Jetsettersblog

SITA World Tours introduced a new product line called Affordable India, designed to attract a growing budget-oriented segment of the travel market. The new collection of India itineraries is the result of an increased demand for more affordable India travel options at the same time that India is providing better quality accommodations in the three- and four-star hotel range.

SITA is targeting well-traveled clients seeking an authentic, culturally enriched experience, without the higher cost of luxury-oriented programs. The new itineraries incorporate SITA’s experience in India touring and offer varied itineraries. The list of accommodations includes hotels such as Radisson, Crowne Plaza and Le Meridien.

Hardeep Sidhu, SITA’s product manager for India, will oversee operations for the new concept along with the SITA team. The tours offer some of India’s most popular sights and experiences along with special people-to-people opportunities such as dining in the homes of local families, learning turban tying and henna, and joining in on a yoga session from a local yogi.

The initial offering will include eight different itineraries including Temples & Palaces of North India (11 days); Land of Maharajah (16 days); South India Sojourn (nine days plus four-day extension to Karnataka); Glimpses of India (12 days); Golden Triangle (six days); and Essence of India (nine days). SITA has almost eight decades of experience arranging programs to destinations worldwide, including Africa and the Middle East, Asia, India, South and Central America.

The Israel Antiquities Authority has discovered the remains of a 1,600-year-old Byzantine 65-by-65-foot bathhouse. The organization was conducting an archeological excavation near Moshav Tarum, outside of Jerusalem, in Israel. The bathhouse has a frigidarium (cold room), a tepidarium (warm room) and a caldarium (hot room), and a courtyard attached to its northeast section.

The bathhouse is believed to have been used as an inn on an ancient road running along Nahal Harel through the southeastern Ayalon Valley. An alternative theoretical explanation is that it was part of a wealthy country estate. “Bathing in bathhouses during the Byzantine period is a continuation of the Roman tradition,” said Dr. Rina Avner, excavation director, Israel Antiquities Authority. “Similar bathhouses were found in the past at Latrun and Caesarea.”

Sceptre Tours is offering a vacation package for a family of four to Ireland for about $167 per person, per day. The starting price of $899 from New York includes a private three-bedroom villa, roundtrip economy airfare and rental car. Sceptre Tours President Chris Accomando said it’s a less expensive family vacation than going to Disneyland.

The Adare Villa Estate in Summer package, according to Accomando, “makes a trip that would normally be quite expensive if you were to purchase the individual components quite attractive to a family who might be more budget-conscious and seeking a better value.”

Clients get to occupy a luxurious three-bedroom, three-bathroom villa with kitchen, living room, dining area, sitting room and on-site laundry facilities. The Adare Manor Hotel & Golf Resort is a five-star property. The package is priced from $919 from Boston, $989 from Chicago, and $969 from Orlando for travel May 1 to 31, or from $999 from New York, $1,019 from Boston, $1,089 from Chicago and $1,069 from Orlando for travel from June 1 to 30 and Aug. 23 to Sept. 30. Prices are slightly higher for travel in July and August. Rates are per person based on four people traveling on departures on select days of the week.

Clients can upgrade to an automatic transmission for $75 per person. A breakfast and tours upgrade package for $99 per person includes four traditional Irish breakfasts at Dovecote Restaurant at the Adare Heritage Centre in the town of Adare, admission to the Cliffs of Moher, House of Waterford Crystal and an “Ireland at a Glimpse” booklet offering $600 in savings. Other upgrades and optional extras are available. For more information, call 800-221-0924.

CIE Tours International, an operator of vacations to Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales, is offering several top destinations recently recommended by the travel section of the New York Times. In “45 Places to Go in 2012,” the Times highlighted four of the most popular destinations in CIE Tours’ travel catalog, including London (ranked No. 4); Glasgow (No. 12); Birmingham, England (No. 19); and Wales (No. 31).

“We’ve leveraged our 80 years of expertise to deliver the most compelling and accessible travel programs,” said CIE Tours International President Brian W. Stack. Stack expects the New York Times rankings, along with the current strength of the dollar against the British pound, and the London Olympics to drive increased demand for Britain in 2012.

Among CIE Tours offerings, the Heart of Britain and Heritage Tour is a 14-day excursion featuring experiences in England, Scotland and Wales, with deluxe and superior first class hotel accommodations. Tour highlights include a Scottish Cabaret in Edinburgh; a York Tavern Dinner and Ghost Walk; Welsh Banquet at Cardiff Castle; Beatles Tour of Liverpool; and visits to the Tower of London, Shakespeare’s birthplace and Windsor Castle. Like all CIE Tours vacations, this itinerary includes sightseeing by luxury coach, a professional tour director, most meals, special dinners and other special attractions. All local taxes, hotel service charges and porterage fees are included. Those booking the Heart of Britain and Heritage Tour before Feb. 29 will save up to $300 per person. Normally priced at $2,898, land-only rates are now as low as $2,598 per person.

CIE Tours’ new Best of Britain luxury motorcoach tour is designed to appeal to vacationers pressed for time and includes must-see destinations in England, Scotland and Wales. The package is an eight- or nine-day deluxe motorcoach itinerary, combining overnight stays in quality accommodations in each country’s city center with visits to Britain’s most intriguing travel attractions. Ground-only packages begin at $1,648 per person, and include accommodation, local taxes, hotel service charges and porterage fees. Itinerary highlights encompass visits to ancient ruins and medieval castles, banquets and performances at sacred grounds and legendary settings. Best of Britain showcases landmark cities, forests and countrysides. Travelers experience ancient ruins at Stonehenge and Bath, Oxford, Scottish and Welsh banquets, the Lake District, and visits to castles featured in films from “Robin Hood” to “Harry Potter.” The tour also includes an overview of the Fab Four, with a Beatles Tour in Liverpool. For more information, call 800-243-8687.

Marriott International plans to open the first new hotel to join the AC Hotels by Marriott portfolio since the launch of the joint venture and new co-brand last year. Joining over 80 existing AC Hotels by Marriott throughout Spain, Italy and Portugal, the 143-room Elysee Palace Hotel in Nice will be rebranded AC Hotel Nice following an extensive renovation. The hotel is expected to open in early 2013 under a management agreement with SNC Hoche Promotion.

London’s 51 Buckingham Gate has created a package surrounding the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee and the London Olympics and Paralympic Games. The package features a two-bedroom suite at Taj Hotels’ 51 Buckingham Gate, just steps from Buckingham Palace for three nights.

The 2012 Package at 51 is priced at approximately $3,140 and includes English breakfast, a 2012 Celebration gift, afternoon tea, two tickets to the Queen’s Gallery, complimentary evening drinks and canapés in The Library, use of sauna and fitness center, and butler service upon request. For more information, call 888-922-7096 or email reservations@51-buckinghamgate.co.uk

From Feb. 13 to 15, Venice’s Bauer L’Hotel and Bauer Il Palazzo is offering a two-night St. Valentines’ Day package that includes a welcome cocktail at the BBar Lounge, homemade chocolate and cookies in the room, daily buffet breakfast, complimentary entrance to Venice’s Casino, and Rose’ Ferrari Italian Champagne in the room when booking a suite at Il Palazzo.

The Bauer properties are also offering a Valentine’s Day Tango Carnival Soiree on Feb. 14 featuring silent film icon Rudolph Valentino in three separate rooms decorated in the style of 1920s and 1930s, with performances throughout the dinner. Guests will become actors and actresses in a Hollywood-style love affair.

Tango couples will alternate Charleston steps with oriental dances during a seated buffet dinner made especially for two. Guests and actors will trade places on the dance floor at the De Pisis Restaurant by Chef Ciresa. The package is 400 euros per person, wines included. For more information, email booking@bauervenezia.com

Aleenta Resorts launched a guide to weddings in Thailand with useful tips, insights, ideas and venues. Aleenta’s resorts in Hua Hin and Phuket offer a private beachfront wedding experience to couples looking for intimate, tailor-made occasions. The Aleenta Weddings book offers a creative and completely a la carte experience for couples who are guided through a host of imaginative and fun concepts at destinations known for natural beauty, privacy and beaches.

Dedicated personal wedding planners are on hand at the Aleenta Phuket-Phang Nga and Aleenta Hua Hin-Pranburi resorts to offer couples the opportunity to release rare turtles, breakfast onboard a long-tail boat, stroll along the beach with a baby elephant or simply say “I do” over a quiet glass of champagne.

The book caters to anything from two people up to a hundred as couples can choose from venues such as Grand Villa Air, a picturesque beachfront house, or Grand Villa Satis, where 80 guests can roam the stunning gardens that spill onto a 12-mile stretch of pristine beach — offering intimacy, style and privacy. The Aleenta Weddings guide further demonstrates that there’s more to a wedding than the day itself. For more information, email pa@ahmshotels.com

Some of the biggest names in photography chose selected rising talents they believe to be most influential in the changing face of photography for a new exhibit, titled “State of the Art Photography.” The exhibit, featuring collections and installations by the more than 40 selected artists, is open from Feb. 4 through May 6 in one of Düsseldorf, Germany’s premier art venues, NRW Forum, a museum that specializes in photographic and new media collections.

Associated Destinations Worldwide (ADW), the new Global Sales Organization (GSO) launched by Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI) in October 2011, has expanded into Asia with the addition of six luxury hotels in China, including two in Hong Kong.

Joining ALHI’s membership are the Langham Hospitality Group hotels in Beijing, Shenzhen and two in Shanghai, as well as the two Langham Hospitality Group hotels in Hong Kong.

Built upon ALHI’s more than 25 years of national sales and service experience, ADW specifically provides local GSO services to the U.S. and Canadian meetings and incentive marketplace for its member destinations, upper-tier hotels and convention facilities around the world. These new additions are ALHI’s and ADW’s first member hotels or resorts in Asia, according to David Gabri, president and CEO of ALHI and ADW.

The new ADW members Langham Place, Beijing Capital Airport (Beijing); The Langham, Xintiandi, Shanghai (Shanghai); The Langham, Yangtze Boutique, Shanghai (Shanghai); The Langham, Shenzhen (opening in 2012 in Shenzhen); The Langham, Hong Kong (Hong Kong); and Langham Place, Mongkok, Hong Kong (Hong Kong). For more information, call 866-303-ALHI.