Orient-Express Hotels Ltd. is a luxury hotel company seeking to deliver memorable experiences that are the ultimate expression of each destination's authentic culture. A one-stop portal offering clear, concise detailed information and inspiration for one-of-a-kind event organisers.
HONG KONG – Designed specifically with group and event travel in mind, Orient-Express Hotels Ltd. has launched orient-express.com/events, an easy to navigate website that offers in depth yet easy to find information and technical content on each of the 45 hotel, train, cruise, and restaurant businesses within the luxury travel company’s portfolio. It is a first for the Company and is aimed at those who are searching for inspiration in creating authentic one-of-a-kind experiences and who are keen to discover the latest news, group offers, and the unique event spaces OEH has to offer.
“With a collection spanning 22 countries, we have a wealth of experience in arranging original top-level events at exceptional venues worldwide”, says Ralph Aruzza, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, Orient-Express Hotels Ltd. “The website has been specifically curated not only for professional meeting and event planners, but also for the amateur, for whom event planning may not form the part of their everyday role, to ensure the tools to create an outstanding and memorable event are within easy reach for all”.
Regularly updated with the most current content to ensure stress free planning, the new website is broken down into different sections, making it easy for readers to find the information they need for both leisure and corporate group travel under one ‘roof’. At the start of each event page is Our Promise, which outlines OEH’s commitment to group travel.
Section Highlights include:
Our Collection: This section of the website contains separate pages dedicated to each OEH property. Here event planners can find key information on room numbers, venues sizes, best contact, dining, and incentive options. Realising that the destination can be just as important as the property itself there are facts and details on each location, from Machu Picchu to St Petersburg. It is on the individual property pages that users can download and view e-brochures, videos, menus, and power point presentations on the hotels.
Great Group Rates: Special rates are highlighted here for the next 12 months and are specifically customised to cater for parties of ten rooms or more. Continuously updated through-out the year to ensure that the best offers are available, the page is broken down into calendar months, so planners can find the best offers for the date they are looking to hold their event.
Corporate Events: Whether for ten or 500 delegates, OEH’s striking venues provide privacy, discretion and notable settings for discussions. Examples of creative campaigns are used to illustrate the venues, such as a luxury fashion brand’s photo-shoot at Grand Hotel Timeo in Sicily, the exclusive charter of the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express by a perfume company or a car launch at Copacabana Palace in Brazil.
Incentive Travel: Off-the-beaten-track activities and fun ideas for team events are shared here. OEH has plenty of incentive travel options for intrepid travellers who don’t want to skimp on luxury, including; rafting down the Arno River, launched this year at Villa San Michele in Florence and paintballing at Grand Hotel Europe in St Petersburg. There are also longer itinerary suggestions that combine a number of properties, such as a seven day Italian itinerary from London to Florence and a seven night journey through Peru.
Wedding & Celebrations: OEH can host magical weddings, intimate gatherings, and family reunions to the highest specifications. Venues include El Encanto in Santa Barbara, which opened in March 2013, where clients can choose between five indoor and five outdoor settings for their wedding. A more unusual option, for just two people, is the underwater wedding at Hotel Splendido in Portofino. Idyllic venues for LGBT weddings and civil partnerships are also featured in the Weddings & Celebrations section including La Samanna in the Caribbean and The Royal Scotsman luxury train.
Leisure Groups: Whether it’s learning a life skill or developing a new talent, today’s discerning travellers strive for more from their holiday and the Leisure Groups section outlines the different tours and experiences available to leisure group travellers. Examples include ‘The Chase of Charleston’ organised by Charleston Place in South Carolina, whereby guests are armed with a Polaroid camera, details of historical locations and a list of tasks to complete. Alternatively, with a host of first-class cookery schools worldwide a culinary experience with OEH is never far away. La Residence Phou Vao in Luang Prabang, Laos is a highlight; here guests are invited to learn the secrets of preparing exotic Laotian cuisine.
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