the smoky, potent Zucca Bar (Professor Cornelius Old Tom gin, Carpano Punt e Mes, Rabarbaro Zucca; £9.50) – and the luscious-looking salads on display on the cicchetti counter. The elegant dining room features warm lighting, thick carpeting and well-spaced tables, and there are two private rooms and a terrace.

Mazzei’s menu includes dishes from his native Calabria – including some signatures from his L’Anima tenure – as well as other regions in Italy. The lobster tagliolini (£26.50) is exquisite – fragrant, APRIL 2016

plump chunks of meat served in the shell with sweet broth and delicate ribbons of pasta – as is the homecured baccala (salt cod) marinated in liquorice (pictured above; £26.50), and the terrine-like southern Italian lasagne (£15.50), featuring flavour-packed layers of sausage, aubergine and quail’s egg. Service is warm, knowledgeable and intuitive. A splendid relaunch for Sartoria. Michelle Harbi Q Open 7am-12am Mon-Fri, 9am-12am Sat. Starters £9.50-£22.50, mains £9.50£29; two-course set lunch £26.50, three courses £32.50. Wines from £5 by the glass, from £18 by the bottle. 20 Savile Row; tel +44 (0)20 7534 7000; sartoria-restaurant.co.uk

THE NINTH TV chef Jun Tanaka opened his first solo venture on Fitzrovia’s Charlotte Street last November (it’s the ninth restaurant he has worked in, hence the name). Set across two floors, with a small terrace, it’s an intimate, welcoming Manhattanstyled space with exposed brick, unusual iron wine racks and a mixture of long leather banquettes and smaller tables.

Tanaka has created a stylish and uncomplicated menu that is designed for sharing – still, to say the food is simple is misleading. This is modern Mediterranean food at its best: elegant, unfussy and thoughtfully put together, using the best seasonal ingredients.

The oxtail croquettes (£5.50) are a tempting opening snack – crisp, meaty and savoury – while starters include succulent Ossobuco tortellini with bone marrow (£9), and rabbit confit lasagne (£9): layers of rich pasta and meat topped with a creamy mustard sauce.

From the mains, the crisp-skinned whole roast sea bream with lemon, miso, and smoked aubergine (£19.50) paired with pommes cocotte with roasted garlic (£4.50) was stunning, with soft and buttery flakes inside the caramelised exterior.Vegetable dishes share centrestage on this menu – the rich and earthy beetroot tarte tatin (£5) is perfectly balanced by crumbly feta and pine nuts.

For dessert, there is a sweet version, the classic apple tarte tatin (£14), which is great to share and, paired with rosemary ice cream, is the perfect end to a meal.

Good cocktails, too. Annie Harris businesstraveller.com

Taste London I 71

Q Open Mon-Sat 12pm-2.30pm, 5.30pm-10.30pm. Starters £5.50-£14, mains £17.50-£23; wine from £6.50 by the glass, from £20 by the bottle.

22 Charlotte Street; theninthlondon.com

THE IVY KENSINGTON BRASSERIE

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beans with champagne and clam sauce (pictured below right; £16.95), was nice and chunky, if a little overcooked, although the sauce was lovely, and a side of truffle and parmesan chips (£4.50) was definitely worth the extra calories. The slow-roasted shoulder of lamb on Parmesan polenta, roasted peppers and rosemary sauce (£16.25) was meltingly tender, the sauce rich and flavoursome. The lemon meringue Alaska (£7.50) was a triumph.

The wine list is well chosen, with something to suit everyone’s pocket, and the sommelier was well informed and helpful, as were the rest of the team, who went out of their way to ensure you had a good experience. I would definitely return. Annie Harris Q Open 7.30am-11pm Mon-Thurs (12am Fri), 8am-11.30pm Sat, 9am-10.30pm Sun. Starters £6.50-£12.50; mains £13.50£34; wine from £5.50 by the glass, from £19.50 by the bottle. 96 Kensington High Street, tel +44 (0)20 3301 0500; theivykensingtonbrasserie.com V

This is Caprice Holdings’fourth Ivy offshoot, the others being the Ivy Market Grill in Covent Garden, the Ivy Chelsea Garden and the Ivy Café in Marylebone.

Open since December, it already feels like a favourite local haunt – busy but relaxed with a nice buzz. Tables are held back for walk-ins. The interior very much reflects the Ivy’s character, with mirrored panels, a diamond-patterned marble floor, dark green leather banquettes and a gleaming antique pewter bar.

Last month it added a 40-cover outdoor terrace with a retractable roof.

The menu is modern British comfort food and you will find a few Ivy classics, such as shepherd’s pie (£13.50). Starters include a smooth chicken liver parfait (£6.75), easily a meal in itself, and moreish truffle arancini (£5.50).

My main, roasted cod fillet with creamed leeks, bacon and haricot

Facing page: Sartoria Above: The Ninth Right: The Ivy Kensington Brasserie

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72 I Taste London

=gʇ ɐWȧWV PITT CUE has moved from its Soho premises to a larger venue on Devonshire Square in the City. The American barbecue specialist, which started life as a food van, has expanded its menu (although no more pulled pork) and now takes reservations. pittcue.co.uk

SOSHARU is the seventh London venture from Jason Atherton’s the Social Company.

Launched last month, it’s a Japanese izakayastyle restaurant serving casual yet high-end small dishes. It’s located in the Turnmill building in Clerkenwell. sosharulondon.com PHARMACY 2, the second incarnation of Damien Hirst’s restaurant, which closed in Notting Hill in 2003, opened in the artist’s new Newport Street Gallery in Vauxhall in February.

Launched in partnership with Mark Hix, it serves classic British and European dishes. pharmacyrestaurant.com

100 WARDOUR STREET opened in the Soho space formerly occupied by Floridita and the Marquee Club in January. Part of D&D London, the restaurant, bar and music venue serves food until 2am and holds 425 diners or 870 for events. 100wardourst.com

TOM BOWLES

SHOTGUN Mississippi-born chef Brad McDonald, who runs the Lockhart in Marylebone and has previous worked at Copenhagen’s Noma, headed to Soho for his second London venue, open since October.

Barbecue joints are popping up all over London, but Shotgun is something a bit different. More a bar-restaurant than a restaurant-bar, as the staff tell me, it nevertheless takes a more elegant approach to the Southern US genre. The room itself is lovely – narrow and intimate, all dark-wood panelling and potted palms, while the spirits behind the long marble-topped bar point to the serious cocktails made behind it, using the likes of rye whiskey, cognac and absinthe. Even on a Monday, every stool along it was taken, along with all the cosy booths for two or four.

The food menu is quite compact, consisting mainly of snacks and meats cooked low and slow over whole logs.

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A signature small plate is pig’s ear with sour pancakes (£8); we, being conscious of the meat feast to come, opt to go veggie. The salad of smoked goat’s curd, heirloom carrot, pearl barley and buttermilk sauce (£9) is a standout – a sweet and subtle combination of textures.

But it’s really all about the main event here – beef brisket so tender you could cut it with a spoon, juicily flavoursome Middle White suckling pig, and chilli-tinged baby back ribs, all perfectly abetted by sides of buttery baked potato purée and tangy coleslaw. Service was speedy and welcoming, and the retro soul soundtrack made for a suitably mellow backdrop. Michelle Harbi Q Open 12pm-12am (Sun 11am5pm). Snacks/small plates £1.50-£9; meats £9-£22 depending on size ordered. Wine from £4.50 by the glass, from £28 by the bottle.

26 Kingly Street; tel +44 (0)20 3137 7252; shotgunbbq.com

DICKIE FITZ launched in the former home of Fitzrovia’s Newman Street Tavern in February.

The all-day brasserie offers Pacific-inspired cuisine and New World wines in an art decoinspired setting. dickiefitz.co.uk

LOW, SLOW AND JUKE opened in Victoria in February. The American barbecue restaurant and bar serves up meats handrubbed and smoked for up to 16 hours, along with bourbons, cocktails and craft beers. lowslowandjuke.com THE LIGHTERMAN opened on Granary Square in King’s Cross last month. The bar and dining room is housed in a three-floor newbuild overlooking the Regent’s Canal, with outdoor seating. It serves a modern British all-day menu. thelighterman.co.uk

TOM’S KITCHEN was set to launch its fifth London venue at the end of March, at HMS Belfast. It comprises a 58-cover rooftop bar and a 46-seat deli serving sandwiches, salads and platters. tomskitchen.co.uk businesstraveller.com

74 I Grooming

SCENT OF

spring Michelle Harbi rounds up fragrances for the new season

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Grooming I 75

TOM FORD NEROLI PORTOFINO FORTE A bolder, more intense version of Tom Ford’s exquisite Neroli Portofino, Forte adds coastal Italian woods and leather to the fragrance’s floral core.

Top notes: bergamot, blood orange, lavender, basil Heart notes: orange tree, orange flower Base notes: leather, amber, oakmoss absolute, suede, musk Eau de cologne 50ml £154 from select World Duty Free stores. tomford.com ACQUA DI PARMA CEDRO DI TAORMINA The latest addition to the Italian brand’s Blu Mediterraneo collection, this crisp, vibrant scent evokes the citrusy sea air of the Sicilian resort town.

Top notes: citron, petit grain, basil Heart notes: black pepper, lavender Base notes: Haitian vetiver, Virginia citron Eau de toilette 75ml £61, 150ml £87; shower gel £30. acquadiparma.com MONTBLANC LEGEND SPIRIT A new spin on the Swiss brand’s Legend fragrance, Spirit is warm and aromatic, blending zesty, intense ingredients with Legend’s signature oakmoss scent.

Top notes: grapefruit, bergamot, pink peppercorn Heart notes: lavender, cardamom, aqua Base notes: sandalwood, cedar, cashmere, oakmoss, white musk Eau de toilette 30ml £36, 50ml £39, 100ml £59. The Perfume Shop from April 11; nationwide May 2. montblanc.com BOTTEGA VENETA POUR HOMME ESSENCE AROMATIQUE Citrus gradually gives way to woody accents in this fresh take on a classic cologne, designed to evoke casual masculine elegance.

Top notes: bergamot, sage, mirabelle Heart notes: Indonesian patchouli, Siberian pine, juniper Base notes: suede leather, sandalwood, musk, white amber Eau de cologne 90ml £45 uk.worlddutyfree.com

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MICHAEL KORS EXTREME BLUE Aimed at the busy urban man, Michael Kors’ new aquatic fragrance combines crisp spiciness with a smooth woody base.

Top notes: bergamot, angelica seed, pink pepper, cardamom Heart notes: juniper, cypress, sesame, sage Base notes: ambrox, cashmere woods, musk, patchouli Eau de toilette 70ml £50, 120ml £63 (£40, £49.77 in World Duty Free), after-shave balm £36, body wash £24. michaelkors.com DAVIDOFF HORIZON This masculine new fragrance from Davidoff celebrates the spirit of adventure.

Initial notes of citrus and ginger add energy to its woody, aromatic core.

Top notes: grapefruit, rosemary, ginger Heart notes: Virginia cedarwood and patchouli Base notes: cocoa absolute, vetiver Eau de toilette 125ml £47 uk.worlddutyfree.com L’EAU D’ISSEY POUR HOMME FRAICHE A variation on the classic Issey Mikaye scent, Fraîche uses the likes of grapefruit and bergamot to create a clean, fresh fragrance inspired by the power of water.

Top notes: ruby grapefruit, cardamom, bergamot, rosemary, mint Heart notes: sage, lavender, mate, may rose, pink pepper Base notes: white patchouli, vetiver, musk Eau de toilette 50ml £41, 100ml £58 isseymiyake.com BENTLEY INFINITE RUSH A new entrant to the fragrance arena – it unveiled its first only in 2013 – Bentley’s latest is subtly spicy and woody, with mandarin adding freshness.

Top notes: mandarin, pink berries, rosemary Heart notes: elemi, vetiver, cedar Base notes: amber wood, white musk and moss Eau de toilette 60ml £43, 100ml £60 bentley-fragrances.com

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76 I Cars

Next top models From fantasy buys to family carriers – Nat Barnes reveals the best new cars unveiled at March’s Geneva Motor Show

Bugatti Chiron On sale: autumn Price: £1.9 million

Hands up just how many people thought that the old tarmacrippling Bugatti Veyron was too slow, or not powerful enough?

That’s right, none. However, Bugatti boss Wolfgang Durheimer doesn’t agree, taking the wraps off this new Chiron at the Geneva Motor Show.

The Chiron is a bottomless pit of superlatives. Under the bonnet is an eight-litre, 16-cylinder engine with an eye-watering 1500bhp (the outgoing Veyron’s 987bhp pales in comparison).

This will get it from zero to 60mph in 2.5 seconds. Bugatti has “restricted”the top speed to just 261mph. Despite a £1.9 million price tag, more than a third of the planned 500 vehicles have already been pre-ordered.Yes, we’re shaking our heads in disbelief at that last sentence, too…

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Aston Martin DB11 On sale: October Price: £154,900

Above: Bugatti Chiron Facing page, from left: Aston Martin DB11; Volvo V90

Get with the times, 007, your company car has already been superseded. The Spectre-starring Aston Martin DB10 might have been pure celluloid fantasy, but this new DB11 is very real.

And very popular, if the crowds swarming over the Aston Martin stand at Geneva were anything to go by.

The successor to the ageing DB9, the best-selling Aston of all

time, the DB11 is the fastest DB model ever, with a 5.2-litre V12 engine giving it a zero to 60mph time of just 3.9 seconds and a 200mph top speed.

Inside, the DB11 offers the latest thin-film transistor (TFT) digital displays for the driver’s screen and main dashboard, but cosseted in Aston’s usual gorgeous craftsmanship. A waiting list already a year long suggests plenty of those in the Swiss crowd had deposit cheques burning holes in their pockets, too. businesstraveller.com

Cars I 77

Volvo V90 On sale: September Price: from £34,000

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In your head, you’re racing down a beautiful twisty road in the Chiron or DB11 on a clear summer’s day with Jennifer Aniston or David Gandy (delete as applicable) in the passenger seat. In reality, it’s a drizzly Sunday morning and you’re trying to find a space in the B&Q car park, listening to The Wheels on the Bus for the 476th time from the vocal chords of your offspring in the back seat of this Volvo V90.

Previously, the introduction of a new Volvo estate like this V90 would have been unremarkable, but with the arrival of the XC90 off-roader and the forthcoming new S90 saloon,Volvo is a brand on the way up – as the trebling of its profits in 2015 attests.

Volvo insists there’s still a strong market for traditional estates, despite the proliferation of crossovers and 4x4s at this level and, to be fair, the V90 is gorgeous.

With the same stunning interior as the XC90 dominated by the large portrait touchscreen and up to 1,526 litres of boot space, it strikes the balance between practicality and desirability.

78 I Cars

Porsche 718 Boxster

BMW M760Li

Maserati Levante

On sale: April Price: from £41,739

On sale: winter 2016 Price: est. £115,000

On sale: October Price: est. £53,000

It might look familiar but, aside from its windscreen, the Porsche 718 Boxster is all-new. While on the outside all the changes are fairly minor, under the skin it’s a different matter – and one that will no doubt have plenty of enthusiasts rustling their anoraks in disgust.

For the first time in more than 20 years (since the 968 of the 1990s), Porsche has introduced a car with a turbocharged fourcylinder engine in standard and “S”forms. For some, that will be news akin to learning that the Daleks have learnt how to climb stairs; others will be focused on the numbers, and these are very impressive indeed. Faster, cleaner and more economical than the outgoing six-cylinder model, the proof will be in the driving.

Porsche’s Cayman coupe will get the same engines this summer.

The new BMW 7-Series, as featured in our March issue, is hardly short of the latest hightech gadgets, including gesture control and remote parking via the key fob.

Just in case all that isn’t enough, however, BMW has unveiled this new flagship 760Li model with a 6.6-litre, turbocharged V12 engine with 600bhp, four-wheel drive and a host of M Performance extras from BMW’s sports department.

The Bavarian firm wants this to be the go-to luxury saloon for the go-faster CEO, but just how many board members need a car with four doors that can leave many supercars standing?

The only thing matching the 760Li’s pace is the speed of your bank balance in the opposite direction, thanks to its likely six-figure price tag.

There’s no doubt that this new Maserati Levante has its sights firmly set on the Porsche Cayenne. The Cayenne has reformed the German firm’s sales, fortunes and profits almost alone, and Maserati needs a similar injection of all three if it is to fulfil plans to double its sales by 2017.

The aggressively-styled Levante looks good inside and out, even if the sloping roof line and narrow windows make the rear seats a little claustrophobic. Demand may be limited given that UK buyers will only have the choice of a single three-litre turbodiesel, with neither of the two petrol V6s on offer to those in mainland Europe. But in time it might be joined by a petrolelectric hybrid, which has been hinted at for the future.

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Above from left: Porsche 718 Boxster; BMW M760Li

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Cars I 79

Above: Maserati Levante Below: Audi Q2; Renault Scenic

Audi Q2

Renault Scenic

On sale: November Price: est. £22,000

On sale: November Price: est. £18,500

With its seemingly never-ending plethora of models to fill each and every niche, it’s no mistake that Audi couldn’t resist leaving the small crossover market untouched, hence the arrival of this new Q2.

As the name suggests, the Q2 sits just below the Q3, and its broad and chunky looks are actually better in the metal than pictures suggest, with the C-pillar between the rear door and tailgate finished in silver or grey. It also introduces some sharper-edged styling to the“cookie-cutter”look of some of Audi’s current range.

Unlike many rivals, it will be offered in two- or four-wheel drive and there will be a host of engine choices, including a new one-litre, three-cylinder turbo.

Expect an A2 hatchback to join the range in the future, in the nonexistent gap between the current A1 and A3.

After 4.9 million worldwide sales, 2016 sees the Renault Scenic celebrating its 20th anniversary.

That’s some history for this fourth-generation model to live up to, but the new Scenic also arrives at a time when most buyers have deserted MPVs in favour of crossovers and larger 4x4s.

Can this incarnation win those family drivers back?

On first sight, you’d have to say yes. With more purposeful, less practical styling, the Renault boasts vastly improved build quality and some clever family-friendly touches inside, including a moveable cubby box, sliding and folding rear seats, and underfloor storage.You heard it here first – the new Scenic is going to put Renault firmly back on family shopping lists. Q

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80 I Watches

Shaping time

Cartier’s latest creation is typical of a company that has pushed the boundaries of watch form over the decades, says Timothy Barber

I APRIL 2016

t’s a relatively rare event that Cartier, the watch world’s great stylist, launches an entirely new style of wristwatch.

But having done so last year, with the 1970s-inspired Clé de Cartier, it did so again this January, which is the equivalent of the proverbial two buses coming along at once after a long wait.

This year’s addition intrigued for a number of reasons: it’s called the Drive, although it doesn’t express any obvious connection to motoring; unusually for Cartier, it’s being launched exclusively as a men’s watch; and just what the heck shape is it anyway?

It falls into the category known as “cushionshaped” watches: almost a square, almost octagonal, somewhere in between – it is its own, Cartier Drive shape. And that makes sense because, above anything else, creativity with shapes is what has always been Cartier’s horological calling card.

Over the decades, it has squeezed and pulled the watch into a great diversity of elegant forms,

From top left: 1925 Tank; Louis Cartier; 2016 Crash Squelette in rose gold (£34,800)

with names such as Tortue (elaborated barrel shaped), Baignoire (oval), Santos (square) and, most famously, the Tank (rectangular), all with the same Belle Epoque dial identity of blued hands and black Roman numerals against a white, guilloché-engraved background.

Cartier’s is a style as identifiable as that of Rolex, and as cultivated and graceful as you’d expect from the grande maison of Parisian jewellery. That’s just as it was back in the early 20th century when, as recounted in the previous issue of this magazine, Louis Cartier produced a square wristwatch for the aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont – possibly the first watch designed specifically for the wrist.

The Santos (as it came to be marketed, and still is) was just the start. One of three brothers who established the family business as a global luxury powerhouse, Louis was a visionary. In particular, it is his highly inventive attitude to watch design that has remained his great legacy. businesstraveller.com

Watches I 81

His most celebrated coup was the Tank, a rectangular watch that appeared in 1919, whose elongated flanks, neatly holding the strap in place – strap attachment being an early obstacle as watches moved from the pocket to the wrist – meant it resembled the “tanks”that had so recently rumbled across the battlefields of Flanders. The nickname stuck and the Tank, in a multitude of forms, has, like the Santos, endured, and is a symbol of art deco sophistication that’s an essential to any budding watch collection.

Of all the Cartier shapes to have appeared over the decades, the most eccentric must be the Crash, which now comes in a luxurious skeletonised form. Early in the 1960s, a Cartier Baignoire, the maison’s celebrated oval watch, was found mangled and half-melted in the wreckage of a car crash in London. The resulting shape itself became a watch whose avant-garde asymmetry, and name, remains an audacious symbol of that era’s creative spirit. businesstraveller.com

Above from top: Drive de Cartier (from £4,550); Clé de Cartier in white gold (£14,700) cartier.com

You can, of course, get a round watch from Cartier, the primary example being the Ballon Bleu, the smooth contours of which give it the feel of a pebble in your hands. Personally, I’m not sure Louis Cartier would approve of something so obvious.

Of the Clé, which reimagines a 1970s sports watch as a contemporary luxury object with a novel“key”style of winding crown, one feels he’d have more regard – although, of the new styles, it’s the Drive I think he’d plump for. It comes in steel or gold, with a grey or white dial, and in either a simple time-only form, or with a moon phase and power reserve indicators; there’s also a spectacular haute horlogerie version with a C-shaped tourbillon.

Cartier has lacked a dedicated men’s watch in its collections; the Drive has an attractive boldness and presence to meet the brief, without losing the elegant identity established by Louis Cartier a century ago.

Q Timothy Barber is editor of QP magazine.

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82 I Technology

MOTION CAPTURE Steve Dinneen recommends tracking apps and wearable tech to help you reach your goals

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Technology I 83

In 2011 a man called Jon Cousins carefully collected his beard trimmings and weighed them every day to see whether his facial hair growth correlated with his happiness. The results, based on a sample size of one, were positive: more growth tended to equal a better mood.

Cousins was an early adopter of what we now know as the Quantified Self movement, which involves tracking aspects of your life and seeking meaning in the data. Fitness trackers – traditionally in the form of wristbands – and smartphones have since made this movement accessible to the masses. Want to know how many times you stirred in your sleep? How fast your heart was going at 2.30pm? How many calories you burnt watching the latest season of Better Call Saul?

There’s an app for that.

Activity trackers are giving people an unprecedented insight into their fitness: the ability to monitor accurately the number of calories burnt or fluctuations in heart rate would once have been the preserve of professional athletes. Now it is big business: Apple Health, a pre-installed iPhone app allowing you to track the number of steps you take, was one of the biggest selling points of the company’s most recent iOS update.

The smartwatch is giving the sector a further boost. Compared with traditional wearables, they tend to be more powerful, more stylish and allow third-party developers to program apps. So are they about to render the humble fitness band obsolete? Not quite. While smartwatch sales are booming – growing by more than 300 per cent in the past year, with 8.1 million sold in the final quarter of 2015 – fitness trackers are growing quicker than ever, too.

The surge in smartwatches is, predictably, driven by the Apple Watch, which controls an estimated 63 per cent of the market (research company Slice Intelligence forecasts that Apple is selling about 20,000 units a day, down from a peak of 200,000 in the week after launch).

So are fitness trackers actually useful? Personal trainer Harry Thomas, who runs London-based No 1 Fitness, says they can be if used correctly. “The real benefit of this kind of technology is helping to maintain your motivation – it’s about making fitness a part of your everyday routine. If you can get into a regime where you’re inputting your food into a tracker and it helps you to stay on top of what you’re eating then that’s great. But you need to make sure you’re not mistaking spending a lot of time using the tech with spending time working out or eating better. Technology is great as a supplement to a healthy lifestyle, but it’s not going to do you any good without the hard work.”

Here is our guide to the best fitness trackers, smartwatches and apps on the market to help you reach your health goals.

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84 I Technology

S MICROSOFT BAND 2 £199 microsoftstore.com Microsoft’s second stab at a fitness tracker is a marked improvement on its previou us, chunky iteration. It features a curved OLED touchscreen and a comfortable, flexible strap (the last one was practically unwearable). As with the previous one, it comes with a wealth of fitness features, including a heart-rate monitor, galvanic skin response sensor (which tells the band whether you’re wearing it), accelerometer and altitude monitor, as well as the usual pedometer and calorie counter. It will also ping you notifications from your phone and, if you’re one of the handful of people with a Windows Phone, you can interact with virtual PA, Cortana, through it.

GARMIN VIVOACTIVE £160 buy.garmin.com The Vivoactive is a sports-oriented device, and whether you’re into running, swimming or golf, there are a host of features to take advantage of. One of the biggest selling points is built-in GPS, which means you can properly track your runs against a map to see how you’re improving (most fitness trackers use data from an accelerometer to guess how far you’ve run by the movement in your wrist). It also has the standard step tracking and sleep monitoring functions, and you can buy a chest-strap if you really need heart-rate monitoring too. On the downside, the design is what you might charitably call “rugged” – large and ugly – and the screen is rather dull.

APPLE WATCH From £299 apple.com As a health tracker, the Apple Watch is one of the better smartwatches, with a built-in heart-rate mon nitor (although not one of the more accurate) and Apple’s own o Activity app, which monitors calories burnt, movement and how long you’ve been sitting down. All of your data can be synced with the Health app, which becomes a fitness profile gathering data from a variety of enabled apps. The watch is beautifully built, with a variety of straps and finishes, although prices get high if you stray above the basic options. But its real strengths lie in the apps – from weight-lifting regimes to software that simulates a zombie apocalypse to make you run faster.

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Technology I 85

APPS POLAR A360 FITNESS TRACKER

GOLFSHOT Free Apple Watch, Android Wear Get golfing data direct to your wrist with this great app.

Whether there’s a bunker over the hill or you want to know how far it is to the next hole, Golfshot has you covered. Perfect for playing a few holes on a business trip.

£155, polar.com Polar is the wearable of choice for health fanatics. Its A360 fitness band features a robust, reliable heart-rate monitor, sleek design and colour touchscreen display. It will BODBOT chart your activity and sync Free the results with your phone and Apple Watch, Android Wear laptop through the PolarFlow This excellent personal training app not only allows you to app, which gives you some rather create custom workouts but it will also suggest ways beautiful – and also useful – graphical to make your gym routine more rounded and to breakdowns of your achievements. Other increase the intensity as you start to improve. A things the A360 has going for it are that it’s must-have gym buddy. comfortable (not all fitness trackers are) and waterproof – you can even use it for swimming, albeit with decreased heart-monitor accuracy. Still, SLEEP AS ANDROID it loses points for not having GPS, meaning run Free data can be inaccurate.

Android Wear Chart your snooze time more accurately by sleeping with your SONY SMARTWATCH 3 smartphone on your wrist From £190 all night. It features snoring sonymobile.com detection and sleep-talk Sony’s new Android Wear-powered device is one recording as well as whale noises of the best smartwatches out there, with built-in to help you nod off. The downside GPS (which the Apple Watch is lacking), a bright is that your phone might be out of screen and strong battery life (two days if you’re not battery come morning. poking at it the whole time). It’s also waterproof and dust-proof, which means peace of mind for frequent travellers. It comes in various guises and, if get it for cheaper than STREAKS the RRP. It also does all a of the things you would £3 device, like pinging you Apple Watch expect from an Android Wear W This clever little app is useful for those starting messages and telling you when your phone is ringing. out on their fitness journey. Pick six things you would like to do more often (go for a run, eat more veg) and it will remind you to do them. Simple but effective for the forgetful among us.

7 MINUTE WORKOUT “SEVEN” Free Apple Watch, Android Wear The smartphone versions of this app have already become a cult hit – now you can do your morning workout through your watch, with handy animations to illustrate how to do star jumps properly. It will also record your pulse to show you how much work you’re doing.

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Buy and fly I 87

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Bric’s Bellagio 55cm cabin case WHERE? Case Heathrow T2, Gatwick North and South; £332.50 SAVE £66.50 caseluggage.com Tateossian round cufflinks with dice WHERE? Harrods Heathrow T5; £125 SAVE £25 harrods.com 3 Tiffany East West Mini Two-Hand 37mm x 22mm stainless steel watch WHERE? Tiffany and Co Heathrow T3, T5; £2,375 SAVE £475 tiffany.co.uk 4 Thomas Pink Team GB Made by Pink Tomkins Print shirt WHERE? Thomas Pink Heathrow all terminals; £82.50 SAVE £16.50 thomaspink.com 5 Aspinal of London Botanical oversized print silk scarf in ivory and berry red WHERE? Aspinal of London Gatwick South; £62.50 SAVE £12.50 aspinaloflondon.com 6 Hartmann Pembroke 43cm duffel in dark brown WHERE? Rolling Luggage Heathrow T4; £516.70 SAVE £103.30 hartmannluggage.co.uk 7 Bulgari B Zero1 four-band ring in 18kt pink, white and yellow gold WHERE? Bulgari Heathrow T2, T3, T4; £1,270 SAVE £260 bulgari.com 8 Ted Baker brogue ankle boots WHERE? Ted Baker Heathrow all terminals; £125 SAVE £25 tedbaker.com 9 The Glenlivet Master Distiller’s Reserve Solera Vatted WHERE? World Duty Free, World of Whiskies; 1 litre £54.99 (travel retail exclusive) worldofwhiskies.com 10 Rado True Automatic Plasma high-tech ceramic watch WHERE? Hour Passion Gatwick North; £1,133 SAVE £227 rado.com 2

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90 I Snapshot

LAS VEGAS NEWS BUREAU

Michelle Harbi looks back at the launch of the legendary Las Vegas hotel and casino

Opening of Caesars Palace

T APRIL 2016

his year marks the 50th anniversary of one of Las Vegas’s bestb known hotels and casinos. Caesars Palace wasn’t the first property on the Strip, but it was certainly the most opulent when it opened its doors on August 5, 1966.

Founder Jay Sarno conceived a lavish Roman Empire-in nspired resort at which every guest could be treated like a “Caesar””(hence no apostrophe in its name). Built on 14 hectares next to th he Dunes hotel (where the Bellagio now stands), it had 680 ro ooms, a 2,300 sqm convention centre, towering fountains and marble statues, and a pool inspired by the baths of ancient Pompeeii.

A reported US$1 million was spent on the three-day opening party, at which Andy Williams performed, more than 50,000 glasses of champagne were consumed, and waitresses in mini togas greeted guests by saying: “I am your slave.”

The trend for larger-than life themed resorts on the Strip was duly kick-started. Today, Caesars covers 34 hectares and has 3,960 rooms and suites split across six towers, including a Nobu hotel, plus 28,000 sqm of meeting space, more than 25 restaurants and a 59,000 sqm shopping malll.

You might even find time to have a flutter… Q

If time is your most valuable asset, why waste it? Take the fast lane from your local airport. " !

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