OPINION

from BTME - April 2020

Fairmont Singapore

POLE POSITION 2 4

WORDS GEMMA GREENWOOD

Mark Arnall, fitness trainer and physio to F1 World Champion drivers Mika Häkkinen and Kimi Räikkönen, says planning and routine are key to staying in good shape and maximising performance when travelling

Do you put on weight, eat in a less than healthy way and struggle to maintain your training routine while you travel? If you answered yes, you are not alone, but it doesn’t have to be that way. I have been working in F1 for 23 years as a trainer for two World Champions and whether I’m putting together a wellness package for an F1 driver or a business traveller, the approach is the same. We travel all the time and I have to make sure Kimi stays in shape, as well as maintain my own fitness levels.

With a bit of planning, an effective approach can maintain fitness levels, boost the immune system, reduce the effects of jet lag and improve levels of focus.

Everyone is different, but staying in good shape (or maintaining your

current level) while travelling requires a few general attributes – a desire/ mindset to stick to some type of routine and a plan as to how you will achieve those goals.

We prioritise immune system support to prevent getting unwell while simultaneously aiming to reduce jet lag impact. The aircraft in which you fly in and the route you take also makes a big difference.

Whenever possible, fly direct and on the newer planes – the A350 or B787 Dreamliner where possible, because higher humidity levels and lower cabin altitude help to combat jetlag. The immune system is enhanced and maintained by various protocols – nutrition is at the forefront of this. We aim to supply the body with nutrientdense food that has a positive impact while avoiding empty calories and junk that serve little nutritional purpose.

We integrate certain fasting strategies while travelling, which massively helps reduce jet lag and can also help you stay in shape.

I have two or three go-to full-body workouts that are simple and easy to do in any hotel room

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail When taking a trip, look at how many days you are away and plan what you are going to do. I know that in F1, Fridays start early and finish late, so I plan not to train on Fridays. On the days I’m not training, I focus more on what I eat.

If I’m away for five days, I’ll aim to do something on three of them. If you don’t plan your training in advance, you’ll most likely end up in the bar with your colleagues. While that might help with team building, it won’t positively impact your waistline. Our nutrition is planned around detailed blood and urine analysis. We also analyse the gut biome (the makeup of bacteria within the gut) and run complete food sensitivity tests. This gives us a very clear understanding of what is in the body, what is missing and what it needs to function at an optimal level.

Real food is always the first thing we use to address any imbalances found. The body is much better at digesting and absorbing real food than something man-made. We use supplements, but they’re very targeted.

Nutrition, plate planning and hydration If I’m training more, I eat more because my energy requirements are higher. If I’m not training so much, I eat less. On non-training days I tend to stick more to salads/vegetables plus proteins and good fats and skip most carbs. If you want to eat the ‘bad’ carbs, right after training is the best time.

Try reducing the amount of white carbs (bread, white pasta, pastries etc) you eat. This reduces blood sugar spikes and limits the amount of empty calories you’re consuming. Eat more complex carbs (sweet potatoes, quinoa etc), which provide a longer lasting supply of energy and other nutrients. Plate planning is key – look at your plate and fill half of it with vegetables. This provides a whole host of nutrients and a good deal of fibre. Then add a quality protein (fish wins for me due to its essential fatty acids, but lean grass-fed meats are also good).

I always make sure I have some of the food I need, whether I take some with me, order it in advance through the hotel concierge or pre-order it from Amazon (porridge oats, chia seeds, oat milk for example). Hydration is important, particularly in F1. Many people don’t hydrate properly, and it only requires very small changes daily. Sip water throughout the day and take hydration sachets if required.

ABOUT MARK ARNALL Mark Arnall is a world-renowned health and fitness professional with more than 20 years of experience working in Formula 1. Over the past 18 years, Mark has been a personal trainer and sports therapist to F1 driver Kimi Räikkönen and prior to that, worked with Mika Häkkinen and David Coulthard.

Mark has worked at Ferrari, McLaren and Lotus and won three World Championships with his drivers. Mark will be speaking at the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference 2020, which takes place at Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, from 21-22 September, 2020.

His session, entitled ‘Navigating nutrition when you are living out of hotels”, will see the F1 insider share his top tips on how to ensure that while your airmiles soar, your waistline doesn’t. ahic.com

Fitness on the road I book all the hotels we stay in during the F1 season and the fitness offering is a deciding factor. We mostly travel to the same countries/hotels each year, which makes the planning easier as I know what the gym and food offering are like and what I might need to take with me.

I have two or three go-to full-body workouts that are simple and easy to do in any hotel room. These require no equipment, but can be enhanced with some simple bands that I carry with me. Wherever you are going, always take a pair of trainers. You may not always feel like going for a run, but even a walk for 30 minutes gets you moving, allows you to get some fresh air and releases your mind – something is always better than nothing.

The Red Sea Airport

THE FUTURE OF TRAVEL IN THE MIDDLE EAST

WORDS: GEMMA GREENWOOD

Transport

SUSPENDED SKY PODS The #OnlyInDubai hashtag rings true when you consider the emirate’s forward-thinking plans for public transport. Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) recently signed an agreement with UK-based BeemCar Ltd to develop sky pods, a futuristic urban mobility system that operates on steel wheels moving on suspended rails. There are two Dubai Sky Pod project models: the Unibike can accommodate up to five riders, travel at 150km/hr and carry 20,000 people per hour and the Unicar can carry up to six passengers for a distance of up to 200km at a maximum speed of 150km/hr and support around 50,000 riders per hour.

AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES By 2030, 25 per cent of all trips in Dubai will be smart and driverless. That’s the goal of the Dubai Government, which has already successfully rolled out Dubai Metro, one of the largest selfdriving public transportation systems globally. The emirate is also trialling driverless buses, taxis and even the Volocopter – the world’s first unmanned air taxi (pictured).

DESIGNER AIRPORTS The Red Sea Airport will be the gateway to one of the world’s most unique resorts, Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Project, and integral to the visitor experience, according to the British architectural firm behind its concept, Foster + Partners. Its design will be inspired by the colours and textures of the desert landscape to give passengers a sense of place and to take them on a calm and luxurious journey through the terminal. Smart technology and building systems, with a focus on conserving energy, will also be a focus and reflect the modernisation of the kingdom. When completed, the airport will be able to handle one million passengers annually, but designed to feel like a small terminal with intimate and luxurious spaces. The airport aims to achieve a LEED platinum rating and will be powered by 100 per cent renewable power.

HIGH-SPEED HYPERLOOP Saudi Arabia could be the first country in the Gulf to pioneer a new hyperloop network to move people and cargo around the kingdom at speeds exceeding 1,000 km/hr. The Ministry of Transport recently signed a deal with Virgin Hyperloop One (VHO) to conduct a ground-breaking pre-feasibility study on the use of hyperloop technology in the country. The study is the first to be carried out at national level anywhere in the world and will examine viable routes, expected demand, anticipated costs and socio-economic benefits. Talks are under way to create a ‘Connected Gulf ’ network that could see journey times of under one hour between key cities. A Jeddah to Abu Dhabi trip, for example, would take just 48 minutes. The autonomous system would be 100 per cent electric, have zero direct emissions, leveraging solar panels covering the hyperloop tube, and could move close to 45 million passengers annually.

Lifestyle destinations

ULTRA-ALL-INCLUSIVE, ALL-EXCLUSIVE e ultra-all-inclusive all-exclusive resort is new to the Gulf region and it’s being championed by luxury Turkish brand Rixos Hotels, with stand-out properties now open on Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Island and Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah (pictured). ey o er a high-end experience with the room, restaurants, bars, land and water activities, beach clubs, sports, wellness treatments and professional entertainment all included in guest packages. But the best is yet to come, the Rixos brand’s largest all-inclusive resort globally will open on Egypt’s Red Sea Riviera later this year – the 1,636-room Rixos Hurghada Makadi Bay.

COMMUNITY-LED SPACES Specialist mixed-used operator Kerten Hospitality is pioneering the coworking trend in the Middle East with the launch of its workspace and lifestyle business club, Ouspace, in Saudi Arabia. Ouspace o ers tailormade o ce spaces for short- and long-term let, enabling entrepreneurs and businesses to work exibly and collaboratively. e rst project, Ouspace Madinah Road in Jeddah (pictured), is already fast becoming a community hub, bringing people together through a variety of events and experiences that tap into their social and business needs, from laughter yoga through to tech talks with industry leaders. A second Ouspace will open later this year as part of Jeddah’s exciting new City Yard complex, where it will transform what would be the traditional meetings space into a coworking environment.

T H E C H A N G I N G ROLE OF HOTELS

Hotel companies are undergoing rapid evolution, realising they have much more to o er guests than just a room for the night. Groups that have already reinvented themselves include Accor, which recently re-branded itself as an ‘augmented hospitality’ provider with a ‘Live Work Play’ ethos. This is reflected in its new lifestyle loyalty programme, ALL – Accor Live Limitless, which o ers members benefits that go beyond a hotel stay, including exclusive gastronomic, entertainment and sports experiences. Members can also earn and burn points when dining at Accor group hotel restaurants, whether they are staying there or not, as the group sets out to enrich their everyday lives.

Many other groups are adopting similar lifestyleand experience-led loyalty programmes with a digital platform to support it, but Olaf Slater, General Manager DACH & Eastern Europe at travel technology provider, Sabre Hospitality Solutions, says the next step is for hoteliers to become retailers, o ering their guests personalised o ers for lifestyle-related products and services.

“Next generation retailing solutions can help hoteliers grow their business, much like the airlines have done with ancillaries,” he says. “Armed with guest data, unique physical spaces and a local perspective, hotels are in a prime position to capitalise on retailing opportunities that deliver a highly personal experience and think outside the room.”

He believes that in future, non-room products could become a hotel’s highest revenue driver with travellers o ered “unbundled and highly personalised services” that meet their travel and lifestyle needs, creating a compelling reason to relive that experience in future.

Accommodation

LADIES-ONLY RENTALS A new Airbnb-style peer-to-peer platform aimed exclusively at women recently launched in Dubai. Golightly is an invite-only home-sharing and vacation rental club for women, which aims to help them “travel o en, stay safely and go lightly”. e private, female-only portal enables women to nd an apartment, villa or home, owned or managed by women and listed for sharing. Other locations include London, Miami, New Orleans, Hawaii, Calgary in Canada, Nicaragua, Lamu in Kenya, Cartagena in Colombia, New South Wales in Australia and more.

ECO LODGES Feynan Ecolodge is a 26-room environmentally friendly property located on the South-Western edge of the Dana Biosphere Reserve, a remote, o - the-grid area of Jordan. e property, operated by EcoHotels, a private Jordanian company dedicated to responsible eco-tourism, is completely solarpowered and is lit by candles and stars at night. It o ers guests the chance to stay in a remote part of Jordan and enjoy locally inspired experiences, from vegetarian food served by local employees, star gazing, mountain biking and sunrise and sunset hikes, to cultural activities with members of the Bedouin community. Recognised globally as an ecotourism pioneer, Feynan Ecolodgewon Gold in the ‘Reducing Carbon’ category and the overall award at the World Responsible Tourism Awards presented at World Travel Market London 2019.

TRANSFORMATIONAL LODGINGS Mysk by Shaza has jumped on the transformational travel trend and blended it with a halal-friendly accommodation to open three properties in Sharjah, all of which o er immersive, authentic and intimate experiences in extraordinary locations. King sher Retreat is located on the edge of the Kalba Conservation Reserve on Sharjah’s east coast and features 20 luxurious tents set amongst one of the region’s most diverse ecosystems of mountains, woodlands, shrubland, mangroves and unspoiled sandy beaches. Al Faya Retreat rises out of the enchanting dunes in the UNESCO-nominated World Heritage Site Mleiha and has won global awards for its ecofriendly design. It comprises three stone buildings with historical signi cance and just ve rooms with access to a salt-water pool and a one-of-a-kind hands-free spa, plus a restaurant, roo op terrace, BBQ area and library. Al Badayer Retreat is a scenic desert resort designed in the style of a traditional Arabian castle, but with the warm ambiance of an Emirati home and features 21 fully-serviced rooms, 10 luxurious tents, a health club, indoor pool, two restaurants, a business centre and meeting rooms.

L E T ’ S CRUISE

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Sustainability

Experiences

MICRO-CATIONS Defined as a leisure trip comprising less than four nights, ‘micro-cations’ are rising in popularity as travellers seek opportunities to visit more destinations in a shorter amount of time, says Nicolas Villemin, Regional Director - Middle East & North Africa, Preferred Hotels. This trend is resonating with time-poor millennial executives across the Middle East who are replacing longer, more traditional vacations with shorter getaways encompassing a diverse range of luxury and cultural experiences such as a shopping weekend in Dubai and visits to The Louvre and Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi. Oman is a microcation favourite, he says, thanks to its rich heritage, striking traditional architecture and scenic mountain backdrop. “Our member properties Atana Khasab (pictured) and Atana Musandam welcome 90 per cent of guests from Oman and UAE for short relaxing getaways and weekend breaks,” he adds.

TIME SAVERS

Recognising that today’s travellers are more-than-often time poor, Four Seasons has launched ‘Take Your Time’, a portfolio of property experiences that require no more than one day, one hour or even one minute, but help guests connect to people, places and culture. At Four Seasons Resort Dubai, guests can

craft a coconut (one minute), enjoy a hot-air balloon ride over the desert on their way to visit a Bedouin camp (one hour) or visit a desert camp to join an astronomer for a cosmic journey and then enjoy a three-course meal, shisha and chat (one day). Exceptional time-saving experiences also include a trip to the ‘Edge of the World’ – the towering sandstone escarpment in the Saudi Arabian desert (pictured) – for guests staying at Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh At Kingdom Centre. A gourmet lunch at this unique and remote spot is part of the package.

GOING LOCAL At the newly launched Andaz Dubai The Palm, the food focus is local produce, as well as the use of biodegradable and compostable packaging for take-away items, in line with the hotel’s mission to eliminate single-use plastic. The menu includes local water, honey and seafood, including oysters from Dibba Bay; organic eggs, vegetables and some fruits from local farms; olive oil from Jordan; and locally roasted and produced coffee.

TREND WATCH UNDERTOURISM

As sustainable and responsible tourism take centre stage in 2020, so does undertourism, or travel to lesser-known destinations. One&Only Resorts has responded with a collection of once-in-a-lifetime experiences in rare and undiscovered locations. In Rwanda, for example, guests at the 23-villa One&Only Nyungwe House can handpick tea leaves in the ancient Nyungwe National Park and learn how black tea is grown and dried, or stay at One&Only Gorilla’s Nest and take the rare opportunity to hike through misty forests and track mountain gorillas.