Lose your phone? Go to Munich!

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Scott Carmichael wrote about a great spot for a bit of pre-flight relaxation – and a cold beer – in Munich. Well, if you have the chance to hit it, you may run into a celebrity.

Have you heard of Gray Powell? Well, he’s the guy from Apple who lost the latest-and-greatest-top-secret iPhone at a bar while being seduced by German beer and celebrating his birthday. It’s all gone downhill for him since then, but Lufthansa’s offering some relief. The airline has offered Powell a free business class roundtrip ticket to Munich … because it seems like he needs it.

In a letter to Powell, Nicola C. Lange, Lufthansa’s Director of Marketing and Customer Relations for The Americas, writes: “We all know how frustrating it can be to lose personal belongings, especially when it is such a unique item.” Well, I don’t think we know quite how frustrating it is to reveal your entire company’s future.

But, moving on:

We thought you could use a break soon – and therefore would like to offer you complimentary Business Class transportation to Munich, where you can literally pick up where you last left off. [I’m sure that’s exactly what he wants] Upon arrival in Munich, feel free to check out our new Bavarian Beer Garden business Lounge, and experience the best Germany has to offer.

Never has one’s “passion for German beer and culture” been so richly rewarded!

Pre-flight pampering at the new Lufthansa Biergarten at Munich airport

by Scott Carmichael on

In my many years of flying, I’ve encountered all kinds of pre-flight lounge amenities. I’ve enjoyed an ice cream bar in Hong Kong, a massage in London, and a beer machine in Tokyo – but the new Lufthansa beer garden is something I may travel to Munich for.

Lufthansa built the new facility with the Munich based Franziskaner brewery, and offers elite status travelers and business class passengers access to barrel tapped draught beers and Bavarian Pretzels.

In addition to the beer garden, the newly renovated lounge at Munich International Airport terminal 2 offers six satellite bars, 18 computer workstations, shower facilities and TV areas.

Though the Lufthansa beer garden isn’t the first brewery at Munich airport, it is the first inside an airport lounge. Amazingly, this new business class lounge is just one of seven lounges at the airport – totaling over 48,000 square feet.

Customs arrests man for flying with postage stamps

by Sean McLachlan on

Customs officers are generally our friends. They keep people from boarding the plane with stolen antiquities or live reptiles, but occasionally innocent people get caught in their net.

Stamp collector Markand Dave of India seems to be one of those people.

Mr. Dave tried to board a flight from Sardar Patel International Airport, Ahmedabad, to Frankfurt, Germany, on his way to attend a stamp collecting exhibition in London. In his luggage he had a collection of rare, early Indian stamps. While Mr. Dave is a well-known philatelist and had an invitation to participate in the exhibition, he had forgotten to ask permission from the government to take the stamps out of India and ran afoul of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, which considers rare stamps to be antiquities. He’s due to appear in court on charges of antiquities smuggling.

Mr. Dave is probably not an antiquities smuggler, but as a leading philatelist he should have known better. Collectors should understand the laws that cover their collections and fill out the proper paperwork before they travel.

Besides, he should be thankful he didn’t have his rare stamps stolen by a baggage thief.
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Daily Pampering: Hugo BOSS at the Regent Berlin

by Melanie Nayer on

There’s a reason I love this column, and it’s not just because I get to imagine myself in fancy cars and being pampered by tanning butlers (but let’s not kid ourselves, both are worthy of a few stolen moments during the day). It’s because I get to introduce you to the finer things in life; some of the most luxurious travel amenities in the world.

I’ll be the first to admit there are things I’ve yet to discover, stones I haven’t unturned, destinations I’ve yet to explore, but there are some things I know very well: I know hotels, I know handbags and I know Hugo BOSS makes one handsome man. Apparently, the Regent Berlin feels the same way.

The Regent Berlin offers in-room personal shopping services thanks to a unique partnership with Hugo BOSS. With the touch of button on your in-room phone, the concierge will arrive in your room with a mobile wardrobe fitted with selections from the current season’s collection. There is no separate charge for the service – you simply pay for your purchases.

The Regent Berlin’s service, called “Travel Light”, gives new meaning to packing with a purpose. Now, you can “accidentally” forget your evening attire, or mistakenly leave his faded blue suit standby suit in the closet, and let Hugo BOSS dress you. And trust me, once Hugo BOSS steps into your wardrobe, you’ll never look at your faded blue suit the same way again.

Want a little more luxury in your day? Click here for your daily dose of pampering.

Meet the “Rotel,” the hotel on wheels

by Jeremy Kressmann on

Why are hotels so stationary? Wouldn’t it be great if your hotel could travel along with you wherever you go? Apparently there is such a mobile accommodation, and it’s called the Rotel.

Website Jalopnik brings us up to speed on this unique hotel on wheels concept, a fleet of vehicles owned by a German company called Rotel Tours. A quick Google Translation of the company’s website offers some additional details. The “Rotel” concept was pioneered by entrepreneur George Höltl, who wanted passengers to be able to experience the remote corners of the world in a novel adventurous way. The company, which offers lie-flat bed tours of Europe, Africa and Asia, is rumored to have more than 3400 “beds on wheels,” with each vehicle accommodating between 20-40 sleeping passengers. Sleeping bunks on the Rotel are approximately six feet long, three feet wide and three feet high. Not luxurious, but big enough for crashing.

While the idea of traveling by Rotel seems whimsical and fun, it leaves me with a few unanswered questions. How long are you traveling on this thing each day? And wouldn’t it get a bit rank in a vehicle where you’re living in there all the time with 20 strangers? All vehicles are equipped with bathrooms, but unfortunately, no showers. Nothing says good times like a multi-week trip without bathing!