Walking Tours for Business Travelers

Visiting a new city on business and want to get a bit of a tourist experience as well? Local experts lead history and culture tours specifically for business travelers, offered to Travel Leaders Corporate clients and led by Context Travel. 

TRAVEL GEAR

Silk Sleeping Bag



Take a 100% silk sheet and wrap it over everything in your hotel room – including a pillow – and you have the Brave Era Silk Luxury Travel Sheet. It weighs 170 grams (less than 6 ounces), so it's easy to take it with you for a dose of luxury or just peace of mind.

Accor Hotels is trying out facial recognition software in Brazil, allowing selected guests who are members of its loyalty program to access their rooms via facial recognition, after they register their faces.

AccorHotels and Chile-based Algeciras will buy Atton Hotels – a small, upscale Chile-based chain that cater to business travelers.

Hyatt Hotels launched a new travel management and discount website for small and medium-sized businesses , called Hyatt Leverage. The program offers 5% to 15% discounts, and is geared for companies with fewer than 1,000 employees. 

Loyalty Programs

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, which acquired La Quinta, will give 1:1 point transfers and complimentary status match between the two rewards programs. 

South America

The 378-room Radisson Hotel Barra Rio de Janeiro opened in the city’s Barra da Tijuca neighborhood. It has free Wi-Fi, business and fitness centers, complimentary breakfast, an onsite restaurant and bar, a spa and an outdoor pool. The property also has nine flexible meeting rooms that can accommodate up to 100 people.

The 166-room Hyatt Centric Las Condes Santiago opened in the center of the Chilean capital’s “Sanhattan” financial district. It includes a restaurant serving French-influenced Chilean cuisine, a rooftop bar and outdoor pool, as well as up to 7,100 square feet of flexible meeting and event space.

Hyatt also opened its first hotel in Peru, the 254-room Hyatt Centric San Isidro Lima , on Basadre Avenue. It includes a Peruvian-French bistro, a rooftop bar and pool, and more than 5,900 square feet of flexible meeting and event space. 

Central America

The Hilton Panama Hotel opened Alienware Room, a gaming-dedicated guest room that includes a special chair, a 4K screen with 5.1 surround sound, an Oculus Rift + Touch virtual reality headset, an Alienware Effects system to personalize the room colors and a variety of controllers and accessories

Mexico

The Preferred Hotels & Resorts group of independent properties added Cala de Mar Resort & Spa Ixtapa, Hotel Playa Grande Resort & Grand Spa and Casa Del Mar Golf Resort & Spa to its portfolio. 

Viceroy Hotel Group opened the 194-room Viceroy Los Cabos in the Baja California city. Formerly the Mar Adentro hotel, the renovated property is part of the company’s Viceroy Icon collection and includes five new dining venues, a fitness center curated by celebrity trainer Harley Pasternak, and a new beachfront pool and bar.

Karisma Hotels & Resorts unveiled new names for two of its hotels: Fives Azul Beach Resort Playa Del Carmen, for the former Azul Beach Resort the Fives Playa Del Carmen, and Azul Beach Resort Riviera Cancun for the former Azul Beach Resort Sensatori Mexico.

Caribbean

Playa Hotels & Resorts acquired and began operating five all-inclusive properties in Jamaica: Hilton Rose Hall, Jewel Runaway Bay, Jewel Dunn's River, Jewel Paradise Cove and Jewel Grande Montego Bay.

Rosewood Hotels & Resorts opened the 237-room Rosewood Baha Mar – the third resort to open at the Nassau, Bahamas, development. The property has 12 meeting and event spaces, including a 4,950-square-foot ballroom, meeting rooms, boardrooms and a private dining room. The resort also has four dining venues, a spa, a fitness center and two swimming pools.

In July, Mexico-based Grupo Posadas will open a 633-room Fiesta Americana hotel in Playa Veradero , Cuba and a 749-room Fiesta Americana in Holguin , Cuba.

Karisma Hotels & Resorts changed the name of Jamaican property Azul Beach Sensatori Jamaica to Azul Beach Resort Negril.

Excellence Group opened the Excellence Oyster Bay , located about 35 minutes from the Montego Bay, Jamaica, international airport. The all-inclusive, adults-only resort is the company’s first property outside of Mexico and the Dominican Republic. It has 315 rooms, eight restaurants, nine bars, fitness facilities and a spa. 

Alienware Room courtesy Hilton Worldwide

Cala de Mar Resort & Spa Ixtapa courtesy Preferred Hotels & Resorts

Flycana is the new Dominican Republic’s new airline , rebranded from Dominican Wings.

25-year-old Venezuela-based Aserca Airlines ceased operations .

Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge began offering satellite Wi-Fi from Gogo on its international flights, with speeds fast enough for passengers to stream TV and movies in-flight.

Delta Air Lines , Air France-KLM and Virgin Atlantic agreed to broaden their joint venture , which aims to allow reciprocal frequent flier benefits, coordinated flight schedules and co-location of facilities at key airports.

American Airlines and JetBlue became the latest carriers to change their emotional support animal policies , effective July 1. Changes include additional restrictions on the type of animals that may travel as emotional support animals, as well as creation (JetBlue) or enforcement (American) of existing 48-hour advanced notice and pre-clearance policies (with procedures for emergency travel). 

Loyalty Programs

Airlines can now gain a new type of membership in the oneworld alliance : oneworld connect. “Connect” alliance members will provide certain alliance benefits to all frequent fliers from any member airlines, and will provide more extensive benefits with the oneworld members who sponsor it. Fiji Airways is the first connect partner.

Alaska Airlines now allows members of its Alaska Mileage Plan program to redeem their miles for hotel stays .

Aserca Airlines by Aero Icarus