TCT 42

The

Corporate Traveller

spring 2012 No. 42

Brusselicious 2012 A year-long food festival extravaganza

 Ancillary fees: BATM’s call for transparency  How new technologies and social change should combine to transform travel by 2020  BCD Travel Groups Department also helps companies with the booking

of meetings and incentives  SAS addressing challenges with strategy 4Excellence  Peter Goossens takes the heights of Belgian cuisine to a new level

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BUSINESS RUNS ON SLEEP. EXPERIENCE THE DELTA FLAT-BED ON DAILY NONSTOP FLIGHTS FROM BRUSSELS TO NEW YORK JFK. BRUSSELS TO NEW YORK JFK

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content Amsterdam Airport Schiphol

The

Corporate Traveller

Industry News 004 The Journal News from the travel industry

THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR THE CORPORATE TRAVELLER IN THE BENELUX www.thecorporatetraveller.be CIRCULATION 26.000 DIFFUSION Belgium, France, Luxemburg and The Netherlands PUBLICATION FREQUENCY 4 issues per year PUBLISHED BY LEO bvba 1, rue des Ixellois, 4000 Liège, Belgium Tel: 0032 (0) 4 224 7871 Fax: 0032 (0) 4 226 9484 E-mail: jp@eventbox.be PUBLISHER Erik De Ridder – E-mail: edr@eventbox.be MANAGING EDITOR Jean Paul Talbot – E-mail: jp@eventbox.be EDITORIAL TEAM Joanna Pays, Angela Antrobus, Jeroen Coteur, Jacques Legros ART DIRECTOR Bert Wagemans

Insider

009 “Adapting to the clients’ demands to make life easier for them’’

039 The Traveller

Flexibility, now and forever are key words for the Radisson Blu and Park-Inn chains, the two brands of the Carlson Rezidor hotel group. This flexibility is integral to the vision of Michel Stalport, the new Area Vice-President for Western Europe & Africa North-West.

012 Explore, discover, experiment…

COPYRIGHT No extracts from this publication may be used, repeated or copied without express authorisation from the editor. Except The Corporate Traveller, LEO bvba also edits Experience Magazine, My Land Rover Magazine and Toys & Games Magazine.

ISSN 1387-2400

Peter Goossens’ latest venture has been as consultant chef for KLM’s World Business Class.

Destinations

015 A call for ancillary fee transparency “Ancillary fees” are becoming more and more numerous and the imagination of suppliers when thinking up extra fees seems to have no limits.

016 From Chaos to Collaboration A new global industry study reveals how new technologies and social change will combine to transform travel by 2020.

022 Alitalia and Air One, flying high

COVER Amsterdam Airport Schiphol

040 Taking the heights of Belgian cuisine to a new level

Travel Management

ADVERTISING ERIK DE RIDDER Tel: 0032 486 13 13 13 – E-mail: edr@ eventbox.be

PRINTING Schaubroeck, Nazareth

Hervé Bosquet, Director of the Brussels Convention Bureau

Following the logic of “good, better, best”, Best Western has decided to reclassify its hotels into three distinct tiers.

023 Discover the business-class experience with Thalys

DESIGN LEO BVBA

Virgin Atlantic is to invest substantially in its network and fleet. Julie Southern, Chief Commercial Officer, discusses the airline’s strategy to target the corporate traveller market.

Hotels

SUBSCRIPTIONS Subscriptions to The Corporate Traveller cost € 150 per year (excluding VAT).

Costs of delivery to destinations outside of Benelux and France are in addition to this price. Student subscriptions cost € 90 per year (including VAT). A student card is necessary to obtain a student subscription. Subscription requests can be made in writing, mentioning your name, job, title, company name and delivery address.

Subscriptions are for a period of one year, and are automatically renewed until revocation. Revocation of subscriptions must be made in writing two months prior to the end of the subscription period.

TRAFFIC HILDE DE RIDDER – E-mail: Traffic.leo@ telenet.be

034 Virgin Atlantic

For your business trips, try travelling with Thalys and discover a whole world of services and personal attention which will make your trip go smoothly and comfortably.

021 Greater efficiency in management of meetings and incentives The Groups Department of BCD Travel also helps companies with the booking of meetings and incentives.

Air Ways To broaden the range of destinations, routes and flights is one of the objectives of the Alitalia Group for the 2012 summer season.

024 Caring more about you Since its foundation in June 2000, SkyTeam has known a continuous growth to become the world’s second airline alliance.

026 SAS addressing challenges with strategy 4Excellence Scandinavian carrier SAS is addressing its market and financial challenges with a four-pronged approach to drive down costs and increase customer loyalty.

030 Delta Air Lines strengthens its positions on both sides of the Atlantic Delta is developing its hub and spoke networks on both sides of the Atlantic. Perry Cantarutti, Delta’s Senior Vice President EMEA, updated us on the airline’s latest developments.

042 Brusselicious 2012, A year-long food festival extravaganza There are now even more reasons to visit Brussels, the capital of Flanders, Belgium and Europe. 2012 is Brusselicious year, a celebration of the city’s culinary delights. The events and promotions on the Brusselicious menu feature something to suit everyone’s tastes, from mussels and chips, to specially designed creations from star chefs.

Air Ports 052 Schiphol once again Europe’s fourth busiest airport In 2011, 49.8 million passengers made use of Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. That is 10.2% more than the previous year.

053 New technologies bring service and relaxation Aéroports de Paris, who manage and operate Paris CDG, are in the process of testing a geolocation app which is downloadable free for users of Android smart phones.

Lifestyle 054 A new standard for soundbar solutions Last December, Bose introduced its first soundbar systems: the Lifestyle® 135 home entertainment system and the CineMate® 1 SR digital home theater speaker system.

056 The best quality for music and calls Sennheiser introduces the new versions of its best-selling Bluetooth® headsets and TRAVEL series headsets.

| THE CORPORATE TRAVELLER.BE

spring 2012 | 3

The Traveller Journal News from the travel industry

Hainan Airlines increases BrusselsBeijing direct flights 2012 is the 5th anniversary of Hainan Airlines launch of direct flights between Brussels and Beijing. In order to provide an even richer variety of flight options and five-star airline services to China, Hainan Airlines is increasing its Brussels - Beijing frequencies in 2012.

including Hong Kong, Guangzhou and Shanghai, as well as other Southeast Asia countries such as Japan, Mongolia and South Korea.

Details of the new flights are as follows:

The Brussels to Beijing service is operated with Airbus A330-200 wide-body aircraft. The 180-degree fully flat Business Class seats allow passengers more comfort and can be regarded as the world’s most spacious business class seats. Each Economy Class seat has a fulltouchscreen LCD TV, equipped with Hainan Airlines unique “Your Travel” entertainment system.

From 25 March to 30 June 2012, Friday flights will be added to the Brussels - Beijing route, meaning a total of 5 times per week. From July 1 to Oct 27 2012, Monday flights will be added, which will mean a total of six frequencies per week.

Hainan Airlines introduce BrusselsNew Record Year for MobileXpense: Beijing-Hong Kong through check 30 % growth in 2011 service

Passengers arriving in Beijing can be connected directly to over 50 cities in China,

MobileXpense, a European professional SaaS (Software as a Service) provider for travel and expense management had another record year in 2011. With a growth of more than 30 % in settled expense reports and 34 % growth in the reimbursement of expenses, MobileXpense are on their way to becoming the leading European travel and expense management partner.

In 2011, MobileXpense delivered its services to 600 different companies in more than 50 different countries and 20 different languages! With the goal of becoming the Best European Professional and Independent partner for expense management, MobileXpense is right on track. Specific to 2011 is the expansion to Eastern European countries such as Croatia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania and Slovenia. In line with its strategy of “follow the customer” MobileXpense also implemented its easy to use SaaS travel and expense solution for customers throughout Asia (Turkey, India, Japan, and South Korea) and South Africa.

Reserving a hotel room?

Antwerp

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4 | THE CORPORATE TRAVELLER.BE

Thanks to MobileXpense, customers managed to keep their T&E costs under control despite a rise of unit hotel rates of 6 % and average flight tickets of 4%. Tight policy controls and innovative control rules helped customer to track abuses and enforce cost savings behavior.

To cope with this tremendous growth, the MobileXpense organization has expanded internationally and now counts now more than 10 nationalities and recently extended and modernized its facilities at 11 Square Sainctelette in Brussels to occupy 500 sq meters.

spring 2012 |

Hainan Airlines, the five star airlines, now offers an attractive promotion to Hong Kong. With not only a special fare, but a convenient transfer at Beijing Airport, this has become the best connection from Belgium to Hong Kong.

Hainan Airlines Brussels - Beijing - Hong Kong service has a transfer time in Beijing of only 90 minutes, with arrival and departure at the same terminal at Beijing airport. When departing from Brussels, luggage is through-checked to Hong Kong and the boarding pass to Hong Kong is obtained simultaneously. There is no need to check in again at Beijing Airport. There is no Chinese visa is required with the interline ticket. Ground staff at Beijing are available. The Beijing - Hong Kong service is operated by Hong Kong Airlines, sister company of Hainan Airlines.

The Traveller Journal | News from the travel industry

Etihad Airways’ complimentary chauffeur service If you’re flying Diamond First or Pearl Business Class, take advantage of our complimentary door-to-door Etihad chauffeur service to and from anywhere in Belgium. You can also enjoy this service for your airport transfers at 26 other destinations such as Bangkok, Sydney, Melbourne, Beijing, Singapore and Delhi. Like in Belgium, no distance restrictions apply within our home country, the United Arab Emirates.

With a fleet of luxury cars, we now offer the same level of service and comfort on the road that you are used to on our aircraft.

The Etihad Chauffeur service can be booked through our website or via your travel agent, up until 24 hours before departure.

The best way to Dubai Did you know that flying from Brussels to Abu Dhabi with a connecting road transfer is actually the fastest way to get to Dubai? Abu Dhabi International Airport is only a 45-60 minute drive away from Dubai’s main hotel and business area.

Take one of our 8 non-stop flights a week from Brussels to Abu Dhabi and let your personal chauffeur drive you to your final destination, anywhere in the UAE. If you’re flying Coral Economy Class you can pick up at the airport our free Etihad Express coach service to two convenient stops in Dubai. And on the return, our check-in facility location in the heart of Dubai allows you to check in 24 hours to 6 hours before your flight. Relax and enjoy your ride to Abu Dhabi, free of heavy bags and stress.

Be our Guest!

Sustainable New Year’s resolution from Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts Fairtrade coffee, biodegradable pens and wooden door keys underline the hotel company’s commitment to sustainability Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts continues its commitment to sustainability by introducing a series of new concepts across all its European hotels. Throughout 2012, the upscale international hotel company of Swiss heritage will serve more than six million cups of its new Mövenpick Fairtrade Coffee and reduce annual plastic waste in all its European hotels by more than four tons by using 100,000 wooden key cards and 550,000 biodegradable pens.

“There are many ways to be more sustainable,” said Ola Ivarsson, the company’s Chief Operating Officer for Europe. “At Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts we are constantly adding new initiatives such as actively reducing our dependence on products made from fossil fuels and helping coffee farmers around the world secure a regular and steady income.”

The introduction of the unique branded blend of Mövenpick Fairtrade Coffee is a major first for the hotel company. The special blend is designed not just to tempt the palate with a combination of select Arabica and Robusta beans but also provide sustainable income for coffee farmers around the world.

Guests can enjoy a taste of this great coffee for free when they reserve a “Winter Savings” package at www.moevenpick-hotels.com. Booking online also guarantees great discounts of up to 30 per cent on rooms in Europe as well as free internet access which is certainly something to savour while enjoying a free coffee.

Meanwhile, the introduction of biodegradable pens and wooden door keys by Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts will reduce plastic waste across the company.

Produced by Ritter Pen in Germany, the Eco-line pens are made from a cellulose base and 90 per cent compostable. With 21 hotels in Europe using an estimated 550,000 traditional seven-gramme plastic pens every year the company expects to cut annual plastic waste by almost four tons by replacing them with Eco-lines.

The introduction of the wooden key cards is also a major breakthrough. Produced

by Swedish company Sustainable Cards, they have been independently certified by the Natural Capitalism Solutions and The Jegrelius Institute as more sustainable than other card material, particularly plastic, that contains eco-system damaging polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Farmed from sustainable forests in Scandinavia, the new cards will replace the old PVC versions and Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts will reduce PVC waste by 200 kilogrammes every year.

| THE CORPORATE TRAVELLER.BE

spring 2012 | 5

ssels Airport, we make your priority our business.

A successful business trip demands a clear focus and a clear head. Which is why we make it our business to take care of yours. Whatever your destination, whatever your objective, Brussels Airport helps take the stress out of international travel with a full range of support facilities both in and around the airport. So you can focus on your number 1 priority: your business.

NEW ROUTES IN 2012 Cork - Aer Lingus Toulouse - Air France & easyJet Heraklion & Corfu - Aegean Ponta Delgada, Ohrid & Skopje - Jetairy Gazipaza - Tailwind

www.brusselsairport.be

Venice - Air One New York JFK - Brussels Airlines Larnaca - Cyprus Airways Stuttgart - Germanwings

The Traveller Journal | News from the travel industry

Airlines and hotels charging more ancillary fees Services for which airlines and hotels charge ancillary fees are becoming more and more numerous. This is being done to compensate for higher fuel costs, among other things, but the frequent traveller and his or her employer have to suffer for it. BCD Travel offers tips to keep down accumulating costs that stem from ancillary fees.

In 2011, airlines took in 44% more income from ancillary fees than in the previous year. In three years (2007-2010), they increased at a rate of no less than 775%. The business traveller is confronted with this phenomenon from departure to arrival. With many airlines, there are additional costs connected to the use of airport lounges, priority check-ins, baggage fees, preferred seating, Internet usage, meals on board and ticket changes.

Advito, a subsidiary of BCD Travel, expects this further growth in this trend in 2012. Up until now, the American air carriers were primarily the ones who experiments with the “unbundling” of their services and products, but the expectation is that other airlines will follow their lead in the coming months. There is already the so-called credit card payment fee which travellers need to pay close attention to - a fee which you pay extra for making transactions with a credit card.

Hotels are also starting to follow the trend of ancillary fees. Most of these costs are charged for the use of Internet, parking spaces, breakfast and taxes. Indeed, hotels are becoming more creative in their approach to ancillary fees. Some new trends include the sale of maintenance and security services, newspapers and magazines.

Fixed costs are even being charged more and more now for storing luggage before check-in or after check-out.

Given that airlines and hotels continue to face high costs, it appears that ancillary fees will not immediately disappear from the scene. BCD Travel provides companies and business travellers some practical tips to help keep costs down: • Travel in the middle of the week when airfares are at their lowest.

• Add a weekend to your stay abroad: return flights on Fridays are without a doubt very popular, and thus more expensive as a consequence. What’s more, you can enjoy a leisurely return going back to work.

• Pack light. Baggage costs can really rack up high, both with airlines as well as hotels.

• Eat something before you leave for the airport, and take a snack with you for the road. This way, you can resist the temptation to buy something to eat at the airport or on board the aircraft.

• See if there are any package deals in which the flight, the hotel and possibly even a rental car are included.

Quite often, these packages are cheaper, but you have to compare prices.

• Check to see if departing from another airport might be cheaper.

| THE CORPORATE TRAVELLER.BE

spring 2012 | 7

The Traveller Journal | News from the travel industry

The Hotel Brussels introduces its new rooms At the end of January, The Hotel on Waterloolaan in Brussels unveiled the first of its brand new rooms. The concept, which came from the Spanish architects’ office GCA, represents the ultimate hotel experience for the modern, cosmopolitan traveller. The room is a taste of what will come with the complete renovation of The Hotel.

Companies are often not fully prepared for problems that their employees encounter while travelling on business.

BCD Travel has taken notice of this situation. All too often, too much emphasis is placed upon the purpose of travel and the accompanying cost and time savings instead of the traveller and his or her well-being. In order to assist companies and travel managers in their “Duty of Care” with regards to business travellers, BCD travel is launching its Travel Risk Management programme, with advice and practical solutions.

An extensive renovation In September 2010, Pandox AB, the Swedish hotel group, bought the former Brussels Hilton on Waterloolaan in Brussels, and on 1 February 2011, it took over the management of the hotel and gave it the name ‘The Hotel.’

Directly after the acquisition, the owners announced an extensive renovation programme. It began immediately with the renovation of the façade, which should be completed this spring. The start of November 2011 saw the beginning of the renovation plan for the rooms courtesy of the Spanish architect’s office ‘GCA Arquitectes Associats.’ The first 20 rooms will be completed in April, and

by September, The Hotel will already have 120 new rooms to offer. The remaining 200 guest rooms and suites will be completed in phases, and all 424 rooms are slated to be ready in the spring of 2013.

The rooms - inspiring, elegant and innovative What is striking in the design of the new rooms is their revolutionary form: the traditional work desk, the seat in the corner, the closed drapes and the table lamp are all gone.

The business traveller of today works with a smartphone or tablet and no longer requires a large desk. Along the entire length of the room, a leather sofa is positioned in front of the window along with a convenient oval table. This ensures that the space is used optimally for work as well as relaxing and allows the guest to enjoy the view of Brussels. The curtains have been replaced by sliding, semi-transparent panels that can filter the light as necessary. The room may be darkened by electric switch. Another striking detail is that the bathroom is completely open. This increases the feeling of space, and the beautiful view can even be admired from the shower. The interior is inspiring, elegant, stylish and innovative.

Organising an event?

Antwerp

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The modern cosmopolitan guest is tech-savvy Technology plays an increasingly important role for the modern business traveller. In the guest rooms at The Hotel, guests can connect their electronic

spring 2012 |

Proactive risk management - an essential part of business travel policy

devices (such as a smartphone, tablet, digital camera, video camera, iPod, iPhone, or game consoles) via the Mediahub™ to the television and enjoy their music, videos, photos and games, with the television functioning as their personal entertainment centre. Smartphones and tablets with a stereo Bluetooth option can stream wireless audio to the TV sound system.

The guest can also gain access to the room with a smartphone, and can check in and check out without even visiting the reception or having to use a keycard.

Different apps have been developed for the guest to be able to find out all kinds of information about the city, The Hotel, its services and facilities, as well as meetings.

...with a view of Brussels The renovation work began in the top floor of the hotel. On 1 February, work began on the meeting rooms on the 25th, 26th and 27th floor, and those will be completed by September 2012. The executive lounge will occupy the 24th floor. With the new layout, the 23rd floor will feature a 250 square metre state-of-the-art fitness centre. It will be equipped with ultramodern fitness machines, a spacious sauna and along with it, of course, the phenomenal view of Brussels.

The work will be finalised with the ground floors and is expected to be completed in the fall of 2013. During the renovation work, The Hotel will remain open to its guests.

In addition to impacting the safety and health of business travellers, calamities can also have an influence on practical as well as budgetary matters, including the repatriation of travellers, the rebooking or postponement of flights, and the extra costs that they entail. The business travel industry has had to face several crisis situations in the past few years: volcano eruptions, extreme snowfall, hurricanes, political upheavals, and so on.

Only 44 per cent of companies have instituted a Duty-of-Care programme. Such a programme is based on the legal, social and moral responsibilities that employers have towards their personnel who travel. In order to assist companies with regards to the safety of business travellers, BCD Travel has developed a complete Travel Risk Management programme. With this programme in hand, companies have the means to inform and protect business travellers in emergency situations or when problems arise.

The programme consists of a number of solutions, ranging from advice to sending alerts via SMS, locating travellers, and continuous GPS tracking.

hotels

“Adapting to our clients’ demands to make life easier for them’’ Flexibility, now and forever are key words for the Radisson Blu and Park-Inn chains, the two brands of the Carlson Rezidor hotel group. This flexibility is integral to the vision of Michel Stalport, the new Area Vice-President for Western Europe & Africa North-West. This 58-year old native Belgian with a long and proud experience in the hotel sector will be called upon to supervise 35 hotels already in operation and 10 hotels about to open in the Benelux countries, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, the Maghreb region and the West of Africa as far as the Ivory Coast. 

| THE CORPORATE TRAVELLER.BE

spring 2012 | 9

Hotels

What does your new role as Area Vice-President, Western Europe & Africa North-West for Radisson Blu-West consist of?

have just put in place four district directors, one for Belgium, one for the South of France, one for Italy and Spain and one for the Maghreb and North Africa. I myself will take care of the Netherlands and the North of France and in particular the Paris region, without forgetting the opening of the Radisson Blu in Nantes.

My objectives with my team are to help hotels to generate revenues to position themselves for the long-term and to adapt to the market.

My role will also consist of appointing and transferring managing directors, to regularly meet with the owners of our establishments, to oversee major renovations. Above all, I will be making sure our quality standards are well developed and respected in our hotel group. In addition to this, my role includes controlling the costs and acting as a consultant to help hotels take necessary day-to-day decisions. “

“I

What precisely are your objectives in this role?

“My principal objective consists of concentrating and augmenting the present revenues following consecutive restructuring exercises after all the economic turbulence. I aspire to giving direct priority to commercial development. I hope to generate revenue with conferences and seminars which constitute one of our biggest markets.”

What is the importance of the Benelux countries in the Radisson Blu portfolio?

“The Benelux is a very important market. With two hotels in Brussels, two in Anvers, two at Spa and one in Hasselt, Belgium is quite well meshed together and we are the premier 4 star hotel chain in Belgium – which is also the case in France. The Netherlands constitutes an important market because we own two units there which are running at full capacity but where there are still possibilities for expansion. In terms of importance, the Benelux performs as well as France and Italy put together…”

How is the Benelux market performing?

“As everywhere else in Europe, the Benelux market is not very different from others. When a recession crisis hits, clients have the tendency to hone in on their native country. What is a little bit different in Belgium is that the market depends on an exterior commercial market. It is also a market governed by last minute reservations.

So it remains a nervous market, which lives on the economy and its fluctuations.”

Are there differences in the Benelux market?

“Led by the European Community, Brussels nevertheless suffers in respect of other European capitals like Paris, London or Rome because of its relatively low average price, with as a big problem, the fact that the investments don’t always follow on from that. It is about a corporate market. Brussels does not, in fact, have that leisure market that can increase the average price like in other European capitals.

Anvers is characterised by an interesting local corporate market but with a more important leisure market than Brussels. This is also the case at Spa which, apart from its circuit and Grand-Prix, can also gain from a local and a weekend and holiday market.

Cold you briefly describe for us the Club Carlson loyalty programme?

“Our loyalty programme, baptised Club Carlson, is one that is performing well, thanks to its easily interchangeable points. For example, 5 nights in Los Angeles would give you the right to one night in a Park-Inn in Europe. Apart from the elite version (Carlson Club Concierge) for the clients, we also have launched the Club Carlson for Business, destined for small businesses. With this programme, the traveller as well as the owner can have a card. The owner could thus decide to offer a night as an incentive to its marketing staff, buy nights for its executives or proceed to purchase other items via our partners, such as, for example, office equipment. It is a flexible programme which has many advantages for small businesses, but at the moment is only in place in France, Germany and England.”

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spring 2012 |

What is the specificity of the Radisson Blu offer?

“Our offer is characterised by hyper-flexibility. We adapt completely to the wishes of the client and don’t sell standard offers. On the basis of budget, we offer the client different proposals, for example by changing dates to better benefit from more favourable prices. We try to precisely identify the client’s wishes in order to best meet them in the most appropriate way. Our flexibility allows us to adapt to the clients’ wishes to make their lives easier.”

What does the future hold for Radisson Blu?

We are pursuing our development, notably with the opening of the Radisson Blu in Nantes, the ParkInn in Lille and the Radisson Blu Gran Canaria during the course of the year. We are also going to continue to extend our spread in Africa but also in Eastern countries where we hope to have fresh well-structured new hotels, with services, great flexibility and a big smile. As for other markets, projects are following their course in Germany and the Netherlands. As I said, we have good prospects and in brief, the future looks very good”, concludes Michel Stalport.

½½ Radisson Blu Balmoral Spa »» Radisson Blu Royal Brussels

| THE CORPORATE TRAVELLER.BE

spring 2012 | 11

hotels

Explore, discover, experiment…

Following the logic of “good, better, best”, Best Western has decided to reclassify its hotels into three distinct tiers, namely, BEST WESTERN, BEST WESTERN PLUS and BEST WESTERN PREMIER. This classification, which has been in use here in Belgium since the beginning of the year, will facilitate the matching of corporate client needs with the facilities most suited to their requirements and wishes, as Bernard Beauvois, Business Development Manager of Best Western Hotels in Belgium explains to us.

Sometimes interesting success stories comes from an incredibly simple idea, and this is certainly true in the case of Best Western. In 1946, upon seeing numerous commercial travellers going from town to town across the United States and also often brought in to advise on the right establishments for their next stopovers, MK Guertin, a Californian hotelier, got together with other motel owners. They helped each other out by sending clients from one to the other but also by sharing the cost of publicity and improving the quality of these motels. So was born the Best Western cooperative of independent hoteliers, which today is the largest hotel chain in the world with about 4,100 hotels.

Advantages and recognition

“This success of our chain is principally due to two factors: its philosophy and its centralised reservation system”, Bernard Beauvois adds. “Best Western is not a franchise nor a consolidated chain, but rather an association of independent hoteliers. Each hotel, generally managed by its owner, can thus preserve its own personality and style, while simultaneously meeting the requirements and quality standards of a chain recognised worldwide. Apart from this recognition factor and influence, the chain offers numerous advantages to hoteliers, particularly in terms of commercial support, marketing, distribution, pricing parity and access to our efficient reservation system. And all of that is based on a membership contract that is renewable

12 | THE CORPORATE TRAVELLER.BE

spring 2012 |

from year to year. In summary, it’s a great facility which offers flexibility to hoteliers. So, a word to the wise…”

Three categories of hotel:

“The authenticity and personality of each establishment actually encourages the diversity of our network. Some services and facilities (free Internet connection, free coffee & tea, continental or buffet breakfast etc.) are available in all 4,100 Best Western hotels across the world. These services are standard because they meet, in our opinion, the demands of the international hotel industry.

However, this diversity makes choosing a hotel difficult. For this reason, the chain decided to regroup its hotels under three classifications: BEST WESTERN, BEST WESTERN PLUS and BEST WESTERN PREMIER. The BEST WESTERN category is characterised by establishments that offer a local ‘flavour’ but which meet the standards of an international hotel chain, thus guaranteeing a stay corresponding to your needs and expectations. These hotels, usually identified as three stars, do offer value for money with an excellent price to quality ratio. These hotels currently represent around 80% of the global Best Western portfolio.

The BEST WESTERN PLUS category of hotels offers you, as the name indicates, this little ‘plus’, that makes all the

difference. These are hotels suitable either for spending a weekend away or for business, featuring heated swimming pool, spa, fitness area, tennis or golf, so, something for all tastes! Business travellers will be happy to benefit from facilities such as fully-equipped conference rooms and well appointed bed-rooms with desk, high-speed internet and other facilities.

½½ BEST WESTERN PLUS Turnhout City - Turnhout

You will be left with unforgettable memories as far as the BEST WESTERN PREMIER establishments are concerned. These unique 4-star hotels offer superior comfort, acclaimed design and personalised customer service. Several centuries of history have unfolded in some and others benefit from exceptional locations, while all share this extra indefinable something that allows them to meet the ‘premier’ feeling of the trip better than any other, namely: to savour the true art of living the destination.

In these three hotel categories, the clients will continue to be always able to profit from the loyalty programme Best Western Rewards and exchange accumulated points for free nights or offers from airline and other Best Western partners. (cf. www.bestwesternrewards.com).

Best Western – a politically-correct choice!

Thus, the Best Western image, often associated in the past with motels along American routes, has evolved. The time is geared for saving and some business travellers have been encouraged to change their habits, a good opportunity for Best Western in these challenging times. New types of guests have thus discovered a different comfort and service at Best Western with a conviviality and quality comparable sometimes to top-range establishments.

Moreover, the network of hotels with a presence not just in the prime capital destinations but also secondary ones and therefore closer to the end destination, allow the traveller save time and thus money, without having to sacrifice on the quality of accommodation.

These days, Best Western is solidly planted in Europe with more than 1,300 hotels. The brand name has become something to be reckoned with and is flourishing in the big capitals, such as recently in Moscow where 2 hotels (one with 966 rooms ) were opened in January.

Best Western in Belgium ½½ BEST WESTERN PREMIER Villa des Fleurs - Spa

For more information, click on www.bestwestern.be Bernard Beauvois Best Western Hotels Belgium Square des Héros 2 B-1180 Brussels E sales@bestwestern.be T + 32 2 374 31 85

Belgium is not left behind either with currently around 50 establishments, among which are 4 BEST WESTERN PLUS hotels (at the airports of Charleroi, Genk, Turnhout and Mons/Casteau) as well as 6 BEST WESTERN PREMIER hotels (at Brussels – one near the Grand-Place, at Cinquantenaire and at the airport, Spa, Bruges and Alost).

“In our little country, as well as representing Best Western, our team has also spent ten years tackling the development of the brand and attracting as much business as possible to our Belgian hotels, even if our commercial approach is also strongly oriented to the international market in collaboration with European colleagues.” Bernard Beauvois concludes by saying that “I often say to hoteliers thinking of joining us: ‘you fish in the river, we fish for you in the ocean’.” | THE CORPORATE TRAVELLER.BE

spring 2012 | 13

Corporations

Discover total travel control and a world of new opportunities Managing global and local corporate travel requirements efficiently and effectively has always been a challenge. Until now‌ Amadeus delivers everything you need:

Look forward to total control of your corporate travel programme; intelligent solutions that are compatible with the service, technology and content providers of your choice; superior duty of care and enriched traveller experience; intuitive IT that sources, searches and books all the content you need; plus unrivalled competence and a proven track record in migration, support and security.

Discover a Brighter, Bolder, Better world of corporate travel today!

To find out more, contact us or visit www.amadeus.com/corporations tdebruijn@benelux.amadeus.com - M: +31 (0)62 383 2269

travel management

A call for ancillary fee transparency

The phenomenon is not new: airline companies and hotels are increasingly charging “ancillary fees”. These extra fees are becoming more and more numerous and the imagination of suppliers when thinking up extra fees seems to have no limits.

M

½½ Pascal Struyve, President of BATM

ost BATM members are worried by the increasing complexity of travel services and, more importantly, by the lack of communication and transparency when charging these extra costs. It creates a lack of trust between

corporate travellers and suppliers that can damage our long-term relationship.

Airlines charge extra for fuel, priority check-in, the use of airport lounges, baggage fees, seating preference, Internet, meals on board and ticket modifications. For many airlines there’s even a “credit card payment fee”. Hotels are also following this trend.

Travellers are used to paying extra for breakfast, the use of Internet or parking. New revenue enhancers include fees for the use of the airport shuttles, cleaning and security services, newspapers, late checkout and early check-in fees or resort fees.

According to Advito, experts in the field of business travel consultancy, “in 2011 airline companies obtained 44% more revenue from ancillary fees than in the previous year. In three years (2007 - 2010) there has been an increase of more than 775%. Given the fact that airline companies and hotels continue to be confronted with high costs, it doesn’t seem likely that ancillary fees will go away any time soon.”

Don’t get me wrong; I’m not against the existence of these additional fees. It is part of the commercial strategy of the supplier and I understand that airlines have to compensate the high cost of fuel. The biggest problem with these fees is that they create a serious lack of transparency in the pricing, with negative consequences for both the traveller and the travel manager who has to manage travel programs. Knowing upfront what a trip will cost exactly becomes a mission impossible and, for every unexpected cost, travellers have the persistent feeling that they have been cheated. Transparency is vital if corporate travellers and suppliers want to trust each other and continue to create business from both sides.

Therefore, we urge airlines and other suppliers to bring the necessary transparency especially in reporting, as asked by their customers. We need to be able to have commercial discussions on the total picture rather than only on a part of it. This is the only way to drive value for the customer. The current situation will have to change rapidly if we want to continue to work together in a win-win approach, as corporate travel programs have been build in the past.

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| THE CORPORATE TRAVELLER.BE

spring 2012 | 15

travel management

From chaos to collaboration

How transformative technologies

will herald a new era in travel

From Chaos to Collaboration A new global industry study reveals how new technologies and social change will combine to transform travel by 2020. ‘From Chaos to Collaboration’, is a new research study commissioned by Amadeus which challenges the travel industry to overcome the uncertainty and stress of modern-day travel through the application of new technologies and innovations. Augmented reality, gamification, intelligent passenger records, long-range biometrics and the rise of the well-being agenda will drive change in the next decade and beyond, heralding a new era of industry and travel collaboration.

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spring 2012 |

T

he report, ‘From chaos to collaboration: how transformative technologies will herald a new era in travel’, demands increased partnership across the travel industry, in turn removing the stress, uncertainty and chaos which is usually associated with travelling in the 21st century, as well as providing much richer, deeper and more personal travel experiences at the same time.

Developed by The Futures Company, a global foresight and futures consultancy, and commissioned by Amadeus, a leading travel technology partner and transaction processor for the global travel and tourism industry, the report details a clear qualitative shift where service users become partners rather than customers and where context is as important as the transaction. Of course, at the heart of this new era of collaboration is a set of discrete ‘enabling’ technologies and innovations.

Based on extensive research and input from key industry experts - including technologists, leading travel industry representatives, social trends experts and futurists - as well as quantitative traveller research in Brazil, China, Russia, Spain, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States, the study explores six key areas in which future technology and innovation could be deployed.

The next generation of experience

The world of the traveller is, in some ways, contracting. Travel is increasingly about the depth rather than the breadth of experience.

Technologies such as augmented reality, gamification mechanisms and smart mobile devices will transform the travel experience.

Automatic transit

For the first time ever, checking in could become the exception rather than the norm, as manual check-in security will be replaced by faster and more efficient systems that track flows of people.

Chips, biometrics, long range fingerprinting and near field communications (NFC) can be deployed in a more integrated way to fast-forward how people move around.

Payment with memory

All data on payments made before and during a trip will be integrated, acting as a digital memory of expenditure and activity for individuals, groups and travel industry operators. Intelligent passenger records, ‘digital breadcrumbs’ and contactless technologies could be used to personalise and bundle services delivering higher value and more profitable relationships.

Intelligent recommendation

As technologies make it easier for people to tag and review all aspects of travel experiences, travellers will be more influenced by peer groups and expert curators. The prospect of personal travel guides and mobile tour representatives will give travellers the tools they need to enrich their experience.

Taking the stress out of travel

The rise of the well-being agenda and changing demographics will place greater emphasis on technologies that help to make travel a less stressful experience. Intelligent luggage tags and tickets will give greater reassurance whilst m-Health (mobile-Health) applications will allow travellers to manage and monitor their health and well-being as if they were at home.

The business tourist

Continued emphasis on work-life balance and well-being at work may see the rise of the business tourist, who will demand speed and efficiency as well as a home away from home.

Continuing to improve the travel experience The report “From Chaos to Collaboration” clearly indicates that there are still a tremendous number of opportunities to improve the travel experience for business travellers.

“With these types of studies, we want to emphasise that we are continuously innovatiing and thinking outsidethe-box,” says Olaf Leenders, Director of Marketing & Product Management at Amadeus Benelux. “This report does not offer immediate answers about how everything will look like in ten years, but instead is meant to evoke a discussion about how technology in the future can improve the entire process of travelling as well as the entire travel experience.”

The study offers a number of insights about what today’s travellers get frustrated about and what their expectations are. “From the answers given by our respondents, it is apparent that a great deal of stress occurs during travel - when waiting, when checking in, at the baggage claim, and so on. In the future, technology will be able to make these things considerably easier. If your mobile phone has the necessary information, then in principle, you no longer have to pick up anything at check-in. Simply walking in front of a control point is all you have to do to register. The report talks about gamification within the travel sector, in which certain usable elements from the gaming industry are applied to our sector. I’m thinking here of the use of augmented reality, for example, in which travellers at a given location can immediately access all the historical and cultural information they need about the place on their mobile phones. And there are quite a few other areas where we can do a lot technologically, and that is why we want to take a look at it along with other players in the travel industry.”

You can downloaD the full report at www.amadeus.com/collaboration2020

| THE CORPORATE TRAVELLER.BE

spring 2012 | 17

travel management

Discover the business-class experience with Thalys For your business trips, try travelling with Thalys and discover a whole world of services and personal attention which will make your trip go smoothly and comfortably. Our on-board staff will be entirely at your service up to your destination to see that everything is as you would wish it.

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spring 2012 |

I

n Comfort 1 class, Thalys has diversified the range of newspapers and magazines offered free of charge. daily and economic newspapers, news-analysis and feminineinterest magazines are all there for you when you board the coach. On departure, Thalys will offer to book a taxi for you, which

will be waiting for you when you arrive at the stations of Paris-Nord (Paris North) or Bruxelles-Midi (Brussels South). Included in the price of the ticket, our individual food service will also be available to you, constantly developing for your greater pleasure, to deliver more delicious tastes and healthier organic sustenance. And for those of you who wish to travel in a private space, “Le Salon� will allow you to organise confidential meetings in the comfort of elegant, functional surroundings and a personal, hospitable reception.

Travel smart with made-to-measure services

All Thalys trains are equipped with a WIFI connection (subject to the technical availability of the service). The service is provided by 21Net and activated by Nokia Siemens Networks. This will allow you to access your e-mails and work while you travel. The service is free of charge for travellers in Comfort 1 class and available for a fee in Comfort 2 (except for travellers who opt for a Semi-Flex rate in Comfort 2, from 11 March 2012).

Ticketless, for stress-free travel

With the Thalys “Ticketless” (e-ticket) service, efficiency comes into its own. There is no longer any need to go to the station to book, exchange or cancel your trips (according to pricing conditions). All you have to do is fill in the on-line booking form. When you board, show the Train Manager the print-out of your confirmation email, your MobileTicket (via Smartphone) or your Thalys TheCard, if you are a member of the loyalty programme.

Thalys TheCard: loyalty programme

By accumulating travel miles you benefit from free trips, access to station lounges, the Ticketless service, traffic information texted to your mobile, reductions on your hotel and car bookings, priority taxi service, etc. …it pays to travel frequently. With Thalys TheCard, you have access to a host of services which will make your trips ever more pleasant and give you an excuse to travel ever more frequently! For more information: www.thalysthecard.com.

Made-to-measure subscriptions for frequent travellers

Try the new Thalys ThePass. Its three subscription formulas (Business, Premium and Weekend) meet the needs of all regular travellers, whatever their frequency or category, over the whole Thalys network. More information on www. thalys.com.

Travel in the comfort of innovative accommodation and a warm welcome

Our Thalys trains are organised to allow you to travel in complete tranquillity. The décor, in red, purple and fuchsia, creates an atmosphere which is stylish and warm at the same time, so making for an agreeable, restful journey. Wider, ergonomic seats, equipped with individual reading lights and electric sockets, will enable you to stay “connected” all the time and never have any battery problems!

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| THE CORPORATE TRAVELLER.BE

spring 2012 | 19

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travel management

Greater efficiency in management of meetings and incentives BCD Travel is the Benelux market leader in the field of business travel management, and number three world-wide. BCD Travel helps tens of thousands of companies, all over the world, to organise their business travel efficiently. But that is not all they do, as we learn from Diederik Banken, Vice President Commercial Belgium, the Netherlands & Luxembourg. The Groups Department of BCD Travel also helps companies with the booking of meetings and incentives.

Anticipating market trends

B

CD Travel is the most important European player in the business travel market. So no other company is better

placed to spot particular trends. Diederik Banken: “The core-business of BCD Travel is the booking of everything to do with a business trip: a plane ticket, a hotel room, a train ticket, etc. We see that the percentage of rail travel continues to show strong growth, particularly in Belgium. So this has become a very significant part of our business. We also see a large increase in the range of associated products, for example, relating to safety. Our clients want to be able to keep track of their staff while travelling, and they expect information on the safety of destinations. Another example is a new insurance product on the Belgian market, in collaboration with Europ Assistance, with which we make non-flexible trips flexible after all. So much more keeps happening in the world: natural disasters, ash clouds, snow, political revolutions… . Travellers are increasingly burdened with these, and are thus faced with extra costs, such as a later flight or extra nights in a hotel.

In that case it is good to have insurance that covers these extra costs.”

Meetings policy

In the course of time more and more companies have adopted a well-defined travel policy. But this is no end in itself. “In addition to a policy on travel, there is also definite added value in a policy on meetings. After all, travel policy often stops at

the destination airport, and then the use of taxis, lunches, mini-bar, Wi-Fi, etc. is left unclear. A great deal of money is spent on meetings, but this is a cost category that is largely unmanaged. We can advise clients on it, and help them to save on costs.”

½½ Diederik Banken, Vice President Commercial Belgium, the Netherlands & Luxembourg

Cost saving

BCD Travel has had years of experience with meetings and incentives, but now also sees growing market interest. “Our Groups Department handles many kinds of activities that are all related to travel. Trains, planes, or hotel rooms for 30 people at a time really is a different ballgame. We can also set up complete meetings. This could be a meeting for ten people with lunch, but just as well be a twoday meeting for 200, with lunches, dinners, speakers, audio-visual support, etc. An organisation like BCD Travel can get better terms from hotels than an assistant or secretary who undertakes this on one occasion. So we can achieve enormous savings in the purchasing of these meeting elements. We have clients for whom, even in the first year, we have saved 18% on meetings costs. If required, we can also supervise such a meeting locally. It’s the same story for incentives. The programme there may be less business-oriented, with a greater focus on relaxation, but here too we can help to achieve greater efficiency. In this way, you eventually come to a consolidated approach directed at keen prices and maximum comfort for the client.” concludes Diederik Banken.

| THE CORPORATE TRAVELLER.BE

spring 2012 | 21

air ways

Summer 2012: Alitalia and Air One, flying high

To broaden the range of destinations, routes and flights, so as to offer an ever-better and more finely-meshed service: this is one of the objectives of the Alitalia Group for the 2012 summer season. So it is that, as of 25th March, the Group’s network will take in 95 destinations, of which 28 in Italy and 67 elsewhere in the world. This makes for 6 new destinations, with 189 routes (that is, 22 more compared to last year), amounting to 5,500 flights a week.

U

ndoubtedly, the most important new thing concerns Saudi Arabia and Georgia. As of July, Alitalia will launch its Rome

- Riyadh connection with as many as four services a week, at the same as making the capital of the Caucasian state reachable, in the same month, thanks to its new twice-weekly flights between Rome and Tbilisi. With these new added routes, Alitalia will be the only airline company to link Georgia and Italy with direct flights.

Moving from Asia to North Africa, Libya is emerging as important in the Group’s strategy: having been the first European company to resume flights into the country after the upheavals of last year, Alitalia has even doubled the destinations served and has added Benghazi to the existing Tripoli. For the Rome - Benghazi route, (operative as of June), two flights a week are planned.

In all, in the summer of 2012, the Alitalia Group will operate as many as 2,765 weekly services, 98 more than last year. The weekly intercontinental flights from Rome to Peking and Rio de Janeiro increase from 4 to 5 flights a week, but, in particular, it is the connections between Moscow and Tel Aviv that will increase: flights to the Russian capital will increase by 5, whilst the route linking Rome and Israel should have 2 new services. On a national level, on the other hand, Catania and Palermo are the two airports which will see a big increase in the number of flights (7 and 5 more, respectively), from the Italian capital.

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spring 2012 |

The lion’s share, then, goes to Rome, Alitalia’s base, from which, as of May, flights to the American destinations of Los Angeles and Chicago will resume. Apart from intercontinental flights, the Fiumicino hub is an important destination for internal and European seasonal routing: four new flights for summer 2012, that is, Trapani, Lampedusa and Pantelleria in Italy and Rhodes in Greece, are to be added to the links which were already active last year (both of them in the direction of the Balearic Islands: Ibiza and Palma of Majorca).

Rome is not, however, alone in this: as the summer holidays approach, the company’s other Italian bases open their gates to new seasonal links, mostly on Italian soil. The new elements concern Lampedusa and Pantelleria (from Milan Linate), Olbia (from Venice, Turin, Trieste and Naples), Cagliari and Reggio Calabria (from Venice ) and Lamezia Terme (from Trieste), whilst the sole exception to the Italian contingent is the Russian service to St. Petersburg (from Milan Malpensa).

Clearly, Air One will not be there just to look on and it is true to say that the innovations in the smart carrier of the Group are of no less importance. The growth in the fleet, which has incorporated three new Airbus A320s, and the inauguration of a new base in Venice, make possible three new destinations to be included in the carrier’s network: from Milan Malpensa, you will

½½ Alitalia Embraer E175

be able to fly to London Gatwick (as of 24th March, with 14 services a week) and Mykonos (from 13th July to 9th September, with 5 services weekly), whilst it will be possible to reach Istanbul from Venice (Sabiha Gökçen, as of 15th June, with 6 flights a week).

Out of the Milan Malpensa base, moreover, thanks to Air One, it will be possible to fly to Munich (as of 24th March) and Warsaw (as of the first of June). From 4th May, the City on the Lagoon, on the other hand, will open its gates to as many as 12 new international links: apart from the already mentioned Istanbul, from its new base, the smart carrier will also serve Athens, Barcelona, Brussels, Bucharest, Minorca, Palma di Majorca, Prague, Sofia, St. Petersburg, Tirana and Warsaw. Besides all this, to meet the summer holiday demand, Air One will also double the weekly services in the Milan Malpensa – Olbia line, thus reaching 14 in the period from 13th July to 9th September. In all, the total number of destinations reached by Air One (from Milan Malpensa, Pisa and Venice) will climb to 31 in the summer of 2012, which is 12 more than last year.

All these new elements in the range of choice on offer are to be accompanied by equally important innovations in products and services. As far as the medium and long haul fleet is concerned, the Alitalia Group is firm in its determined path towards renewal, in particular with the purchase of new aircraft: the Airbus A330 for long haul con-

nections and Embraer E-Jets, E-175 and E-190 for short-medium haul flights. At the same time, the restructuring of the cabins in the Boeing B777 is under way, laid out into three classes of service - Magnifica, Classica Plus and Classica.

And now that we mention the Magnifica class, Alitalia has also unveiled the Executive, a new service offering passengers travelling in business class on intercontinental flights a whole series of exclusive, tailor-made advantages, to be enjoyed before departure and after arrival. The aim of the Executive service is to render the travel experience in Magnifica even more exclusive.

We shall end with the recent nomination of Andrea Ragnetti as Director General of the company by the Alitalia Board of Directors, taking effect as of 5th March 2012. Andrea Ragnetti, ex Chief Executive Officer of the Consumer Lifestyle sector of Philips, as well as member of the Management Board of the Dutch multinational, comes with a rich baggage of experience from both the Italian and international scene, in terms of industrial and marketing management and in the field of goods and services of a major order.

For more information on the new links and offers from Alitalia and Air One, you can consult the websites www.Alitalia.be

| THE CORPORATE TRAVELLER.BE

spring 2012 | 23

air ways

Caring more about you

SkyTeam

Since its foundation in June 2000, SkyTeam has known a continuous growth to become the world’s second airline alliance. As of February 2012, SkyTeam flies to 926 airports in 173 countries. It operates over 14,000 daily flights with a combined fleet of 3,542 aircraft. Furthermore, the alliance has 490 lounges worldwide to serve its 487 million annual passengers.

A

eromexico, Air France, Delta Air Lines and Korean Air founded SkyTeam in June

2000. Since then, the alliance has steadily grown

Reserving a hotel room?

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24 | THE CORPORATE TRAVELLER.BE

to a current membership of 15 while doubling its destinations. Over the last decade – a challenging one for the aviation industry – SkyTeam has more than tripled its number of member airlines, doubled the number of flights and nearly doubled its destinations, offering its customers easier connections around the world. Looking back at SkyTeam’s steady growth of members, its focus on covering the globe is clear. The alliance has added airlines from virtually every corner of the planet, in addition to flying from some of the most modern and convenient hubs in Europe, the United States, Asia and Africa. As it has grown, SkyTeam has continued to offer its customers frequent flyer programs, more destinations, more frequencies and better connectivity. In the future, as it continues this growth, the alliance will maintain its focus on improving its products and services, while staying true to its motto: Caring more about you.

In 2011, Skyteam became the number one alliance for the Greater China region after welcoming China Airlines, China Eastern Airlines and its daughter

spring 2012 |

company Shanghai Airlines. Their combined networks have been added to China Southern’s network, which joined SkyTeam in 2007.

Benefits

The SkyTeam worldwide network offers not only easy connections to 926 destinations in 173 countries via the best hubs in the world but also a series of travel options with SkyTeam B2B and B2C products, including a round the world fare pass, continental passes, as well as dedicated services like SkyTeam Global Corporate Contracts and SkyTeam Global Meetings.

Aimed at meeting and event planners, SkyTeam Global Meetings (www.skyteam.com/globalmeetings) is specifically designed to streamline the process of arranging travel for international meetings and events of more than 50 participants originating from at least two countries. This program not only lets attendees receive special airfare discounts on the best available SkyTeam airline fares, but also provides event organizers with helpful planning tools to bring people together from all over the world: centralized logistics, online access, incentive program, promotional support, city guides for the attendees, etc.

SkyTeam latest news Late February, SkyTeam launched its new Go Africa Pass providing cost savings and flexibility on flights operated

by Kenya Airways within Africa. The pass is available to business and leisure travelers flying with any of SkyTeam’s 15 member airlines on an intercontinental round-trip to Africa or a Go Round the World ticket.

In January, SkyTeam announced the introduction of SkyPriority, a series of distinctively branded priority airport services offered to Elite Plus, First and Business Class customers. SkyPriority has been developed to ensure a common and consistent service standard for priority airport services across the alliance. The roll-out of the program started in March 2012 at selected hubs. SkyPriority will gradually be implemented at 800+ stations in the course of the next few months, reaching over 1,000 airports by early 2013.

SkyTeam Global Corporate Agreements go beyond a standard loyalty program in meeting companies’ travel requirements, providing cost savings and a vast network that is focused on their travel needs.

These agreements include a designated SkyTeam representative, simplifying communications and negotiations, a custom-made agreement that would include all the SkyTeam carriers that meet the client’s needs, discounts based on the company’s travel requirements, access to a continually expanding network, etc. More information about these agreements can be obtained by contacting a SkyTeam Member airline representative.

Frequent Flyer Benefits

SkyTeam offers its passengers two premium levels: Elite and Elite Plus. They are based on a customer’s tier status in a member carrier’s frequent-flyer program. Each of the member and associate airlines recognizes the elite statuses, with a few exceptions.

The statuses have no specific requirements of their own; membership is based solely on the frequentflyer programs of individual member airlines.

SkyTeam Elite status is awarded to customers who have reached the premium level of a member carrier’s frequent flyer program. The Elite membership includes priority check-in, preferred seating, priority boarding, priority waitlisting, priority airport standby and Elite qualification miles. On the other hand, SkyTeam Elite Plus status is awarded to customers who have reached the higher premium level of a member carrier’s frequent flyer program. In addition to SkyTeam Elite, the SkyTeam Elite Plus membership offers guaranteed full economy reservation, priority baggage delivery, additional checked luggage allowance and airport lounge access, like international first and business class passengers.

SkyTeam future members • Saudi Arabian Airlines is planned to join SkyTeam in May 2012 • Middle East Airlines planned to follow in June 2012 • Aerolíneas Argentinas is expected to join by September 2012 • Xiamen Airlines and Garuda Indonesia will also join SkyTeam in the near future

SkyTeam’s development has also integrated a useful website – www.skyteam.com – helping travelers to find their way thanks to practical information on various cities and airports worldwide. And what would be this century without the smartphones and social media? After the launch of an i-phone app allowing its users to search flights and check flight status, check the weather forecasts, get airport information and related news, the alliance is now set to launch a similar application for Android and Blackberry. | THE CORPORATE TRAVELLER.BE

spring 2012 | 25

air ways

SAS addressing challenges with strategy 4Excellence Scandinavian carrier SAS is addressing its market and financial challenges with a four-pronged approach to drive down costs and increase customer loyalty. The ‘4Excellence’ strategy is paying dividends as SAS just achieved its highest customer satisfaction ratings for 11 years and was named Europe’s most punctual major airline for the third consecutive year.

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spring 2012 |

»» SAS CEO Rickard Gustafson receives European punctuality award from FlightStats CEO Jeff Kennedy

S

AS, the flag carrier of Sweden, Norway and Denmark, has suffered financial losses due to rising fuel costs and the recent bankruptcy of Spanair, in which it was a shareholder. Staff cuts at

the airline’s headquarters have also been announced. To redress these issues, SAS has launched 4Excellence, a comprehensive turnaround plan. The four pillars of the plan are Commercial Excellence, Sales Excellence, Operational Excellence and People Excellence. These four areas for improvement have the combined aims of reducing costs by up to 5% and fostering customer loyalty, particularly in the face of increased regional competition.

Commercial Excellence

“Commercial Excellence, for us, is about driving customer satisfaction, on the ground and in the air” explains SAS CEO, Rickard Gustafson. “We are pleased to note that our customer satisfaction rating rose by 3 points over the course of last year. All our employees, both on the ground and in the air, do their utmost every day to ensure that every flight meet our customers’ expectations. Best value for time and money is a Key Performance Indicator for our customers and once again, we have proved to be Europe’s most punctual airline.”

SAS has been rated Europe’s most punctual airline, for the third year in a row, by independent analysts FlightStats.

FlightStats tracks the on-time performance of over 150,000 flights worldwide each day and rates airlines on their punctuality on an annual basis. On a worldwide level, SAS was rated third, ceding only to Japanese airlines JAL and ANA. “Our levels of punctuality over the last three years represent a significant improvement” says Per Schroeder, SAS head of punctuality. “This was achieved partly by use of tools and processes, but the key parameter was changing the mindset of all employees throughout every layer of the organisation.

We had to get them to understand the importance of the role that each has to play in getting our aircraft on time – thus making customers happy and lowering costs. Throughout the company, we awarded responsibly for punctuality to clearly defined staff, creating ‘On time agents’ throughout different areas, including those involved with the boarding process.”

Ground side, improvements to the customer experience include more digitalised services and the development of self-self baggage check in. A new ‘point of sale’ campaign has been designed to make SAS signage clearer and more visible, thus making it easier for passengers to navigate around the airline’s various services including check-in, baggage and lounge facilities.

The campaign has been entitled ‘Big and bold but not cold’ and with it SAS aims to improve the visibility of its logo and graphic identity at airports, but without the costs of re-branding.

older aircraft over the next 18 months, replacing them with A320 Neos and Boeing 737NGs. “Not only we will make savings by use of more fuel efficient aircraft, but by harmonising our fleet we will streamline maintenance costs” says Gustafson.

Network expansions are underway and SAS launched 11 new routes during 2011, including Oslo to New York. A further 25 routes are set to join the airline’s schedule during the course of this year. “We are also keen to invest with partner airlines to ensure feeder networks and strengthen our international routes” notes Gustafson.

Blue1, the SAS group’s Finnish subsidiary, is to retract from the European market and return to focus on regional destinations. In this way the Blue1 local network will be leveraged to bring in more feeder traffic to SAS international routes. Gustafson’s goal is to return Blue1 to profitability by the end of next year.

Returning to a sustainable business model

In terms of driving customer loyalty, the SAS 4Excellence strategy seems to be achieving its targets. Passenger numbers reached 27 million in 2011, a rise of 2 million over the previous year.

“It is pleasing to confirm that SAS’s customer offering continues to be attractive, principally due to our continuous improvement initiatives throughout the organization” says Gustafson. “We are designing our network to give the best possible product for business and leisure travellers and we want to make it a natural choice for these passengers flying to and from our region to choose us. By growing customer loyalty, we also want to capture our business traveller customers and convert to them to become leisure travellers too. Given the uncertainty of the European economy, customers are moving further back the plane in terms of cabin class. We need to find ways to stop them buying down as it has an effect on yield and we will be announcing details about these particular measures during the course of this year.”

“We are defending our position in Europe but it is important to grow with profitability, so we are growing with care” underlines Gustafson. “With our 4Excellence strategy we are looking to return SAS to a sustainable business model by the end of 2013.”

Operational Excellence – network and fleet

Another area where SAS is taking steps to increase customer satisfaction and reduce operating costs, is in the renewal of its fleet. The airline is phasing out its

¼¼ SAS head of punctuality Per Schroeder

| THE CORPORATE TRAVELLER.BE

spring 2012 | 27

Air Ways

Thai Airways International

Success with three direct Brussels-Bangkok flights!

Thai Airways International (THAI) has been operating direct flights between Brussels and Bangkok since 17 November 2011 - with no fewer than three flights per week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. The route is flown with a B777-200 aircraft, with 30 seats in Royal Silk Class and 262 seats in Economy class. Every seat is provided with personal video and updated inflight entertainment. Ideal for your comfort and a pleasant flight.

C

EO Pivasvasti Amranand emphasises that THAI is fully committed to quality and class. Precisely for this reason, the airline has

ordered an extensive fleet of brand-new aircraft, including the renowned A380s. These are now being added systematically to the fleet. “With this fleet, THAI provides the shortest flying time between Brussels and Bangkok. Non-stop, 10 hours 50 to Bangkok and 12 hours 30 back.”

CEO Pivasvasti Amranand: “ THAI has begun serving the Bangkok-Brussels-Bangkok route in order to meet rising passenger demand for travel from Europe to Thailand, which increases particularly during Europe’s winter season. What is more, in order to compete better with airlines that fly European passengers to Asia via the Middle East, we must be prepared to depart from our concentration on mega airports, and make more use of medium sized airports in Europe - such as Brussels Airport.”

In an initial phase, there will be three flights a week, but, in view of the growth possibilities, this may well become a daily flight in due course.

Bangkok will thus become the ideal base for tourists in South-east Asia. “From Bangkok, one can quickly fly on to all important cities in Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Australia, and New-Zealand. With very short connection 28 | THE CORPORATE TRAVELLER.BE

spring 2012 |

times in Bangkok. THAI always allows passengers to make a free stop-over in Bangkok – both on the outward and the return journey.”

Other innovations in 2012 Thai Smile

Thai Airways International is launching a new, regional carrier, daughter company: Thai Smile Air, a full service carrier with economy and business classes. From June, this airline will provide fights from the Suvarnabhumi international airport in Bangkok to inland destinations such as Ubon Ratchathani, Khon Kaen, Chiang Rai, and Surat Thani. Thai Smile will have eleven A320 aircraft, each with a seating capacity of 174.

Retrofit of 747-400

All our 747-400 aircraft will be modernised in the coming months. Both the economy and business classes will be updated. Obsolete components and systems will be replaced with modern units. In this way we aim to further optimise the comfort of our passengers and meet all their requirements.

More information?

Surf to www.thaiairways.be

Flight TG934 from Bangkok departs three times a week – on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays at 00.30 hours, arriving in Brussels at 07:00 hours the same morning.

Flight TG935 from Brussels will depart on the same days at 13.30 hours, arriving in Bangkok at 06:20 the following day. The Boeing 777-200ER aircraft utilized on this route is configured for 30 seats in Royal Silk Class and 262 seats in Economy Class, with all 292 seats equipped with personal video and the latest in-flight entertainment system.

air ways

Save on your company’s travel costs

with BlueBiz

BlueBiz is the corporate benefits programme of AIR FRANCE, KLM, Alitalia and Delta Air Lines. Once a company signs up for free, the company starts earning Blue Credits on flights with AIR FRANCE, KLM, Alitalia, Delta Air Lines and partner airlines.

BlueBiz, the easy way to reward a company

O

nce registered for BlueBiz, companies earn valuable Blue Credits for every flight made with AIR FRANCE, KLM and participating partners. Ev-

ery Blue Credit earned is worth one Euro. And Blue Credits are like cash. They can be used to buy tickets or upgrades to any destination in the global network of the participating airlines. And this for anyone in the company.

What’s in it for the company?

The company that is a BlueBiz member earns Blue Credits on all flights operated

by AIR FRANCE, KLM, Delta Air Lines, Alitalia, Kenya Airways and CityJet. The number of Blue Credits earned is determined by the destination and the fare (booking class) of the tickets. And since the Blue Credits are like cash, they can be used to buy tickets or upgrades.

Joining BlueBiz

Enrollments to BlueBiz are free of charge and can easily be done online via www. bluebiz.com or via travel agents.

BlueBiz servicing

All services offered to BlueBiz members are accessible round-the-clock online through dedicated and secured areas on the websites of partner airlines – just click on www.bluebiz.com.

Extra services thanks to the BlueBiz membership: the Corporate Recognition services

With the Corporate Recognition service, AIR FRANCE and KLM offer businesses even more convenience while booking flights. The recognition is based on the unique BlueBiz number which needs to be entered in the reservation file at the time of booking.

Guaranteed seats on long haul flights

Last-minute travel plans? AIR FRANCE and KLM make sure that colleagues get to where they need to go. With Corporate Recognition, members can get – up to 24 hours before departure - a seat in Air France’s Voyageur (Y class) or KLM’s Economy Class (X class).

Dedicated corporate waitlist on long haul flights

Need to make a J or W booking on long haul flights that are closed to sale? Got employees wait-listed? With Corporate Recognition, colleagues will be ranked highest on the wait-list to increase the chance they will actually get on the plane.

Flight status notification service

Should any changes occur to the flight schedule, travellers are automatically contacted.

Easy name changes

Corporate Recognition provides the possibility to modify the name on your booking in specific booking classes, to accommodate any last-minute changes or replacements.

Twice the benefits with BlueBiz and Flying Blue

Are you familiar with the Flying Blue programme? It offers the ideal combination with BlueBiz, allowing the company to earn Blue Credits and the individual travel continues to earn Flying Blue Miles – and all of this on the same flight. So double the benefits! | THE CORPORATE TRAVELLER.BE

spring 2012 | 29

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Delta Air Lines - strengthening positions on both sides of the Atlantic

Interview with Perry Cantarutti, Delta’s Senior Vice President EMEA Through the transformation of its organisation, huge financial investments and its joint venture with Air France-KLM-Alitalia, Delta is developing its hub and spoke networks on both sides of the Atlantic. Perry Cantarutti, who is based in Paris as Delta’s Senior Vice President EMEA, updated us on the airline’s latest developments. ½½ Perry Cantarutti, Delta’s Senior Vice President for the EMEA region

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D

elta is investing over $2 billion through 2013 in PRODUCTS, SERVICES AND airport facilities. “We have big development

projects taking place over the next 18 months” says Perry Cantarutti.

“On the airport side, we have two new international terminals due to open, with Atlanta and JFK. Complementing this, we are bulking up our domestic network from New York’s La Guardia Airport. On the product side we are continuing deployment of Economy Comfort cabins, and of our new flat bed seats in BusinessElite. In addition to all of these projects, we are continuing to improve services through the joint venture, and with the member airlines of SkyTeam alliance.”

New Delta Terminals at Atlanta and JFK

Significant amounts of Delta’s investment package are being focused on the development of its two largest international hubs, Atlanta and New York JFK. The new Delta terminals have been designed to provide substantial customer benefits, especially in terms of speeding up transit time. The hub in Atlanta will be unveiled later this year, followed by the opening of Delta’s new terminal 4 at New York JFK, in 2013.

Besides its transatlantic routes, Delta’s domestic networks are amongst its best performing. To grow this potential further, Delta is investing on improvements to terminals C and D at New York’s domestic airport, LaGuardia. It has also purchased 132 additional slot pairs at La Guardia, with the intention of adding over 100 new flights and 29 new destinations. By this summer, Delta will operate 264 daily flights between LaGuardia and over 60 US cities.

Cabin upgrades

Pivotal to Delta’s strategy is the continued refitting of its entire widebody fleet with enhanced business class services. By the end of next year, over 140 aircraft will be equipped with the upgraded BusinessElite cabins. BusinessElite’s new 180 degree lie flat seats offer extra leg room, greater privacy and are configured to allow direct aisle access to all passengers. “Our business class passengers tell us that the comfort of flat bed seats with direct aisle access is a must-have on flights to and from the US” says Perry Cantarutti.

Delta’s intermediate cabin class, Economy Comfort, is now available on all transatlantic services. With the new cabin class passengers gain more legroom and 50 percent more recline than with standard Economy seats. Passengers can purchase upgrades to economy comfort, for an additional one way fee of between of $80-$160, right up to their flight’s boarding gate. “There is definitely a particular group of passengers that is looking for more space but with a limited budget” says Cantarutti. “However we see that there are still markets on some routes that want first class.”

Developing the Brussels market

Carrying over 160 million passengers a year, Delta Air Lines operates a mainline fleet of more than 700 aircraft. Including its headquarters in Atlanta, Delta has seven hubs in the US, one in Asia (Tokyo) and two in Europe – Amsterdam and Paris. Besides this, Delta operates direct transatlantic flights to a number of European airports, notably Heathrow and Brussels.

Delta has been flying transatlantic services to Brussels for over 20 years. It currently operates direct routes from the European capital to its two biggest hubs, Atlanta and New York JFK, with a network of onward connections throughout the US. In November the airline completed installation of its flat bed BusinessElite seats and Economy Comfort cabins on all of its flights between Brussels and New York.

“Brussels is definitely a market we are keen to develop and we think that the introduction of the flat bed seats in business class, as well as the improvements we have made throughout our on board services, will help to make that happen” says Cantarutti.

More services through SkyTeam alliance

½½ The new Delta international terminal at JFK

¾¾ Delta BusinessElite FLATBED seats

A founding SkyTeam member, Delta Air Lines created a package of priority services for premium cabin passengers and elite status card holders in 2010. The services include priority check-in areas, priority baggage drop-off, priority lines at security and priority boarding. Due to the success of the project, SkyTeam has adopted the SkyPriority program and is rolling it out across member airlines at over 1,000 airports. All current and future members of SkyTeam are participating in SkyPriority, making it the first alliance to consistently offer priority services on a worldwide scale.

Joint venture becomes partnership

The transatlantic joint venture dates back to an initial agreement signed between Northwest and KLM in 1997. Ten years later, Air France-KLM and Delta Air Lines formed a new joint venture on all hub-to-hub routes across the Atlantic. Alitalia was added into the fold in 2010 and the venture has now evolved into a true partnership.

“The joint venture has now progressed to a stage where we are totally aligning and optimising our networks” says Perry Cantarutti. “We share profits and costs on our routes across the Atlantic, so we are all motivated to work together. We are also aligning our products, policies and procedures to bring more consistency. The primary focus here is to coordinate corporate and travel agency contacts and contracts, with a unified sales force to include reservations and call centre operations.”

“We are pleased with the success of our transformation strategy and over the course of last year, Delta significantly improved its operational performance in terms of on time arrivals and customer satisfaction” summarises Cantarutti. “It is important to remain flexible in the airline industry, but demand is holding up and we are cautiously optimistic for 2012. With the developments that we have underway, the growth in size and network and the reinvestment in products, this is a very exiting time to be at Delta.” | THE CORPORATE TRAVELLER.BE

spring 2012 | 31

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TAP Portugal

Four flights a day to Lisbon, and one to Porto TAP Portugal (Transportes Aéreos Portugueses) is the Portuguese national airline. From its home base, Lisbon, TAP flies to various destinations in Africa and North, Middle, and South America. “You are in good hands with us.” says Mario Amado, District Sales Manager TAP Portugal Belux. “During the flight our cabin staff have only one goal: to make sure that you leave the plane a satisfied customer. You enjoy your journey in comfort in the roomy, leather-upholstered seats. Drinks and meals are provided free, including in Economy. TAP Portugal is a genuine full-service company, without hidden costs. To quench your thirst, you have a wide choice of drinks, and of course, a delicious Port.”

Holiday in Portugal?

P

ortugal, the country of fado, superb beaches, and cultural treasures. The

popularity of this holiday destination is growing year after year. And deservedly so. There is so much to see in Portugal: the fairytale palaces in Sintra, the breathtaking ravines in the Serra da Estrela, Lisbon with its romantic districts, hilly Porto, and the snow-white villages in the Alentejo.

Lisbon, the White City

The romantic capital rises from the Northern bank of the Tagus, and stretches out over seven hills. Discover the picturesque, narrow winding streets. And also wide shopping avenues, squares, and fountains. Baixa, the lower town, is the real centre of Lisbon. This district was rebuilt after an earthquake destroyed large parts of the capital.

Straight wide streets and many shops now dominate the scene. The Arco Triunfal is the gateway to the Baixa. In front of it, right on the bank of the Tagus, lies the Praça do Comércio, a 200 m ² square with a statue of King Dom José on horseback at its centre.

The most striking construction in the Baixa is the Elevador de Santa Justa. This neo-Gothic, metal lift links the lower town with the upper town: a height difference of 32 metres. At the top of the lift is a terrace from which you have an impressive view over Lisbon.

High above Lisbon lies the Castelo de São Jorge.

The origins of this edifice go back to the Iron Age. The crenellated wall with its 10 towers is what strikes you first. In the inner courtyard of the ruin lies a peaceful, shaded park with several sparkling fountains. The view over the city is more than worth the climb to the castle.

Lisbon’s oldest district, Alfama, is a labyrinth of narrow, winding streets, archways, and flights of steps. Colourful facades and bright, flapping items of washing complete the idyllic picture. In the afternoons, the streets are permeated with the smell of garlic and cooking fish.

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With TAP Portugal you always leave the plane a satisfied customer: Quick Transfer: The Quick Transfer team keeps an eye on all TAP Portugal arrival and departure times. As soon as the transfer time becomes dangerously short for catching the connecting flight, they arrange for the passengers to be collected on leaving the aircraft and taken as quickly as possible to the gate for the connecting flight.

Member of Star Alliance: Since 2005, TAP Portugal has been a member of the Star Alliance, the largest network of airlines in the world. This Alliance provides travellers with easy journeys thanks to better connections and co-ordinated real-time ticket reservations.

The organisation also strives for a high quality of service and recognises the Frequent Flyer Programmes of the members.

Victoria: Victoria is TAP’s Frequent Flyer programme. It is ideal for anyone who flies frequently with us. Participants can collect points, and gain extra privileges, according to the distance flown. For more information, surf to www.tapvictoria.com.

TAP free app: TAP also offers passengers a free app for iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad, in Portuguese or English. Features? Mobile check-in, information on flight times, on departure and arrival times, on promotions, city information, and on the Victoria programme.

Other attractions that you must not miss: Torre de Belém in the Belém district, with a wide view over the Tagus; Mosteiro dos Jerónimos (the Monastery of Jerónimos) in Belém, with the tombs of kings and of Vasco da Gama; Ponte 25 de Abril, the bridge over the Tagus; the Docas, the entertainment centre on the Tagus; the Monumento Cristo Rei, a 100 metre high statue of Christ the King; the Aqueduto das Águas Livres; and the Parque das Nacoes.

A flight to Lisbon?

TAP Portugal flies to Lisbon four times a day, spread throughout the day so as to guarantee maximum flexibility. You can choose to depart at 6:15, 12:25, 16:30 or 19:00. For this route, TAP Portugal uses planes of the type Airbus A-319, 320 and 321. These spacious and comfortable aircraft get you to Lisbon in about two and three quarter hours.

Porto, City of Bridges

Porto, at the mouth of the river Douro, is a beautiful and interesting city with a colourful past. The old city centre is on the Unesco world heritage list; and the cradle of the delicious Port naturally appeals to the imagination of the real bon vivant.

Stroll over the bridges and through the pleasant districts such as the Ribeira. Discover the finest spots such as the Sao Bento station with its splendid tile pictures. The city has beautiful churches and palaces, but also has narrow streets with colourful washing everywhere. On the other side of the river, in Vila Nova de Gaia, you can sample the Port in one of the many wine houses.

In the centre of Porto you will find the longest shopping street in the world: the Via Catarina. with well-known chain stores, and many original shops. The city’s outstanding attraction is Catedral de Se, a magnificent cathedral with associated cloister. From here you have a wonderful view over the city and its surroundings. Other sites of interest are Igreja Sao Fransisco, Taylor´s, and Torre dos Clerigos. After your stroll through the city you can take your ease in the coffee corner of the superb bookshop of the Lello brothers at Rua das Carmelitas 144.

A flight to Porto?

TAP Portugal is the only airline that offers you the ease and comfort of a direct connection to Porto.

Every afternoon, an Embraer departs for the City of Bridges. The flight takes approximately 2 hours 35 minutes. You can also take a flight with a stopover in Lisbon. You will need to add about two hours to your flight time but you can leave Lisbon at four possible times.

Organising an event?

More information on all of this?

Surf to www.flytap.com

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| THE CORPORATE TRAVELLER.BE

spring 2012 | 33

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Virgin Atlantic Interview with Julie Southern, Chief Commercial Officer Following recent announcements that Virgin Atlantic is to invest substantially in its network and fleet, Julie Southern, Chief Commercial Officer, discussed the airline’s strategy to target the corporate traveller market - as well as its point of view on the proposed takeover of bmi.

V

irgin Atlantic is kicking off a series of investments this year, including a budget of 100 million pounds earmarked for enhancements to its business class offering, ‘Upper Class’. The investments are designed to increase the long haul

airline’s share of the business traveller market through new product and service developments, both on the ground and in the air.

The refurbishment of Virgin’s Upper Class cabins will include enhanced seats, customised menus and a futuristic bar to give passengers a unique flying experience. The first aircraft to be fitted with the new Upper Class will be deployed on Virgin’s London to New York flights. It will subsequently be rolled out across the airline’s Heathrow fleet over the next three years. The onboard enhancements to the initial New York service will be instantly supported by a new multi million pound Clubhouse at John F Kennedy airport, designed to further embellish its transatlantic customers’ experience.

“The substantial investments we are making concern more than just our premium cabins” says Julie Southern. “Across our cabin classes we are upgrading our in-flight entertainment systems and we recently made announcements on new innovations to our onboard catering.

Our product standards are different from other airlines, and we are recognised by our customers as offering levels of service which are above the norm. We are constantly looking at ways to improve and keep ahead in this way.”

“Our history and strategy has always been about serving the routes that have a high point to point content, including the key economic cities around the world” says Southern. “We have gained a loyal following from the corporate traveller sector. About two-thirds of our passengers travel on what we consider our business routes.The idea of premium economy class air travel is particularly appealing to this sector and, as it happens, Virgin Atlantic was the airline that pioneered this idea, almost 20 years ago. This is a good example of how we try to stay ahead in terms of ideas that will appeal to the 34 | THE CORPORATE TRAVELLER.BE

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½½ Julie Southern Virgin Atlantic’s Chief Commercial Officer

customer. Our premium economy class has its own cabin, the seats have a good pitch and it is extremely comfortable, so it especially appeals to our passengers on our busy transatlantic routes.”

More aircraft to support growing network

Virgin Atlantic remains confident about its performance over the following 12 months. Continuing its network expansion drive, Virgin Atlantic is preparing to launch services to Cancun and Vancouver this spring and will add frequencies to its San Francisco route at the end of March. The carrier is to take delivery of nine new aircraft, including seven Airbus 330s to be based at Heathrow and Gatwick. As proof of its confidence in the future the airline is recruiting a further 500 cabin crew to help support this network growth.

½½ Virgin Atlantic is recruiting 500 extra cabin staff ¾¾ Afternoon tea on board - one of Virgin’s innovations

Virgin Atlantic’s market share of the rich transatlantic route is growing, despite increased competition and capacity from the bigger airline alliances.

Business class bookings have started strongly for the airline in 2012, with a double digit growth in demand for New York. The programme of investments underway support Virgin’s intention to increase this market share still further.

“Although transatlantic business continues to remain important to us, it now accounts for only half of our routes - whereas it used to be around three quarters of our traffic” says Julie Southern.

“This is because we have expanded on other long haul networks, such as Africa and Asia. We may not operate European flights directly, but we are keen to connect passengers coming into our UK network. In fact we are actively looking at growing business travel from Europe in terms of passenger numbers and revenues. We are making a great deal of effort to build on this by employing sales staff based in various European countries who are working with travel agencies and putting commercial agreements into place.”

Virgin’s view on the proposed takeover of bmi

The thorn in Virgin’s side is the proposed purchase of UK-based airline BMI by IAG (the group which comprises British Airways and Iberia), which appears to be inching forward. In February, IAG put its case for purchasing bmi before the European Commission in order to obtain approval from the anti-trust authorities. A decision is due to be rendered by the commission imminently, but Virgin Atlantic has been vociferous in its opposition to the plan.

“We fundamentally believe that if this goes through it will be bad for airline competition and that means bad for the consumer” says Southern. “It would put IAG in an extremely dominant position at Heathrow Airport, the UK’s only major international hub, with over half of all take off and landing slots. Heathrow is already full and on many routes BA would be the only choice. Virgin Atlantic put a credible bid on the table for bmi and spent a long time in serious discussions with Lufthansa. For us bmi would have been a complementary business, rather than a removal of competition, as we are a long haul airline and bmi is short haul. We have seen before with other airports that when a player becomes too dominant, prices go up. We believe that with these issues in mind, the UK office of fair trading and the European Commission should scrutinise this deal carefully.” | THE CORPORATE TRAVELLER.BE

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insider

The Corporate Traveller Interview

HervĂŠ Bosquet,

Director of the Brussels Convention Bureau The regular series of Corporate Traveller interviews looks at the world of business travel from the perspective of the voyager himself. HervĂŠ Bosquet, Director of the Brussels Convention Bureau, shared with us some of his views and experiences in business travel.

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TCT: Please tell us about yourself and your work

V

ISITBRUSSELS promotes Brussels as a destination to business and leisure tourism professionals, as well as to individual travellers. My role in

the Convention Bureau is focused on marketing the city as a business, or MICE, destination. As I am Belgian and I have worked in Brussels throughout my career, it would be fair to say I know the city inside out. The same goes for the meetings and events industry, as I have been working in the sector nearly all my professional life. I began, back in the 1970s, in the European headquarters of the American Management Association, as their director for public programmes. That is when I became involved in conference programmes. Following that, I then went on to run my own Professional Congress Organisation for 15 years. Now I am working on the other side of the fence as it were, promoting the city to PCOS. Over the 10 years I have been with the Brussels Convention Bureau, we have been working hard to market Brussels and we have grown to become the world’s second largest destination in terms of the number of international association events that we host.

TCT: What do your business trips typically involve?

I travel quite frequently for work and my business trips are primarily focused on client meetings. These client meetings are often arranged around travel trade shows, or workshops that we organise or attend. Besides meeting new contacts, trade shows and workshops provide great opportunities to keep our networks, including our partners, up to speed with all the latest developments on Brussels. The majority of the trade shows and workshops I attend are in Europe and involve a stay of a couple of nights.

Of course we are not only marketing Brussels in Europe, so a few times a year my business trips take me further afield. For example, next week I will be leaving for a tradeshow in Melbourne, where we will be exhibiting with one of our partners, Washington DC. With Washington being the US capital and Brussels the capital of Europe, we are both key destinations for association and political events. We have joined forces together to form The Power Cities Alliance to optimise our marketing opportunities in this sector. This will be a fairly long trip for me, with groups of meetings organised in Dubai on my way there, and in Singapore on my way back.

TCT: What is your organisation’s travel policy and how are your travel bookings made?

We have a strictly ‘no business class’ travel policy in place, although economy plus class can sometimes be taken on long haul trips. My assistant makes my flight bookings through travel agencies but she always gets two or three quotes from different agencies first.

As regards hotels, our travel policy permits 4 star hotels but not 5 star.

TCT: Do you have preferred travel suppliers or use frequent traveller cards?

Surprisingly, although I travel a lot, I do not use any frequent traveller loyalty cards either for hotels or for airlines.

There are no specific hotel brands that we favour, as the choice is based more on location. The hotels we choose are either near the meeting site, or where the rest of the delegation is staying.

Being based in Brussels, a lot of our flights are with Brussels Airlines. We have an agreement with them where, in exchange for promotion of the airline, we benefit from reduced rates. Other than that, we do not really have particular preferences in airlines or airline alliances, as the choice is made more on convenience. We tend to use high speed rail when travelling to Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam or London.

TCT: What do you look for and appreciate in a hotel?

Besides a convenient location, I obviously expect my hotels to be clean, comfortable and with enough space in my room not to feel claustrophobic. I recently stayed in the Renaissance St Pancras in London for the first time. This was really the kind of hotel I appreciate – an old building that has been beautifully refurbished, with character and more intimacy than one tends to find with larger, modern hotels.

TCT: What stressful business travel experience particularly sticks in your mind?

It was quite a number of years back. We were staying in a hotel in Scotland and at the time I was still a smoker. I lit up a cigar in my room and accidentally set off the hotel’s smoke alarm system. It was early in the morning and there were about 100 hotel guests forced to evacuate the hotel. Many of them were still in their dressing gowns and they had to wait outside until the fire brigade arrived.

TCT: What do you appreciate most - and least - about your business travels for work?

Well I can’t say that I particularly enjoy flying as its not always very comfortable and then there are the queues and the security checks. However, what I do appreciate about travelling is that it helps to refresh my ideas. When in the office, I find that I tend to be in a more operational frame of mind. Working away from my usual setting makes me think about things with a much more strategic and creative mindset.

Planning a seminar?

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spring 2012 | 37

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 



www.adria-airways.com

insider

Business Travel Show 2012 sees leap in exhibitors and visitors As the corporate travel sector returns to growth, this year’s Business Travel Show, the annual event for travel industry professionals held in London, saw a record attendance.

T

he Business Travel Show is a meeting place for travel buyers to network with a comprehensive range of suppliers, from global brands to new start-ups, offering the latest products, services and solutions. Along with over 200 exhibition booths, the

Business Travel Show offers a programme of educational sessions, networking and social events.

The show’s 2012 edition, which took place from 7 to 8 February at the Earls Court exhibition centre, saw more quality corporate travel buyers than ever before. Over 6,300 visitors attended, an increase of 27 per cent on 2011. The success of the show follows a significant investment in this year’s Hosted Buyer Programme. From those visiting nearly 800 were high-spending UK and European buyers from the likes of Nike, Sony, Jaguar Land Rover, Kellogg’s, Microsoft, 02, British Gas, Aviva and Bridgestone, most of which came through the buyer programmes.

success of the Hosted Buyer Programme. After such a strong start, we’re already looking forward to growing the number of hosted and executive buyers undertaking pre-scheduled meetings and appointments significantly for 2013 and we’re keen to replicate the success of Business Travel Show London in Dusseldorf this September.”

Exhibitor numbers for the event jumped by 47 per cent from last year’s figures, from 134 to 197. Major corporate brands were showcased including Hilton Worldwide, Eurostar, United Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, CWT and Travelport, as well as exciting start ups and breakthrough enterprises.

“Business Travel Show is one of the most important events in the business travel calendar. The footfall this year to the stand has been high and the quality of visitors fantastic” commented Paul Wait, of Virgin Atlantic Airlines, one of the exhibitors this year. “The Hosted Buyer Programme has brought us 54 meetings over two days, which is testament to its success.”

The Business Travel Show’s conference sessions, its free to attend educational programme, proved to be a top attraction for visitors with a stronger buyer-led focus. There was standing room only for the conference keynote, which featured CNN anchor Richard Quest sharing anecdotes from his life on the road and tips on the future of business travel.

Next year’s edition of the Business Travel Show 2013 will take place on 5 to 6 February at Earls Court exhibition centre in London. Following the success of this year’s show, 63 per cent of floor space has already been rebooked for 2013.

“2012 has been the busiest and best Business Travel Show in years” said David Chapple, Business Travel Show event director. “Buyers and suppliers are both thrilled with the

The Business Travel Show in London is the sister show to business travel events in Dusseldorf and Dubai and runs alongside complementary event Travel Technology Europe. | THE CORPORATE TRAVELLER.BE

spring 2012 | 39

insider

Peter Goossens taking the heights of Belgian cuisine to a new level

Peter Goossens is probably Belgian’s most well known figure in the field of gastronomy.

Recognised as one of the world’s top twenty chefs, he appears regularly on TV and has written several books and articles on culinary subjects. In addition to earning 3 Michelin stars, his restaurant, Hof van Cleve, has been decorated by a number of national and international accolades. His latest venture has been as consultant chef for KLM’s World Business Class.

KLM – World Business Class

T

he style of Hof van Cleve is being exported on an international level, with Peter Goossens’ latest project to design the menus for KLM’s World Business Class. With the new service

launched at the end of last year, business class travellers departing on all KLM flights from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport can now enjoy meals especially created by Peter Goossens and his team at the Hof van Cleve restaurant. The three course meals include a choice of main courses, with dishes such as panfried organic fillet of salmon with herb sauce, or beef stew tartlet enhanced by brown beer gravy.

New menus are introduced on a regular basis and accompanying wines are especially selected

by Hof van Cleve’s sommelier, Pieter Verheyde.

“When KLM first approached me about creating meals for their business class, I must admit that I did have to consider it first, as its not easy to make meals for planes” says Goossens. “We wanted to be able to put our style into the dishes but, as you can imagine, there are a number of 40 | THE CORPORATE TRAVELLER.BE

spring 2012 |

constraints with onboard meals.

For example, certain fish and shellfish are not possibilities.

Then there are limitations on the dimension of the place size and the weight of the main dish. We also had to take into consideration the fact that main courses need to be frozen and then reheated on the plane, so there are really a lot of things to take into account. When we were designing the menus, we visited Schiphol Airport to meet with the catering chefs there and they came here, to Hof van Cleve. We worked together to see what was possible and what was not. It was a challenge, but we rose to it! We have had a lot of compliments from clients who have been in KLM business class and for KLM it has been a success.”

Hof van Cleve

Peter Goossens has been a chef for over 25 years. Born in Belgium’s Zottegem, Goossens trained at the Ter Duinen Hotellerie School in Koksijde, before joining the 3 Michelin starred Pré Catelan restaurant in Paris. After working at a string of renowned restaurants in France and Belgium, in 1992 he returned to his roots to open his own restaurant, in his native Flanders.

The Hof van Cleve is located 20 km from Ghent, in a picturesque 19th century farm overlooking the Flemish Ardennes countryside.

Internationally recognised as one of the world’s leading restaurants, it has been rated 19.5/20 by the Gault Millau Guide since 2004 and awarded three stars by Michelin since 2005. On a national level, for the last seven years, the Hof van Cleve has been continually ranked Best Restaurant in Belgium by De Markt gastronomia and given the highest rank, of 5 crowns, by the Henry Lemaire guide. The wine cellar, stocked with over 1,500 wines references from around the world, has won awards in its own right for its selection of fine champagnes “I like to keep things new and innovative, while respecting traditions and seasonal products” says Goossens. “I would describe my culinary style as creative, refined, light and with a strong accent on taste.” As a native of Flanders, Peter Goossens is a fierce defender of the quality of the region’s agricultural and fishing produce. “We use Belgian ingredients as much as possible.

It goes without saying that chefs are nothing without products,

½½ Hof van Cleve

but living in this agricultural area brings the idea home to you day after day.”

Hof van Cleve is not only about good food. It is a restaurant where art and design figure highly on the menu. The restaurant’s interior, entirely renewed in January, reflects the style of Hof van Cleve’s cuisine – refined modernity with a strong accent on Belgian products. All of the restaurant’s furnishings and decorations have been designed

by Belgian artists and artisans.

Amongst others, there are works by glass artists Anna Torfs and Val Saint Lambert, chairs by Wabbes, custom-made furniture from Andre Verroken and porcelain by Ann Van Hoey. The dining room walls are hung with works by leading Belgian artists, such as Roger Raveel and Hans Vandekerckhove.

The importance of a professional, but warm welcome, is also key to the Hof van Cleve concept of dining. “My objective is that guests who come here have a great experience with great food” says Goossens. “After all, that is exactly what I expect for myself when I go to another restaurant.” | THE CORPORATE TRAVELLER.BE

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destination

Brusselicious 2012

a year-long food festival extravaganza There are now even more reasons to visit Brussels, the capital of Flanders, Belgium and Europe. 2012 is Brusselicious year, a celebration of the city’s culinary delights. The events and promotions on the Brusselicious menu feature something to suit everyone’s tastes, from mussels and chips, to specially designed creations from star chefs.

“B

russelicious 2012 has been set up with a number of objectives” explained

VisitBrussels’ Olivier Marette. “The first of these aims is to confirm our international standing as a gourmet destination. Gastronomy is one of the major attractions of Brussels. The quality is good and we have a surprisingly multicultural offering for a city of only 1 million inhabitants.

The corporate department at VisitBrussels is very much involved with Brusselicious and has a number of actions planned that will be especially attractive to the professional sector. These include special themed dinners being organised during the year, such as a fashion food evening with designers and a champagne, caviar and lobster dinner in Villa Empain’s Art Deco rooms.

Brimming with events

Brusselicious is brimming with events – some in truly unexpected locations. A tram has been transformed into a space-age style restaurant, complete with kitchen serving haute cuisine to diners, while they enjoy a two hour tour through the streets of Brussels. The Gourmet Tram is operating every day, except Monday until the end of the year, but advance reservations are recommended. An even more unusual location will be the Dinner in the Sky restaurant, to open during the month of June. The 22 seat restaurant, suspended 40 metres above the city by a giant crane, will offer delicacies prepared by some of Belgium’s leading chefs, many of them Michelin starred.

The grand highlight in the calendar will be the four day Brusselicious Festival, in September.

Hundreds of marquees will be set up in the city’s Bois de la Cambre park to host a food festival extravaganza. Visitors will be able to discover the range of cuisine that Brussels has to offer through restaurant outlets, breweries, cooking demonstrations and classes.

Besides these events, the city’s hotel restaurants are participating in year long activities, many of which are being supported by the Brussels Hotel 42 | THE CORPORATE TRAVELLER.BE

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Association, the organisation which represents 85% of the hotels in Brussels. These initiatives include the ‘Breakfast the Brussels Way” promotion, which champions the quality of local Belgian fare such as waffles, pastries, hams and cheeses.

“It is important for us to showcase the whole of the professional food sector in Brussels, thousands of passionate people, from producers to famous chefs, who protect the excellent reputation of our capital where we live and eat so well” said Olivier Marette. “We also want to raise awareness of the use of sustainable cuisine and the quality of our local food produce by the use of regional products or ‘Slow Food’. Farmers, chefs, restaurants and hotels are all participating in the promotion of these objectives during Brusselicious 2012.”

destination

Brusselicious 2012

a tour of hotel restaurants As one of Europe’s most important meeting destinations, Brussels boasts an excellent choice of hotels with good restaurants. Following on with the theme of Brusselicious 2012, The Corporate Traveller offers a glimpse of what just some of the city’s many hotel restaurants have to offer.

In the centre of Brussels…

Hotel Amigo’s Le Bocconi Hotel Amigo, a five star property near la Grand Place, belongs to the Rocco Forte Collection of hotels. Its restaurant, Le Bocconi, is probably the European capital’s most renowned Italian dining venue. Chef Adriano Venturini, from Tuscany, joined Le Bocconi in 2010, under the guidance of double Michelin-starred Fulvio Pierangeli. Pierangeli is the chef consultant for all the Rocco Forte hotel restaurants.

“As a restaurant based in a hotel we are in a very competitive environment” says Jacques Vitu, Amigo’s General Manager. “We attract opportunities not only from the hotel guests but also the local market by proposing enticing and innovative cuisine.”

The restaurant’s style may be Italian, but it is infused with a Belgian influence. Regional products, such as grey shrimps, as well as Italian ingredients are used. Every season the menu is entirely recreated with the exception of the restaurant’s signature dishes such as tagliolini with black truffles and linguini with lobster. Le Bocconi’s sommelier proposes a selection of over 200 Italian and international wines.

½½ Le Bocconi at Hotel Amigo

Le Bocconi hosts opera dinner events on Sundays. As from this spring it will be offering cooking classes and wine events.

The Radisson Blu Royal Hotel’s Sea Grill

½½ Sea Grill

The Sea Grill restaurant, at the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel, was totally renovated in 2010. Passing through the hotel’s impressive Atrium lobby, the entrance to the Sea Grill is almost theatrical. Heavy dungeon-style gates, and a moat complete with Japanese Koi, guard the entrance. The master of ceremony is the Sea Grill’s Executive Chef Yves Mattagne, who has earned two Michelin stars. Not surprisingly, the Sea Grill specialises in seafood and the restaurant’s signature dish is its pressed lobster. The chef prepares the lobster table using a magnificent silver lobster press designed for the restaurant by famous French restaurateur Jacques le Divellec. Besides seafood, the menu features other creations such as mushroom risotto and fillet of deer with elderberries.

Le Meridien’s L’Epicierie Le Meridien, a five star hotel located near Central station, belongs to the Starwood group. The hotel’s L’Epicerie restaurant is headed up by chef Vincent Masson. Masson, who hails from Normandy, has been recognised by both the Delta d’Or and Gault Millau awards. Sharing his passion for refined and creative cuisine, and in keeping with the restaurant’s name, Masson showcases the characteristics and flavour of a different spice in each of his dishes.

“We have two main philosophies at L’Epicerie” explained Anne Rasmussen, Food & Beverage Operations Manager. “These are

to highlight the use of spices in creative cuisine and to keep ingredients local wherever possible. Promoting Belgian produce is a standard initiative for us. We have a food buyer who sources local organic farmers and we are continuing to build up the farmers’ produce we use.”

L’Epicerie is working hard to promote the quality of local produce. Once a month the restaurant hosts a special Farmer’s Brunch, featuring products from small local producers – such as farm fresh bread, fruit, jams and cheeses. In addition, the restaurant’s regular menu includes a range of ‘100% | THE CORPORATE TRAVELLER.BE

spring 2012 | 43

destination

Belge’ dishes, which have been created using Belgian-only ingredients.

Examples include seafood from the North Sea such as grey shrimps and mussels, accompanied by seasonal Belgian vegetables. The 100% Belgian meals can be easily identified on the menu by a special logo featuring a tractor.

The L’Epicerie is arranged into different dining areas, the largest of which offers 120 covers. A second, 28 seat dining area, offers spectacular views over the Place d’Espagne. Three further smaller areas, which have been designed in the style of elegant dining rooms, can be privatised for groups. ½½ Le Meridien’s L’Epicerie

Conrad Brussel’s Café Wiltcher’s Although situated on the busy Avenue Louise, the Conrad Brussel’s stylish Café Wiltcher’s offers a tranquil escape from city life. During the summer months, the hotel’s terrace extends the restaurant outdoors.

½½ Conrad Brussels Cafe Wiltcher’s

Café Wiltcher’s offers a generous hot and cold lunch buffet with a selection of international and Belgian plates. In the evening a gastronomic à la carte menu is proposed, with a range of meat, fish and vegetarian options. Organic produce features highly on both the menu and in the section of wines available.

Be Manos’ Be Lella restaurant Be Manos is a boutique five star property which belongs to the Manos group of hotels. The hotel’s Be Lella restaurant, with its captivating white and crystal designer setting, is moving to new heights. It recently gained a new Executive Chef, in the form of Nicolas Tsiknakos and was subsequently awarded the Two Fourchettes rating by the Michelin Guide.

Be Lella proposes eclectic international and mediterranean cuisine, with an accent on Slow Food. The restaurant is a popular haunt for business lunches during the week and is open every evening, except Sunday, for dinner. Private rooms are available for banquets.

½½ Be Lella restaurant at Be Manos hotel

Sofitel Brussels Le Louise – The Crystal Lounge Renovated throughout three years ago, the Sofitel Brussels Le Louise is located in the prestigious Louise neighbourhood. The elegantly decorated restaurant and lounge proposes a range of contemporary cuisine, under the guidance of head chef Tjaco van Eijken.

Van Eijken has notably worked with Alain Ducasse, in Paris. The Crystal Lounge is also reputed for its cocktails and benefits from an outside patio. »» Sofitel Brussels Le Louise - The Crystal Lounge

Relaxed dining…

Dominican Hotel’s Grand Lounge The Dominican Hotel’s Grand Lounge is an ideal place to wine, dine and relax in luxurious, but comfortable surroundings. Offering an innovative restaurant concept, the hotel has been refurbished to transform its entire ground floor into a combined lounge, bar and dining area. The hotel’s soaring ceilings infused with daylight and intimate cloisters are a modern interpretation on the former 15th century abbey which once occupied the site of the hotel.

Guests at the Grand Lounge are mix of corporate travellers and celebrities, with a loyal following of local clientele from the fashion, music and entertainment community. “We could describe our customer mix as ‘the arts meets money’, and our style as ‘design meets tradition’” says Gilles Devos, the Dominican’s Director of Sales.

The design theme of the Grand Lounge is impressive, and the Dominican is the only Belgian affiliated member of the international Design Hotel Group. One of the lounge’s unique selling 44 | THE CORPORATE TRAVELLER.BE

spring 2012 |

½½ Dominican

points is its courtyard. Protected on all four sides, and benefiting from outdoor heating systems, the courtyard is a popular destination for drinks and meals from April until October.

The Lounge’s menu, which changes every season, offers a good range of starters and main courses, including choices for veg-

etarians, as well as tapas and snacks. There are weekly menu specials, which offer a three course meal with starter, main and dessert for lunch or dinner for 26 euros. Cocktails are also a speciality of the Dominican and choices include in-house creations such as the Dominican Manhatten and the Dominican Gin Fizz.

The Royal Windsor Hotel’s Chutneys restaurant The Royal Windsor Hotel’s Chutneys restaurant has become an establishment in the local business community. The restaurant, which is been running since the hotel opened 30 years ago, takes the form of a brasserie-bar-restaurant, with a distinctly colonial look and feel.

Head chef, Olivier Van Heymbeek calls the concept of Chutneys ‘Bistronomy’. For him this means a good choice of finger food, tapas and full course meals. Chutney’s menu changes according to the seasons and features international classics, with an emphasis on local specialities. For example, those who appreciate Belgium’s most famous dish, mussels, will be delighted to find a choice of eight different variations.

½½ Royal Windsor’s Chutneys

Hotel Bloom!’s SmoodS Situated near the Botanical Gardens and the Gare du Nord, Hotel Bloom!’s SmoodS is a funky blend of living room, restaurant, kitchen and bar. It has been designed into several seating areas, known as ‘mood islands’ with themes such as Safari, Bling-Bling and Flower Power.

½½ SmoodS

SmoodS’ special Business Lunches offer diners fresh and health daily specials, with parking and WiFi offered free of charge. In the evenings SmoodS is transformed into a lively restaurant-bar-lounge complete with guest DJs.

Near the airport… ¼¼ Golden Tulip Brussels Airport’s Chez Daniel

The Golden Tulip Brussels Airport For travellers staying near Brussels Airport, the Golden Tulip Brussels Airport restaurant, Chez Daniel, proposes international classics with a twist of originality. Local and seasonal products are used wherever possible.

In 2011 the restaurant was totally renovated and restyled with a comfortable and intimate lounge setting. Service is attentive and table placements and lighting have been carefully designed to provide diners with space and privacy where they can eat and talk without being disturbed by other diners.

Crowne Plaza Brussels Airport The Crowne Plaza Brussels Airport gastronomic restaurant serves a variety of healthy and tasty dishes to be enjoyed either indoors, or on the terrace which overlooks a lake. Specialities include lobster and steak, while a buffet is available lunchtimes.

All of these and many more give Brussels a selection of good hotel restaurants which rivals those of even the largest cities.

The Corporate Traveller will be closely following five of these hotel restaurants – Hotel Bloom!’s SmoodS, the Crowne Plaza Brussels Airport Restaurant, the Sofitel Le Louise’s Crystal Lounge, the Conrad Brussels’ Café Wiltcher’s and the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel’s Sea Grill – over the next issues in 2012.

Where are we going to meet?

Antwerp

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destination

Brusselicious 2012

gastronomic delights worth leaving your hotel for Travellers to Brussels looking to discover dining options outside their hotels have a wealth of around 1800 possibilities to choose from. The Corporate Traveller explored three of the eating haunts that are enjoying favour with the city’s discerning gourmets…

Jaloa Gastronomique

J

aloa Gastronomique, located in a historic townhouse on Brussels’ quai aux Barques, was awarded its first Michelin star in January. Chef

Gaetan Colin is a rising young virtuoso on the Belgian gastronomy scene. At just 34 years old, he now runs three restaurants, as well as acting as a representative for Brussels gastronomy at international culinary events. He was voted best young chef in Europe and No 15 at the worldwide chef competition, the Golden Bocuse in Lyon.

Gaetan describes his cooking style as contemporary and creative. Although he takes influences from a diversity of cooking styles from Japanese, to molecular cuisine, he likes to keep the ingredients for each dish simple in order to respect the different flavours.

His creativity extends to the presentation of dishes, designed to appeal equally to the visual senses.

½½ Gaeton Colin, just awarded first Michelin star

“My kitchen is open for diners to see” says Gaeton. “The ingredients I buy are cooked and sold the same day. That means I can change the menu at any time. Molecular cuisine has its place but you need to respect the product and limit the accompaniments.

I decided that cooking would be my career right back from my childhood. What I enjoy most about my work is the contact with clients and making my guests happy with a little bit of magic.”

Les Brigittines Aux Marches de la Chapelle

Les Brigittines Aux Marches de la Chapelle is located in the Breughel district of Brussels, near the Palace of Justice. A temple to traditional Belgian-French cuisine, Les Brigittines has been awarded a Michelin Fourchette for the quality of its food.

Head chef Dirk Myny concocts daily menus based on seasonal, market-fresh produce, sometimes including Belgian beer amongst the ingredients.

Dirk Myny began his career as chef in Les Brigittines, the restaurant which he now owns. The attractive Art-Nouveau interior and magnificent wooden bar are the setting for a cosy and convivial atmosphere, even more agreeable when the fire is lit in the big open fireplace. A private dining room is available for groups of up to 32 people.

½½ Jaloa Gastronomique Information on more of Brussels’s dining outlets can be found on the VisitBrussels website, http://visitbrussels.be/bitc/BE_en/eat-drink/ restaurants.do

And for dessert… Chocolats Laurent Gerbaud

Laurent Gerbaud’s approach to chocolate could easily be compared to that of a sommelier’s approach to wine. Following extensive travels to Asia, he was inspired to experiment with different flavours. He sources exotic ingredients such as ginger from the Chinese province of Guilin, Calabrian bergamot and yuzu fruit from Japan.

“The ingredients I use are both savoury and sweet, but I have to have always the highest quality” says Gerbaud. “Chocolate and the products we use are noble and precious, only individual handcrafting can preserve their true character.”

Chocolats Laurent Gerber is located on rue Ravenstein. »» Chocolats Laurent Gerbaud

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Hotel BLOOM! SMOODS

Living room, Kitchen & Music

Rue Royale 250 1210 BRUSSELS T +32 2 220 66 66 Website www.smoods.net Facebook: www.facebook.com/smoods.net Email smoods@hotelbloom.com

< CHEFS VIEW

Imagine a living room that is both cozy and funky.

Comfortable and stimulating. Smoods is a unique place in Brussels, unlike any other. The décor features 7 distinctive mood islands: Passion, Safari, Bling-Bling, Library, Bazaar, Spring and Flower Power. This unique living room is all about freedom and music!

CLOSED ON > Sunday CUISINE > European cuisine SIGNATURE DISHES > Tappetizers, sharing dishes, cocktail desserts ATMOSPHERE > lounge NUMBER OF SEATS > 80 persons MENU RATES (APPR) > 45 euro BOOKING-CONTACT DETAILS > Tel: 02/220.66.66 Email: smoods@hotelbloom.com

Conrad Brussels Cafe´ Wiltcher’s

Avenue Louise 71 1050 BRUSSELS T +32 2 542 42 42 F +32 2 542 42 00 brusselsinfo@conradhotels.com www.conradbrussels.com

< CHEFS VIEW

Short presentation: Café Wiltcher’s offers International cuisine and Belgian specialities. This chic brasserie has a colorful and warm decor making it ideal for both leisure and business. Known by the locals for its spectacular Sunday brunch, Café Wiltcher’s has been a staple in Brussels for over a decade.

OPENED EVERYDAY FOR > Breakfast from 6.30am to 10.30am > Lunch from 12.00pm to 2.30pm > Dinner from 7pm to 10.30pm > Sunday brunch from 12.30pm to 3pm CUISINE > International cuisine and Belgian specialities SIGNATURE DISHES > Buffet available everyday and Sunday brunch ATMOSPHERE > Chic and contemporary designed, themed events NUMBER OF SEATS > 100 seats inside the restaurant and 60 on the covered terrace MENU RATES (APPR) > Enjoy a today’s special for €20, or delight yourself with a 3 course-menu at €65 BOOKING-CONTACT DETAILS > T +32 2 542 48 50 cafewiltchers@conradhotels.com

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Crowne Plaza Brussels Airport

The Restaurant

Leonardo Da Vincilaan 4 1831 DIEGEM T +32 2 416 33 33 F +32 2 416 33 44 E-mail cpbrusselsairport@whgeu.com Website www.crowneplaza.com/cpbrusselsarpt

< CHEFS VIEW

Definitely not a typical airport hotel!

From our restaurant great views on our landscaped gardens with a peaceful pound & ducks. Delicious food selections to sustain our guests with a variety of healthy and tasty dishes to be enjoyed in the bright restaurant or the sunny terrace.

CLOSED ON > Lunch Saturday & Sunday / Dinner Friday & Saturday CUISINE > French & International cuisine SIGNATURE DISHES > An international cuisine with special attention towards fresh and seasonal ingredients.

ATMOSPHERE > Arrive at the calm oasis of Crowne Plaza Brussels Airport, surrounded by rolling lawns and a serene lake dotted with birds and ducks, to enter the light-filled, 6-storey atrium. The elegant ambiance of The Restaurant is defined by clean lines and sleek furniture. Our lunch buffet during the business days offers a wide delicious selection of healthy and tasty dishes accompanied of a nicely grilled dish freshly prepared on the Plancha by our Chef. Variety, creativity and passion make our Chef focus on seasonal items blended into a delightful assortment of dishes on our menu.

NUMBER OF SEATS > 170 seated MENU RATES (APPR) > 39 – 45 euros BOOKING-CONTACT DETAILS > Our banqueting department is at your disposal every weekday between 8h00-17h00 at telephone number 02 416 33 00.

During the closing times and weekends please contact our reception desk at 02 416 33 33.

Sofitel Brussels Le Louise Crystal Lounge

Avenue de la Toison d´or, 40 – Gulden Vlieslaan 1050 BRUSSELS T +32 2 549 61 44 F +32 2 514 57 44 Email h1071-FB1@sofitel.com Website www.crystallounge.be

< CHEFS VIEW

The Restaurant of the Sofitel « Le Louise » is a trendy place designed with touches of luxury and refinement by the internationally renowned designer Antoine Pinto.

The lighting ambiance is amazing for the eyes whether seated in the restaurant or close to the impressive bar.

The Dutch chef Adwin Fontein takes his inspiration from France but often some Asian and Mediterranean flavors spice it up a little.

The wine menu with French and international vintages invites to travel around the world to highlight the selected dishes.

CLOSED ON > Saturday lunch, Sunday Brunch 11h30/15h00 49€ per person free for kids under 10 CUISINE > French SIGNATURE DISHES > terrine of duck foie gras / jelly of verjus and sarawak pepper, mixed herbs beef tenderloin ”rossini” style / pommes fondantes, truffled jus mellow chocolate cake / chocolate sorbet ATMOSPHERE > Lounge NUMBER OF SEATS > 60 seats MENU RATES (APPR) > 50€-90€, business lunch 2 courses 25€ BOOKING-CONTACT DETAILS > Book your table directly from the website www.crystallounge.be

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Radisson Blu Balmoral Hotel, Spa

L’Entre Terre et Mer

Avenue Leopold II, 40 4900 SPA T +32 87 79 21 41 F +32 87 79 21 51 Email info.spa@radissonblu.com Website www.radissonblu.com/balmoralhotel-spa

< CHEF LIONEL RICHARD’S VIEW

Offering one of the best regional cuisine in the area, the “Entre Terre et Mer” restaurant proposes a dynamic cooking concept out of an open kitchen and unique roaster. Enjoy the wonderful veranda with view on the forests and garden.

Besides taste one of our 80 wines from our Wine cellar.

CUISINE > Regional & Internationl Cuisine SIGNATURE DISHES > Homemade Marinated ‘Grav-Lack’s’ Salmon Scandinavian Way, Sweet Mustard Dressing Scallop, Jerusalem Artichokes, Leeks, Saps the Juice of Truffle Roasted Duck Breast, Honey Glazed Carrots,Salsify and Baby Spinach Sautéed, Ginger Juice Unstructured Lemon Tart, Ice Bergamot ATMOSPHERE > elegant and warm NUMBER OF SEATS > 100 MENU RATES (APPR) > 3 Course Menu 44€ - 4 course Menu 52€ BOOKING-CONTACT DETAILS > info.spa@radissonblu.com /T +32 87 79 21 41

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airports

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol

With Nearly 50 Million Passengers, Schiphol Once Again Europe’s Fourth Busiest Airport In 2011, 49.8 million passengers made use of Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. That is 10.2% more than the previous year, when the airport welcomed 45.2 million guests. The cargo traffic stayed about the same with 1.5 million tonnes of freight. The volume of aircraft movement in commercial transport increased by 8.8% from 386,319 to 420,245 flight movements.

T

hese preliminary traffic statistics were announced by Jos Nijhuis, President and Director of Schiphol Group at the group’s New Year’s reception. “The traffic results are

positive. In 2011, we served a record number of passengers: nearly 50 million. Thus the market share of Schiphol has grown within Europe. Last year, Schiphol was able to welcome its billionth passenger since it was built in 1916. In terms of passenger numbers, Schiphol is once again back in fourth place in Europe,” said Nijhuis.

The network was further expanded in 2011 from 301 to 313 direct destinations. “Thanks especially to KLM and Sky-Team partners, a number of important international destinations were added, such as Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Havana and Orlando. Also, the number of destinations in Europe has been augmented from 162 to 169. Our expanded network of destinations is important for the maintenance of an attractive business climate in the Netherlands.

2012 will be a challenging year, during which we expect a stabilisation of the number of passengers and a contraction of freight traffic,” explains Nijhuis.

Investing in capacity and quality

Over the longer term, Schiphol expects that the passenger counts and freight volume to increase once again. To meet those needs, Schiphol will need more capacity for its terminals and piers.

Nijhuis explains: “Schiphol has to take great steps to remain Europe’s preferred airport - for the long term as well. This means that we are investing in capacity and quality. Right now, we are putting together an investment programme in order to develop our main port even further. The exact planning will be worked out in consultation with our key stakeholders.”

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Schiphol on YouTube Schiphol now has its own channel on YouTube (www.youtube.com/schiphol). This way, video footage about the airport is being made available to an even greater audience.

Schiphol opens Cosmetic Fish Spa on Holland Boulevard At the end of 2011, the Cosmetic Fish Spa was opened at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.

Passengers can come here to get a foot treatment in which Garra Rufa fish give the feet a “peel.”

The Cosmetic Fish Spa is located on Holland Boulevard between the E- and F-Piers and is a part of Back to Life, which has been based at Schiphol since 1999.

Saskia van Amstel, Director of Back to Life, is very enthusiastic about the new concept: “At Back to Life, it’s all about feeling good and new energy. The Cosmetic Fish Spa completely fits within these concepts. And the treatment is really a fine experience. Garra Rufa Nederland is the exclusive supplier of the Garra Rufa fish from Kangal in Turkey, and devotes considerable attention to the health and quality of the fishes.”

airports

New technologies bring service and relaxation It is not easy to find your way around Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, despite the best ongoing efforts to improve signage, even for those of you who are frequent travellers. Thus, with the aim of coming to your aid, Aéroports de Paris, who manage and operate Paris CDG, are in the process of testing a geolocation app which is downloadable free for users of Android smart phones.

This app will allow you to locate what is perhaps the first music relaxation area at the disposal of passengers in terminal 2B.

Geolocation

A

éroports de Paris has developed “My Way, Aéroports de Paris”, an app that offers geolocation in the interior of the terminal buildings, with the goal of offering enhanced services to passengers. This

technology offers users the possibility of getting their bearings, within a precision range of a few metres, and of navigating their way in the 200,000 m² which are covered by this app. In the first phase, this service will cover the perimeter of terminals 2E and 2F, as well as the TGV (train) station and the Premium 2E and 2F parking zones.

For foreign passengers

The app offers 4 categories: Itineraries, Relaxation, Services and Favourites, thanks to which passengers will know their own location in the Terminal and be directed to various useful places by following an itinerary, to obtain information on the location of lounges and of services, as well as being able to save and access research in Favourites. Available in French and English, “My Way Aéroports de Paris” works for free on the “WiFi-Airport” network. This application is thus particularly adapted for foreign passengers, who for reasons of cost (3G connection in roaming mode), do not activate the Data connection on their smart phones.

Soundcorner

Thanks in particular to the Services and Relaxation categories, passengers are assured of finding the first musical relaxation space “Soundcorner” in terminal 2B of Paris CDG. This space is put at their disposal, free of charge, in partnership with Universal Music and Samsung. This music space, of around 50m², allows passengers to ensconce themselves in individual booths, fully equipped with Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablets and to just relax...into the music. These tablets offer them exclusive free access to the Soundcorner app, developed by Universal Music for the Samsung Galaxy Tab.

Free listening and video clips

A hundred or so titles are proposed for free listening and will be renewed every month. Reception stations also allow the plugging in of storage devices such as audio MP3s and so on. Thus, passengers will be able to listen to their own music, either with their own headphones or those speakers with which all booths are equipped. Video clips are broadcast on a loop on a central screen. In brief, a welcome new opportunity to relax and kill time before flying off into other skies…

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Lifestyle

Bose Lifestyle 135 and CineMate 1 SR

A new standard for soundbar solutions Last December, Bose introduced its first soundbar systems: the Lifestyle® 135 home entertainment system and the CineMate® 1 SR digital home theater speaker system. Using proprietary Bose® technologies, each system provides a new level of audio performance and placement flexibility for soundbar solutions, delivering unmistakable home theater sound from one elegant speaker array, and a new wireless Acoustimass® module.

½½ Lifestyle® 135

T

he Lifestyle® 135 system includes a media console for up to six HD sources (four HDMI inputs), an AM/FM tuner, and a dock for iPod or iPhone. The CineMate 1 SR system

attaches directly to a TV with just one cable - it’s that easy. And both feature a programmable remote that controls the system and nearly any connected source, from a Blu-ray Disc™ player to a cable box.

“Most conventional soundbars are bulky and hard-to-place, or thin but unable to deliver lifelike sound”, said Doug Lankford, Bose Director of Home Theater Product Marketing. “The new Lifestyle® 135 and CineMate 1 SR systems deliver a powerful audio experience that defies their size and elegant design, whether you’re watching a movie, playing a video game, or listening to music.”

PhaseGuide™ Technology: Immersive Sound From One Visible Speaker

The Lifestyle® 135 system and CineMate® 1 SR system represent the first Bose® speakers to feature breakthrough PhaseGuide sound radiator technology, originally used in the company’s revolutionary VideoWave® entertainment system – the industry’s first high definition television that integrates a complete home theatre sound system behind a 46” 1080p LCD display. Combined with 54 | THE CORPORATE TRAVELLER.BE

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½½ CineMate 1 SR proprietary TrueSpace® digital processing circuitry, PhaseGuide™3 technology transforms the listening experience: discrete sound can be heard in places where there are no speakers, and it comes from a single array that measures just 6,1 cm high, 93,5 cm wide and 12,4 cm deep.

The new Acoustimass® module delivers low notes with cinematic impact. Smaller than previous Bose® Acoustimass modules, its wireless link allows it to be hidden, completely out of sight.

Soundbar Setup: Horizontal, Vertical, Anywhere in the Room

Unlike conventional soundbars, the Lifestyle® 135 and CineMate 1 SR systems have true placement flexibility: they can be positioned near the TV, wherever it is, and in two orientations -- without compromising audio performance.

Bose FlexMount™ automatic placement compensation senses whether the speaker has been placed horizontally on a table, or mounted vertically on a wall. It then automatically adjusts the sound, offering owners two choices for soundbar setup with the same assurance of spacious, natural sound.

Bose® ADAPTiQ® audio calibration technology offers another performance assurance: the system

will deliver optimal sound in any room. This exclusive Bose advancement first recognizes where the system is located, and then compensates for how the acoustics of the space affect its audio quality -- customizing the sound for the room’s unique size, shape, even furnishings.

Bose Unify® Technology: Available in the Lifestyle® 135 system

½½ Lifestyle® 135

The media console included with the Lifestyle® 135 system serves as the hub for an owner’s home entertainment sources. The exclusive Bose Unify® intelligent integration system makes connecting devices to the console effectively mistake-proof.

Easy-to-follow steps are shown on the TV screen, so an owner is guided through the entire process.

The result is one seamless system, so easy to operate, an owner’s manual may never be needed.

Bose Home Entertainment-solutions

With the addition of the Lifestyle® 135-system and the CineMate® 1 SR-system, Bose now offers home entertainment-solutions with 1.1-, 2.1- and 5.1-systems. The Lifestyle® 135 home entertainment-system is available at a recommended retail price of €2.699 and the CineMate® 1 SR digital home cinema-speakersystem has a RRP of €1.499.

The Bose WB-135 Wall Mount Kit is available as a seperate accessory.

½½ CineMate 1 SR

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Lifestyle

The best quality for music and calls Sennheiser is proud to introduce the new versions of its best-selling Bluetooth速 headsets and TRAVEL series headsets. Sennheiser said farewell to cables and cable controls, and this time, they have also added the apt-X速 codec and microphones, offering music lovers better CD quality music and call experiences.

56 | THE CORPORATE TRAVELLER.BE

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T

he headsets can connect wirelessly to any apt-X® enabled device, such as new Apple computers, and selected Creative and Samsung music products, and lets you quickly switch between music and calls at just the press of a button. Sennheiser recom-

¾¾ MM 550-X Travel

mends communicating these new products with the BTD 500 USB, as it enables computers, which are not Bluetooth® or apt-X® enabled, to connect to the headsets.

MM 400-X

The new MM 400-X Stereo Bluetooth® headset gives music enthusiasts on the road better audio experiences. Featuring new apt-X® audio codec, the headsets offer CD quality music– much improved from the standard Bluetooth® quality. The headsets can connect wirelessly to any Bluetooth® and apt-X® enabled devices, such as the new Apple computers, selected Creative and Samsung music products, and lets you quickly switch between music and calls at just the press of a button. Sennheiser hi-fi technology and the invisible microphone deliver superb stereo sound and clear conversations wherever you are.

MM 450-X Travel

Silence is golden with the MM 450-X TRAVEL for multimedia mobile phones and computers. This high-end wireless Bluetooth headset is ideal for the demanding global travelers. It features CD quality audio re-production via the new apt-X® codec, Sennheiser’s NoiseGard™ 2.0 active noise cancelling system and TalkThrough one-touch interrupt and advanced Stereo Bluetooth® that delivers cablefree sound in hi-fi quality. With 90% of background noise canceled out, conversations are crystal clear you can relax with your favorite music in outstanding Sennheiser stereo sound. If you need to talk to the flight attendant, TalkThrough turns on the external microphone at the press of a button – without you having to remove the headset.

¼¼ MM 450-X Travel

MM 500-X

The MM 500-X Stereo Bluetooth® headset delivers music enthusiasts on the road superb wireless audio experiences. Featuring a super comfortable around the ear fit the MM 500-X offers CD quality music via the new apt-X® codec, which delivers higher quality Bluetooth audio. The headsets can connect wirelessly to any Bluetooth® and apt-X® enabled devices, such as new Apple computers, selected Creative and Samsung music products, and lets you quickly switch between music and calls at just the press of a button. Sennheiser hi-fi technology and an invisible microphone deliver superb stereo sound and clear conversations wherever you are.

MM 550-X Travel

Possibly one of the world’s best Bluetooth headsets, the MM 550-X TRAVEL offers music-loving travelers uninterrupted luxury with music and calls.

This high-end collapsible Bluetooth® stereo headset sports CD quality sound reproduction via the new apt-X® codec, NoiseGard™ 2.0 active noise cancelation, extra-large ear cups and new SRS WOW HD™ technology for more immersive listening.

The perfect headset for air travel, it also features TalkThrough that lets you have conversation without removing the headset – for example to speak to the flight attendant. The buttons are integrated in the ear cup, so it’s simple to control key phone functions and your music. Invisible microphone for crystal-clear conversations is a given.

BTD 500 USB dongle

With the BTD 500 USB inserted, the Bluetooth® connection on your computer is instantly converted to the apt-X® audio codec, transmitting CD quality music to your apt-X® compatible headset, such as Sennheiser’s MM 400-X, MM 450-X, MM 500-X, MM 550-X and a number of other apt-X® enabled devices in the marketplace. The BTD 500 USB also creates a Bluetooth® connection if your computer isn’t born with one. | THE CORPORATE TRAVELLER.BE

spring 2012 | 57

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