Day: March 3, 2021

Omeir Travel extends Amadeus partnership to power UAE growth and broaden digital presence

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Omeir Travel has strengthened its long-term relationship with Amadeus by extending their partnership. Since 2003, Amadeus has accompanied Omeir Travel in its digital transformation and the development of integrated travel services for consumers in the UAE and from around the world.

This continued collaboration comes as Omeir Travel plans expansion into more B2B and retail outlets in the UAE. The latest engagement also includes the development of an Omeir Travel one-stop-shop mobile app that meets customers’ hotel and flight needs and is expected to be introduced to the UAE market very soon.

In recognition of the ever-changing needs of the travel sector, Omeir Travel has deployed Amadeus’ cutting-edge travel technology solutions to maintain a competitive edge. Amadeus has driven automation throughout the agency’s operations and provided optimisation intelligence tools to find the best fares and ensure the highest quality of service.  This also improves product customisation, which enables the delivery of an enhanced customer experience, both online and in-store.

Abdulla Bin Omeir, CEO at Omeir Travel Agency, said: “With the travel sector constantly evolving, our business must stay agile to not only keep up, but to stay ahead. Our partnership with Amadeus has allowed us to do this with resounding success. It makes me very pleased to extend our relationship once more. Our ambition is to provide customers with tailored services and a superior experience, which Amadeus helps make possible.”

Ernesto Sanchez Beaumont, Managing Director of Amadeus Gulf, noted: “Amadeus is known for its long-lasting relationships, such as the one we have with Omeir Travel. We are pleased to see the role our technology has played in the growth, digitisation, and optimisation of Omeir Travel during our ongoing collaboration that spans nearly two decades. We will continue to support them with our worldwide experience and leading technology-based solutions as the business enters an exciting new stage of expansion.”  

Project Cosmos: Heesen’s Largest, Fastest Full-Aluminium Yacht In The World

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Set to be a colossal 80m with a top speed of almost 30 knots, Heesen Yachts’ Project Cosmos is currently in build. She will be the shipyard’s largest yacht built to date and the fastest in her class, marking a succession of new technological firsts for the iconic Dutch shipyard – a thoroughbred racehorse and the next evolution of the Heesen breed.

The aim is to build for speed and size, coupled with muscular sportiness and a timelessly elegant aesthetic. The combination of speed, aluminium and length required Heesen to devise new methods of bringing longitudinal strength into the design without adding extra weight to the overall structure.

A world leader in large aluminium yachts, Heesen developed a brand new patent: ‘The Backbone’ reminiscent of the I girder. The ‘I’ section design means it is far stronger than a flat metal bar – you can bend a flat bar but you can’t bend an I beam.

To deliver on the promise of speed (a desired 30 knots), the Fast Displacement Hull Form will be fitted with four MTU engines to drive two controllable pitch propellers, which are required to handle the enormous amount of power – a total of 19,000hp.

A project of such proportion requires for an epic collaboration: renowned British studio Winch Design to pen her exteriors and Sinot for her interiors.

Winch Design created sleek and contemporary profile, while still maintaining the style elements unique to Heesen’s DNA. Remarkable features include a breath-taking 270 square metre Sun Deck; a completely flushed foredeck that doubles as a helicopter landing area and a chic outdoor cinema; a seven-metre pool with a glass bottom and waterfall that plunges from the deck above; and a spectacular beach club with a sunken walk-around bar, that features illuminated onyx panels and opens up to the transom and portside platforms.

Award-winning Dutch studio Sinot have created an interior inspired by elements from nature, including mathematics, such as the Fibonacci sequence. Glass, natural light and optimised ceiling heights create a sense of balance and a clean aesthetic. These details are offset with the use of backlit onyx, crystal glass panels, straw marquetry, hard wood flooring, silk carpets, leather wall panelling and stainless- steel.

Key interior design features include a stunning spiral staircase with stainless-steel detailing that wraps around the full glass elevator and a spacious foyer on the main deck, that combine to form a highly desirable entrance to the boat.

The yacht will accommodate 12 guests in four guest suites on the lower deck, a VIP with an adjacent private studio on the bridge deck, and the striking master stateroom on the main deck forward. Nineteen crew in eleven cabins will be able to discretely service the guests. Project Cosmos will be delivered in April 2022.

Iconic Masterpiece: CRN Delivers The M/Y 137 Megayacht

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By Shereen Shabnam

My last visit to Ancona left me yearning to explore shipyards and I started with the best as CRN is known to deliver some of the best bespoke yachts. The M/Y 137 megayachtis a new 62-metre vessel and an icon of creativity, bespoke innovation and contemporary yachting style.

Leaving the marina at the Ancona yard, the M/Y 137 is the latest fully custom steel and aluminium work of art by CRN that has been delivered to her owner. The megayacht has now embarked on her maiden Mediterranean cruise.

Taut yet fluid, the aerodynamic external lines lend the yacht strong character and an inimitably Italian touch. The striking impression is reinforced with the personalised colours of her smoky quartz hull, silver sand superstructure and jet black details.

The new 62-metre megayacht with an 11.50-metre beam was designed by CRN with Italian architecture studio Nuvolari Lenard, who developed the concept and the interior and exterior styling. The owner’s powerful personality and resolve shine through in the bold, unmistakable lines that stand out for miles, for an iconic masterpiece that will endure the test of time.

This bespoke yacht spans 5 decks with a master suite and 5 VIP cabins to accommodate 12 guests in exquisite comfort. The upper deck is the owner’s exclusive domain, with a suite to the stern and a panoramic lounge at the bow offering total privacy and a space to entertain friends.

An emblem of CRN’s excellence and in-depth expertise, the megayacht is the work of all the highly accomplished artisans and technical specialists at the Ancona yard. Her creativity and craft is a winning blend of complementary skills, ideas and knowledge, united by a passion to build something truly unique – inspired by the brand motto “Made by you with our own hands”.

CRN is currently constructing another 3 fully custom yachts: the 62-metre CRN M/Y 138, the 72-metre CRN M/Y 139, and the 60-metre CRN M/Y 141.

Learning Solutions on World Hearing Day from Sennheiser

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Transforming the university experience with assistive listening over Wi-fi

Worldwide, tens of thousands of students with a hearing impairment attend university – often with legislation that mandates that technical equipment is provided to ensure their full inclusion. With easy access to Wi-fi having become students’ most important tech resource for studying, the move towards Wi-fi based assistive listening systems such as MobileConnect from Sennheiser is the logical next step.

Wi-fi based assistive listening systems offer substantial advantages over traditional systems

In terms of installation, usability and student acceptance, traditional assistive listening systems present several shortcomings, be it labor-intensive installation of induction loops or the risks of sharing IR or FM devices during pandemics. Most importantly, however, these solutions make students feel excluded, exacerbating “feelings of loneliness, isolation and frustration” that the WHO cites as emotional impacts of hearing loss.[1] With WHO projecting a significant uptick among hearing loss in children between now and 2050, this issue’s importance is only increasing.

Assistive listening over Wi-Fi, on the other hand, works simply and effectively: The lecturer speaks into a microphone, the audio signal travels to an AV station and is broadcast via the existing local Wi-fi network. Students can use their own smartphone with confidence to listen via an app, freeing them to sit anywhere they like.

Using their own smartphones with an app, students listen to the audio via headphones, hearing aids or cochlear implants 

Besides low cost of installation and maintenance, Wi-fi based systems are easily scalable and integrate readily with existing AV equipment. IT and AV managers can make system adjustments as needed using a software-based manager – but in many ways, assistive listening systems over Wi-fi are a set-and-forget solution.

Jakub Kolacz, Sennheiser’s Manager Product and Commercialization for MobileConnect, said: “Like so many others, we wish for a world where all people can be connected to each other and able to make the most of the opportunities that lie before them. This includes unrestricted access to information and teaching. With MobileConnect, we offer a fully inclusive, Wi-Fi-based assistive listening solution for the campus infrastructure of modern universities. With individually adjustable, lip-sync audio for as many as 100 students per room, it provides a productive, inclusive learning environment for higher education institutions.”

The Face Oil by Augustinus Bader is finally here

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Ultra-lightweight, fast-absorbing with effects that are long-lasting

The newest member of Augustinus Bader’s luxurious skincare range is finally in the UAE. The Face Oil is here to help support with skin hydration and moisture retention throughout the day. Designed for everyday use, The Face Oil is light-weight, which doesn’t leave any greasy residue, won’t clog any pores, and is allergen-free, without any harsh ingredients. Richly nourishing, it’s comprised of cold-pressed oils and Professor Augustinus Bader’s famously patented TFC8® technology, which delivers essential nutrients directly to skin cells, where they’re quickly absorbed.

“We wanted to offer our customers the option between a rich cream, a light cream, and now, an oil, so they can select the texture that works best for their facial skincare routine. Each of these offerings contains our specialized compound TFC8®, which transport natural mechanisms for skin repair. As long as you have one product with TFC8®, you will see results”

  • Professor Augustinus Bader

The Face Oil enhances facial skin wellness overall. From boosting cellular renewal to minimizing fine lines and wrinkles, it adjusts to the skin, and provides an array of unique solutions, all for a strong, renewed and evenly-toned complexion. The Face Oil combines Augustinus Bader’s innovative skincare technology with some of mother nature’s most potent ingredients that have been prized for centuries for their healing capabilities.

It contains:

  1. TFC8®: A complex of natural amino acids, high-grade vitamins and synthesized molecules naturally found in skin, which guides key nutrients and powerful natural ingredients to the skin cells, creating an optimal environment for the cellular renewal.
  2. Babassu Oil: A vitamin-rich seed oil that helps enhance the skin’s natural defenses against environmental aggression and water loss.
  3. Argan Oil: This cold-pressed seed oil is rich in essential fatty acids including linoleic acid (omega-6), supports the skin’s ability to restore its hydrolipidic film and prevents trans-epidermal water loss.
  4. Hazelnut Oil: Sourced from southwestern France, it is a nourishing oil that’s high in omega fatty acid content and supports improved moisture retention.
  5. Karanja Oil: Rich in flavonoids, this oil supports skin’s defense  against  the  damaging  effects of environmental aggressors and helps prevent premature aging. It also delivers soothing, antimicrobial  properties.
  6. Pomegranate Seed Extract: This anti-aging, antioxidant-rich oil optimizes the skin’s self-renewal mechanism, supports improved elasticity and reduces the appearance of wrinkles thanks to more than 60% punicic acid and linolenic acid.

The benefits:

  • Hydrates and soothes the skin, giving it a youthful, radiant glow.
  • Offers antioxidant and environmental protection.
  • Gives skin a supple, smoothened appearance.
  • Softens appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and improves hyper pigmentation.
  • Evens tone and texture.

Augustinus Bader’s promise is that you don’t need to use the entire range, or even multiple products from Bader family to see skin improvement – the power lies in using one product consistently. Just like all Augustinus Bader products that are filled to the brim with the most-nourishing ingredients, The Face Oil in and of itself is effective and will produce results.

The Face Oil (30ml) retails at AED 974 (including VAT) and is available exclusively in store at Harvey Nichols – Dubai and Bloomingdales Middle East, and online at Ounass.com and Bloomingdales.ae

Tranquility with Sun, Sea and Sand: Grand Park Kodhipparu

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By Shereen Shabnam

As one of the few countries currently open to tourists, Maldives has become the best place to be for GCC travellers with no quarantine, well-coordinated safety measures and in-resort PCR testing. We travelled to two different Islands to and find that Maldives as a travel destination is doing all it can keep the tourism industry alive safely during this pandemic.

After a four-hour flight with Emirates taking all precautions, we arrived at the Grand Park Kodhipparu taking a 20-minute speedboat ride from the airport. The first view of the island left us breathless with pristine beaches and stunning scenery while the welcome music and drinks put us into holiday mode right away.

Grand Park Kodhipparu is located in North Male Atoll famous for its dive sites, abundant marine life and enthralling underwater experiences. It is a one-island-one-resort destination and an oasis of tranquility.  

I stayed in one of the water villas that has a spacious and modern interior and a warm, rustic exterior. Highlights were direct lagoon access, a private plunge pool and an over water net for lounging. We had the opportunity to get up close and personal with a variety of turtles, stingrays and hundreds of colourful fish species directly from our water villa. 

A fully equipped Dive & Water Sports Centre includes a team of PADI certified professionals to introduce some of the best diving spots in the Maldives, suitable both for beginner and advanced divers, and a wide array of water sports activities, such as catamaran sailing, jet skiing parasailing, banana boat riding, kayaking, windsurfing and more.

The resort is also family-friendly with a wide array of children’s facilities including a kids club with dedicated staff offering engaging children’s activities. Babysitting service is available upon request.

For recreation, there is a gymnasium, yoga deck, games lounge, sauna rooms and of course a great meeting point is the 45m long infinity pool located at the Breeze Poolside Dining & Bar. Here we enjoyed welcome drinks, sundowners as well as post dinner drinks that came with live music.

Ocean front dining is a must for visitors to the resort at the pool bar, on the beach where couples can organize a candlelight dinner under the stars or head out for fine dining at Fire Door with a view of sharks and other marine life swimming while the chefs prepare a delectable meal in an open kitchen. Every meal at Grand Park Kodhipparu was a culinary delight.

Highlight of my trips abroad is always the spa experience. The warm ambience of treatment rooms at the Grand Park Kodhipparu were ideal for our massage with friendly therapists who helped us select the right oils for relaxation.

We were indeed sad to leave the Resort as we felt safe and at ease throughout our stay with social distancing in public areas, QR code menus and regular sanitisation all around the island. For tourists looking for a safe haven to rest and relax, Grand Park Kodhipparu offers an island sanctuary with pristine natural beauty, waves crashing against the shore, palm trees swaying, seclusion away from the crowds and a laid-back island life.

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