If you’re not aware of the story of Christian the lion, clearly your newspaper subscription has lapsed, your TV is in for repair, and your social networking sites are down. Christian was the lion cub bought as an exotic pet in 1969 in London’s Harrods store by two Australian friends, John Rendall and Anthony ‘Ace’ Bourke and famously returned to the wild with the assistance of Born Free’s George Adamson. In light of this, I confess to feeling like a groupie when I meet Christian’s co-owner John Rendall at The Classic Safari Company’s office in Woollahra. John, who is also a Trustee of the George Adamson Wildlife Preservation Trust, will escort Classic Safari’s exclusive 10-day safari to Kenya in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the publication Born Free and his life with Christian, on October 20. Participants will have the unique opportunity to explore the area where George Adamson set Christian free, where Christian was later reunited with John and Ace, Karen Blixen’s (Out of Africa) home, as well as other historic places – and all on a luxury tented safari. Now, that’s what I call an incentive.

Kieren Perkins proved to be a standout MC when the three C’s – cricket, curry and the Commonwealth – combined at a gala dinner held at the Sofitel Wentworth Hotel as the 19th Commonwealth Games baton passed through Sydney in April. Carried by Nathan Hindemarsh, Kieren Perkins and other Olympic and Commonwealth Games sporting legends, the baton will have visited all 71 countries participating in the Games, clocking up some 190,000 kms to 100 cities. The longest baton relay in Commonwealth Games history, they are being held in Delhi India from October 3 to 14. India’s High Commissioner, The Honourable Mrs Sujatha Singh, said the vibrant multi cultural democracies of both countries and the Commonwealth Games are helping build bridges of friendship and understanding between India and Australia.
 

Literally, ‘painting the town with Thailand’ and reminding the industry that travellers can fly direct into Phuket from Australia was Orawan Thomchayakorn, senior sales manager JW Marriott Khoa Lak Resort & Spa Phuket, and Andreas Kohn, cluster director of marketing for the Courtyard by Marriott Phuket at Kamala Beach, Patong Beach, Surin Beach and Cha Am Beach. “With the current unrest in Bangkok it makes sense to fly direct into Phuket,” said Marriott International’s director global & cluster sales Australia, Avril Northridge. “Right now Marriott properties are going through expediential growth,” she reported, enthusiastically describing the new JW Marriott Khoa Lak Resort & Spa at Phuket as “desirable beyond belief.” With three Courtyard resort properties in Phuket, Mr Kohn said, “In Asia we have had to change the design of our Courtyards from normal business-style Courtyards properties into resort properties.”
 

What better reason to party with industry friends than a threefold cause - the 30th anniversary of Swissôtel Hotel & Resorts, the opening this year of the chain’s first hotel in India - the Swissôtel Kolkata, and the introduction of a new F&B team at the Swissôtel Sydney. Held in the Swissôtel’s Penthouse suite, guests met the energetic new culinary team of executive chef Justin Zammit, formerly of the three Chef Hat Banc Restaurant, and food and beverage manager Brook Sargeant, over a sampling of their new menu. Swissôtel’s eventful history which began with its founding by Swissair and Nestle saw it sold to Raffles Holdings Limited in 2001, shortly before Swissair was grounded. Today it operates under three strong brand names: Fairmont, Raffles and Swissôtel Hotels & Resorts. A 30 per cent discount off room rates is being offered for bookings made 30 days in advance, across all of Swissôtel’s international hotels.

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