Entry in the blink of an eye

Biometrics let passengers bypass immigration lines

To boost security and reduce lines at passport control, London’s Heathrow Airport is testing an iris-recognition security system that scans your eyeball in less than 10 seconds at automatic gates, eliminating face-to-face meetings with passport control officers. Non-EU passport holders who travel regularly through Heathrow can have their iris patterns photographed and stored in a database, along with their passport information, before leaving the U.K. They can then use automated security checkpoints to avoid lines for non-EU passport holders. IRIS is now in use at Heathrow’s Terminals 2 and 4 and is being extended to the U.K. airports of Gatwick, Birmingham, Manchester and Stansted. Germany’s Frankfurt Airport and northern Sweden’s Umea Airport are both testing iris scanners, along with some U.S. airports, including Orlando International. Passengers still go through regular security controls, but do bypass conventional passport checks. Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport has a face-scanning system that reportedly operates even faster than iris scanning. Meanwhile, the Transportation Security Administration said “puffer machines,” or walk-through security devices that can detect trace amounts of explosives without physical inspection of passengers, will be installed in the busiest U.S. airports by the end of 2005.

Luxury lodging booms in Mideast

Global chains open costly new properties

Despite tensions in the Middle East, its tourism market is one of the fastest growing in the world. As a result, luxury hotel construction in the region is booming. Last year, Kempinski opened the opulent Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi at a cost of about $3 billion (yes, billion). In September 2005, Kempinski will unveil the Middle East’s first indoor ski resort—the Hotel Mall of the Emirates on the Arabian Gulf, with rooms overlooking one of the world’s longest indoor ski slopes. A Four Seasons hotel recently opened in Doha, Qatar, while another will open later this year in Damascus, Syria. This fall in Oman, Shangri-La will open what it calls a “six-star” hotel that includes a museum built around archeological remains. In 2006, expect a $600 million Sofitel in Mecca, Saudi Arabia; a Park Hyatt in Dubai; and two Le Meridien hotels in Kuwait. In 2007, a Hyatt Regency is expected to open in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Catching 40 winks

Starwood, MetroNaps back napping trend

The importance of sleep for business travelers has gained lots of attention lately. Earlier this year, Starwood offered “complimentary naps” to celebrate the sixth annual National Napping Day at the Four Points by Sheraton at 545 Fifth Ave. in New York. According to The Napping Company, which created National Napping Day, 60% of adults nap at least once a week; 75% of adults experience daytime sleepiness; and more than 50% of American adults are sleep-deprived. “Science has shown that naps can have a positive effect on both mood and performance,” a Napping Company spokesperson said. To encourage a good rest, Four Points by Sheraton is spending $13 million to install its new “Comfort Bed” in 5,000 guestrooms at 30 of its 100 hotels throughout North America, due to be completed by the end of summer 2005. Beds feature a plush mattress and blanket, duvet, and a quartet of feather and down pillows.

If you’re traveling and can’t lie down at home, in a hotel room or under your desk, you may be able to catch some Zs at a nap center. New York–based MetroNaps seeks to become the “premier provider of professional nap centers in the U.S.” It offers spherical-shaped pods that “cocoon the upper body in a semi-private environment without overly enclosing it.” The pod inclines forward to allow for entry and then reclines, blocking out light and sound. Pods feature Bose QuietComfort 2 Noise Canceling headphones to enhance the nap, which can range from 30 minutes to up to two hours. The pod wakes you with “a gentle combination of light and vibration.” MetroNap currently has two locations: in Manhattan’s Empire State Building and at Vancouver International Airport. Visits start at $14 for the NYC location and $9.50 CAD at the Vancouver Airport. You can even lease pods for your office or for short-term events. See www.metronaps.com for
more information.

Just doing it

Westin workout rooms put an end to excuses

Guests now can work out with cardio and strength equipment in the privacy of their own rooms at all 77 Westin hotels and resorts in North America. The specially designed fitness rooms will be installed by January 2006 at Westins in Europe and Asia. Rooms feature a Reebok Indoor Cycle or Life Fitness Treadmill, Reebok Pilates/Yoga and spinning DVDs, and a fitness shelf that holds adjustable dumbbells, resistance tubing, a stability ball, yoga mat, additional Reebok workout equipment and a fitness library. The WestinWORKOUT Rooms are available for an additional charge, starting around $20 above standard room rates, varying by market. In addition, Westin has partnered with Runner’s World magazine to design pocket-sized maps with three- and five-mile jogging/walking routes in the hotel’s vicinity in every city. Select hotels have RunWESTIN, a complimentary program offering guided, three-mile morning runs three days a week. For more information about WestinWORKOUT and RunWestin, visit www.westin.com/workout.

Online booking boom

Survey finds business travelers prefer Web reservations

Nearly two-thirds of U.S. business travelers surveyed use the Internet as their primary means of arranging business travel, according to a study by Accenture, a global management and technology services company. The survey of more than 550 U.S. business travelers found that 71 percent book business travel primarily online, a trend that has increased in the three years since Accenture began the survey. Only 22 percent of respondents said they prefer to book by phone with a live agent, down from 36 percent in 2003. In addition, 87 percent of respondents said they have used airport kiosks to check in, with 69 percent doing so largely for convenience. The survey also found that 82 percent of respondents primarily use major carriers for business travel, up from 72 percent last year. However, 72 percent said they expect their use of low-cost air carriers to increase or remain the same over the next six months.

My kind of town

Windy City ranks as top business destination

Chicago is the most visited business destination, according to a survey of business travelers fielded by Accenture, a global management and technology services company. Other frequently visited cities, in descending order, were New York, Washington, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Dallas. The survey also found that midrange hotels are making a comeback. Eighty-one percent of respondents said they use midrange hotels as their primary accommodation for business travel, up from 56 percent in 2004. In contrast, only 10 percent of respondents said they use budget chain hotels as their primary accommodation, down from 25 percent last year. Meanwhile, 33 percent of respondents ranked proximity to meetings or office as the top requirement in their choice of hotel rooms. Only 15 percent cited the availability of high-speed or wireless Internet as one of their main criteria. The Web-based survey queried 553 U.S. business travelers who traveled more than 300 miles.

In brief

In continuing efforts to cut costs, airlines will stop printing tickets by the end of 2007, according to the International Air Transport Association. Each air ticket costs $9, so eliminating paper tickets could save the industry $3 billion annually … Continental Airlines is doubling the number of first-class seats to 24 on its 757-300 aircraft. The conversion should be completed by early 2006 … Delta Air Lines now allows passengers to make their own ticket changes online at www.delta.com. The site also enables flyers to calculate the number of frequent flyer miles needed for a trip and check in for connecting flights on other carriers … Emirates said it plans to build one of the world’s tallest hotels in Dubai, part of the United Arab Emirates. The $218 million hotel will be 1,150 feet high with 560 rooms and 112 suites, to be completed in 2008 … Starwood Hotels’ acquisition of London-based Le Meridien Hotels & Resorts should be completed by the third quarter of this year … Japan and France are jointly working on a new supersonic commercial jet to replace the retired Concorde. The countries seek to build a 300-seat aircraft that can travel more than five times the speed of sound, which would reduce the flying time between New York and Tokyo to six hours … In 2007, you’ll no longer have to struggle through traffic jams to reach Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport. A new $100 million airport train called AeroExpress should be ready by then, connecting Moscow’s Savyolovsky Station to the airport’s Terminal 2, followed by a link to Moscow’s mainline Leningrad Station.