Bindiya Yadav has been appointed director of rooms at JW Marriott Bengaluru Prestige Golfshire Resort & Spa.
She was most recently executive housekeeper at Fairmont Palace, Udaipur, where she oversaw housekeeping operations and service delivery.
In her new role, she will lead the rooms division, including housekeeping, front office and guest services.
Nelson Quek has been named general manager of Dao by Dorsett AMTD Singapore.
He was most recently executive assistant manager, sales and marketing at Carlton Hotel Singapore, where he focused on revenue growth and market positioning.
In his new role, he will oversee operations and strategy, with a focus on guest experience and commercial performance.
Fukuoka Prince Hotel Momochihama, Japan
Fukuoka Prince Hotel Momochihama is a new beachfront hotel in the Momochihama district, marking the brand’s first property in Fukuoka City. Around 20 minutes by car from Fukuoka Airport, the 20-storey hotel has 229 rooms, all with views over Hakata Bay, averaging 32m² and accommodating up to three guests. Upper floors feature Club rooms and suites with access to a top-floor lounge and terrace.
Facilities include the all-day dining venue which serves French-influenced dishes using Kyushu produce, and a café with outdoor seating.
The hotel sits close to Fukuoka Tower, Mizuho PayPay Dome and the Fukuoka City Museum, offering a coastal base with access to the city’s main attractions.
Fairmont Hanoi, Vietnam
Fairmont Hanoi has opened in the city’s Old Quarter, marking the brand’s first property in Vietnam. The hotel offers 241 rooms, including 38 Fairmont Gold rooms and 12 suites, with views over the historic district or skyline.
Facilities include eight dining venues, ranging from Vietnamese, Japanese and Italian restaurants to a café, lounge and pool bar. The wellness spa comprises hydrotherapy, thermal areas and a fitness studio. Event space exceeds 4,000m², including a 1,115m² column-free ballroom.
Located in central Hanoi, the hotel provides access to key sites such as Hoan Kiem Lake and the Old Quarter’s streets. Noi Bai International Airport is around 45 minutes by car.
Sugata Hotel Osaka Shinsaibashi, Series by Marriot, Japan
Sugata Hotel Osaka Shinsaibashi, Series by Marriott, is nestled in Osaka’s Shinsaibashi district. The hotel boasts 256 rooms, featuring facilities such as Ampere Coffee & Kitchen, offering breakfast and all-day dining with a mix of local and international dishes, alongside shared spaces designed for informal use and social interaction.
The hotel is within walking distance of Shinsaibashi-suji Shopping Street, Dotonbori and Amerikamura, with Kuromon Ichiba Market and Namba nearby. Shinsaibashi Station is 300 metres away. Osaka Itami Airport is around 15km away and Kansai International Airport about 48km.
Country Inn, Rishikesh, India
Country Inn, Rishikesh is set in Tapovan, within easy reach of Lakshman Jhula and Parmarth Niketan Ashram, placing guests close to the city’s main spiritual sites. The property has 28 rooms, including suites with views of the Ganges, offering a straightforward base for both leisure and pilgrimage travel.
Facilities include a casual dining restaurant and a small event space overlooking the river, suited for private gatherings. Its location allows access to yoga centres, ashrams and rafting points along the Ganges. The hotel is about 20 km from Jolly Grant Airport in Dehradun, the nearest air link, and is well connected by road to Haridwar and Dehradun.
Hong Kong recorded 4.35 million visitors in March 2026, a 14 per cent increase compared with the same period last year, according to the Hong Kong Tourism Board.
Visitors from China accounted for the majority of arrivals, while international visitors made up 27 per cent of the total. The share of international arrivals increased, supported by a series of art and cultural events, including Art Basel Hong Kong, Art Central and ComplexCon Hong Kong.
For the first quarter from January to March, total visitor arrivals reached 14.31 million, up 17 per cent year on year. Visitors from China reached 11.08 million, reflecting a 20 per cent increase, supported by major events and promotional campaigns linked to the extended Lunar New Year period.
Visitor growth was also supported by increased air capacity and the return of international cruise liners. Longhaul arrivals rose by 19 per cent year on year to around 990,000 during the quarter.
Shorthaul markets recorded more moderate growth, with arrivals increasing by six per cent in March and two per cent across the quarter. New markets saw higher growth rates, with a 16 per cent increase in March and 25 per cent for the first three months of the year.
The Hong Kong Tourism Board noted that developments in the Middle East may introduce some volatility in the tourism market in the coming months and said it will monitor the situation and adjust its promotional efforts accordingly.
Indonesia’s tourism and hospitality sector will gain a new national industry platform with the launch of Indonesia Tourism Xchange 2026 (ITX 2026).
Scheduled for May 12 at The Langham, Jakarta, and set to be an annual event, the forum will bring together hotel owners, operators, investors, and senior decision-makers to examine the forces driving the archipelago’s tourism economy.
Organised by Horwath HTL, C9 Hotelworks, STR, QUO Global, Greenview, and Delivering Asia, in partnership with Langham Hospitality Group, the event arrives at a point of renewed growth and increasing market complexity.
The agenda will cover an assessment of Indonesia’s investment climate and tourism outlook for the year, providing economic context for the discussions that follow. This will then continue with luxury hospitality, where expectations are shifting rapidly and brands are being challenged to move beyond traditional definitions of premium service.
Sherona Shng, regional vice president of operations Asia at Langham Hospitality Group, noted that modern luxury travellers are seeking “meaning and a sense of place” rather than global replicas.
“The brands that succeed here will be those that understand Indonesia’s cultural complexity and deliver experiences that feel deeply personal,” Shng stated.
Matt Gebbie, director at Horwath HTL, will address the 2026 outlook, emphasising that the industry’s future lies in “smart growth”. He suggests that understanding specific destination performance and sustainable capital returns is now critical for investors facing higher expectations.
Beyond hotels, ITX 2026 also examines how ownership structures and development strategies are evolving. A dedicated discussion on standalone branded residences reflects the rising importance of residential-led hospitality across Indonesia’s resort and lifestyle destinations, where brands are increasingly used to drive long-term value.
Bill Barnett, managing director of C9 Hotelworks, who will moderate the session, said: “Branded residences are no longer a secondary product in Indonesia – they are becoming a primary driver of luxury real estate demand. What makes Indonesia compelling is the combination of brand trust, destination appeal, and lifestyle aspiration. The challenge is aligning those elements in markets that are diverse, fragmented, and culturally nuanced.”
The forum will also discuss hospitality technology and sustainability strategy, ownership transitions and leadership, and culturally grounded design and development.
ITX 2026 is supported by the Jakarta Hotels Association, PHRI Indonesia, and the Bali Hotels Association.
StarDream Cruises, which operates StarCruises and Dream Cruises, continues to reinforce its commitment to talent development and industry-academia collaboration through an ongoing partnership with the National Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism (NKUHT).
The collaboration aims to develop future hospitality professionals and strengthen cruise industry workforce capabilities in local markets and across the region.
The partnership reaffirms StarDream Cruises’ commitment to growing the local cruise industry, supported by its continued homeport deployment in Keelung. With Star Navigator operating from Keelung, StarCruises is strengthening cruise development and regional connectivity through year-round sailings, offering two-, three- and five-night itineraries to destinations across Japan and South Korea.
A delegation from StarDream Cruises visited NKUHT in early April 2026 to meet the university’s newly appointed president, Victor Der-Long Fang. The visit reaffirmed both parties’ shared vision of bridging academic learning with real-world cruise industry experience, while continuing to support internship opportunities onboard StarDream Cruises’ vessels.
During the visit, both sides discussed expanding collaboration in talent development, internship placements and graduate recruitment, with a focus on equipping students with practical skills and global exposure in the hospitality and cruise sectors.
The strengthened collaboration enhances the strategic partnership by aligning academic curriculum with industry operations. It provides structured internship and employment opportunities onboard, while strengthening talent pipelines for regional cruise operations.
It also supports career readiness through exposure to multicultural service environments and global customer engagement standards, and promotes cruise industry awareness through academic engagement, industry sharing sessions and career outreach initiatives.
Through this collaboration, the partners aim to support the long-term development of talent and the cruise industry.
Michael Goh, president of StarDream Cruises, said: “Through our partnership with NKUHT, we are combining academic excellence with real operational experience to support industry growth, elevate standards and help shape the next generation of hospitality professionals for the region.”
Changi Airport Group (CAG) and Plaza Premium Group (PPG) have begun redevelopment of the former Commercially Important Persons terminal site, with plans to create a combined travel and lifestyle space at the southern end of Terminal 2.
The project will include a new private terminal and an expanded Hub & Spoke amenities area, with completion expected in mid-2027. The development is intended to update premium travel facilities while adding new dining and leisure options.
The private terminal will replace the existing CIP facility and be operated jointly by CAG and PPG, offering lounge areas, private suites, dining spaces and facilities for small groups and private events, alongside transfer services to departure gates, as part of a more tailored experience for passengers seeking additional services before departure.
The adjacent Hub & Spoke area will be expanded to include dining outlets, wellness and pet-friendly facilities, serving both travellers and visitors. Plans also include a covered amphitheatre and outdoor plaza designed for small to mid-sized events.
The development is located near Terminal 2 and the upcoming Hotel Indigo, forming part of a broader plan to add mixed-use facilities at the airport.
“Some of today’s travellers seek more than just a comfortable place to spend time before their flight – they are after a personalised premium experience. CAG is meeting this demand with an upgraded private terminal that delivers an exceptional experience,” said Ang Siew Min, senior vice president, airport operations development and airport operations services at Changi Airport Group.
“By bringing together our global expertise in airport hospitality with Changi’s renowned operational excellence, we will offer a new benchmark in personalised, seamless and bespoke services for our discerning guests,” added Mei Mei Song, chief transformation officer at Plaza Premium Group.
RateHawk, a B2B platform for booking accommodation, flights and transport services, has reached its 10th year of operations. The company is focusing on expanding its role as an API supplier while continuing to develop tools for travel professionals.
The platform provides access to 3.2 million accommodation options from more than 250,000 directly contracted hotels and 350 suppliers, alongside flights from over 400 airlines and transfers in more than 150 countries. In 2025, annual net booking value rose by 40 per cent compared with 2024, while bookings increased by 43 per cent globally.
The company is developing its API segment alongside its retail platform. In 2025, bookings per API partner increased by 40 per cent year on year. The company is expanding supply and allocating resources within local teams to support API development and partnerships.
In its retail segment, RateHawk is continuing work on its multi-product platform, focusing on areas such as personalisation, flexibility, automation and payment options. Plans include the introduction of additional products, including insurance, and further development of tools aimed at improving booking conversion.
The company is also investing in AI-based systems, including search and recommendation tools. In customer support, automated systems handle around 50 per cent of routine requests. AI is also used in areas such as supply consolidation, content localisation and booking management.
Felix Shpilman, president and CEO of Emerging Travel Group, shared: “We took a risk and applied our original B2C background to building a B2B platform with robust technology, extensive supply, and excellent UX. That approach has proven successful: today, more than 110,000 travel professionals across 120+ markets use RateHawk, including major OTAs, travel tech platforms, tour operators, and retail agencies. Their trust confirms that we are on the right path forward”.
“As quality standards rise and workflows become faster, many companies are re-evaluating the tools and supply chains they use. They want higher efficiency, reliability, and a more accurate rate matching. Thanks to advanced technology solutions and 250,000 direct contracts and 350 suppliers, including over 100 DMCs, RateHawk’s API offers exactly what industry stakeholders are looking for,” said Astrid Kastberg, managing director of RateHawk.
She added that the company would continue expanding its approach, including launching localised infrastructure and payment solutions, investing in local talent, introducing new products starting with insurance, and further developing features such as its Quotes (Selection Tools) to support booking conversions through automated offer templates.
Club Med has named Marc Lauret as sales director for Singapore and Malaysia.
He most recently held regional sales roles across the UK, Ireland and the Nordics, where he led trade engagement, digital distribution and indirect sales growth.
In his new role, he will lead sales strategy and partnerships across both markets, with a focus on growth and trade development.
South-east Asia’s cruise industry generated US$10 billion (S$12.9 billion) in total economic output in 2024, accounting for five per cent of global cruise industry output, according to a new study.
The region recorded 3.9 million cruise passenger visits, representing two per cent of the global total of 186 million, while delivering US$2,564 in output per passenger, around 2.4 times the global average.
The findings come from the inaugural Economic Impact Assessment of Cruise Tourism for Southeast Asian countries, produced by Tourism Economics for the Cruise Lines International Association in partnership with the Singapore Tourism Board.
The study estimates that cruise tourism contributed US$4.5 billion to regional GDP, equivalent to five per cent of global cruise-related GDP. The sector supported around 530,000 jobs, accounting for 30 per cent of global cruise-generated employment, and paid US$4.1 billion in wages, or seven per cent of the global total.
Passenger data also points to sustained demand, with 85 per cent of travellers reporting positive experiences in South-east Asia and 47 per cent expressing intent to return for land-based travel.
The findings indicate the sector’s role in supporting employment, income and wider tourism activity across the region.
