Banyan Tree GM shares travel tips
Print Edition
NAME/NATIONALITY: Michael James Parker/British
Profession/Title: Managing Director / Banyan Tree Shanghai on the Bund
How often do you travel?
Internationally around four times per year but also several times within China for business and leisure.
Favorite traveling style?
When flying long-haul I try to fly business class if possible. Within China I prefer to use the fantastic high speed train network as the speed and efficiency is amazing.
Q: What do you always do after returning from a trip?
A: I like to unpack and then go to the gym or for a swim.
Q: What do you always search for during a trip?
A: I like to research the best places to visit and to wine-and-dine; getting recommendations for the best local cuisine is important.
Q: What do you always pack?
A: I always pack my sun cream and swimming shorts as I am a keen swimmer.
Q: What is your preferred airline?
A: When flying to the UK, I try to fly British Airways or Virgin as they both offer direct flights. I also fly with Emirates if they have flights to my chosen destination.
Q: Do you have any tips about seating on a flight?
A: I always have a quick look at seatguru.com when flying to make sure I get as much legroom as possible. Being nearly two meters tall some flights are a tight fit!
Q: Best in-flight meal or activity?
A: I like to sit back and enjoy a good movie or listen to music with a glass of wine or Champagne.
Q: How do you get over jet lag?
A: I try to fight jet lag by getting into the local time zone so I can enjoy my destination as much as possible. Although sometimes I can feel incredibly tired by 7pm if I give in and go to sleep I will be wide awake by 3am! I like to get my body back into a normal sleep pattern as quickly as possible.
Q: What are your favorite hotels? What makes these hotels so memorable?
A: There are many hotels that I remember fondly and these are of various brands and star ratings. The one thing they all have in common is fantastic service.
Q: What do you value most when choosing a hotel?
A: Ease of location.
Q: What hotels do you look forward to staying at in the future?
A: I am actually staying at the Upper House in Hong Kong in the near future. I am really looking forward to the stay and exploring Hong Kong.
Q: Can you recommend one of your favorite destinations? Why is it so special?
A: Phuket. With direct flights many times a day from Shanghai, it’s a great place to escape the hustle and bustle of the big city.
Q: What’s one can’t-miss delicacy in Phuket?
A: A cool refreshing fresh coconut from the nearest beach bar.
Q: What do you do upon arriving in Phuket?
A: Unpack and go exploring — no matter what time of day or night.
Q: Where are you planning to go next and why?
A: Hopefully to New York in May for a friend’s 40th birthday.
Q: What’s the strangest request that a guest has made at your hotel?
A: We get many requests from guests which of course we will always try to assist with.
One guest recently requested a fish tank in their room for their stay. They find this therapeutic and it helps them sleep. After a bit of shopping we were able to assist with this — complete with tropical fish!
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