ACCOR last week launched its first Grand Mercure resort property in Candolim, Goa.

The 121-unit Grand Mercure Goa Shrem Resort is the group’s second hotel in Goa and offers a 10-treatment room Balinese spa and has three F&B options: all-day dining restaurant Festa, Junho Bar, and Chy lounge.

The resort will also be able to host events for up to 800 guests.

Speaking at the launch of the property, general manager Manish Dayya said: “We aim to substantiate our position in this market for leisure as well as for MICE. Our product is geared to handle both equally effectively.”

Two more Grand Mercure properties will be opened by 2015, one in Vadodara and another in Bengaluru.

Mitesh Dani, managing director, Parul Tours, said: “With Accor pushing for a larger market share, the high-end hospitality offering in Goa is closing the gap between supply and demand. There is unfulfilled demand for rooms, leading to healthy ARR in this destination.”

* This article originally wrote that a Grand Mercure property will open in Ahmedabad in 2015. This was incorrect and has been edited for accuracy.

INBOUND tour operators are prepared to absorb additional costs to honour existing contracts as the Malaysian government scraps fuel subsidies from next month, but higher package rates are on the table for the next contracting period.

Said Adam Kamal, CEO, Rakyat Travel: “We will monitor rates over the next three months and decide on a new rate mechanism for the next contracting period. We will likely put a clause in that transport rates are subject to change. We have a clause now for foreign exchange rates.”

Likewise, S Jayakumar, operations manager, Dayangti Transport & Tours, said: “For the next contracting period, we will cost our tours higher with a bigger buffer, just to play safe.”

Luxury Tours Malaysia senior manager, Arokia Das, said: “Our coach and van providers have indicated that new rates will go up by 10 to 15 per cent in 2015. GST will also be introduced on April 1, 2015. Thus our package prices will increase by a minimum of five per cent next year.”

The government announced over the weekend that from December 1 it will no longer be providing fuel subsidies for RON95 petrol and diesel. Retail prices will be based on a managed float and tied to international crude oil prices.

This follows a recent hike in fuel and diesel prices by 10 per cent on October 2.

Some tour operators were unhappy with the removal of the subsidy. Arokia commented: “What the government should do is to fix a price for the tour and travel industry. They should give us some form of subsidy as we are bringing foreign tourists to the country, who come here and spend and benefit the economy.

“Already, our tour packages cost the second highest in this region, after Singapore.”

GREATER China is set to fuel Asian cruise growth with its market of 83 million potential passengers, and families with young children are the best segment to target, according to a study conducted this year by Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB).

Speaking at Cruise Shipping Asia-Pacific last week, HKTB executive director Anthony Lau shared the results of the NTO’s first cruise consumer behaviour study involving 3,500 people from Taipei, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Chongqing, Wuhan, Chengdu and Beijing.

“Our findings indicated out of the three consumer segments (family, young and achievers), the achiever, or those between ages 46 to 60, showed the least intention to take cruise (11 per cent) compared to families with children (44 per cent)…because they view cruising as a hassle-free, ideal occasion to spend quality time with the family,” he said, adding that Chinese travellers perceived cruises as a luxury product.

Respondents also indicated a preference for French and Italian fine dining on cruises, deemed free Wi-Fi a necessity, and said the ideal length for a cruise is six to seven days. Over 80 per cent wanted to cruise to Hong Kong.

Carnival Australia, CEO and chairman, CLIA SE Asia, Ann Sherry, welcomed the results of the study saying: “The study’s data like age and demography, helps match cruise products with the right segment.”

PANORAMA Tours Indonesia relaunched its website last week offering domestic air tickets, hotel rooms and packaged tours at www.panorama-tours.com.

While not new per se, this is the first time the website is being used for direct customer bookings.

Bobby Riawan, vice president e-commerce at Panorama, said: “E-commerce has now become a new shopping trend. As such we are targeting business expansion of 20 per cent through the OTA.”

“At this initial stage, clients can buy domestic flights and FIT (domestic and international) tour packages,” he added.

In the pipeline are plans to add international flight bookings, car rentals, admission tickets and “other travel necessities”.

Said Bobby: “In due time, we will offer group tour programmes. Travellers will also be able to create their own itineraries online.”

Hellen Xu, the company’s managing director sales & distribution, said: “The online platform will complement the existing (brick-and-mortar) travel company. With Panorama.com we expect to expand our market, reaching out to Millennial travellers, who are dependent on their gadgets.”

SHATEC today entered a partnership with the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM), Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) to launch a degree programme in hotel management in Singapore.

The collaboration will offer a new, four-year option for SHATEC students to pursue a higher diploma followed by a bachelor of sciences degree in hotel management, accredited by PolyU.

According to SHTM dean and chairprofessor, Kaye Chon, teaching staff from SHTM will be posted to SHATEC to teach the hotel management degree programme. The course will cater for both full- and part-time students with some modules taught in block release or intensive courses within a short period of time.

Chon said to TTG Asia e-Daily: “Developing people for the hospitality industry is a very important agenda for Asia. The scene today has changed a lot as the industry used to be led by expatriates with not much Asian talent.

“Now we have a lot of Asian talent (and) we are seeing changing customer profiles with more Asian tourists. That is why it is important to develop Asian leadership in the industry to cater to them.”

He added: “SHATEC has always done a very good job in producing leaders in the operational businesses.”

TTG Asia e-Daily understands launch date for the degree programme has yet to be confirmed.

Margaret Heng, chief executive of SHATEC, commented in a press release: “As the Singapore hotel industry embarks on its productivity and capability enhancement initiatives, the SHATEC-SHTM collaboration will provide opportunities for everyone in the industry to learn from one of the most innovative hospitality schools in Asia. This fits in nicely with SHATEC’s mantra to develop talents with deep skills and knowledge of the trade.”

SHATEC’s latest collaboration with SHTM comes on the heels of August’s MoU with MeiHo University in Taiwan for student exchange programmes.

At the MoU signing ceremony today, Chon also delivered an address on innovations within the hospitality industry.

He cited trends such as the centre of gravity for hospitality shifting to Asia from the rest of the world and pointed out that 48 per cent of hotels in the world pipeline are located in Asia, creating a need for education.

AQUA Boracay by YOO will become the first luxury resort residence in the Philippines by YOO Hotels & Resorts when it opens in winter 2015.

Part of global design brand YOO that was founded by John Hitchcox and Philippe Starck, YOO Hotels & Resorts brings the YOO focus on contemporary design and service to the Boracay resort.

The five-star property is spread across 16,000m2 of tropical gardens and five different levels, situated by Bulabog beach with a total of 168 guestrooms and suites with wraparound terraces.

When open, Aquar Boracay by YOO will offer one specialty restaurant, a second restaurant featuring local flavours with international culinary influences, a lagoon pool facing the sea, a second pool, a 300m2 spa, a health club, and a yoga studio.

Function rooms and a wedding pavilion add space for guest meetings and events.

The concierge at Aqua Boracay by YOO will keep guests occupied with exclusive experiences such as kitesurfing and personalised excursions including boat trips to secluded beaches, island-hopping, and visits to local fish markets.

LEVERAGING its extensive network of hubs and flights throughout the region, AirAsia will introduce a regional air pass for flights throughout South-east Asia.

According to news agency AP, AirAsia Group chief executive Tony Fernandes said the AirAsia ASEAN Pass will be launched in the market on January 15.

Travellers with the pass can fly to 10 different destinations in South-east Asia in one month for RM499 (US$148), not including airport taxes.

More details will be released closer to the launch, said officials.

Fernandes was reported as saying the pass would “catalyse” air travel and attract more foreign tourists.

SHANGRI-LA Hotels & Resorts is looking to expand its mid-market Jen brand in the Philippines beyond Manila, as the group yesterday unveiled the rebranding of Traders Hotel Manil to Hotel Jen Manila.

Golden Whitehead, director – special projects for the Hotel Jen brand, told TTG Asia e-Daily that the company is exploring opportunities to launch Jen hotels in Bohol and Bacolod in Visayas, and Davao in Mindanao.

There are currently five Shangri-La properties but only one Hotel Jen in the Philippines, he noted. “Shangri-La hotels dominate the luxury market in Manila so there’s a mid-market gap. We’re trying to bridge the gap between the luxury and mid-market hotels.”

Whitehead said the brand’s focus in Asia includes the Philippines and countries without a Hotel Jen yet such as Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, and Cambodia. The group would like to manage rather than own the Jen hotels.

His comments to TTG Asia e-Daily came yesterday on the sidelines of Hotel Jen Manila’s rebranding from Traders Hotel Manila.

Apart from the six Traders hotels that were rebranded into Jen hotels this year and a further four next year, the company is also working on 18 different projects, including signed management agreements for Hotel Jen in Beijing and Kuala Lumpur.

Each hotel will have about 550 rooms, he said.

Separately, Shangri-La at The Fort will open in Manila in 2016.

CONFERMA and eNett International have joined hands to equip small- and medium-size TMCs on Conferma’s payment network with the ability to make supplier payments using virtual account numbers (VANs).

According to a press release, eNett will integrate into Conferma’s global payment network under the terms of the agreement.

VANs, automatically generated MasterCard numbers for supplier payments, automates the once manual payments handling and reconciliations processes that cost companies between US$300-$6,000 a week.

Furthermore, virtual cards can also improve security by reducing risk of fraud and supplier default.

eNett VaNs are available in 27 currencies, out of which 15 are locally funded and settled for lower cost foreign exchange. Users can start earning rebates once they begin transactions.

Conferma CEO, Simon Barker, said: “Our partnership with eNett will provide a much needed alternative funding model for small- and medium-size TMCs through our global travel payment network.

“Across the travel industry virtual card payments continue to replace expensive and error prone manual tasks with paperless, automated processes. This is a major boost for these businesses (which) will be able to reduce processing costs and free up their people to focus on delivering other customer needs.”

KEMPINSKI Hotels will operate and service three components within Kuala Lumpur’s large-scale luxury development, 8 Conlay, located in the heart of the city’s Golden Triangle.

The European hotel group had signed an agreement with KSK Group, via property development arm KSK Land, for the 260-key Kempinski hotel and the 403-unit Kempinski Residences.

Both Kempinski brand properties will anchor the development of 8 Conlay’s hotel tower, together with up to 1,092 units of 8 Conlay Residences, also serviced by Kempinski.

The 8 Conlay development is a few minutes’ walk from Bukit Bintang shopping district and the Pavilion Kuala Lumpur mall, as well as a 50-minute drive to/from Kuala Lumpur International Airport. The groundbreaking for 8 Conlay is scheduled to take place early next year and is expected to be completed by 2020.

Alejandro Bernabé, CEO of Kempinski Hotels, said in a release: “This unique project marks Kempinski’s entry into the important Malaysian market and underlines our commitment to expansion in South-east Asia.”

The hotel and residences will benefit from facilities such as Kempinski The Spa, a wellness concept which offers herbal treatments inspired by the seasons; a gym; swimming pool; and a variety of restaurants and bars.