Business Traveler, June 2019

PROPERTY PIPELINE AND OPENINGS PLASTIC PULL AF T ER WOW A survey by the travel insurance J U N E 2 0 1 9 U P F R O N T 7 INTERCONTINENTAL JAKARTA InterContinental Jakarta Pondok Indah has opened in the heart of South Jakarta and 45 minutes from Soekarno Hatta International Airport The 311 room property is located within a commercial complex and features a ballroom for 3500 as well as additional meeting space that includes interactive show kitchens ihg com CANOPY WASHINGTON DC Slated to debut in late 2019 Canopy by Hilton is opening its third Washington DC property Canopy by Hilton Washington DC Embassy Row Located 15 minutes from the White House the property is situated near museums restaurants and bars premier shopping and beautiful green spaces as well as some of DCs most notable attractions hilton com PAN PACIFIC LONDON The debut of the Pan Pacific Hotels brand in Europe is now scheduled for 2020 The group has announced the 237 room Pan Pacific London will be located in the mixed use One Bishopsgate Plaza Facilities will include an 18th floor Signature Suite an indoor pool spa and fitness center and a ballroom for up to 370 guests panpacific com The hospitality world has realized that plastics are being considered part of the global ecological crisis A survey in 2018 by Brita UK the water filter company found that 70 percent of hospitality companies queried planned to limit singleuse plastics like straws etc American Airlines has replaced plastic straws on its flights with biodegradable alternatives and hotels like Marriott Hyatt Four Seasons Hilton and many others are doing the same Now one of the last bastions of plastic in the travel world may fall the plastic key card Yes they are reusable but millions of these credit card sized keys are HYATT CENTRIC SHANGHAI Hyatt has announced plans for a new Hyatt Centric in Minghang Shanghai Set to open in 2024 the 186 key hotel will be a part of 75 million square foot mixeduse development project in close proximity to Minhang Economic Development the Zizhu Science Park the National Exhibition and Convention Center and Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport hyatt com tossed into luggage or bags on check out and then discarded A new alternative is a wood fiber key card called the Pulper a recyclable access card that works with contactless RFID and magnetic stripe technology Created by the Made by Oomph company the card is the worlds most environmentally friendly hotel key card according to its creators The plastic free door card works the same way as the plastic ones which means it most likely will slide to the bottom of your purse or briefcase and be as similarly hard to find after a day of meetings and a night on the town as its plastic cousin company Squaremouth shows the number of travelers who seek financial default coverage rose 21 percent following the abrupt closure of Wow airlines the low priced Icelandic airline this year Wow and the Indian airline Jet Airways both suffered sudden collapse earlier this year which led to thousands of stranded passengers and canceled trips The survey also showed travelers are more cautious about cancellations due to employment layoffs 42 percent and hurricane and weather coverage especially in Mexico and the Bahamas 19 percent Source Squaremouth b u s i n e s s t r a v e l e r u s a c o m