Hello Kitty Land Tokyo rolls out Kawaii Masquerade for Halloween

September 10, 2019

Halloween_MV — Puro Halloween Party: Kawaii Masquerade

Indoor theme park Hello Kitty Land Tokyo, also known as Sanrio Puroland, has pushed out a scarily cute programme for this year’s Halloween, in collaboration with Japanese horror production company Obaken.

The Puro Halloween Party, Kawaii Masquerade, which will take place from September 13 to October 31, will follow in the tradition of previous editions where visitors can choose from two separate events: The Kawaii Masquerade at daytime or a scarier night-time version.

Puro Halloween Party: Kawaii Masquerade

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During daytime, Lady Kitty House morphs into a beautiful doll house with special photo spots. At the Wisdom tree, visitors can meet and greet some of their favourite Sanrio characters dressed in Halloween costumes. They may even score a big hug with the characters during Hug Time.

In conjunction with the event, a new Halloween menu has been launched offering a wide variety of black- and purple-coloured dishes, such as Cinnamon’s black Halloween ramen or PomPomPurin’s masquerade donuts with pumpkin cream.

In the afternoon, the Halloween event changes to a scarier night-time setting. At the Halloween parade, visitors can snap photos with Hello Kitty Land characters, including Hello Kitty, Cinnamoroll, My Melody, Kuromi, Wish Me Mell and PomPomPurin, who will dance and parade in Halloween outfits. On weekends, an hour before closing time, the Lady Kitty House will turn into the Horror Doll House.

Marketed as the most spine-chilling part of the event, the Ghost Pierrot Masquerade at the Discovery Theatre will feature a play created in collaboration with Obaken. Visitors will be able to actively participate in the event which promises many unexpected and creepy turns. The minimum age limit for entry to this event is 10.

Bedsonline pilots automated loyalty programme for South Korea agents

By TTG Asia

September 10, 2019

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Hotelbeds has launched a fully automated loyalty platform for retail travel agent clients in South Korea.

Touted to be a “vastly improved” loyalty scheme for retail agents, the Star Rewards programme offers a faster, automated and more user-friendly interface to drive bookings in exchange for vouchers which can be redeemed online for a wide range of products and services from various brands.

Hotelbeds rolls out fully automated loyalty platform for retail travel agent clients in South Korea

Replacing its predecessor G-Shop which was used by legacy GTA clients, the new platform offers points to retail customers for every booking made through the Bedsonline booking platform. Clients can accumulate points in return for vouchers that can be spent on a wide range of goods and services via a user-friendly online interface.

Following extensive consultation with customers, the GTA retail brand in the South Korean market will progressively rebrand under Bedsonline, the retail travel agency brand of parent group Hotelbeds.

As part of this change, the combination of the GTA retail brand’s content with the existing Bedonline hotel offering will increase the number of hotels available to customers from 55,000 to 180,000.

Victoria Fernandez, retention marketing manager at Hotelbeds, said: “Now that we have moved all legacy GTA clients to the new platform, we need to go a step further and test the scheme with more clients who were not previously members of any of our loyalty schemes.

“The benefits of Star Rewards are three-fold. We have connected the business intelligence database, where all the bookings are stored, with the incentives platform. This means that clients can see how many points they have earned on a daily basis and convert them into vouchers,” she added.

“We have also signed single catalogue agreements with just a handful of providers for different regions offering access to a wider range of products and services than ever before, including household brands such as Amazon, Nike or Apple. New vendors are automatically added to the new catalogue which is being updated all the time. Last but not least, all the vouchers can be redeemed online which means the client can receive their product or service without any intervention from Hotelbeds.”

Giny Jin-Young Jun, regional sales manager, South-east Asia and Korea at Bedsonline, said: “Star Rewards marks a step change in the way we offer incentives to clients, moving towards an increasingly automated model. We are confident that Star Rewards will incentivise our existing clients to place more bookings with us and help us to increase our competitive position in this market. We will monitor client behaviour on the platform and adapt their strategy where necessary and incentivise clients through targeted campaigns in order to drive bookings and further growth for the business.”

Four Seasons welcomes new Mumbai GM

By TTG Asia

September 10, 2019

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Sunil Narang has been appointed general manager of Four Seasons Hotel Mumbai.

With a career in hotels spanning over 20 years, Narang first started out as a front desk receptionist at Four Seasons in Boston before moving through various departments within the rooms division.

Narang’s career has taken him to Four Seasons in Maldives, Toronto and subsequently, Scottsdale, where he was promoted to director of rooms. In the same role, he relocated to Maui before a promotion to hotel manager took him to Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas.

Previously, Narang has also taken up the mantle of hotel manager in Singapore and a leading role in the region’s rooms council, as well as general manager of Four Seasons Hotel Shenzhen.

Expedia, AI Singapore join forces on AI to improve online searches for Asian travellers

By TTG Asia

September 9, 2019

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Expedia Group has announced a collaboration with AI Singapore (AISG) – an inter-agency unit tasked to catalyse and grow the country’s artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities – under its flagship 100 Experiments (100E) programme to develop an AI solution to transform the online search experience for Asian travellers.

The first online travel platform to collaborate with AISG for 100E, Expedia Group will provide a team of experienced engineers, data scientists and marketers to work with the AISG’s project lead, project managers and AI apprentices to enhance travel search query understanding and improve the accuracy of search query resolution in Asian languages.

Expedia Group partners AI Singapore (AISG) to develop an AI solution to enhance online searches for Asian travellers (Pictured: Expedia Group’s Mark Okerstrom with AISG’s Laurence Liew)

Today’s search engines are efficient in understanding travel search queries and providing query resolutions in English, as English is the dominant language used online by 25 per cent of all Internet users.

However, when dealing with travel search queries conducted in Asian languages such as Japanese, Korean, simplified Chinese and traditional Chinese, the performance of the search engines declines significantly and the accuracy of query resolution dips.

For a start, the Expedia Group and AI Singapore project team will leverage natural language processing and machine learning to develop an AI-based model to enhance search query understanding and resolution in the Japanese language, before extending the model to other Asian languages to enhance online search efficiency.

When completed, the AI solution will enable Expedia Group to deepen its understanding of travel search query patterns and nuances in Asian languages, and equip the travel platform with the ability to serve the needs of Asian travellers better by improving the accuracy and efficiency of search query resolution.

Mark Okerstrom, president and CEO, Expedia Group, said: “With more than 7,000 data architects, AI experts and engineering specialists at Expedia Group, this collaboration with AISG has the potential to unlock new and industry-leading AI solutions to improve online travel, bringing the world within reach for those shopping for travel online in Asian languages.”

With online travel spending in Asia-Pacific expected to account for more than 40 per cent of global online travel sales by 2020, surpassing North America and Western Europe, Expedia Group’s senior director, product and technology Kevin Ng said the collaboration will enable the development of a viable AI solution that can not only enhances search query understanding but will also transform the online search experience for Asian travellers.

Laurence Liew, director, AI industry innovation, AI Singapore, indicated that through this collaboration, it will also help “train Singaporean AI engineers via the AI Apprenticeship Programme”.

AISG’s 100E programme matches companies which are keen to use AI to address their problem statements with local researchers. AISG is driven by a government-wide partnership comprising NRF, the Smart Nation and Digital Government Office, the Economic Development Board, the Infocomm Media Development Authority , SGInnovate and the Integrated Health Information Systems.

Oyo denies cheating charges against founder

By TTG Asia

September 9, 2019

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Oyo has refuted the allegations that its founder Ritesh Agarwal and several top executives had cheated a Bengaluru hotelier of more than Rp15 million (US$209,000).

In a statement, the India-based hospitality chain called those allegations “false claims” and an “exaggeration” of a regular commercial dispute, according to a report by The Economic Times (ET).

Oyo’s founder Ritesh Agarwal has been accused of cheating and criminal breach of trust by a Bengaluru hotelier

In his complaint to the Bengaluru Police, Natarajan VRS accused Agarwal and his colleagues of cheating, criminal breach of trust and misappropriation of 80 per cent of the revenue share due to his hotel from June 2017 to August 2019, said the report. Other executives named are Oyo’s COO Abhinav Sinha, CFO Abhishek Gupta, president of corporate affairs Siddhartha Dasgupta and two Bengaluru-based employees.

The report added that Natarajan, who owns the Rajguru Shelter Hotels in BEML Layout in Whitefield, claimed that he signed an agreement with Agarwal in June 2017, whereby Oyo would act as an authorised agent of the hotel and make reservations for 20 per cent of the booking amount. However, he alleged that Agarwal and his Bengaluru-based representatives had swallowed 80 per cent of the share instead.

Natarajan alleged in the complaint that Oyo’s executives conspired to commit fraud and money laundering by passing off rooms for which bookings have been cancelled as occupied, said the ET report. The hotelier further claimed that many hotels in Bengaluru ran into similar problems with Oyo.

Natarajan’s case is just the latest among a wave of protests and complaints lodged against Oyo across the country, according to industry body Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI), said the report.

Shetty added that despite the many complaints against Oyo, the police were not taking appropriate measures, adding that FHRAI is planning to meet police commissioners in some states to discuss the issue.

The Whitefield police booked the trio, including Agarwal, for criminal breach of trust and cheating. Investigations are ongoing, according to the chief inspector of Whitefield police station Narendra Kumar.

“Our lawyers are looking into the matter and will be taking strong legal action as these claims are incorrect and defamatory in nature,” the report quoted an Oyo spokesperson as saying. “We respect the law of the land and believe it will do the right justice.”

Tui Blue to debut in Vietnam come 2020

By TTG Asia

September 9, 2019

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DAD0517_AC1062744_TB_Vietnam_Nam_Hoi_An_Hotel_Lagoon_Style_Swimming_Pool_Relaxation — Tui Blue Nam Hoi An swimming pool

Tui Group is stepping up the expansion of its flagship hotel brand in Asia with its first Tui Blue property in Vietnam, which will be launched in cooperation with Vietnam-based joint venture partner TMG Group.

Slated to open in March 2020, the 318-room Tui Blue Nam Hoi An is situated in a beachfront location on the Tam Tien beach on the central coast of Vietnam. Holidaymakers can combine their stay with a visit to the coastal town and UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site Hoi An.

Tui Blue Nam Hoi An hotel

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Tui Blue Nam Hoi An, to be converted and extended in the style of the flagship brand, is expected to expand Tui Group’s portfolio of longhaul destinations for European holidaymakers while targeting the growing number of guests from Asia.

“We see great potential for Tui Blue in Asia and have already started to pursue further growth plans. South-east Asian destinations enable us to operate our hotels all year round, reducing our seasonal swing, and to tap into new target groups,” said Sebastian Ebel, Tui group executive board member in charge of Hotels & Resorts.

Tui Group’s existing portfolio of hotels in Asia includes three Robinson Clubs in the Maldives and Thailand, as well as three Riu hotels in Sri Lanka and the Maldives. In addition, Tui operates three concept hotels in the region.

By expanding in Asia, Tui Group drives the growth roadmap for Tui Blue further ahead. The brand is set to become the world’s largest leisure hotel brand and increase its portfolio to more than 100 hotels by 2020.

Avis drives into Myanmar

By TTG Asia

September 9, 2019

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Avis is expanding its regional network with a new office in Myanmar to support the country’s growing business and leisure travel demand.

“One of our key priorities includes building a vast global network and expanding our regional footprint. Myanmar is a country with great potential particularly with the development of its automotive industry and we very much look forward to being part of this growth,” said Hans Mueller, vice president global licensees – international, Avis Budget Group.

Avis opens a new head office at Inya Lake Hotel in Yangon, Myanmar

“With the opening of our Avis office in Myanmar, we will be able to offer more car-rental choices and help build the industry further. We also strive to serve our customers at their locations not only in Yangon but other cities through our expanded network in Mandalay, Nay Pyi Taw, Bagan, Taunggyi and Dawei,” added Prasoporn Tansupasiri, general manager, Avis Myanmar.

With its head office located at Inya Lake Hotel in Yangon, Avis Myanmar offers both short- and long-term car rental solutions with a fresh new fleet, ranging from sedan, SUVs, pick-up trucks, vans and people carriers.

Avis Myanmar also provides professional experienced chauffeurs on various services such as airport transfer, point-to-point transfer, hourly disposal service and event chauffeur-drive service.

For individuals, the company ensures affordable and a simple rental process, starting from US$39 per day with a 24/7-hotline, roadside assistance and premium customer service.

GTEF promotes industry exchange in Greater Bay Area

By TTG Asia

September 9, 2019

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The Global Tourism Economic Research Centre (GTERC) continues its promotion of the eighth edition of the Global Tourism Economy Forum (GTEF) across the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area (GBA).

From August 30 to September 1, the GTEF took part in the 2019 China (Guangdong) International Tourism Industry Expo (CITIE 2019) in Guangzhou, introducing the GTEF 2019 and initiating contact with over 3,000 exhibitors and 30,000 professional buyers and tourism peers.

GTEF promotes the sustainable development of the global tourism industry with a specific China focus. Above: GTEF’s Jason Wang (centre) with guests at the recent CITIE Buyers’ Night in Guangzhou

With an engaging presentation at its booth, the GTEF successfully drew attention of representatives from prominent local and international tourism enterprises such as China International Travel Service, China National Travel Service (HK), tuniu.com, LY.COM, and Genting Cruise Lines.

For two consecutive years, GTEF’s roadshow at CITIE was highlighted at the networking dinner in collaboration with CITIE. Held at the InterContinental Guangzhou Exhibition Center on August 30, 180 tourism leaders, exhibitors and media representatives were invited to facilitate the exchange of ideas and to build relationships at the Global Tourism Economy Forum Presents: CITIE Buyers’ Night 2019.

Jason Wang, COO of the GTEF, emphasised the importance of seizing new opportunities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau GBA, encouraging industry peers to utilise GTEF’s well-established exchange and cooperation platform in Macau and to take advantage of the forum’s business matching offerings to expand business reach within and beyond the GBA.

Representatives from GTEF’s major sponsors and other tourism and leisure enterprises in Macao – Galaxy Entertainment Group, Studio City Macau, MGM Macau, Sands Resorts Macao, Grand Lisboa Palace Macau, Wynn Palace and Wynn Macau – also gave insights on the outlook for travel and tourism.

The GTEF is the international exchange and cooperation platform designed to promote the sustainable development of the global tourism industry with a specific focus on China. Utilising its strategic location in Macau as a bridge between China and the world, the GTEF connects people and forges partnerships in the tourism hub of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao GBA. The theme of each GTEF edition is designed to guide tourism stakeholders worldwide on the vast opportunities available in the global tourism economy.

Taking place at the MGM COTAI, Macao from October 13 to 15, GTEF 2019 will present the theme “Tourism and Leisure: Roadmap to a Beautiful Life.” This edition will put Chinese president Xi Jinping’s Beautiful Life concept at the core of its discussion on the global tourism economy, showing that as more people cross-international borders every day, tourism and leisure have the potential to spur mutual understanding and enhance quality of life and happiness, ultimately creating a harmonious and beautiful life for all.

With Argentina and Brazil as partner countries and Jiangsu as featured China province, GTEF 2019 will gather ministers of sports, culture and tourism, top international corporate leaders and experts to discuss the latest tourism policies and trends. The GTEF aims to inspire delegates to think of new ideas and to come up with innovative models, to seize the immense opportunities from the exponential growth of wellness, leisure and sports tourism, and to capitalise on the potential of the China-Latin America tourism market through GTEF’s multiple-purpose platform.

Hotelbeds hires new China MD to grow its “fourth biggest source market”

By TTG Asia

September 9, 2019

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Hotelbeds has appointed Forrest Zhang as managing director for China.

In this newly-created role, Zhang will work to further strengthen Hotelbeds’ position in the bedbank sector, placing a strategic focus on this key market which is currently its fourth biggest source market globally.

Zhang will be directly responsible for all the company’s activities which are focused on the Chinese market, and will report directly to Carlos Muñoz, managing director of Hotelbeds.

Prior to his new role, Zhang held the position of director of market management for mainland China at Expedia. He has a wealth of experience in general management, sales leadership and market development in different industries across mainland China, including hotels, serviced apartments, vacation rental acquisitions and account management. He was also responsible for managing relationships with Expedia’s extensive hotel portfolio, including global accounts, local chains and independent hotels on property level.

Carlos Muñoz, managing director, Hotelbeds, said that Zhang’s appointment came after the travel tech company “identified new opportunities” to tighten their grip on the bedbank sector “by powering our focus on developing the key strategic Chinese market under one single lead”.

“China is, in fact, our fourth biggest source market globally. As part of our strong commitment to investing in this region, to exploring the huge opportunities it can offer and to further developing our business there, we felt it was necessary to create a newly dedicated role to answer the specific and high demanding needs of this market,” he said.

ITB Asia 2019 keynote sessions to spotlight tech innovation driving travel industry

By TTG Asia

September 9, 2019

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In line with this year’s “Bold Thoughts, Bold Moves” theme, ITB Asia 2019 will deliver a series of keynote presentations to focus on sharing innovative ideas and explore practical applications for businesses to keep pace with technological developments in the travel industry.

Recognising the revolutionary impact of technology on the travel industry, speakers from leading OTAs, travel-related partners and technology companies will share their perspectives on how businesses can innovate and leverage technology as they tackle the challenges of this era.

ITB Asia 2019 will focus on technological developments in the travel industry (Pictured: the travel & technology showcase at last year’s ITB)

Prominent keynoters include senior representatives from the likes of Bedbank, Hotelbeds, Booking.com, Expedia Group, IBM, Kayak, Oyo Hotels & Homes, TripAdvisor and Tujia.

The first keynote session on October 16 brings together experts from Bedbank, Hotelbeds, Booking.com and IBM, which represent three of the biggest pillars in the travel industry – accommodation, distribution and technology. Addressing the industry’s common challenges, topics will include how businesses can ready themselves for the next wave of growth, rethinking and reinventing distribution strategies, and how the travel industry can capitalise on the digital revolution to succeed.

ITB Asia 2019’s keynote panel on October 17 will identify business solutions for challenges faced by the sector during a time of uncertainty. Titled “The Future of Travel Distribution”, the discussion will be led by senior executives from Agoda, Expedia Group, Hotelbeds, Kayak and TripAdvisor. They will answer the big “Where to next?” question, as they explore the rapidly changing travel industry, new technological advancements, and the implementation of diverse distribution strategies to improve the consumer experience.

The keynote panel on October 18 will focus on the new Chinese traveller whose overseas consumption is predicted to grow as large as $120 billion as preferences evolve. Titled “The New Chinese Travellers”, industry leaders will examine the growing significance of this market. Amongst notable industry experts are speakers from Booking.com, Oyo Hotels & Homes, Thomas Cook China and Tujia, who will analyse the preference shift in the range of destinations, products and brands of interest, as well as maximising opportunities from this market.

Aside from the keynote sessions, ITB Asia 2019’s conference will also deliver a series of themed sessions, including corporate travel, destination marketing, Muslim travel and travel technology. Attendees will have the opportunity to experience over 200 sessions led by more than 260 speakers.

ITB Asia 2019, which is into its 12th edition, will share the Sands Expo and Convention Centre at the Marina Bay Sands with its inaugural co-event, MICE Show Asia, when it takes place from October 16 to 18. At MICE Show Asia, attendees will get to hear about forecasts for the global meeting and events industries in 2020, and how the industry is transforming.

For more information on ITB Asia 2019, click here.

Hello Kitty Land Tokyo rolls out Kawaii Masquerade for Halloween

Bedsonline pilots automated loyalty programme for South Korea agents

Four Seasons welcomes new Mumbai GM

Expedia, AI Singapore join forces on AI to improve online searches for Asian travellers

Oyo denies cheating charges against founder

Tui Blue to debut in Vietnam come 2020

Avis drives into Myanmar

GTEF promotes industry exchange in Greater Bay Area

Hotelbeds hires new China MD to grow its “fourth biggest source market”

ITB Asia 2019 keynote sessions to spotlight tech innovation driving travel industry

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