BCBusiness

ReINveNtING tHe LOUNGe New-generation airport lounges are a place to grab WiFi or a shower, to down an espresso or a cocktail, to catch the game or that conference call— away from the hubbub. • The best of the new bunch? The free Instant Paris mega-lounge in Terminal 2E (Hall L, Duty Free area) at Charles de Gaulle. It has a library of 300 international titles, children's play areas and an a†ordable Yotel. • The VIP Lounge at Frankfurt (B transit zone) starts at €330 for amenities like a cigar room, a gaming lounge and gourmet food and drinks. Book a private suite, or a luxe package including a VIP handler for transfers. • At Toronto Pearson, the Air Canada Signature Suite (Interna- tional Departures, Gate E77 area) o†ers business class customers a menu by Vancouver chef David Hawksworth, Moët & Chandon bubbly and gallery- worthy Canadian art and design. Lounge Act From airport hideaways to northern getaways, your insider guide to travelling smarter, for business and pleasure by Charlene Rooke C A R R Y ON fROm TOP: COURTESY Of SIGNORELLO ESTATE; NORWEGIAN BLISS; mARTEN BERKmAN, YUKON TOURISm AND CULTURE jULY/AUGUST 2018 BCBusiness 129 THE DOWNLOAD DOWN-LOW With seat-back screens becom- ing an endangered species, download airline apps before you fly to unlock free entertainment on your own device, even without paid Wifi inflight. Expect movies and TV series galore, plus airline- specific extras like meditation on Air france, Broadway theatre exclusives on American and language courses on Lufthansa. While you're downloading: Netflix and Amazon Prime subscribers can cre- ate offline-viewing binges within their mobile apps. And grab Google maps or maps.me for your destination, to navi- gate data-free when you land. ( quality time ) tip: always use night-screen mode on your device inflight, to reduce blue-light wakefulness and eyestrain. CooL SummeR Swim against the current this summer by going north. Norwegian Bliss debuts out of Seattle as the largest cruise ship to alaska, with a racetrack and laser tag for the kids, Jersey Boys and margaritaville dining for grown-ups. or catch some Yukon midnight sun: flights to Whitehorse are 2.5 hours from vancouver or victoria, and Dawson City a one-hour con- nection away. Plan around the eclectic Dawson City music Festival from July 20 to 22, or the fiercely local Yukon Culinary Festival, august 23 to 26. Jet SetteR Ray signorello Jr. runs importer Evolution Fine Wines from Vancouver and is proprietor and co- winemaker of Signorello Estate in the Napa Valley. Since losing his Napa home and winery tasting room in the 2017 wildfires, Signorello has been work- ing out of rented quaters— he knows his hotels. "Hotel ratings are a bit like wine ratings," he says. "If five wine critics like a wine, my guess is I'll like the wine, so I like to see several recommenda- tions for a hotel before I book." Signorello starts on TripAdvisor, using the map to pick an area, and consults Condé Nast Traveler's Gold list and Travel + Leisure. He'll research flights on Kayak but book airline-direct (Singapore and Emirates are faves), "which makes it far easier if I need to cancel or change a flight—or if my flight is delayed or cancelled." How does Signorello find time to book his own travel? "For me, travelling –whether on business or on my vacation with my family–is important time, and I don't want to hand it over to someone else like a travel agent or employee who doesn't know my val- ues," he says. "If you are willing to invest the time to plan your travel, no one is going to do it as well as you can. But you definitely have to set aside the time– so I'll carve out an hour on a Sunday to do the research."

• Cover