Incentive - January 2009 - (Page 49)

TRAVEL The Sofitel St. James, housed in an old bank building, offers both Old World luxury and modern convenience London By Plane Participants’ first and last memories of any incentive trip are the flights By Leo Jakobson n some ways, one of the most interesting parts of a recent trip to London was the trip itself. Heathrow airport has long been the bane of travelers’ existence, and the efforts of British Airways to change that—with the aid of luxury hotel brand Sofitel—is worth the attention of anyone planning a trip to the United Kingdom. Planners who watched the disastrous opening of T5, BA’s much-hyped new Heathrow airport home in March, were probably unsurprised: lost luggage and delayed flights have long been par for the course at the entire airport. And yet, the giant building—the largest in the UK—is beautifully designed, with light pouring in from the glassed-in sides. But as its annus horribilis drew to an end, the kinks showed signs of getting worked out: BA’s on-time record is the best it’s been in a decade, numbers of lost luggage are declining rapidly, and visitor surveys have turned positive, despite BA’s having shifted nearly all its Heathrow flights into and out of T5. I But the biggest surprise for planners is likely the Sofitel London Heathrow: It is an honestto-goodness, five-star luxury hotel set off on the edge of British Airways’ new terminal building, T5. And while the location is not right for incentive travelers, it is worth considering as a first-night spot for late-arriving, jet-lagged participants to lay their heads— especially on an international program with participants from around the globe. First of all, it’s absolutely quiet—designers poured plenty of attention into keeping the roar of jets out—and its 605 rooms are modern, luxurious (Queen or King Sofitel MyBeds, marble bathrooms with deep soaking tubs, plasma TVs) yet with desks set up for high-bandwidth road warriors. Three ways to entertain gathering incentive winners: The spa’s five treatment rooms, combined with the various therapy pools, steamroom and sauna are a great way to unwind; exotic tea tastings, presided over by Tea 5’s tea master, provide a cocktail setting without the alcohol, helping defeat jet lag; and Brasserie Roux, presided over by celebrity chef Albert Roux, is the same restaurant that draws crowds to the Sofitel St. James on the chic Pall Mall, a short walk from Trafalgar Square and the Bond Street shops. The Sofitel St. James is a far more traditional setting for a London incentive: an historic old bank building from the latter days of the Empire, with a lobby lined with marble and dotted with huge stuffed chairs and portraits of tuxedoed financiers, while down the hall is the Rose Lounge, a tea salon. It is, in some ways, out of central casting for a grand British hotel. That said, the lobby remains bright and airy, with some modern touches and colors, and the rooms have the same mix of sleek modern and decoration appropriate to historic character of the property that typifies Sofitel design. A fairly short walk also takes you along Whitehall— stopping at Horse Guards for pictures with the mounted troopers on guard is a must— to Parliament and Big Ben and along the banks of the Thames. I incentivemag.com | January 2009 | Incentive | 49 http://www.incentivemag.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Incentive - January 2009

Incentive - January 2009 Contents Editor's Note: Rewards Must Be Sustainable Headlines Cover Story: Responsibility's New Role Incentive Interview: Patrick Lencioni Family Rewards: Who They're Working For Primer: Working Design Leap of Faith: Religion in the Workplace Cook Up Engagement: Kitchen Teambuilding My Turn: Procurement Possibilities Motivation@Work: Hard Times Recognition Legal Ease: The Tax Facts on Corporate Gifts Travel News: Where to Go and What to Do The Bahamas: Islands in the Sun Field Reports: Four European Destinations Golf: Around the World in 18 Holes Potentials Here and Now Watches and Clocks: Strike the Pose Golf Merchandise: Awards with a Solid Swing Computers: Digital Delights Retailers Band Together for Gift Card Market Gift Cards: The Prepaid Reward Spectrum Advertiser Index On the Web www.Incentivemag.com

Incentive - January 2009

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