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Radisson Park Plaza ‘Ready Steady Go’ Sale – up to 35% Off!
Radisson are running a special to coincide with the reopening of travel from the 17th May.
As part of the ‘Ready Steady Go!’ promotion, all Park Plaza properties across the UK and the Netherlands are up to 35% off. Unfortunately, the Netherlands still isn’t a viable option for UK travellers, but it’s a great time to head off on a UK staycation.
Here are the details:
- Book by 5 September 2021 for stays from 17 May – 30 September 2021
- Get up to 35% off our Best Flexible Rate
- Fully cancellable (up to 24 hours prior to arrival date)
- Upgrade rooms types available
- Non-members 20%
- RR members extra 15%
There are plenty of great properties in London, as well as Nottingham, Leeds and Cardiff. Here are some of our favourites:
- Park Plaza County Hall London from £107.71/night
- Holmes Hotel London from £130.62/night
- Park Plaza Westminster Bridge London from £107.72/night
- Park Plaza Cardiff from £71.20/night
To see the full list of properties, head to the Radisson promotion page here.
KLM renews cabin interior of 14 B737-800s PLUS introduces Wi-Fi on European flights
KLM has announced that it has begun a complete renewal of it’s cabins on 14 Boeing 737-800 aircraft, in both Business and Economy classes. The refurbished aircraft are mainly used for European flights and will offer customers more comfort whilst simultaneously consuming less fuel due to the streamlined cabin design – now weighing 700kg less.
The first of these refurbished aircraft have already started flying, and the project is expected to be finished by March 2022, with all aircraft featuring fully transformed interiors. All updates are being carried out in-house by KLM’s Engineering and Maintenance division.
The new interiors feature ergonomically designed seats for Business and Economy class, offering more comfort and extra legroom. The seats upholstery is mostly made from recycled leather, and the seats themselves are around 20% lighter.
The reduction in 700kg of weight saves 58 tonnes of fuel, as well as 184 tonnes of CO2 emissions per aircraft, per year. Taking into account all 14 aircraft, this weight reduction equals a massive saving of 812 tonnes in fuel, and a reduction of 2,576 tonnes of CO2 emissions.
There is also the addition of larger overhead bins, giving customers more storage, and fresh LED lighting which changes throughout the flight, depending on the time of the day.
“KLM wants to offer its passengers even more comfort and style on European flights, while reducing the CO2 emissions of flights. That is why KLM continues to invest in its on-board product and sustainability, so we can continue to meet our customers’ expectations and emerge stronger from the crisis”, according to Boet Kreiken, Executive Vice President Customer Experience at KLM.
As well as a snazzy upgrade, KLM have also announced that they have begun installing Wi-Fi technology into a number of aircraft in it’s Boeing 737 fleet. The first Boeing 737-800 is now equipped to offer this service.
As of now, passengers should be able to log onto KLM’s in-flight portal and purchase a range of different vouchers for use.
In addition to paid usage, passengers can also take advantage of 30 minutes of free messaging per flight, and personal USB ports for charging devices throughout the flight.
KLM has partnered with communication company Viasat, who will be supplying and maintain thetechnology to ensure smooth service. Viasat’s Wi-Fi equipment is set to be installed on a total of eighteen Boeing 737-800s for the airline, and hopes are that installation across the fleet will be completed by the end of this year.
Currently, 81% of the intercontinental fleet is equipped with an Internet connection. Passengers are expected to have Internet access on board all intercontinental aircraft by the first quarter of 2022.
Connection is made by allowing passengers direct access to the internet, powered by Viasat’s European satellite. Customers can choose from three different internet packages (with different bandwith allowances): Messaging, Surf and Stream.
‘Messaging’ is free of charge for the first half hour, and allows customers to send and receive messages via a range of typical messaging apps, including WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, WeChat, etc.
For further or more exhaustive internet use, customers can opt for the ‘Stream’ package, which allows the streaming of movies, tv shows and other video-style content, or the ‘Surf’ package allows customers enough data to do general browsing – online shopping, reading articles and blogs or visiting general websites.
Purchasing internet packages can be done directly through the KLM portal, which has a few other nifty features – it allows passengers to purchase upgrades for connecting or return flights, as well as options in the instance of delayed or cancelled flights. For example, passengers who might be forced to miss their connection due to a delay will be able to use the portal to directly change their flights to better accommodate their situation.
It also offers passengers the option of booking excursions and extra travel products.
The portal appears the same on every aircraft, meaning that customers can have a consistent experience no matter which aircraft or class they are flying on.
Kreiken again:
“KLM continues to invest in the on-board product, so that we can continue to meet our customers’ expectations and emerge from this crisis stronger than ever. On-board Wi-Fi is an important service that customers want to enjoy for the entire duration of their journey. KLM’s internet service is already being used extensively on our intercontinental flights. Through this partnership with Viasat, we are ensuring that our customers can be online on European flights as well”.
Check out a virtual walk-through of the new fitouts here.
‘Sky Pool’ set to open in London – no skinny dipping allowed!
Embassy Gardens is a fancy new riverside district on London’s South Bank, not too far from Vauxhall Station and Battersea Power Station. Including the U.S Embassy, the complex is a series of high-end apartments surrounded by sculpted gardens.
However, the most exciting feature of the complex isn’t the fancy rooms – the soon-to-be-opened ‘Sky Pool’ is the one causing headlines. The 25-metre pool connects the two residential buildings, totally transparent and floating 10 storeys above ground.
The pool is made entirely from acrylic and was thoroughly tested and treated to ensure safety, being installed by a dedicated team of architects, engineers and consultants.
The pool is the first of its kind in the world, manufactured in Colorado and travelling 5,000 miles around the world to its new home on London’s South Bank. It is 3 metres (10 feet) deep, 25 metres long and reportedly, the water alone weighs a casual 375 tonnes.
‘As thinking developed, the gauntlet was thrown down: the pool should be a sky pool, something transparent so swimmers could see the ground, and people below could see the sky’.
Involved in the project are Hal Currey and Arup Associates (whose past successes include the Sydney Opera House), who are responsible for bringing Sir Terry Farrell’s master plan for the area and development to life.
‘With sides 200mm thick and 3.2 metres deep, and with a bottom 300mm thick, the 50-tonne acrylic pool will span the 14-metres between the buildings, with steps and filtrations systems sitting either end, and five modes of lighting to add to the feeling of magic’.
The design and creation process has spanned almost a decade – not helped by the extra setbacks of the COVID-19 crisis – but the final opening date has been announced: May 19th.
Bathers will be able to take in views of the London skyline, including the London Eye and Westminster, and there is an opening party set to kick things off, with synchronised swimmers and radio DJ Ronan Kemp.
Unfortunately, to swim there you will need to be a resident (or guest of a resident) of the buildings exclusive Eagle Club. However, it is worth taking a look – though personally, I wouldn’t love the idea of walkers peering up at me while I splash about in my togs (not to mention taking a dip 10 storeys high). Wondering also if there are requirements regarding swimwear – guessing skinny dipping isn’t encouraged (would that count as public nudity..?).
Lots to think about. Would you swim in the Sky Pool (on one of London’s ten warm days a year)?
3 comments
The Sky Pool launch on May 19 has been cancelled due to the cladding scandal that has engulfed Ballymore after another of its properties caught fire with the same high-risk cladding used on Grenfell Tower.
Thanks James
Sounds fantastic! One up on the Singapore pool that I would love to visit.
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