Ryanair Changes Baggage Policy To Reduce Delays

Posted: Sat 8 September 2018 at 16:09

Ryaniar is attempting to reduce delays on its flights to and from the UK by making further changes to its baggage policy.

The low-cost airline is a favourite option for a huge number of business travellers and tourists who go on to stay in serviced apartments in Windsor and other popular locations in the UK. However, it has suffered from a reputation for complicated baggage allowance rules and delayed flights. To address at least one of these problems, Ryanair has announced some new rules for non-priority travellers.

For all bookings made from 1 September, and at airports from 1 November, non-priority passengers will be allowed to carry only one small item of hand luggage. The size limits for this small piece of luggage have increased slightly to 40cm x 20cm x 25cm.

The new policy replaces a previous rule brought in earlier in the year, which saw non-priority passengers being asked to check-in their larger pieces of hand luggage at the gate for free. Although this previous rule change was also intended to reduce delays it was actually causing hold-ups, according to the airline.

Ryanair says it hopes the new rules will result in passengers either paying to upgrade to priority tickets or spending a little extra on a 10kg carry-on limit if they want to take an extra piece of hand luggage with them.

The airline claims that the new rules will only actually impact some 40 percent of passengers as 60 percent of travellers already either pay for priority tickets or happily travel just with one small carry-on bag.

Remainder of 2018 to be Strong for Business Travel Market

Posted: Tue 4 September 2018 at 13:55

Global business travel is heading for the strongest two-year period since the recession, signifying the end of a ‘period of uncertainty.’

This is according to the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) Annual Global Report & Forecast. The report states that business travel spending increased by 5.8 percent last year when compared with 2016. If this trend continues at the same level, the spend will increase by 7.1 percent this year.

Business travel industry insiders claim that such growth signifies the end of what has been known as the ‘era of uncertainty’.

The report stated that business travel in Western Europe is set for growth of 4-6 percent. Britain still attracts the most business travellers in the region, second only to Germany, with over US$50bn being spent by those visiting the UK on work trips each year. However, the impact of Brexit has been felt and Britain’s capacity for further business travel spend growth depends on the outcome of the Brexit negotiations, according to the GBTA.

More globally, trade was identified as one of the main drivers of the growth in business travel and the GBTA report suggested that increased protectionism in some countries could reduce travel spend in those regions.

Interestingly, the analysts at GBTA expect the most notable growth to take place in Indonesia and India as these economies continue to grow and make a bigger impact on the global marketplace.

Serviced Apartments in Windsor and Elsewhere Enjoy Strong Actual Occupancy Rates

Posted: Thu 23 August 2018 at 11:56

Actual occupancy levels for serviced apartments in the UK are at an impressive 79 percent, despite a slight slowdown in London due to an increase in supply.

The capital has seen an influx of new apartments coming onto the short-term rental market as a result of the popularity of this type of accommodation among a range of travelers. For example, there has been a rise in tourists from outside the EU looking for serviced apartments in Windsor following the international interest in the Royal Wedding earlier this year.

However, the rise in number of executive apartments available in some larger UK cities, such as London and Edinburgh, resulted in a slight drop in occupancy levels in the first half of the year, down 1.1 percent and 8.5 percent respectively.

The figures were released by the Association of Serviced Apartment Providers (ASAP). The organisation’s CEO, James Foice, commented: “While the new supply is creating some challenges this year for our sector, especially in London, it’s really encouraging to see that operators remain confident about the future.”

Back in June, ASAP questioned serviced apartment operators about their level of confidence in the sector. They found that 38.5 percent of those questioned were more positive about the industry than six months before, while 37 percent said they are bringing plans to expand forward in response to demand.

Six Weeks of Freedom!!! What’s Going on in Windsor for the Kids This Summer?

Posted: Tue 7 August 2018 at 11:59

It’s that time of year again – children are jumping for joy and parents are reaching for the gin: it’s the summer holidays! Don’t worry though, we’ve got some great tips on how to keep the little ones entertained in and around Windsor this August.

Kids Cinema in Windsor

Windsor is once again home to a great cinema, thanks to the lovely folk at The Screen who have been putting on a great selection of films at the Old Court on St Leonard’s Rd since the beginning of July. With the school holidays in mind, they have three kids films showing in August so check out their website for times and how to book.

Liquid Leisure Aqua Park

Liquid Leisure has, once again, brought its epic inflatable assault course to the Thames at Datchet. For kids aged 6 and above, providing they can swim well, it’s a huge amount of fun. Tickets for a 50-minute session are £15 in advance and £20 walk-in.

Kids Theatre

Children’s theatre is a great way to introduce your kids to something a bit more cultural this summer and we are lucky enough to have a wonderful production of Julia Donaldson’s The Snail and the Whale playing at our very own Theatre Royal Windsor this summer. There are several performances between 13th and 15th August, but be sure to book soon as it’s bound to sell out.

Fierce Ladies and Naughty Knights at the Castle

Throughout the summer holidays, Windsor Castle is hosting some special activities aimed at children. The activities, which include art workshops, talks and dress-up sessions, are largely themed around knights and kids will get the chance to learn more about this fascinating side to Royal history.

Windsor Leisure Centre

During this long hot summer we’re enjoying, swimming is an extremely popular activity and the fantastic leisure pool at Windsor Leisure Centre is very busy during the holidays. However, with a little planning (like coming in the middle of day, around lunch time) it can be a little quieter. The flumes and wave machines will be running between 10am and 6pm every day during the holidays, but check the website for last-minute updates.

Legoland

No summer in Windsor would be complete without a trip to Legoland now would it? There are always some great offers for buy-one-get-one-free tickets, which make a visit to the theme park slightly less damaging to the wallet. Also, for locals with an Advantage Card, entry is half price – another reason to get yourself down to the library or the leisure centre with proof of address.

This summer, Legoland is hosting a Summer of Fun beach party-style event complete with the UK’s largest water play structure and play beach, so be sure to bring towels and spare clothes for the little ones. The special summer events will take place every day until 2 September.

Business Travellers Enjoy Extended Stays in Exciting Destinations

Posted: Wed 25 July 2018 at 10:00

Business travellers often view their trips more as leisure than work, according to a new survey.

Bristol Airport commissioned a survey of 1,000 employees and found that they viewed 42 percent of their trips as leisure rather than business.

The survey also found that the vast majority (86 percent) said they generally enjoyed work travel and 60 percent admitted that they used business trips as an opportunity to visit new places, thus expanding their horizons.

Far from being an inconvenience to many workers, business travel is largely seen as a positive as employees enjoy high standards of business accommodation, such as serviced apartments and luxury hotels. Work travel also enables them to visit countries that would be beyond their reach in their day-to-day lives.

Bristol Airport’s Business Development Director, Nigel Scott, said that the term ‘Bleisure’ has been coined to describe trips that offer a break from the humdrum working life for many business travellers.

He explained: “Previously passengers would arrange business travel involving for one or two nights away, but increasingly we are seeing passengers selecting three or more nights stays, in some cases this allows passengers the opportunity of relaxing and enjoying time in and around the destination they are visiting.”

Business travellers staying in Windsor can enjoy everything our historic Royal town has to offer from the comfort of one of our high-end serviced apartments.

Growing Number of Businesses Using Serviced Apartments

Posted: Wed 11 July 2018 at 10:00

Nearly three quarters of businesses across the globe are using serviced apartments for workers on assignments and projects, according to a new influential report.

The latest Global Serviced Apartment Industry Report 2018/2019, compiled by the Travel Intelligence Network shows that the industry itself is going from strength to strength with the number of serviced apartments available increasing by 14 percent year-on-year.

Businesses looking for serviced apartments in Windsor for their staff will be interested to know that they offer a secure and safe option. This is increasingly relevant as employers are bound by certain duty of care obligations and are usually keen to house their staff in comfortable, central accommodation.

Serviced Apartment Success

The report also found that nearly 70 percent of the serviced apartment operators questioned said they will be looking to grow the number of apartments they offer over the next two years. It’s easy to see why this might be the case in light of PricewaterhouseCooper’s recent Talent Mobility 2020 report, which states: “There will be more assignees, more business travel, more virtual tools, and especially more quick, short-term, and commuter assignments.”

Industry insiders believe that there are a number of factors behind the booming popularity of serviced apartments. Health and safety awareness is certainly a reason why more businesses are turning to this option, while they also offer a good value way to provide spacious accommodation for staff with great working facilities, such as desks and WiFi. These are now seen as ‘must haves’ for business travellers and many hotels still fail to offer these facilities.

The Windsor Wedding!

Posted: Mon 14 May 2018 at 18:10

We are very excited this month as Windsor hosts the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at St. Georges Chapel in the grounds of Windsor Castle this Saturday 19th May 2018.

We are expecting the town to be buzzing with excitement – in fact it has already started with bunting going up throughout the town and images of Harry and Megan adorning various shop doorsteps and pub windows!

There are huge screens going up along the Long Walk and Alexandra Gardens and the procession route has been mapped out to allow for maximum viewing pleasure! The royal couple will leave Windsor Castle and proceed down Windsor High Street, along Sheet Street and onto Kings Road, Albert Road then they will turn onto the Long Walk and go back up to the Castle greeting thousands of well-wishers along the way.

There will be food and drink and entertainment on tap and many visitors to Windsor and local families are making a day of it. The atmosphere is sure to be electric – let’s hope the weather holds out.

We are aware of road closures in the town from 10pm on the day before the wedding on certain roads in the town centre and other main roads into Windsor closing from 6am on Saturday 19th May until around 4pm.

For more information on this please see www.roadworks.org and type in Windsor and the date to see a map showing where each road is closed.

Despite road closures this event will be such a joyous occasion and we hope that the royal couple will be very happy as they start their married life – who knows, there may even be the patter of tiny feet in a few years!

If you have already booked accommodation with us then you will be aware of the road closures as we have emailed you but please do keep an eye on the roadworks site for any last-minute changes. There are parking spaces at The Review Ground which need to be reserved – the price is £30 per car and we understand there might be a 20 minute walk from there to The Long Walk. Book parking here

Our top tip for the day – travel light, leave plenty of time to get here as there are likely to be queues. There are extra trains laid on for the big day so leave the car at home and stay overnight to avoid the traffic!

The Summer Intern

Posted: Tue 8 August 2017 at 12:16

Internships in Windsor As a student on summer break from university, it can be hard to find employment that is rewarding, has a strong focus on training and development and is flexible enough to allow time with friends and family. The Internship at Accommodation Windsor gave me all these benefits and more. The office is based just off Windsor High Street and the properties are all based in Windsor & Eton. It is this focus on the local area that allows the company to really specialize and help to train me with a hands-on approach. With the majority of properties a short walk away from the office this is a huge benefit to me as I’m not yet driving.

Coming into this internship I had hoped to gain skills in dealing with administrative functions and getting some practical experience in an office, as well as get first-hand insight into how property companies operate. I haven’t had to make one cup of tea yet and instead have been given jobs to assign keys, help manage arrivals and perform a variety of daily tasks that require me to use a range of skills. The jobs are challenging without being impossible, structured without being monotonous and most of all I genuinely feel a part of the team after just my first few shifts.

I’ve been able to visit a few properties that the company manages as well as Alma House Guest House that the company also owns and understand the set-up of a small business. The company believes in all staff understanding the whole process and for this reason I travelled with the Housekeeping team to clean a property in Eton which took me back to my days at primary school where we used to visit the college and its facilities. These nostalgic thoughts did help me tremendously in passing the time between cleaning the toilet bowl and hoovering the floor. Don’t tell my mum though, or she might make me start cleaning more regularly at home!
I have also been tasked with researching products for use in all of Accommodation Windsor’s 60 properties – from coffee machines to clock radio alarms. I have presented my finding to the team and I’m actively involved in giving feedback on usage (especially the coffee machine!) The company is also looking at ways to be more environmentally friendly and I’m currently working on finding UK suppliers who provide eco-friendly products. My university skills are invaluable in finding, sorting through and presenting information to the Management team who have so far been really impressed with my input.

Internships can simply be a gateway to future employment, but here I have enjoyed the internship in its own right. The team are good fun but I am also learning when it is the right time to stop joking and get my head down with any work that comes my way – an invaluable skill for business.

Overall I would highly recommend the internship programme here at Accommodation Windsor Limited. An enjoyable and very useful internship in its own right, with a set up that is very organised, it has been an excellent peek behind the curtain into the post-university world for me and what the world of office work would be like.
The only problem I have now is trying to remember not to answer my mobile “Good afternoon, Accommodation Windsor. How can I help?”

Executive Lettings Windsor

Posted: Thu 29 June 2017 at 14:05

Accommodation Windsor Ltd were founded in 2006 and provide executive lettings in Windsor & Eton. If you are in need of an alternative to hotel accommodation for a short term stay of a few weeks then take a look at some of our excellent properties that are business-travel ready. With Sky TV and unlimited Wi-Fi this two bedroom apartment in the popular Pavilions block has private parking for one car and is walking distance to Windsor town centre. It has a fully equipped kitchen with dishwasher, an oven, hob, fridge freezer and dining table that seats 4 comfortably.

There are two bathrooms and a separate guest WC. Entertain your friends/ colleagues or grab a meal out at one of Windsor’s many fine restaurants. Book accommodation direct for the best rates on 01753 833747 or email stay@accwindsor.co.uk