Airport and Platform Concierge services in demand as worried travellers seek professional help to get through airports and train stations on first trip post lockdown

The world’s leading global provider of luxury meet and assist services, DiamondAir International, is reporting an increase in demand for its concierge services as travellers request help to get through airports and busy train stations on their first trip post lockdown.

As people start travelling again, one of the areas they are most concerned about is how they can avoid busy airport terminals and crowded train stations with the minimum of interaction.

Christina Lawford, Founder and Managing Director of DiamondAir International, says:

“Often the most stressful part of travel is getting through the airport or train station to the final mode of transport. Inevitably airports are busy and confusing places with numerous queues and this, combined with locating where you need to check in, drop your bags, and get through security, creates maximum tension the best of times.”

“Currently, travellers’ worries are even more heightened as we gradually come out of lockdown and our services help remove this stress. They are designed to run effortlessly from the moment you arrive at the airport or station and can continue until you arrive at your final destination.”

The company regularly deals with the rich and famous, business travellers, individuals, and families all over the world. Since lockdown has eased, it has reported a 200 per cent increase in calls and increased traffic to its website as travellers seek assistance through airports. Its three key services are:

Airport Concierge Service

Available in 600 destinations, this service enables traveller to get through the airport as quickly and efficiently as possible and is available on departures, arrivals and transits.

A DiamondAir Airport Concierge Agent is ready to greet travellers on arrival kerbside and will assist them through check in, escort through security and assist through all additional passenger health and screening protocols pre and post flight. Baggage porters can be arranged to collect and transfer luggage, with sanitisation of bags provided upon arrival (subject to airport). The Agent will ensure dwell time is minimised in the congested passenger areas of the airport and take care of any common use touch screens.

If a lounge has been booked, traveller/s will be escorted there while waiting to board. A boarding time will be arranged with the DiamondAir Airport Concierge Agent who will then collect traveller/s from the lounge and escort to the aircraft, avoiding busy areas and removing any unnecessary stress encountered before take off. The same process takes place at arrivals, with the Concierge Agent assisting traveller/s through immigration, baggage reclaim and customs, and escorting traveller/s to their final mode of transport. For those who have connecting flights, the Concierge Agent will escort to the onward gate, and has the benefit of knowing the layout of the airport and most efficient ways around it.

Airport By Invitation

This premium and bespoke service makes the private jet experience available without the price tag but with all the benefits of using a private terminal, taking travellers from airside to kerbside and vice versa. It is accessible in more than 80 airport locations.

Tailored to the needs of the individual, looking for the ultimate in discretion, privacy and exclusivity between plane side and kerb side, it provides transport to and from the tarmac to VIP suite, completely exclusive for a traveller/ travellers. The suite is sanitised after each use, includes a butler service and clients can also access entertainment or spa services, personal shopping and catering.

As part of the Airport By Invitation service, security, customs and immigration checks are carried out individually in the private suite, avoiding other passengers in congested areas. Those travelling via this service are able to relax in luxurious surroundings, while the DiamondAir Agent coordinated the transfer of baggage.

Boarding and disembarking is made simple with a private tarmac transfer from the lounge to the aircraft with fully sanitised vehicles for optimum safety measures.

Platform Concierge

This service runs from train side to kerb side across major worldwide rail stations. DiamondAir’s Platform Concierge Agent provides a luxury meet and assist service, helping to support travellers’ end to end transit across the world’s busiest stations. This can include help with travel schedule monitoring and coordinating all travel arrangements. This service can benefit not only business travellers but also individuals, families and groups and provides valuable local on-the-ground knowledge. Assistance is available on both arrival and departure to minimise dwell time in the busy passenger areas.

New for 2020

Ahead of the summer getaway, DiamondAir International’s new Family Getaway package offers all the benefits of the above Airport Concierge Service and costs £150 including VAT for a family of four with the optional extra of adding access to an airport lounge if the family wishes. The service includes a baggage porter and the use of pushchairs to and from the aircraft – fully sanitised after each use – and assistance with hand luggage.

Christina Lawford adds:

“Our Family Getaway package not only caters for those with young children but also young passengers travelling alone, nervous flyers or inexperienced travellers who simply appreciate a guiding hand. We aim to make the airport experience as enjoyable as possible at the beginning and at the end of a holiday.”

DiamondAir Airport Concierge Agents can also escort families to the children’s play area and its CRB-checked Agent can oversee children if parents wish to do some last minute shopping before take off.

• Airport Concierge starts from £150 for up to 2 passengers
• Family Getaway service starts from £150 for a family of 4
• Airport By Invitation starts from £170.00 per person
• Platform Concierge starts from £150

For bookings please:

• Call: 020 8897 9183
• Email: reservations@diamondairinternational.com
• Website: https://diamondairinternational.com

DiamondAir International’s services now incorporate further safety and precautionary measures which are continuously monitored and adapted in alignment to local Government advice and guidelines, and as travel policies and border controls change globally, so will its service protocols.

All its Airport Concierge Agents wear PPE whilst at the airport, handshaking will not be observed and it continues to monitor its frontline staff. Social distancing is adhered to between the Airport Concierge Agent and passengers at all times.

The world’s leading global provider of luxury meet and assist services, DiamondAir International, has appointed London based Maria Boyle Communications Ltd to handle its global PR

DiamondAir International regularly deals with the rich and famous, business travellers, individuals, and families all over the world. Since lockdown has eased, it has reported a 200 per cent increase in calls and increased traffic to its website as travellers seek assistance through airports. The company has previously handled PR in house and this is the agency’s first external appointment.

Christina Lawford, Founder and Managing Director of DiamondAir International, says:

“We are the pioneers of the global concierge business and our services are available at more than 600 airports and railway stations globally. We felt now it was an important time to communicate with new travellers, reassure existing clients and generally go up a gear in relation to our communications.”

“Maria is a smart operator and very well connected in the sectors we work in. We’re really looking forward to working with her and her team.”

Maria Boyle, Director, Maria Boyle Communications Ltd, comments:

“Currently, travellers’ worries are even more heightened as we gradually come out of lockdown and DiamondAir International’s services help remove this stress.“

“We are delighted to have been appointed to help further build the brand and promote its range of services which really are the best in the business.”

Based in an airside office overlooking the Heathrow runway in its World Business Centre, DiamondAir International trades in five currencies and employs a staff of 70. Its three key services are:

1. Airport Concierge Service: Available in 600 destinations, this service enables traveller to get through the airport as quickly and efficiently as possible and is available on departures, arrivals and transits.
2. Airport By Invitation: this premium and bespoke service makes the private jet experience available without the price tag but with all the benefits of using a private terminal, taking travellers from airside to kerbside and vice versa. It is accessible in more than 80 airport locations.
3. Platform Concierge: This service runs from train side to kerb side across major worldwide rail stations. Assistance is available on both arrival and departure to minimise dwell time in the busy passenger areas.

Maria Boyle Communications Ltd clients include Mayfair jewellery Hancocks London, L’Oreal UK & Ireland, Luxury Family Hotels, Thornbury Castle and international bestselling author Barbara Taylor Bradford OBE.

For bookings please call 020 8897 9183, email reservations@diamondairinternational.com or go to https://diamondairinternational.com

Luxury Family Hotelsis pledging to open its hotels exclusively to NHS workers and their families post lockdown as a very special thank you for their hard work and commitment throughout the Coronavirus pandemic.

The hotel group is promising a total of up to 150 parents and their children a free overnight stay in all of its five hotels as part of its support for the #treatourNHS initiative.  Stays will also include complimentary breakfast for families and access to all the hotels’ facilities including OFSTED registered crèches (in line with the latest Government advice).

The #treatourNHS initiative, created by Sarah Bowman, owner of The Hayloft in Devon, is seeing accommodation owners across the UK pledge stays in hotels, eco lodges and cottages to NHS workers. 

Simon Maguire, MD of Luxury Family Hotels, said: “Our ethos is all about making time for the little things, so as a way of saying thank you to the heroes working on the frontline, we will be offering NHS staff the opportunity of spending quality time with their family and loved ones which they might not have been able to do throughout the lockdown period. “

Luxury Family Hotels will be offering a complimentary overnight stay on a B&B basis for up to 75 NHS families across its five hotels*. That will equate to 15 rooms per hotel available on the night before they re-open to the public (dates are yet to be confirmed in line with Government guidelines).

Participating hotels will include:

• The Ickworth in Suffolk;
• Woolley Grange in Bradford on Avon;
• Moonfleet Manor in Dorset;
• New Park Manor in the New Forest;
• Fowey Hall Hotel in Cornwall.

Further details will be released once there is a clear date for re-opening on Luxury Family Hotels’ social media with a link through to a landing page on the Luxury Family Hotels’ website with more details on the booking process and conditions.

Families will be selected on a first come, first served basis, cementing Luxury Family Hotels’ corporate social responsibility efforts.

Final conditions for NHS workers and their immediate family to be confirmed at a later date but will include a valid NHS Identity Card which will need to be shown upon arrival. 

For more information/bookings visit www.luxuryfamilyhotels.co.uk

FOLLOWING ITS MULTI-MILLION-POUND REFURBISHMENT, FOWEY HALL HOTEL IS RE-OPENING ITS DOORS TO GUESTS, OFFERING AN ULTRA STYLISH AND LUXURIOUS PLACE TO STAY IN ONE OF THE MOST DESIRABLE AREAS IN SOUTH CORNWALL.

Perched above the pretty sailing town of Fowey on the south Cornish coast, the 36-bedroom hotel boasts sweeping sea views and vistas over the estuary and picturesque Fowey harbour. 

The virtual tour of the main guest areas and hotel bedrooms begins here….

On arrival, guests will enter the hotel’s historic lobby; welcomed by a roaring log fire in a feature fireplace, its antique white walls lit by an eye-catching Jamb globe chandelier on the ceiling.  Much to the delight of guests, the lobby retains many of its original features and beautiful parquet floor dated from 1899 when Fowey Hall was built as a private house by local businessman Sir Charles Hanson.

Inviting sofas upholstered in a combination of British heritage inspired luxury fabrics including tweeds, hounds tooth, and herringbone with velvet and leather accents and striped canvas and rustic reclaimed stools add a playful twist.  Bespoke handmade console tables and coffee tables in a mix of smoked oak and dark stained oak now grace the lobby to create a welcoming first impression.

The hotel’s guest areas have been adapted to reflect guests’ changing needs, with additional seating areas in the lounges providing more places to relax together, enjoy a drink as well as providing the opportunity for informal dining.

Simon Maguire, Managing Director of Luxury Family Hotels, comments: “Fowey Hall is a Grade II listed building so any changes we made had to be sympathetic to the character of this impressive building while at the same time refurbishing it in order to create a contemporary and luxurious hotel for its discerning clientele.  We are delighted that after our six-week closure we are opening our doors to the new look Fowey Hall Hotel and we’re extremely excited and very proud to welcome guests new and old. 

“This has been a real labour of love and the results we feel speak for themselves. Fowey and all that Cornwall has to offer is very much at the heart of our hotel and this major refurbishment tells the story of the hotel from past right through to the present. 

“Throughout the major refurbishment, our interior design team worked with renowned local artists and the best craftsmen in their fields who have decades of experience and who have worked painstakingly in order to create a range of bespoke interiors from wallpapers and stylish furniture to interesting guest room details which celebrates the best of craftsmanship in both Cornwall and also in Britain.”

Library

Fowey Hall’s extensive library is home to its collection of vintage photography and prints that tell the story of the hotel and as part of the refurbishment it has been transformed.  Furniture is all vintage or British made pieces including a console table made from a reclaimed railway sleeper by &Bespoke and upholstery is a mix of deep rust, burnt yellow and playful monochromatic prints.

The library’s original bookshelves have been retained and as well as providing a selection of great reads for adults too, they will now be filled with more than 700 new books for children of all ages to enjoy a read while staying at the hotel.  These include Penguin Classics through to contemporary favourites such as Harry Potter.  It is thought that Fowey Hall now boasts the largest library for children in any hotel in the UK.

The Mansion House

The Mansion House’s 16 bedrooms have all been refurbished and feature oak wooden floors painted in soft grey, vintage pieces of furniture, oversized wool rugs, and bespoke handmade turned oak beds made by Cornwall furniture and homeware designer maker Headandhaft using FSC certified European oak from sustainably managed woodlands.

Each room also features a 50-55 inch flat screen TV and guests will also find an ode to the dog friendly ethos of the hotel with charcoal prints of characterful dogs by Central St Martin’s artist Justine Osbourne.  Bathrooms are finished in two-tone crackle flaze tiles with authentic Victorian style stylish premium sanitary ware.

Cornwall’s furniture and homeware designer Headandhaft focuses on the design, and manufacture of handmade products, with emphasis on material, quality, craft, narrative, and longevity. Headandhaft’s attention to detail and desire to create considered objects which people can relate to hit a chord with us as designers.

Garden Wing and Coach House

The 11 bedrooms and one large family suite in the two-storey Garden Wing

have a more modern feel with luxurious beds, designer furnishings including rough edge elm coffee tables (certified as ‘grown in Britain’) and wardrobes which are lined with characterful bespoke wallpaper designed by interior designers StudioJill and illustrated by North Cornwall artist Nicole Heidaripour.  Guest bathrooms are spacious and feature deep rust coloured freestanding baths to enjoy a long, relaxing soak. 

Children’s rooms

The hotel’s children’s rooms are sophisticated yet playful, with a bold but elegant use of colour. The bunk beds and desks are bespoke, again made by HeadandHaft. The room lighting comes in the form of a fisherman’s net pendant light and the iconic ‘softhead’ dogs displayed on the walls, which can be seen around the hotel, reinforce its relaxed feel, appeal to guests of all ages. 

Morning Room

Fowey Hall’s newly created Morning Room Bar, which overlooks the garden terrace, is a beautiful corniced room and will now be able to offer a versatile space for coffee in the morning through to evening drinks.  The alcoves have been lined with hand painted Degournay Eden wallpaper to reflect the image of the garden and the room features green marble tables and a walnut centrepiece table by Galvin Brothers.  Lloyd Loom chairs are upholstered in soft green velvet and a playful monkey palm print and are just waiting for guests to sit in and enjoy the perfect place for a traditional Cornish Afternoon Tea or a sundowner.

Children’s Games Room and Cinema Room

The hotel also boasts a Games Room with a dramatic dark blue painted original vaulted ceiling. Its walls adorned with Marvel posters and the room playfully furnished with vintage cinema seats, leather pommel horse seating and kitted out with table tennis and a pool table popular with guests young and old.

Monochromatic striped curtains have been introduced along with the addition of luxe velvet beanbags for children and families to relax on, vintage style arcade games including more than 1,000 games including old favourites like Pac Man and Space Invaders now feature as well as table football.    

Spotlight on Fowey

Fowey is rapidly becoming the classy place to be in Cornwall with its buzzy and flourishing food and drink scene on the up and new restaurants opening this year.  Yet Fowey still manages to retain its fishing village charm and Fowey Hall Hotel is perfectly positioned as the place to stay to enjoy all that it offers.  Most importantly, excellent Cornish cuisine is at the heart of the experience at Fowey Hall Hotel and the restaurant is the place to enjoy breakfast, brunch, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner or a private event and the soon-to-be opened stylish new bar area will tantalise guests with local artisan drinks and cocktails.  More to follow – watch this space!

** Spring special offer **

Rates are inclusive of dinner, bed and breakfast and are from £179 for a one-night stay, from £329 for two nights from £459 for three nights.

The four-night break is from £609 and includes a cream tea.

** Easter at Fowey Hall **

Included in the two-night break is breakfast, dinner on one night and Fowey Hall’s very own Beatrix Potter inspired afternoon tea – a delicious edible garden for the whole family to ‘munch’ through.  Rates from £508 per room for a two-night break based on two adults sharing a Standard Double Room.

For bookings, please telephone +44 (0) 208 0765555 or visit luxuryfamilyhotels.co.uk.

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This year, Luxury Family Hotels is implementing a new inspirational Leadership Programme designed to further enhance guest experiences as well as to foster long-term guest loyalty.

To deliver this, Luxury Family Hotels has partnered with Dr. Veronica Burke, Director and Founder of Performance Impact Ltd (whose expertise is transformational change within businesses) to create this pioneering development opportunity for every Head of Department in the hotel group.

The Programme, which reinforces the Group’s commitment to personal and professional development in the Industry, will build critical leadership and management techniques with the aim of supporting a new generation of leaders who are committed to driving meaningful change within themselves, their teams, and the company.

• The Journey,
• The Business,
• The People, and
• The Leaders

Each module will translate evidence-based concepts into meaningful practice, empowering employees to deliver business impact through their knowledge. Throughout the Programme participants will be immersed in the Company’s values and cultural pillars –Time, Place, Family & Memories, and they will learn how to build cultures that are guest-centric, values-driven and results focused.

Commenting on the Programme, Veronica said:

“I am delighted to be a partner in such an ambitious and visionary development programme. Leadership is vital at all levels in the Industry and this opportunity will provide a critical benchmark for excellence.”

Simon Maguire, Managing Director for Luxury Family Hotels says:

“It’s a great time to be part of Luxury Family Hotels and we are investing heavily in our product including the current full refurbishment of Fowey Hall Hotel which is due to re-open in mid-February. In line with this, it’s vital that we invest in our people. The Leadership Programme is designed to empower our leaders to make informed decisions that will enhance our hotels and our customer experience.”

Commenting on the Programme, Alistair N Sandall FIH, Head of Professional Development at Institute of Hospitality says:

“We were delighted to endorse Luxury Family Hotels Customer Service Training programme last Autumn and very much look forward to working with them over the coming months with a view to endorsing their great new Inspirational Leadership Programme initiative. It is great to see such an innovative programme leading the way in terms of professional development within hotels.”

Dr. Veronica Burke was the Director of the Cranfield Talent Development programme for 13 years at Cranfield University School of Management, which is one of the flagship MI Scholarship programmes attended by high potential candidates from across the hospitality industry. She has worked with the scholarship team throughout this time on the selection, development and on-going support for candidates and continues to maintain close relationships with many of the alumni, through their membership of the St Julian’s Scholars. Veronica is known for her engaging and innovative style and her approach, grounded in applied and practical work, focuses on leadership development, organisational change and personal performance.

Luxury Family Hotels’ Fowey Hall is about to undergo a multi-million pound refurbishment to create a stylish and sleek new look ready for guests to enjoy from early next year.

Built in 1899 as a family home by Sir Charles Hanson, the Grade II hotel is located in the idyllic harbour town of Fowey on the South Cornish coast and offers all the grandeur of a stately home with its beautiful vaulted ceilings, elaborate fireplaces and touches of opulence.

The full-scale refurbishment will cover all of the hotel’s 36 bedrooms and see new guest bathrooms in both the main house and its Garden Wing. Beautifully interior designed and employing a playful use of colour, all bedrooms feature new contemporary lighting, a mix of old and new furniture with a subtle reference to the architectural period of the building, stripped or reclaimed timber flooring with large rugs to add softness, the bedrooms now have a contemporary authentic look and feel. Meanwhile the bathrooms include new vanity units with wall lights, traditional radiators, panelled walls painted in warming hues and soft geometric patterned tiles to give a more contemporary look while still offering the utmost in comfort.

With Fowey rapidly becoming the place to go in Cornwall with its flourishing food and drink scene, the hotel will also have a stylish new Bar and Afternoon Tea Lounge. A truly versatile space, guests will be able to enjoy a classic Cornish afternoon tea, coffees and pastries as well as sharing plates in this area.
They will also be able to relax and enjoy the hotel’s extensive wine list, a selection of cocktails and mocktails, artisan spirits and champagnes.

The hotel’s restaurant is also undergoing complete refurbishment. Another flexible space – with a maximum of 110 covers it’s perfect for weddings and events – but with its clever new design, the restaurant will also be able to adapt and also offer a more intimate dining experience.

The hotel’s reception and lounge areas, spa, library, games room, OFSTED-registered crèche and indoor pool will also be upgraded along with its outside space which spans four acres.

The refurbishment, which has already discreetly started, will be completed over the first six weeks of 2020 (when the hotel will be temporarily closed), reopening on 14 February 2020. Once the Fowey Hall refurbishment is complete, further significant investment for the other hotels in the Luxury Family Hotels’ collection will follow in 2020 and 2021.

The changes taking place at Fowey Hall are a direct response to a piece of major research by Kantar commissioned by Luxury Family Hotels earlier in 2019 which took a closer look at the needs of modern families and their expectations of what a luxury experience means today.

This was the most in-depth research study by the brand in the last decade and is informing Luxury Family Hotels on how best to present itself to its guests – both digitally, experientially and physically in its hotel offering – and to ensure that the brand stays relevant to today’s ever-changing demographics.

For example, with this refurbishment there has been a greater focus on communal spaces and making these work as flexible as possible when families are coming together – whether it’s to enjoy dinner, have a drink and order some sharing plates of food, or just to hang out, spending quality time, having fun and relaxing. This is in recognition of the fact that today’s families value celebrating the time they spend together and the places that facilitate that connection – places where family memories are created.

Adrian Burley, Marketing Director, Luxury Family Hotels, said:

“As people continue to move away from traditional ideas of luxury, we have to adapt by being ever more mindful of our guests’ desire to share an experience, create a memory, connect with each other, unwind and enjoy themselves — in a much faster time frame.“

“Consistent standards must be upheld, but our hotels are all individual and have distinct personalities and this is what makes them so special. In planning the refurbishment, it has been very important that we retain Fowey Hall’s unique character, its fascinating history and unique location, and bring the aspects to life through stylish interior design.“

“This is a new era for Luxury Family Hotels and the investment we are making demonstrates our 100 per cent commitment to ensuring our guests – existing as well as new – have the most wonderful time when they stay with us.”

Rooms at Fowey Hall Hotel start from £139 B&B. For bookings, please telephone +44 (0) 208 0765555 or visit luxuryfamilyhotels.co.uk.

There is no better place to spend a traditional Christmas than at medieval Thornbury Castle – the only Tudor castle open as a hotel in England – complete with steep spiral stone staircases, beautiful oriel windows and welcoming roaring fires.

It has an extraordinary sense of history, with former visitors including King Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn and Mary I; and guests will feel like royalty from the minute they arrive on Christmas Eve to a welcome drink waiting in their bedchambers.  

The festivities will commence with a drinks reception to the background of a talented group of local carol singers in The Tudor Hall followed by a fabulous Black-tie dinner in the award-winning restaurant. St Mary’s Church, located in the hotel’s grounds is a short stroll away for those wanting to attend Midnight Mass.

After a hearty breakfast on Boxing Day, guests will be free to explore the local area on foot. Afternoon tea will be served with a glass of wine and the hotel’s own falconer Michael Davie (one of the country’s leading falconers) will entertain with a spectacular falconry display on the castle’s lawn. Wine tasting sessions with the hotel’s sommelier will also be on offer ahead of the delicious Farewell Dinner where entertainment will be provided by Ben, the resident acoustic guitarist.