Businesstraveller.com compiles this week’s stories from the lighter side of business travel.
What’s in a name?
Virgin Atlantic has dubbed its new check-in facilities at Heathrow “Terminal 6”. In fact located in Terminal 3, the new facilities include an Upper Class wing, which aims to take passengers from limo to lounge within minutes (see online news October 19, 2007), as well as revamped economy and premium economy areas. Virgin even employed the reformed Spice Girls to open the new facility, but will it prove to be a “Wannabe” compared to BA’s T5?
Toilet technology
The Peninsula group is well known for its obsession with technology – it employs no less than 20 full-time staff to research and implement new technology in its hotels. And the toilets at the recently opened Peninsula Tokyo are no exception. Walking into the lavatory, guests are greeted with a “swoosh” as the toilet lid opens automatically. A button on the panel can also be pressed to also lift the (heated) seat, and that’s just the start of a bewildering array of options. You can choose from half or full flush, or just let the toilet flush itself and put the lid back down when you leave. There are three different water “spray” choices, all of which can be adjusted for direction and pressure, as well as a massage function, a “power deodoriser” and a hot-air dryer (not of the hand variety). Then there’s the last two buttons: “privacy please” and “emergency assistance”. Take your pick.
Mini Manhattan
Legoland California has built an eight-foot tall replica of New York’s Jumeirah Essex House – the largest ever free-standing hotel model to be made out of the building blocks. The to-scale replica weighs around 90kg, took more than 200 hours to build, and contains a total of 62,160 bricks and 1,885 Lego windows. The model will be placed in the real hotel’s redesigned lobby to celebrate its 75th anniversary, but Jumeirah says it has no intention of renting out rooms during peak demand.
Immaculate reception
Travelodge announced last week that it was offering a festive free night’s stay to couples with the names Mary and Joseph. The budget hotel chain is well known for its sales gimmicks, including in-room goldfish (see online news May 16, 2007) and “Manhattan views” from its London City airport property (see online news March 9, 2006). This promotion was particularly fitting though, as there was obviously no room at the (Premier) Inn.
Not lovin’ it
McDonald’s has introduced a time limit for customers at its drive-through restaurant at Gatwick airport. Concerned that customers and taxi drivers were using its free parking spaces to avoid paying to park elsewhere, the fast-food purveyor is threatening to hand out a penalty charge of £125 for those staying for more than 45 minutes. “Large fines with your Big Mac, sir?”
Cruise control
Costa Cruises boasts that its forthcoming Costa Pacifica and Costa Luminosa cruise ships will both be powered by six monster diesel engines, each weighing around 170,000kg. Together, the engines will be capable of producing 140 megawatts, enough for the daily electricity needs of a city with a population of 100,000 people (or in the case of the cruise ships, 6,000 guests). Makes flying look like the guilt-free option…
Mixing it up
Marriott’s Renaissance Hotels and Resorts brand is launching “cocktail culture”, a nightly service aimed at getting customers to interact at the hotel bar. Guests roll cocktail “building blocks”, including “flavour profile”, “method of preparation”, “spirits” and “barware”, to create a unique cocktail. The winning combination is named after the guest who suggested it. Caswell Cosmopolitan, anyone?
By Mark Caswell
