Worldhotels are focusing increasingly on sustainability. Which locations offer green hotel rooms and meeting facilities.

The “green wave” has long since broken over the hotel industry. With efforts to reduce carbon footprints and minimise use of resources extending beyond people’s home environments. Global hotel group Worldhotels has numerous destinations in its portfolio that put sustainability and protecting the environment centre stage:

• Airport Hotel Basel: One of just a handful of carbon neutral hotels in the world. Heated by steam from a local recycling centre.
• Hotel Le Plaza Brussels in Belgium: On top of keeping water and energy use to a minimum, this green hotel separates all of its rubbish and encourages its guests to take public transport.
• Atlantic Congress Hotel in Essen: The use of heat recovery fuelled air-con systems, energy-saving light bulbs, motion sensors and timers is all part of the appeal at this award-winning green hotel.
• Royal Park Hotel, Rochester, USA: A partnership with Clean the World supports people who are unable to afford basic hygiene products. Soaps and shampoos that have been started by other guests are donated. All of the toiletries are 100% natural or certified organic.

Compliance support for medical technology companies! Our colleagues from Austropa recently became one of the first PCOs in Austria to qualify as a Trusted Partner of MedTech Europe.

At the end of 2017, Austropa Interconvention – a Verkehrsbüro MICE Services brand – was officially certified by MedTech Europe as a Trusted Partner, making it one of the first professional congress organisers to receive this certification. The Trusted Partner seal of approval confirms that a company’s employees are aware of the code of conduct and work in full compliance with its provisions.

Compliance support for medical technology companies

The classic sponsorship activities in this area are being replaced with educational grants, which are made available to health facilities. In addition, conferences that receive financial support from a MedTech member company must be rated as compliant in accordance with its conference vetting system. In future, the Austropa Interconvention team will be available to provide support in all of these areas.

The new code of conduct

MedTech Europe is the European industrial association representing the in vitro diagnostic and medical technology industries. The new code of conduct governing ethical business relationships sets out clear and transparent requirements when it comes to interaction between industry and medical specialists and healthcare facilities. Generally speaking, the code of conduct focuses on the topic of financial support of doctors and medical specialists for internal corporate events, research, and medical training and education programmes.

The newly opened Motel One Amsterdam-Waterlooplein revolves around the themes of flea markets, upcycling and old masters.

In its second hotel in Amsterdam, Motel One has gone for an extraordinary and luxurious interpretation of the “flea market” theme, with old windows, doors, cabinets and wooden planks as wall cladding, a chandelier made of flea market lamps and a workbench made of various materials with integrated table lamps. The inspiration came from the famous flea market on the historic Waterlooplein Square, which the hotel is also named after. The Dutch artist Piet Hein Eek skillfully combines the themes. The hotel is in a prime city location.

This year was another emotional one for the tourism industry. The insolvency of Air Berlin and now also the (premature) suspension of flight operations of NIKI, shortly before the end of the year, has caused some turbulence.

Travel managers and travelers need to be patient in these situations. Our service team is always eager to assist you with rebooking or other services as far as possible. However, we ask for your understanding that in our role as “mediator” we unfortunately have to refer to the respective service provider or the responsible body in the event of strikes or insolvency.

According to recent reports, at least in the case of “NIKI” tickets, there is hope for reimbursement.

Further information and links can be found on the respective websites.

In its 30-year history, the “venerable” VIP lounge at Salzburg Airport has welcomed many familiar faces from politics and business; now it is gleaming with a new design.

In a short, eight-week renovation phase, Salzburg Airport has redesigned its VIP lounge. The exclusive space, located next to the business lounge that opened in 2015, now shines in a completely new light. The design from the 1980s was no longer up-to-date and has now been modernized over a short construction period and adapted to the design of the business lounge. Already many well-known actors, aristocrats, politicians, athletes and economists from all over the world have been offered special comfort while waiting for their departure. Even popes, royalty and the Dalai Lama have been welcomed here.