Dateline Monday 9th December 2024

Happy Monday morning greetings from the grey, chilly, no longer windy and no longer very wet mean streets of London W10 I hope you are well and that you managed to have some kind of weekend regardless of Storm Darragh. OMG as I am putting the final touches to my Monday morning e mail the sun has just appeared, it is streaming through my office window.

I am back from Abu Dhabi did you miss me and my Monday morning e mail blog? I missed writing it I do hope you missed reading it, If I was still in Abu Dhabi with the TRAVCO DMC Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Oman DMC team my e mail would start off something like this greetings from the dry warm cloudless sky and  sun dappled streets of Abu Dhabi where the temperature is a toasty 31 degrees C with a gentle wind blowing in off the Persian Gulf. Where MM and Company lead others follows LOOK who is in the UAE today none other than our Prime Minister Sir Kier Starmer.  

My brief but comprehensive site Inspection of Abu Dhabi with Jyoti and Candy of TRAVCO DMC was awesome, I stayed in some great hotels The Andaz, The Ritz Carlton and the Saadiyat Rotana Resort, I did the desert well it would be rude not to, revisited the magnificent Grand Mosque, an awesome structure I did a site inspection of the truly versatile meeting, conference and exhibition centre ADNEC, and ate in some terrific restaurants. I was on diet before I left to prepare for the site inspection now I am on diet again to prepare for Christmas. Yes I have at last used the Christmas word which I try to avoid till the very last working week prior to Christmas which it looks like will be next week. I can’t imagine anyone coming to work on Monday 23rd December and Tuesday as I guess that will be a half day, it looks like the Christmas and New Year break will be a two week holiday this year.  

Oh dear more woes for the world, the rebels in Syria are at it again, they spotted a weakness in the Assad regime, basically his dodgy mates in Russia and in Hezbollah are busy or taking a kicking in other theatres of war so are unable or unwilling to help Assad again, their action has shoved Ukraine and Gaza off the front pages and headlines. And he is gone, Assad is up, up and away not prepared to fight for his country probably left with a plane full of treasure, apparently his family all left Syria quite a while ago. What will happen now I wonder, will the fighting factions of the competing Islamist rebels and war lords tear what is left or Syria apart? the game has only just begun, perhaps the world should have a quick look at Libya, Colonel Gaddafi was ousted hunted down and “neutralized” and as soon as that happened war lords tore the country to bits it is now a failed state, big time.   

Yet another World Leaders get together but this time for a wonderful celebration, the reopening of the beautifully renovated and restored French treasure, Notre Dame. President Elect Trump was there larging it centre stage, glad handing our heir to the Great British throne Prince William, Donny loves a big occasion. Pascal, Enrica and the team at NACARA DMC France must be very proud of their country and their ability to bounce back after the tragic fire in 2019

South Korea, what on earth was the President of Korea thinking when he declared Martial Law, I guess he is thinking now where can he get a new job.

Soap box time

Today is 430 days since Israeli and other nations’ citizens were wrenched violently from their homes, streets, fields and places of leisure in Israel and taken to be held hostage as pawns of war and held in squalid conditions in the terror tunnels in Gaza. Israeli babies, toddlers, children, teens, women, men, seniors and other nationalities are being held captive by a group of evil blood thirsty barbaric terrorists called Hamas.

Off the soap box now

Congratulations to Lando Norris who claimed a confident win in Abu Dhabi, ensuring McLaren locked up the constructors' championship. Check this out, the race of the Grand Prix season was staged in Abu Dhabi and who else just happened to be in Abu Dhabi at the very same time as the race Kier can I have a free ticket Starmer well, well, well.

That is about it from a David point of view for this week at least.

MM and Company news update

 JAPAN

James and the crew at The J Team DMC Japan have told us that Japan Airlines (JAL) has started the phased deployment of its new Airbus A350-1000 international aircraft on flights between London (LHR) and Tokyo Haneda (HND) (JL044/043). The introduction of JAL’s latest main international aircraft marks its European debut, providing customers in the region with the opportunity to experience entirely new cabin interiors and seating arrangements in a four-class configuration. The deployment of this state-of-the-art, fuel-efficient aircraft also facilitates a reduction in CO2 emissions by 15-25% compared to earlier international models. Initially, the JAL A350-1000 will service the London – Haneda route (JL044/043) on alternate days. On days when the A350-1000 is not in operation, flights JL044/043 will continue to be conducted using Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. To date, Japan Airlines has received six out of the thirteen A350-1000s it has on order

MEXICO

Manuel, Liliana and the team at The EPIC Group DMC Mexico have told us that Hyatt Hotels Corporation has announced the planned rebranding of Thompson Playa del Carmen Main House and Beach House to Hyatt Centric Playa del Carmen. The hotel is expected to welcome guests in late 2024. Hyatt Centric Playa del Carmen will continue to offer two stay experiences with an adults-only retreat at the Downtown House and a family-friendly escape at the Beach House.

Hyatt Centric Playa del has 119 guestrooms and suites, including 92 guestrooms and suites at the adults-only Downtown House and 27 suites at the family-friendly Beach House, with floor-to-ceiling windows with city or ocean views. Suites provide living areas and outdoor balconies with day beds or plunge pools.

The hotel is situated on Fifth Avenue, or "La Quinta Avenida," a vibrant street filled with shopping, dining, entertainment and nightlife, stretching five miles long through the centre of Playa del Carmen’s downtown.

NEW YORK

Beth and the team at DETAILS NYC DMC have told us that Faena has announced the upcoming opening of Faena New York, scheduled for late spring 2025. Located at 500 West 18th Street, overlooking the High Line. The new property marks two decades since Faena’s debut in Buenos Aires, and a decade since the launch of Faena Miami Beach. The Faena New York will have 120 guestrooms.

And that is about it, you are now totally up to date, wishing you a terrific week ahead