The latest addition to pod hotel concept is citizenM (short for citizen Mobile) Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. The hotel is conveniently located just a short walking distance from from the arrivals and departures terminal at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.

citizenM Hotel room bed window

The concept of which citizenM hotel is built on caters for modern day travelers who wants a contemporary, comfortable, a more luxurious and convenient place to stay at reasonable prices. Value-for-money is what citizenM hotel is known for but unlike any regular pod hotels, it doesn’t skimp on space and amenities. Plus, the window and bed is huge, thank god.

A room may measure just 14 square metres each but it is well-designed to make use of every single inch of space. It is evident that citizenM designers gave careful, attention to detail and tedious thoughts into planning the room decor. Everything you need - bed, power rain shower, sink, toilet and other facilities - fits nicely and doesn’t make you feel cramped. Everything just seems to make perfect sense.

Take the bed for instance, you might wonder how cleaners could remove and replace the bedsheet without access to every corners of the bed. No they don’t climb on top the bed either. With citizenM’s patent-pending bed design, the bed can be pulled forward vertically and allow the cleaner easy access to replace the bedsheet. By the way, the bed is decked out with the finest linen.

Room entertainment includes an LCD television with free movie channels including blockbusters and classic favourites. Notebook toting roadwarriors will be pleased that citizenM offers WiFi internet access for free 24/7. Worried about charging your electronic gadgets? That’s taken care of with a global plug system. Philips ‘MoodPad’, an all-in-one remote control unit, controls the lighting, temperature, adjustable blinds, LCD TV and alarms.

Buses, taxis and trains are within walking distance and provide a 24 hour a day connection to the city centre of amsterdam (20 minutes by train) and all other major cities in the netherlands. Parking and rental cars are within walking distance as well

CitizenM Hotel opened just in time to help travelers offset the rising cost of travel and the high Euro conversion. And that’s always welcomed.

From July 1 to September 21, travelers who are making Hong Kong their vacation spot can look forward to endless indulgence and surprises. Trust me, this truly is the best time to visit Hong Kong if you’re looking to shop till you drop.

First off let’s talk about shopping, after all, that’s what Hong Kong is famed for (apart from the food, if you ask me *slurp*). Participating stores and shopping malls all around the city will be filled with special offers, shopper activities and events. You won’t want to miss these amazing world-class offerings. If you’re a first timer in Hong Kong, check out this special guide to shopping by district. Don’t want to shop with a wallet full of cash? Then don’t because there’s a Visa ‘Million Dollar Travel Bonanza’ Lucky Draw which you’re eligible to enter by shopping with your Visa card.

Now there’s the food, goodness gracious, if you’ve been to Hong Kong before you’d know why I can’t stop raving about Hong Kong food. The food there is excellent. Whatever your preference maybe - casual, hip or formal dining options, there are fantastic choices.

And if you’re wondering where to stay, participating hotels will be offering special promotions and packages for visitors this summer. For more information, check this out.

Soak in the Olympic crazed atmosphere while you’re in Hong Kong this summer season. Hong Kong is to host the Equestrian Events of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

With soaring fuel prices rendering many airlines cash strapped, one would’ve imagined implementing in-flight WiFi is an expensive gamble. But whether or not it pays off, several airlines - Southwest, American, Alaska, JetBlue, and Lufthansa - are preparing to take the gamble.

In hindsight, Boeing became the first casualty by introducing satellite-based in-flight WiFi but decided to pull the plug and terminate its Connexion Internet system in late 2006 because passengers found it too expensive at $30 per use.

That was two years ago and in that timeframe the cost of newer wireless equipment has decreased tremendously. Furthermore ultra-portable notebooks (Asus EEE for instance), wifi-enabled PDAs and smart phones has gained immense popularity of late. Therefore, it is hopeful the airlines industry could successfully revive a financially viable in-flight WiFi. I won’t mind $10 but $30 is a tad overpriced.

“Instead of sleeping off a seven-hour flight, it’ll be great if that same amount of time can be spent working online, emailing, blogging, internet messaging or simply surfing the web”, that’s the general consensus among frequent flyers, business-class in particular. However, the downside is that when you have possibly fifty passengers on board voice-chatting away at the same time, in-flight WiFi suddenly loses its appeal. While airlines have made it a policy that cell-phones won’t be allowed despite the presense of WiFi, I certainly hope voice chats are frowned upon too.

Sounds too good to be true? You’re probably right.

Read what a forumer had to say when he decided to check it out:

Can someone please explain to me how this is a “promotion”?

I am heading off to Frankfurt in Germany (Im Danish though) with my girlfriend next month. I just read about this today, and was thinking “wow, that’s a good deal, maybe I can buy 1 business for the same price as my 2 ecocomy tickets, and fly on business!)

So - I started checking up with agents and also directly with Thai Airways.

Now, here’s the kicker;

Normal price for a business ticket to Frankfurt (todays price): 93,500 baht
The price for a business ticket if you use this offer; 187,000 baht.

Do the math, and you get that the price is EXACTLY double! The agents are restricted to use the list price of Thai Airways, and do not get specielt agent prices on these tickets.

So - You pay double the price, and get 1 free ticket. Where the hel_l is the discount then? …

[Source: ThaiVisa.com]

No matter how you look at it, Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS) packages is a good deal indeed for those who seek a memorable summer vacation at Dubai during the summer months. 2008’s edition of DSS was launched recently from 19th June until 22nd August 2008.

This year’s DSS promises even more fun and events, surpassing the success that DSS had for the past decade. Look forward to 10 weeks of family fun, shopping extravaganza and edutainment carnivals in specially themed mall atmosphere. The centre of all the fun and entertained will be Modhesh Fun City, the region’s largest indoor edutainment venue.

Some basic features of the Dubai Summer Surprises 2008 Emirates package:

• Eligible to all Emirates passengers to or via Dubai
• Package prices starts from a low of US$62
• Validity period is from 19th June until 22nd August 2008
• Pay with MasterCard card and save 10% for bookings made at Emirates offices only.
• A minimum of 3 nights booking

Fly Emirates to DSS 2008 and enjoy:

• Meet & Assist at Dubai International Airport by uniformed Arabian Adventures staff.
• Transfers on arrival and departure between Dubai International Airport and hotel by chauffeur-driven cars.
• Arabian Adventures welcome pack with the new Vice Versa^® “cash reward” card.
• Emirates Holidays 24-hour emergency assistance.
• Additional 10kg free baggage allowance on return/onward flights from Dubai.

“The Emirates uniform has been the same since 1997, with a few tweaks here and there. In this new design we have addressed style, comfort, the suitability for different climates – for cabin crew and ground staff – and managed to retain the iconic and instantly recognizable hallmark of our uniform worldwide.” Terry Daly, Emirates’ divisional senior VP, service delivery.

Mr Daly continued: “I’m immensely proud of the in-house team from Emirates who worked with UK based uniform supplier Simon Jersey plc. Using a catalogue approach with mix and match items, they have produced a superb uniform that can be adapted to suit different environments and climates. This is vital when the conditions on the ground for staff can vary from Sao Paulo in Brazil to Newcastle in England to Hong Kong in Asia.”

I’ve always liked Emirates’ current uniform. It’s classy and unique, particularly the outstanding headpiece. In fact, it’s probably my favourite among the many airlines crew uniform I’ve seen. So how does the new one looks like?

Whether you choose the 2-night suite package in Bangkok and Chiang Mai or the 3-night resort suite package, be indulged by:

• 2 nights in Bangkok or Chiang Mai, or 3 nights in one of our resorts staying in a luxurious suite.
  Daily American breakfast
• Round trip airport transfer by private limousine at Amari properties in Bangkok
• Round trip airport transfer by mini van at Amari Rincome Hotel - Chiang Mai, Amari Coral Beach Resort - Phuket, Amari Vogue Resort – Krabi, Amari Trang Beach Resort - Trang, Amari Palm Reef Resort - Samui, Amari Emerald Cove Resort - Koh Chang
• No return airport transfer at Amari Orchid Resort and Tower - Pattaya and Amari Nova Suites - Pattaya
• A complimentary dinner with a bottle of wine

Prices start from US$426++ per room for hotels in Bangkok (twin sharing). Prices start from $493++ per room for resort properties, including Chiang Mai (twin sharing).

Amari’s Suite Package is available at: Amari Don Muang Airport Hotel - Bangkok, Amari Boulevard Hotel - Bangkok, Amari Watergate Hotel - Bangkok, Amari Atrium Hotel - Bangkok, Amari Rincome Hotel - Chiang Mai, Amari Orchid Resort and Tower - Pattaya, Amari Nova Suites - Pattaya, Amari Emerald Cove Resort - Koh Chang, Amari Palm Reef Resort - Koh Samui, Amari Coral Beach Resort - Phuket, Amari Vogue Resort - Krabi and Amari Trang Beach Resort - Trang.