Artist impression of the new-build hotel in Pattaya
Bluphere, BW Premier Collection by Best Western is set to open in Pattaya come 2Q2020 as the first new-build under the soft brand in Asia.
Located 100m from the beach in Na Jomtien, Pattaya, Bluphere, BW Premier Collection by Best Western will feature 195 suites and a range of facilities, including a rooftop swimming pool.
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Artist impression of the new-build hotel in Pattaya
From left: Habitat Group’s Vimolsiri Sutthibut, Sasivimol Sutthibut and Chanin Vanijwongse with Best Western’s Olivier Berrivin, Rodney Simpson, and Cyrill Czerwonka
Best Western signed a Professional Service Agreement (PSA) with Thai property-for-investment developer Habitat Group for the new hotel.
Habitat Hospitality, a subsidiary of Habitat Group, oversees the group’s portfolio of resort developments.
The two companies are also working together at Best Western Premier Bayphere Pattaya – another upscale development on Thailand’s Eastern Seaboard, scheduled to open in 1Q2020.
Best Western’s expanding Thai portfolio now covers destinations including Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, Hua Hin, Buriram and Prachinburi.
Protests caused some inconvenience for Admiralty hotel guests and dented travel confidence, but travel agents see no cancellations yet
After leading to the cancellation of a major event in the city, the massive street protests in Hong Kong over an extradition bill in recent weeks are threatening to dent visitor confidence, although travel trade players report little to no impact on tourist activity for now.
The Hong Kong Dragon Boat Carnival scheduled on June 14-16 at Central Harbourfront was abruptly cancelled after the Central Government Complex (CGC) in Admiralty was besieged by protests on June 12 and 13, which saw thousands of protestors clashing with police and rounds of tear gas fired.
Protests caused some inconvenience for Admiralty hotel guests and dented travel confidence, but travel agents say they have not cancellations yet
A further protest march last Sunday marked a historic day as over two million people took to the streets, but the movement ended smoothly without causing any major disturbances to the city.
Travel Industry Council, executive director, Alice Chan hasn’t received any requests for assistance from members so far.
She said: “The impact of last Wednesday’s incident will be short-term. The dragon boat event was cancelled because it happened to be located near where the incident took place. All other parts of Hong Kong are still very safe. I believe visitors will continue to have confidence in travelling to Hong Kong.”
For W Travel’s managing director, Wing Wong, however, the consequences may be longer term due to dented confidence in Hong Kong’s stability as an events host.
He said: “This may affect organisers’ decision to stage international events in Hong Kong. To us, it means additional effort to explain to clients when preparing quotations in future.”
As the mass protest cools down, Wong assured that for now, disruption to travel plans can be kept to a minimum with some route planning. “On June 23, we will have a group of 300 people who booked their stay in Kowloon. We’ll avoid going to areas affected by the protest.
“Overall speaking, I haven’t got any cancellation or postponement of tours but heard of some cancellations from FITs booked through OTAs. Frankly, the city is back to normal so it’s safe to visit. Only a small area around CGC is still heavily guarded by police.”
Despite not seeing any booking cancellations, Reliance Travel (Hong Kong), general manager, Agnes Chan said the incident has shaken travel confidence and clients had been making enquiries every day to track the development.
”As they start planning their summer holidays now, many FITs from South-east Asia put their travel booking on hold and adopt a wait-and-see attitude. Their main concern is safety,” she added.
A Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) spokesman said: “HKTB has advised visitors to avoid going to the area but stressed that other parts of Hong Kong remain normal, and tourist activities are not affected. It is safe to travel to Hong Kong. As Admiralty is the major transportation hub and home to various hotels, shopping malls and attractions, the large-scale demonstration in the area may cause inconvenience to visitors. The HKTB will continue to closely monitor the development and keep trade partners and visitors informed of the latest information.”
Middle three, from left: AMSPA's Jeanette Tambakau, Tourism Malaysia's Ahmad Shah Hussein Tambakau and KL Tan
The Association of Malaysian Spas (AMSPA) has partnered The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) in a joint effort to grow wellness tourism in Malaysia.
The two associations signed an MoU encapsulating arrangements that relate to promotional programmes and activities leading up to Visit Malaysia 2020 and beyond, exchange of information, cooperation in capacity building, as well as product development in the area of wellness tourism.
Middle three, from left: AMSPA’s Jeanette Tambakau, Tourism Malaysia’s Ahmad Shah Hussein Tambakau and KL Tan
MATTA president, KL Tan, shared: “These strategic areas of cooperation are timely as we are supporting the Visit Malaysia 2020 campaign to bring in 30 million international tourists and RM100 billion (US$24 billion) in tourist receipts to the country.
“The initiative is expected to unleash the potential of this emerging sector in Malaysia and make Malaysia’s wellness tourism on par with Bali and Thailand and other prime wellness destinations in Europe.”
Malaysia took the eighth spot in a ranking of top 10 wellness tourism destinations in Asia-Pacific for 2017. Wellness tourism expenditures in Malaysia in 2017 totalled RM5 billion.
The new single-aisle aircraft will be able to fly 4,700 nautical miles
Airbus has unveiled designs for the A321XLR, which the aircraft manufacturer claims is the world’s “longest range single-aisle airliner”.
Set to take to the skies from 2023, the newly launched A321XLR (Xtra Long Range) is touted by Airbus to be able to fly an “unprecedented” 4,700 nautical miles – 15 per cent more than its predecessor A321LR while maintaining the same fuel efficiency.
The new single-aisle aircraft will be able to fly 4,700 nautical miles
The latest evolution of the A321neo aircraft is the European planemaker’s response to market needs for more range and fuel efficiency, as the A321XLR is expected to bring a 30 per cent lower fuel burn per seat than previous-generation aircraft in the market.
With the A321XLR’s added range, airlines will be able to operate a lower-cost single-aisle aircraft on longer and less-heavily travelled routes – many of which are currently served by larger and less efficient wide-body aircraft. This will enable operators to open new routes such as India to Europe or China to Australia, as well as on direct transatlantic flights between continental Europe and the Americas.
As for passengers, the A321XLR will offer seats in all classes with the same comfort as on longhaul wide-body aircraft.
Technical modifications to the A321XLR include the new permanent rear centre tank for more fuel volume; a modified landing gear for an increased maximum take-off weight of 101 metric tonnes; and an optimised wing trailing-edge flap configuration to preserve the same take-off performance and engine thrust requirements as today’s A321neo.
According to Airbus, the A320neo family has received over 6,500 orders from more than 100 customers worldwide since its launch in 2010.
Changi Airports International (CAI) has announced the promotion of managing director, asset management Eugene Gan to the position of CEO from July 1.
Gan will succeed current chief Lim Liang Song, who will be moving on to pursue personal interests.
Eugene Gan
In his current role, Gan is responsible for the business and operating performance of the airports in CAI’s investment portfolio.
Since joining CAI in 2001, Gan has held various leadership positions in the investments and consultancy businesses. He also serves as director on the boards of airport companies in Brazil, China, India and Russia.
Kee Teck Koon, chairman of CAI, said: “Eugene has close to 20 years of experience in CAI. He is well acquainted with the global aviation industry, and has been deeply involved in charting the company’s strategic direction. We welcome Eugene to his new position as the CEO of CAI. We are confident that the company will continue to expand its footprint and create sustainable airport businesses around the world under his leadership.”
Traveloka Xperience's Sylvia Gunawan (left) and Traveloka Thailand's Tee Chayakul
Indonesian OTA Traveloka has rolled out the Xperience activities booking platform in Thailand.
Thailand is chosen to be the first official launch market of Xperience as the OTA has achieved significant growth across all its business units and has proven to be very popular among Thais and international visitors visiting the kingdom.
Traveloka Xperience’s Sylvia Gunawan (left) and Traveloka Thailand’s Tee Chayakul
Traveloka says the platform is targeting not only domestic and international travellers, but even residents seeking unique experiences or a night out.
The categories include attractions, movies, events, entertainment, tours, beauty & spa, sports, playgrounds, transport, food & drink, classes & workshops, as well as travel essentials.
Traveloka Xperience has built strategic partnerships with international players including Cartoon Network, Universal Studios, Resorts World, Legoland, Disneyland, Ngong Ping, etc.
Commenting on the launch in Thailand, Sylvia Gunawan, vice president for revenue & growth, Traveloka Xperience, said: “Thailand has become one of the most popular destinations in South-east Asia visited by travellers, as well as Traveloka’s second largest market.”
Tee Chayakul, country manager of Traveloka Thailand, said: “Xperience is for anyone who wants to discover more of the many ‘worlds’ around them. The initial response to Xperience has exceeded our expectations and we look forward to building on this momentum and continually offering more experiences worldwide tailored to individual preferences and passions.”
Traveloka currently has an inventory of nearly 15,000 listings across various countries, available for booking by users in seven countries including Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and Australia.
From left: Dan Lynn and Vikram Malhi, co-founders of Zuzu Hospitality Solutions
South-east Asian hospitality management start-up Zuzu Hospitality Solutions has partnered with Revinate, a global reputation management software company, to help independent hoteliers source and collate guest feedback data at no additional charge.
Through Zuzu’s all-in-one hotel management system, hotel partners will have access to guest reviews from all online channels. The system will also provide consolidated sentiment analysis and analytics of the reviews. This solution will allow the hotels to closely monitor the guest experience and take corrective actions where required.
From left: Dan Lynn and Vikram Malhi, co-founders of Zuzu Hospitality Solutions
With access to guest feedback coming in from multiple channels, hotels will then able to address specific concerns and thus provide better hospitality services, according to Zuzu.
Typically, chain and large independent hotels buy reputation monitoring or management software to track guest feedback and collate the data. With this partnership, small and medium independent hotels across Asia-Pacific will be able to leverage Zuzu’s platform to get access to the data set provided by Revinate.
Vikram Malhi, co-founder of Zuzu Hospitality Solution, said in a statement: “Our initial four-in-one solution of insights analytics platform, channel management, revenue management and property management delivered an average uplift of 30 per cent in online revenue to our hoteliers.”
He added that this new partnership will allow the start-up to provide a “five-in-one solution” that will provide hoteliers with “easy access” to crucial data insights.
Thai Airways International (THAI) has opened an office in Taipei, located in the Jia Jia Building in the CBD.
The airline currently operates 21 direct flights per week between Bangkok and Taipei with Boeing 737-300, Boeing 777-200, and Boeing 787-9 aircraft.
Marking the grand opening of the office were (from left) THAI’s Kunjit Reanthong; Thailand’s tourism division Taipei’s Chookiet Potito; THAI’s Wit Kitchathorn; Thailand Trade and Economic Office Taipei’s Thongchai Chasaweath; THAI’s Nond Kalinta; and Taipei Association of Travel Agents’s Benny Wu, as well as customers and sales agents.
Hotelbeds makes available a local domain to improve usability in China
Hotelbeds has launched a China-based hotel extranet solution for hoteliers in China.
China-based hoteliers now have access to a Chinese domain version of MaxiRoom, Hotelbeds’ free hotel extranet launched in 2015.
Chinese hoteliers will be able to access MaxiRoom via a local domain – https://www.maxiroom.cn – without facing any restrictions and in Chinese.
Hotelbeds makes available a local domain to improve usability in China
Adam Krzciuk Kuna, head of supplier connectivity partnerships, Hotelbeds, commented: “Doing business in China requires a bespoke approach as their technology platforms are different. In the past we tried other non-domestic websites, but the performance of the platform was not up to the standard we wish our hotel partners to receive.
“The domestic domain is created to improve usability and functionality, which is part of our commitment to offer hotels a segmented and ever stronger value proposition. MaxiRoom offers hoteliers greater autonomy by helping them find and manage their rates, availability, offers and content more easily.”
Hotelbeds says MaxiRoom also helps hoteliers to be more competitive, since it offers information about performance in comparison with local competitors and allows hoteliers to make decisions to improve their pricing in order to optimise productivity.
Other features of MaxiRoom include:
• Interactive calendar where hoteliers can make rate and room type changes
• An intuitive content management system designed to easily update the quality of information, images and offers
• A tool that allows to quickly and easily make massive changes in availability and price by product range or by room type.
• Smart alerts that notify hotel partners about dates that have been left unavailable, incomplete descriptions or lack of images so they can improve their showcase on the platform
• A promotions manager that allows hoteliers to launch their own offers directly any time and in a dynamic way
Hotels that work with Hotelbeds have access to more than 60,000 tour operators, airlines, point redemption programs, loyalty plans, and travel agents from more than 140 source markets.
Visit local communities and have rice and a water well donated under your name as part of Shinta Mani Angkor’s Open Doors, Open Hearts CSR package.
Guests will take a full-day tour of the Angkor temples complex including English-speaking tour guide, private vehicle and driver; visit the Green Gecko project with rice donation to an orphanage; visit a village with a donation of a water well to a family; and have dinner complete with performance at Bambu Stage Siem Reap to support the local community.
Shinta Mani resort in Siem Reap
The Open Doors, Open Hearts CSR Package also includes:
– private round-trip airport transfers
– fast track immigration on arrival
– three-night accommodation in Superior Room
– daily breakfast
– 60-minute spa treatment
– early check-in and late check-out (subject to availability)
Valid this year, the package costs US$1,890 (pre tax) per couple for travel during the peak season (January 1-3, December 23-31); US$1,550 per couple for travel during the high season (November 1 to December 22) and US$1,290 per couple for the low season (April 1 to October 31).
A percentage of the daily room rate will be donated by the resort to the non-profit Shinta Mani Foundation created by the owner, to support their health, education and development programmes for the less fortunate in the community.
Visit local communities and have rice and a water well donated under your name as part of Shinta Mani Angkor’s Open Doors, Open Hearts CSR package.
Guests will take a full-day tour of the Angkor temples complex including English-speaking tour guide, private vehicle and driver; visit the Green Gecko project with rice donation to an orphanage; visit a village with a donation of a water well to a family; and have dinner complete with performance at Bambu Stage Siem Reap to support the local community.
The Open Doors, Open Hearts CSR Package also includes:
– private round-trip airport transfers
– fast track immigration on arrival
– three-night accommodation in Superior Room
– daily breakfast
– 60-minute spa treatment
– early check-in and late check-out (subject to availability)
Valid this year, the package costs US$1,890 (pre tax) per couple for travel during the peak season (January 1-3, December 23-31); US$1,550 per couple for travel during the high season (November 1 to December 22) and US$1,290 per couple for the low season (April 1 to October 31).
A percentage of the daily room rate will be donated by the resort to the non-profit Shinta Mani Foundation created by the owner, to support their health, education and development programmes for the less fortunate in the community.