Jean-François Ferret will assume the post of CEO at Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) starting September 2018.
Ferret replaces Filip Boyen who has resigned from his position at SLH after three years.
Based in the company’s London headquarters, Ferret will take responsibility for SLH’s international teams and will lead strategic direction of the brand’s luxury portfolio of over 500 SLH hotels in more than 80 countries.
Ferret was most recently the CEO of the French association Relais & Châteaux. Before that, he was the director general of Hertz France and prior, managing director and president of Manpower France.
In his 30-year career, he has also held travel and hospitality positions as deputy managing director of American Express Travel (France), managing director of Thomas Cook (France), senior vice president of Thomas Cook (West Europe) and CFO of Compass Group (Europe).
Chinese homestay booking provider Tujia has partnered Siteminder to streamline its back-end stock management and pricing system as well as provide a single lodging management platform for overseas hosts.
Beta testing of the platform development is ongoing, and the function is expected to be rolled out to all hosts who use the service outside China starting mid-July. When the service goes live, Tujia is expected to have a real-time inventory of over 50,000 room nights each day.
A screenshot from the Tujia website
Tujia said in a statement that overseas homestays tend to be booked through one of several disparate platforms, so hosts have to adapt to the operation of multiple systems and deal with the associated costs.
With the Siteminder partnership and an update of its ‘Tujia WAKA’ overseas booking platform, the Chinese vacation rental platform hopes to give hosts an improved management experience.
Thousands of lodging listings on Tujia’s platform are already utilising SiteMinder.
A boy interacts with Incheon International Airport’s Chatbot
SOUTH KOREA
Incheon International Airport’s new Terminal 2 was opened in January in time for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics the following month, with a key focus on technology and innovation to enhance the passenger experience and stay ahead of the competition in the airport sector.
A boy interacts with Incheon International Airport’s Chatbot
Jo Soo-dong, senior manager of the Smart Airport Team, told TTG Asia: “We believe that by applying new smart technologies throughout the airport, we will be able to enhance passengers’ convenience and make Incheon to be known as a ‘high-tech airport’.”
The latest addition to Incheon’s tech repertoire this month will be the Chatbot, which according to Jo is “a talking robot that interacts with passengers”, featuring a message programme that enables it to communicate information about the airport’s facilities to travellers.
A separate guide robot will be introduced the following month, Jo revealed. “When you ask for directions, the android will first show you the shortest and quickest route – including all the shortcuts that it knows – and guide the traveller to their final destination,” he said.
A portable biometric security system was piloted at Incheon earlier this year, and this is expected to be rolled out throughout the airport by summer 2019, according to Jo.
“We are in the process of completing the research,” he said. “By using these fingerprint scanners, people will no longer need to bring paperwork or physical documents to the airport to check in. We believe this will make checking in quicker, easier and more convenient for passengers,” he added.
Earlier this year, remote check-in facilities at bus and train stations were rolled out in central Seoul and across South Korea. This new system enables passengers to check in their luggage and obtain their travel documents prior to their arrival at the airport, offering “a much simpler journey from home to the departure lounge”, Jo said.
“Passengers have been particularly pleased to be able to hand over their heavy suitcases and no longer worry about them all the way to their (final) destination.” – Julian Ryall
JAPAN
In anticipation of the tourist surge that the Rugby World Cup 2019 and 2020 Tokyo Olympics will bring, cutting-edge technology and innovations will now play critical roles in enabling Tokyo’s Haneda International Airport to cope with increased arrivals while delivering seamless service for passengers.
“IATA is a strong advocate of the ‘fast travel’ concept and we are presently introducing eight fast travel features to provide our passengers with better services. These include the introduction of new technology at the check-in and security gates,” said Fumitake Tsukamoto, head of Tokyo International Air Terminal’s corporate planning division.
Haneda already allows passengers to check in and obtain their boarding passes through automated self-service counters, print and attach their own baggage tags, use dedicated bag-drop options, and self-scan their boarding passes at self-boarding gates, Tsukamoto said.
Meanwhile, robot technology is a firm favourite at Haneda, and a fleet of humanoid Pepper robots was sent out among passengers at the airport in February to cope with the surge of Chinese tourists arriving for the Spring Festival holidays, Tsukamoto said. The Pepper robots were programmed to communicate in English and Chinese, and to provide information on access to gates as well as dining facilities, retail outlets and public toilets.
Earlier, Haneda deployed another robot variant, the humanoid EMIEW3, to reply to questions from travellers as it roves the concourses on wheels. Perhaps most remarkably, it is able to interpret the movements of a human and his or her immediate environment – such as consulting a map of the airport facilities – an autonomously initiate an interaction, enquiring if the traveller requires assistance. – Julian Ryall
HONG KONG
From kerb to gate, innovation and technology are playing greater roles than ever in shaping the passenger travel experience at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA).
The airport is seeking to “transform the passenger journey into a fully automated and self-serviced process” with the objective of making travel at HKIA “fast, easy and as simple as riding a bus”, said Chris Au Young, general manager for smart airport at Airport Authority Hong Kong.
Automation of processes are now underway at HKIA. The self-bag drop service was first introduced in 2016 to enable passengers to check in baggage by themselves and save on processing time. To date, 120 self-bag drop counters have been installed in the airport.
Since end-2017, HKIA has introduced iCUSS mobile check-in kiosks for travellers to complete their check-in procedures anywhere, from the airport terminals to external locations such as hotels, theme parks and conference centres. Together with the self-bag drop service, the entire check-in process is now more efficient for passengers.
As well, HKIA is set to roll out biometric technology services from late-2018 onwards. By showing their passports and having their faces scanned at check-in, travellers will soon get through security and immigration checkpoints for boarding without having to produce their passports repeatedly.
The HKG My Flight mobile app recently added an augmented reality (AR) navigation function, which guides passengers towards facilities at the airport with instructions overlaid in camera view and terminal signage in users’ own languages.
HKIA has also launched MyTAG, a smart luggage tag that notifies passengers on their smartphones when their checked bags arrive at the baggage reclaim carousel. – Prudence Lui
AUSTRALIA
Melbourne Airport is innovating to speed up the check-in process for frequent international travellers and enhancing security with a less invasive and fully integrated screening system in a first for Australia.
Melbourne Airport’s new self-service check in zone
The airport recently installed 16 customised hybrid desks, 46 new self-service check-in kiosks, six automated bag drops and new digital signage in a bid to shorten check-in time. The hybrid desks, which are a first for international carriers in Australia, mean airlines can switch between using self-service bag drop or full-service traditional counters to change their operations to meet customer demand within minutes.
“(This) gives travellers more control of their airport experience,” said Melbourne Airport chief of aviation, Simon Gandy.
“(We want to) reduce the amount of time spent queueing at the airport. The new technology (also) frees up airline customer service agents to roam in check-in areas, and connect with passengers in a way that you can’t get from behind a conventional check-in desk.”
By September, Melbourne Airport will be the only Australian airport to have a fully integrated international screening point outfitted with Smart Security, a joint security initiative by Airports Council International and IATA. It will include parallel divestment stations to allow multiple passengers to simultaneously prepare and push their trays into the screening queue, allowing passengers with few items to submit for screening and ‘jump the queue’, while those with more items to offload can take their time.
Automated gates will be used for boarding pass verification, extended screening lanes will be added, and automated tray return systems will be introduced. “Further, new body scanners will be much more efficient in processing travellers and will be far less invasive by removing the need for travellers to hold up their hands and circle through,” said Gandy.
Melbourne Airport introduced a chatbot late last year to give travellers access to real-time flight information, links to services like lost property and online carpark booking, and information on dining and retail options.
“Many of our travellers are return users and we believe the function will continue to evolve and play a big part in our traveller experience offering,” said Gandy. The chatbot has more than 19,000 users to date. – Adelaine Ng
MALAYSIA
As part of its ‘Runway to Success 2020’ five-year business strategy, Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) has embarked on a digital transformation strategy that involves the use of big data analytics and the Internet of Things to improve the passenger experience and operational efficiency at the five international gateways, including Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), and 16 domestic airports it manages.
MAHB will team up with information management specialist OpenText to innovate KLIA and klia2 operations, including developing intelligent automation, predictive analytics and expanded digital services at both terminals.
In early June, MAHB introduced the MYairports mobile app, an airport travel guide, under its Airports 4.0 digital initiative supported with a RM30 million (US$7.5 million) investment.
MYairports allows passengers to “plan their journey in the palm of their hand”, said MAHB’s managing director Badlisham Ghazali, providing users with real-time flight updates, shopping and dining promotions, while airport services such as self-check-in and self-bag drop facilities and passengers’ authenticity can be verified as well. Furthermore, passengers can shop online through the “click and collect” service and have the products delivered to their boarding gate.
MAHB has also collaborated with the government of Saudi Arabia to introduce the world’s first proof of concept (POC) for pre-clearance of haj pilgrims at KLIA’s departure point. The POC process at KLIA takes around 30 minutes, compared with five to six hours of immigration processing in Saudi Arabia in the past. – S Puvaneswary
SINGAPORE
The opening of Terminal 4 (T4) in October last year marked the latest wave of innovation for Singapore Changi Airport. Most notably, the terminal debuted the airport’s Fast and Seamless Travel (FAST) system that offers end-to-end self-service options for passengers.
This includes automated check-in kiosks, baggage drop using facial recognition and Xbox Kinect-powered 3D modelling technology, as well as immigration and boarding gates that share facial and thumbprint biometric data.
This fully automated process is expected to yield some 20 per cent long-term manpower savings, and the terminal is poised to raise the total annual capacity of Changi Airport by 16 million passengers a year. As of February 8, it has handled more than 1.6 million passengers since its opening.
In April 2018, the airport handled 5.4 million passenger movements; a 5.1 per cent year-on-year increase from 2017.
Following in T4’s footsteps, Terminal 1’s (T1) departure, arrival and baggage claim halls are currently being upgraded to replace check-in counters and implement FAST, among other developments.
T1’s baggage handling system will also become fully automated with sorting capability to support automated check-in and automated bag-drop functions. An automated early baggage storage facility will also be implemented.
These expansion works will increase T1’s handling capacity to 24 million passenger movements per annum. The terminal served some 3.2 million passengers in 1Q2018.
To further enhance the traveller experience, works are also currently underway for lifestyle complex Jewel Changi Airport, which will house a range of play attractions, indoor garden trails and F&B outlets.
Crowning this development is the 14,000m2 Canopy Park that will feature attractions such as sky nets, hedge and mirror mazes, 1,400 trees and palms, as well as dining outlets.
Jewel is scheduled to open in early 2019, and its Level 1 will be directly connected to the T1 Arrival Hall. – Pamela Chow
Steve Odell in a May interview with Raini Hamdi was gung-ho about developing China market further for Norwegian Joy
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings’ (NCLH) announcement to pull out its China-centric ship, Norwegian Joy, from China to the US appears to have taken its Asia-Pacific team off-guard, and raises a question mark about its exclusive partnership with Alibaba.
The cruise company last week announced it would redeploy Norwegian Joy from its homeport in Shanghai to Seattle from April 2019 for Alaskan voyages and to Los Angeles in winter 2019/2020 for Mexican Riviera and Panama Canal voyages.
Instead of homeporting, it will operate in China seasonally with Norwegian Spirit from summer 2020. The ship, which will undergo a Norwegian Edge refurbishment, will serve China in the peak summer months and Australasia in the other season.
Steve Odell in a May interview with Raini Hamdi was gung-ho about developing China market further for Norwegian Joy
NCLH said it was monetising strong global demand and driving higher returns for shareholders. In other words, the rest of the world is bringing greater revenues than China and it is “right-sizing” its capacity based on current market conditions globally.
The domino effect of redeploying Norwegian Joy enables the line to move Norwegian Pearl to Europe, increasing to six the number of ships there; frees Norwegian Jewel to return to Australia/New Zealand for a third season; and sends Norwegian Jade for additional capacity in South-east Asia.
NCLH’s senior vice president & managing director Asia-Pacific (including China), Steve Odell, plays down the impact of a year of hiatus in China, when Norwegian Joy leaves in March 2019 and Norwegian Spirit enters in summer 2020, even though in an interview in May at ILTM Asia Pacific in Singapore he was gung-ho about China directions, including marketing plans to increase yields for Norwegian Joy in China and deepening the partnership with Alibaba.
He even said there was talk of having a second ship, Norwegian Encore, in China, but a decision was made to send it to the Caribbean. “We think we can earn better returns (for Norwegian Encore) in one of the Western markets. Demand is high in North America and the rest of the world,” Odell had said.
Little did he realise that Norwegian Joy would also go, ignoring a question in an email interview yesterday if he was surprised by the announcement.
Norwegian Joy
But in the earlier interview, Odell did allude to challenges with the China market. Norwegian Joy, which celebrated its first anniversary in China on June 27, exceeded expectations, with Odell claiming it mostly sailed with 4,300 to 4,400 pax. The problem was the yield.
Norwegian Joy currently is selling at around US$700 to US$1,000 for four days and depends on onboard spending on everything from dining to shopping to spike revenues. But typically in China it has to work with large agents on a ‘commit’ basis of half charters or full charters, which means it has less control over the customers, isn’t able to interact with them, or decide what the discount or promotion should be.
As such, it has been trying hard to widen the distribution and work with smaller agents and go B2C, but the latter is particularly difficult due to rules and regulations.
That hasn’t stopped it from trying. In February, for example, it launched a Joy at Sea programme offering a number of value-adds as part of the fare, the most important being free WeChat if the clients follow the ship.
“So for every cruise, we’re collecting 4,400 WeChat followers. Getting accurate information of the customers in order to re-market, or push sales on board, is critical. It’s been challenging in China but the free WeChat has really helped to grow our database quickly. We have much more of a voice today,” Odell told TTG Asia in the May interview.
Alibaba’s partnership is also critical for NCL’s B2C drive. In turn, Alibaba not only sees opportunities in premium cruise sales per se with NCL, but also pushing online promotions such as shopping on board, dining, entertainment and gambling.
In the first year, the initiatives were more marketing-driven than sales-driven, more about positioning NCL and Alibaba in the cruise market, according to Odell. “We have on-going discussions with them on consumer information and how we can target the right customers through their databases to grow the partnership,” he had said in May. “It’s obviously a brand we would like to be associated with, and they want to be associated with us.”
When asked on Monday what would happen to the partnership given the redeployment, Odell said: “We have a good relationship with Alibaba based on the work we have already done with them and we will re-engage with Alibaba when Norwegian Sprit deploys to the region in 2020.”
At press time, TTG Asia was unable to reach Alibaba for comment.
Odell said NCLH would maintain its current operation in through March 2019, with Alex Xiang continuing as managing director leading its offices in Shanghai and Beijing. “We will naturally reduce manning based on a smaller operation in 2019 and the future, but as we are working through this I cannot share specifics at this stage,” he said.
In the interim, NCLH will expand its activity in “the burgeoning fly-cruise market” in China as well as launch early sales for the 2020 homeport season, he added.
Mauritius, whose main tourist feeder markets have been traditionally European, is now stepping up promotions in Asia
Three years since its launch, a landmark initiative to revive Mauritius’ status as a transit hub between Asia and Africa is looking set for a boost with a stronger tourism thrust coming from Mauritian inbound stakeholders, keen to tap into Asia’s outbound markets.
The government of Mauritius and Singapore’s Changi Airport Group (CAG) partnered to launch the Air Corridor project in 2015, and Air Mauritius inaugurated direct flights from Singapore in 2016.
Mauritius, whose main tourist feeder markets have traditionally been European, is now stepping up promotions in Asia
The initiative is focused on developing air traffic in four key areas: Mauritius-Singapore; other Asian markets to Mauritius via Singapore; Africa/Indian Ocean to Singapore via Mauritius; and two-centre holiday traffic from Asia to Africa/Indian Ocean destinations, according to Belinda Udhin, tourism promotion officer, Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA).
The three base weekly frequencies on Air Mauritius’ Singapore-Mauritius route will be increased to four in July and August, and from mid-October this year to end January 2019, Udhin shared.
Yet, the additional flight has not been made a regular service as initially hoped, with Air Mauritius’ regional manager, North East & South East Asia, Shiri Prakash Rai attributing this to the lack of demand for the Sunday departure beyond the peak travel season. Plans to work up to a five-times weekly frequency have also been shelved for now, he added.
Addressing comments on the “limited success” of the initiative, Udhin reminded that developing the air corridor is a “long-term process – not only in terms of passengers but also tourists and cargo”.
Udhin further pointed out that the destination saw a 13.7 per cent year-on-year increase in arrivals from Singapore in 2017, stronger growth than was seen in 2016. Arrivals from Asia grew marginally at 1.5 per cent in 2017.
Fanning hopes for greater utilisation of the Air Corridor, Mauritius is intensifying tourism promotions in Asia as it celebrates its 50th year of independence in 2018.
Just last month, the partners behind the Air Corridor project conducted a series of roadshows in South Korea, Japan and Taiwan. Mauritius will also feature at ITB Asia for the first time this year.
“Several actions have taken place in Asia to promote this concept. Air Mauritius, Changi Airport and the MTPA have conducted a few workshops for the travel trade throughout Asia (China, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore/Malaysia),” Udhin said.
Meanwhile in Singapore, Chan Brothers Travel observed that tourist demand for Mauritius is on the up. “This may be attributed to the increased flight frequency and launch of direct flights to Mauritius, making the destination more accessible to travellers,” spokesperson Justine Koh told TTG Asia.
In the extra-large segment, the market for replacement aircraft is just starting, hence providing opportunities for the A350-1000, Airbus says
The world’s passenger fleet will more than double to 48,000 aircraft in 20 years with traffic growing at 4.4 per cent per year, driving a need for 37,390 new passenger and freighter aircraft, according to Airbus’ new Global Market Forecast 2018-2037.
Growth drivers include private consumption increasing 2.4 times in emerging economies, higher disposable incomes and a near doubling of the middle classes globally.
The market for replacement for extra-large aircraft is just starting, providing opportunities for the A350-1000, Airbus says
Emerging countries will account for over 60 per cent of economic growth, with trips per capita to multiply 2.5 times for these nations.
Combined with evolving airline business models and continuing liberalisation, the growing scale of air transportation will lead to an increasing resilience to regional slowdowns, Airbus says.
Looking at the four segmentations (from small to extra large), in the small segment typically covering the space where most of today’s single-aisle aircraft compete, there is a forecast future requirement for 28,550 new aircraft, representing more than three-quarters of total expected demand.
In the medium segment, for missions requiring additional capacity and range flexibility, represented by smaller widebodies and longer-range single-aisle aircraft, Airbus forecasts demand for 5,480 passenger and freight aircraft.
And in the large segment where most A350s are present today, there is a need for 1,760 aircraft.
Airbus forecasts demand for 1,590 aircraft over the next 20 years in the extra-large segment, typically reflecting high capacity and long range missions by the largest aircraft types including A350-1000 and A380.
Of the 37,390 new aircraft required, 26,540 are for growth and 10,850 will replace older generation, less fuel-efficient aircraft.
The more than doubling in the world fleet to 48,000 aircraft will result in a need for 540,000 new pilots.
St Kitts & Nevis, an Eastern Caribbean island with a Citizenship-by-Investment programme, will soon welcome a Six Senses property.
Six Senses St Kitts – resulting from a partnership between Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas and Range Developments – is scheduled to be completed in three years.
Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis Timothy Harris; Range Developments’ Mohammed Asaria; and Six Senses’ Bernhard Bohnenberger, president of Six Senses; and colleagues celebrate the official launch of Six Senses St Kitts
It is expected to bring 70 sea-view, private pool villas to the western side of the island, approximately 30 minutes’ drive along a coastal road from the capital Basseterre and the international airport. The resort will be set on a former sugar cane plantation site with gentle hills leading down to a stretch of sandy beach fronting the Caribbean Sea.
To the south of the resort is Sandy Point Town, the entrance way to Brimstone Hill, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The airport is served by direct flights from the US, Canada and the UK, with connecting and charter flights from Europe and regional services from several Caribbean nations.
Investment immigration services law firm Harvey Law Group (HLG) announced that one of its portfolio companies has acquired nearly 20 per cent of the Six Senses St Kitt’s inventory to develop for HLG’s clientele in Asia-Pacific.
The firm is collaborating once again with Range Developments and the government of St Kitts & Nevis for the Six Senses project, as the exclusive service provider for South-east Asia of 100 shares coming with a financing option, said Bastien Trelcat, managing partner, Harvey Law Group, South-east Asia.
Investors who invest US$220,000 in this project (with financing available over two years) can attain citizenship for their immediate family and a number of eligible dependents.
Investors will receive St Kitts & Nevis passports, within 90 to 120 days of filing an application, and are also free from personal income, capital gains, gift, wealth and inheritance taxes.
St Kitts & Nevis citizens may travel visa-free to over 140 countries, including the UK, Schengen European countries and most British Commonwealth countries. Dual citizenship is permitted and open to all nationalities, without any requirement to notify the applicant’s home country.
Park Lane Hotel Jakarta is now known as Wyndham Casablanca Jakarta
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts is expanding the presence of its upscale Wyndham brand in Indonesia with the Wyndham Casablanca Jakarta.
The 280-key Wyndham Casablanca Jakarta, previously known as Park Lane Hotel Jakarta, will be the sixth Wyndham-branded property for Indonesia after rebranding. It will undergo a refurbishment before opening its doors early next year.
Park Lane Hotel Jakarta will from January 2019 be known as Wyndham Casablanca Jakarta (photo credit: Facebook/parklanejkt)
The five-star property will offer a selection of rooms and suites along with one-, two- and three-bedroom residences. Guests will have access to complimentary Wi-Fi and facilities including a restaurant, a 40m-long swimming pool, jacuzzi and children’s wading pool, gym, 10 meeting rooms, spa and wellness centre and a kids’ club.
The property is located 32km from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, and is positioned close to the city’s key business and entertainment precincts.
Barry Robinson, president and managing director international operations, Wyndham Destinations Asia-Pacific, said in a statement: “Indonesia is a key destination for Wyndham with our nationwide portfolio now at 10 properties. We have firm plans to expand in the years ahead.”
The five-star hotel will be the 10th hotel in Indonesia managed by Wyndham Hotel Management, an Indonesian subsidiary and management arm of Wyndham Destinations.
W Hotels Worldwide has appointed Christian Metzner as general manager of the soon-to-open W Kuala Lumpur.
Metzner joins W Kuala Lumpur from The Andaman, a Luxury Collection Resort, Langkawi, where he has been general manager since 2014.
The German brings with him a wealth of experience, having been part of Marriott International for the past 15 years. His career first began in 1996 at the Arabella Sheraton Complex South Germany in Munich, and he has since held numerous positions within the company across two continents, including leadership roles in Beijing and Tianjin.
The bliss spa at W Hong Kong is launching The Mindful Touch Spa VR X-perience, which combines virtual reality (VR) with its extravagant diamond facials.
This wellness experience combines skin care rituals with virtual reality to achieve another level of wellbeing
The experience begins with an eight-minute VR video and audio track that invites the client to focus on their individual breathing and body sensations. After the short film, the session continues with a voice-over.
From now until the end of October, guests can enjoy the The Mindful Touch VR X-perience with purchase of bliss spa’s 90-minute Natura Bissé anti-aging diamond facials priced from HK$2,950 (US$376), with a choice of the Diamond Life Infusion Experience or the Diamond Multisensorial Lifting Experience.
