By Bev Fearis, published 2/12/20

Here’s a round-up of other business travel news this week:

Mandarin Oriental has signed an agreement with the Al Khozama Company to take over the management of the Al Faisaliah Hotel, Riyadh, in the first quarter of 2021. The 321-room hotel is undergoing an extensive renovation due to completed at the end of next year, after which it will be rebranded Mandarin Oriental Al Faisaliah, Riyadh. In the heart of the Central Business District of Riyadh, the hotel forms an integral part of the mixed-use Al Faisaliah Centre, designed by Foster & Partners.

Taxi network iGo has partnered with Carey so that TMCs using the iGo network can now provide businesses and travellers with access to Carey’s premium fleet of chauffeur-driven cars, which operate in and around London. This is in addition to the existing 100,000 taxi and private hire vehicles that are already available via the network, covering 90% of the UK.

London City Airport has awarded a company £10,000 for developing a fully compostable security bag for use at the airport. A trial of the new transparent bags, developed by TIPA, will be rolled out in spring 2021 when passengers are expected to return in numbers. TIPA has also designed sustainable packaging solutions for Waitrose and Stella McCartney.

Element and Amadeus have joined forces to help SME business travel agents deploy a travel and expense tool, cytric, to their clients. The partnership covers the UK, Europe, Middle East and Africa and will help agents deliver an integrated travel management and expense solution, available 24/7 across desktop and mobile devices.

Clyde Travel Management has achieved IATA NDC Level 3 certification.This means Clyde can consume NDC offers straight from airlines and sell them directly to its customers without passing on the cost of supply from third parties. This accreditation follows the award of the BA NDC 17.2 certification achieved by Clyde earlier this year.