Business Traveller March 2020

Welcome to the March issue of Business Traveller. I’m hoping that this month is better than the last. About the only thing February had going for it was its brevity but, being a leap year, it still found a way to hang around for an extra day. As we head into March, it’s also into more uncertainty. When will the coronavirus – or Covid-19, as no one is calling it – disappear to wherever viruses go and let us get back to normal, or is this the new normal? Having just returned from Hong Kong, where I walked past dozens of closed shops and was temperature-checked before entering empty hotels, all while wearing a mask (despite most experts agreeing they are next to useless), I understand it isn’t an easy time…

HANNAH BRANDLER Our staff writer Hannah reports on all aspects of business travel for the magazine and website, as well as acting as our resident Francophile for all things French. Her past articles have tackled subjects including sustainability in hotels, start-up fever in Paris, and the rise of female-only members’ clubs. For this issue, she explores innovation (and cheesesteaks) in Philadelphia (page 26), and rounds up the latest hotel openings in the French capital (page 40). JOHN STEPEK John is executive editor of MoneyWeek magazine, and author of The Sceptical Investor, a guide to contrarian investing. Topics he has covered previously in his regular Business Traveller column include investing in gold, the new breed of digital “challenger” banks, and peer-to-peer lending. This month he advises on how to get more bang for your…

VIRGIN RETURNS TO CAPE TOWN VIRGIN ATLANTIC IS LAUNCHING daily Heathrow-Cape Town flights for the winter season on October 25, after a six-year absence. It will use a B787-9 aircraft with economy, premium economy and business class (although not the new Upper Class Suite on the carrier’s A350). Flight VS478 will depart Heathrow at 1620 and arrive at 0555 the next day, while VS479 will depart Cape Town at 0800 and land at 1800. British Airways also serves the route. Coming to London THE LONDONER: Opening in June, this 350-room, 35-suite hotel on the corner of Leicester Square will have nine floors above ground and six floors below, going down 30 metres. The Edwardian Hotels property, a member of Preferred Hotels and Resorts’ Legend Collection, is part of the redeveloped Odeon West End…

BERNARD SHAPERO is an international dealer in rare books, and is founder and chief executive of Shapero Rare Books in London’s Mayfair. WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO THE PROFESSION? The excitement of owning and handling something from the past, touching a piece of history. BEST BOOKSHOP ABROAD? The Strand Bookstore in New York’s East Village. It has a great selection of art books. WHICH BOOK HAS LEFT A LASTING IMPRESSION? I had the great privilege of owning a copy of the first printed Bible after the one made by Gutenberg. It was printed in 1462 in Mainz, Germany, and was complete in two volumes in a beautiful 15th-century binding. I sold it for a seven-figure sum. HOW DO YOU SOURCE RARE BOOKS? Often the hardest book to find is the one that is rare but not considered very valuable.…

ASCENT FINNAIR is to add an additional frequency to its Heathrow-Helsinki route, taking it to eight daily flights for summer 2020 from March 29. The extra flight will depart Helsinki at 1715 and depart Heathrow at 2030. EASTERN AIRWAYS is launching several routes from Teesside International airport. Cardiff flights began on February 10, Belfast City, Dublin and Southampton start on March 9, and London City on April 27. BRITISH AIRWAYS will fly between Heathrow and Cornwall Airport Newquay five days a week from July 2 to September 7. The carrier also said it would boost frequencies to St Lucia, Cape Town and Cancun this winter. DESCENT Airlines worldwide have suspended flights following the coronavirus outbreak. As we went to press, CATHAY PACIFIC had cut nine international routes until March 28. VIRGIN ATLANTIC and BRITISH AIRWAYS…

READ: Humble Pi: A Comedy of Maths Errors, Matt Parker This humorous book explores how maths is intrinsic to modern society and what happens when we get it wrong in the real world. Matt Parker takes a look at how incorrect calculations can lead to catastrophic scenarios – from wobbly bridges and billions of dollars disappearing into thin air to athletes turning up late to the Olympics. Guess we should have listened at school, then. Out on March 5. Penguin, £9.99. WATCH: Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C J Walker In this four-part series, Octavia Spencer stars as the African-American entrepreneur who built a haircare empire to become one of the wealthiest self-made women in America. The drama is based on the biography On Her Own Ground: The Life and…