Kong: in the coming months, focus will be on unlocking WorldHotels’ potential by improving revenue delivery to its hotels
WorldHotels has been acquired by Best Western Hotels & Resorts, marking another change of ownership since it was bought over by US-based hospitality sales and marketing consortium Associated Luxury Hotels two years ago.
The WorldHotels brand, which represents a collection of approximately 300 hotels and resorts around the world, will play a “critical role” in enhancing Best Western’s portfolio of offerings to include the upper upscale and luxury segments, according to a statement from the US-headquartered hospitality group.
Kong: immediate focus is on unlocking WorldHotels’ potential while also retaining its independent identity
WorldHotels will maintain its individuality while benefiting from Best Western’s scalable e-commerce platform, partnerships, loyalty programme, sales and marketing support, global distribution network, and revenue engines.
“Best Western is one of the largest, most respected and trusted hotel brands,” said Geoff Andrew, CEO, WorldHotels. “As we join forces, the combined power of our brands sets the stage for a bright future for both Best Western and WorldHotels. Through its established senior leadership team and regional presence in each market, Best Western brings a new level of expertise that will help grow the WorldHotels brand in key markets.”
David Kong, president and CEO of Best Western Hotels & Resorts, said: “In the coming months, our focus will be to unlock WorldHotels’ potential by improving revenue delivery to its hotels while protecting its independent identity. We believe our platform and revenue engines will benefit WorldHotels and attract many more independence-minded, quality hotels to join the brand.”
Andrew will continue as CEO of WorldHotels “for the foreseeable future”, according to Kong.
Social media engagement at the centre of the refreshed campaign
The Philippine Department of Tourism yesterday rolled out the refreshed It’s More Fun in the Philippines campaign anchored on tourism sustainability.
Sporting a new logo that weaves the unique colours and culture of the Philippines as well as a new font, the refreshed campaign is 100 per cent crowd-sourced using photos and videos shared by tourists.
Social media engagement at the centre of the refreshed campaign
The DoT is encouraging tourists to share more photos and videos through the hashtag #itsmorefuninthePhilippines. For every submission, US$10 will be donated to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
Tourism secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat explained that the refreshed campaign started with Boracay’s ongoing rehabilitation. “When we think of fun, it’s already redefined. We can have fun but at the same time protect the environment (and) have responsible tourists.
“We are coming into 2019 with a renewed and refreshed sense of purpose, with more and more travellers conscious about their ecological footprint, the cultures and experiences they are consuming and simply wanting to know how they can give back,” she added.
Puyat said she retained the It’s More Fun in the Philippines name as she believed in continuity, citing Malaysia, Truly Asia and Incredible India as examples of how other countries don’t change their tourism campaign names.
She added that the name has already found acceptance among the travelling public, with 4.3 million people already using the hashtag. “The hashtag works. The Philippines have embraced it. So why not continue what is good?”
The DoT is hopeful that the refreshed campaign will help meet the 8.2 million foreign arrivals targeted for this year.
Puyat noted that despite Boracay’s six-month closure, foreign arrivals reached 7.1 million in 2018, which was still a 7.7 per cent growth from the previous year.
Malaysia’s minister of tourism, arts and culture, Mohamaddin Ketapi, has called on unlicensed hotel operators and those offering vacation rental services on Airbnb to register with the ministry immediately to avoid legal action under the Tourism Industry Act 1992.
Mohamaddin said the ministry was also in talks with the Housing and Local Government Ministry on implementing conditions for Airbnb businesses, including registration requirements, according to a Bernama report.
Airbnb hosts urged to register as Malaysian government works with hotels association to draw up new home-sharing regulations
In response, the Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) said in a statement that it had been actively involved with the two aforenamed ministries in drawing up regulations for the home-sharing sector, based on laws in cities such as Paris, Barcelona, New York, San Francisco, Santa Monica and more recently, Japan with its Minpaku law.
The MAH statement read: “Many of these laws were drawn up with intention to protect local residents as home-sharing business had in fact driven property prices up, to the disadvantage of locals – displacing them from main cities and indirectly raising cost of living, as well as causing disturbance and nuisance at residential areas.
“As much as Airbnb had openly declared their willingness to cooperate with the government of Malaysia, we have yet to see actual actions from them to comply with existing laws (such as Innkeepers Act 1952, Registration of Guests Act 1965, Tourism Industry Act 1992, Tourism Tax Act 2017 and various tax laws, just to name a few). If Airbnb is sincere to be part of the tourism industry of Malaysia, it must demonstrate its compliance to the laws of Malaysia and ensure hosts & listings that do not comply with registration and licensing requirements are removed from its platform immediately.”
It’s high time the government tightened regulation of home-sharing, stressed MAH, citing revenue loss for the country.
“The government and the industry should not be made to bear such losses when on the other end home-sharing hosts and operators are reaping fruits of what they did not sow.”
Uzaidi Udanis, president of the Malaysian Tourism Council, agreed that the call for regulations is timely, as it helps “ensure there is a level playing field with licensed hotel operators and hotel investments are also protected”.
He added: “It is also important to keep records of guests staying at home sharing platforms as we don’t know their intentions of coming to the country.”
Massage stations at ILTM Cannes (photo credit: Facebook/ILTM)
ILTM Asia Pacific will return for its second edition with a fresh focus on wellness, with the organisers dedicating an area on the show floor to a relaxation space called The Retreat.
At ILTM Cannes last December, ILTM announced 2019 as the year of health and wellness, and debuted The Retreat, an area showcasing wellness products, in partnership with Six Senses.
Massage stations at ILTM Cannes (photo credit: Facebook/ILTM)
The organisers will bring this new element to ILTM Asia Pacific in May, continuing its collaboration with Six Senses. About 100m2 of space on the show floor will be allocated to wellness offerings including an alchemy bar, where delegates can make scrubs, a juice bar for energy shots, head and shoulder massages, and innovative products such as “sound chairs”, according to Alison Gilmore, portfolio director, ILTM.
“In Cannes, we worked with Six Senses to build The Retreat (which featured a range of invigorating elements such as) sound chairs. The user lies down on these (wave-form) seats. Music plays through the headphones and the chair, sending vibrations up to the user’s body,” Gilmore shared.
With product demonstrations especially key when it comes to such innovative treatments and therapies, physical marketplaces like ILTM are in a position to offer an enhanced proposition to suppliers looking to showcase wellness differentiators.
“Such products (especially benefit from) being showcased in a physical space (as opposed to catalogues and brochures). You really need to touch and feel them to get a sense of what they can do,” Gilmore said.
At the upcoming ILTM Asia Pacific, the wellness theme will extend beyond the show floor. Gilmore told TTG Asia that delegates attending the show this year can look forward to fun fringe activities such as group runs, a first for ILTM, and yoga sessions.
“Last year was our first year (doing an Asia-Pacific show), and we wanted to make sure we covered the basics. Now more things are in place, and we need add in other relevant components. We haven’t organised the run in Cannes, but do we see a lot of delegates out running in the morning. We want to start the running club off in Singapore.”
Marriott unveils loyalty programme rewards in Asia
Marriott International is introducing benefits in Asia-Pacific for members of its newly integrated loyalty programme in Asia-Pacific.
New to the Marriott Bonvoy Moments platform are VIP experiences at seven Maroon 5 concerts across Asia – in Tokyo, Seoul, Manila, Kaohsiung, Macau, Singapore and Bangkok – including the chance to meet the band in three of those markets.
Marriott unveils loyalty programme rewards in Asia
Come April, members will also stand to enjoy VIP access to the Hong Kong Sevens.
Marriott is also touting more ways to earn points under its rewards programme.
With year-round dining privileges available, Marriott Bonvoy members can dine and earn points even without a stay. Members can enjoy F&B savings of 10-20 per cent, depending on their membership tier. With a minimum spend of US$10, non-stay guests can also earn up to 10 points per US$1 spent at participating Marriott Bonvoy properties in Asia-Pacific.
Non-stay members can now enjoy up to 10 points per US$1 spent across over 210 participating spas in Asia-Pacific. Gold Elite members and above will also be offered a choice of complimentary enhancement services with each spa treatment.
Starting on March 25, Marriott Bonvoy will introduce member benefits for kids at participating hotels and resorts. With one paying adult, Gold Elite and below members with kids aged up to six will enjoy complimentary breakfast. Kids between 7-12 years of age will get a 50 per cent discount. And for members in the Platinum Elite tier and above, kids age 12 and below will enjoy complimentary breakfast.
In addition, all members’ kids will enjoy complimentary ice cream during their stay.
Dhaka Walk, a new venture of Wonder Ways DMC in Bangladesh, has launched walking tours of Old Dhaka.
Participants will walk the streets of Old Dhaka, where they will experience bazaars and monuments, with the Hindu Street being one of the highlights. Here, they can try local delicacies such as Tehari and Bakar Khani.
Star Mosque (photo credit: Dhaka Walk)
Dhaka Walk also offers walking tours around Louis I Kahn’s architectural wonders in Dhaka, taking participants to discover historical sites around Dhaka University.
Conducted by an experienced guide, tours run for four to six hours and depart with a minimum of two participants.
Dusit Thani Hua Hin has appointed Nunnapat Wongpipit as director of sales and marketing to lead the sales team, drive revenue and contribute to the hotel’s business plan and strategy.
The Thai national has nearly 20 years of sales experience in the hotel industry, including experience at international chains.
A recently unveiled state tourism policy, coupled with the hosting of PATA Adventure Travel And Responsible Tourism Conference And Mart 2019 in Rishikesh last week, are expected to be stepping stones in attracting more international tourists to the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand.
The new tourism policy, which was released at the end of last year, came 17 years since Uttarakhand’s first tourism policy was released in 2001. The policy accorded industry status to the sector, which opened up incentives for investors, and focused on new segments and products such as adventure tourism and homestays. The new policy also aims to develop one new tourism destination in each of its 13 districts.
Rishikesh at dusk
“We have different products to offer to international markets but at present we are confined to yoga, wellness, high-altitude mountaineering and wildlife. New segments like adventure travel will be promoted,” said Dilip Jawalkar, secretary, tourism, religious affairs and culture department, government of Uttarakhand.
“We are also looking to host more international events in the future (like the PATA conference) so that so that local stakeholders know about best international practices,” he added. “Also, considering that we have ecological fragile areas, the focus is on increasing international arrivals in a sustainable way.”
Welcoming the proactive efforts that the state government have rolled out in recent time to promote tourism, Ravi Gosain, president, Uttarakhand Tourism Professionals Association, shared: “Interest from markets like France, Spain and Italy is picking up. The focus on homestays in the new tourism policy will help target international travellers interested in experiencing local culture. Events like PATA will also offer a global exposure to the destination and help in increasing inbound numbers.”
Rishikesh’s inbound arrivals are already mostly international, but there are a number of other destinations in the state that if can draw more international tourists with greater promotion, noted Anil Gusain, head, sales & marketing, Divine Resort & Spa Rishikesh.
In 2018, Uttarakhand received 120,000 international visitors, a growth of 20 per cent over the previous year. Key international tourist markets for the state include the US, Europe, Israel, Latin American and Central Asian markets.
International tour operators, such as Tom Parsley, personal travel consultant of UK-based Hays Travel, who attended the PATA event in Rishikesh, are already taking note of Uttarakhand’s emerging prominence for foreign visitors.
“Uttarakhand is a new, unheard of and diverse tourist destination. If infrastructure can be developed for easy access helping tourists to reach different points easily, it can become popular in overseas markets. Enough information on various tourism products and experiences available in the state should be made available to foreign tour operators,” Parsley said.
Location
Nothing beats its location. The property stands right next to the entrance of Ocean Park and a stone’s throw from the eponymous MTR station. As footbridges connect Ocean Park Station to the hotel, there are no traffic worries as it took me less than five minutes to walk the distance.
Since the MTR connection to the south side of Hong Kong Island debuted few years ago, it offers visitors additional means of access other than traditional buses. Travelling time from Admiralty Station to the park now takes only four minutes.
The hotel is also located close to hiking and jogging trails that lead through some of the Hong Kong’s finest coastline and country parks.
Premiere double bedroom
Rooms
Hong Kong Ocean Park Marriott Hotel’s rooms are spread across three eight-storey towers.
My daughter and I stayed in the twin-bed, 29m2 Premium Room of Marina Wing which overlooks the swimming pool. The room was outfitted in the ocean theme, and even my teenage daughter was delighted by the creative interpretation of the aquatic decor as she tried to count the number fish patterns – seen on panel walls near the bed and the bathroom – she could pick out. I noted that there were no sharp-edge furniture in the room, so kudos to a kid-friendly design that’s indeed kitted out for families.
I loved the abundance of USB and electrical plugs on the walls, which easily catered to the numerous electronic gadgets I brought. I thought it would be more convenient if there was an additional wall socket near the coffee/tea corner as I preferred to make both my capsule coffee while boiling hot water simultaneously.
In addition, the hotel also offers 14 themed guest rooms specially targeting families with kids with their animal motifs – think Whiskers Submarine (Ocean Park’s mascot sea lion), Bao Bao Paradise (panda) and Redd Forest (red pandas).
Facilities
It was during the hotel’s soft-opening period when I stayed, so the Central Lagoon was not yet open. Its scheduled opening is today (February 19).
Aerial view of the pool
The landscaped 1,410m2 swimming pool has an upper pool for practice laps, as well as toddler and kid pools for families with young kids. Aside from the fitness centre that’s open 24/7, there is also a Harnn Heritage Spa on-site whose opening date is still not available at press time.
As a city resort hotel under Ocean Park’s umbrella, don’t miss the signature 16m-high floor-to-ceiling aquarium that spans across three floors of the hotel.
For large groups, a dedicated check-in area is provided.
F&B
There are four F&B options spread across the property. The Marina Wing where I stayed offered access to the 171-seater, all-day Marina Kitchen & Marina Café and the 126-seater Pier Lounge & Pier Bar.
My breakfast at the Marina Café on a Sunday morning was spiced up by the appearance of two of Ocean Park’s characters, which was clearly a fun moment for both kids and adults who lined up for the photo opportunity.
In the Club Wing, there’s a 92-seater Canton Bistro for classic Cantonese cuisine, as well as a 118-seater steakhouse called Prohibition Grill House & Cocktail Bar.
Service
Friendly and highly responsive. I only realised that I had left my jacket in my room after checking out. I called the hotel to check and within 15 minutes, I received both a call and email asking what would be the best way for me to collect my stuff.
Verdict
It is not only ideal for family and multi-generational travellers, but also for FITs and business travellers as the Club Wing offers elevated experience.
No. of rooms 471 Rates From HK$2,950 (US$376) Contact details
Tel: (852) 3555 1688
Website: www.oceanparkmarriott.com
Email: mhrs.hkgop.generic@marriotthotels.com
Seven Seas Mariner boasts new upgrades encompassing restaurants, rooms and facilities
For the first time since her 20-day bow-to-stern upgrade in 2018, Seven Seas Mariner will be returning to Asia-Pacific waters, boasting new culinary experiences, new suite designs and more.
From February to April 2019, the newly refurbished ship under Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings’ Regent Seven Seas brand will be taking travellers on four Asian itineraries, including Bangkok, Tokyo and Shanghai.
Seven Seas Mariner boasts new upgrades encompassing restaurants, rooms and facilities
All restaurants have been stylishly redesigned with enhanced art and décor. Flagship restaurant Compass Rose offers not only a new level of customisation but also a new look with grand crystal chandeliers.
For pool lovers, the deck boasts a new open layout and a mosaic-tiled pool, featuring a broad ledge for lounging in shallow water and surrounded by daybeds. Guests can enjoy expanded lunch selections at the outdoor Pool Grill, including steaks, chops, salmon, chicken and sausage, all prepared to order from new infrared barbecue grills.
The shipboard Canyon Ranch Spa now features pebble-stone tiles and light-wood accents in treatment rooms, while the adjoining fitness and aerobics centres offers new machines and equipment.
Inside, all public spaces boast new carpeting, art, furniture and new décor. The reception area features new marble desks and an original gold leaf accented artwork by Atlanta-based artist Tom Swanston. The grand spiral staircase in the atrium is crowned by a new large-scale blown glass art installation designed by Canadian studio Tsunami Glass.
All guest suites have also been redesigned, and now feature Elite Slumber beds, sitting areas with sofas, accent tables and new artwork; as well as private balconies.
Itineraries cover some “unique” cities such as Kochi, Kagoshima, Kota Kinabalu, Brunei and more. Seven Seas Mariner will sail the following itineraries in Asia this season:
16-night Myanmar Discovery Voyage from Singapore to Bangkok, departing on February 9 (from US$12,519 per pax)
18-night Way of the Emperors Voyage from Shanghai to Tokyo, departing on March 28 (from US$14,469 pp)
16-night Vibrant Markets & Villages Voyage from Bangkok to Hong Kong, departing on February 25 (from US$12,519 pp)
12-night Peaceful Gardens & Pagodas Voyage from Tokyo to Tokyo, departing on April 15 (from US$10,669)
