DATELINE MONDAY 21ST MARCH 2022

Warm and springlike Monday morning greetings come to you from London W10 the location of the offices of MM and Company I hope you are well. Last week was a challenge the windows at the Marks Mortgage Mansion fantasy in Swiss Cottage have been rattling all week with constant covid coughing, first it was Leyla Wednesday week ago, then I got in on Saturday and was out for the count by Monday, on Wednesday Hannah came down with it. Thankfully I was up and about and yes in the office on Friday although with the apple iPhone the office is never really far away. Sandra did most of what needed to be done last week (thanks Sandra)

OMG amazing news, it is incredible what the payment of £400 million pounds can do and with that the freedom has been secured for Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and her fellow British-Iranian detainee Anoosheh Ashoori it of course beggars the question why wasn’t the money paid six years ago. I guess we will never know the answer to that question the great thing is that these families are now reunited and whole again

Sadly that cannot be said for hundreds of thousands of families in Ukraine that have had to split up due to safety and security reason. Many more thousands of families will be torn apart due to the unrelenting march on Ukraine of the murderous Russian soldiers driven to do their terrible work by a mad dictator that has lost all sense of being a human being.

MM and Company news update

Japan

Geraint, James and the crew at The J Team DMC Japan are breathing a sigh of relief and so are we at MM and Company, at last some good news, Japan is reopening its borders.

The Prime Minister of Japan no less has announced that Japan’s borders are NOW open for Non-Tourist foreign nationals. This mean that people traveling to Japan for business, Technical Training, etc. will be allowed to enter Japan. At the same time, the Prime Minister has also announced that the people coming from non-designated countries will be allowed into the country without any quarantine as long as they have had the third booster vaccination with either Pfizer or Moderna. With these changes you and your clients are now able to make site inspections to this magnificent and truly unique destination.

Kyoto Japan

The J Team DMC Japan have offices in Tokyo and Kyoto, Geraint is in Tokyo and James is in Kyoto, although to be fair they both shuttle between the two great cities of Japan depending on what events are going on. James has told us that the Park Hyatt Kyoto has just opened, this is the second Park Hyatt brand in Japan, is a luxury guesthouse that blends the charms of Kyoto and the elegance of Park Hyatt. The hotel is next to Kodai-ji temple and within walking distance to many of Kyoto’s UNESCO World Heritage sites, including Kiyomizu-dera temple, the hotels has sweeping views of the city and Yasaka Pagoda. Several historic buildings including an Edo-era teahouse, as well as the Japanese garden that is central to the site, have been preserved and restored. The oldest room of the restaurant, "Souyou-tei" was established 400 years ago and is used as a Japanese tea room. This new hotel has 70 guest rooms, including 9 suites, 4 restaurant and bar facilities, a banquet hall, a spa, and a fitness centre

Prague

Daniel and the awesome ITC DMC Team in Prague know that one of my favourite hotel brands is Hyatt, Andaz is a sub brand of Hyatt, we now have an Andaz hotel in Prague. The hotel is located on Senovážné Square, in the heart of the historical centre of Prague. The hotel is bult within The Sugar Palace and takes inspiration from the rich local culture. Andaz Prague is situated close to Wenceslas Square, the Old Town Square, and the historic Municipal house (Obecní Dum), offering some of the most beautiful historic sites in Europe within short walking distance. The hotel has 60 guest rooms and suites they are everything and more you would expect from the Andaz Hyatt brand.

Mauritius

Stephan, Karl, Carine, Delphine and the entire team of Hello Mice Islands DMC Mauritius are all hands on deck, they have a number of groups operating this week and next week, March traditionally has been a mad month I am delighted to report Mad Month March is making a welcome return now that Covid has been kicked into touch.

And that’s it you are once again up to date

Wishing you an outstanding sunny and warm week ahead