TTO_September_2017_low

ICELANDAIR
Icelandair’s bidding program to move to Economy Comfort
or Saga Class, called “Class Up,” is in the sense that invitations
to bid on upgrades will be sent 10 days before the departure
of qualifying flights. However, Icelandair’s bidding policy
stands apart with respect to group bookings. Although only
one email will be sent per booking, any accepted upgrades
will apply to the entire party and the credit card will be
charged accordingly.
For example, if a couple is traveling together and made the
booking together, an accepted offer of $75, for example, will
actually go through as $150 and the couple will be upgraded
together. For passengers traveling together as a family, this is
a great perk!
Panorama windows at six
to seven square meters
Icelandair expects four million passengers in 2017.
It is an increase of 450,000 compared to 2016.
"When the eight converted rooms at the
Sømandshjemmet in Nuuk have been completed, it
will have an amazing view of the harbor and the sea.
In the eight rooms, large panoramic windows come
from floor to ceiling and from wall to wall. Glass all
the way, around Six - Seven square meters, and when
the containers have moved to the new port, the view
to the sea is free. We are very excited about it, "says
Erik Ramballe Hansen, Business Manager of Three
Sømandshjem, which is also three star hotels in Nuuk,
Sisimiut and Aasiaat in Greenland.
"The occupancy of the three hotels is above average and
with very good results on the bottom line. It has given
us more courage. We are renovating and modernizing
continuously, and we work very concretely with a
new Sømandshjem in Greenland's third-largest city
Ilulissat in West Greenland.
It will be a hotel with 70 rooms. The total expenses have
been estimated at around 90 million. It is somewhat
more expensive to build in Greenland than elsewhere,
"says Erik Hansen.
"When we are interested in Ilulissat, it is due to two
things: There is a shortage of hotel rooms in high
season because more and more tourists come. The
ICELAND PLEDGE
Over 16,000 people have signed a pledge to travel more
responsibly in Iceland since it was launched last month.
Destination marketing organisation launched ‘The Icelandic
Pledge’ - an online agreement enabling tourists to sign onto
a series of commitments for when visiting the North Atlantic
Island. The pledge also serves to promote the country as a
destination, since its language combines positive descriptions
of the Icelandic tourist experience with exhortations towards
responsible travel. These include: “When I explore new places,
I will leave them as I found them.” “I will follow the road into
the unknown, but never venture off the road.” “When I sleep
out under the stars, I’ll stay within a campsite.” “And when
nature calls, I won’t answer the call on nature.”
The most popular activity in
Sisimuit is dog sledding. A dog
sledding trip can take two hours,
four hours or a 7-hour full day trip.
high season is already sold out in January - February.
And Ilulissat is a big fishing port where we can meet our goal to offer diacones and
welfare in the harbor community. The hotels are owned by the Sømandsmission,
which is a non-profit organization. Therefore we are looking for funding for the
new sailor's home, which we hope to begin building in 2018 and be completed
in 2020/21. We are working to find the right location."
"We also plan to build a new wing with 15-20 rooms for Sømandshjemmet in
Nuuk within the next 5 years," says Erik Hansen.
The three hotels in Greenland have 122 rooms, 42 in Nuuk, 48 in Aasiaat and
32 in Sisimiut.
Wi-Fi
"At the moment, the price for Wi-Fi at Sømandshjemmet in Nuuk is symbolic
10 DKK in the cheapest rooms, while it is free in all other rooms. At the other
two hotels it costs 50 - 60 DKK for one hour and 130 DKK for five hours. It's an
annoyance that customers have to pay for Wi-Fi, and many international guests
are not used to paying for Wi-Fi. They do not understand that they have to pay
in Greenland where Wi-Fi also can be slow and unstable.
We would also like to avoid charging Wi-Fi. But we have huge expenses to
Teleselskabet and they have to be covered.
In Aasiaat alone, the cost of the internet is approximately 250,000 DKK annually.
We hope to get a submarine Cable that is expected to finish in December 2017,
and the goal is that Wi-Fi should be free, "says Erik Hansen.
Some of the hotels activities are excursions.
"The most popular excursion in Sisimuit is dog sledding, where you drive about
25 km on dog sledding. An excursion last about four hours. There are two to
three participants. They are active on the sled. They are not allowed to drive the
sled, it is a job for the professional dog sledder.
But they help when a sledge is to be braked or over a hill.
In Aasiaat there is a whale watching, where you can almost see the whales in
the water right outside the hotel's windows. They eat and bolster themselves. In
Nuuk it is city walk with a good guide to the many old historical buildings and
places. But we have many other activities that we convey to the guests, including
ice fishing, snowmobile tours, hiking, kayaking, helicopter tours, diving trips
and storytelling, "says Erik Hansen.
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