The Fairmont Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten in Hamburg renovated all 156 guest rooms and suites in 2008 which now feature espresso machines, flat screen HDTVs, DVD players, iPod Docking Stations, free Internet access and free video on demand. Meeting facilities at this luxurious hotel include five beautiful salons, each of which connects to an adjoining private room that can be used for breaks and receptions. The largest function room, Grosse Festsalle, accommodates 500 for a reception. Plus, the Alster Salon, which overlooks Inner Alster Lake, is available for meetings and dinner for 12 persons. Vier Jahreszeiten’s eight unique restaurants include the Haerlin, a Michelin Star restaurant that serves French cuisine. The hotel’s expert catering team will service both on-site and off-site events.

E-mail: RFP.HVJ@fairmont.com

Website: www.fairmont.com

World Travel Awards voted the Square Hotel as Denmark’s Leading Boutique Hotel for the second year in a row. The minimalist design, 267-room property is centrally located at Town Hall Square No. 14, close to the Tivoli Garden. Meeting facilities, located on the sixth floor of the hotel, overlook the city and offer two function rooms, which connect to the breakfast restaurant. Each meeting room accommodates 20 attendees and offers spectacular views over Copenhagen. Wireless Internet connection and all modern audio-visual equipment are available in the function rooms.

Although meeting space is limited, the hotel’s central location makes it a good choice for incentive travel programs and citywide conventions.

openhagen’s Central Train Station is around the corner and the Square is within easy access to Copenhagen Airport, the Ørestad Link and Sweden.

E-mail: thesquare@arp-hansen.dk

Website: www.thesquarecopenhagen.com

In 2008, the Nantes International Convention Centre hosted a record number of congresses and corporate meetings including the 3rd National Meeting on Sterilization, the European Society of Coloproctology Congress, the National Phox Congress, and the National Forum of Pharmacists. The center’s dedicated team works with planners to create spectacular events. Last April, the team created the perfect environment for the speech delivered by the French President during the FNSEA congress.

The Centre’s facilities include three auditoria with seating 2,000, 800, and 450 respectively. The Lecture room seats 300 and five meeting room’s seat from 30 to 80 attendees. The Upper Foyer is 500 sqm/5,382 sqft There are 8 additional commission rooms, 6 management offices and a boardroom that can accommodate up to 100 attendees.

The Nantes International Convention Centre is easily accessible via plane, train or automobile.

Website: www.congres-nantes.fr

The Westin Excelsior Rome, built in 1906, has recently completed a $7 million renovation of its 281 guest rooms and 35 suites and now welcomes its guests with renewed glamour and style.

Conference and meeting facilities comprise 14,000 sqft/1,300 sqm of state-of-the-art meeting space, divided into 10 separate rooms, with capacity for 5 to 1,000 persons.

Recent refurbishments also include the Doney Restaurant, which hosts a completely new and stylish design hue by Artestudio and Baxter in grey, green and brown. The innovative lounge bar h club>doney was also designed by Baxter in warm earthy colors.

Furthermore, the Westin Excelsior Rome announced the opening of VIN-ORVM, a new venue dedicated to fine wines designed by architect Michael Stelea HDC.

Website: www.westin.com/excelsiorrome

The Marriott Hotels in Brussels are offering a ‘Green Meeting Package’ option to conference planners. The package includes a series of eco-friendly products and services that limit the environmental impact of meetings. The Green Meeting package includes such items as 100% post-consumer fiber writing pads and recycled flipchart paper, Bic Ecolutions® pens made from recycled content and biodegradable, access to recycling containers in or near meeting rooms, water service in pitchers or coolers rather than glass or plastic bottles, seasonal food and menu options, linen-less banquet buffet tables and meeting room tables and free parking in hotels for Hybrid cars.

Plus, for each Green Meeting Package booked at one the Marriott Hotels in Brussels, 1€ will be donated to help protect the endangered Brazilian Amazonas rainforest.  Donations will be made in the name of the group as part of Marriott’s ongoing rainforest protection plan.

Website: www.marriott.com/preservetherainforest

This month Emirates Airlines began A380 service to Sydney. The Dubai/Sydney service flies onward to Auckland and operates thrice weekly on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. On 1 May 2009, the service will be operational daily.

Emirates’ A380 Sydney service the first commercial flight of an A380 over the Indian Ocean. It is also a test flight for a long term green flight initiative involving the Air Navigation Service Providers of Australia, the UAE, Oman, India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives working with Emirates and other airlines to pioneer best environmental practice over the world's third-largest oceanic region.

Website: www.emirates.com

Finnair increased the frequencies of its service to Brussels, Belgium with the addition of an additional flight that launched on 12 January 2009. Equipment used on this service is Finnair’s Embraer 170 series aircraft. Normally, Airbus A320 aircraft are used on Brussels route.

The new flight will increase the number of Finnair's daily services between Helsinki and Brussels to four flights a day from Monday through Friday. In addition, Finnair operates two flights between Helsinki and Brussels on Saturdays and three flights on Sundays. Finnair also offers seats on code-share flights operated by Brussels Airlines between the Helsinki and Brussels.

Website: www.finnair.com