Trip.com Group launches free Shanghai city tours for transit travellers
Travellers transiting at Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) for more than eight hours will be able to participate in free layover city tours offered by Trip.com Group from April 15.
Transiting international travellers can choose to join these hassle-free Shanghai Express tours which include transportation, attraction tickets, e-sim cards, and team insurance.
Current itineraries include the Shanghai Highlights City Tour (09.00-14.00); the Strolling Under the Trees Citywalk Tour (16.00-22.00); and the Huangpu River Cruise Sightseeing Night Tour (18.00-23.00) – all led by English-speaking guides.
Those seeking to travel light may store their luggage at the airport or on the shuttle bus if space permits. Meals are not included.
Each free tour accommodates a maximum of ten travellers and lasts five to six hours, including transportation from and back to the airport.
The tours will be available to international travellers who are eligible for China’s 72/144-hour visa-free transit policy, as well as those holding a 24-hour temporary entry permit issued by the airport border inspection.
Travellers may head to the Trip.com Group currency exchange counter on Island A in the Departure Hall of Terminal 2 for in-person registration after passing through customs. Registrations are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.
Trip.com’s head of marketing Han Feng said: “We will leverage our extensive resources to ensure a memorable tour experience and provide world-class customer service to help flyers enjoy what Shanghai has to offer.”
Wyndham ramps up flagship Singapore launch, builds on franchising success
The Peninsula Excelsior Singapore, a Wyndham Hotel, will soon be renamed Wyndham Singapore during its official launch in 2H2024, following an extensive multi-million-dollar renovation.
When asked why the company opted to refurbish instead of a new build, Joon Aun Ooi, president, Asia Pacific Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, stated that this caught the company’s attention as it provided convenient access to Singapore’s main attractions and business centres, and appeals to both leisure and business travellers.
Offering 591 keys, Wyndham Singapore – located in the heart of Singapore’s Civic District – will feature a fitness centre, sauna, two swimming pools, two restaurants, an executive lounge, and a grand ballroom that can accommodate up to 30 tables.
“This property not only serves as a coveted destination, but also as a key stage for introducing the Wyndham flagship brand to this key strategic market. This move highlights our keen interest in debuting the flagship Wyndham brand in Singapore as soon as the opportunity presented itself, underscoring the strategic importance of the city in our growth plans across Asia-Pacific,” he elaborated.
According to Ooi, hotel franchising as a business model has been gaining popularity in Asia-Pacific, and it has grown over the last few years. “In 2023, we saw a strong uplift in franchising deals, where franchising deals was about 60 per cent of all deal types signed across Asia-Pacific. In 2022, this was less than 50 per cent.”
Hotel owners that opt for Wyndham will be able to access Wyndham Advantage, which encompasses advanced revenue generation systems, comprehensive operational support, and a vast database of over 106 million members belonging to the Wyndham Rewards loyalty programme.
“Hotel franchising allows the owners of hotels to tap into a suite of offerings designed to increase revenue, while allowing them to operate their properties in a more cost-efficient way which is particularly important under the current economic climate of inflation and rising costs which eat into the operating margins of a hotel,” he explained.
For now, Ooi is focused on the resurgence of Chinese travellers, with outbound numbers expected to jump from 20 million in 2020 to an estimated 130 million in 2024, fuelled by longer holidays, easier visa processes, and ramp up in flight frequencies.
“Recognising the diverse preferences of these travellers is crucial; they range from digitally-savvy millennials seeking personalised experiences to older generations preferring traditional group tours. Understanding these distinctions is vital, and tailoring our offerings to cater to the varied tastes and requirements of different Chinese traveller segments is essential,” he said.
Radisson Hotel Group welcomes back Chinese travellers with tailored programme
Radisson Hotel Group (RHG), together with its owners and shareholders Jin Jiang International, has rolled out its Guan Xin (Welcome China) programme which includes the expansion of its co-branded hotels as well as a new bespoke amenity programme for Chinese travellers.
Following the initial co-branding launch at Radisson Blu Hotel, Frankfurt in 2019, RHG will be launching eight additional co-branded properties in 2024 in EMEA across its Radisson Collection and Radisson Blu brands in key markets in France, Belgium, Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands, including Radisson Collection Grand Place, Brussels; Radisson Blu Scandinavia Hotel, Oslo; Radisson Blu Royal Garden Hotel, Trondheim; Radisson Blu Hotel, Tromsø; Radisson Blu Royal Viking Hotel, Stockholm; Radisson Blu Hotel, Amsterdam; Radisson Blu Hotel, Milan; and Radisson Blu Hotel, Nice.
Chinese guests will find a range of features and amenities specifically designed and curated for them at these hotels. In the guestrooms, personalised touches like the provision of tea kettles, a selection of Chinese teas, and Chinese television channels will be included at co-branded hotels.
The co-branded hotels will also feature a range of new food and beverage options for Chinese-speaking travellers, including the addition of traditional dishes like congee and noodles as well as curated selection of dishes available as part of the daily breakfast service. Guests that pay with Chinese Union pay cards will receive welcome cards, while WeChat Pay and Alipay will be available at the end of 2024 for online payments.
These offerings specifically tailored for the Chinese travellers, will be offered on top of the existing amenities for other international travellers, and communication in English and multiple foreign languages.
Currently nearly 20 hotels across EMEA offer the standard Guan Xin amenity programme to Chinese guests. In addition to the hotel co-branding programme, RHG will extend the Guan Xin amenity programme to other RHG properties in EMEA that wish to opt-in based on the hotels’ guest needs and expectations.
“With foreign visas gradually becoming more accessible and increased international flight routes, we are hoping to see the long-awaited return of outbound Chinese travellers to EMEA continue to grow. We look forward to welcoming more Chinese travellers with our new Guan Xin programme to make them feel right at home,” shared Eric De Neef, executive vice president and chief commercial officer at RHG.
Malaysia Airlines, IndiGo boost connectivity with codeshare partnership
Malaysia Airlines and IndiGo have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for a codeshare partnership and mutual cooperation agreement that will enable both carriers to provide customers with more options and flexibility for seamless travels between Malaysia and India.
Through this collaboration, Malaysia Airlines will be able to strengthen its connectivity into India as the marketing carrier on IndiGo operated flights, while IndiGo customers get to explore more South-east Asia destinations through Malaysia Airlines’ extensive network.
Malaysia Airlines currently operates 71 weekly flights to nine key hubs in India, including New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kochi, Ahmedabad, Amritsar and Trivandrum.
Izham Ismail, group managing director of Malaysia Aviation Group, said: “With India being our largest international market, we are delighted to enter this MoU with IndiGo to further widen our reach beyond the nine hubs we currently operate within India.”
“This partnership will not only offer seamless travel experience between India and Malaysia, but also enhance international trade opportunities by improving accessibility,” added Pieter Elbers, CEO, IndiGo.
Ready-to-eat halal meals may improve Hong Kong’s welcome for Muslim travellers
The lack of halal restaurants in Hong Kong and easy access to Muslim-friendly meals remain a stumbling block in the destination’s efforts to court Muslim visitors, and one entrepreneur is hoping to resolve this with ready-to-eat (RTE) halal meals that hotels could serve.
Entrepreneur Robert Chua is distributing Singapore-based Sinstant brand of RTE halal meals in Hong Kong. Adopting modern blast-freeze technology to retain nutrition and quality, these meals are prepared in a halal-certified kitchen setting by reputable chefs – Michelin-awarded and veteran top chefs from Hong Kong and Singapore – who carefully curate food choices.
He added that these RTE options are “genuine” Chinese dishes, so as to encourage Muslim visitors to try local halal food in Hong Kong.
For instance, Sinstant’s mala chicken hotpot is created by Michelin Bib Gourmand chef Ng Kong Kiu while the beef brisket and tendon meal is created by two-star Michelin chef Cheng Kam Fu.
Meals are easy to serve – they only require reheating.
Chua said JW Marriott Hong Kong is his first hotel client. RTE halal meals are offered through room service and at the hotel bar.
He noted that it was an expensive undertaking for hotels and restaurants to establish halal food standards, as they would need to have a separate kitchen. Such RTE halal meals would, therefore, enable hospitality firms to cater to Muslim guests at a more manageable cost.
In the recent Hong Kong Tourism Overview 2024, the Hong Kong Tourism Board expressed a desire to establish the destination as a Muslim-friendly one via halal guidelines, travel glossary, seminars, and practical recommendations. In line with this, the Hong Kong SAR government has been conducting promotions in Gulf Cooperation Council member states. Chua sees this as opportunity for Hong Kong to boost its Muslim tourist arrivals.
Positive impact
What are the challenges and opportunities for Fraser Hospitality’s reimagination journey post-lockdown?
Similar to many major hospitality companies, we enjoyed good traction in our growth trajectory pre-lockdown by capitalising on increased travel patterns globally fuelled by rising disposable incomes, expanding middle classes in emerging economies and the growing popularity of travel.
Like many others, Frasers Hospitality faced a stark decline in demand globally during the pandemic.
As guests sought longer stays than before, our extended-stay brand portfolio outperformed other traditional hospitality players and empowered us to remain resilient in times of crisis by providing our guests with trusted, cost-effective self-contained accommodation compared to traditional hotel rooms.
Post-lockdown, we experienced quick recovery as travel demand surged. As an extended-stay operator, we are also well-positioned to reap the benefits from tailwinds in the extended-stay segment, supported by notable shifts in trends such as bleisure and work-from-anywhere travel as travel duration continues to lengthen.
As travel behaviours continue to evolve with travel costs surging due to rising inflation, travellers now place greater emphasis on longer stays, flexibility and value for money.
Demand is being driven towards our segment with the ongoing evolution in global demographics, new mobility, rapid urbanisation and interesting megatrends such as an acute shortage in rental apartments.
As a natural progression and extension to our expertise in the extended-stay segment, we recently entered the premium rental apartment segment with two acquisitions in Shenzhen and Osaka given the tailwind in the long-stay segment.
These acquisitions are in line with our post-lockdown transformation and expansion strategy to evolve into an international lodging real estate player.
What is the future vision of Frasers Hospitality and its purpose? Where do you draw inspiration?
With a refreshed mission of wholeheartedly connecting people with life-enriching experiences, Frasers Hospitality is committed to creating meaningful connections and memories, providing conducive environments and practices to promote health and well-being, as well as making a positive impact in the communities that we serve.
Our purpose and mission have evolved not only to meet the changing needs of our guests, but also address the broader societal and environmental challenges of our time.
We have also embedded sustainability into our organisation’s philosophy and DNA as part of our renewed mission.
Our primary goal is to inspire and empower travellers to explore the world responsibly while leaving a lasting, positive impact.
We believe travel has the power to connect people, cultures and ideas, and we strive to facilitate those connections and create memories in a way that respects and preserves the beauty and diversity of our planet.
We also endeavour to create a positive impact on our local communities through our community engagement initiatives across all properties globally and to contribute positively to the socio-economic development of the destinations where we are present.
What changes or necessary steps are needed to advance, future-proof, and grow the business as Frasers Hospitality moves forward?
We are evolving to become a purpose-driven organisation to future-proof our business as we prioritise values beyond profit.
Hospitality is a people business and our employees are of utmost importance to the viability of our business. We are evolving our policies by adapting to emerging trends to foster a positive workplace environment by prioritising their well-being and investing in their growth and development.
We are also working to enhance the employee experience to attract and retain talent amid a persistent manpower crunch across the industry.
The vision and future are deeply intertwined with technological disruptions.
Looking ahead, we wish not only to leverage technology for efficiency and profitability, but also extend further to empower us to foster deeper connections with our partners and guests with highly customised recommendations through AI-powered predictive analysis of their preferences and behaviours.
We have also tapped into technology to enhance the tracking of our sustainability-related data to monitor progress towards our sustainability goals and identify areas for improvement.
Our employees are empowered to adopt an innovative mindset and are equipped with the right training and enabling tools to drive long-term growth.
We also recognise the crucial need to train our employees to adeptly blend technology with personalised services or solutions and continually adapt our business model to keep up with the rapidly changing digital landscape.
Projecting forward 50 years, what will/will not change in the hospitality industry?
While specific technologies and societal trends continue to evolve, the essence of hospitality will remain the same.
It embodies the art of anticipating and fulfilling the needs and desires of guests, often before they are even expressed, which we believe will be further revolutionised with more technological advancements.
Physical and digital experiences will blend seamlessly, offering guests unparalleled convenience and choice with hyper-personalised services and solutions.
We firmly believe that the most successful hospitality brands will be those that best integrate technology without losing sight of the importance of the human touch.
We also believe that travellers will continue to seek authentic cultural experiences and connections with local communities despite the convenience and accessibility which technology can offer.
Ultimately, the essence of travel lies in exploring new cultures, traditions and perspectives.
Marina Bay Sands’ expansion enters final phase
Marina Bay Sands (MBS) has entered the final phase of design and programme enhancements for its multi-billion-dollar expansion, with full-scale construction of the project (subject to planning approval) anticipated to begin by July 2025 with a targeted completion by July 2029.
The expansion will include a luxury hotel tower with a sky roof, a 15,000-seat entertainment arena and additional premium MICE space, as well as new F&B and nightlife offerings.
MBS’ expansion will play an important role in driving additional inbound travel to Singapore – the new arena will help attract top entertainers from Asia and around the world who previously may not have included South-east Asia on their tours, while the additional MICE space will help attract more new-to-Singapore events.
The project is separate from a US$1.75 billion reinvestment in the existing property. The largest reinvestment since MBS’ opening in 2010, it has already seen the complete refurbishment of Hotel Towers 1 and 2, in addition to new dining offerings and luxury lifestyle amenities for high-value travellers.
Refurbishment work is now focusing on Hotel Tower 3, in addition to the Hotel Lobby and Sands SkyPark, which will include a reimagined VIP arrival experience, new premium dining and retail offerings, lobby transformation and renewed focus on wellness experiences for guests.
“With the ongoing support of the Singapore Government, this development will further enhance the leisure and business tourism appeal of Singapore. It optimises the site’s programming elements and is designed to drive high-value tourism growth to Singapore,” said Patrick Dumont, president and COO of MBS’ parent company, Las Vegas Sands.
“This significant investment in Singapore will help ensure Marina Bay Sands is ideally positioned to grow its economic, employment and visitorship contributions in the years ahead.”
Expedia Group adopts Amadeus NDC technology
Amadeus has teamed up with Expedia Group to deploy New Distribution Capability (NDC) technology for the global online travel agency.
Having worked with Expedia Group for nearly two decades, this multi-year agreement reinforces Amadeus’ commitment to accelerate the industry evolution towards modern, enhanced retailing, and to help the travel ecosystem to deliver value that supports both industry growth and an improved traveller experience.
NDC allows airlines to easily build, and tailor offers using the latest merchandising techniques, and to efficiently present and distribute them in a way that enriches and enhances the shopping experience for travel sellers such as Expedia Group and its customers.
Expedia’s vice president, global connectivity & partner solutions Chris Hodges commented: “Renewing our partnership with Amadeus and integrating its aggregated NDC content to our connectivity portfolio marks a significant step forward in our collaboration. This move further emphasises our commitment to offering travellers the widest range of choices and personalised experiences, in line with the industry’s ongoing embrace of NDC technology.”
“Amadeus is determined to enable all stakeholders to make the most of the potential that NDC can deliver, and bringing one of our largest online travel agency partners onboard is a great illustration of this. Building on our relationships with both airlines and travel sellers, we are in a strong position to foster cross-industry collaboration on NDC to the benefit of travellers everywhere,” said Sam Abdou, executive vice president global sales airline IT, distribution and global online travel agencies, Amadeus.
IHG Hotels & Resorts signs new voco in Seoul
IHG Hotels & Resorts has partnered with Gravity Asset Management’s Seoul South Gate Hotel Operations Company and Hotel HDC Co. to sign the new voco Seoul Myeongdong in South Korea.
The 576-room property will be rebranded as voco and will be IHG’s second voco property in South Korea, following the successful brand debut of voco Seoul Gangnam in 2022.
Situated at the heart of Seoul’s vibrant district of Myeongdong, voco Seoul Myeongdong is in close proximity to the business district and provides convenient access to attractions such as Deoksugung Palace, City Hall, Myeongdong shopping street and Namdaemun Market.
Less than an hour’s drive from Incheon International Airport, the hotel will feature an all-day dining restaurant, lounge, indoor swimming pool, fitness centre, business centre, and meeting spaces.
“With the increasing demand for upscale hotels in the country, we look forward to bringing voco’s distinctive lifestyle experience to a growing number of domestic and international travellers, and introducing more IHG brands, including Kimpton and Hotel Indigo, to the market,” shared James Oh, Korea representative, IHG Hotels & Resorts.
Il Moon, managing director, Hotel HDC, said: “We’re looking forward to leveraging IHG’s global scale, expertise, and stellar reputation in the industry to bring success to voco Seoul Myeongdong, and are excited to embark on this journey together, which we hope will be the first of many collaborations.”
Traveloka is teaming up with the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) to draw more visitors from across South-east Asia to Hong Kong by showcasing the destination’s highlights.
This collaboration is expected to boost tourism growth in Hong Kong further and position the city as a premier destination for South-east Asian travellers.
According to HKTB, Hong Kong’s tourism sector has steadily climbed since the reopening of international borders, with data showing a surge of 33 million international visitor arrivals from January to December 2023, a 60-fold increase compared to the same period in 2022.
Traveloka president Caesar Indra enthused: “Establishing a partnership between Traveloka and HKTB will further reinforce our dedication to promote global destinations on our platform, and encourage travellers to explore new experiences.”
Liew Chian Jia, regional director, Southeast Asia of HKTB, said: “Partnering with Traveloka is pivotal for us as it unlocks the tourism potential in Hong Kong and helps us understand consumers better. Therefore, we aspire to this collaboration not only to attract more travellers from South-east Asia to explore the charms of Hong Kong but also to contribute positively to the aviation and hospitality industries in the region.”