CNN Business Traveller
EPISODE 57
Comfort on the Road
This month Richard is in Seattle for the unveiling of that other eagerly anticipated new plane this year - the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Where the Airbus A380 has scale, the Dreamliner has style. It is Boeing’s most efficient airplane to date. Whisking passengers to their destinations in a cabin quieter and more spacious than any plane now flying. The 50% composite fuselage and wing lowering weight and increasing fuel economy by a fifth over comparable aircraft.
Business Traveller will be there for the very first glimpse of this revolutionary new plane, which up until now has been kept under wraps at Boeing’s massive Washington facility. The 787 has caused quite a stir in the industry, becoming the fastest selling new commercial airplane ever built. All the more remarkable given it’s been bought sight unseen by many of the world’s best known airlines.
Follow Richard as he puts the plane through its paces. Comfy seats and big windows make for good headlines, but will the plane live up to the hype?
For tomorrow’s travellers on the 787 we look at new ways to get the most out of today’s hotels. How to use hotels differently is one of our themes this month. Richard goes on the trail of Yotel! A new venture by Simon Woodroffe, the entrepreneur behind the Yo! Sushi chain. Yotel! Is a micro-stay hotel built inside London’s Gatwick airport. The design is inspired by the new generation of first class suites on board aircraft. The beds recline, there are airline style entertainment systems and even a galley for preparing food. If you’ve got a few hours to spare and don’t fancy the departure lounge then this concept may be for you.
For those wanting to stay longer, we profile Guest Invest. With the tag line “Make money while others sleep” Guest Invest is a growing stable of London hotels where investors buy their own room. They can then stay for free for up to 50 nights a year and the income from the rest of the time it’s occupied is split between the hotel and room owner.
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