SINGAPORE, 1 April 2022: Travellers booking stays at Ascott properties through direct channels earn more loyalty points rising through the loyalty ranks to platinum status.
Now in its third year, Ascott Star Rewards’ offers 35% more
points and fast tracks membership upgrades to the platinum tier when bookings
are made through various direct channels. They include Ascott’s reservation
offices via email, phone calls and WeChat, and authorised travel agents.
Members can also earn points for walk-in bookings at more
than 400 ASR participating properties in over 130 cities across more than 30
countries. These channels are in addition to Ascott’s booking website and
mobile app.
Ascott’s managing director for Brand and Marketing, Tan Bee
Leng said: “There is no cap to ASR points earned, no minimum
points redemption and no blackout dates for redemption. Our ASR members enjoy
maximum flexibility and convenience when using their points. Since its launch
in 2019, ASR members contribute about 90% of Ascott’s direct bookings online,
and about 50% of ASR members are repeat guests.”
SINGAPORE, 1 April 2022: From the origin of the tango to the home of coffee and the rugged landscape of the most isolated continent on earth, Princess Cruises has announced its diverse programme offerings for the 2023-2024 South America and Antarctica season.
On
sale April 6 2022, Sapphire Princess returns to this exotic region to visit 19
destinations in 10 countries on five unique itineraries.
With
10 departures, ranging in length from 14- to 34-days, Sapphire Princess cruises
offer guests the experience of sailing to Cape Horn – where the Pacific meets
the Atlantic – to the Chilean Fjords, stunning mountains of Patagonia, the
Falkland Islands’ famous penguins and the mystic waters of remote Antarctica.
Cruise options include:
Cape
Horn & Strait of Magellan – 14 Days – 3 Voyages
Overnight in
Buenos Aires, including scenic cruising of the spectacular Amalia Glacier
Depart from
Buenos Aires (overnight), Montevideo, Puerto Madryn, Falkland Islands
(Stanley), Cape Horn scenic cruising, Ushuaia (Tierra del Fuego), Punta Arenas,
Amalia Glacier scenic cruising, Puerto Montt and arrive in Santiago
February 5 and
March 4, 2024; reverse itinerary on February 19 2024
Antarctica
& Cape Horn – 16 Days – 3 Voyages
Featuring four
days of cruising the Antarctica region with views of Elephant Island, Antarctic
Sound and Gerlache Strait
Sail from
Santiago to Punta Arenas, Ushuaia (Tierra del Fuego), Cape Horn scenic
cruising, Antarctic Peninsula scenic cruising (Elephant Island, Antarctic
Sound, Deception Island, Gerlache Strait, Neumayer Channel, South Shetland
Islands and Admiralty Bay), Falkland Islands (Stanley), Montevideo and arrive
in Buenos Aires.
December 19,
2023, January 20, 2024; reverse itinerary on January 4 2024
Andes
& South America – 18 Days – 2 Voyages
Overnight in
Lima (Callao), Peru, with an optional overland land tour to UNESCO World
Heritage Site, Machu Picchu
Depart Los
Angeles and sail to Costa Rica (Puntarenas), Manta, Lima (overnight), Pisco
(General San Martin), La Serena (Coquimbo), and arrive in Santiago – on
December 1 2023
Depart
Santiago, La Serena, Pisco, Lima (overnight), Manta, Costa Rica, Puerto
Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas, Los Angeles – 18 March, 2024
Grand
Adventures – 32 or 34 Days – 2 Voyages
Overnight in
Bueno Aires and Lima
Antarctica,
Andes & Cape Horn Grand Adventure (34 days): Sail from Los Angeles, Costa
Rica, Manta, Lima (overnight), Pisco, La Serena, Santiago, Punta Arenas,
Ushuaia, Cape Horn scenic cruising, Antarctic Peninsula scenic cruising
(Elephant Island, Antarctic Sound, Deception Island, Gerlache Strait, Neumayer
Channel, South Shetland Islands and Admiralty Bay), Falkland Islands,
Montevideo and arrive Buenos Aires – departs December 1, 2023
Andes &
Cape Horn Grand Adventure (32 Days): Depart Bueno Aires (overnight) to
Montevideo, Puerto Madryn, Falkland Islands, Cape Horn scenic cruising,
Ushuaia, Punta Arenas, Amalia Glacier scenic cruising, Puerto Montt, Santiago,
La Serena, Pisco, Lima (overnight), Manta, Costa Rica, Puerto Vallarta, Cabo
San Lucas, Los Angeles – departs 4 March, 2024
For guests wishing to combine a land tour before or after their cruise, Princess offers two cruise tours for South America:
Iguazú Falls Adventure – features the thundering Iguazú Falls, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and a visit to Rio de Janeiro.
Machu Picchu Explorer – visits the ancient Inca compound, Machu Picchu, another UNESCO World Heritage Site, plus a tour of the historic city of Cusco.
Guests
can enjoy the local sites, wines and cuisines in port, while Princess keeps the
destinations alive on board with passionate Argentine folkloric musicians,
sumptuous regional dishes and even celebrations of the famed Carnival festival
with local dancers and samba classes.
In
addition, the 2,670-guest Sapphire Princess offers Princess MedallionClass
Vacations which begins with the Medallion wearable, a quarter-sized device that
enables everything from expedited contactless boarding to locating loved ones
anywhere on the ship, as well as enhanced service like having whatever guests
need to be delivered directly to them, wherever they are on the ship. In
addition, guests can share their favourite cruise moments using MedallionNet,
the best WiFi at sea, as well as stay connected with friends and family back
home, work remotely anywhere on the ship, quickly post content and stream
favourite movies and shows.
Sapphire Princess was previously based in Singapore from 2014 to 2020.
SINGAPORE, 1 April 2022: Frommer’s, a guidebook company celebrating its 65th this year, offers insights on the best hotel booking sites when planning summer vacation travel.
Earlier this week, it released the latest edition of its
Best Hotel Booking Sites, saying the top 10 has been shaken considerably since
the previous ranking in 2020.
Photo: https://www.frommers.com
Using a complex, weighted system involving 60 different room
reservation scenarios, travel expert and analyst Reid Bramblett put booking
engines through the wringer to determine which sites deliver the lowest rates,
the most options, and the easiest user experience.
Frommer’s explained it involved tallying the number of
choices each contender could rustle up in seven major tourist cities: Orlando,
New Orleans, San Francisco, Rome, London, Bangkok, and Buenos Aires.
Then, for each city, it searched for the lowest rates each
site could find at four specific downtown hotels in varying price ranges for a
mid-week, shoulder-season stays three months out.
For the first time, Google tops the best list, but the
search giant only narrowly edged out previous winner HotelsCombined, showing a
keen ability to find the most affordable rooms.
Other heavy hitters, including Tripadvisor and Kayak, only managed middling scores when put to the Frommer’s test, ranking 5th and 7th, respectively. After falling out of the top 10 five years ago, Hotels.com clawed its way to the 10th slot, displacing Hotwire from the list entirely.
The complete top 10, along with detailed analysis, a rundown of each site’s pros and cons, and money-saving warnings about sneaky tactics and outright rip-offs, can be found at Frommers.com/BestHotelSites.
The top 10 booking sites
Google.com/travel/hotels
Hotelscombined.com
Trivago.com
Agoda.com
Tripadvisor.com
Booking.com
Kayak.com
Expedia.com
Priceline.com
Hotels.com
Frommer’s latest ranking of the top sites for finding
affordable airfare will be updated later this year.
About Frommer’s:
One of the most venerable brands in travel, Frommer’s has been in continuous publication since the 1957 debut of Arthur Frommer’s Europe on Five Dollars a Day, which changed the way the world travelled. The Frommer’s collection of travel products has expanded to include nearly 100 award-winning guidebooks, a popular podcast.
DELHI, 1 April 2022: India’s aviation authorities reminded
domestic airlines this week that they continue to monitor airfares on a monthly
basis to prevent sudden price surges and also to promote transparency.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation emphasised earlier this week that airlines should display on their websites the tariff sheet route-wise across their network in various fare categories and in the same manner it is offered in the market.
In addition, the DGCA noted its Tariff Monitoring Unit
continues to monitor airfares on specific routes on a monthly basis to ensure
that the airlines do not charge airfares outside a range declared by them.
Even though the government does not regulate airfares under
normal circumstances, the Covid-19 pandemic adversely impacted businesses’
revenue streams, including the aviation sector. In response, the government
introduced fare bands with upper and lower limits as a special measure to serve
the dual purpose of protecting both travellers and airlines.
Presently, fare capping is applicable on a rolling basis on
a 15-day cycle. Decisions regarding the domestic scheduled operations and the
possible relaxation in fare capping are subject to the prevailing Covid-19
situation, the status of airline operations and passenger demand for air
travel.
Fare check Delhi-Mumbai route
During April, a fare check on the popular Delhi-Mumbai route
showed variations from a low of USD76 to a high of USD97 for one-way economy
travel.
According to a Google flight search, Spicejet filed the
lowest fare at USD76, but for those who worry about carbon emissions, the
flight flagged 13% more kgCO2 when compared with the route’s average of 134
kgCO2.
Vistara and Indigo, both quoting USD97 fares, operated at
the average carbon emission level flying the route. AirAsia quoting a USD96
fare, scored a minus 29% carbon emission level when compared with the route
average, well below all rivals.
Air India quoted a fare of USD94, but the carbon emission
level was the highest of all airlines serving the domestic route at 29% over
the average. AirAsia at -29% is the winner when the topic is carbon emission
levels and not just a cheap fare.
