A two-story century-old Thai teak house, known as Connie’s Cottage, that stands on the grounds of The Siam in Bangkok is now home to galleries for celebrity designer and architect Bill Bensley and luxury silk label Jim Thompson.
Once a treasured residential villa for guests, the architectural gem and its surroundings have been extensively renovated to herald the hotel’s partnership with the two artistic icons that are renowned across Southeast-Asia.
Connie’s Cottage at The Siam invites guests to explore and purchase the creations of Bill Bensley and Jim Thompson
Bensley Gallery at The Siam occupies the upper level, showcasing the artworks of Bill Bensley, the hotel’s architect and designer. Artworks will be curated and rotated through the Gallery for guests to admire and purchase. Sales proceeds go to the Shinta Mani Foundation and Wildlife Alliance to support conservation and wildlife protection – causes very close to Bensley’s heart.
On the ground floor stands Jim Thompson at The Siam, a showcase of the brand’s latest fashion and homeware designs.
Jim Thompson at The Siam and the Bensley Gallery at The Siam will open to visitors from mid-December.
Embodying Silversea’s vision of modern, ultra-luxury expedition cruising, Silver Endeavour debuts as the world’s most luxurious expedition ship. Her superior ice-class capabilities, coupled with cutting-edge navigation technology enable unparalleled access to some of the farthest reaches of Earth while her unrivalled exploration equipment allows for immersive and personalised discovery while ashore. Superb design, industry-high space and service ratios, and expansive suites complete the experience ensuring guests travel in ultimate comfort, space, and luxury.
Superior suites
Silver Endeavour pushes the boundaries of discovery even further with polar cruises. A greater choice of departure dates, plus longer seasons in some of the most remote destinations on Earth make an expedition on Silver Endeavour perfect for those clients looking for a unique and luxurious adventure.
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Veranda Suite - Silver Endeavour
Owner's Suite - Silver Endeavour
Grand Suite - Silver Endeavour
Dispelling the notion that supreme luxury and intrepid adventure are mutually exclusive, the suites aboard Silver Endeavour elevate the expedition experience into the sublime. Indeed, the beautifully designed all-suite accommodation are amongst the most spacious in expedition cruising, ranging in size from 33m² (357m²) to 174m² (1,868m²).
Offered in seven categories and spread across four public decks, all 100 suites feature a spacious private balcony and floor-to-ceiling glass windows for an unobstructed connection with each destination. Sophisticated interiors are well appointed with all the amenities needed for expedition cruising as well as a bevy of indulgent luxuries to create an elegant retreat following extraordinary adventures ashore.
Travel longer, travel deeper
Silver Endeavour pushes the boundaries of discovery even further with polar cruises. A greater choice of departure dates, plus longer seasons in some of the most remote destinations on Earth make an expedition on Silver Endeavour perfect for those clients looking for a unique and luxurious adventure.
Antarctica
Few adventures are able to ignite the imagination as much as an expedition to the vast White Continent and the wildly remote islands that dot the Southern Ocean. From the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands to South Georgia and the Falkland Islands, this extreme wilderness enchants with majestic beauty. There are two new itineraries exploring the Antarctic Peninsula, South Georgia, and the Falklands join Silversea’s 14 expeditions to the White Continent, including Antarctica Bridge journeys that skip the Drake Passage with Business Class flights landing at King George Island.
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Spot Polar Bears in Svalbard
See abundant colonies of penguins in Antarctica
Cierva Cove, Antarctica
The Arctic & Greenland
Welcome to one of the most remote places on Earth: a dramatic region of breathtaking scenery, frozen oceans and rugged features. Under the midnight sun, glide past ancient glaciers, diamond blue icebergs and snow-capped mountains. Travellers can revel in the raw beauty of the Arctic landscapes and discover uncharted territories as Silver Endeavour ventures deeper than ever before, where very few have ever been. In addition to Silversea’s iconic Svalbard and Iceland expeditions, highlights include brand new itineraries to the Canadian High Arctic and Nunavut, and voyages navigating Greenland’s stunning western coast including the UNESCO-listed Ilulissat Icefjord.
Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Tata Sons (Tata) will merge Air India and Vistara by March 2024, with SIA investing 20,585 million rupees (US$250 million) in Air India as part of the transaction, giving SIA a 25.1 per cent stake in an enlarged Air India group.
SIA intends to fully fund this investment with its internal cash resources, which stood at S$17.5 billion (US$12.7 billion) as of September 30, 2022.
SIA’s investment in Air India as well as merger of the latter with Vistara will give the Singapore company a larger presence in India
In addition, SIA and Tata have agreed to participate in additional capital injections, if required, to fund the growth and operations of the enlarged Air India in FY2022/23 and FY2023/24, with the amount depending on factors including the progress of the enlarged Air India’s business plan, and its access to other funding options.
The merger would bolster SIA’s presence in India, strengthen its multi-hub strategy, and allow it to continue participating directly in a large and fast-growing aviation market.
Goh Choon Phong, SIA CEO, said: “We will work together to support Air India’s transformation programme, unlock its significant potential, and restore it to its position as a leading airline on the global stage.”
Natarajan Chandrasekaran, chairman of Tata Sons, added: “As part of the transformation, Air India is focusing on growing both its network and fleet, revamping its customer proposition, enhancing safety, reliability, and on-time performance.
“We are excited with the opportunity of creating a strong Air India which would offer both full-service and low-cost services across domestic and international routes.”
India is the fastest growing global economy, as well as the world’s third largest aviation market. However, India also remains underserved with low international seats per capita, signifying significant growth potential.
The combination of Air India and Vistara would bring significant synergies – Air India’s slots and air traffic rights at domestic and international airports that are not available to Vistara, and Vistara’s operational capabilities, customer base, and strong focus on customer service and product excellence.
In addition, it would reinforce Air India’s position as India’s largest international carrier and second largest domestic carrier, allow it to offer more options and connectivity for business and leisure customers, and enable it to compete as a leading global airline.
New research from the Valuable 500, conducted with Opinium, reveals that disabled travellers are paying 8,060 yen (US$58) more than non-disabled travellers for travel insurance, a significant premium compared to those without disabilities or medical conditions.
People with disabilities have to factor in extra costs while planning their holidays, and face discriminatory insurance quotes to ensure their needs are covered. The survey findings come at a time when inflation is placing undue pressure on those with disabilities, who already face significant additional costs in their day-to-day lives.
People with disabilities have to factor in extra costs while planning their holidays, and face discriminatory insurance quotes to ensure their needs are covered
The research also looked at the other barriers disabled tourists face while travelling, including time inequity, digital accessibility, a lack of disabled representation, lack of inclusive design, and lack of knowledge of disability and how to meet the needs of customers with disabilities.
Four in five listed at least one challenge they faced while travelling due to the agent or provider they were using not being accessible to disabled people. One-sixth of disabled people reported feeling unsafe and scared when travelling.
As a consequence of this, feelings of embarrassment, isolation and being disregarded were also felt by a quarter of the 500 China-based people with disabilities that were surveyed and nearly a quarter felt ignored.
The findings raise questions around the accuracy of insurance algorithms for disabled customers – and whether they are providing disproportionately high quotes for those with declared disabilities.
The financial penalty of insurance that disabled customers must face to go on holiday is another example of how people with disabilities are overlooked and underserved by the travel industry, and frequently find themselves in desperate situations while travelling.
The travel industry should consider making small, achievable changes that have a big impact on their customers with disabilities, like ensuring their websites are digitally accessible for all, and providing staff with appropriate training to cater to all needs – including both visible and non-visible disabilities.
Caroline Casey, founder, Valuable 500 commented that the global spending power of people with disabilities is estimated to be $13 trillion annually, and “the business case for the travel industry to put accessibility first, and not as an afterthought is absolutely imperative”.
She added: “This can be rectified by putting disabled staff and consumers at the heart of the travel business. If you put inclusive and accessible design at the heart of the business, it not only gives access to the disability market but it’s better for everyone.”
Kathy Martinez, vice president for global disability inclusion at Expedia said the company is committed to creating a more open world and lessening equity gaps.
“Disability is a natural part of the human condition. Everyone should have the right to travel, no matter their ability.”
The İGA Istanbul Airport has become the first airport in the world to be accredited under Airports Council International (ACI) World’s new Accessibility Enhancement Accreditation programme.
Launched earlier this year, the first-of-its-kind programme was designed to help airports measure, evaluate, and improve their accessibility management and culture, providing a continuous path of improvement in the area of accessibility for passengers with disabilities.
The air travel system should be equitable, inclusive and accessible to all travellers
The accreditation was developed as a collaboration between accessibility advocacy groups, airports, industry partners, and ACI.
Luis Felipe de Oliveira, world director general, ACI said: “Air travel accessibility continues to be a priority for the industry, and this has been reflected in our recent advocacy work with governments through the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as well as the resources we are developing for airports.
“The input from the accessibility community was absolutely crucial for this programme as we work to make an air travel system for all people – one that is equitable, inclusive and accessible. We hope to welcome more airports in the coming year.”
Kadri Samsunlu, CEO, İGA Istanbul Airport said: “We view accessibility as a fundamental human right.
“We are proud of being the first airport in the world to be accredited with the ACI Accessibility Enhancement Accreditation programme and we will continue to improve accessibility on an ongoing basis, stand in solidarity with all local and international disability communities and advocate inclusivity and accessibility.”
WorldTicket Solutions is introducing a number of initiatives in 2023, including W2 NDC and its own W2 UATP card.
Copenhagen-based WorldTicket, which offers “channel agnostic and holistic” distribution solutions for airlines and rail operators, is in 190 markets and collaborates with 85 carriers worldwide.
Winter: to decrease complexity in terms of interline ticketing for our travel agency partners
It is available in all major GDSs under the marketing carrier codes W2 (FlexFlight) and W1 (WorldTicket) respectively.
Peer Winter, vice-president-commercial, said TMCs, OTAs and travel agencies could use W2 to validate many carriers, such as TAP (Air Portugal) or Condor, which would otherwise not be available in their respective markets for ticketing and settlement via BSP.
Winter added: “The possibility of issuing one ticket for the booked segments of two airlines on our W2 ticket stock, which do not have an interline agreement, helps to decrease complexity in terms of interline ticketing for our travel agency partners.”
The W2 UATP card, he shared, would allow travel agencies to pay for W2 tickets and all UATP merchant airlines, including benefits such as accelerated refunds, and WorldTicket would be launching a “closed user group marketplace, offering travel agencies exclusive benefits such as frequent competitions and raffles in 2023”.
In a new collaboration with sister company AeroCRS, OTAs and aggregators in Asia can have exclusive access, via API, to more than 90 carriers hosted on the AeroCRS PSS platform AeroCRS Network.
WorldTicket, which has representation in Bangkok and Beijing, has seen South-east Asia bookings pick up strongly after the lifting of pandemic restrictions.
Winter noted: “Currently about 20 per cent of all global W2/W1 bookings, including issued tickets on W2, are from Asia and we expect very strong growth in terms of market share especially in the next three years.”
Winter pointed out WorldTicket had enhanced its presence in TravelSky in preparation for the opening of the Chinese market.
“Collaborating with Deutsche Bahn as their sole partner in the GDS will result in a lot of additional bookings with our Chinese Airline partners, but not limited to China Southern, China Eastern and Air China in terms of rail and fly.
“Furthermore, we will soon be available also via Infini (computer reservations system) in Japan. We just went live with Vistara from India for both W2 ticketing and rail and fly, and many more airlines from Asia will be coming up throughout 2023,” he said.
Pan Pacific Hotels Group (PPHG) will add more than 4,000 keys to its serviced suites portfolio by 2023, aided by fresh openings in key gateway cities such as Bangkok, Hanoi, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur and Nairobi.
The latest wave of expansion is said to be catalysed by strong performance in the extended stay segment, according to CEO Choe Peng Sum.
Parkroyal Serviced Suites Hanoi will open early-2023
“The extended-stay segment has continued to bring us strong performance, even more so in the last two years. We foresee that this market will continue to grow as demand increases for corporate long-stay and relocation in regional business hubs,” said Choe.
“Our expansion secures our position in key gateway cities and prime locations around the world, giving us the edge to capture the burgeoning long-stay demand in developing markets and key business hubs.”
PPHG’s serviced suites portfolio most recently presented Parkroyal Suites Bangkok on November 15. It will be joined in a few days’ time by Pan Pacific Serviced Suites Kuala Lumpur, opening December 1.
The portfolio will welcome even more additions come 2023 – Pan Pacific Serviced Suites Nairobi and Parkroyal Serviced Suites Hanoi in early-2023, and Parkroyal Serviced Suites Jakarta in July 2023;
Pan Pacific Serviced Suites Nairobi is the company’s first foray into Africa, while Parkroyal Serviced Suites Jakarta is its first in Indonesia.
Roseate Hotels and Resorts, owned and operated by Bird Group, has won the bid to develop an airport hotel at Noida International Airport, the upcoming greenfield airport in Delhi NCR.
The 220-key hotel will feature intelligent technology like online check-in and check-out, instant online room allotment and smartphone room access designed to cater to the evolving demands and expectations of global leisure and business travellers.
Roseate Hotels and Resorts has won the bid to develop an airport hotel at Noida International Airport
Located in close proximity to the airport terminal – the first step towards building Noida International Airport as a business and leisure centre for the region – the hotel will offer a suite of banquet, dining and wellness spaces, as well as a fitness centre.
A spokesperson from Roseate Hotels & Resorts shared: “We want to build a property that brings a world-class experience to our guests from India and abroad with customer-focused efficiencies. We are looking forward to showcasing a world-class hotel built keeping sustainability and cutting-edge technology at the helm.”
Christoph Schnellmann, CEO, Noida International Airport, said: “Roseate Hotels understand the needs of Indian customers, come with a rich experience in managing airport hotels, and share our ethos of a digital-led experience and sustainable infrastructure that we hope will be an extension of the experience we aim to provide at the airport.”
“The hotel will be a catalyst for (the new airport) to become a leading destination for travel, leisure, business, shopping, entertainment and stay, with hassle-free multimodal accessibility.”
Roseate Hotels & Resorts by Bird Group has a collection of seven luxury hotels across India and the UK.
The new 36-villa Avana Retreat in Mai Chau, Vietnam has unveiled H’mong Cottage, a yoga and meditation centre that boasts panoramas of mountain scenery.
Perched 450m above sea level, the centre’s design pays tribute to the local H’mong community, with thatched palm-leaf roofs, sliding walls, and floor-to-ceiling glass panels that slide back for natural air conditioning.
Guests can enjoy complimentary sessions at the new centre with advance reservations required. Sessions comprise hatha yoga, yin yoga, singing bowl meditation and sleeping meditation.
Private sessions are also available for an additional fee.
Outrigger Resorts & Hotels has appointed Rory Campbell as director of sales and marketing and Michael Gaarde-Nielsen as general manager for Outrigger Mauritius Beach Resort.
In his new role, Campbell will be responsible for the development and implementation of internal and external sales and marketing strategies and related plans to maximise the resort’s revenue market share and optimise profitability for all source markets.
From left: Rory Campbell and Michael Gaarde-Nielsen
He was recently area director of sales and marketing for the former Outrigger Laguna Phuket Beach and Outrigger Koh Samui Beach Resorts.
Gaarde-Nielsen has extensive resort leadership experience in Europe, the Middle East and South-east Asia, and will be responsible for all aspects of Outrigger Mauritius Beach Resort operations.
He was previously general manager at Centara Hotels and Resorts in Phuket and Krabi.
Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Tata Sons (Tata) will merge Air India and Vistara by March 2024, with SIA investing 20,585 million rupees (US$250 million) in Air India as part of the transaction, giving SIA a 25.1 per cent stake in an enlarged Air India group.
SIA intends to fully fund this investment with its internal cash resources, which stood at S$17.5 billion (US$12.7 billion) as of September 30, 2022.
In addition, SIA and Tata have agreed to participate in additional capital injections, if required, to fund the growth and operations of the enlarged Air India in FY2022/23 and FY2023/24, with the amount depending on factors including the progress of the enlarged Air India’s business plan, and its access to other funding options.
The merger would bolster SIA’s presence in India, strengthen its multi-hub strategy, and allow it to continue participating directly in a large and fast-growing aviation market.
Goh Choon Phong, SIA CEO, said: “We will work together to support Air India’s transformation programme, unlock its significant potential, and restore it to its position as a leading airline on the global stage.”
Natarajan Chandrasekaran, chairman of Tata Sons, added: “As part of the transformation, Air India is focusing on growing both its network and fleet, revamping its customer proposition, enhancing safety, reliability, and on-time performance.
“We are excited with the opportunity of creating a strong Air India which would offer both full-service and low-cost services across domestic and international routes.”
India is the fastest growing global economy, as well as the world’s third largest aviation market. However, India also remains underserved with low international seats per capita, signifying significant growth potential.
The combination of Air India and Vistara would bring significant synergies – Air India’s slots and air traffic rights at domestic and international airports that are not available to Vistara, and Vistara’s operational capabilities, customer base, and strong focus on customer service and product excellence.
In addition, it would reinforce Air India’s position as India’s largest international carrier and second largest domestic carrier, allow it to offer more options and connectivity for business and leisure customers, and enable it to compete as a leading global airline.