AS part of its corporate social responsibility programme called Great Initiatives for Today’s (Tomorrow’s) Society (GIFTTS), Preferred Hotels & Resorts has partnered Love146 to help in the abolishment of child trafficking through financial and educational resources.

Apart from making a S$20,000 donation to Love146, Preferred is also hosting an auction on Charity Buzz from November 2 to November 13, 2015. The auction invites travellers to bid on the opportunity to book one of 10 available two-night stays before December 24, 2015 at five hotels – Montage Beverly Hills, California; Montage Kapalua Bay, Hawaii; Montage Laguna Beach, California; The Siam, Bangkok; and Hotel Majestic & Spa, Paris.

Opening bids start at a 50 per cent discount on the regular room rate and all proceeds will go to Love146.

Additionally, all Preferred associates will attend Child Trafficking Prevention Training by Love146 from now until the end of 2015. Following which, these associates will personally share the knowledge and skills gained with front-line staff at member hotels globally who are interested in joining the cause.

SCOOT has commenced services to its fourth Australian destination, Melbourne, bringing its total number of destinations to 17.

A 787 Dreamliner will ply the five-times weekly route, which will rise to daily during peak travel periods from December 15, 2015 to January 6, 2016.

Flights depart from Changi International Airport at 01.00 on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, arriving at Melbourne Airport at 11.20 on the same day. Return flights depart Melbourne at 12.30 and will reach Singapore at 17.25.

Additional flights during peak periods will take place on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, with flights leaving Singapore at 00.10, arriving in Melbourne at 10.30. Departures from Melbourne will occur at 11.45, touching down in Singapore at 16.15.

ASCOTT has secured four new properties in China, two in Shanghai and one each in Beijing and Dalian, bringing its unit count in the country to over 14,300.

Ascott Beijing will open in 2016, in the CBD area, near International Trade Centre and China World shopping mall. Offering 162 one- and two-bedroom apartments with kitchen facilities, Ascott Beijing also provides 24-hour housekeeping services, a fitness centre, swimming pool as well as a sauna.

Also opening in the same year will be Citadines Gugeng Dalian sited in the Dalian Economic and Technological Development Zone. It will be located near shopping centres, office buildings, banks and restaurants and offers 125 studio and one-bedroom apartments.

The two new properties in Shanghai, Citadines Jinxiu Shanghai and Citadines Putuo Shanghai, will open in 2019.

Citadines Jinxiu Shanghai will be located in the Shanghai Pudong New Area and is part of an established integrated development comprising a shopping mall and offices.

It is a 30-minute and 40-minute drive from Pudong International Airport and Hongqiao Airport respectively, and will offer 142 units ranging from studio to two-bedroom apartments. Other facilities include a meeting room, gymnasium, yoga room and a residents’ lounge.

Citadines Putuo Shanghai is also part of an integrated development comprising high-end residences, business centers, education and other facilities. The 154-unit serviced residence will offer a range of one- to three-bedroom apartments and facilities include a gymnasium, yoga room, residents’ lounge and a children’s play area.

BARELY a few weeks after parent company Carnival Corp announced the launch of Carnival Cruise Line – alongside sister brand Aida Cruises – into China, the company has unveiled plans to deploy its first ships, Carnival Miracle and Carnival Splendor, to the region in 2017 and 2018 respectively. Both ships will be based in China year-long, offering short itineraries lasting three to five days.

Carnival Miracle is able to accommodate 2,124 guests and features four swimming pools, a waterpark for children and a communal area for guests above 18 years of age called Serenity. Over 60 per cent of rooms also include a balcony.

F&B highlights include a steakhouse, a Caribbean-themed pub and a bespoke cocktail bar. Other facilities include a revamped casino and retail stores.

The larger vessel, Carnival Splendor, is able to accommodate over 3,000 guests and features four swimming pools, seven whirlpools, a Serenity area, and a variety of other facilities for different age groups as well as dining and entertainment options.

Carnival Miracle is expected to start accepting reservations for voyages in 2016.

HOTELIERS are facing an uphill challenge to fill rooms in the Philippines, as tourist arrival numbers are not rising quickly enough to match the supply of new hotels sprouting up across the country.

According to information revealed by Horwath HTL at the Philippines Hotel Seminar 2015 last week, the destination has added 14,389 new hotel rooms as of 1H2015, a majority of which are in metro Manila.

Thailand has also seen a similar increase in room numbers, but the Philippines’s approximately five million visitors yearly is a far cry from Thailand’s more than 20 million annual visitors, said Mina Li, senior consultant at Horwath HTL.

Chinese arrivals only account for 400,000 pax, or eight per cent of Philippine arrivals, compared with five million pax, or 19 per cent, for Thailand.

Tourist arrivals in the Philippines is “way below” its potential, Li remarked. She added that the destination is not tapping enough on the China market, as Chinese travellers are not visiting other parts of the country beyond Boracay.

Bill Barnett, managing director at C9 Hotelworks, said it is “a mistake to think that casino hotels would be the saviour of tourism”, alluding to the new integrated resorts in Manila and two upcoming properties over the next few years.

Barnett cautions the Philippines from becoming “overdependent on gaming”, pointing out that integrated resorts in Singapore and Macau were conceived to enhance the tourism infrastructure too.