Over the last year SN Brussels Airlines has built up a strong reputation in Central Africa and in the near future the Belgian full service airline will also 'land' in Northern Africa. As from 17 December, SN will fly three times a week to the North African business centre Casablanca (Morocco).

Casablanca, located near the capital Rabat, is thanks to its more than 3 million inhabitants the biggest city in Morocco. About 60 percent of all Moroccan companies and nearly all financial institutions in the country have their headoffice located in Casablanca. The harbour of Casablanca is the most important maritime gateway to the country.

With this comfortable new connection SN will focus on business traffic as well as on the busy ethnical traffic market.

The flight time Brussels - Casablanca will be 3 hours and 20 minutes. On board of the modern Airbus A319 (Business and Economy Class configuration) passengers will enjoy free hot meals, drinks and newspapers. Business Class passengers have free lounge access both in Brussels and Casablanca. Thanks to the loyalty programme Privilege passengers can earn and redeem miles on this new route and on more than 700 other destinations.

Schedule (local time)

SN 3851 BRU 10:35 CMN 12:55 days 1_3_6
SN 3852 CMN 13.40 BRU 18:00 days 1_3_6

This schedule enables smooth connections for passengers from Casablanca to dozens of other locations.

SN soon intends to increase the number frequencies.

" The opening of this new route, the 51st short/medium haul destination offered by SN Brussels Airlines, is good news for the business world and for the Moroccan Community in Belgium and its regions", says Executive Vice President Network Erik Follet.

In addition to this Latin America codeshare flight, the two carriers presently codeshare to Bermuda, Aruba and Grand Cayman Island and plan to expand travel opportunities for customers by placing their codes on additional Latin America and Caribbean destinations in the near future.

After signing a marketing agreement last year, Continental, Northwest Airlines and Delta began placing their codes on each other’s flights earlier this year.

Continental, Delta and Northwest customers now enjoy joint frequent flyer accrual and reciprocal access to each airline’s airport lounges - Continental’s Presidents Club, Delta’s Crown Room Club and Northwest’s WorldClubs.

Frequent flyer program members of the three carriers benefit from being able to book and redeem miles for itineraries that include the combination of any Continental, Delta and Northwest-operated flights by using just one award.

Delta Crown Room Club members entering any of the Continental Presidents Clubs and Northwest WorldClubs lounges will need to present their same-day ticket or boarding pass on the carrier whose lounge is being accessed, their club membership card and government issued identification at the front desk. The same provisions apply to Continental and Northwest lounge members entering a Delta Crown Room Club. Presidents Club and WorldClubs members will continue to have full access to each other’s club facilities without restriction. Admission to any of the lounges is valid for up to two guests or a spouse, and children under 21 years of age.

While Continental, Delta and Northwest continue to operate independently and compete vigorously with each other for customers, the alliance is enabling each carrier to serve a greater number of customers and preserves service to small communities and those communities' access to broad route networks.

The company has been moving towards a two-brand strategy for some time, starting with its takeover of the final shares of the InterCityHotel firm from Mitropa (Deutsche Bahn AG) at the end of 2001. “Design concepts like the Maxx and Esprix brands were fashionable in the early nineties and had great potential for development. Nowadays, however, it seems that only one-off hotels in certain locations succeed with this approach,“ says Karl Anton Schattmaier, spokesman of the Steigenberger Hotels AG executive board. He sums up, “Designer hotels in the budget category are unlikely to find commercial success in today’s changing market.“

While Steigenberger Hotels & Resorts and InterCityHotels are clearly defined, well-established brands, Esprix and Maxx have not developed a distinctive public profile. Instead, they are seen as budget hotels that rely heavily on their Steigenberger connection. The 13 establishments that make up this product brand – seven Maxx Hotels and six Esprix Hotels – will now be transferred discreetly to the other two brands. As a result of this process, InterCityHotels will in future take responsibility for city centre locations at intercity train stations while also expanding to cover suitable airport sites. This will enable the company to cater for the growing number of business travellers who are looking for a branded product providing three-star accommodation in prime locations.

In line with the re-branding, there will be changes to the Steigenberger management structure. In place of the nine regional directors, most of whom have also usually doubled as manager of one hotel, there will in future be one manager responsible for each of the three divisions; Steigenberger city hotels, Steigenberger resort hotels and InterCityHotels. All the relevant service departments (Catering, Sales, Marketing) will provide support to these three divisions.

In future, the sales department of the Steigenberger Hotel Group will operate on two levels. The Steigenberger Hotel Group in Frankfurt will manage Key Accounts for all three divisions while the regional sales offices will take responsibility for local hotel sales.

“This new, slim line structure will improve the channels of communication and ensure faster implementation of new measures to meet customer and market demand,” explains spokesman Karl Anton Schattmaier.

InterContinental Hotel opens in Warsaw
InterContinental Warszawa, the new luxury hotel in Poland, will receive its first guests on 17 November 2003. Located in the very heart of Warsaw, the 45 storey and 326 roomed hotel is in a prime location, opposite the Palac Kultury i Nauki (Palace of Culture and Science).

As the tallest hotel in Poland, the health & fitness club is strategically placed on the 43rd and 44th floor with its main attraction being the swimming pool, giving stunning views across the city. The club, called Riverview Wellness Centre, will also feature a gym, recreation centre, sauna and steam room, jacuzzi, solarium, beauty parlour and hairdressing salon.

InterContinental Warszaw is the place to be for everyone who appreciates good cuisine. Guests will have the opportunity to enjoy four exceptional restaurants: Hemisphere Bar & Eatery, Frida La Cocina Mexicana, +One Bar and Downtown Restaurant. Hemisphere, related to the life, travel and books of Ernest Hemingway, will offer delicacies served in an informal atmosphere of jazz. Frida’s will be a tribute to the life, arts and culinary talents of Frida Kahlo. The Mexican chef, Enrique Solis, will serve dishes which will satisfy the most sophisticated taste. +One Bar will offer libations and delicacies from around the world. Downtown Restaurant will be an exceptional place, offering buffet breakfasts, lunches and dinners of various cuisines, including its own sushi bar.

InterContinental Warszawa will also offer 11 fully equipped conference rooms, all with natural daylight and a total space of over 1000 square meters. The rooms will feature the most modern conference amenities including internet access, multi-media projectors and video conferencing. In addition, hotel guests will have a fully equipped Business Centre at their disposal, open 24 hours a day.

Each guest room will feature air conditioning, a large safe (with a laptop charge and store option), double telephone lines with broadband internet access and voice mail as well as interactive satellite television. The hotel will also have a presidential suite available.