The 2010 World Travel Awards took place in London recently and Holiday Inn Express walked away with the prestigious accolade for the “World’s Leading Budget Hotel Brand”.
“This is a great recognition of an incredibly powerful and trusted global brand and we are proud that our local properties are regarded as some of the best in the world. We continue to seek opportunities for expansion of the brand in South Africa,” said Gavin Watson, managing director of ISO Leisure Hotels, the management company for Holiday Inn Express South Africa.
Holiday Inn Express is a fresh, clean, uncomplicated hotel choice, offering comfortable and affordable hotel accommodation for business and leisure travellers. This is the fastest-growing global brand in the industry and there are five properties in major South African business hubs.
“Our South African hotels were some of the first to take part in a $1 billion global relaunch of the Holiday Inn brand family, announced by InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) in 2007,” says national marketing manager Sandra Boome.
“The aim of the relaunch was to create a more contemporary brand image, increase quality and drive consistency across over 3 300 hotels around the world.
“It is clear, from this award, that this has been successful. Gone is the brand South Africans remember from the 80s – this is a new era of modern, affordable hotels.”
The relaunch included features such as new bedding (guests can select their pillows from a choice of firm or soft), upgraded showers and amenities and a redesigned, modern logo.
l “Tattoos. Murder. Secrets. And Stockholm. Only one of these things is normally associated with a luxury cruise line, but with Crystal Cruises’ new Crystal Adventure, ‘Stieg Larsson’s Stockholm’, guests can discover a little Scandinavian intrigue first-hand in 2011,” says George Argyropoulos, CEO of Cruises International, the South African principal for Crystal Cruises.
With more than 46 million books sold worldwide, deceased Swedish author Stieg Larsson’s Millennium series has made him one of the world’d best-selling authors. The first of his trilogy, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, has already been turned into a critically acclaimed film that is now getting a big-budget Hollywood remake by director David Fincher, starring Daniel Craig and Robin Wright.
Crystal’s Larsson-focused shore excursion will take guests to the Stockholm island of Södermalm for a walking tour centred on his novels’ content.
Much like the successful real-life Da Vinci Code tours that dot Europe, the tour will be spiced with factual information and intriguing stories that tie the real Stockholm to Larsson’s works of fiction.
This unique city view will be offered on three summer Baltic voyages on Crystal Serenity: May 22-June 2’s “Baltic Explorer”; June 2-13’s “Regal Treasures”; and June 27-July 8’s “Jewels of the Baltic”.
All three itineraries include overnights in Stockholm, as well as visits to Estonia, St Petersburg, Finland, Germany and Copenhagen.
l Fairlawns Boutique Hotel and Spa in Sandton has joined the hand-picked portfolio of world-class Inspirational Places.
Says Fairlawns general manage Michael Kewley: “We look forward to our association with Inspirational Places and are proud to be a part of the hand-picked South African properties marketed to local as well as international tour operators, who will no doubt visit the Inspirational Places stand at Indaba 2011.”
Alison Macfarlane of Inspirational Places confirms five-star Fairlawns is now part of the association’s portfolio, in which properties represented in South Africa range from the Cape and its winelands to luxury safari destinations, specifically selected to complement each property in its impressive list of hotels and lodges in South Africa. - Saturday Star