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COMO Hotels & Resorts expects to add an address in Sydney’s CBD to its global collection within the next two years.. The hospitality and wellness specialist has 16 properties around the world in Bali, Thailand, Bhutan, Maldives, Tuscany, London, Turks & Caicos, Australia (COMO The Treasury in Perth) and the group’s most recent addition, Fiji’s Laucala Island, which joined the luxury stable 14 months ago.

Representatives from COMO Hotels & Resorts have been travelling the country this week and last. Joining the delegation in Sydney from COMO’s HQ in Singapore was COMO’s Doris Goh, Vice President – Commercial. Goh offered insight on the brand to media, saying the Australian market was very important given its location to the bulk of COMO’s collection in Southeast Asia (three properties in Bali and two in both Thailand and Bhutan), the Maldives (two) and Fiji. She confirmed that Australian travellers were generating a significant share of business for COMO Laucala Island in Fiji. 

Sydney on the radar for Como

Domestically, COMO The Treasury has been part of the portfolio since its opening eight years ago in 2015. But when quizzed about further expansion in Australia and the potential of an asset on the east coast, Goh confirmed, “We’re looking at Sydney.” She said the NSW capital has been on the luxury hospitality company’s radar for some time.

“It’s always been the vision of COMO’s Founder, Christina Ong, to be in key gateway locations,” Goh said during her whirlwind visit. Pressed for a potential timeline for a Sydney debut of either 12 or 24 months, she flagged the latter duration.

Goh was tight-lipped on specific sites in Sydney, or if COMO had its eye on a take-over, restoration project or potential new build, or even a site inspection while she was in the country.

She did however state that Ong, is “very hands-on when it comes to food, wellness and aesthetics” at the brand’s hotels, and any new choice of property would be “personally curated by herself along with her choice of designers.” Paola Navone of OTTO studio is one interior designer Ong has used on existing COMO projects, including COMO Castello del Nero in Tuscany, Italy; COMO Point Yamu in Phuket, Thailand; and her latest work at COMO Le Montrachet in Burgundy, France. 

The name COMO itself is an acronym of the Founder’s initials and that of her daughter, Melissa Ong.

Growth and expansion

Announced in late 2021, COMO Le Montrachet will officially debut in June 2023 after a soft opening next month. The property, which dates back to 1842, is centered around a famous restaurant and an inn and will feature 30 rooms and suites. Nestled around the village square of Puligny-Montrachet (a village in the renowned wine region of Burgundy), the COMO Le Montrachet is spread across four heritage buildings that have been converted into chic sanctuaries. A COMO Shambhala Retreat is planned for the property in the future.

Also in June, Podere San Filippo will debut near the 740-acre COMO Castello Del Nero’s estate. The historic farmhouse has been converted into a modern family residence with 12 large and contemporary apartments – a mix of one- to three-bedrooms, some of which offer outdoor patios.

From 1 September 2023, COMO Hotels & Resorts will also “come home” to Singapore when COMO Metropolitan Singapore opens. Thirty years since the brand was last in the Lion City, the 150-room and suite property will feature Michelin Star restaurants, retail and fashion brands and a COMO Shambhala wellness facility. “At COMO Metropolitan Singapore, we are able to implement the entire ‘COMO Lifestyle’ – food and beverage, wellness, retail. It’ll be the first time we can bring it all together in one location,” she commented.

Additionally, COMO is set to welcome a second property in Italy in the northern alps – complementing its Tuscan retreat – and building on the brand’s existing presence in the Dolomites where it operates the COMO Shambhala Spa. Set within the five-star Alpina Dolomites Lodge for the past year, the ski resort will reposition as COMO Alpina Dolomites from December 2023. Not just a winter playground, Goh said the 30-room and suite Italian mountain resort is just as popular during summer months when the property commands higher rates than winter. It also has a very strong repeat business of 50%. Alpina Dolomites is currently a member of Leading Hotels of the World. It will close for enhancements to bring it in line with COMO standards. Goh did emphaise that the upgrade will “ensure that we do not take away the nuances that guests are familiar with and love.”

Further, Goh said the loyalty program of COMO Hotels & Resorts, COMOCLUB, is nearing the 1 million member mark. Now in it’s 29th year, COMOCLUB has over 800,000 members and has a “very engaged audience”, she said.


Gabi Vincent, Director of Sales and Marketing for COMO The Treasury said the Perth address is focused on immersive experiences guests can engulf themselves in while on-site within the heritage building. Home to six restaurants, four bars and ten retailers, COMO The Treasury offers a number of activations and curated experiences annually, such as Artists in Residence and ‘COMO Conversations’, alongside spring and festive campaigns to name a few.

To encourage more east-coasters to travel to the west for short breaks, COMO The Treasury partners with Ampersand Estates in Pemberton to coordinate five-night curated itineraries (two nights in Perth, three nights in the Margaret River region), to showcase the city and rural destinations.

Vincent also revealed that Singapore is driving the return of international visitors to the property, and that events at COMO have now kicked into another gear after the COVID drought.

More on COMO Hotels & Resorts at ...


Marriott Bonvoy had a unique feature that allowed members to make an unlimited number of award reservations that were not backed up points in the accounts. Instead, you needed to have them 14 days before the intended stay. Under Bonvoy, the Points Advance has been devalued several times; the number of active award reservations without backed points was reduced to three, you needed to have the points within 60 days of making such a reservation or 14 days before the stay, and these reservations no longer locked in the points rates. 

Now, Marriott Bonvoy is ending them altogether on March 28, 2023, citing low demand as a reason.  
You can access Marriott Bonvoy here.  

Important points to note:

  • Rest assured, Reservations booked using Points Advance prior to March 28, 2023 will be honored.
  • Remember, you must have the Points in your Account 60 days from the time of booking, or 14 days prior to arrival, whichever comes first. A Member may only have three (3) Points Advance Reservations at one time.

What happens if I need to modify or cancel my Points Advance Reservation between now and March 28, 2023?    
Prior to March 28, 2023, you may cancel or modify your Points Advance Reservations (e.g. change the dates or location, if available). You can modify or cancel your Points Advance Reservation in your Account profile on Marriott.com or the Marriott Bonvoy® Mobile App.

What happens if I need to modify or cancel my Points Advance reservation after March 28, 2023?    
Cancellation of the Points Advance Reservation is allowed, but always subject to the cancellation policy tied to the Reservation. If you are modifying the Reservation dates after March 28, 2023, it cannot rebooked as a Points Advance Reservation, only as a paid Stay.


Conclusion


Many Marriott Rewards members loved this program feature, because you could lock in the points reservations year in advance while planning your trips and firm them up or cancel closer to the intended stay while earning the required points.

Some members abused the feature, locking out other members from booking unti the last minute then cancelling unwanted trips. This led to changes limiting the number of active Points Advance reservations you can have at any one time.  The death knell though was more likely the move to dynamic pricing.  Reserving a room without knowing how many points you will need to redeem until using the booking was always going to lead to low demand among program members. All it did was signal demand to Marriott which would encourage a rise in rates (without the benfit of having locked in your own rate - better to delay the booking until certain.

I'm not surprised to see this option canned by Marriott. Far more useful is the cash + points feature which remains available - read more in our Guide to Marriott Bonvoy.

Qantas unlocks thousands of seats to book with Frequent Flyer points

Qantas unlocks thousands of seats to book with Frequent Flyer points

Following the recently announced "million seat sale", Qantas is now releasing a huge amount of Classic Rewards space.

Qantas award availability has been notoriously hard to find, but Qantas is working on changing that perception. The Australian airline has announced the release of thousands of Classic Flight Reward seats starting Friday, February 24, 2023, at 11:00 am. Sydney time and and will include space in economy, business, and first class.

The release timing translates to:

  • London 12:00 (midnight) Friday, February 24, 2023 — as Sydney is 11 hours ahead of GMT.
  • New York: Thursday, February 23, 2023, at 7:00 pm — as Sydney is 16 hours ahead of NYC.
  • Los Angeles: Thursday, February 23, 2023, at 4:00 pm — as Sydney is 19 hours ahead of LA.

According to the Qantas press release, the award availability will be across its entire international network featuring over 30 destinations. Also, Qantas is including all cabin classes in this award drop — including Classic Flight Rewards dropping in economy, business class, and first class.

Using Your Qantas Points

A quick glance at the Qantas Classic Flight Reward Chart makes it clear that longer awards in premium cabins are a little on the steep side. However, they are still a much better deal than the other, more expensive awards. Qantas prices its awards based on distance and which airline you are flying. 

Conclusion

Qantas Classic Rewards are the best way for Qantas members to maximize the value of their points. So, this is a great opportunity if you have some upcoming travel plans involving taking a Qantas flight. Remember that although Qantas is releasing all this award space, it is unclear if any of it will be making its way to Qantas’ Oneworld partners. So, if you see an award itinerary that works for you, you should strike while the iron is hot and have Qantas points at the ready.so you can quickly snap it up.

Qantas and Jetstar - New One Million (!) Seat Sale

Qantas and Jetstar - New One Million (!) Seat Sale

Qantas and Jetstar have launched a one million seat sale with one-way fares available from A$39 on Jetstar and A$99 on Qantas.

Business class fares are available from A$499 on Qantas.

Between Qantas, QantasLink and Jetstar, the sales span more than 170 routes around Australia including capital cities and regional towns. Jetstar is also offering sale fares on more than 20 international routes, with fares starting from A$175 one-way.

“We’re seeing really strong demand as Australians continue to put travel at the top of their shopping list. We’ve been adding new routes to help meet that demand, especially to leisure destinations, and we’ve put a lot of sales into the market,” said Mr Joyce when launching this sale.

“This is the ninth network-wide sale from Qantas and Jetstar in the past six months and we have more planned,” added Mr Joyce.

This week, Qantas added tens of thousands of additional international reward seats – flights that can be booked for as few as 8,000 Qantas points – for its Frequent Flyers through December 31, 2023.

The airlines are encouraging customers with COVID credits – travel credit left over from the pandemic – to use them in booking their sale fares. COVID credits received during the pandemic expire at the end of 2023, with customers needing to book and travel before then. A dedicated hotline has been established to assist customers using their travel credit. Customers can call the Travel Credit Concierge Team on 1300 171 505 or visit the Travel Credits Hub online.

Using Travel Points

Preparing to maximise your use of travel loyalty points to see the places you most want to visit.

We show you how to extract the greatest value for your travel using both cash and rewards points.  

HOW TO BEST USE TRAVEL LOYALTY PROGRAMS HOW TO BEST USE TRAVEL LOYALTY PROGRAMS


Fly Virgin Australia Best offers from Virgin Australia - book now!

Don't forget to also check the Virgin Australia Happy Hour - discounted fares offered between 4pm and 11 pm (AEST) each Thursday.
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Top Tips For Travellers' Health

Travel can be stressful !  IDeas to keep your travels happy and healthy.

There’s an ever-expanding body of scientific evidence that (whether behind a desk at work or during a long plane trip or train ride), being seated for prolonged periods can be harmful.  We provide tips to boost your health and reduce the harmful impact on your body while travelling.  

TIPS FOR STAYING HEALTHY WHILE TRAVELLING TIPS FOR STAYING HEALTHY WHILE TRAVELLING