Business Traveller September 2018

Welcome to the September issue of Business Traveller. It’s that time of the year when holidaymakers gradually disappear from the airports and normal service resumes, though judging by the currency fluctuations at the moment, the “new normal” is what we previously would have thought of as very strange. Having recently returned from Egypt and Russia, and currently planning to go to Turkey, it’s with a sense of foreboding that I open the drawer where I keep currency from previous trips to see just how much I have, and there is a sense of disappointment as I realise how much it has been devalued. Of course, what we as travellers experience is nothing compared to the people living and working in the countries where the currency has devalued. There are winners, though. As…

ROSE DYKINS Former staff writer at Business Traveller, Rose is now a freelance travel journalist and editor, and has written for The Telegraph, The Sunday Times Travel magazine and lonelyplanet.com. A committed Scandiphile, Rose has travelled to Copenhagen four times, and each visit inspires her to live more Danish-ly. In this issue she explores the nation’s lateral approach to business – including its enviable work-life balance; page 26. PAUL J DEVRIES Paul has been following the latest developments in the hotel industry for the past decade, and was previously contributing editor at HotelChatter. Based in London, he has covered hotel news for Business Traveller in cities around the world including Amsterdam, Paris, and in North America. His latest feature looks at New York, which – despite a reputation as the city that never…

NORWEGIAN AIRLINES TOOK the unusual step of chartering an A380 superjumbo from wet lease specialist Hi Fly for one of its daily return flights between London Gatwick and New York JFK this summer. The temporary move was necessary because of continuing problems with some of the B787-9 fleet (other airlines are also affected). It meant that some lucky passengers got to fly in the business and first class seating, which was originally installed by the aircraft’s first leasee Singapore Airlines. The replacement wasn’t all good news, however; congestion at JFK and the greater capacity of the A380 meant frequent delays on both outward and return flights from London Gatwick to New York. norwegian.com; hifly.aero…

GONE, BUT NOT FORGOTTEN, CONCORDE is remembered this month with the launch of a new book – Supersonic: Design and Lifestyle of the Concorde. An exploration of the history, design, technology and lifestyle associated with Concorde by renowned graphic designer Lawrence Azerrad, the book celebrates the aircraft’s aesthetics and the experience of being a passenger. Many futuristic objects designed in the 1960s became “retro”, but Concorde’s aerodynamic appearance has remained fresh. Pictured is a British Airways Concorde luggage tag with the original graphic identity, c1970s; a cover of Supersonic Age magazine promoting the service from 1974; and the original interior, c1974. Supersonic: Design and Lifestyle of the Concorde is available from September 10, priced around £27.50. prestel.com…

L’OSCAR Opened in June, this luxury hotel in Holborn is in what was a Baptist church, dating back to the start of 20th century. Much of the original architecture has been retained and the building now offers 39 individually styled rooms. The main restaurant, The Baptist Grill, is located in the glass-domed octagon that once served as the chapel and there are also two event spaces, an all-day dining café/bar and a garden. From £390 a night. loscar.com BANKSIDE HOTEL This addition to the buildings old and new on the South Bank will open in October. The Bankside Hotel, which enjoys a prime position between the Southbank Centre and Tate Modern, aims to be a cultural hub and creative space. Among the six-storey glass-clad hotel’s 161 rooms will be seven suites, and guests…

LONDON PIANIST AND music producer Tokio Myers won Britain’s Got Talent in 2017 and has released an album called Our Generation . He also performed and produced a version of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” to raise money for victims of the Grenfell Tower fire. “The beauty of my work is that I get to travel to weird corners of the world to play music,” he says. “It’s the dream. Luckily I enjoy flying, as it’s becoming more and more commonplace in my life.” What’s the most unusual place you’ve ever been? Song Saa, a tiny private island off the coast of Cambodia, for a gig. It’s paradise. All the villas are on pontoons by the beach with private swimming pools. It must be tricky travelling with musical equipment? The minimum I…