Northstar

www.travelweekly-asia.com | 25 GLOBAL WRAP THE BEST OF TRAVEL WEEKLY ASIA'S GLOBAL WRAP e-DAILY RAFFLES TAKES ITS PLACE AMONG THE GREATS Raffles Hotels & Resorts has signed with the Hinduja Group and Obrascon Huarte Lain Desarrollos (OHLD) to transform the Old War Office building in London's Whitehall into a hotel and residences. The Grade II listed Old War Office housed many of the United Kingdom's most important and RITZ-CARLTON ENTERS THE CRUISE BUSINESS Ritz-Carlton will debut a yacht product in 2019 in what the brand calls the first cruise operation by a luxury hotel operator. The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection will start service on the first of three 623-foot vessels that will accommodate as many as 298 passengers in 149 suites, each of which will have private balconies. The Yacht Collection will operate in the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, the Caribbean and Latin America. Cruises will be seven to 10 days. BAWAH ISLAND RETREAT OPENS FOR BUSINESS Bawah Island, a back-to-nature retreat in the heart of the Indonesian Anambas archipelago, will welcome its first guests on July 31. Bawah Island is three hours from Singapore and accessible only via a short ferry ride from Batam and a 75-minute private seaplane. Previously uninhabited, Bawah is a marine conservation area where "nature provides its true luxury" across five pristine islands, three lagoons and 13 beaches. influential political and military leaders of the twentieth century, including Sir Winston Churchill, David Lloyd George and Lord Kitchener. It was also the haunt of the British Secret Service who had its own discreet entrance. The Hinduja Group was founded in 1914 in Mumbai and is active in 10 business sectors. The Raffles London Hotel. NO MORE FREE RIDES WITH ETIHAD Etihad Airways is ending its free chauffeur drive service for all but its most coveted passengers as of July 3. Business class and first class travellers in all cities other than Etihad's home port of Abu Dhabi will now be charged for the service at "specially negotiated rates" through designated local contractors, the airline says. Guests travelling in The Residence onboard the flagship Airbus A380 fleet will continue to receive complimentary chauffeur services at all A380 destinations – Abu Dhabi, London, Paris, Sydney and New York. Bawah Island.

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