NORTH QUEENSLAND HOTELS AVOID DAMAGE AND RE-OPEN FOR TRADE

Cyclone Yasi spared most of North Queensland's hotels and they are preparing to re-open for trade this morning to help in the recovery effort.

Accor – the largest hotel group in the region with 12 hotels under the Pullman, Grand Mercure, Novotel, Mercure, All Seasons and Ibis brands – reported that all its hotels withstood the strong winds and rain and should be trading normally by mid-morning.

The Pullman and Novotel hotels in Cairns maintained power throughout the night which was fortunate because the hotels were full with locals who had evacuated their houses. Mercure Harbourside Cairns lost power around midnight, but is expected to be fully operational again by mid-morning.

Accor's Grand Mercure and Ibis hotels in Townsville's Palmer Street were evacuated and power was lost overnight, but no damage was sustained at either of the hotels and they are expected to be fully operational and open for business later today.

Mercure Townsville remained open, and while it lost power, will be operational once power is restored.

Other Accor hotels from Port Douglas in the far north to Airlie Beach to the south of the cyclone path reported that they had escaped undamaged.

Cyclone Yasi is expected to continue inland and its remnants are expected to hit Mt Isa in the next 24 hour hours, but Accor reported that its All Seasons hotel would remain open and trade normally.

Accor regional general manager for Queensland, Neil Scanlan, said that it was a relief that the hotels had escaped relatively unscathed.

"We feel very sorry for people whose houses have been damaged, but we look forward to helping with the reconstruction effort," he said. "Our hotels were filled with locals last night who believed their houses could be vulnerable, now the hotels will fill with emergency workers and other staff whose jobs will be to get far north Queensland back on track as quickly as possible."

Emirates Enhances its Northern European Network

Emirates is strengthening its operations in Northern Europe by adding more flights to Austria and Germany on the back of new route announcements into Switzerland and Denmark.

Four extra flights will be added to the airline's daily service to Vienna from 27th March. The additional Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday flights will be served by an Airbus A340-500, offering 12 First Class Private Suites, 42 lie-flat seats in Business Class and 204 seats in Economy.

From 1st September, Emirates' daily flight to Hamburg becomes double daily. The extra frequencies are supported by a Boeing 777-200, also in a three-class configuration.

“By providing these extra flights, we are responding to strong demand for additional capacity on the Vienna and Hamburg routes. The strengthened services will foster new business and tourism to two of our key European destinations and provide even more convenient connections to onward travel through our international hub of Dubai," said Salem Obaidalla, Emirates' Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, Europe & Russian Federation.

The airline has offered flights to Vienna, The City of Music, since 2004 and has flown to Hamburg, home of its A380 finishing work, since 2006.

Emirates has also announced two brand new routes for Europe so far this year. In Switzerland, where the airline has served Zurich for nearly 20 years, a new daily service will start to Geneva from 1st June.

On 1st August, flights will start to the Danish capital, Copenhagen, representing the airline's first passenger service into Scandinavia. Elsewhere on the network, a new flight to Basra in Iraq starts tomorrow.

Currently, the airline serves 109 destinations with a fleet of 151 aircraft, including 15 A380s.

www.emirates.com

QANTAS Cyclone Yasi Update

Qantas has suspended flights to and from Cairns and Townsville airports until Friday 4 February following the closure of both airports today in response to Tropical Cyclone Yasi.

In light of the extreme weather conditions expected in northern Queensland over the next 24 to 48 hours, Qantas will not operate flights to and from either airport today (2 February) or tomorrow (3 February).

Qantas is monitoring weather patterns in the region closely and will make further operational decisions as the circumstances require. On Tuesday 1 February, Qantas provided six additional flights from Cairns to Brisbane to assist with evacuation efforts. Extra capacity was also provided out of Townsville.

Fare waiver options are available for Qantas customers holding bookings for flights to and from airports in the affected regions. These are listed on the Major Disruptions section of qantas.com and will be reviewed regularly.

Qantas is working closely with the Queensland Government and will provide as much as assistance as possible to affected communities over the coming days.

During the recent flooding in Queensland, Qantas increased capacity for regional areas and uplifted emergency services personnel and emergency freight, as well as offering considerable fundraising assistance.

WOW Travel February | The New Travel Classics

Kiwi Collection - Hotels For People Who Care Where They Stay

WOW Travel, Kiwi Collection's digital travel and lifestyle magazine, has launched its February issue. This month, their esteemed editorial wanderers divulge their picks for today's "new classic" destinations and pursuits around the globe.

Listen up, as those with over-stamped passports dish about South Africa's Grootbos Nature Reserve, Sao Paolo's new cycling scene, and the eternal sex appeal of St. Lucia.

Learn about the exclusive Necker Island, and the shiny new Raffles Praslin Seychelles. Make sure to jot down our top five picnic spots, and dream of deep powder when reading about ski-happy Lech, Austria.

Each magazine department (Wining & Dining, Art & Style, Spa & Sport, Industry Insight, and Destinations) will explore the world of travel through a particular lens. WOW Likes highlights gifts for the man or woman with everything, including the Hermes M7 by Leica, Slate Tabletop Fireplace, and The Beluga: Emperor of the Seven Seas.

Read the entire February issue of WOW Travel here
http://www.kiwicollection.com/wow-travel

Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney Wins HSMAI Adrian Award

The Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) honours Shangri La Hotel, Sydney with the Bronze Adrian Award for website excellence for the hotel's winning entry in the annual Adrian Awards competition for www.36levelsabove.com.au. Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney won for its website design, creativity and ease of use, as well as for its performance in attracting and converting online shoppers.

The Adrian Awards is the worlds most renowned and prestigious marketing competition specifically tailored for the hospitality and travel industries and this year's event attracted over 1,000 entries from around the world. Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney received the award during the Adrian Awards Gala in New York on 31 January 2011.

"We are excited to be recognised among the elite group of Adrian Award winners this year. Our website is a primary source of business, and its success is driven by our ability to provide an engaging, intuitive user experience that reflects the style and true character of the Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney," said Joanna Keogh, the hotel's director of communications.

The award is a result of Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney's partnership with TRAVELCLICK, the premier digital agency for the global hotel industry. TRAVELCLICK worked with Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney to create a compelling, results-generating hotel website designed around the hotel's individual value proposition and the unique needs of its online shoppers.

For enquiries and reservations, please contact Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney on (61 2) 9250 6000, e-mail slsn@shangri-la.com or visit www.shangri-la.com

Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts currently owns and/or manages 70 hotels under the Shangri-La and Traders brands with a rooms inventory of over 30,000. Shangri La hotels are five-star deluxe properties featuring extensive luxury facilities and services. Shangri-La hotels are located in Australia, Canada, mainland China, Fiji, France, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Maldives, Philippines, Singapore, Sultanate of Oman, Taiwan, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates. The group has a substantial development pipeline with upcoming projects in Austria, Canada, mainland China, India, Macau, Malaysia, Philippines, Mongolia, Russia, Qatar, Sri Lanka, Turkey and United Kingdom. For more information and reservations, please contact a travel professional or access the website at www.shangri-la.com

Amtrak Cascades Launches Wi-Fi ®

Amtrak Cascades travellers will get what they have asked for when Wi-Fi service becomes available today on all Amtrak Cascades trains.

Using any laptop computer or Wi-Fi enabled device, Amtrak Cascades passengers traveling between Vancouver, B.C., and Eugene, Ore., will be able to connect to the Internet for general Web surfing and access to e-mail. The free Wi-Fi service, known as AmtrakConnectSM, will also allow passengers to access corporate networks through most standard Virtual Private Networks (VPN), turning train trips into productive work time.
"Amtrak Cascades continues to be a desirable travel option and a popular alternative to driving," said Washington State Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond. "Adding another great onboard amenity like Wi-Fi makes travel by train even more attractive."

More than 838,000 travellers rode Amtrak Cascades in 2010 setting a 16-year high for total ridership. Wi-Fi service has been the most requested amenity by Amtrak Cascades passengers and more people are traveling on the trains with their Wi-Fi enabled devices. Wi-Fi service on Amtrak Cascades trains will remain free of charge during the introductory period, after which the policy will be reviewed based on customer demand and system performance.

The Wi-Fi service, provided jointly by Amtrak and the Washington State Department of Transportation, is part of a long-term project to refurbish all the trains to like-new condition and extend their service life to approximately 2029. Completed work so far has included outfitting each set of trains with new leather seating surfaces, updating interior colour schemes and panelling, and installing new flooring. Future work will include upgrading the audio and video systems, and improving the bistro and lounge cars.

Amtrak Cascades is the second train in the Amtrak fleet to install a full-train Wi-Fi network. The Amtrak high-speed Acela Express service in the Northeast launched Wi-Fi on all 20 trains in March 2010.

Amtrak Cascades operates three daily round trips between Portland and Seattle; one daily round trip between Seattle and Vancouver, B.C., and between Portland and Vancouver, B.C.; and daily service between Eugene and Seattle, via Portland. Amtrak Cascades is operated by Amtrak in partnership with the Washington and Oregon Departments of Transportation. For Amtrak Cascades fares and schedules, visit AmtrakCascades.com

About Amtrak
As the nation's intercity passenger rail operator, Amtrak connects America in safer, greener and healthier ways. Last fiscal year (FY 2010), the railroad carried more than 28.7 million passengers, making it the best year in the company's history. With 21,000 route miles in 46 states, the District of Columbia and three Canadian provinces, Amtrak operates more than 300 trains each day—at speeds up to 150 mph (241 kph)—to more than 500 destinations. Amtrak also is the partner of choice for state-supported corridor services in 15 states and for several commuter rail agencies. Visit Amtrak.com or your local contact at momentotravel.com.au or call 1 300 300 713 for schedules, fares and more information.

Le Maitai in Bora Bora Scores Green Globe Certification for the Third Year Running

Le Maitai in Bora Bora has been awarded a Silver Green Globe in the 2011 Sustainable Tourism Operators category.

This is the third year in a row that the four-star Polynesian resort has made the grade but this is the first time the property has been granted Silver status.

Le Maitai General Manager Ms. Catherine Savatier says, "After being granted Bronze status for the past two years, we decided that with a concerted effort we could make the move to Silver. This was an intensive process that involved daily checks across all departments to meet the requirements of the Green Globe Benchmarking and Certification program. It wasn't easy but it's definitely worth it to achieve this level of globally recognised eco-accreditation."

The criteria for the accreditation includes the stringent evaluation of areas such as:
• Water and energy consumption
• Garbage management
• Environmental preservation
• Staff commitment to sustainability practises
• Communication inside the hotel and with third parties
• Participation in local and community life

For further information about Le Maitai, please visit http://www.hotelmaitai.com/

For further information about Green Globe, the premier global certification for sustainability, please visit www.greenglobecertification.com