| February 17, 2011
top story Bid to Help the Kids  Can’t decide between a trip to Asia or Europe for your next vacation? Why not straddle both at the A’jia Hotel in Istanbul? The luxurious boutique hotel sits along the banks of the Bosphorus, which separates the two continents and bisects the historic city. A two-night stay for two is available to the highest bidder at the annual Business Traveler Online Charity Auction, running now through March 31. Bid on and win a business-class ticket to Istanbul on Turkish Airlines, and your trip is planned at a fraction of the cost. Browse through more information on these items and more at auction.btusonline.com. Proceeds will benefit Pencils for Kids, Inc. Ally Miola
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 Get Your FREE Regus Business world Membership — a $300 Value — With Access to 1,000 Lounges, When You Renew or Subscribe to Business Traveler has partnered with Regus to bring you a complimentary Gold business world membership, with access to over 1,000 lounges across 450 cities in 75 countries. Just log on to btusonline.com/subscribe and subscribe or renew your Business Traveler subscription for two years or more to cash in on your free business world Gold membership. find us online! Follow Business Traveler on Facebook! Follow Business Traveler on Twitter! more news Delta Aims to Change the FFP Game In a bold move this week, Delta Air Lines has announced that mileage accrued through its frequent-flyer program, SkyMiles, will no longer expire. “We know how much customers value their miles, so eliminating mileage expiration is a major win for them,” commented Jeff Robertson, Delta’s vice president – SkyMiles. The new policy makes Delta the only major U.S. carrier without mileage expiration. Whereas before, miles expired 24 months after a member’s last qualifying mileage activity, this caveat has been canceled for all accounts as of January 1, 2011. The policy change complements such recent improvements as the elimination of all award redemption fees and a free first checked bag on Delta flights for holders of Gold, Platinum and Reserve Delta SkyMiles credit cards from American Express. AM
Announcing Andaz Shanghai  Hyatt Hotels Corporation has announced that its latest brand, Andaz, will be opening its first Asian property this summer. Andaz Shanghai will be a newly-constructed 24-story hotel with 307 rooms in Xintiandi, within walking distance of the Metro shops of Huai Hai Zhong Road. Embodying the brand’s uncomplicated service concept, the hotel will have a restaurant, bar, lounge, spa, pool and 4,265 feet of function space. Andaz Shanghai will be the brand’s sixth property, following Andaz 5th Avenue and Andaz Wall Street in New York City, Andaz Liverpool Street in London, Andaz San Diego, and Andaz West Hollywood. Additional Andaz hotels are in the pipeline in Amsterdam, Netherlands; Delhi, India; Papagayo, Costa Rica; Sanya, China; Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands; and Wailea-Makena, Hawaii. AM An Encore for Heathrow’s Terminal 2 As Heathrow demolishes the 55-year-old Terminal 2, one has to wonder exactly what happens to all of that building material. Rather than turn it over to the landfill, the airport is aiming to recycle over 95 percent of the waste including concrete, metal, plastic and timber. Items like asbestos, of course, will be safely discarded. Interestingly, the majority of the recycled materials won’t be applied to new construction at the airport, but rather towards building new projects across the U.K., with concrete going into new motorways, roads and pavement. So the next time you’re in the U.K. and cruising down a freshly laid highway, keep in mind that you could be barreling down the same materials once reserved for high-volume jet traffic. AM
To ensure you'll always receive this newsletter, please add bte@btusonline.com to your address book or approved sender list. To view the newsletter online, visit Business Traveler at www.btusonline.comdeal of the week A Big Plane Calls for a Big Giveaway  On Monday, February 28, the sixth A380 in Lufthansa German Airlines’ fleet will land at JFK, marking the airline’s first U.S. destination for the jumbo jet. Lufthansa wants to give you the chance to join in the celebrations with two contests that could have you saying “ guten tag” in Frankfurt. To be eligible, first visit lh.com/winA380tickets and follow @Lufthansa_USA on Twitter. The first contest is the A380SeatTweet, which will award four lucky winners a special behind-the-scenes tour of the Lufthansa base, plus a seat on the inaugural A380 flight from Frankfurt on February 28. To enter, select a seat on Lufthansa’s virtual A380 and a Tweet will post to reserve the selection. After all 526 seats are “booked,” the day’s winner will be announced. One winner will be announced each day from February 16 to February 19. For an additional chance to win, visit New York’s SoHo on Monday, February 28, where there will be 23 “crew members” holding tickets for the flight. But only one crew member will be holding a real pair of roundtrip Business Class tickets to Europe. To find the official cabin crew member holding the prize, follow @Lufthansa_USA on Twitter for clues (which begin on Feb. 25) on the crew’s whereabouts in SoHo. One needs to find 10 crew members before you’re led to the real one with the tickets. AM more deals Bring it to Bangkok  The Sukhothai Bangkok is celebrating its twentieth anniversary with a special package available through October 31, 2011. Starting at Baht 7,800, it includes daily buffet breakfast; free mini bar consumption of soft drinks, juice and beer; free Internet access; and an extra hotel credit of Baht 1,200 for room bookings and Baht 2,000 for suite bookings that can be used towards dining and spa treatments during the stay. The package requires a two-night minimum stay. For more information, visit sukhothai.com. AM Stock up on Wyndham Rewards Wyndham Rewards members can now beef up their point balances with the loyalty program’s 2011 Spring Promotion. Travelers who register and begin staying at any participating Wyndham Rewards hotel by April 30, 2011 will receive double points or miles on their second stay, triple points or miles on their third stay, and quadruple points or miles on their fourth stay, as long as they are completed by May 7, 2011. As a bonus, members who pay for their stays with their Wyndham Rewards Visa card will receive 1,000 extra points for each of their return stays. For more information, visit wyndhamworldwide.com. AM
Get Down to Business in FL  The Renaissance Resort at World Golf Village has a Business Traveler Package for guests staying at the 301-room resort. Directly connected to the St. Johns Country Convention Center in St. Augustine, the hotel’s special offer includes high-speed wired and wireless Internet access, one in-room move per day, valet parking and up to $25 worth of daily dry cleaning. The package is priced $30 above the standard room rate (which start at $129), for a savings of $50. For more information, visit worldgolfrenaissance.com. AM tried and tested Auberge Saint-Antoine
Québec City, Canada   
WHAT’S IT LIKE?
An archaeology buff’s delight, Auberge Saint-Antoine opened in 1992, built on one of Québec City’s richest historic sites. More than 5,000 artifacts were discovered in the area, some dating back to the 1600s, more than 700 of which are on display throughout the hotel, with items from a different time period represented on each of its six floors. In addition to the artifacts, which range from Chinese porcelain teacups to a French cannon, the hotel also integrates three historic buildings of the 18th and 19th centuries, as well as a 17th-century wharf and battery structure. WHERE IS IT?
In Québec City’s Old Port neighborhood, Auberge Saint-Antoine faces the St. Lawrence River, and is adjacent to the Musée de la civilisation de Québec. The hotel is a 20-minute drive from Québec City Airport. HOW MANY ROOMS?
Auberge Saint-Antoine has 95 guest rooms, including 12 suites. Twenty-three rooms opened in 1992, and in 1995, eight historically-themed suites were added in the renovated Maison Hunt wing. 2003 saw the addition of a modern central building and 64 new rooms. ROOM FACILITIES
My Luxe Terrace Suite invited immediate settling in, with plush furnishings in rich textures and colors. French doors opened onto the terrace, which ran the length of the suite and gave views of the city and the river. All guest rooms have goose-down duvets and pillows, Bose sound systems, Wi-Fi and high-speed Internet access at no extra charge, cable TV, safes, two-line phones, voicemail, coffee machines and minibars. New rooms also have heated bathroom floors, no-fog mirrors, deep soaking tubs and large work desks. BUSINESS FACILITIES
Auberge Saint-Antoine offers five meeting and banquet rooms, an impressive 94-seat auditorium, audio-visual equipment and a business center with computers with high-speed Internet access and color printers. LEISURE FACILITIES
LeGYM’s light-filled fitness center is well equipped, with a yoga studio, free weights, Swiss balls, treadmills, stationary bikes, elliptical machines and 24-hour access. Private sessions with certified personal fitness experts are also available, as are massage therapies in three treatment rooms. BARS AND RESTAURANTS
Panache restaurant serves updated traditional French-Canadian cuisine, inspired by seasonal, local produce, in the 19th-century Hunt maritime warehouse, replete with stone walls and wooden beams. Menu delicacies include cream of Jerusalem artichoke soup, quail from Cap-Saint-Ignace, North Shore snow crab, Nova Scotia lobster and caviar from Abitibi. The wine list features Canadian, including Québec wines, as well as ice wines. Open daily for breakfast and dinner, and for lunch on weekdays, Panache offers terrace dining, weather permitting. Café Artefact serves drinks and light fare and is open daily from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. VERDICT
Auberge Saint-Antoine brings Québec City’s history to life in a refreshing way, beautifully blending artifacts from the previous four centuries with an inviting modern design. The hotel’s contemporary style, historic elements and comfortable, business-friendly furnishings and amenities coalesce into an extremely desirable base from which to do business in the area. PRICE
Rates start at CAD 189 for a Comfort room. CONTACT
Auberge Saint-Antoine, 8, rue Saint-Antoine, Québec City, Québec, Canada, tel. 888-692-2211, or 418-692-2211; saint-antoine.com/en. — Eva Leonard  |
