Warsaw Hotel to Reopen After a 13-Year Closure

The once-exclusive Hotel Bristol in Warsaw, Poland, will open again Saturday, after more than a decade’s closure and a $50-million refurbishment. Renovation of the 206-room hotel, which has been closed for about 13 years, is a joint project of British-based Forte Hotels and Orbis, formerly the state-run Polish travel service. It’s the first Polish-British tourism joint venture in Poland. Built at the turn of the century by a private group of investors, including world famous pianist and the former president of Poland, Ignacy Paderewski, the hotel has hosted international statesmen, artists and celebrities, including John F. Kennedy, Charles de Gaulle, Marlene Dietrich and Douglas Fairbanks. British-based Forte Hotels purchased the Bristol in 1991 from the Polish government, and extensive interior and exterior renovation began soon after. Although the exterior has been preserved for historical reasons, according to a spokeswoman, the interior has been updated with amenities including new furniture in the style of the early 1900s, a pool and sauna and modern bathrooms. Rooms will range from $240 for a standard single to $1,000 for the most expensive of the 43 suites, prices that are high for Warsaw, where many hotel rooms run $60-$150.

Travel Quiz: What percent of the National Park Service budget is spent on conserving natural resources and what percent on visitor services such as safety and maintenance?

Rhine Cruise by Rail: On May 6, the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express train will introduce a new weekly scenic route down the vineyard- and castle-lined banks of the Rhine River between Germany and Venice. The trip will begin in Dusseldorf and make stops in Cologne and Frankfurt, on its way to Italy. The reverse route also will be offered weekly. Prices will be $1,360 between Dusseldorf and Venice. This new itinerary is in addition to the train’s existing London, Paris, Venice route. Another route--London, Paris, Vienna, Budapest--will not be offered in 1993.

Complaints by Computer: Air Canada has become the first airline to test OnBoard, a computer system that monitors airline customer satisfaction during a flight. To operate the system, hand-held mini-computers are given to a few passengers, who grade such factors as scheduling, promptness, staff friendliness, attendants’ responsiveness to requests, quality of food and beverage selection. Passenger reaction is compiled immediately after the flight, so any problems with service can be dealt with quickly. The system was created by Viewfacts Inc. and Official Airline Guides, a company that markets scheduling and fare information on the world’s airlines. Air Canada, which is still analyzing test-run feedback, has not decided whether to adopt OnBoard on a permanent basis.

Wheelchair-Accessible Shuttles: New York Gray Line airport shuttle service--the only city-authorized shuttle van service to serve the Kennedy, La Guardia and Newark airports--is now operating two vans with wheelchair lifts for use between the airports and midtown Manhattan hotels. The special shuttle vans have 12 passenger seats plus two wheelchair lift slots. Reservations for pickup at the airport and at Manhattan hotels in the wheelchair-lift shuttles should be made 24 hours in advance. There is no additional charge for using the chair lifts. For reservations: (800) 451-0455. All shuttle van companies can provide wheelchair lift service to customers who request it in advance.

Rather Than San Juan: Travelers from the U.S. mainland to Puerto Rico now have an alternative to San Juan’s Luis Munoz Marin International Airport. On Nov. 1, American Airlines inaugurated its new nonstop service from Miami to Ponce, on the island’s southern coast, making it the only U.S. airline to fly there. The new service coincides with the 300th anniversary of Ponce’s founding in December.

Corporate America Kept Traveling: While the rest of us were staying home during the Gulf War and recession, corporate America kept on traveling and entertaining, according to an American Express survey of business travel. More than two-thirds of the 1,550 companies, government and academic organizations that participated in the 1992-1993 Survey of Business Travel Management said that they had either increased or maintained their level of business travel spending from what it was in 1990. One reason for the increased corporate spending, according to the survey, is that companies are venturing overseas in search of new business.

Quick Fact: About 3,400 pounds of cans were thrown away during the summer of 1992 on Japan’s once-sacred Mt. Fuji.

For Matisse-Inspired Travel: In conjunction with the blockbuster Henri Matisse retrospective at New York’s Museum of Modern Art through Jan. 12, the French Government Tourist Office has set up a France-on-Call desk at the museum to help museum-goers plan Matisse-inspired trips to France. The desk has a direct, no-charge phone line to the French tourist office in Manhattan. The office is providing information on a specific itinerary--”In the Footsteps of Matisse”--that includes stops in Paris, Collioure (on the Mediterranean coast near the Spanish border) and Vence and Nice on the French Riviera. Also worth noting is the upcoming Matisse exhibit at Paris’ Centre Pompidou (Feb. 26-May 23) and a newly renovated and expanded Matisse museum scheduled to open in Nice in the spring of ’93.

Comparatively Speaking: Cruise ship sanitation scores for ships inspected in September (a score of 86 or higher indicates acceptable sanitation): Caribe I, 92; Crown Jewel, 85; Nordic Prince, 89; Royal Viking Sun, 92; Seabourn Pride, 92. (Source: Department of Human Services.)

Quiz Answer: Eight percent of the Park Service’s budget is spent on natural resources and 92% on visitor services, according to an Interior Department audit of 33 national parks, from November, 1991, to April, 1992.