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‘I’ve risked everything’: New airline vowing to revolutionise transatlantic flights ready for take-off

Wed, 02 Apr 2025 01:27:39 +0000

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Global Airlines, the start-up carrier pledging to “revolutionise” transatlantic flying, has announced the date of its first passenger flight.

An Airbus A380 is scheduled to depart from Glasgow at 11am on 15 May, arriving at New York JFK seven hours later.

The first take-off will be a one-off charter rather than a regular scheduled flight. On arrival at the US airport, the plane will remain on the ground for four days, returning to Scotland on 19 May. The next venture leaves Manchester two days later for another four-day trip to New York.

No plans have been revealed for the originally envisaged scheduled link between London Gatwick and JFK.

Tickets for the maiden flight are believed to be already on sale to a closed user group. The introductory economy fare is £699 return. Sales are shortly expected to open up to the public.

The airline is telling travellers: “Onboard the cabins have all been overhauled to give a brand-new look and feel. The catering team has been busy preparing a new menu and there will be special ‘limited edition’ amenity kits in all cabins, for all passengers.”

Ahead of the launch, founder and chief executive James Asquith told The Independent: “I’m feeling good. It’s been a long road to get here. It’s those crazy kind of last couple of days and weeks looking to enter into service and it has certainly not been easy.

“We knew it would be massively challenging. But we persevered and here we are.”

The 36-year-old airline founder added: “I’ve sold and risked everything to be in the position I’m at. I’m putting everything on the line.”

In May 2024, the Sunday Times Rich List estimated Mr Asquith’s wealth at £182m.

Many aviation industry insiders have questioned the prospects of a start-up airline profitably filling seats on the world’s biggest passenger plane across the Atlantic.

Competition is intense. Existing carriers have strong loyalty programmes and networks offering connections. There are signs of a downturn in bookings to the US in response to the actions of the Trump administration, with travellers fearful of border officials or appalled by events in America.

But Mr Asquith believes the A380 is a passenger favourite that will prove appealing.

“No one’s done this before,” he said. “When’s the last time a new airline’s come to the market that said. ‘We’re leading with a product’?

“No one’s started an airline by owning their aircraft and having the largest aircraft in the world.

“Everyone said it was impossible. We’ve done every milestone that people said was impossible.”

Global Airlines bought its first Airbus A380 aircraft in May 2023, predicting the “first transatlantic flights” by spring 2024. That aircraft is still on the ground at Lourdes airport in southwest France.

The start-up carrier bought a second A380 that was previously flown by China Southern and which was stored at Mojave Air and Space Port, a desert airfield in southern California. The jet was flown from there to Prestwick in Scotland in May 2024, with its undercarriage down for safety reasons: the landing gear could not be tested at the airfield where it was stored,

The A380 remained at the Scottish airport for five months before flying to Dresden for further maintenance.

The “SuperJumbo” was then flown to Beja in Portugal, where it has been since 17 January 2025.

Now the airline is inviting travellers “to reserve your seats on our UK inaugural flights, taking off in May 2025”.

The initial commercial flights will use a Global Airlines A380 but will be operated by a Portuguese firm, Hi Fly. The operator specialises in providing short-term aircraft and crew to help airlines fill gaps in their schedules, and has some experience of the A380.

Tickets will not be sold direct by Global Airlines but by a Slough-based company, TravelOpedia Ltd. Bookings will be Atol-protected.

Before Global Airlines can fly on its own account, it must obtain an Air Operator Certificate (AOC) from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), signifying that it meets safety requirements.

The start-up will also need an Operating Licence (OL). The CAA says applicants must “demonstrate that they have sufficient funding to support the business”.

An aviation insider questioned Global Airlines’ longer-term plans, saying: “What progress has been made on the AOC and OL? Without these, they will never be operating out of Gatwick on anything more than ad-hoc charters operated by Hi Fly.”

They also pointed out that British Airways, with a fleet of 12 Airbus A380s, has repeatedly experienced reliability problems leading to large-scale cancellations. A three-hour-plus delay on a flight due to technical reasons could trigger compensation claims totalling £140,000 or more.

Mr Asquith said: “We’ve got a lot of people that want to fly on what we’re doing at Global.

“People can be critical, but you’ve got a good bunch of people trying to do something for good reasons here, and we’re almost there.”

The best boutique hotels in Ibiza for chic suites and Instagram-worthy pools

Wed, 02 Apr 2025 01:25:34 +0000

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If there’s one place that could redefine what you consider a ‘boutique hotel’, Ibiza is it. Small, quaint, family-owned hideaway? Cute, TikTok-worthy farm hotel with infinite corners and details to photograph and post? Buzzy, happening joint with one of the top restaurants in the area? Yes, yes, and yes: you can find all of the above in Ibiza (and then some).

In fact, gone are the days when ‘boutique hotel in Ibiza’ meant forgoing certain amenities or luxuries – these days, it’s possible to stay somewhere with fewer than 30 rooms and maintain your travel priorities. Style in spades; incredible food and cocktails; gym, spa, and yoga studio: whatever you seek, you can find it in one of these hotels. From the middle-of-nowhere bolthole or the place with unmatched people-watching to the working farm with rows and rows of veg, the adults-only hideaway, or the sweet spot just on the water, these are the best boutique stays in Ibiza.

Best boutique hotels in Ibiza

1. Casa Maca hotel

Sip a cocktail next to the pool overlooking the Dalt Vila at Casa Maca (Casa Maca)

Opened in 2018, in a 300-year-old farmhouse just five minutes from Ibiza Town, Casa Maca has slowly become a favourite on the island, thanks in large part to its superb restaurant, with its views of the Dalt Vila, succulent meats roasted over a roaring fire, and sleek Airstream serving cocktails to a stylish, glowing crowd. With just eight rooms and two suites, all with bright white walls, polished cement floors, wood-beamed ceilings and elegant yet contemporary furniture and décor, it’s as if it were designed specifically for those wanting a cosy yet in-the-know place; one that’s steeped in history and feels authentically Ibizan.

Address: Can Palau de Dalt, 07800 Ibiza, Spain

2. Pure House Ibiza hotel

Pure House’s adult-only suites are designed with a bohemian-style interior (Sayana Cairo)

With its long agricultural history dating back to the Phoenicians, Ibiza boasts plenty of fincas (which translates to ‘rural estate’ or ‘farmhouse’), with many of these since being converted into agroturismos. Some have been updated more sensitively, luxuriously, and, quite frankly, better than others, and Pure House is one of the best. With four finca suites and one freestanding suite, all for adults only and each with their own private entrance and terrace and just enough macrame, rattan, wood stools and embroidered white cushions to make you feel instantly at home as a well-heeled bohemian, it’s a fabulously peaceful place. Best of all, the owner and founder, Caroline, and her manager, Damien, are the consummate hosts: available via WhatsApp for anything you need, always friendly, and never, ever overbearing.

Address: C/ del Llobarro, 07800 Ibiza, Spain

3. Atzaró hotel

Sit back and relax on one of Atzaró’s many day beds under the Ibizan sun (Rosie Randisi Photography)

One of Ibiza’s most well-known boutique hotels and agroturismos, Atzaró was opened in 2004 by the Guasch family, which has owned the farm for more than seven generations and since expanded the brand into Cape Town, Botswana and Indonesia. Still, though, this 24-room property remains their original jewel, and the care and constant attention they put in is evident. From the 43-metre pool, yoga and pilates pavilion, renowned day spa and huge veggie garden (which services the two yummy restaurants on site) to its open-air movie nights and special dinners hosted by the likes of Yotam Ottolenghi, it’s a boutique hotel with plenty to see and do – as well as plenty of areas to just sit back and do nothing.

Address: Carretera San Juan km 15, Santa Eularia des Riu 07840, Ibiza, Spain

4. Legado Ibiza Finca hotel

Stretch out on a sunbed next to the Legado pool (Ana Lui)

The two Andreases that moved to Ibiza from Vienna and opened Legado Ibiza Finca just before the pandemic have transformed the 12-room hotel into a place that’s upbeat, comfortable, and full of character. Bowls of disco balls and splashes of fuchsia and Kelly green nod to their penchant for style and colour, while soaring palm trees and a miniature Japanese garden, complete with a little frog pond, bring in touches of serenity and nature. It’s also an ideal base in Ibiza: spend your days sprawled out by the pool on one of the massive sunbeds, then head out for dinner – some of the island’s best-loved restaurants (La Paloma, Cas Pagès, Nagai, Amalur) are no more than a 10-minute drive away.

Address: Carretera de Ibiza a Santa Eulària des Riu km 10, Ibiza, Spain

5. Aguamadera hotel

Aguamadera keeps it classy with a terracotta and beige colour scheme (Aguamadera)

Minimalist yet comfortable, Aguamadera oozes with style: it’s all taupe leather chairs, polished concrete floors, hand-finished, built-in plaster furnishings and raw linens in shades of terracotta and beige. Eleven rooms, mostly dotted in or near the main farmhouse and some with a private balcony, small plunge pool, or terrace, all feel a bit like an artist’s retreat. The hotel has a bit of a woo-woo feel (especially when you visit its website, which says that they ‘embrace respect, silence, privacy and creative pursuits’), but a busy event calendar and dinner guests from all over the island (who come for the super tasty cocktails and delicious, frequently changing menu) give it a lively, fashionable feel.

Address: Km 7.5 De Jesus a Cala Llonga, Santa Eularia D'es Riu, 07819, Ibiza

6. Can Domo hotel

Laze in all morning in the Can Domo studio suite (Can Domo)

Unsurprisingly, ‘domo’ in Spanish means dome, and there is, in fact, a dome at this 17th-century adults-only finca: it was originally the hayloft for the farmhouse and now serves as a private studio suite. Bright and charming, the hotel has retained the traditionally Spanish, thick white walls, juniper beamed ceilings and small, wooden windows that help keep the rooms cool in the summer, while the décor features a mix of global influences, with natural textures and fabrics and a gentle, pared-back palette.

Address: C/ Cala Llonga km 7.6, Ibiza, Balearic Islands, Spain

7. Pikes Ibiza hotel

Keep the pool party intimate at the 26-room Pikes hotel (Sofia Gomez)

Ask any Brit who’s been to Ibiza for their hotel and party recommendations, and you’re invariably going to wind up with a list that includes Pikes. An Ibiza institution, the hotel was named after Tony Pikes, who passed away in 2019 and was known for his wild parties and friendships with everyone from Grace Jones to Freddie Mercury (the flamboyant Queen frontman and the name that inspired Freddie’s, the nightclub at the back where parties are held). At 26 rooms, it’s on the larger side of ‘boutique’ in Ibiza, with a carefree, independent, and irreverent feel best suited for anyone who loves a good time (and abhors anything corporate).

Address: Camí de Sa Vorera, 07820, Sant Antoni, Ibiza, Spain

8. Es Cucons hotel

Es Cucons is located far away enough from the nearby towns to really indulge in some relaxation time (Es Cucons)

If there’s one hotel that ticks every ‘boutique hotel’ box, Es Cucons is it. It has 15 rooms (not too big, not too small); enough vibe that there’s a good chance you’ll make some new friends in the restaurant or by the pool; plus ample amenities (big garden, cute boutique, yoga area, massage hut, hire bikes, sizable menu and delicious food) so it’s very hard to get bored. Located a 10-minute drive from Cala Salada or 15 minutes from San Antonio, it’s also perfectly located for switching off when you need – then re-entering civilisation when you’re ready.

Address: C/ Cami des Pla de Corona 110, Santa Agnés de Corona 07828, Ibiza

9. Can Sastre hotel

Can Sastre has many nooks to doze off in the early afternoon sun (Can Sastre)

Chic and oh-so-stylish, Can Sastre has five rooms, which is the ideal size for sharing the gorgeous pool and breakfast areas without ever needing to climb over strangers. Each room is large (big enough for an extra bed or cot, if you’re traveling with family), with its own outdoor area, so space is never an issue here; nor is finding a drink – the honesty bar is ideal for that. Amenities by Meraki (including one particularly delicious-smelling candle, Sandcastles and Sunsets) and neutral-toned Mexican décor influences give the hotel an overall calming, sophisticated feel that’s accentuated by the Dutch owners’ cool, laidback sensibility.

Address: Camí Vell de Sant Mateu, s/n, 07816, San Rafel, Ibiza

10. Hotel Xereca

Each room at Hotel Xereca has a private entrance (Hotel Xereca)

Hotel Xereca has long been an Ibiza mainstay, surviving the trends and winds of change that blow through the 15th century watermill that towers over its infinity pool. Indeed, those who do know it struggle to find a boutique hotel with a better, central location that still feels remote: just outside the centre of Puig d’en Valls and only five minutes from Ibiza Town, eight from Talamanca beach. The majority of the hotel’s 19 contemporary-yet-elegant rooms are dotted just off a main path lined with orange and olive trees, with their own private entrance; inside, stone floors, light wood furniture and soothing palette of white, grey and taupe lend a calming, cooling feeling – a nice reprieve from the hot Spanish sun in August.

Address: C/ Torrent, Puig d'en Valls, 07813, Ibiza

11. Can Curreu hotel

This farmhouse turned guesthouse retains its rustic countryside charm (Can Curreu)

One of Ibiza’s few agroturismos to stay open all year round, Can Curreu has 19 rooms, the majority of which are superior suites that combine the best of the rustic, traditional Ibiza countryside lifestyle and contemporary styling. The original farmhouse finca is more than 200 years old, and the gardens and valley are great for exploring; the stables on site also house four horses, and they can suggest and adapt routes for beginners, experts or children (if you’re there in the shoulder or off season, you can even ride on the beach) – all ideal if you tend to tire of a beach-and-repeat holiday itinerary. Equestrianism in Ibiza may seem an unlikely pursuit, but it’s a superb way to see the quieter side of the island and nods to the island’s agricultural history.

Address: Hotel Rural & Spa Can Curreu, 07850 Santa Eulalia del Río, Balearic Islands, Spain

12. Los Enamorados hotel

Los Enamorados translates to ‘the lovers’ in English – the lovers being Pierre Traversier, a former basketball player, and Rozemarijn de Witte, a journalist and editor, who together, transformed the former nine-room hostel into an adults-only boutique hotel in 2017. The space is an extension of their own style and personality: quirky, stylish rooms that are simple and comfortable, with a popular restaurant and late afternoon hole (the terrace overlooks the cute fishing cove) and a boutique that’s a serious treasure trove of high-end fashion and vintage knick knacks (although the oversized E.T. doll is not, unfortunately, for sale). Situated in Portinatx, Ibiza’s northernmost point, the area also boasts an iconic, black-and-white striped lighthouse and is about as remote as you can get on the island: Ibiza Town and the airport are both about a 45-minute drive away.

Address: 103 C/ de Portinatx, 07810 Portinatx, Ibiza, Spain

Price: From £255 in low season; £372 in high

Book now

Easter travel: Simon Calder breaks down where to expect holiday chaos

Wed, 02 Apr 2025 01:25:32 +0000

Many schools across the UK will break for the Easter holidays on Friday, 4 April, with most schools scheduled to remain closed until Easter Monday, 21 April.

During this 18-day period, travellers can expect severe delays on various roads and motorways.

The most significant congestion is likely to occur on Friday, 4 April, and Saturday, 5 April, as families embark on their Easter getaway.

With the holidays approaching, The Independent travel correspondent Simon Calder breaks down what to expect and possible pain points on transport systems.

Easter holiday travel chaos awaits with disruption expected on trains, flights and roads

Wed, 02 Apr 2025 01:23:21 +0000

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Many schools across the UK finish for the Easter holidays on Friday 4 April, with most planning holidays right through to Easter Monday, 21 April. During those 18 days, there will be severe delays on some roads and motorways.

Key intercity rail links will be interrupted by planned Network Rail engineering work, especially over Easter. Airlines are warning of the most delayed flights in a quarter-century, as air traffic control centres struggle with staff shortages. And ferry passengers may encounter delays – returning from France.

These are the key pain points for Easter travellers.

Road

The RAC predicts 21 million “getaway journeys” will be made over the coming weekend, in addition to normal traffic. The worst delays are predicted for Friday 4 and Saturday 5 April.

Based on previous experience, The Independent expects the heaviest traffic on four key arteries:

M6 anywhere north of Birmingham, especially Preston and beyond as holidaymakers head for Blackpool and the Lake District.
M5 southwest from Birmingham to Bristol and Exeter
A303 southwest through Wiltshire
M25 particularly between the M23 and M40 junctions to the southwest, and the Dartford Crossing to the east.

RAC breakdown spokesperson Alice Simpson urged motorists to ensure their vehicles are in good condition. She said: “With a massive 21 million journeys expected this weekend, it’s more than likely that roads to popular holiday destinations will see their fair share of traffic. These are not only tiring to endure but increase fuel consumption significantly.

“In the worst-case scenario, riding the clutch in stop-start traffic can increase wear on its components and lead to premature failure. Also, in slow-moving traffic, the airflow into the engine compartment is reduced and can cause overheating issues, especially in older vehicles or those with faulty cooling fans.”

Rail

Passengers across Britain face chaos over the Easter weekend due to Network Rail engineering projects closing key lines.

The West Coast main line is closed at London Euston from Saturday 19 to Monday 21 April. Even on Good Friday, the Avanti West Coast service connecting London Euston with the West Midlands, northwest England, North Wales and southern Scotland, will be reduced.

Network Rail says: “Renewals of overhead lines, switches and crossings, and drainage work to improve reliability, means services between London Euston and Milton Keynes Central will be disrupted.” Buses will connect Bedford – served by Thameslink and East Midlands Railway – with Milton Keynes Central, from where reduced services will run.

Further north on the West Coast main line, nothing will run from Carlisle into Scotland due to track replacement work from Saturday to Monday. The Caledonian Sleeper will be re-routed via the East Coast main line to and from London King's Cross,

HS2 – the controversial, delayed and curtailed line intended to link London with Birmingham – is causing the closure of the Chiltern Railways line between London Marylebone and Aylesbury. A bridge is being installed between Great Missenden and Aylesbury.

London Paddington, hub for the Great Western Network, will also see sharp reductions in capacity with two of the four lines running west to Reading closed over the Easter weekend.

The Heathrow Express will be reduced from every 15 minutes to half-hourly.

Journeys to and from London Paddington are expected to take longer because of congestion.

Elsewhere, the half of London Victoria station that serves Southeastern destinations across Kent will be closed through the entire Easter holiday weekend. While some passengers will be able to use other London terminals, the key link from Canterbury to Ramsgate, serving the holiday resorts of Margate and Broadstairs, is closing with bus replacement services.

Across in East Sussex, the resorts of Eastbourne, Bexhill and Hastings will have their train service replaced by buses.

Passengers heading from the other half of Victoria to Gatwick airport and Brighton will find services reduced due to work on the line to Clapham Junction.

Stansted airport’s CrossCountry link to and from Cambridge will close from Good Friday to Easter Monday, but the Stansted Express line to London Liverpool Street should run as normal.

Holy Week, the build-up to Easter, will see no trains from Southampton to Fareham or from Cardiff Queen Street to Cardiff Bay, from Monday 14 to Friday 18 April.

Air

The summer schedules take effect this week, with more than 70 new routes being launched before Easter to and from the UK.

But with air traffic control centres across Europe still chronically short of staff, holidaymakers face the worst disruption caused by congestion in the skies in a quarter-century.

Ryanair says 36.2 million of its passengers have been impacted by air traffic control restrictions in the last year, with more than 200,000 flights delayed. Travellers to and from France and Spain are worst affected.

Ben Smith, chief executive of Air France-KLM, said last week: “The shortage of air traffic controllers [in France] is 20-25 per cent, which means many of our flights are going to be delayed, and we already know this.”

Luton airport, which has seen expansion this week with the launch of Jet2, will have no trains from London over the next two weekends – 5-6 and 12-13 April – due to engineering work.

Ferry

In previous years, Dover has been the scene of severe delays at the start of the Easter holidays, as coaches converge on the UK’s main ferry port. Passport checks for France are conducted at the port before travellers board ferries.

P&O Ferries, which links Dover with Calais, has introduced a new advance-passenger information system for school groups that “eliminates the need for extensive checks at Dover, ensuring smoother journeys for school coaches as they prepare to sail to France”.

The failure of the European Union to introduce the entry-exit scheme as expected in 2024 means journeys should be smoother, with no need for vehicle occupants to be fingerprinted or photographed.

The biggest problem faced by motorists could be returning from Dunkirk and Calais to Dover.

Congestion may be triggered by foreign visitors to the UK being unaware that, from 2 April, they will need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) permit to visit. They will be able to apply for one on the spot, but this may increase congestion at UK Border Control, which is carried out at the French ports.

The best hotels to stay in near Manchester Airport before hopping on a flight

Tue, 01 Apr 2025 01:25:49 +0000

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More than 200 direct flight routes operate from Manchester Airport, whisking passengers everywhere from Scotland to Shanghai. Options for passengers are only set to increase when phase two of Terminal 2’s ‘Transformation Programme’ is complete, doubling the size of the departures lounge and adding more than 20 new shops and restaurants, including a champagne bar, to the offering.

As the airport expands, so too does the collection of hotels that orbit it. With the Tribe hotel welcoming its first guests in October 2024 and plans getting underway for the opening of a new Dakota – the original of which is rated as one of the best hotels in Manchester – and a new Premier Inn (set to be the largest in northern England), there’s never been a better selection of accommodation options available to fliers.

Best airport hotels in Manchester for 2025

1. Tribe Manchester Airport

Tribe’s comfy rooms will leave you well rested by for an AM flight (Abaca Press / Darren Lennon)

Tribe, which opened in October 2024, is handily situated just across the road from the airport Metrolink tram stop and train station, and the covered Skylink walkway, which gets passengers to Terminals 1 and 2 in 10 minutes and Terminal 3 in 15. Spread across eight floors, the 412 rooms mix the industrial look with 70s-style soft furnishings in shades of burnt ochre and Welsh slate grey. The hub of the hotel is undoubtedly the atrium, where an oval bar edged by high-backed stools serves classic cocktails, and the Tribe Table restaurant dishes up wood-fired pizzas that guests rave about. Breakfast is served from 6am and there’s a capsule-sized gym on site that features Peloton programme machines.

Address: Chicago Avenue, Manchester Airport

2. Holiday Inn Manchester Airport

Turkish cuisine is celebrated at the Holiday Inn’s Firin restaurant (Holiday Inn Manchester Airport)

This six-floor, 280-room hotel is barely more than a wingspan away from Manchester Airport’s Terminal 2. You can walk there in less than two minutes and follow the covered Skylink walkway to get to Terminals 1 and 3 in around 15 minutes. Rooms here are soothing pebble-hued spaces, with the odd burst of primary colour provided by a feature cushion or piece of abstract wall art. Next to the 24-hour reception desk, the hotel’s open lobby is home to a bar, lounge, and the Firin restaurant, where the menu revolves around Turkish dishes like hummus, adana kebabs, and pides (Turkey’s answer to pizza, which are cooked to order in a wood-fired oven). Breakfast is conveniently served from 3am, and there’s a 24-hour Starbucks on site, for even earlier morning coffee and croissant fixes.

Address: 1 Palma Avenue, Manchester Airport

3. Clayton Hotel Manchester Airport

Clayton has some options for guests who prefer a little extra ahead of a flight (Clayton)

Despite being just a 10-minute walk from Terminals 1 and 3 and 15 minutes from T2, the Clayton Manchester Airport runs a free 24-hour shuttle service, every 30 minutes, to make the transfer easier for luggage-laden guests. The Clayton’s selection of rooms includes ‘Executive’ options that come with robes and slippers and family rooms, which feature either a double and a single bed or two doubles, all dressed up in pumpkin and light latte colour schemes. Breakfast is served from 5.30am, with pre-booked grab-and-go options available for guests who have early flights. A dinner menu of classic pub dishes such as fish and chips or steaks is available in the Grill restaurant and there’s a children’s menu for dinky diners. For those who just want to flop and fly, room service can be ordered 24/7.

Address: Outwood Lane Manchester Airport

4. Radisson Blu Manchester Airport

Start your holiday early at Radisson Blu Manchester Airport’s lounge (Radisson Blu Manchester Airport)

The Radisson Blu Manchester Airport is so close to Terminal 2, you could almost roll out of bed and into departures. It’s connected directly to the terminal building via the Skylink walkway and the airport-view rooms look out over the runway, air traffic control tower, and stationed planes. Terminals 1 and 3 are a further 10-minute walk away. Continental breakfasts are served from 5.30am, with cooked food arriving hot on their heels from 6. Evenings, meanwhile, revolve around the brightly-coloured Little M bar and Collage restaurant, which serves British brasserie dishes such as steaks and burgers on brioche buns. The additional nice-to-have at this airport hotel is Pace Health Club, which comes with a sizeable gym with a class schedule, a swimming pool, sauna, and steam room.

Address: Hale Road, Hale Barns

5. Delta Hotels Manchester Airport

Be transported to Paris with Delta’s Brasserie Blanc (Mike Caldwell)

Decorated in pistachio green and dove-grey colours, the rooms at Delta Hotels Manchester Airport are split into deluxe, family, executive, and one-bedroom suite classes, with the latter including executive lounge access in the rates. Beyond the bedrooms, the hotel has a spa area with a column-lined pool and therapy rooms where treatments from hot stone massages to Elemis salt scrubs take place. There’s also a twin set of restaurants at the hotel. Brasserie Blanc serves French dishes like souffles and duck confit beneath a sweeping statement glass and iron atrium roof. San Carlo Fiorentina, meanwhile, with its marble bar and softly lit al fresco eating area, dishes up classic Italian food. A free shuttle bus to all three Manchester Airport terminals runs every 20-25 minutes between 3am and 11pm, with the journey taking up to 15 minutes each way.

Address: Hale Road, Hale Barns

6. Crowne Plaza Manchester Airport

Seek out the marble-wrapped bar serving drinks all day at Crowne Plaza (Crowne Plaza Manchester Airport)

Brought up to date by an £8 million refurbishment in late 2023 and early 2024, the Crowne Plaza Manchester Airport offers 299 contemporary bedrooms, with wooden headboards, leather seating, Egyptian cotton bedding, and muted pewter colour schemes. A large portion of the refurbishment money was spent on transforming the hotel’s lobby area, which today is a breezy open-plan space with a wrap-around marble all-day bar and lots of cushion-topped lounge seating. There are two restaurants at the Crowne Plaza. Open from midday to midnight every day, the leather and brass-styled Grill serves an British-style fare, from filled Yorkshire puddings to mixed grills, while Sampan, which is open evenings from Wednesday to Sunday, offers pan-Asian cuisine. The walk to Terminals 1 and 3 takes a matter of minutes, whilst guests can be at Terminal 2 in just over five.

Address: Ringway Road, Manchester

7. Eleven Didsbury Park

This red-bricked, sash-windowed Victorian townhouse hotel is a 15-minute (£15-£20) taxi journey from all three terminals at Manchester Airport. Each of the 20 bedrooms is individually designed, but between them they share features like inglenook bookcases, feature headboards, and skylights. Some of them come with freestanding roll-top baths. Guests can relax pre or post-flight at the reception bar, with its high ceilings, bay windows, and open fireplace, or in the residents’ lounge, which is sprinkled with plump sofas and wing chairs. For sunny days, there’s a walled garden. Breakfast is served in the light-flooded conservatory from 7am, and a menu of sandwiches, nibbles, steak, and smash burgers, is available in the reception bar between noon and 10pm.

Address: 1 Didsbury Park, Didsbury, Manchester

8. Premier Inn Manchester Airport Runger Lane North

Grab yourself a king-size bed and hit the hay before your flight (Premier Inn)

Shuttle buses, costing £5 per adult and £2.50 per child, run every 30 minutes between this Premier Inn and Manchester Airport, getting passengers to their terminal in around five minutes. The rooms here come with Premier’s Inn’s typical king-sized Silentnight-mattressed beds, dressed with the hotel brand’s classic plum purple runners and pillows. Family rooms with double or king-size beds, plus a sofa bed and pull-out bed are also available. Food comes courtesy of Thyme Bar & Grill, where breakfast is served from 6am, and the dinner menu includes everything from pizzas and grill dishes to burgers and pastas. Parking is available on site, but it’s limited to 100 cars.

Address: North, Runger Lane, Wilmslow Old Road

Book now

Price: From £45

9. Oddfellows on the Park, Cheadle

Right next to the runway not your vibe? Check-in 15 mins away at Oddfellows On The Park (Oddfellows On The Park)

A 15-minute taxi journey from Manchester Airport, Oddfellows on the Park is set inside a converted 1860s mansion within 120 acres of lawns, gardens, and woodland at Bruntwood Park. The hotel itself is all stuccoed ceilings, Art Deco interiors, and eclectic artworks – think rabbits wearing ruffs – mounted in gilded frames. The room selection includes a collection of suites that come with roll top baths or four poster beds. For drinks, there’s the Stud Bar, where coffees, fine wines, and cocktails (like melon margarita) are served from 10.30am to 2am. For food, meanwhile, The Galloping Major, which is named after the second owner of the hall, serves breakfast lunch and dinner, including a menu for children.

Address: Bruntwood Park, Greater Manchester

10. Cottons, Knutsford

Cocooned by fields, Cottons is a Cheshire countryside hotel that’s also only a 15-minute taxi ride from Manchester Airport. A range of doubles, twins and suites, dressed in subtle earthy colour schemes, are available. Family rooms come with an additional sofa bed and cookies, milk, and activity packs for the kids. Direct bookings also get guests access to the hotel’s spa, with its 13-metre swimming pool, sauna, steam room, and jacuzzi. In the Rosette Restaurant, the menu showcases artisan produce through dishes like Forest of Bowland beef steak and Highbury of Shropshire chicken supreme. The hotel’s wood-panelled bar and lounge, meanwhile, serves lighter bites until 6pm.

Address: Manchester Road, Knutsford

The best holidays to book for May 2025, from boating in France to Greek island relaxation

Tue, 01 Apr 2025 01:25:11 +0000

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If May’s springtime weather is merely whetting your appetite for the summer, head to southern Europe for higher temperatures without high season’s high prices.

Greece’s Aegean islands will be fully open for business and promise warm days, as do the exquisite baroque cities of south-eastern Sicily.

Take your holiday into your own hands by driving a boat along France’s waterways. But if all you really want are long, hot sultry days by the ocean, then book a stay in a beachfront hotel in the Seychelles.

If you want to stay in Britain, get to know the islands of the Outer Hebrides on a slow tour, or relax in Cornwall before the summertime crowds descend – same for the May half-term holiday at the end of the month.

Wherever you decide to go in May, take a look at these holiday ideas for inspiration.

Greece

Lose yourself in the laid-back lifestyle of Lesvos (Getty Images)

Lose yourself in the laid-back lifestyle of Lesvos, specifically the friendly, family-run Hotel Votsala, where the beach is right at the bottom of the garden. Join one of the family’s guided walks or discover the secrets of Greek cuisine during a cookery class. Sunvil has a week’s B&B departing 14 May from £938pp, including flights and transfers.

Seychelles

Unwind in style on this Indian Ocean archipelago (Getty Images)

Look forward to palm-fringed white sands, ocean views and romantic dinners on the beach when you stay at the sumptuous Kempinski Seychelles Resort. Overlooking Baie Lazare on Mahé island, it’s one of the most stylish resorts in the Indian Ocean archipelago, and a place to unwind completely. Tropical Sky has six nights at Kempinski from £1,879pp including flights, transfers and breakfast.

Sicily

Noto is one of Sicily’s most beautiful Baroque cities (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

One of Sicily’s most beautiful baroque cities, Noto, becomes even more enchanting from 16-20 May when it hosts the Infiorata di Noto. More than a mere flower festival, this four-day event fills the city with elaborately designed blooms and puts Noto into a party mood. Stay at the Masseria della Volpe outside the city and combine a gourmet stay in the countryside with jaunts into the city. Kirker Holidays has a three-night break in May from £896pp, including flights, breakfast and either private transfers or car hire.

Scotland

Appreciate the wild beauty of the Outer Hebrides (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

You’ll have plenty of time to appreciate the wild beauty of the Outer Hebrides on this self-drive holiday with McKinlay Kidd. Look out for whales and dolphins as you take the ferry from Oban to Barra, your first stop before carrying on to the Uists, Harris and Lewis. Spend the days exploring empty beaches at your own pace and spotting wildlife. Eight nights’ B&B on the Outer Hebrides Hopscotch tour in May cost from £1,075pp, including ferry crossings.

France

Take a self-drive boating holiday in south-west France (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Meander slowly through the heart of south-west France past some of the region’s most historic cities on your own self-drive boating holiday. Nicols has a week’s break along the Canal de Garonne from its base in Buzet-sur-Baïse towards the cities of Agen and Moissac, with plenty of time to make vineyard visits along the way. A week’s rental from 10 May costs €1,777 (£1,487), down from €2,221, for a four-cabin boat. Tuition is included, but fuel and mooring fees are extra.

Cornwall

Get to know the villages and hamlets around the River Fowey (Getty Images)

Get to know the villages and hamlets around the River Fowey when you stay at Magdelene Cottage in Polruan. This cute two-bedroom cottage has bags of character, including a cosy garden and period features. It’s also a handy base for taking the little ferry across the river to Fowey and visiting the sandy beach at nearby Lantic Bay. Seven nights’ rental with Cornish Horizons from 10 May costs £463, down from £566. Up to two dogs are welcome at extra charge.

Mary Novakovich is editor at large at 101holidays.co.uk

The best hotels in Ibiza for beach holidays, family resorts and five-star luxury

Tue, 01 Apr 2025 01:23:41 +0000

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On a tiny island with nearly 40,000 hotel beds, according to Statista, anyone planning a trip to Ibiza is certainly spoilt for choice (and that’s not counting villas or Airbnbs). But which of those hotel beds are actually good?

It’s a tough question, not least because the variety of hotels in Ibiza is vast, and comparing one property to the next is like, well, you get the gist. There are the big, trendy names (Six Senses, Nobu, The Standard); the places so easily confused with a beach or a restaurant (La Paloma or La Pandilla? Port de Sant Miquel or Cala San Miguel?); and, of course, dozens upon dozens of four- to six-room hideaways that most of their guests would prefer to keep hidden.

In this edit of the best hotels, presented in no particular order, you’ll find places that offer unobtrusive, excellent service; converted fincas that make you seriously contemplate relocating; and hotels where you can indulge in the island’s live-and-kicking party scene before stumbling back to your room.

The best hotels in Ibiza

1. Los Enamorados hotel

Los Enamorados does not compromise on details in its stylish rooms (Los Enamorados)

Many regular visitors to Ibiza have never been to Portinatx: it’s the island’s northernmost point, so at 45 minutes from Ibiza Town or the airport, it’s a little bit of a trek, but it’s where you’ll find the iconic, black-and-white striped lighthouse and worth-the-trip spots like Los Enamorados. Named for its stylish owners (‘the lovers’), a French, former basketball player and his Dutch fashion editor wife, it’s just eclectic enough to feel cool and different, with an attention to detail that also makes it feel luxe. If you can get a booking for one of the nine rooms, it’s an excellent base for a different sort of Ibizan holiday: the fishing cove offers paddleboard and kayak rentals, the on-site restaurant is a buzzy place for sundowners, and the coves and beaches in the north (Benirrás, Cala Xarraca, and S’illot des Renclí, among others) are unbeatable.

Address: 103 C/ de Portinatx, 07810 Portinatx, Ibiza, Spain

Price: From £255 in low season; £372 in high

Book now

2. Casa Maca hotel

For a boutique stay that also has plenty going on, head to Casa Maca (Casa Maca)

If you’ve been to Ibiza, there’s a good chance you’ve experienced the Mambo Group’s brand of hospitality, whether that’s at Café Mambo, the original sunset and pre-Pacha party spot, or one of its other venues around the island (such as La Torre). Casa Maca falls into the same category of great food, music, and people. Since opening in 2018, it’s become famous for its cocktails, which are served out of an Airstream, its vibey, open-fire dinners, and, if you’re lucky enough to nab one of the 10 rooms, its refined yet contemporary lifestyle. Plus, like most of the group’s other venues, its location is unbeatable: in the idyll of the countryside, yet only five minutes from Ibiza Town (dinner is served, in fact, with a side of Dalt Vila views).

Address: Can Palau de Dalt, 07800 Ibiza, Spain

3. Pikes Ibiza hotel

There’s no better place to party than the hotel where the music video for ‘Club Tropicana’ was filmed (Sofia Gomez Fonzo)

Pikes’ reputation precedes it, and we’re pleased to report that it does, in fact, live up to all the hype. Amazing vibes, brilliant parties, excellent food and perfect recovery sessions: Pikes delivers it all in spades—and that’s not even mentioning the fact that the video for Wham!’s Club Tropicana was shot here or that Freddie’s, the club in the back, is named for Freddie Mercury, who celebrated his 40th birthday here, which always makes for great chat. In recent years, they’ve also refurbed some of the rooms and the showers now have Aesop amenities (and much better water pressure), so even though it’s a good-time hotel, there’s no shortage of mod cons and quality behind all the fun.

Address: Camí de Sa Vorera, 07820, Sant Antoni, Ibiza, Spain

4. Es Cucons hotel

This family-run hotel will make you feel right at home (Es Cusons)

It may not be one of the hotels that’s always mentioned or wildly popular, but make no mistake: everyone knows Es Cucons. A favourite for those in the know, or anyone who values the comfort that comes with a consistent, tried-and-tested property, it’s nestled in the Santa Agnés valley, surrounded by fragrant fig and almond trees. A working farmhouse in the late 17th century, it was taken over by a local family in the late 1990s, whose grit (literally: ask to see the photo album they’ve put together from those days) and good taste transformed it into the luxe rural haven that it is today. With 15 rooms, lush gardens and myriad seating areas (all cute, all comfortable) dotted around a serene pool, it’s the epitome of relaxed elegance.

Address: C/ Cami des Pla de Corona 110, Santa Agnés de Corona 07828, Ibiza

5. Atzaró hotel

Adorned with vibrant flora and twinkling lights, dinner at Atzaró is a magical experience, especially when Yotam Ottolenghi is in town (Ana Lui)

There was a time in the 2000s when you couldn’t see an Ibiza post on Facebook without glimpsing Atzaró, so pervasive was its ‘love’ sign for weddings and its 43-metre pool. These days, the hotel is still a tried-and-tested entity, with the next generation of family owners having gotten involved and updated it accordingly. Case in point: movie nights in the open-air cinema at the far end of the huge veggie garden (screening classics such as Sunset Boulevard and Ghost, with Demi Moore) and seasonal events with dinner cooked and hosted by Yotam Ottolenghi. Even if there’s nothing ‘special’ happening while you’re there, each of the 24 rooms is tasteful and the spa is still frequented by regulars and locals, so also worth a visit.

Address: Carretera San Juan km 15, Santa Eularia des Riu 07840, Ibiza, Spain

6. Can Sastre hotel

For a laid-back holiday with friends of family, opt for Can Sastre (Can Sastre)

Whether you’re in Ibiza with friends, family, or for a romantic getaway, Can Sastre is perfect if your main criteria is that your hotel have fewer than 10 rooms. Once you check in, you’ll get a clicker for the main gate, so you can come and go as you please—essentially inviting you to treat this as your home while you’re on the island, which it will certainly feel like. There’s no ‘check in’ area; just an outdoor living area and cool, indoor dining room-cum-kitchen where someone is always happy to make you a snack. Help yourself to something from the honesty bar, take a dip in the pool or take a nap on one of the oversized loungers or under the blissful fans in your boho chic, stylish room.

Address: Camí Vell de Sant Mateu, s/n, 07816, San Rafel, Ibiza

7. Nativo hotel

Looking for a luxurious break that doesn’t break the bank and is kid-friendly? Nativo is an all-rounder (Sayana Cairo)

Nativo is the sister hotel to Aguas de Ibiza, an island institution and a great luxury offering in and of itself, with 99 rooms and a good location in Siesta, near Santa Eulalia so you’re close to all the amenities of a larger town. Indeed, there’s not a lot of criteria that Nativo doesn’t satisfy: if you’ve got kids in tow, it’s an excellent choice for families as it has a toddler-friendly pool and lots of toys for playing in the sand (which covers a large portion of the main level and restaurant). It’s plenty large enough for groups of different sizes—the Swimup Suites are a crowdpleaser—and if you’re a couple looking to recharge, the adults-only pool on the rooftop is calling your name.

Address: C/ de los Claveles 24, 07849, Siesta, Santa Eulária des Riu, Ibiza

8. Mondrian hotel

You’ll be spoilt for choice with three pools, seven restaurants and beach access at Mondrian (Mondrian)

Part of the Ennismore group, which is majority owned by Accor, one of the world’s largest hospitality brands (they’re the company behind everyone from the Fairmont, Sofitel, Raffles and Hoxton to Pullman, Novotel and Ibis), Mondrian is a big hotel, with 154 rooms and many facilities shared with Hyde next door (which has another 401 rooms). And in the case of the Mondrian, bigger is better: there are amenities galore here, from a great kids club to three pools, seven restaurants, and, best of all, direct access to Cala Llonga beach and the ferry that passes by on its way to Formentera.

Address: 20 C/ Atalaya, 07849 Cala Llonga, Ibiza

9. Pure House hotel

There’s plenty of places for a siesta around the stylish Pure House (Sayana Cairo)

While there are plenty of fincas that have been converted to hotels since they were first built hundreds of years ago, Pure House feels quite special. Its owner, Caroline, oversees everything with a meticulous eye (and the help of her hotel manager, Damien), and her good taste and calm demeanor explains why the five rooms (four bedrooms and one suite) are so stylish and comfortable—all macrame wall hangings, knobby wood stools and soft, embroidered cushions so you can pretty much take a siesta wherever you please. In between all that relaxing, take a stroll through the surrounding 12-hectare olive grove and forest.

Address: C/ del Llobarro, 07800 Ibiza, Spain

10. Hacienda Na Xamena hotel

Soak up the views while you soak in the tub at Hacienda Na Xamena (Hacienda Na Xamena)

Hacienda Na Xamena opened in the 1970s and was Ibiza’s first five-star hotel, an accolade that the family who own it have retained ever since. Surprisingly, it’s a great spot for those travelling with kids and teens, and also ideal for couples, thanks to a whole host of amenities (think a screening room, games area with foosball and table tennis, two pools, smart restaurant, a rack of electric bikes, and a brilliant spa with an eight-pool thalassotherapy experience). Best of all, the hotel was smartly built into the side of a cliff, meaning nearly every single one of the 77 rooms has dreamy, unobstructed views of the Med.

Address: Na Xamena, 07815 Sant Miquel de Balansat, Ibiza

11. Aguamadera hotel

While Ibiza usually screams parties around the pool, Aguamadera offers a getaway more focused on wellbeing and connecting with your spiritual side (Aguamadera)

There’s no shortage of woo-woo in Ibiza (the island has long been considered a magical, spiritual place, whatever you believe in), but whether you choose it for being “a secluded hideaway where nature, food, art and sound amplify the essence of wellbeing and holistic living” (their words), there is absolutely no doubt that Aguamadera is a brilliant hotel. Yes, it is stylish to the max (all beige and terracotta fabrics, polished concrete floors, built-in, hand-shaped plaster furnishings, and ceramics placed just so), but the service, 11 rooms, and pool are also top notch: the breakfast porridge alone, in fact, is something I’d return for.

Address: Km 7.5 De Jesus a Cala Llonga, Santa Eularia D'es Riu, 07819, Ibiza

12. Petunia hotel

Foodies need to check out the oysters and calamari found on Petunia’s rooftop (Petunia)

If you’ve read Matt Haig’s The Life Impossible, you’ll be familiar with Es Vedrà, the stunning rock that shoots straight up from the sea and is considered mystical, magical, and a symbol of Ibiza. Petunia, a 42-room hotel owned by the Beaumier Group, offers jaw-dropping views of the limestone monolith, as well as a laidback, convivial atmosphere. Winding paths cheerfully guide you from the pool area, where a palette of dark green and marigold lends a contemporary, eclectic feel, to the rooms; there’s also a rooftop terrace bar, La Mirada, where you can gaze at Es Vedrà over oysters, calamari or crudo.

Address: C/ de Sa Pala Marina, 07830 Sant Josep de sa Talaia, Ibiza, Spain

13. Montesol Experimental hotel

Housed in a 1933 building that was, in fact, Ibiza’s first hotel, Montesol Experimental was taken over by the Experimental Group in 2021, whose first order of business was to give the 33-room property a sweeping-yet-tasteful renovation. While the neocolonial, buttercream façade—an icon overlooking the Passeig Vara de Rey below—was left untouched, inside, interior designer Dorothée Meilichzon (who also worked on Cowley Manor in the Cotswolds and the Henrietta Hotel in London) introduced eccentric colour combos such as pumpkin and pastel blue, patterned headboards and sofas, and geometric-print wallpaper. Don’t miss the rooftop bar, which offers what the Experimental Group does best: brilliant cocktails.

Address: Passeig de Vara de Rey, 2, 07800, Ibiza, Spain

14. Cala San Miguel Ibiza Resort hotel

For an adult-only retreat, there’s no better place to be than Cala San Miguel (Cala San Miguel Ibiza Resort)

Forget everything you thought you knew about all-inclusive resorts. Sure, the Cala San Miguel Ibiza Resort (part of the Curio Collection by Hilton) is huge, like most resorts – 292 rooms and 12 restaurants – but by every other measure, there’s no comparison. For starters, it’s adults only: no screaming toddlers by the pool or hormonal teenagers loading up dinner plates with chicken nuggets and egg noodles. Then, there’s the fact that 114 of those 292 rooms are part of The Club experience, which means private check-in, access to exclusive areas, larger rooms with options such as a private pool or sea views, and amenities by Natura Bissé. Finally, there’s the fact that the 12 dining venues, including the new Beach House Cala San Miguel, were all curated by a renowned former El Bulli chef. A normal resort? Think again.

Address: C/ de ses Olivers, 1, 07815 Ibiza, Balearic Islands, Spain

The best hotels in Rome for nights in historic palaces and lavish city hideaways

Tue, 01 Apr 2025 01:21:46 +0000

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Luxury hotels are popping up so quickly in Italy’s capital city that it’s hard to keep track of each new opening. They join an already crowded field of palatial properties, yet often stand shoulder to shoulder with more modest hotels that have been welcoming guests for decades, if not longer. And while the hotel market for budget and middle class travellers may be growing less robustly, there are still more than 72,000 hotel rooms in Rome – meaning there’s a bed out there for just about every kind of traveller.

Depending on your preferences, your hotel in Rome is either going to be central to your experience or merely a place to lay your head in-between exploring ancient sites and sampling handmade pasta. But a lousy hotel can ruin any holiday, so here is a look at the best hotels in Rome across a range of price points and styles. Whether through ambience, amenities, location or value, they each have stand-out offerings that make them worthy contenders for your next stay in the Eternal City.

Keep in mind that through the rest of the 2025 Jubilee Year, prices will be at a premium, even for the most ho-hum of hotels. Minimum stay rules of two or three nights may apply on weekends and holidays, and rooms will be snapped up fast, so be sure to book well in advance.

Best hotels in Rome 2025

1. Singer Palace Hotel

Singer’s rooftop bar and restaurant will allow you to gaze onto the bustling city from up high (Singer Palace Hotel)

The madding crowds may fill busy Corso Cavour just outside, but inside this boutique five-star hotel, they're left far behind. Set in the former European headquarters of the Singer Corporation (of sewing machine fame), Singer Palace Hotel Roma preserves the palace's stunning Art Deco features, offers a lively rooftop bar and terraced restaurant, and provides a welcome refuge from the hubbub of one of Rome's busiest streets — which you'll never hear through the triple-paned windows of the elegant guest rooms and suites. For travellers who love to stay in hotels that offer a real sense of place and an intimate setting, Singer Palace offers a refined, historic and understated alternative to the city's large luxury properties.

Address: Via Alessandro Specchi 10

2. Hotel d'Inghilterra

Immerse yourself in centuries of history at Hotel d'Inghilterra (Hotel d'Inghilterra)

In a palace dating to the 1500s, Hotel d'Inghilterra has been welcoming guests since the days of the Grand Tour, and from Hemingway to Hepburn, artists, writers and Hollywood royalty have made this hotel their quarters in Rome. Today, d'Inghilterra’s elegantly pleasing jumble of clubby lounges and lavish suites still evokes a more refined time. Part of StarHotels, Italy’s largest privately held hotel brand, d’Inghiterra is fresh from a top to bottom renovation, which saw the addition of a rooftop restaurant (there’s also a ground floor dining room and bar) and a small spa area, all without losing a speck of its storied ambience.

Address: Via Bocca di Leone, 14

3. Hotel Mediterraneo

Hotel Mediterraneo’s Art Deco charm transcends into its sophisticated interiors (Bettoja Hotels)

One of the tallest buildings in Rome was built for an event that never was: the 1942 World’s Fair, scuttled after Italy’s entry into WWII. Today, this Art Deco beauty is still heady with history, from stories of hotelier Maurizio Bettoja’s sheltering of Jews during the Nazi occupation of Rome, to its vintage bar once frequented by the American GIs who based here after the liberation of the city. Rooms and suites are large by European standards, and the longtime staff are dedicated to warm, old-school service. All in all, this mostly affordable hotel feels like a splurge. The 11th-floor restaurant offers sweeping views of Rome.

Address: Via Cavour, 15

4. Damaso Hotel

For location, comfort and value, few hotels in Rome can match this upscale three-star. Set just off Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, from where a bus or tram or setting off on foot will get you just about anywhere you want to go in Rome, Damaso is simultaneously warm and sleek, with carefully planned rooms that make the most of modest square footage. Breakfast is served in a lofty dining room that doubles as an evening cocktail bar, and there’s also a roof terrace. Although a budget-friendly choice most of the year, prices do climb quite a bit in high season.

Address: Piazza della Cancelleria 62

5. Donna Camilla Savelli hotel

For a comfortable stay in Rome, check out the rooms at this 17th-century convent (Donna Camilla Savelli)

A few nuns still call this 17th-century convent home but for the rest of us, this walled complex, set at the foot of the Janiculum Hill in trendy Trastevere, is a tranquil, upscale retreat and an off-season bargain. Remarkable common areas were designed by Borromini, the Baroque architect who helped shape the Rome we see today. Rooms and suites are comfortable, even if they’re showing a bit of their age, but the real heart of the hotel is in the vaulted arcade and cloister, now a peaceful garden and summer bar and dining area. On request, staff will show you the Roman crypt.

Address: Via Garibaldi 27

6. Chapter Roma hotel

Chapter Roma’s Mexican-inspired terrace overlooks the many domes and Roman roofs of the city (Chapter Roma)

Irreverent and hip, this boutique hotel in the Rome Ghetto was among an early wave of chic hotels targeting younger, affluent travellers with ready-to-party touches like rooms stocked with full bars, including premium booze and mixers, and Marshall speakers. There’s a lot to like here, including the industrial meets minimalist room decor, with wood floors, designer lighting and rugs, and eco-friendly bath amenities, plus two restaurants and a buzzy bar. The location puts you in one of Rome’s most ancient, charming quarters, and a short walk from Campo de' Fiori, Piazza Navona and Trastevere.

Address: Via di S. Maria De’ Calderari 47

7. Albergo del Senato hotel

Vintage furniture and views of the Pantheon are some of the many things that makes Albergo del Senato unique (Albergo del Senato)

Set on some of the most coveted real estate in the city, this old guard hotel is what accommodations used to be like in Rome before things started getting fancy. It’s traditional, reliable and utterly unsurprising in decor, with excellent service that has earned it consistently high reviews and loads of repeat customers. Oh, and then there’s the location in the very heart of Rome and flanking Piazza della Rotonda. Updated rooms are pleasant and well-equipped, and those facing the Pantheon offer some of the most romantic views in Rome, though they may be a little noisy at night. In the summertime, a rooftop terrace bar has the best seats in town.

Address: Piazza della Rotonda, 73

8. Maalot Roma hotel

Eclectic luxury might be the best way to describe this delightful boutique hotel, where the vibe is as cheerful as the color palette in its 30 rooms and suites, each adorned with a surprising mix of patterns, textures and original artwork. The resulting feeling is one of stumbling into the chic private home of sophisticated, yet approachable friends. Plus you’re in the heart of things here: close enough to the Trevi Fountain to hear its waters rushing at night, and a short walk from the stylish shops of the Tritone. And while this is an expensive hotel by any standard, its prices are more accessible than many of Rome’s five-stars.

Address: Via delle Muratte 78

9. The Fifteen Keys hotel

This boutique, five-storey villa has well-lit rooms with individual charm (The Fifteen Keys)

As the name suggests, there are just 15 rooms in this intimate hotel, housed in a five-storey villa. Each is different from the other, but all boast light-filled spaces, serene colour palettes, original photography and premium bath amenities. All in all, it exudes tastefulness that never feels forced. There’s an ample breakfast buffet, a leafy private courtyard, nightly bar service and complimentary afternoon tea. The hotel is set in Monti, a lived-in neighborhood with great restaurants, bars and one-off boutiques, and far enough from the tourist scrum to retain a local’s feel that’s increasingly hard to come by in Rome.

Address: Via Urbana, 6/7

10. Palazzo Dama hotel

Don’t skimp on space in Rome: check out Palazzo Dama’s large rooms (Palazzo Dama)

An away-from-it-all vibe pervades at this perfectly lovely small hotel, located just steps from the Tiber River and Piazza del Popolo. Housed in a Liberty Style villa, Palazzo Dama’s 29 rooms are done up in restful blue or green color schemes and period furnishings. Standout amenities include a large courtyard and swimming pool — both rarities in central Rome — as well as a spa suite built for two. Book directly through the website and you’ll find a complimentary bottle of prosecco waiting. The Prati neighbourhood, with its proletariat shopping and dining, is just across the river.

Address: Lungotevere Arnaldo da Brescia 2

Hotel overbooking: the dark art of predicting ‘no-shows’ and hoping not to ‘walk’ a guest

Mon, 31 Mar 2025 01:24:11 +0000

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“Any rooms available?,” I asked the friendly staff of a big four-star hotel in central Brussels on Wednesday evening.

“Minus two,” replied the receptionist with a frown. “We’re overbooked.”

Overbooking is popular among airlines. When the process of selling more seats than the capacity of the plane is handled correctly, it works well. If the airline guesses wrong and everyone shows up, staff can throw money at the problem – offering bigger and bigger incentives until someone volunteers to postpone their journey.

With a hotel, it’s different. Typically the overbooking will become evident only when I turn up at 11pm after a long day of travel. The last thing I need is to be told the room I booked in good faith is already occupied, and that I will be accommodated elsewhere. The alternative might be around the corner, or a taxi ride away. Either way, the verb used in the industry is to “walk” the customer to another property.

This has happened to me several times. In Amsterdam, a taxi took me to a perfectly reasonable alternative. In Shropshire, I was invited to bed down in the conference room (pity the poor delegates next morning). And in Dublin, the hotel only realised it had more guests than beds when I returned from my assigned room to reception to report that the place was full of workers’ tools and the door didn’t lock. As it was by now midnight, we agreed that I would stay there, use some heavier tools to keep the door closed and scarper early in the morning. No charge.

After my conversation in Brussels with the hotel, I wanted to find out more. So I called up the professionals: specifically Corin Burr of Bamboo Revenue. His London-based company advises independent luxury hotels on revenue management – which I will characterise as extracting as much cash as possible from each guest while seeking to fill every room.

“It’s a bit of a dark art – essentially flexing price according to supply and demand,” Corin says. “So when hotels are looking busy, the city’s busy, we will enable the hotel to push rates in the right direction.

“When things are not looking so great, we take evasive action and open other channels and flex prices where we can to make them more competitive. A hotel bedroom is a perishable item. Once the night has happened, there’s no getting it back. So the hotels have to stay ahead of the game. Overbooking is a tool that we have in the armoury of managing the hotel’s revenue.”

No-shows are much more likely at big, corporate hotels in cities than small, family-run places in the country. Business customers’ plans can change quickly.

“Disasters happen in airports, as we’ve seen just recently [at London Heathrow], and the hotels have to protect themselves. They may get some cancellation charges here and there, but they’ll also get some arguments about not paying the cancellation charges.

“We know our business very, very well. And we know the hotel’s patterns and behaviours. So we can quite often predict when we’ll be fine if we overbook by a few rooms. If you’re a sizeable hotel of 200-300 bedrooms, then having a 50-room group or 100-room group is not unusual.”

It is very likely that some of those guests will no-show – so likely that the industry has another bit of jargon: “wash”, meaning a group booking where the full allotment of rooms is not taken up.

“Their plans change, and if you know that a group’s probably going to wash a few rooms, either the group pays for the unused room or the hotel resells it.”

Better to have beds occupied – with guests likely to be spending in the hotel bar or restaurant – than left empty.

But before going beyond 100 per cent occupancy, Corin and his team will look at what else is going on in the city.

“The last thing you want to do is overbook [in London] knowing that the closest hotel is at Gatwick airport.”

Sometimes, says Corin, overbooking happens inadvertently – because one or more rooms are unexpectedly unavailable. Damage, plumbing faults or guests overstaying their welcome.

“All of those things happen. I’ve seen some situations where guests have been booked out and the hotel’s paid for their room in the other place, a taxi to and from and the promise, ‘Come back and we’ll upgrade you into a suite for the remainder of your stay’. They’re trying to make good for what was never an intentional overbooking.”

Back in Brussels, I was keen to find a room before nightfall. Along at Hôtel La Grande Cloche, I was assured: “Brussels is sold out tonight.” Besides all the usual Euro-business, a big aviation conference was in town the next day.

Fortunately, I was happy to make do with two stars, not four. The Hotel Barry was prepared to sell me the last double room for €130 (£109) for single occupancy. It was a decent deal for an overbooked city.

Tourists are cancelling trips to the US – here’s where they are going instead

Mon, 31 Mar 2025 01:21:45 +0000

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The United States is one of the top three most visited countries in the world.

The big draw cards – cities such as San Francisco, New York and Chicago and national parks such as Yosemite – have attracted international tourists for decades. This combined with its role as a global business powerhouse meant it had 66.5 million visitors in 2023 – and the 2024 figure is expected to be higher still.

But a lot has changed in recent months, and 2025’s figures may not be as strong. The 2024 reelection of Donald Trump as the president of the United States and the consequential changes in foreign diplomacy and relations, alongside internal cultural shifts, are starting to change global attitudes towards the US – attitudes that appear to be affecting tourists’ desire to visit the US.

In a recent report by research firm Tourism Economics, inbound travel to the US is now projected to decline by 5.5% this year, instead of growing by nearly 9% as had previously been forecast. A further escalation in tariff and trade wars could result in further reductions in international tourism, which could amount to a US$18 billion (£13.8 billion) annual reduction in tourist spending in 2025.

President Donald Trump arrives on Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport, Friday, March 28, 2025, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

There is already some evidence of travel cancellations. Since Trump announced 25% tariffs on many Canadian goods, the number of Canadians driving across the border at some crossings has fallen by up to 45%, on some days, when compared to last year. Canada is the biggest source of international tourists to the US. Air Canada has announced it is reducing flights to some US holiday destinations, including Las Vegas, from March, as demand reduces.

According to a March poll by Canadian market researcher Leger, 36% of Canadians who had planned trips to the United States had already cancelled them. According to data from the aviation analytics company OAG, passenger bookings on Canada to US routes are down by over 70% compared to the same period last year. This comes after the U.S. Travel Association warned that even a 10% reduction in Canadian inbound travel could result in a US$2.1 billion (£1.6 billion) loss in spending, putting 140,000 hospitality jobs at risk.

Some would-be visitors have cited an unwelcoming political climate as part of a concern about visiting the US – including angry rhetoric about foreigners, migrants and the LGBTQ+ community. The Tourism Economics report also cited “polarizing Trump Administration policies and rhetoric” as a factor in travel cancellations.

There are other factors that may influence travellers from, for instance, western Europe, which represented 37% of overseas travel to the US last year. These include US tariffs pushing prices up at home and the US administration’s perceived alignment with Russia in the war in Ukraine.

Research by YouGov in March found that western European attitudes towards the US have become more negative since Trump’s reelection last November. More than half of people in Britain (53%), Germany (56%), Sweden (63%) and Denmark (74%) now have an unfavourable opinion of the US. In five of the seven countries polled, figures for US favourability are at the lowest since polling began in November 2016.

Some high-profile cases at the US border could also be putting off tourists. In March, a British woman was handcuffed and detained for more than ten days by US Customs Enforcement after a visa problem. In the same month, a Canadian tourist was detained after attempting to renew her visa at the US-Mexico border. During the 12-day detention, she was held in crowded jail cells and even put in chains.

The international boundary line between Canada, at left, and the United States, at right, is marked by towers in the waters of Boundary Bay reaching to the Peace Arch border crossing and by clear cut trees in the North Cascade mountains, Tuesday, March 18, 2025, as seen from Point Roberts, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Mexico is the US’s second largest inbound travel market. Tourism Economics suggests that issues around new border enforcement rules will raise concerns with potential Mexican tourists. During Trump’s first term in office, Mexican visits to the US fell by 3%. In February this year, air travel from Mexico had already fallen 6% when compared to 2024.

Many countries including Canada have been updating their travel advice for the US. For instance, on March 15 the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office updated its advice for the US, warning visitors that “you may be liable to arrest or detention if you break the rules”. The previous version of advice, from February, had no mention of arrest or detention. Germany has made similar updates to its travel advisory, after several Germans were recently detained for weeks by US border officials.

Multiple European countries, including France, Germany, Denmark and Norway have also issued specific travel warnings to transgender and non-binary citizens, as US authorities demand tourists declare their biological sex at birth on visa applications. This comes as the US has stopped issuing of passports with a X marker – commonly used by those identifying as non-binary – for its own citizens.

As thousands of travellers cancel their trips to the US, other destinations are seeing a spike in interest. Hotels in Bermuda have reported a surge in enquiries as Canadians relocate business and leisure trips away from the US, with some predicting a 20% increase in revenue from Canadian visits.

Europe too has reported increased bookings from Canada, with rental properties experiencing a 32% jump in summer reservations when compared to last year, according to some reports.

There are already growing concerns that visa and entry restrictions will disrupt fans and athletes from enjoying 2026 men’s Fifa World Cup, held on sites in the US, Canada and Mexico. Visitors from some countries, such as Brazil, Turkey and Colombia, could wait up to 700 days to obtain visas. The International Olympic Committee has also raised concerns over the 2028 Olympics Games in Los Angeles, although US officials have insisted that “America will be open”.

With mounting visa delays, stricter border enforcement and growing concerns over human rights and anti-minority rhetoric, the United States risks losing its appeal as a top holiday destination. The long-term impact on its tourism industry may prove difficult to reverse.

Ross Bennett-Cook is a PhD Researcher at Carnegie School of Sport, Leeds Beckett University.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article