CLIA
finds new digs in Fort Lauderdale
The
Cruise Lines International Association will
move its headquarters from New York
toFort Lauderdale in conjunction
with its merger with the International Council of Cruise
Lines.
The new office
will be operational in January at 910 SE 17th St., minutes from
Port Everglades.
Senior managers
reporting to CEO Terry Dale will be executive vice presidents J.
Michael Crye, technical and regulatory affairs, and Robert Sharak,
marketing and distribution. Crye and other ICCL officials will work
out of a Washington satellite office.
South
African adds Chicago route
South
African Airways plans to launch a route to the U.S. in May
with service to Chicago, home of Star Alliance
partner United. The carrier said it will operate four times weekly
to Johannesburg with a stop in Dakar,
Senegal, using Airbus A340 aircraft. South African also
serves New York and Washington.
Two GDSs
plan to track commissions
Amadeus and Sabre tapped
the same vendor, Worldwide Payment Systems of
Seville, Spain, to develop a Web-based Worldwide Commission Manager
to help agents and hotels track commission payments.
Using monthly
reports generated by the GDS, the product manages information for
hotel bookings made within the GDS but does not include commission
distribution.
The vendors
rolled out the product as a pilot. Sabre plans a six-month test,
with a rollout in the second quarter. Amadeus said it expects
implementation in the U.S. in mid-2007.
Amadeus
inks deal with Northwest
Amadeus and Northwest,
having clashed in court over airline surcharges, reached a
five-year, full-content pact for the U.S., Puerto Rico and the U.S.
Virgin Islands. Agents will continue to be able to access Northwest
and KLM inventory without facing airline surcharges, Amadeus
said.
Frontier
to add Hartford in March
Frontier will launch another route from
its Denver hub to the East Coast on March
2 with daily flights to Hartford, Conn.,
using Airbus A319 aircraft. Frontier said it will be the only
nonstop service in the market.
St.
Thomas Ritz set for reopening
The
Ritz-Carlton St. Thomas, closed since mid-August
for a $40 million makeover, will reopen on schedule early this
month; its new, two-building wing of 55 guest rooms, 20 suites and
two villas will open in March.
Enhancements
include guest room and bathroom makeovers, resortwide Wi-Fi, an
expanded spa and new menus.
Agency
network completes IPO
Pro
Travel Network, a 3-year-old host agency based in Fresno,
Calif., went public last week as a way to increase our visibility
and boost our credibility, according to its president and CEO, Paul
Henderson. He said the firm, which counts approximately 6,000
affiliated home-based agencies, is looking to make acquisitions,
possibly other agency types.
The company had
intended to go public by March or April, but Henderson said the
paperwork took longer than expected.
Mandarin
Oriental on Turks and Caicos
Mandarin
Oriental Dellis Cay, a private island retreat near
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos, is scheduled to open in late
2009. The hideaway, which will have 25 suites, 17 villas and 78
multi-roomed apartments, will be the companys second Caribbean
entry, following the 2008 opening of the 114-room Mandarin
Oriental, Grand Cayman.
Travel
Institute sets online menu
The
Travel Institute launched an e-learning
platform, initially offering free destination training
options for Alaska and France. In
2007, the institute will convert many of its courses for online
access; they will still be available in print. The institute is
also working with suppliers and destinations to develop or enhance
training programs for posting at the site. The e-learning center
has three libraries: one for full versions of the institutes
destination-specialist courses, a second for bite-size destination
overviews and a third for third-party offerings.
NCL takes
delivery of the Pearl
NCL took delivery of its latest ship from
Germanys Meyer Werft, the 93,000-ton Norwegian
Pearl, which was slated to begin its transatlantic
crossing from Southampton, England, to Miami on Dec. 2. Godmother
Rosie ODonnell is expected to preside over a charity event and
christening ceremonies on Dec. 15 and 16 before the 2,400-passenger
ship begins its Caribbean season from Miami.
Friends
& Colleagues
Mark
Hoplamazian was named president and CEO of Global Hyatt
Corp. He has been interim president since July 1 when he moved over
from the Pritzker Organization, the principal financial and
investment advisor to various Pritzker family-owned companies,
including Global Hyatt. " " " The Ritz-Carlton, Palm Beach named
Brad Cance general manager. The property reopens
Dec. 21 following a five-month, $60 million expansion. Cance
formerly was the general manager at the Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis.
Named chef de cuisine of Angle, the resorts new specialty dining
room, is David Mullen, formerly sous chef at
Daniel restaurant in New York. " " " Virtuoso appointed Ann
van Leeuwen to the position of vice president, North
America member sales and service. Most recently, van Leeuwen headed
the companys local business-development program. " " " Carnival
Cruise Lines appointed Gordon Buck to the newly
created position of vice president of Caribbean relations. A
20-year cruise industry veteran, he most recently served as vice
president of port operations.