Business Traveller Asia-Pacific Edition January - February 2019

Welcome to Business Traveller Asia-Pacific’s first issue of 2019 – and the first put to bed by me, your new editor. Our deputy editor Craig Bright was uninspired by Air China’s International Business Lounge in Beijing (page 65). Not only did security treat him rudely, but the lounge was overcrowded. This problem seems to extend to other airports in China. A Shanghai-based executive, who flies on average two return trips a month on Chinese domestic carriers, tells me he finds China Eastern’s Shanghai lounges in both Hongqiao and Pudong airports to be “always packed”. “All lounges in China have this problem: too crowded, and seats and facilities are not properly maintained,” he says. Okko Kuivalainen, the subject of our “Air Miles” interview (page 14), recently travelled to Guilin and tried the lounge at…

DAVID PHELAN London-based David Phelan has been analysing the latest gadgets for around 20 years, during which time things have changed quite a lot – although less than you might think. He regularly travels to tech launches, including recently in San Jose, New York and Las Vegas. In this age of constant connectivity, business travellers must stay online whenever and wherever they can, making protecting one’s data while connected more important than ever. David dives into the world of virtual private networks on page 44. CHRIS DWYER Hong Kong-based freelance food and travel writer Chris Dwyer contributes regularly to publications including CNN.com, BBC Travel and the South China Morning Post. With a particular interest in produce, he has reported on jamón ibérico in southern Spain, caviar in China, pufferfish in Japan and even…

THE ROSEWOOD HONG KONG has been given an official opening date of March 17 this year, finally marking the debut property in the city for Rosewood Hotels and Resorts. The new hotel, which has now begun accepting bookings, is located next to the Victoria Harbour waterfront in the city’s Tsim Sha Tsui district. Rosewood Hong Kong fills a notable gap in the portfolio of Hong Kong-based Rosewood Hotels and Resorts, which currently doesn’t operate a property in its home market. The new hotel will take up residence on the site of the former New World Centre, with 43 of the building’s 65 storeys dedicated to the hotel and its associated residences. Overall, the property will offer 322 rooms and 91 suites, with 80 per cent of guestrooms offering views of Victoria…

BUSINESS CLASS passengers flying on select long-haul Hainan Airlines services to overseas destinations are getting a significant upgrade to their bedding with a new range of products from Sofitel being rolled out by the Chinese carrier. The new products form part of the hotel brand’s popular Sofitel MyBed collection and include a waist cushion, full-size pillows, a duvet, bed sheet, feather topper and blanket. Hainan Airlines has also employed its latest Dream Feather design for the high-thread-count duvet covers, pillowcases and bed sheets. If you find yourself flying business class with Hainan Airlines on its services departing Beijing, Haikou, Changsha, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Xian, Shanghai, Tianjin, Chengdu or Chongqing, keep an eye out. hainanairlines.com…

NAMED AND SHAMED Southwest Airlines was forced to apologise after one of its passengers complained that a member of staff mocked her five-year-old daughter’s name, Abcde (pronounced ab-si-dee) and posted an image of her boarding pass online. FULLY EXPOSED A United Airlines pilot has found himself facing criminal charges for indecent exposure after he was spotted standing nude in front of the window of his room at the Westin Hotel at Denver International Airport by travellers in the terminal – something of which the pilot claims he was unaware. HAVE A WHIP-ROUND Passengers on a recent LOT Polish flight from Beijing to Warsaw found themselves having to pay for repairs to their aircraft using their own cash after the mechanic refused to accept any form of electronic payment. The airline later reimbursed them when they…

WHEN it comes to overnighting in the great outdoors, glamping – a portmanteau of glamorous and camping – has become a popular new alternative taking all the best parts about getting closer to nature without shirking the comforts of modern life. Now, The Pavilions Himalayas Lake View has given Nepal its own taste of glamping with the country’s first luxury tented eco villas. The property features eight separate tented villas that are accessed via paddleboat across Phewa Lake, and surrounded by rice fields and the Annapurna Himalayas. An organic farm provides ingredients for the Nepalese and international cuisine that will be served to its guests. pavilionshotels.com…