Marriott timeshare proposal hits snag
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Plans to convert a former Marco Island hotel into timeshare properties hit a snag Friday, with the developer and the city left to start anew the approval process through the city’s political structure.
The Marco planning board and developer Marriott Vacation Club International met for more than three hours in an attempt to respond to issues raised by the board a week ago, most significantly the building’s architectural design.
But by the end of the meeting the board still had major concerns about the project, at 600 S. Collier Blvd. at the former Radisson Hotel, including the time frame for construction, which is proposed to be completed in phases by 2012.
On a 6-0 vote, the planning board agreed to continue the proposal with no set date for it to return to the board. Now the Marriott must address the issues in question with city staff before it can return to the board with its application. Ultimately, the Marco Island City Council will have the final say.
The decision sparked an exchange of words following the meeting. Marriott officials said the board was providing new guidelines, while planning board members contend that the developer needed more time to meet the same requirements in full.
“We hit all the specific issues they asked of us at the last meeting,” said Craig Woodward, a Marco Island attorney and Marriott’s local counsel. “There are some legitimate issues still here, but we needed more direction on them. We would have preferred the meeting have been continued to a date certain.”
“To say we’re disappointed is an understatement,” he added.
Board member Monte Lazarus took issue with the Marriott’s contentions that the board was imposing new restrictions.
“Don’t tell me we’re raising new issues, the issues are exactly the same,” he added. “They’re phasing, architecture, (and) pedestrian and vehicle traffic. We got new information here today. I don’t think it’s reasonable to say the planning board is at fault.”
When asked what the status of the project was, Lazarus said: “I don’t know.”
“These are people of goodwill,” he added. “We will try to resolve these issues.”
During the meeting, the board heard a lengthy presentation from the lead designer of the building, Miami architect Craig Oppenheim.
Oppenheim addressed some concern that the facade, which was planned as a solid white, was too severe. Oppenheim suggested a “Native American” design on the outside of the building facing Collier Boulevard.
The most contentious issue discussed Friday was the project’s phased construction process. Board Chairman Marv Needles believed that the project could be completed in a shorter time and expressed concern that the five-year construction would have too deleterious an impact on nearby residents.
Marriott officials want to move people into the timeshares as quickly as possible, thus devising a construction process where occupation could begin as soon as the individual four towers were finished.
Phasing is “how the timeshare business operates,” said Tom Brust, a company vice president. He noted that Marriott had built timeshares in Orlando that took 10 years and in Aruba that took 12.
The Marriott is applying for a conditional-use permit that will allow an additional 25 feet in height and 23 units in density for the project. To apply for the additional units, Marriott’s plans must include a 20-foot public beach access point adjacent to the property. The Marriott successfully petitioned the city for an amendment to the land development code so the project could move forward last August.
Marco city staff met with Marriott officials for an hour following the board meeting. City Community Development Director Steve Olmsted downplayed the rift between the planning board and the Marriott. City staff recommended approval for the project last week, but hadn’t seen the company’s updated plans before Friday’s meeting.
“We’re helping the developer best address (the board’s) concerns and come back to the planning board as soon as possible.”
Olmsted estimated that the project could be back before the board in “early to mid-May.”
The Marco planning board and developer Marriott Vacation Club International met for more than three hours in an attempt to respond to issues raised by the board a week ago, most significantly the building’s architectural design.
But by the end of the meeting the board still had major concerns about the project, at 600 S. Collier Blvd. at the former Radisson Hotel, including the time frame for construction, which is proposed to be completed in phases by 2012.
On a 6-0 vote, the planning board agreed to continue the proposal with no set date for it to return to the board. Now the Marriott must address the issues in question with city staff before it can return to the board with its application. Ultimately, the Marco Island City Council will have the final say.
The decision sparked an exchange of words following the meeting. Marriott officials said the board was providing new guidelines, while planning board members contend that the developer needed more time to meet the same requirements in full.
“We hit all the specific issues they asked of us at the last meeting,” said Craig Woodward, a Marco Island attorney and Marriott’s local counsel. “There are some legitimate issues still here, but we needed more direction on them. We would have preferred the meeting have been continued to a date certain.”
“To say we’re disappointed is an understatement,” he added.
Board member Monte Lazarus took issue with the Marriott’s contentions that the board was imposing new restrictions.
“Don’t tell me we’re raising new issues, the issues are exactly the same,” he added. “They’re phasing, architecture, (and) pedestrian and vehicle traffic. We got new information here today. I don’t think it’s reasonable to say the planning board is at fault.”
When asked what the status of the project was, Lazarus said: “I don’t know.”
“These are people of goodwill,” he added. “We will try to resolve these issues.”
During the meeting, the board heard a lengthy presentation from the lead designer of the building, Miami architect Craig Oppenheim.
Oppenheim addressed some concern that the facade, which was planned as a solid white, was too severe. Oppenheim suggested a “Native American” design on the outside of the building facing Collier Boulevard.
The most contentious issue discussed Friday was the project’s phased construction process. Board Chairman Marv Needles believed that the project could be completed in a shorter time and expressed concern that the five-year construction would have too deleterious an impact on nearby residents.
Marriott officials want to move people into the timeshares as quickly as possible, thus devising a construction process where occupation could begin as soon as the individual four towers were finished.
Phasing is “how the timeshare business operates,” said Tom Brust, a company vice president. He noted that Marriott had built timeshares in Orlando that took 10 years and in Aruba that took 12.
The Marriott is applying for a conditional-use permit that will allow an additional 25 feet in height and 23 units in density for the project. To apply for the additional units, Marriott’s plans must include a 20-foot public beach access point adjacent to the property. The Marriott successfully petitioned the city for an amendment to the land development code so the project could move forward last August.
Marco city staff met with Marriott officials for an hour following the board meeting. City Community Development Director Steve Olmsted downplayed the rift between the planning board and the Marriott. City staff recommended approval for the project last week, but hadn’t seen the company’s updated plans before Friday’s meeting.
“We’re helping the developer best address (the board’s) concerns and come back to the planning board as soon as possible.”
Olmsted estimated that the project could be back before the board in “early to mid-May.”
Timeshare Mix and Match
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Timeshare developers are becoming savvier and are finding new ways to maximize profits by including a panoply of offerings to potential buyers. Traditional timeshare unit sales are still in the mix, but more often new developments are including fractionals, hotels units and whole ownership as well.
Not only does this attract buyers from different population pools, but if the property is designed properly, unit allocations can be adjusted to different categories should the sales warrant. “This helps developers find the perfect price continuum,” said Jim Pearson Director/ Owner Aviawest Resorts, a timeshare developer out of Canada.
With the entire timeshare industry doing robust sales, developers are looking for further ways to enhance future profitability at this year’s ARDA annual conference. Conference attendees indicating they would be creating new developments agreed that mixing timeshare types is a smart way to do business. But it wasn’t always that way.
“Ten years ago it would have been considered a recipe for disaster, but things have changed a lot since those days,” said Richard Hulbert, Principal Architect with the Hulbert Group International.
One such project that is under construction and making successful use of this mixed-bag strategy is the Parkside Victoria Resort & Spa. Set to open next year in downtown Victoria, British Columbia, the project will feature 126 one and two bedroom units, 96 off which can be combined. The $75 million project is getting a portion of its financing through pre-selling fractional units. A one day sales blitz sold 125 unit quarters selling for between $100,000 and $320,000 in less than six hours. The property also offers weekly timeshares for about $15,000 and whole ownership for between $500,000 and $1 million.
According to Pearson, the project’s developer, 70 percent were sold as quarter interests while 10 percent was sold as a timeshare club product, 10 percent as whole ownership and 10 percent utilized as street level commercial real estate. He said the average selling price has been $175,000 per quarter interest. Interestingly, this project has a built in subdivision mechanism, meaning whole owners are sold four consecutive quarters. This enables an owner to sell a portion of their investment at any time, said Pearson. And at the Victoria Resort, available fractionals have been cut into sizes as small as a one-thirteenth share.
When it comes to selling various types of plans in a single development, different tactics are expectations should be utilized these experts said. According to Pearson, those that purchase whole ownership choose to spend more time examining the process and 99 percent do not buy on their first visit. Conversely, the vast majority of one week timeshare buyers make their purchase on their first tour visit.
Keith Bongirno, Principal/Partner MSA Design said a crucial element of the sales strategy of any resort should be the story the property tells. It’s essential to incorporate the natural characteristics of the location and its cultural assets into the design of the building to help connect emotionally with the potential purchaser.
“You want to create a sense of place. This is the stage for the theater where the vacation experience is performed,” said Bongirno.
Tourism expert Eulogio Bordas said times have changes and we are entering a new post information society. Dubbed the ‘dream society’, he said people are looking to be sold vacations based on immersion in an experience.
“Everyone thinks that with the mixed use resort business everything has already been invented. But I totally disagree. This sector is on the cusp of a new and more brilliant era,” said Bordas.
Bordas believes the trigger for people to purchase a vacation, or in this case a timeshare product, is emotion. People crave positive emotions that create indelible memories. And resorts at the vanguard of design clearly understand how to relate to a specific group of clientele by giving them a platform for their guests to channel who they are through the vacation experience.
He said those properties that manage the emotional and experiential aspects of their guests visits will be able to achieve pricing premiums and avoid the threat of commoditization.
Not only does this attract buyers from different population pools, but if the property is designed properly, unit allocations can be adjusted to different categories should the sales warrant. “This helps developers find the perfect price continuum,” said Jim Pearson Director/ Owner Aviawest Resorts, a timeshare developer out of Canada.
With the entire timeshare industry doing robust sales, developers are looking for further ways to enhance future profitability at this year’s ARDA annual conference. Conference attendees indicating they would be creating new developments agreed that mixing timeshare types is a smart way to do business. But it wasn’t always that way.
“Ten years ago it would have been considered a recipe for disaster, but things have changed a lot since those days,” said Richard Hulbert, Principal Architect with the Hulbert Group International.
One such project that is under construction and making successful use of this mixed-bag strategy is the Parkside Victoria Resort & Spa. Set to open next year in downtown Victoria, British Columbia, the project will feature 126 one and two bedroom units, 96 off which can be combined. The $75 million project is getting a portion of its financing through pre-selling fractional units. A one day sales blitz sold 125 unit quarters selling for between $100,000 and $320,000 in less than six hours. The property also offers weekly timeshares for about $15,000 and whole ownership for between $500,000 and $1 million.
According to Pearson, the project’s developer, 70 percent were sold as quarter interests while 10 percent was sold as a timeshare club product, 10 percent as whole ownership and 10 percent utilized as street level commercial real estate. He said the average selling price has been $175,000 per quarter interest. Interestingly, this project has a built in subdivision mechanism, meaning whole owners are sold four consecutive quarters. This enables an owner to sell a portion of their investment at any time, said Pearson. And at the Victoria Resort, available fractionals have been cut into sizes as small as a one-thirteenth share.
When it comes to selling various types of plans in a single development, different tactics are expectations should be utilized these experts said. According to Pearson, those that purchase whole ownership choose to spend more time examining the process and 99 percent do not buy on their first visit. Conversely, the vast majority of one week timeshare buyers make their purchase on their first tour visit.
Keith Bongirno, Principal/Partner MSA Design said a crucial element of the sales strategy of any resort should be the story the property tells. It’s essential to incorporate the natural characteristics of the location and its cultural assets into the design of the building to help connect emotionally with the potential purchaser.
“You want to create a sense of place. This is the stage for the theater where the vacation experience is performed,” said Bongirno.
Tourism expert Eulogio Bordas said times have changes and we are entering a new post information society. Dubbed the ‘dream society’, he said people are looking to be sold vacations based on immersion in an experience.
“Everyone thinks that with the mixed use resort business everything has already been invented. But I totally disagree. This sector is on the cusp of a new and more brilliant era,” said Bordas.
Bordas believes the trigger for people to purchase a vacation, or in this case a timeshare product, is emotion. People crave positive emotions that create indelible memories. And resorts at the vanguard of design clearly understand how to relate to a specific group of clientele by giving them a platform for their guests to channel who they are through the vacation experience.
He said those properties that manage the emotional and experiential aspects of their guests visits will be able to achieve pricing premiums and avoid the threat of commoditization.
East Ward building may become timeshare rentals
Saturday, April 28, 2007
The company that is constructing condominiums at the former East Ward Elementary school building would like them to be used as timeshare/vacation rentals.
Dan Childers of Sebring, Fla., and his company Austin Macy and Co. LLC is requesting a special exception from the McCook Planning Commission Monday night to allow the condos to be rented out as timeshares and/or a vacation rentals. The meeting begins at 5:15 p.m. at City Council Chambers at Memorial Auditorium.
Three public hearings will address this request.
One will amend current ordinances to adopt two new definitions, timeshare and vacation rental.
Another will amend a zoning ordinance that would allow the use of a timeshare or vacation rental in a residential medium density area and the third will be for a special exception to allow the timeshares/vacation rentals.
City staff has recommended approval of the special exception and proposed amendments. Currently, boarding houses, rooming houses and bed and breakfasts are allowed in residential medium density neighborhoods and staff felt there will be little to no impact with the addition of a timeshare.
According to background information submitted to the Planning Commission, construction is nearly finished on converting the former school building on the 500 block of East Fifth into seven condominiums.
During construction, meetings with the McCook Economic Development Corp. and other businessmen in McCook resulted in Austin Macy and Co. LLC developing a marketing/sales program that they believe will benefit the project.
Many of the units in the structure, now named the Rayburn Building, have been pre-sold already to individuals who would like to place their condo's in a rental program that would be managed by Austin Macy and Co. LLC.
The rentals would be used for about a week but there is no intention to have daily rentals so as to not compete with the local motel business.
Dan Childers of Sebring, Fla., and his company Austin Macy and Co. LLC is requesting a special exception from the McCook Planning Commission Monday night to allow the condos to be rented out as timeshares and/or a vacation rentals. The meeting begins at 5:15 p.m. at City Council Chambers at Memorial Auditorium.
Three public hearings will address this request.
One will amend current ordinances to adopt two new definitions, timeshare and vacation rental.
Another will amend a zoning ordinance that would allow the use of a timeshare or vacation rental in a residential medium density area and the third will be for a special exception to allow the timeshares/vacation rentals.
City staff has recommended approval of the special exception and proposed amendments. Currently, boarding houses, rooming houses and bed and breakfasts are allowed in residential medium density neighborhoods and staff felt there will be little to no impact with the addition of a timeshare.
According to background information submitted to the Planning Commission, construction is nearly finished on converting the former school building on the 500 block of East Fifth into seven condominiums.
During construction, meetings with the McCook Economic Development Corp. and other businessmen in McCook resulted in Austin Macy and Co. LLC developing a marketing/sales program that they believe will benefit the project.
Many of the units in the structure, now named the Rayburn Building, have been pre-sold already to individuals who would like to place their condo's in a rental program that would be managed by Austin Macy and Co. LLC.
The rentals would be used for about a week but there is no intention to have daily rentals so as to not compete with the local motel business.
Lm6,100 in fines over timeshare harassment
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Seven timeshare marketing companies and nine timeshare promoters (OPCs) were fined over Lm6,100 by the directorate of the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) in the recent months after they were found to have harassed tourists.
These fines were drawn from bonds and guarantees marketing companies made so that they would be able to operate. The marketing companies responsible for the sale of timeshare were requested to deposit globally over Lm83,000 as guarantee for good behaviour of their OPCs.
Last summer the Minister for Tourism and Culture issued a set of new regulations dealing with timeshare in Malta, aimed at minimising the inconvenience to tourists by OPCs.
Even though a significant drop in the number of complaints have been registered since these regulations were issued, the Ministry for Tourism and Culture said it is constantly keeping the situation under control through a series of meetings between all stakeholders concerned and through enforcement of the regulations by the Regulatory Directorate of the MTA.
The new regulations are the result of a series of intensive meetings held between representatives of the timeshare industry and officials from the Ministry of Tourism and Culture and the MTA.
The Directorate is now also employing two inspectors dedicated solely to the control of areas where timeshare is promoted. These will be continuously present in these areas to monitor OPCs’ activities and take all necessary action to eliminate inconvenience or harassment.
If, in spite of these efforts, harassment persists, the Ministry for Tourism and Culture has warned that it will have no other option but to issue new regulations barring OPCs from promoting timeshare in public areas.
The Ministry for Tourism and Culture added that it will persist in its efforts to safeguard this important tourism sector, but at the same time safeguard the tourists from undue harassment.
These fines were drawn from bonds and guarantees marketing companies made so that they would be able to operate. The marketing companies responsible for the sale of timeshare were requested to deposit globally over Lm83,000 as guarantee for good behaviour of their OPCs.
Last summer the Minister for Tourism and Culture issued a set of new regulations dealing with timeshare in Malta, aimed at minimising the inconvenience to tourists by OPCs.
Even though a significant drop in the number of complaints have been registered since these regulations were issued, the Ministry for Tourism and Culture said it is constantly keeping the situation under control through a series of meetings between all stakeholders concerned and through enforcement of the regulations by the Regulatory Directorate of the MTA.
The new regulations are the result of a series of intensive meetings held between representatives of the timeshare industry and officials from the Ministry of Tourism and Culture and the MTA.
The Directorate is now also employing two inspectors dedicated solely to the control of areas where timeshare is promoted. These will be continuously present in these areas to monitor OPCs’ activities and take all necessary action to eliminate inconvenience or harassment.
If, in spite of these efforts, harassment persists, the Ministry for Tourism and Culture has warned that it will have no other option but to issue new regulations barring OPCs from promoting timeshare in public areas.
The Ministry for Tourism and Culture added that it will persist in its efforts to safeguard this important tourism sector, but at the same time safeguard the tourists from undue harassment.
Timeshare group commends beautification projects
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Government’s beautification and upgrading projects, especially in Philipsburg, have earned the commendation of St. Maarten Timeshare Association (SMTA). Projects include the upgrading of Front and Back Streets and the new St. Maarten Festival Centre.
Association President Jules James said improving the island’s tourism product would go a long way in attracting more quality visitors to the island. “To get value out of marketing money spent abroad, we must make our island ready to receive visitors, just as we would our home before having guests over,” he said.
The association met with the Executive Council six years ago to discuss the challenges of improving the tourism product and occupancy figures. “Since then the association has recognised with satisfaction the areas that were targeted as part of the beautification vision for St. Maarten,” James said.
SMTA is pleased with the efforts of Economic Affairs and Tourism Commissioner Theo Heyliger, who spearheaded many of the beautification projects, and government for the major improvements. “The latest project, including the new roundabout with the commemoration to the salt pickers of our history, is slated to become a landmark.”
With Island Council elections at hand, SMTA calls on the winning party “to realise that the scope of work ahead is much, but together we all will be proud of the results.”
The association also calls on all St. Maarteners and residents make their homes and communities more beautiful as well.
Through donations from the timeshare tourists and its dollar-a-day programme, SMTA is funding a park for Belvedere. The association invites communities and individuals interested in beautifying their areas to submit projects for funding.
Association President Jules James said improving the island’s tourism product would go a long way in attracting more quality visitors to the island. “To get value out of marketing money spent abroad, we must make our island ready to receive visitors, just as we would our home before having guests over,” he said.
The association met with the Executive Council six years ago to discuss the challenges of improving the tourism product and occupancy figures. “Since then the association has recognised with satisfaction the areas that were targeted as part of the beautification vision for St. Maarten,” James said.
SMTA is pleased with the efforts of Economic Affairs and Tourism Commissioner Theo Heyliger, who spearheaded many of the beautification projects, and government for the major improvements. “The latest project, including the new roundabout with the commemoration to the salt pickers of our history, is slated to become a landmark.”
With Island Council elections at hand, SMTA calls on the winning party “to realise that the scope of work ahead is much, but together we all will be proud of the results.”
The association also calls on all St. Maarteners and residents make their homes and communities more beautiful as well.
Through donations from the timeshare tourists and its dollar-a-day programme, SMTA is funding a park for Belvedere. The association invites communities and individuals interested in beautifying their areas to submit projects for funding.
Company starts timeshare for pets
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Delaware company Flexpetz has introduced its Flexible Dog Ownership program in Los Angeles and San Diego.
Now, the company says, people can time-share a pooch, a small dog for a pocketbook shopping trip or a luxurious Afghan hound for an afternoon at the park.
"Our members realize that their busy work, family or travel schedules make full-time ownership unfair to a dog," said Marlena Cervantes, company president and innovator. "A Flexpetz membership enables them to become part of each Flexpetz dog's extended family."
Members can borrow the dogs for hours or days for $39.95 a month, plus a small daily fee.
Now, the company says, people can time-share a pooch, a small dog for a pocketbook shopping trip or a luxurious Afghan hound for an afternoon at the park.
"Our members realize that their busy work, family or travel schedules make full-time ownership unfair to a dog," said Marlena Cervantes, company president and innovator. "A Flexpetz membership enables them to become part of each Flexpetz dog's extended family."
Members can borrow the dogs for hours or days for $39.95 a month, plus a small daily fee.
Timeshare Company Fined For Defrauding Clients
Saturday, April 28, 2007
A Calgary timeshare company, with resorts in Canmore, has pleaded guilty to breaching provincial rules on providing refunds to customers who cancel their contracts.
Royal Club Resorts has pleaded gulity and was fined $16,500.
A Royal Club director and two directors with Chateau World Vacations have also admitted to additional wrongdoing and will pay $8500 in investigative costs.
29 consumers who were part of this investigation have recieved $221,000 in refunds.
Royal Club Resorts has pleaded gulity and was fined $16,500.
A Royal Club director and two directors with Chateau World Vacations have also admitted to additional wrongdoing and will pay $8500 in investigative costs.
29 consumers who were part of this investigation have recieved $221,000 in refunds.
FIRM ACTION AGAINST THE OPCs?
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
An article covered by the Malta Times last month has been followed up in today's issue (25th April) with the news that should set the alarm bells ringing elsewhere along tout-ridden pavements and other public areas.
Action has been taken against five timeshare promoters this year. The Maltese Tourism Minister Francis Zammit Dimech told Parliament that 5 timeshare promoters (also known as OPCs), were fined a total of Lm2,200 (£3,500)
The minister said the promoters and their employers were fined for the following infringements:
"Two fines of Lm200 (£320 approx) each for failing to properly display their ID documents;
two fines of Lm200 (£320) each for loitering in front of a shop;
a fine of Lm200 for communicating with tourists from inside a car;
a fine of Lm200 for tampering with the ID document and
a Lm1,000 (£1600) fine for aggressive behaviour with tourists.
During the same period there were 79 checks on OPCs in Bugibba and Qawra as well as other areas where timeshare is advertised".
Evidently these new regulations against inappropriate behaviour by OPCs were issued in May 2006 and up to the end of last year, Lm 5,300 (£8550) had been collected in fines from 15 different OPCs".
Quite rightly, the minister has warned of the government's threat to ban the promotion of timeshare in the streets if timeshare touts carry on pestering tourists in defiance of the regulations.
Well done to the authorities in Malta.Perhaps those "in charge" on the Costas del Crime,on Lanzarote and Tenrife and elsewhere will follow the example set by their Maltese cousins and put paid once and for all to the scourge of decent holidaymakers.
(Apparently there are posts elsewhere of "notices" displayed in Arona prohibiting such solicitations -yet a UK Travel Lawyer also documents her experience of being approached by a tout in Los Cristianos in February bearing the by now familiar scratch card.She went along for the presentation but declined to buy!)[:D]
Action has been taken against five timeshare promoters this year. The Maltese Tourism Minister Francis Zammit Dimech told Parliament that 5 timeshare promoters (also known as OPCs), were fined a total of Lm2,200 (£3,500)
The minister said the promoters and their employers were fined for the following infringements:
"Two fines of Lm200 (£320 approx) each for failing to properly display their ID documents;
two fines of Lm200 (£320) each for loitering in front of a shop;
a fine of Lm200 for communicating with tourists from inside a car;
a fine of Lm200 for tampering with the ID document and
a Lm1,000 (£1600) fine for aggressive behaviour with tourists.
During the same period there were 79 checks on OPCs in Bugibba and Qawra as well as other areas where timeshare is advertised".
Evidently these new regulations against inappropriate behaviour by OPCs were issued in May 2006 and up to the end of last year, Lm 5,300 (£8550) had been collected in fines from 15 different OPCs".
Quite rightly, the minister has warned of the government's threat to ban the promotion of timeshare in the streets if timeshare touts carry on pestering tourists in defiance of the regulations.
Well done to the authorities in Malta.Perhaps those "in charge" on the Costas del Crime,on Lanzarote and Tenrife and elsewhere will follow the example set by their Maltese cousins and put paid once and for all to the scourge of decent holidaymakers.
(Apparently there are posts elsewhere of "notices" displayed in Arona prohibiting such solicitations -yet a UK Travel Lawyer also documents her experience of being approached by a tout in Los Cristianos in February bearing the by now familiar scratch card.She went along for the presentation but declined to buy!)[:D]
Virgin eyes new transatlantic routes
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Virgin Atlantic will consider launching transatlantic services from Paris and Frankfurt following approval of the open-skies agreement by the European Union and US.
The carrier will face competition on routes from Heathrow to the US when routes are liberalised in April 2008.
But Virgin Atlantic sales general manager Paul Wait said: "This is an opportunity for us. We will be looking at Paris and Frankfurt."
Paris Charles de Gaulle and Frankfurt each offer half as many transatlantic services as Heathrow and slots at the airports would be available.
"We have passengers from France and Germany who come to Heathrow to fly with us. We'll look at New York from these airports, but other US destinations are on the radar," Wait added.
He dismissed claims that greater competition at Heathrow will lead to lower fares to the US. "There is already significant competition," said Wait. "Rates across the Atlantic are the lowest they have ever been.
"If you want cheaper travel, the Government will have to reduce Air Passenger Duty, BAA will have to reduce its charges and the oil companies will have to cut the price of oil."
He also questioned how easily other carriers could start US services from Heathrow.
"There are very few slots available, and the number of carriers flying to New York from Heathrow will depend on access to them," said Wait. "Those who have slots need to decide whether they are capable of using them. Have they got the aircraft?"
Wait said Virgin opposed the deal in its current form because "it was an opportunity to open the US market and that has not happened".
Toby Joseph, sales vice-president of Eos, which flies Stansted-New York, also questioned whether carriers would flock to Heathrow.
He said: "A year ago we would have been very interested in Heathrow. However, given what we have at Stansted now, we will think about whether to move."
The carrier will face competition on routes from Heathrow to the US when routes are liberalised in April 2008.
But Virgin Atlantic sales general manager Paul Wait said: "This is an opportunity for us. We will be looking at Paris and Frankfurt."
Paris Charles de Gaulle and Frankfurt each offer half as many transatlantic services as Heathrow and slots at the airports would be available.
"We have passengers from France and Germany who come to Heathrow to fly with us. We'll look at New York from these airports, but other US destinations are on the radar," Wait added.
He dismissed claims that greater competition at Heathrow will lead to lower fares to the US. "There is already significant competition," said Wait. "Rates across the Atlantic are the lowest they have ever been.
"If you want cheaper travel, the Government will have to reduce Air Passenger Duty, BAA will have to reduce its charges and the oil companies will have to cut the price of oil."
He also questioned how easily other carriers could start US services from Heathrow.
"There are very few slots available, and the number of carriers flying to New York from Heathrow will depend on access to them," said Wait. "Those who have slots need to decide whether they are capable of using them. Have they got the aircraft?"
Wait said Virgin opposed the deal in its current form because "it was an opportunity to open the US market and that has not happened".
Toby Joseph, sales vice-president of Eos, which flies Stansted-New York, also questioned whether carriers would flock to Heathrow.
He said: "A year ago we would have been very interested in Heathrow. However, given what we have at Stansted now, we will think about whether to move."
Travel agents in £500m money laundering scam
Saturday, April 21, 2007
A travel agency is continuing to trade after its former owner became the last of 11 people to be jailed for a £500 million money laundering scam.
Bradford Travel Centre boss Shahid Nazir Bhatti was jailed for three years this week after admitting conspiracy to launder proceeds of criminal conduct at Leeds Crown Court. Prosecutors believe more than £42 million was laundered between 1999 and 2001 at the agency.
Revenue and Customs officers uncovered the money laundering ring, centred on the financial activities of three independent agencies, in 2001.
Bhatti is no longer involved in Bradford Travel Centre. The family-run business, which holds an ATOL, is now run by Bhatti’s brother Sohail Bhatti.
The Civil Aviation Authority monitored its ATOL during the investigation. A spokesman said: “The agency was a legitimate business, if [Shahid Nazir Bhatti] was found to be to a director and ATOL holder, that would have had serious implications.”
Also involved were Watan Travel, in Bradford and Birmingham, and Halifax-based Ramzan Travel, both ticketing agencies for Pakistan International Airlines. Both had operated as “bona-fide agencies”, said Revenue and Customs, but are no longer trading.
Using the south Asian Hawala banking system, whereby money can be transferred abroad, the agencies bypassed money laundering regulations and processed millions of pounds of criminally obtained cash into the legitimate banking system.
From 1997 to 2001, couriers collected huge sums of money from UK drug traffickers and dealers and delivered them to premises in Leeds for counting and sorting. HM Revenue and Customs head of investigation for Yorkshire, David Odd, said: “‘Dirty cash’ was being ferried up the M1 daily.
The money was deposited into business and personal accounts at banking outlets, converted into foreign currencies, then transferred to accounts in the US, United Arab Emirates and Europe.”
Bradford Travel Centre boss Shahid Nazir Bhatti was jailed for three years this week after admitting conspiracy to launder proceeds of criminal conduct at Leeds Crown Court. Prosecutors believe more than £42 million was laundered between 1999 and 2001 at the agency.
Revenue and Customs officers uncovered the money laundering ring, centred on the financial activities of three independent agencies, in 2001.
Bhatti is no longer involved in Bradford Travel Centre. The family-run business, which holds an ATOL, is now run by Bhatti’s brother Sohail Bhatti.
The Civil Aviation Authority monitored its ATOL during the investigation. A spokesman said: “The agency was a legitimate business, if [Shahid Nazir Bhatti] was found to be to a director and ATOL holder, that would have had serious implications.”
Also involved were Watan Travel, in Bradford and Birmingham, and Halifax-based Ramzan Travel, both ticketing agencies for Pakistan International Airlines. Both had operated as “bona-fide agencies”, said Revenue and Customs, but are no longer trading.
Using the south Asian Hawala banking system, whereby money can be transferred abroad, the agencies bypassed money laundering regulations and processed millions of pounds of criminally obtained cash into the legitimate banking system.
From 1997 to 2001, couriers collected huge sums of money from UK drug traffickers and dealers and delivered them to premises in Leeds for counting and sorting. HM Revenue and Customs head of investigation for Yorkshire, David Odd, said: “‘Dirty cash’ was being ferried up the M1 daily.
The money was deposited into business and personal accounts at banking outlets, converted into foreign currencies, then transferred to accounts in the US, United Arab Emirates and Europe.”
Budget Gatwick-New York flights
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Budget long-haul carrier Zoom fired the first salvo in a transatlantic price war last week, announcing the launch of Gatwick-New York flights for £129 one-way in June.
Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary followed this by revealing the Irish airline plans a start-up carrier to offer one-way fares between Europe and the US from £7.
That development could be three or more years away.
O'Leary had previously ruled out any attempt to set up a no-frills long-haul airline, but said the open-skies deal between the US and Europe, that will come into force next March, would allow the use of Ryanair's existing airport network around Europe.
Analysts pointed out the revelation, in an interview with Travel Weekly sister publication Flight International, was timed to coincide with a European Commission ruling on Ryanair's bid for Irish carrier Aer Lingus, which already operates transatlantic services.
However, the suggestion is being taken seriously, although analysts also questioned whether the carrier couldacquire the 40 to 50 long-haul aircraft O'Leary said it would need.
The headline-grabbing one-way fare of £7 does not include taxes and charges that would add about £130 to the cheapest return fare. O'Leary forecast making £30 per passenger each way on food and entertainment taking even the lowest fares well above £200 return. The twin announcements will nonetheless put pressure on established carriers such as British Airways.
Open skies will allow BMI and others to begin services next year, exerting pressure to cut the business-class fares that currently subsidise some economy prices.
At the same time, economy fare levels will be under pressure from new entrants.
Zoom will offer services five times a week between Gatwick and New York JFK from June 21.
The carrier currently operates from Gatwick, Manchester, Glasgow, Cardiff and Belfast to destinations in Canada.
In addition to the New York route, Zoom has unveiled plans to operate a twice-weekly flight from Gatwick to Bermuda, operating on Mondays and Fridays from June 8 and then on Wednesdays and Sundays from June 23. One-way fares start at $249 inclusive of taxes and charges.
Connecting Bermuda-New York services are promised at a later date to cater for UK clients wanting a stopover.
Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary followed this by revealing the Irish airline plans a start-up carrier to offer one-way fares between Europe and the US from £7.
That development could be three or more years away.
O'Leary had previously ruled out any attempt to set up a no-frills long-haul airline, but said the open-skies deal between the US and Europe, that will come into force next March, would allow the use of Ryanair's existing airport network around Europe.
Analysts pointed out the revelation, in an interview with Travel Weekly sister publication Flight International, was timed to coincide with a European Commission ruling on Ryanair's bid for Irish carrier Aer Lingus, which already operates transatlantic services.
However, the suggestion is being taken seriously, although analysts also questioned whether the carrier couldacquire the 40 to 50 long-haul aircraft O'Leary said it would need.
The headline-grabbing one-way fare of £7 does not include taxes and charges that would add about £130 to the cheapest return fare. O'Leary forecast making £30 per passenger each way on food and entertainment taking even the lowest fares well above £200 return. The twin announcements will nonetheless put pressure on established carriers such as British Airways.
Open skies will allow BMI and others to begin services next year, exerting pressure to cut the business-class fares that currently subsidise some economy prices.
At the same time, economy fare levels will be under pressure from new entrants.
Zoom will offer services five times a week between Gatwick and New York JFK from June 21.
The carrier currently operates from Gatwick, Manchester, Glasgow, Cardiff and Belfast to destinations in Canada.
In addition to the New York route, Zoom has unveiled plans to operate a twice-weekly flight from Gatwick to Bermuda, operating on Mondays and Fridays from June 8 and then on Wednesdays and Sundays from June 23. One-way fares start at $249 inclusive of taxes and charges.
Connecting Bermuda-New York services are promised at a later date to cater for UK clients wanting a stopover.
If you suspect fraud, speak up
Saturday, April 21, 2007
This week travel agencies have been thrust into the headlines with the news of a huge money laundering operation in Bradford, Birmingham and Halifax, which has seen 11 people convicted. The sums of money involved are out of this world, with more than £500 million of cash being laundered.
The deceit was on a huge scale. Criminal gangs were involved, laundering funds from smuggling and drugs-related activities, and clearly this was a well organised operation.
What this case proves is financial crime on the grandest scale can go on undetected within the travel trade. What's astonishing is that on the surface no one would be any the wiser that this criminal activity was taking place. Those involved ran regular looking high-street agencies and their websites looked very professional.
And herein lies the biggest challenge for the industry: detection.
Everyone in the trade has a duty to be vigilant and to speak up if anything looks even slightly untoward. Without the eyes and ears of travel professionals to help the authorities, fraud will continue to be perpetrated, casting a shadow over the industry.
A concerted effort by HM Revenue and Customs has proved successful in this case, but the fact remains that gangs will go to extreme lengths to cover their tracks.
The Travel Weekly Stamp out Fraud campaign has become more relevant than ever and it is incumbent on all those in the travel industry to play their part in beating the villains. When we kicked off the campaign we suggested fraud perpetrated by companies costs the industry £6 million a year. Clearly, that figure is just the tip of the iceberg.
The deceit was on a huge scale. Criminal gangs were involved, laundering funds from smuggling and drugs-related activities, and clearly this was a well organised operation.
What this case proves is financial crime on the grandest scale can go on undetected within the travel trade. What's astonishing is that on the surface no one would be any the wiser that this criminal activity was taking place. Those involved ran regular looking high-street agencies and their websites looked very professional.
And herein lies the biggest challenge for the industry: detection.
Everyone in the trade has a duty to be vigilant and to speak up if anything looks even slightly untoward. Without the eyes and ears of travel professionals to help the authorities, fraud will continue to be perpetrated, casting a shadow over the industry.
A concerted effort by HM Revenue and Customs has proved successful in this case, but the fact remains that gangs will go to extreme lengths to cover their tracks.
The Travel Weekly Stamp out Fraud campaign has become more relevant than ever and it is incumbent on all those in the travel industry to play their part in beating the villains. When we kicked off the campaign we suggested fraud perpetrated by companies costs the industry £6 million a year. Clearly, that figure is just the tip of the iceberg.
Marriott profit rises, but outlook disappoints
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Marriott International Inc. , the top U.S. hotel operator, said on Thursday quarterly profit nearly tripled, helped by higher room rates, but the company lowered its outlook for full-year room revenue and shares fell 5.7 percent.
Marriott, which mostly manages hotels rather than owning them, slightly raised its profit forecast for the year, but said North American revenue per available room (revpar) -- a key measure of health in the industry -- would increase by 6 percent to 8 percent, down from its previous forecast for growth 7 percent to 9 percent.
First quarter net income increased to $182 million, or 44 cents per share, from $61 million, or 14 cents per share, a year earlier.
Net income in the year-ago quarter was reduced by 25 cents per share due to losses caused by a change in the way it accounts for timeshare deals.
The company, which operates hotels under brands such as Marriott, Ritz-Carlton and Fairfield Inn, reported adjusted earnings from continuing operations of 40 cents per share, beating Wall Street analysts' forecast of 38 cents per share, according to Reuters Estimates.
Adjusted earnings exclude the impact of Marriott's synthetic fuel business.
"As the first major hotel company to report, Marriott's results may serve as a wake-up call that trends on the top-line are deteriorating," Goldman Sachs analyst Steven Kent said in a research note.
Marriott said revenue rose 7 percent to $2.9 billion, helped by higher management and franchise fees. Analysts had expected $2.75 billion.
Revenue per available room rose 6.6 percent at the company's comparable properties worldwide and 5.2 percent in North America, driven by an increase in rates.
Marriott expects revpar to increase 7 percent to 9 percent at comparable hotels worldwide in 2007 and it expects a gain toward the lower end of the 6 percent to 8 percent range in second-quarter North American revpar.
It forecast earnings per share, excluding its synthetic fuel operations, for the second quarter of 51 cents to 55 cents, compared with analysts' average forecast of 49 cents.
For the full year, Marriott forecast earnings per share on the same basis of $1.84 to $1.94, up 2 cents from its earlier outlook. Analysts expect it to post a profit of $1.90.
The forecast comes at a time when growth is slowing in limited-service hotels and secondary markets in the United States, leading some investors to worry the lodging industry's multiyear boom might be losing steam.
Hotel operators such as Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. and Hilton Hotels Corp. , which have a disproportionate exposure to urban markets, will probably post stronger revpar growth numbers, Susquehanna Financial Group analyst Robert LaFleur said.
"I don't think we are going to see any material decrease in the outlook for the lodging industry," LaFleur said.
Shares of Marriott were down $2.94, or 5.7 percent, to $48.93 early on the New York Stock Exchange.
Marriott, which mostly manages hotels rather than owning them, slightly raised its profit forecast for the year, but said North American revenue per available room (revpar) -- a key measure of health in the industry -- would increase by 6 percent to 8 percent, down from its previous forecast for growth 7 percent to 9 percent.
First quarter net income increased to $182 million, or 44 cents per share, from $61 million, or 14 cents per share, a year earlier.
Net income in the year-ago quarter was reduced by 25 cents per share due to losses caused by a change in the way it accounts for timeshare deals.
The company, which operates hotels under brands such as Marriott, Ritz-Carlton and Fairfield Inn, reported adjusted earnings from continuing operations of 40 cents per share, beating Wall Street analysts' forecast of 38 cents per share, according to Reuters Estimates.
Adjusted earnings exclude the impact of Marriott's synthetic fuel business.
"As the first major hotel company to report, Marriott's results may serve as a wake-up call that trends on the top-line are deteriorating," Goldman Sachs analyst Steven Kent said in a research note.
Marriott said revenue rose 7 percent to $2.9 billion, helped by higher management and franchise fees. Analysts had expected $2.75 billion.
Revenue per available room rose 6.6 percent at the company's comparable properties worldwide and 5.2 percent in North America, driven by an increase in rates.
Marriott expects revpar to increase 7 percent to 9 percent at comparable hotels worldwide in 2007 and it expects a gain toward the lower end of the 6 percent to 8 percent range in second-quarter North American revpar.
It forecast earnings per share, excluding its synthetic fuel operations, for the second quarter of 51 cents to 55 cents, compared with analysts' average forecast of 49 cents.
For the full year, Marriott forecast earnings per share on the same basis of $1.84 to $1.94, up 2 cents from its earlier outlook. Analysts expect it to post a profit of $1.90.
The forecast comes at a time when growth is slowing in limited-service hotels and secondary markets in the United States, leading some investors to worry the lodging industry's multiyear boom might be losing steam.
Hotel operators such as Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. and Hilton Hotels Corp. , which have a disproportionate exposure to urban markets, will probably post stronger revpar growth numbers, Susquehanna Financial Group analyst Robert LaFleur said.
"I don't think we are going to see any material decrease in the outlook for the lodging industry," LaFleur said.
Shares of Marriott were down $2.94, or 5.7 percent, to $48.93 early on the New York Stock Exchange.
Timeshare group commends beautification project
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Government’s beautification and upgrading projects, especially in Philipsburg, have earned the commendation of St. Maarten Timeshare Association (SMTA). Projects include the upgrading of Front and Back Streets and the new St. Maarten Festival Centre.
Association President Jules James said improving the island’s tourism product would go a long way in attracting more quality visitors to the island. “To get value out of marketing money spent abroad, we must make our island ready to receive visitors, just as we would our home before having guests over,” he said.
The association met with the Executive Council six years ago to discuss the challenges of improving the tourism product and occupancy figures. “Since then the association has recognised with satisfaction the areas that were targeted as part of the beautification vision for St. Maarten,” James said.
SMTA is pleased with the efforts of Economic Affairs and Tourism Commissioner Theo Heyliger, who spearheaded many of the beautification projects, and government for the major improvements. “The latest project, including the new roundabout with the commemoration to the salt pickers of our history, is slated to become a landmark.”
With Island Council elections at hand, SMTA calls on the winning party “to realise that the scope of work ahead is much, but together we all will be proud of the results.”
The association also calls on all St. Maarteners and residents make their homes and communities more beautiful as well.
Through donations from the timeshare tourists and its dollar-a-day programme, SMTA is funding a park for Belvedere. The association invites communities and individuals interested in beautifying their areas to submit projects for funding.
Association President Jules James said improving the island’s tourism product would go a long way in attracting more quality visitors to the island. “To get value out of marketing money spent abroad, we must make our island ready to receive visitors, just as we would our home before having guests over,” he said.
The association met with the Executive Council six years ago to discuss the challenges of improving the tourism product and occupancy figures. “Since then the association has recognised with satisfaction the areas that were targeted as part of the beautification vision for St. Maarten,” James said.
SMTA is pleased with the efforts of Economic Affairs and Tourism Commissioner Theo Heyliger, who spearheaded many of the beautification projects, and government for the major improvements. “The latest project, including the new roundabout with the commemoration to the salt pickers of our history, is slated to become a landmark.”
With Island Council elections at hand, SMTA calls on the winning party “to realise that the scope of work ahead is much, but together we all will be proud of the results.”
The association also calls on all St. Maarteners and residents make their homes and communities more beautiful as well.
Through donations from the timeshare tourists and its dollar-a-day programme, SMTA is funding a park for Belvedere. The association invites communities and individuals interested in beautifying their areas to submit projects for funding.
Four Seasons opens golf club in Dubai
Saturday, April 21, 2007
THE Four Seasons Golf Club Dubai is now open. Located within Dubai Festival City, adjacent to the banks of Dubai’s historic creek and five minutes from Dubai International Airport, it is the 11th in Four Seasons’ international golf portfolio and its first golf offering in the Middle East.
F&B facilities include Italian restaurant Quattro; the multi-cultural contemporary Blades; Spikes, a casual restaurant; and the Tee Lounge with pastries and light beverages.
The green fee on weekdays is Dh625 ($170) per player, rising to Dh665 on weekends.
F&B facilities include Italian restaurant Quattro; the multi-cultural contemporary Blades; Spikes, a casual restaurant; and the Tee Lounge with pastries and light beverages.
The green fee on weekdays is Dh625 ($170) per player, rising to Dh665 on weekends.
Now they want us to fly backwards
Monday, April 16, 2007
Forget "cattle class": passengers in economy could soon be flying sardine class. An aircraft seating firm has come up with a concept to seat travellers alternately facing forwards and backwards, and says airlines could squeeze in another 8 per cent seats - while offering extra comfort.
The Premium Aircraft Interiors Group (Paig), as its name suggests, usually focuses on first- and business-class seats. But it has set up a partnership with a group of 10 airlines to study ways to improve conditions in economy class while boosting ticket revenue.
At present, the number of seats that can be squeezed into each row is limited by the width of passengers' shoulders. By making alternate seats backward-facing, this constraint is eased: shoulders can, in effect, overlap, and an extra seat can be fitted to each row on a wide-bodied aircraft. On a Boeing 777, for example, each row can have 10 seats rather than the usual nine. The company says an extra 21 seats can be fitted to a typical configuration of 261 seats.
Two other options have been floated. The same number of seats could occupy a smaller space, allowing airlines to expand business-class cabins. Or, by sacrificing just one economy seat, airlines could provide passengers with an extra four inches of legroom. The experience of American Airlines, though, suggests the latter is an unlikely policy: the world's biggest carrier famously removed several rows of seats to provide extra space in economy, but soon reversed the move to try to make more money.
Even with more than 20 extra people on each flight, passengers will benefit as well as airlines, says Paig. Each traveller should gain two inches of legroom as well as a sense of more space and privacy. Armrests will still be shared, but competition between elbows for the so-called "sweet spot" should diminish.
The four seats in the centre of each row could be arranged so that the outside passengers face aft and the two inner travellers face forward. This is seen as ideal for families, so that parents can keep an eye on their children (up to a maximum of two).
For solo travellers, a key benefit is that laptop users need no longer worry about adjacent passengers reading sensitive data.
Airline industry opinions vary about how readily economy passengers will accept rear-facing seats. In British Airways' Club World cabin, a substantial number of passengers face backwards and resistance has been low. Some airlines have tried the idea in economy class, but Southwest - the world's most successful airline - has removed its rearward-facing seats.
Another aircraft seat company, Design Q, has just launched new seats that allow short-haul airlines to reduce the space between rows without passengers noticing the difference. The "Close Couple" seat is claimed to improve comfort while reducing typical seat pitch from 31 to 28 inches.
Finnair is fitting slimline seats to its narrow-bodied Airbus fleet that will enable 15 more passengers to be carried. The airline says the seats offer the same degree of comfort while allowing aircraft to fly more efficiently.
The Premium Aircraft Interiors Group (Paig), as its name suggests, usually focuses on first- and business-class seats. But it has set up a partnership with a group of 10 airlines to study ways to improve conditions in economy class while boosting ticket revenue.
At present, the number of seats that can be squeezed into each row is limited by the width of passengers' shoulders. By making alternate seats backward-facing, this constraint is eased: shoulders can, in effect, overlap, and an extra seat can be fitted to each row on a wide-bodied aircraft. On a Boeing 777, for example, each row can have 10 seats rather than the usual nine. The company says an extra 21 seats can be fitted to a typical configuration of 261 seats.
Two other options have been floated. The same number of seats could occupy a smaller space, allowing airlines to expand business-class cabins. Or, by sacrificing just one economy seat, airlines could provide passengers with an extra four inches of legroom. The experience of American Airlines, though, suggests the latter is an unlikely policy: the world's biggest carrier famously removed several rows of seats to provide extra space in economy, but soon reversed the move to try to make more money.
Even with more than 20 extra people on each flight, passengers will benefit as well as airlines, says Paig. Each traveller should gain two inches of legroom as well as a sense of more space and privacy. Armrests will still be shared, but competition between elbows for the so-called "sweet spot" should diminish.
The four seats in the centre of each row could be arranged so that the outside passengers face aft and the two inner travellers face forward. This is seen as ideal for families, so that parents can keep an eye on their children (up to a maximum of two).
For solo travellers, a key benefit is that laptop users need no longer worry about adjacent passengers reading sensitive data.
Airline industry opinions vary about how readily economy passengers will accept rear-facing seats. In British Airways' Club World cabin, a substantial number of passengers face backwards and resistance has been low. Some airlines have tried the idea in economy class, but Southwest - the world's most successful airline - has removed its rearward-facing seats.
Another aircraft seat company, Design Q, has just launched new seats that allow short-haul airlines to reduce the space between rows without passengers noticing the difference. The "Close Couple" seat is claimed to improve comfort while reducing typical seat pitch from 31 to 28 inches.
Finnair is fitting slimline seats to its narrow-bodied Airbus fleet that will enable 15 more passengers to be carried. The airline says the seats offer the same degree of comfort while allowing aircraft to fly more efficiently.
Under Water Restaurant
Thursday, April 12, 2007
I wonder how many of us will be tempted by this experience? The wow factor is a 10/10.
http://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/154000437/4022883.search?query=ithaa+and+restaurant+and+hilton
http://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/154000437/4022883.search?query=ithaa+and+restaurant+and+hilton
Developer keeps history at River Walk condo
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Architect Larry Raba likes to keep an eye on the downtown property that he envisions as the jewel of his career.
His family-run companies leased offices on the seventh floor of an adjacent building so employees and clients could overlook the site of their main project — Piazza San Lorenzo.
Raba, who heads up Raba Design Group and RTK Development Inc., can talk all day about the mixed-use project, which involves restoring, renovating and demolishing old buildings to create luxury condos as well as shops, restaurants, offices and what the company describes as the "west entrance to the River Walk."
But before he gets down to sticks and bricks, the third-generation San Antonio native talks about the site's history.
It currently has five buildings: the Book Building, three Clegg Co. buildings and one Solo Serve Corp. building. Raba acquired them two years ago for $10 million.
The buildings are on the site that used to be the Veramendi Palace, which was home to Texas and Coahuila governor Juan Martín de Veramendi. It was here that Jim Bowie married a wealthy merchant's daughter in 1831 and where Texas revolutionary Ben Milam dropped dead from a sniper's bullet in 1835.
The palace was demolished in 1910.
The doors of the palace are on display at the Alamo. But on Soledad, "there are no physical remnants," Raba said.
So Piazza San Lorenzo will include Veramendi Court, with artwork to commemorate the Veramendi family and the Texas Revolution.
Raba and his staff drew from designer Robert H. H. Hugman's original plans for the River Walk. Hugman had envisioned a street-level retail complex centering on a maze of tranquil courtyards.
His original plans were never put in place, and flooding issues prevented development of the river level on that portion of the River Walk — near Mexican Manhattan restaurant — until a flood-control tunnel was built about 10 years ago.
Now Raba would like to create Hugman's complex idea on the river.
"We're basically doing the same thing, but at river level," Raba said. "The concept goes back to 1929."
A wall made in the 1950s from stone rubble collected from buildings demolished on the site will be re-used as sections of the project's façade.
"We're not going to clean them. We want to preserve all that patina," Raba said. "We want it to look like it's been there for 100 years."
The company is negotiating with banks now for constructions loans and expects to close on one soon. If construction starts in August as planned, the project will be completed in the fall of 2009.
The plan calls for demolishing the old Solo Serve building and most of the Clegg buildings — two of the Clegg's Soledad-facing facades will be restored. The Book Building at 140 E. Houston will get an exterior restoration and interior renovation — it will become a street-level restaurant space with offices above.
In all, the complex will include three restaurants, 28 for-sale condos and 41 upscale timeshare units, which the company calls a private residence club.
All that will center on the 16,000-square-foot courtyard — the Piazza San Lorenzo — with steps leading to the River Walk. The courtyard, with its illuminated obelisk of Mexican onyx, will stay open to the public until 11 p.m., and it will be available two days a month for public events such as charity fundraisers.
The development's buildings will range from two stories to 11 stories.
Prices for the full-ownership condos start at $630,000 for a two-bedroom, one-and-a-half bathroom unit comprising 1,375 square feet with a 287-square-foot terrace. The high end starts at more than $2 million for three bedrooms and three and a half baths. And at $7.1 million, the three-story penthouse could be one of the city's most expensive residences ever, with 6,700 square feet of living space and a 1,400-square-foot terrace.
Raba expects the project to cost $80 million to build, though, which means that even with such hefty price tags for the condos, the funding still would fall short.
So Raba came up with the idea of selling 10 percent shares to 41 "residence club" condos, or timeshares.
The residence club units start at $152,500 for two bedrooms and top out at $294,000 for a four-bedroom. Buyers also pay annual assessments of $6,500, $7,500 and $9,000, depending on the unit, which pay for property taxes, insurance, maintenance, housekeeping and other services.
All together, the company could sell 410 shares.
Buyers of the timeshares could use the property every day of the year, subject to availability. But they can book up to two weeks solid every six months.
Raba expects that at least 40 percent of the residence club buyers will come from Mexico, but they've had calls from Sacramento to Singapore.
They're wealthy buyers who want a vacation home but don't want the hassle of caring for it, Raba said.
Perks included in the timeshare fees — and available a la carte for full-time residents — run the gamut from valet parking, an onsite gym, and even the use of a personal chef for dinner parties and call-ahead refrigerator stocking.
The staff even will put out personal belongings, including family photos, before owners arrive.
"We've got our hearts and souls in it," Raba said.
His family-run companies leased offices on the seventh floor of an adjacent building so employees and clients could overlook the site of their main project — Piazza San Lorenzo.
Raba, who heads up Raba Design Group and RTK Development Inc., can talk all day about the mixed-use project, which involves restoring, renovating and demolishing old buildings to create luxury condos as well as shops, restaurants, offices and what the company describes as the "west entrance to the River Walk."
But before he gets down to sticks and bricks, the third-generation San Antonio native talks about the site's history.
It currently has five buildings: the Book Building, three Clegg Co. buildings and one Solo Serve Corp. building. Raba acquired them two years ago for $10 million.
The buildings are on the site that used to be the Veramendi Palace, which was home to Texas and Coahuila governor Juan Martín de Veramendi. It was here that Jim Bowie married a wealthy merchant's daughter in 1831 and where Texas revolutionary Ben Milam dropped dead from a sniper's bullet in 1835.
The palace was demolished in 1910.
The doors of the palace are on display at the Alamo. But on Soledad, "there are no physical remnants," Raba said.
So Piazza San Lorenzo will include Veramendi Court, with artwork to commemorate the Veramendi family and the Texas Revolution.
Raba and his staff drew from designer Robert H. H. Hugman's original plans for the River Walk. Hugman had envisioned a street-level retail complex centering on a maze of tranquil courtyards.
His original plans were never put in place, and flooding issues prevented development of the river level on that portion of the River Walk — near Mexican Manhattan restaurant — until a flood-control tunnel was built about 10 years ago.
Now Raba would like to create Hugman's complex idea on the river.
"We're basically doing the same thing, but at river level," Raba said. "The concept goes back to 1929."
A wall made in the 1950s from stone rubble collected from buildings demolished on the site will be re-used as sections of the project's façade.
"We're not going to clean them. We want to preserve all that patina," Raba said. "We want it to look like it's been there for 100 years."
The company is negotiating with banks now for constructions loans and expects to close on one soon. If construction starts in August as planned, the project will be completed in the fall of 2009.
The plan calls for demolishing the old Solo Serve building and most of the Clegg buildings — two of the Clegg's Soledad-facing facades will be restored. The Book Building at 140 E. Houston will get an exterior restoration and interior renovation — it will become a street-level restaurant space with offices above.
In all, the complex will include three restaurants, 28 for-sale condos and 41 upscale timeshare units, which the company calls a private residence club.
All that will center on the 16,000-square-foot courtyard — the Piazza San Lorenzo — with steps leading to the River Walk. The courtyard, with its illuminated obelisk of Mexican onyx, will stay open to the public until 11 p.m., and it will be available two days a month for public events such as charity fundraisers.
The development's buildings will range from two stories to 11 stories.
Prices for the full-ownership condos start at $630,000 for a two-bedroom, one-and-a-half bathroom unit comprising 1,375 square feet with a 287-square-foot terrace. The high end starts at more than $2 million for three bedrooms and three and a half baths. And at $7.1 million, the three-story penthouse could be one of the city's most expensive residences ever, with 6,700 square feet of living space and a 1,400-square-foot terrace.
Raba expects the project to cost $80 million to build, though, which means that even with such hefty price tags for the condos, the funding still would fall short.
So Raba came up with the idea of selling 10 percent shares to 41 "residence club" condos, or timeshares.
The residence club units start at $152,500 for two bedrooms and top out at $294,000 for a four-bedroom. Buyers also pay annual assessments of $6,500, $7,500 and $9,000, depending on the unit, which pay for property taxes, insurance, maintenance, housekeeping and other services.
All together, the company could sell 410 shares.
Buyers of the timeshares could use the property every day of the year, subject to availability. But they can book up to two weeks solid every six months.
Raba expects that at least 40 percent of the residence club buyers will come from Mexico, but they've had calls from Sacramento to Singapore.
They're wealthy buyers who want a vacation home but don't want the hassle of caring for it, Raba said.
Perks included in the timeshare fees — and available a la carte for full-time residents — run the gamut from valet parking, an onsite gym, and even the use of a personal chef for dinner parties and call-ahead refrigerator stocking.
The staff even will put out personal belongings, including family photos, before owners arrive.
"We've got our hearts and souls in it," Raba said.
East Ward building may become timeshare rentals
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
The company that is constructing condominiums at the former East Ward Elementary school building would like them to be used as timeshare/vacation rentals.
Dan Childers of Sebring, Fla., and his company Austin Macy and Co. LLC is requesting a special exception from the McCook Planning Commission Monday night to allow the condos to be rented out as timeshares and/or a vacation rentals. The meeting begins at 5:15 p.m. at City Council Chambers at Memorial Auditorium.
Three public hearings will address this request.
One will amend current ordinances to adopt two new definitions, timeshare and vacation rental.
Another will amend a zoning ordinance that would allow the use of a timeshare or vacation rental in a residential medium density area and the third will be for a special exception to allow the timeshares/vacation rentals.
City staff has recommended approval of the special exception and proposed amendments. Currently, boarding houses, rooming houses and bed and breakfasts are allowed in residential medium density neighborhoods and staff felt there will be little to no impact with the addition of a timeshare.
According to background information submitted to the Planning Commission, construction is nearly finished on converting the former school building on the 500 block of East Fifth into seven condominiums.
During construction, meetings with the McCook Economic Development Corp. and other businessmen in McCook resulted in Austin Macy and Co. LLC developing a marketing/sales program that they believe will benefit the project.
Many of the units in the structure, now named the Rayburn Building, have been pre-sold already to individuals who would like to place their condo's in a rental program that would be managed by Austin Macy and Co. LLC.
The rentals would be used for about a week but there is no intention to have daily rentals so as to not compete with the local motel business.
Dan Childers of Sebring, Fla., and his company Austin Macy and Co. LLC is requesting a special exception from the McCook Planning Commission Monday night to allow the condos to be rented out as timeshares and/or a vacation rentals. The meeting begins at 5:15 p.m. at City Council Chambers at Memorial Auditorium.
Three public hearings will address this request.
One will amend current ordinances to adopt two new definitions, timeshare and vacation rental.
Another will amend a zoning ordinance that would allow the use of a timeshare or vacation rental in a residential medium density area and the third will be for a special exception to allow the timeshares/vacation rentals.
City staff has recommended approval of the special exception and proposed amendments. Currently, boarding houses, rooming houses and bed and breakfasts are allowed in residential medium density neighborhoods and staff felt there will be little to no impact with the addition of a timeshare.
According to background information submitted to the Planning Commission, construction is nearly finished on converting the former school building on the 500 block of East Fifth into seven condominiums.
During construction, meetings with the McCook Economic Development Corp. and other businessmen in McCook resulted in Austin Macy and Co. LLC developing a marketing/sales program that they believe will benefit the project.
Many of the units in the structure, now named the Rayburn Building, have been pre-sold already to individuals who would like to place their condo's in a rental program that would be managed by Austin Macy and Co. LLC.
The rentals would be used for about a week but there is no intention to have daily rentals so as to not compete with the local motel business.
British paedophile was timeshare tout
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
A 43-year-old British paedophile, identified by police in Tenerife by the initials AJW, was arrested last week in the south where he was working as a timeshare tout.
The man is wanted in Romania where he faces a seven year jail term for soliciting sex from a 14-year-old boy while holidaying in that country. Romanian police observed him offering the boy three euros for his services.
At the time of his arrest his passport was seized. It had been stamped in Thailand, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Malaysia, China and various North African countries, all places on the international child sex tourism circuit.
The man is wanted in Romania where he faces a seven year jail term for soliciting sex from a 14-year-old boy while holidaying in that country. Romanian police observed him offering the boy three euros for his services.
At the time of his arrest his passport was seized. It had been stamped in Thailand, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Malaysia, China and various North African countries, all places on the international child sex tourism circuit.
First Choice Going Green?
Friday, April 06, 2007
The comments below are taken from the First Choice web site. Perhaps they ought to make their passengers more comfortable, before they start banging on about going green.
Caring for the Environment and People
At First Choice we know a healthy environment makes for better holidays. We are a leader in promoting sustainable tourism, committed to developing unique and innovative ways to support the environment and people.
Let's keep the world wonderful
Everyone's talking about the environment and it can be confusing. At First Choice we've been doing the best we can to protect the environment and support local communities for some time now. Here we explain some of the action we've been taking.
We know we're not the experts, which is why we work with a wide range of organisations that help us understand the right thing to do with respect to the environment and people.
Cleaner
Find out how we are playing our part in tackling the challenge of climate change, particularly at First Choice Airways.
Supporting
Our new World Care Fund offers you the chance to join us in supporting projects help combat climate change, protect the environment and benefit local communities through our partners Climate Care and The Travel Foundation.
Responsible
Our shops and offices are working hard to be greener too.
Sustainable
We are working with hotels to offer you a holiday that is more and more sustainable.
Caring for the Environment and People
At First Choice we know a healthy environment makes for better holidays. We are a leader in promoting sustainable tourism, committed to developing unique and innovative ways to support the environment and people.
Let's keep the world wonderful
Everyone's talking about the environment and it can be confusing. At First Choice we've been doing the best we can to protect the environment and support local communities for some time now. Here we explain some of the action we've been taking.
We know we're not the experts, which is why we work with a wide range of organisations that help us understand the right thing to do with respect to the environment and people.
Cleaner
Find out how we are playing our part in tackling the challenge of climate change, particularly at First Choice Airways.
Supporting
Our new World Care Fund offers you the chance to join us in supporting projects help combat climate change, protect the environment and benefit local communities through our partners Climate Care and The Travel Foundation.
Responsible
Our shops and offices are working hard to be greener too.
Sustainable
We are working with hotels to offer you a holiday that is more and more sustainable.
Fractional ownership comes to yachting
Friday, April 06, 2007
Shared investment in luxury property is going, literally, offshore, as wealthy people choose to buy experiences rather than assets
Owning an eighth of a yacht is better than none. Or so reasons Han Verstraete, chief executive of YachtPlus.
YachtPlus, a London-based operation that is building a fleet of 10 yachts, is the latest company to jump into "fractionals," a shared-ownership structure that allows people to buy only part of a costly item. "Wealthy people today do not invest in only assets but in experiences," Verstraete said. "My typical customer will have three real estate assets and perhaps also do some sharing of jets. The yacht experience is the experience these people are seeking next."
James Lawson, senior research director at Ledbury Research, a consultancy in London, agreed that fractional ownership was part of a trend that has many rich consumers seeking experiences rather than expensive symbols.
"Many wealthy people are looking for driving lessons organized by Ferrari, cooking lessons by celebrity chefs, and exclusive travel and holiday experiences," he said. "Experience is becoming more important than ownership."
Fractional ownership is the high-end cousin of the timeshare, a sales arrangement born in the 1960s that usually involved the right to stay in an accommodation for a specific period of time but, because of abuses by some developers, now conjures up images of high-pressure salesmen who gloss over the fine print.
Today, however, there are many ways to have a fractional lifestyle. One such service, BagBorrowOrSteal.com, sells the use of a revolving array of designer handbags and jewelry that can cost thousands to own but $20 to $175 a month to use.
But the biggest change in fractionals has been the addition of equity components - actual partial ownership that carries along with it the possibility of a loss or gain in value. For example, BuyAVineyard.co.uk sells partial titles to some French vineyards and several luxury hotel companies, including Ritz-Carlton and the Four Seasons.
When it comes to yachts, Verstraete hopes YachtPlus, at YachtPlus.co.uk, will do for boats what NetJets did for private jets.
Founded in 1986, NetJets remains the world leader in fractional jet ownership, with a fleet of more than 650 jets worldwide and thousands of shareholders.
Verstraete said eight shares would be sold for $2 million each in each one of the company's 40-meter, or 132-foot, yachts, covering five weeks of use per year. Charters will be offered during any unused weeks, with the owners receiving the revenue.
So far, YachtPlus has sold the 32 fractions for the first four boats. Verstraete said that, generally, the buyers were what he called the "emancipated wealthy" - hedge fund managers and private equity fund managers who can take more time from the office - and are Europeans with a sprinkling of Americans.
Two of the boats, which are being built in the Cantieri Navali Rodriquez shipyard in La Spezia, Italy, are expected to be ready next summer, with another new boat scheduled to be finished every four months after that.
Verstraete said the fleet of 10 yachts would be parked in the Caribbean in the winter and in the Mediterranean in the summer. All crew members will be YachtPlus employees, which means, according to Verstraete, that owners and their guests will be ensured excellent service.
"My vision is to make this the contemporary yachting brand," Verstraete said. "The similarity is with a fashion label that everyone wants." The boats are being partly designed by Norman Foster, the renowned architect whose firm, Foster + Partners of London, is responsible for such projects as the new Beijing airport and 30 Saint Mary Axe, the iconic London building commonly called The Gherkin.
With an ability to sleep 18, the yachts will boast floor-to-ceiling windows on the main and upper decks, as well as in the owner's suite, and a glass spiral staircase linking all four decks. "The philosophy is that this won't be just another white boat," Verstraete said.
The founders and initial shareholders in YachtPlus, which was organized in 2005, include Ruggero Magnoni, vice chairman of the U.S. investment bank Lehman Brothers, and Fabio Cane, head of the private equity operations of Banca Intesa in Italy. Verstraete himself previously was associated with Marquis Jet, a NetJet competitor, and Goldman Sachs.
Another company, Yacht Share, operates out of Miami with an arrangement that is more like a traditional timeshare. As explained on TheYachtShare.com, a $40,000 membership fee, plus monthly payments, provides 28 days a year on a captained luxury yacht that sleeps six - but does not provide an equity stake in the boat. Participants do, however, receive privileges at the Sunset Harbour Yacht Club in the South Beach area of Miami, as well as at The Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo, Florida.
An artist's rendering of the 40-meter "Signature Series" yacht to be offered by YachtPlus through its shared- ownership program.
Owning an eighth of a yacht is better than none. Or so reasons Han Verstraete, chief executive of YachtPlus.
YachtPlus, a London-based operation that is building a fleet of 10 yachts, is the latest company to jump into "fractionals," a shared-ownership structure that allows people to buy only part of a costly item. "Wealthy people today do not invest in only assets but in experiences," Verstraete said. "My typical customer will have three real estate assets and perhaps also do some sharing of jets. The yacht experience is the experience these people are seeking next."
James Lawson, senior research director at Ledbury Research, a consultancy in London, agreed that fractional ownership was part of a trend that has many rich consumers seeking experiences rather than expensive symbols.
"Many wealthy people are looking for driving lessons organized by Ferrari, cooking lessons by celebrity chefs, and exclusive travel and holiday experiences," he said. "Experience is becoming more important than ownership."
Fractional ownership is the high-end cousin of the timeshare, a sales arrangement born in the 1960s that usually involved the right to stay in an accommodation for a specific period of time but, because of abuses by some developers, now conjures up images of high-pressure salesmen who gloss over the fine print.
Today, however, there are many ways to have a fractional lifestyle. One such service, BagBorrowOrSteal.com, sells the use of a revolving array of designer handbags and jewelry that can cost thousands to own but $20 to $175 a month to use.
But the biggest change in fractionals has been the addition of equity components - actual partial ownership that carries along with it the possibility of a loss or gain in value. For example, BuyAVineyard.co.uk sells partial titles to some French vineyards and several luxury hotel companies, including Ritz-Carlton and the Four Seasons.
When it comes to yachts, Verstraete hopes YachtPlus, at YachtPlus.co.uk, will do for boats what NetJets did for private jets.
Founded in 1986, NetJets remains the world leader in fractional jet ownership, with a fleet of more than 650 jets worldwide and thousands of shareholders.
Verstraete said eight shares would be sold for $2 million each in each one of the company's 40-meter, or 132-foot, yachts, covering five weeks of use per year. Charters will be offered during any unused weeks, with the owners receiving the revenue.
So far, YachtPlus has sold the 32 fractions for the first four boats. Verstraete said that, generally, the buyers were what he called the "emancipated wealthy" - hedge fund managers and private equity fund managers who can take more time from the office - and are Europeans with a sprinkling of Americans.
Two of the boats, which are being built in the Cantieri Navali Rodriquez shipyard in La Spezia, Italy, are expected to be ready next summer, with another new boat scheduled to be finished every four months after that.
Verstraete said the fleet of 10 yachts would be parked in the Caribbean in the winter and in the Mediterranean in the summer. All crew members will be YachtPlus employees, which means, according to Verstraete, that owners and their guests will be ensured excellent service.
"My vision is to make this the contemporary yachting brand," Verstraete said. "The similarity is with a fashion label that everyone wants." The boats are being partly designed by Norman Foster, the renowned architect whose firm, Foster + Partners of London, is responsible for such projects as the new Beijing airport and 30 Saint Mary Axe, the iconic London building commonly called The Gherkin.
With an ability to sleep 18, the yachts will boast floor-to-ceiling windows on the main and upper decks, as well as in the owner's suite, and a glass spiral staircase linking all four decks. "The philosophy is that this won't be just another white boat," Verstraete said.
The founders and initial shareholders in YachtPlus, which was organized in 2005, include Ruggero Magnoni, vice chairman of the U.S. investment bank Lehman Brothers, and Fabio Cane, head of the private equity operations of Banca Intesa in Italy. Verstraete himself previously was associated with Marquis Jet, a NetJet competitor, and Goldman Sachs.
Another company, Yacht Share, operates out of Miami with an arrangement that is more like a traditional timeshare. As explained on TheYachtShare.com, a $40,000 membership fee, plus monthly payments, provides 28 days a year on a captained luxury yacht that sleeps six - but does not provide an equity stake in the boat. Participants do, however, receive privileges at the Sunset Harbour Yacht Club in the South Beach area of Miami, as well as at The Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo, Florida.
An artist's rendering of the 40-meter "Signature Series" yacht to be offered by YachtPlus through its shared- ownership program.
BAA calls for more capacity
Friday, April 06, 2007
Airports operator BAA has responded to its referral to the Competition Commission by ABTA and the Office of Fair Trading because of its dominant position in Scotland and London.
BAA, which operates Gatwick, Heathrow and Stansted airports in London and Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen in Scotland, says the case will solve little and problems are caused by capacity not a lack of competition.
“The fundamental problem for passengers is lack of capacity not structure,” claimed BAA chief executive Stephen Nelson. “Putting BAA in the dock for a complex set of problems – with deep legacy causes – will not help solve them.”
Nelson said the completion of Terminal 5 and a new improved Terminal 2 at Heathrow along with plans for a new runway at Stansted would help to solve capacity problems.
Nelson also committed to tackle airport queuing times claiming the airport operator is “ready to make major, long term investments in British airports.”
BAA, which operates Gatwick, Heathrow and Stansted airports in London and Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen in Scotland, says the case will solve little and problems are caused by capacity not a lack of competition.
“The fundamental problem for passengers is lack of capacity not structure,” claimed BAA chief executive Stephen Nelson. “Putting BAA in the dock for a complex set of problems – with deep legacy causes – will not help solve them.”
Nelson said the completion of Terminal 5 and a new improved Terminal 2 at Heathrow along with plans for a new runway at Stansted would help to solve capacity problems.
Nelson also committed to tackle airport queuing times claiming the airport operator is “ready to make major, long term investments in British airports.”
Thomas Cook hits back over BBC Panorama claims
Friday, April 06, 2007
Thomas Cook is to report the BBC to media regulator Ofcom over this week’s Panorama programme on the deaths of two children on holiday in Corfu last October.
Six-year-old Bobby Shepherd and his seven-year-old sister Christianne are believed to have died of carbon monoxide poisoning caused by a faulty gas boiler pumping fumes into the bungalow in which they were staying at the Louis Corcyra Beach Hotel.
The operator labelled the programme investigating the circumstances surrounding the deaths as “incomplete, inaccurate and unbalanced” and has complained to the BBC and Ofcom about “gross misrepresentation of the facts”.
Ofcom could instigate an investigation. If the complaint is upheld, the BBC could be forced to apologise.
Thomas Cook chief executive Manny Fontenla-Novoa dismissed the programme’s claim the company’s health and safety audit was a ‘tick-box exercise’ carried out by a
25-year-old holiday rep.
He said the audit was performed by a consumer affairs representative who had the relevant training and was authorised to carry out such audits. He stressed the bungalow and boiler had been cleared by two other major UK operators.
“The implication we would ask anybody to undertake such a specialist task without the necessary qualifications and training is simply untrue,” Fontenla-Novoa said.
The children’s mother Sharon told the programme: “I hold Thomas Cook totally and utterly responsible. It should have checked the places it sends its customers are safe.”
Fontenla-Novoa dismissed Panorama’s claim he has refused to meet the children’s parents. He said he has offered to meet the family personally on “a number of occasions”.
Six-year-old Bobby Shepherd and his seven-year-old sister Christianne are believed to have died of carbon monoxide poisoning caused by a faulty gas boiler pumping fumes into the bungalow in which they were staying at the Louis Corcyra Beach Hotel.
The operator labelled the programme investigating the circumstances surrounding the deaths as “incomplete, inaccurate and unbalanced” and has complained to the BBC and Ofcom about “gross misrepresentation of the facts”.
Ofcom could instigate an investigation. If the complaint is upheld, the BBC could be forced to apologise.
Thomas Cook chief executive Manny Fontenla-Novoa dismissed the programme’s claim the company’s health and safety audit was a ‘tick-box exercise’ carried out by a
25-year-old holiday rep.
He said the audit was performed by a consumer affairs representative who had the relevant training and was authorised to carry out such audits. He stressed the bungalow and boiler had been cleared by two other major UK operators.
“The implication we would ask anybody to undertake such a specialist task without the necessary qualifications and training is simply untrue,” Fontenla-Novoa said.
The children’s mother Sharon told the programme: “I hold Thomas Cook totally and utterly responsible. It should have checked the places it sends its customers are safe.”
Fontenla-Novoa dismissed Panorama’s claim he has refused to meet the children’s parents. He said he has offered to meet the family personally on “a number of occasions”.
Two missing after cruise ship sinks
Friday, April 06, 2007
Two French passengers are reported missing from a Greek cruise ship that has struck rocks and sunk off the Aegean island of Santorini.
The Sea Diamond went down shortly before 7am local time (04:00GMT) on Friday, 15 hours after the accident occurred.
Nearly 1,600 people have been rescued from the vessel.
Authorities said on Friday that a 45-year-old man and his 16-year-old daughter had still not been accounted for, and lists of rescued passengers were being rechecked.
The French foreign ministry identified them as Jean-Christophe Allain and Maud, his daughter.
The 143-mete Sea Diamond was operated by Louis Cruise Lines, part of a Cyprus-based tourism group.
Search for passengers
Greek navy divers were searching the vessel for signs of the missing passengers.
Palli Petralia, tourism minister, said she had spoken with the missing passenger's wife.
"Whoever is responsible for this will be held accountable in the strictest way," Petralia said.
"Greece is a major tourism destination and incidents like this must not be allowed to occur. Authorities handled the rescue very well."
Three hour rescue
No injuries were reported during Thursday's dramatic three-hour rescue, which involved Greece's military, commercial ships and the island's fishermen.
Many passengers were forced to climb down rope ladders to coast guard boats some 25 metres below.
The Sea Diamond struck rocks in a sea-filled crater formed by a massive volcano eruption 3,500 years ago.
Tourists gathered on overlooking cliffs to watch the rescue effort.
Louis Cruise Lines said there were 730 Americans, 112 Spaniards, 100 French and many other foreign nationals on board, including Germans, Britons and Australians, plus 390 crew.
Oil spill
Most of the rescued passengers arrived at Athens' main port of Piraeus on Friday on a chartered ferry and a Louis cruise ship.
Authorities on Santorini said they were working to contain a small oil spillage from the sunken ship.
The Sea Diamond's captain and three officers were being interviewed Friday by coast guard investigators who flew to Santorini.
In September 2000, 82 people drowned when the Express Samina ferry hit rocks and sank off the island of Paros, a disaster that led to a major improvement in Greek ferry safety standards.
The Sea Diamond went down shortly before 7am local time (04:00GMT) on Friday, 15 hours after the accident occurred.
Nearly 1,600 people have been rescued from the vessel.
Authorities said on Friday that a 45-year-old man and his 16-year-old daughter had still not been accounted for, and lists of rescued passengers were being rechecked.
The French foreign ministry identified them as Jean-Christophe Allain and Maud, his daughter.
The 143-mete Sea Diamond was operated by Louis Cruise Lines, part of a Cyprus-based tourism group.
Search for passengers
Greek navy divers were searching the vessel for signs of the missing passengers.
Palli Petralia, tourism minister, said she had spoken with the missing passenger's wife.
"Whoever is responsible for this will be held accountable in the strictest way," Petralia said.
"Greece is a major tourism destination and incidents like this must not be allowed to occur. Authorities handled the rescue very well."
Three hour rescue
No injuries were reported during Thursday's dramatic three-hour rescue, which involved Greece's military, commercial ships and the island's fishermen.
Many passengers were forced to climb down rope ladders to coast guard boats some 25 metres below.
The Sea Diamond struck rocks in a sea-filled crater formed by a massive volcano eruption 3,500 years ago.
Tourists gathered on overlooking cliffs to watch the rescue effort.
Louis Cruise Lines said there were 730 Americans, 112 Spaniards, 100 French and many other foreign nationals on board, including Germans, Britons and Australians, plus 390 crew.
Oil spill
Most of the rescued passengers arrived at Athens' main port of Piraeus on Friday on a chartered ferry and a Louis cruise ship.
Authorities on Santorini said they were working to contain a small oil spillage from the sunken ship.
The Sea Diamond's captain and three officers were being interviewed Friday by coast guard investigators who flew to Santorini.
In September 2000, 82 people drowned when the Express Samina ferry hit rocks and sank off the island of Paros, a disaster that led to a major improvement in Greek ferry safety standards.
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