Concorde Hotels turns up the heat with summer deal

by Tom Johansmeyer on

The euro has never been lower, and Europe is calling. With the Concorde Hotels & Resorts “Summer Offer,” you can get on a plane and out the door without breaking the bank. The Hotel Lutetia in Paris and Hotel de la Paix in Geneva are on the list, with rates as low as $159 a night – a savings of up to 30 percent.

Travel by the end of August, and you’ll also get a buffet breakfast daily and a special amenity (per person) waiting for you in your room every night, as long as you stay between two and four nights. And if Europe doesn’t turn you on, Concorde has locations in Japan and Africa, too.

Take advantage of the discounts now. With the economy turning around, 2011 is expected to be the first year of a hotel recovery.

Concorde may once again fly – thanks to $22 million and a lot of hard work

by Scott Carmichael on

October 23rd 2003 is a date many aviation nuts will remember as the end of the era of supersonic passenger transportation.

It was the day the final Concorde flight took place, ferrying celebrities into London Heathrow airport.

Of course, her fate had already been sealed when Air France flight 4590 crashed just outside of Charles De Gaulle airport in July 2000 killing 113 people.

Her retirement may soon come to an end, if a team of engineers get their way. The engineers are part of two groups – the British Save Concorde Group, and the French group Olympus 593 (named after the amazing Concorde engines).

The purpose of the collaboration is to get a Concorde back in the air – on time for the 2012 London Olympics opening celebration. The Concorde in question is currently parked at the Le Bourget Air and Space Museum. With $22 million in available funding, the first step is to determine whether the engines on the plane can be started, and whether the plane can be taxied.

After that, there will still be a long way to go, especially if the plane is to receive a certificate of airworthiness. Still – as someone who was lucky enough to fly her several times, the prospect of seeing her take to the skies makes me very, very happy.

Decade old Concorde crash brings Continental Airlines to trial

by Scott Carmichael on

Tomorrow, Continental Airlines will have to answer to a French court about allegations it knowingly installed an unapproved part on one of its DC-10 aircraft. That small metal strip is partially blamed for the crash of Air France Concorde flight 4590 on July 25th 2000.

On that fateful day, 113 people lost their lives when the fuel tanks of the Concorde caught fire, sending the plane crashing through a hotel just outside the airport. 109 people died on the plane, and four were killed in the hotel.

The court case has taken ten years to prepare, and follows a 2004 investigation that concluded the crash was caused by the strip of metal that had fallen off a Continental plane that took off minutes before Concorde came down the runway. The inquiry reached the conclusion that the titanium strip had blown a tire to shreds, sending debris into an engine, and blowing holes in a fuel tank.

Along with Continental and two of its employees, the court will also hear testimonies from Concorde program officials and the boss of the French aviation institute. According to the court, the Concorde program managers ignored years of problems, including several identical incidents that thankfully did not end as disastrous.

The main objective of the trial is to determine levels of blame for those responsible for the crash. Continental plans to fight the allegations, claiming the engine was already on fire before the plane hit the piece of metal. In the end, it’ll most likely come down to how much was known about the weakness of the Concorde design, and why a simple piece of metal could cause such a catastrophic crash.

The disaster ended more than the lives of the 113 people involved in the crash – it also started the end of the supersonic passenger flight era. After the crash, the entire Concorde fleet was taken out of service for fuel tank upgrades, but she took her final flight on November 25th 2003.

Do Paris right for Valentine’s Day at the Concorde Hotel

by Tom Johansmeyer on

If you’re looking to make a splash this Valentine’s Day, there’s simply no alternative to Paris. So, from February 5 through the end of the month, Concorde Hotels & Resorts is looking to make your Valentine’s Day as romantic as possible. Head out to Paris, and you’ll be able to pick up a room for as little as $276 a night — nothing short of a bargain at a Concorde Hotel, and you’ll pick up a few perks along the way. The package includes a daily buffet breakfast for two and a special surprise gift. Gift examples include champagne receptions, exclusive access to the Baccarat Museum, spa treatments and gourmet chocolate, so you know you’ll be greeted perfectly.

If Paris doesn’t turn you on, Concorde is offering similar Valentine’s Day packages in Germany, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and elsewhere in France.

Storm the Bastille with Concorde Hotels

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Need an excuse to head out to Europe this summer? Concorde Hotels & Resorts is ready to feed your jones for travel. The Concorde Summer package – just in time for Bastille Day – puts 22 hotels from around the world at your fingertips, from the Hotel Lutetia in Paris to the super-upscale Hotel de la Paix on the shores of Lake Geneva. You can join the party for as little as $115 a night ($165 in some cases), which, I assure you, is so insane that I half-expected to see Crazy Eddy’s name listed somewhere on the press release.

As has become common with deals from up-market hotels, the low room rate isn’t all you get. Concorde is throwing in some great extras, including a daily buffet breakfast, access to double rooms and a second room at an additional 50 percent discount. Also, Condorde’s throwing in a surprise gift for each stay.

But, you have to take advantage of it this summer. The deal stretches from July 10, 2009 to September 13, 2009.