Red Carnation Hotels were recently awarded TripAdvisor Certificates of Excellence across all 14 of its boutique family-run hotels in the UK, Geneva, Florida and SA. Not only that, three hotels – The Twelve Apostles, Cape Town, Hotel 41 and The Milestone Hotel in London – each won a Travellers’ Choice Award earlier this year.
The 2012 Certificate of Excellence Award honours hospitality excellence and is awarded to establishments that consistently achieve outstanding traveller reviews on TripAdvisor.
With the world’s focus on London this year thanks to the Olympic Games and the Queen’s jubilee, it is little wonder London was recently named by TripAdvisor as the top destination in the world. Hotel 41 and The Milestone Hotel are at numbers 1 and 2 on TripAdvisor rankings for London hotels (as at May 30), positions that they and sister property the Egerton House Hotel have held between them for the past several years. There are currently five Red Carnation Hotel properties within the Top 20 in London.
Jonathan Raggett, managing director of Red Carnation Hotel Collection, says: “The collection is honoured to not have just one hotel but every single hotel in the collection awarded the 2012 Certificate of Excellence.
“It has been a wonderful year so far for us, and we’re looking forward to our London properties buzzing this summer. We continue to perform exceptionally well on TripAdvisor which I believe is largely down to our service ethos. Every one of our 14 properties operates on the principle that no request is too large, no detail too small.”
l www.redcarnationhotels.com
Uniworld Boutique River Cruises has partnered with Pandaw in Vietnam and Cambodia along the Mekong River, and Century River Cruises in China along the Yangtze River, to make three new ships in Asia available for clients.
Uniworld launched the River Saigon along the Mekong in January, and due to the increasing popularity of Vietnam and Cambodia, they will launch another new ship, River Orchid, in this region, next year.
These ships are handcrafted in French colonial style to furnish their guests with a more authentic type of cruising experience along the Mekong.
The intimate scale of the ships, which boast only 30 staterooms and carry no more than 60 guests, assures more personalised service.
Those wishing to travel to China will be treated to a five-star luxury experience onboard the new Century Legend or Century Paragon. The Century Paragon and Legend will offer Uniworld guests an unmatched level of comfort, luxury, and relaxation never before experienced on the Yangtze.
While cruising on either of these new ships in China, guests will stay in Uniworld Signature Suites, and will be treated to a host of exclusive VIP benefits available only to them.
Onshore, Uniworld guests can expect the same five-star experience. Uniworld has arranged for their guests to stay in superior, centrally located five-star hotels throughout Asia, all of which offer luxurious accommodations, modern-day comforts, and impeccable hospitality.
Kelly Jackson, brand manager of Uniworld Boutique River Cruises, says: “Uniworld wants to continue to offer our clients a well-diversified portfolio of product offerings throughout the world, and we want to deliver to our guests the very best accommodations and amenities these regions have to offer.”
Uniworld offers all inclusive packages designed to take travellers to the world-class treasures and hidden gems these regions offer. And for those couples booking and paying in full at the time of reservation by September 30, they can save up to R10 800 per couple on the Grand China and the Yangtze. - Saturday Star