In search of a mind-blowing incentive that will leave attendees in awe? Try Romania’s Hotel of Ice, where guests indulge in a winter wonderland, surrounded by breathtaking landscapes. Plus, thanks to a December 10 agreement by the European Council, you’ll be able to seamlessly tack a few extra stamps on those passports.
Stressed about San Francisco’s hotel strike and how it will impact an upcoming meeting? You can finally breathe a sigh of relief. Japan Airlines, however, won’t be sharing the sentiment after this week’s cyberattack. Read on for Smart Travel’s latest can’t-miss headlines.
Hotel of Ice in Transylvania, Romania, Opens to Public
High among the peaks of the Fagaras Mountains of Romania, The Hotel of Ice at Balea Lac opened its (frozen) doors to guests on Christmas Day. Construction of its 12 standard “igloo rooms” was completed in time for the festive debut, and the hotel’s musical theme for the season includes sculptures of instruments and famous composers such as Beethoven and Mozart. Activity options include snowshoeing, sledding and even uphill tubing (that’s not a typo; a lift pulls participants up the slope and then releases them back down).
Read More: New and Renovated: You’re Up, Europe!
The hotel includes both a restaurant, which serves up four-course meals arranged on ice plates, and a bar that, fittingly, pours drinks into an ice cup (or guests can make the trip to a neighboring chalet for a less chilly dining experience). For meeting profs pondering an out-of-the-box incentive, perhaps it’s worth considering a magically chilly trip to this stunningly beautiful venue.
San Francisco’s Hotel Workers Strike Ends After Labor Deal is Reached
On December 24, following a 93-day strike by workers at Hilton San Francisco Union Square and Parc 55 hotels, a labor deal was reached. Hilton has agreed to a $3 initial hourly wage increase, health insurance protection, raised pensions, and safeguards for understaffing and workload increase.
At one point, an estimated 2,500 workers at Hilton, Hyatt and Marriott International hotels affected 27% of San Francisco’s hotel inventory, deeply impacting the city’s travel sector. San Francisco was the last stronghold of a nationwide series of hotel labor disputes that began Labor Day weekend; prior to the Hilton renegotiation, Marriott hotel workers ratified a new contract agreement on December 19 and Hyatt followed on December 21.
“These 93 days have not been easy, and I’m so proud that my coworkers and I never gave up,” said Bill Fung, a housekeeping attendant at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square for 29 years. “We stood together through the rain and cold, and even though there were some hard days, it was all worth it. We will go back to work with our health care, good raises, and the confidence of knowing that when we fight, we win.”
Japan Airlines Struck by Cyberattack
Yesterday, Japan Airlines briefly halted over 20 domestic flights following a confirmed cyberattack. The problems began Thursday morning, when the airline’s connection between its internal and external systems failed due to a massive overload of data—a signature of many cyberattacks.
Japan’s Transport Ministry “requested JAL to repair its system as soon as possible to respond appropriately to affected customers,” Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary, Yoshimasa Hayashi, said at a press conference, causing some to question the balance between urgency and thoroughness. There have been repeated issues with the stability of Japan’s cybersecurity protections, including a 2020 hack of its defense network by China. As of December 27, no suspects have been identified as responsible for the incident.
Bulgaria and Romania Join Schengen Area Expansion
Following a December 10 agreement by the European Council, Bulgaria and Romania will join 29 other countries through the Schengen Area expansion, which currently includes most EU members and Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Lichtenstein. Benefits of membership include free movement of citizens, travelers and residents; a common visa policy; and external border controls.
Streamlined entry throughout the area means ease of travel—though if your attendees are visiting from North America, be sure each is carrying a passport that is valid for at least six months from the day of arrival. Cyprus and Montenegro have expressed interest in also joining the expansion, but various concerns have blocked access so far.
“It is a historic moment to finally welcome Bulgaria and Romania as full Schengen members. Lifting checks on persons at the internal land borders with and between those member states has been a top priority for the Hungarian presidency, and today we have made it a reality. This step will benefit not only Bulgarian and Romanian citizens, but also the EU as a whole,” said Hungarian Minister for Home Affairs Sándor Pintér.
Collaboration Between UN Tourism and Austria Advances Sustainable Tourism
UN Tourism and Austria have discussed deepening their partnership to strengthen efforts toward sustainability, statistics and development. UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili hosted meetings in Vienna to lay out logistics, including the addition of six Austrian villages as members of UN Tourism’s Best Tourism Village Program and the region of Tyrol as one of the latest members of the International Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories (INSTO).
Austria is currently the co-chair of UN Tourism’s Committee on Statistics, and a meeting with Susanne Kraus-Winkler, state secretary for tourism (Federal Ministry of Labor and Economy), focused on implementing the Statistical Framework for Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism (MST), a global initiative developed by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) to provide a standardized, comprehensive approach to measuring and monitoring the sustainability of tourism activities.
Secretary-General Pololikashvili said, “A leading tourism destination like Austria can play an important role in advancing global tourism issues, such as the SF-MST, while at the same time [ensuring] that through such measurement instruments tourism remains a key driver of sustainable and inclusive development. UN Tourism commends Austria’s clear commitment to shaping a sustainable and resilient tourism future, and its leadership at both the regional and global level in this regard that also is highlighted through a comparatively big number of Best Tourism Villages and one of the leading destinations as a member in the INSTO Network.”