How swanky can first-class travel on a commercial airline get?

Etihad Airways, the national carrier of the United Arab Emirates, will soon let passengers book a three-room suite with a living room, bedroom, bathroom and shower. Also included: a personal butler, trained at the Savoy Butler Academy in London.

"This is unheard of for a commercial airline," said Raymond Kollau an analyst at Airlinetrends.com. "At $20,000 for a single journey it is aimed at dignitaries and high net-worth individuals on the Abu Dhabi to London, Paris and New York routes, which are among the very few routes where such 'beyond first' class will meet demand."

"The Residence" will be available on the airline's new A380 airplanes in a 125-square-foot cabin on the forward upper-deck. Available for single or double occupancy, each Residence will have Ferrari-quality leather, table marquetry, custom carpets, a two-seat reclining sofa and an 82-inch-long double bed.

Read More Business, luxury travelers turning to Airbnb-type options

"The new Residence calls into question just how much pandering to the super rich is enough," said aviation journalist Christine Negroni, author of the forthcoming book "CRASHED: What the World's Most Mysterious Airplane Disasters Teach Us About Design, Technology, and Human Performance."

"That said, at $20,000, the super-luxe three-room suite actually is cheaper than flying the same route in a private plane, so maybe for the bargain-hunting billionaire, the Residence may be just the ticket," Negroni said.

In addition to the Residence cabin, Etihad on Sunday also introduced the First Apartment for A380 passengers in the first-class cabin.

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Etihad Airways adds three-room suite

By Mike Wiser, Gazette-Lee Des Moines Bureau

DES MOINES More schools should have severe weather safe rooms, the head of Iowas emergency department said Monday.

Mark Schouten, director of Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management, told reporters there arent enough buildings outfitted with special rooms that can withstand high impacts. He spoke during a news conference on severe weather preparedness.

Clearly, it is an important thing to keep our schoolchildren safe in event of a tornado or other severe weather, he said. It is something we are promoting, and I expect you will see more safe rooms in the future.

The department makes money available for school districts that want to construct safe rooms, which the Federal Emergency Management Agency defines as a hardened structure specifically designed to meet the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) criteria and provide near-absolute protection in extreme weather events, including tornadoes and hurricanes.

According to FEMA regulations, rooms should be designed to withstand winds of 250 mph and be able to resist a 15-pound 2x4 board traveling at 100 mph horizontally and 67 mph vertically.

Homeland Security Department spokeswoman Stefanie Bond wrote in an e-mail the department has helped pay for or set money aside for 40 tornado safe-room projects, which includes projects in 33 school districts. Of the projects, 32 of the 40 are complete.

The cost for all 40 projects is $42 million.

If a school/district has constructed a safe room that wasnt funded by us, its not on this list (although I am not aware if there are any that havent been funded through us), Bond wrote.

Gov. Terry Branstad said although the state doesnt provide additional funding for school safe rooms, districts that want to build them should look at the federal funding distributed through the state Homeland Security department.

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Iowa schools urged to build safe rooms

534 Albert Street, Strathroy, ON N7G 1W9
http://534albertstreet.ePropertySites.com?rs=youtube For more info and pics, Text "house 8712832" to 32075 Diamond in the Rough! This charming traditional 40`s home has quality craftsmanship...

By: Agent Marketing videos

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534 Albert Street, Strathroy, ON N7G 1W9 - Video

By DCist Contributor Alan Zilberman

Located adjacent to The 9:30 Club, Satellite Room is a bar/restaurant that's inspired by diners in Los Angeles. In addition to a menu of comfort foodone that includes everything from tacos to meatloafthis spot is noteworthy for its self-described boozy shakes. For $10, you can get drunk from dessert with shakes named after famous characters from pop culture (the menu has references to Peanuts, Pulp Fiction, The Departed, and even Saved by the Bell). Milk and alcohol can be a potent mix, so after two or more shakes it's important to have facilities that are significantly above average. The bathrooms here are thoughtful, if a little austere, and my most recent visit included one or two unfortunate kinks.

+5 for a concrete floor with a drain: Nobody needs to eat off a bathroom floor (gross), so it follows that function is more important than form. There's no pretense of marble in The Satellite Room; instead, the floors are easy-to-clean concrete with a mild slope for the drain in the middle. The emphasis on cleanliness is admirable. Who cares if the floor is designed like a locker room? The drain implies that the owners are serious about scrubbing everything down.

-4 for a bathroom without light: There are four single-serving, multi-gender bathrooms at Satellite Room, but when I visited the light was out in one of them. I discovered this when a person emerged from the dark bathroom with their iPhone flashlight switched on. It's possible to piss in the dark, I guess, but my emergency wasn't so dire that I was willing to risk a mess. And if a smartphone light source is the only one available, does that then mean one, um, does everything else one-handed? If the answer is "yes," then I admire the dexterity of braves ones willing to enter that void. For me, anyway, the lack of light cuts the available facilities by a quarter.

+1 for minimalist design: There is no pornography on the bathroom walls, nor is there any passive aggressive signage. Instead, the walls are stark black and white, with only a minimum of graffiti (a little graffiti is inevitable). If a bathroom with wall art is meant to inspire specific thoughts, then the austere design is a blank slate by comparison. Are you worried that you name-dropped too much on your first date? Are you feeling guilty that the next round means you're going to sleep in the following morning, not work out? You can think about anything you want while you use the bathrooms at Satellite Room. The only limit is yourself.

-3 for a disregarded pint glass on the toilet: It was strange, even a little alarming, when I ventured into a lit bathroom and found an empty pint glass inside. This implies that someone brought their drink into the bathroom, finished it before or after relieving themselves, then left the sullied glass for everyone else to ponder. I understand how bringing a drink into a bar bathroom is sometimes necessary: Black Cat and Rock' and Roll Hotel both have drink shelves along their wall of stalls. Satellite Room, on the other hand, is a slightly classier establishment. Oh, and we musn't forget that shit is particulate matter, which means that some wretch drank in more than they bargained for.

+3 for a Dyson Air Blade: Longtime readers of this column know my undying love for this hand-drying option, so let me focus on a different aspect of its excellence. When I was in the bathroom, I couldn't help but hear the Air Blade turn on in the private stall opposite mine. In other words, the noise of the hand-dryer offers an unintentional signal that another bathroom is about to open. This can be useful when the line is particularly long, which is yet another reason why paper towels will always remain inferior to thoughtful English engineering.

Overall score: +2. This score is artificially low due to unusual circumstances, yet Satellite Room is a terrific bathroom. It knows it's excellent, and does not go out of its way to call attention to itself. Once all the lights are functional, the facilities will be good enough to inspire measured confidence when it's time to order the boozy shake that's probably a mistake.

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Dear John: Satellite Room

by Marilyn Ten, reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on May 1, 2014, Thursday

KUCHING: Imperial Hotel Kuching will be holding its soft opening on May 9 with a special promotional room rate from RM180 per room per night.

This promotion is inclusive of breakfast and complimentary in-room Wi-Fi for a limited period only, said Imperial Hotel general manager Patrick Kuek at a media preview of the hotel yesterday.

Also present were Boulevard Group of Companies chief executive officer Yew Hoon and Imperial Group general manager Su Sii Jiong.

The upcoming four-star business class hotel, which is the latest addition to the fast-expanding Imperial Group of Hotels, features 325 well-appointed guestrooms and suites, including two executive floors, all carefully designed with practicality and comfort in mind.

Each guestroom is tastefully furnished and complete with complimentary in-room Wi-Fi and wired Internet access point.

It also comes equipped with individual control air-conditioning, 42-inch flat screen LED television, laptop-size in-room safe, mini fridge, coffee and tea making facilities, HyppTV channels, bathroom with bath tub and separate shower, iron and ironing board and hair dryer.

We take pride in being the first hotel in Sarawak to subscribe to the Hospitality Entertainment Solution, the hassle-free offering from Telekom Malaysia (TM) with the latest ICT and entertainment package comprising In-Building Broadband Solution (IBS) and TMs IPTV service, HyppTV all powered by TMs high-speed broadband network connectivity, said Kuek.

In addition to this, there are also a full range of hotel facilities and services provided for the comfort and convenience of hotel guests such as the Business Centre as well as the Fitness Centre featuring a fully equipped gymnasium, sauna and steam room complemented by an outdoor swimming pool.

Safe deposit boxes are also provided on complimentary basis at the Front Desk for guests to keep their valuables.

Read more:
Imperial Hotel Kuching to open May 9

For Andrew Alexander, president of the Red Roof Inn budget hotel chain,a $24 strip of electrical outlets proved to be the killer room addition.

That wasnt the only change Alexander made as part of a sweeping renovation following the companys default nearly five years ago. At dozens of Red Roof Inn locations, the company ripped up carpet and installed faux-wood flooring, replaced old countertops with granite surfaces, changed out the sinks, switched to larger flat-screen televisions and higher-quality beds, and began doling out free snack boxes to guests. The cost to upgrade each room runs as high as$10,000and nowhere has the return on investment been better than those inexpensive power strips fitted on nightstands. Can you imagine all those people in fancy hotel rooms crawling around the floor looking for a plug? says a bemused Alexander, a former corporate attorney. Everyone travels with their gadgets.

The Red Roof Plus+ concept debuted at 31 properties this spring, with nine more upgrades planned by yearend. Ultimately, the chain expects to have as many as one-quarter of its 360 properties converted to the new design. The privately held company says the new rooms cost an average daily rate of $72, or 8 percent above pre-renovation rates, and the upgrades have led to increased occupancy of about seven additional rooms per night at the revamped properties.

The average daily hotel room rate across the U.S. was $112 in the first quarter, according to lodging research firm STR, almost twice Red Roof Inns average room rate. Theres a limit to how far upmarket the brand will go. We are not about amenity creep, Alexander says. We are not about throwing things at our customers that they dont want.

Across the budget hotel sector, however, amenities are on the rise, from free Wi-Fi to nicer pillows. Since the 2008 financial crisis decimated the hospitality industry, budget chains such as Wyndham Worldwide (WYN)s Days Inn and Super 8 and Choice Hotels International (CHH)s Quality and Comfort Inn brands have been making strategic investments aimed at boosting room rates without alienating their core customers: families on vacation, truckers, small-business travelers, and the self-employed. The trend is being driven by travelers who insist that a hoteleven at the budget endoffer the comforts of home, says Red Roof Inns chief marketing officer, Marina MacDonald.

That has led to some blurring of the lines between budget and midrange brands, such as Hilton Worldwide Holdings (HLT) Hampton Inn and La Quinta Inns & Suites (LQ). It has also left economy to a hodgepodge of brands with varying levels of consistency, Alexander says,creating a new opportunity for Red Roof Inn. You want consistency of quality, and our competitors are not delivering that.

Red Roof Inns sale by Accor in 2007 was among the last of the big buyout deals before the financial crisis, a $1.3 billion transaction led by Citigroup (C)sGlobal Special Situations Group. The chain collapsed into default two years later amid more than $350 million in debt payments it was unable to make. Its now owned by three real estate investment firms: Dune Capital Management, Five Mile Capital Partners, and Westmont Hospitality Group.

The Columbus (Ohio)-based company owns nearly half its properties and franchises the rest, a higher ratio than many of its budget rivals. Over time, as Red Roof Inn seeks to expand to 500 properties next year and 600 in subsequent years, it is likely to have more franchisees. The company also needs to add properties west of the Mississippi River, Alexander says, given its meagerfootprint there.

Read more:
Red Roof Inn and the Blurred Lines of Budget Hotels

Published: Tuesday, April 29, 2014 at 10:24 p.m. Last Modified: Tuesday, April 29, 2014 at 10:24 p.m.

Its scary when you or a family member needs to go to the emergency room. By next spring, residents living in northern New Hanover and eastern Pender counties will have greater peace of mind should a medical emergency occur. New Hanover Regional Medical Center broke ground Tuesday for a new, full-service emergency room near the county line.

It will be a welcome addition to the areas health care network. Access to good medical care is one of the many things people consider when they move or retire to an area. NHRMC regularly treats patients from a seven-county area, and as the population of the region grows, the hospital must keep up.

The hospital has grown over the years, from a single facility to buildings on several sites that specialize in orthopedics, cancer treatment, womens and childrens medical needs, psychiatric care and rehabilitation. New Hanover Regional owns Cape Fear Memorial Hospital and has management agreement to operate Pender Memorial Hospital.

Population growth in the Hampstead/Porters Neck/Scotts Hill area has created a need for a 24-hour emergency room to serve the area. Whether by ambulance or by personal car, its important to get to an emergency room quickly. It can be quite a drive from those and nearby communities to a full-fledged emergency room, and when you or a loved one needs help right now, the distance seems even longer.

A recent report by the nonprofit news organization Pro Publica found that wait times in New Hanover Regionals emergency room were longer than other hospitals in the region, although they were not too different from other hospitals with trauma centers, which treat critically injured patients. The main emergency department gets more than 80,000 visits per year, and Cape Fears smaller emergency room sees about 35,000 a year. Those numbers are only projected to grow.

The new emergency room should help reduce wait times by providing residents of northern New Hanover County and eastern Pender County a more convenient place to go with medical conditions that need immediate treatment. It also will create 50 new jobs, many of which will go to locally trained people.

The new facility will be next to the hospitals outpatient surgery clinic, Atlantic SurgiCenter, off Market Street just south of the Pender County line. Trauma patients and patients who need critical care will be taken to the main hospital off South 17th Street, but the new facility will be a fully operational ER with the means to stabilize patients before sending them to Wilmington.

The Porters Neck area has a privately run urgent care center that is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. It serves a need and will continue to do so; not all ailments or injuries need ER treatment, and having facilities that handle less critical medical problems takes the burden off already-busy emergency rooms.

The 30,000-square-foot building will cost about $15.1 million and is expected to open in June 2015.

Read this article:
Editorial - New emergency facility will serve growing population

COTTONWOOD - In the 12 years since it was built, a lot has changed at Lakeview School. One of the biggest and most pressing changes, school officials said Sunday, is that student enrollment has started to outgrow the building. Lakeview's never needed a waiting list for preschool registration until now, Superintendent Chris Fenske said.

"It's a good problem to have, but at the same time we don't want to turn families away," Fenske said to an audience of about 50 area community members on Sunday night.

To help address those needs, the Lakeview School District is considering building a 27,000 square-foot addition to the school building, and remodeling several existing classrooms and offices. The building proposal will go before the public in a special election on May 13. Sunday's meeting was the first of three public information sessions the school district is holding before the vote.

One of the major features of the proposed building project would be an addition including preschool and elementary-level classrooms, a gymnasium and space for community education. More than 11,000 square feet of the existing school would also be remodeled, to offer expanded space for special education classrooms and reconfigured school offices.

The parking would also be expanded to allow more space for event parking, said Jeri Fink of architectural firm Wendel.

Under the proposed building plans, both the elementary and secondary school offices would be relocated closer to the school's main entrances. This would help staff screen visitors and provide better security for the school, Fink said.

If approved, the cost of the building addition would be paid for through a $7.98 million bond, with a term of 19.5 years, said a representative of financial consulting group Ehlers. The bond would mean a property tax increase for taxpayers in the school district. In one example, for a residential property valued at $100,000, it was estimated that property taxes would increase about $47 in 2015.

Speakers said it was more complicated to try and estimate the bond's tax impact on non-homestead agricultural land. However, a property tax calculator tool is available at the Lakeview School district website, along with other information on the proposed building addition.

Fenske said the proposed school addition is the end result of months of study, as well as input from community members who served on a building task force.

"The school board has been very clear that it wanted the process to include the community, be community-driven, and be transparent," Fenske said. The task force identified several priorities for a building project, including school security, adequate educational space, flexibility, and community use.

Excerpt from:
Lakeview seeks elbow room in school addition vote

Westcon Group's resellers are now being rewarded for the artfulness of opening a deal, rather than closing one.

In a partnership with vendor, Avaya, it has launched the Deal Room, a new application which has been developed for the Australian reseller market.

The new Deal Room app attempts to address the issue of deal-swooping' and rewards partners on their individual sales efforts for Avaya products.

The application encourages resellers to open more deals by then feeding the user more hot leads to assist with their sales pipeline.

In addition to offering the reseller pricing and priority pre-sales support, it also delivers a useful space for resellers to store information during the sales process. According to Westcon director of vendor alliances, marketing and innovation, Nick McMenemy, the Deal Room is a response to a significant and recurring issue for resellers worldwide. What were seeing are sales people opening a deal with a potential customer and a third-party reseller swooping into the conversation and closing the deal with a better offer on the product," he said.

"Its a universal pain-point for resellers, and we worked hard with Avaya to develop the Deal Room to address this. McMenemy said the company was now rewarding resellers on opening a deal, not closing.

"With the Deal Room we can identify resellers who open an Avaya deal, and help build out their sales pipeline in return," he said.

"The more deals they open, the more lead opportunities we can provide, McMenemy said. According to a company statement, it offers Westcons Avaya resellers with a deal registration system thats easy to use and available to sales staff on the run, with instant accessibility on tablet and smartphone devices, including iPads, iPhones, and Android devices. McMenemy said it also enabled his company to build a strategic stock profile to ensure it had the stock available to help the salesperson deliver the deal. Avaya managing director A/NZ, Tony Simonsen, said it had become clear from conversations with resellers that an application such as the Deal Room was needed. Sales people within the channel put considerable effort into starting the conversation with a potential customer and sales executives can become easily demotivated when another reseller comes in at the last minute and closes the deal," he said.

"This application is a real game-changer for resellers of Avaya products.

Tags marketing and innovationNick McMenemywestconWestcon GroupAvaya managing director A/NZdeal roomWestcon director of vendor alliancesTony SimonsenAvayadeal swooping

View original post here:
Westcon launch the 'Deal Room' for resellers

Westcon Group's resellers are now being rewarded for the artfulness of opening a deal, rather than closing one.

In a partnership with vendor, Avaya, it has launched the Deal Room, a new application which has been developed for the Australian reseller market.

The new Deal Room app attempts to address the issue of deal-swooping' and rewards partners on their individual sales efforts for Avaya products.

The application encourages resellers to open more deals by then feeding the user more hot leads to assist with their sales pipeline.

In addition to offering the reseller pricing and priority pre-sales support, it also delivers a useful space for resellers to store information during the sales process. According to Westcon director of vendor alliances, marketing and innovation, Nick McMenemy, the Deal Room is a response to a significant and recurring issue for resellers worldwide. What were seeing are sales people opening a deal with a potential customer and a third-party reseller swooping into the conversation and closing the deal with a better offer on the product," he said.

"Its a universal pain-point for resellers, and we worked hard with Avaya to develop the Deal Room to address this. McMenemy said the company was now rewarding resellers on opening a deal, not closing.

"With the Deal Room we can identify resellers who open an Avaya deal, and help build out their sales pipeline in return," he said.

"The more deals they open, the more lead opportunities we can provide, McMenemy said. According to a company statement, it offers Westcons Avaya resellers with a deal registration system thats easy to use and available to sales staff on the run, with instant accessibility on tablet and smartphone devices, including iPads, iPhones, and Android devices. McMenemy said it also enabled his company to build a strategic stock profile to ensure it had the stock available to help the salesperson deliver the deal. Avaya managing director A/NZ, Tony Simonsen, said it had become clear from conversations with resellers that an application such as the Deal Room was needed. Sales people within the channel put considerable effort into starting the conversation with a potential customer and sales executives can become easily demotivated when another reseller comes in at the last minute and closes the deal," he said.

"This application is a real game-changer for resellers of Avaya products.

Tags marketing and innovationNick McMenemywestconWestcon GroupAvaya managing director A/NZdeal roomWestcon director of vendor alliancesTony SimonsenAvayadeal swooping

Read more:
Westcon Group launches the 'Deal Room' for resellers