TTG Asia
Asia/Singapore Thursday, 2nd April 2026
Page 1599

Norwegian Bliss will have biggest race track at sea

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Norwegian Cruise Line’s 16th ship, the Norwegian Bliss, will feature “many first-at-sea” features including the largest competitive race track at sea and an open-air laser tag course.

Set to launch in June 2018, Norwegian Bliss will sail to Alaska and the Caribbean with select voyages to the Mexican Riviera.


Norwegian Bliss’ race track is touted to be bigger than the one onboard the Norwegian Joy

The 167,800 gross ton-ship will accommodate 4,000 guests in a variety of accommodations including suites in The Haven by Norwegian, Studio staterooms and new connecting staterooms.

The two-level electric-car race track, at 305m, is even bigger than the first race track on sister ship Norwegian Joy this summer. With four speed settings accommodating novice, intermediate and advanced drivers, the electric cars will run in silence and reach up to 48kmh.

In addition to two pools and six infinity hot tubs, the ship will also have an Aqua Park with two waterslides, while the tandem Aqua Racer slide allows guests to race side-by-side on inner tubes for more than 110m.

New dining concepts include à la carte speciality restaurant Q, for live pop country music Texas barbecue and à la carte dessert venue Coco’s. Further options include upscale Mexican restaurant Los Lobos, Cagney’s Steakhouse, the A-List Bar; and a chocolate-themed dessert restaurant; and Norwegian’s signature à la carte restaurants such as Le Bistro, La Cucina and Ocean Blue.

Mandara Spa will offer 24 treatment rooms, a full-service salon and barber shop, fitness centre and thermal suite. Guests seeking more fun and entertainment will have Vibe Beach Club and Spice H2O, in addition to the award-winning musical Jersey Boys.

For children aged three to 12, the Splash Academy youth programme offers supervised activities.

Vacation rental supplier RedAwning clinches US$40m funding

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RedAwning.com, which supplies vacation rental properties to major online booking sites including Booking.com, has secured US$40 million from Boston-based Silversmith Capital Partners in exchange for a significant minority equity.

The funds will be used to expand in existing markets in the Americas, Europe and Asia as well as new global territories.


Funds secured by RedAwning.com will be channelled into development and expansion 

An amount will also be channelled to accelerate development of its technology platform which is said to enable property managers to beat competitive property booking results through a combination of listing optimisation, marketing algorithms, dynamic analytics, and targeted distribution.

Additionally, the company plans to more than double its staff and secure a larger office space.

RedAwning is the world’s largest branded network of vacation rental properties. With over 100,000 unique rental properties in over 10,000 destinations, it is the leading supplier of vacation rentals to every major online booking website, including Booking.com, Expedia, HomeAway/VRBO, FlipKey/TripAdvisor and Airbnb.

Silversmith is RedAwning’s first institutional investor, according to principal of the growth equity firm, Sri Rao.

CWT appoints new APAC head

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Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT) has named Bindu Bhatia the new managing director, Asia-Pacific, effective September 1. She succeeds Kai Chan, who will leave the company on August 31.

Bhatia will relocate to CWT’s Asia-Pacific headquarters in Singapore, and will oversee 3,000 people across nine countries. She reports to Kelly Kuhn, chief customer officer.

Having been with the company for more than 20 years, Bhatia was most recently its senior vice president, global programme management.

Meanwhile, Ann Marie Stone will take over Bhatia’s current role, also effective September 1, reporting to Cathy Voss, executive vice president, global programme solutions. Ann Marie was most recently the vice president, global programme management.

Pullman KLCC welcomes new GM

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Lyndon Discombe

Lyndon Discombe has been appointed general manager of Pullman Kuala Lumpur City Centre Hotel & Residences (Pullman KLCC).

He was most recently the regional resorts director at Vivo Resorts in Mexico. Previously in 2012, Discombe was appointed CEO for Toronto-based Royal Equator where he spent four years leading its franchise operations.

Discombe has over 30 years experience in hospitality, including strategic roles in various hotels and resorts across Asia-Pacific. In 2005, he was the general manager of the former Prince Hotel & Residence Kuala Lumpur, which was rebranded into KLCC in 2015.

Royal Caribbean names new China-bound Quantum Ultra ship

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(From left) Royal Caribbean's Sebastian Brunilla, Meyer Weft's Stephan Schnees and Carsten Pengel commemorating the start of construction of Spectrum of the Seas

Royal Caribbean International has marked the start of construction of its first Quantum Ultra ship in a steel cutting ceremony at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany.

Along with the steel cutting, the ship also got its official name – Spectrum of the Seas.

(From left) Royal Caribbean’s Sebastian Brunilla, Meyer Weft’s Stephan Schnees and Carsten Pengel commemorating the start of construction of Spectrum of the Seas

Set to debut in 2019, the ship is expected to be the next evolution of the Quantum class and will “feature cutting-edge and unprecedented experiences and amenities”, said the cruise line in a statement.

Like sister ships Quantum of the Seas and Ovation of the Seas, Spectrum of the Seas is designed for guests in China and Asia-Pacific.

Philippines grants visa on arrival for Chinese tourists

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Visa-on-arrival facility for eligible Chinese groups; tourists at Jose Rizal Monument

The Philippines is implementing visas on arrival to Chinese visitors to boost tourism and investment, announced the Bureau of Immigration (BI) yesterday.

The programme is open to Chinese nationals who are members of tour groups organised by tour operators accredited by the Tourism Department; businessmen endorsed by local and foreign Chambers of Commerce and other government agencies; and athletes and delegates to conventions and exhibitions, the BI said a statement.

Visa-on-arrival facility for eligible Chinese groups; tourists at Jose Rizal Monument

The visa-on-arrival facility will be available at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and eight other international airports (Clark, Mactan, and Kalibo) and seaports (Manila, Puerto Princesa, Subic, Laoag and Caticlan) in the country.

Chinese nationals may, through their tour operator, apply for their landed visas at the BI for an initial authorised stay of 30 days, which may be extended up to six months.

Applicants should be holders of valid passports and return tickets, and file their applications at least 10 working days before their arrival. They will be charged a visa fee of US$25 and P10 (US$0.20) legal research fee.

This latest initiative is likely to catapult China as a top source market of visitors to the country, said the Philippine Department of Tourism (DoT).

​”​Accommodating our visiting Chinese friends with a visa grant upon arrival will only help keep the momentum of massive influx of Chinese tourists into the country,” DOT Secretary Wanda Tulfo-Teo commented.

Following the lifting of Beijing’s travel restriction against the Philippines in October 2016, Chinese arrivals surged 37.7 per cent to 675,663 by last year-end from 490,841 in 2015.

The spike in Chinese arrivals continued into the first half of 2017, climbing 33.4 per cent to 454,962 from last year’s 340,958.

Delta’s Vinay Dube now CEO at Jet Airways

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Industry veteran Vinay Dube has been appointed CEO of Jet Airways.

An aviation professional with close to three decades of global business experience, Dube has held roles at Delta Airlines, Sabre, and American Airlines in the US, Europe and Asia.

In his last role as senior vice president-Asia Pacific for Delta Airlines, Dube led the region as business head with P&L responsibility. He was concurrently board observer at China Eastern Airlines.

During his tenure, Dube led the turnaround of Delta Airline in Asia-Pacific markets, restructured the network, established strategic partnerships, worked on brand-building and transformed the work culture of his teams. He has also held various board-level positions throughout his career.

Holidayme names Olivier Dombey chief commercial officer

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Holidayme has appointed Olivier Dombey as its chief commercial officer to spearhead the firm’s entire non-air global supply channel commercial and operational development.

Globally, Olivier will focus on fast-tracking the expansion of Holidayme product line diversity by sourcing out and contracting products; securing the operational delivery of content availability and quality to Holidayme dynamic packaging and hotel online booking platforms through automation; and financially optimising each channel to drive more profitability.

Prior to his new appointment, Olivier held various top-level positions in Digital Innovation Asia, Expedia-owned Wotif Group, Hoteltravel.com (a MakeMyTrip.com company) and Pegasus Solutions, among others.

Princess Cruises cooks up challenge for Jakarta agents

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Princess Cruises recently held a cooking challenge for over 50 travel agents in Jakarta as part of its relationship building programme with the local travel trade. Attendees were grouped into teams to prepare a simple four-course meal under two hours, following which everyone came together to enjoy their fruits of labour.

Prior to the cooking challenge, Princess Cruises made a presentation on its global portfolio of new 2017/2018 itineraries to Alaska, the Mediterranean, the British Isles, as well as Sapphire Princess‘ new homeporting itineraries in Singapore from November 2017 to March 2018 for sailings in the region.

Farriek Tawfik (in blue), Princess Cruises’ director of South-east Asia, joins travel agents in the cooking challenge

New hotels: Sofitel Kuala Lumpur Damansara, Yotel Singapore and more

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Sofitel Kuala Lumpur Damansara
Part of a 3.4ha integrated development in Damansara Heights, Sofitel’s first property in Malaysia offers 312 guestrooms – ranging from 43m2 to 105m– each furnished the brand’s signature MyBed, free Wi-Fi, and in-room amenities from Lanvin and Hermès. Guests staying in suites will also have access to the Club Millésime lounge that overlooks the city’s skyline. Recreational facilities include an outdoor pool, fitness centre and a spa offering the country’s first Moroccan Hamman bath treatment. There are also five restaurants and bars, as well as six meeting rooms and a pillarless 1,100m2ballroom for 800 guests.

Yotel Singapore
Asia’s first Yotel will open along Singapore’s Orchard Road on October 1, 2017. There will be 610 cabin-esque rooms in total, ranging from 13m2 to 52m2. Each room will feature the brand’s adjustable SmartBed, free Wi-Fi, rainshowers, smart TVs and a work desk with multiple power sockets. Recreational facilities such as the Club Lounge, gym, terrace and a 20m-long swimming pool on the 10th floor. There is also a restaurant and bar called Grains & Hops. The hotel is now open for bookings.

Samsara Ubud
Nestled in Bali’s lush Payangan district is Samsara Ubud, which boasts 17 villas across four configurations. Each Balinese-inspired villa starts from 122m2, and comes with a private heated infinity pool, an outdoor area and a Makassar marble bathroom with a deep-soaking bathtub. Facilities on the property include The Kelusa restaurant, Chakra Spa, gym, sauna and two heated outdoor pools. Activities such as a Mount Batur sunrise trek or visit to the nearby Kelusa village can also be arranged by the hotel.

Courtyard by Marriott Changsha South
Marriott International has opened its first Courtyard-branded property in China’s Hunan province. The hotel boasts 260 guestrooms, each furnished with a working area, high-speed Internet access, HDTV, mini bar and sofa. Guests also have a choice of five pillow types. Apart from the Executive Lounge on the top floor, other facilities include a 24-hour fitness centre, a lobby lounge with a tea bar and the all-day dining eatery Pavilion. For business events, the property has 1,000m2 of event space across three multifunction rooms and a grand ballroom.

Grand Élysée La Résidence
The 32-key Grand Élysée La Résidence stands five minutes away from Siem Reap’s popular Pub Street, and is 20 minutes away from UNESCO-listed Angkor Archaeological Park. Amenities on-site include an outdoor swimming pool, pool bar, a restaurant, club lounge, two spa treatment rooms and a mini gym.