Mr. Cheng Xinhua (left), founder, president and CEO of Eastern Crown Hotels Group and Paul Foskey, executive vice president, hotel development, Marriott International Asia-Pacific (right)

MARRIOTT International and Eastern Crown Hotels group have agreed to bring Marriott’s Fairfield brand to mainland China, marking Marriott’s expansion into the midscale hotel segment in China.

“China is the fastest growing market in Asia for us. The rising disposable incomes of the middle class and development of the consumption-led economy is driving an increased demand for higher quality mid-range accommodation,” said Craig S. Smith, president and managing director of Marriott International Asia-Pacific.

With this, Fairfield joins nine other Marriott brands in mainland China. The new Fairfield additions will have 100 to 150 rooms and feature a warm, earthy aesthetic and a contemporary western style.

The Marriott–Eastern Crown partnership targets 140 Fairfield hotels signed in mainland China in the next five years, of which 100 are expected to be opened by 2021.

With more than 750 hotels worldwide, Fairfield is Marriott’s second largest distributed brand and also the fastest growing.

Shruti Buckley, Fairfield by Marriott vice president and global brand manager, said: “Due to the fast growing global demand for quality mid-tier hotels, Fairfield currently has the largest development pipeline within Marriott International, positioning the brand as the fastest growing in the portfolio.”

BEST Western Hotels & Resorts hosted an anniversary party in celebration of its 15th year in Asia at The Mercury Ville in Bangkok.

Best Western established its first office in Asia in 2001 at All Seasons Place in Bangkok, supporting an initial portfolio of six Asian hotels and laying the foundations for the company’s subsequent growth.

Following rapid expansion in Asia, Best Western moved into a larger office in 2007 at Gaysorn Place in Bangkok and launched two new hotel brands, namely the midscale Best Western Plus and upscale Best Western Premier.

Currently, the company’s regional portfolio stands at 60 hotels in more than 40 city and resort destinations across 13 countries with 40 more in the pipeline slated to open across the region, including the new Vib, GLō, BW Premier Collection and Executive Residency brands.

Credit: Stephanie Toh on Facebook

CLIENTS of Thomas Cook India heading overseas can now choose from Airbnb’s stock of apartments, rooms, castles, boats, manors, tree houses and private island accommodations.

According to a statement by Thomas Cook India, the pilot project hopes to target both leisure and business travellers, giving them the option to stay in unique forms of lodging that “goes beyond merely hotel categories or room types”.

It added that over 25 per cent of the agency’s individual traveller segment has stated their growing preference to explore authentic local stays and a desire for deeper engagement and an immersion into the destination, its culture and its people.

Madhavan Menon, chairman and managing director, Thomas Cook India, said: “The Indian traveller is evolving rapidly and for many, standard stays no longer find favour. Our partnership with Airbnb for outbound Indian travellers aims to address this viable and yet untapped market need.”

UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) is looking to introduce a new preferred agency programme in India next month, aimed at easing the visa application process for travel agents and their clients.

“The new scheme will allow UKVI to work more closely with trusted agents who will be accountable for the applications they verify. We will train agents so that they can verify applicants on UKVI’s part and ensure the applications they are submitting are genuine. This will ensure the process is clear, competitive and straightforward,” said James Brokenshire, the UK’s immigration minister who was on a five-day visit in India.

The trained and accredited travel agents will be provided a designated contact at UKVI to facilitate the visa process.

“We are piloting the scheme with nearly 50 Indian travel agents to test it, a relatively small number, but we are looking at steps that will help us roll out the scheme to more agents. We expect a third of our visa applications to come through the preferred agent scheme in the future,” said Brokenshire, adding that the security of the UK is of utmost importance and companies who misuse the facility will be dealt with harshly.

Brokenshire also announced that UKVI is extending its same-day, super-priority visa services to study and work visas as well as first-time visitors. A new visa application centre is also being planned in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.

FROM March 4 to 6, NATAS will welcome guests at its 48th travel fair held at the Singapore Expo.

This year, the Spanish ambassador to Singapore, Miguel Angel Navarro Portera will grace the opening of NATAS Travel 2016 as guest-of-honour.

Highlights of the fair include six different cruise itineraries to Asia, Europe, America and the Caribbean, as well as custom tour packages for FITs offered at the Gutereise! and Green Island booths.

For every S$500 (US$356) spent, visitors can also stand to win draw prizes including flights to Europe, China, Laos, Hong Kong and Indonesia, luxury hotel stays, as well as Trafalgar land tours in Switzerland, France and Spain. The top prize is a pair of Singapore Airlines business class tickets to Düsseldorf, worth S$19,800.

But Steven Lek, executive director of NATAS said that there are more to this year’s offerings than cheap deals and giveaways.

Tan Tock Seng Hospital, NATAS’ strategic healthcare partner, will be at the fair to provide advice on travel related vaccinations and health matters as part of a larger initiative to provide education on travel health.

“On top of health talks, visitors can also enjoy cultural performances and sample food represented by various countries such as Italian pasta, Japanese samurice, Si Chuan dan dan noodle, Turkish kebab, Taiwanese street food as well as liquors and wines,” Lek added.