OVOLO Hotels has unveiled Ovolo Southside, which holds boasting rights to being the first hotel in Hong Kong converted from a former warehouse.

Situated in the revitalised town of Wong Chuk Hang on the south side of Hong Kong Island, Ovolo Southside sits in a neighbourhood previously known for its car workshops and warehouses but now draws an artistic crowd for its heritage buildings, contemporary art galleries and restaurants.

Ovolo Southside’s building was designed in 1976 and maintains its original structure, resulting in each of its 162 open-plan guestrooms being different in size and shape.

The hotel’s décor comprises utilitarian steel furniture and heavy-duty fixtures and fittings accented by poured concrete floors, with ceilings of bare-steel pipes and air conditioning pipes against exposed ceilings, while floor-to-ceiling windows allow natural light in.

Guests at Ovolo Southside can enjoy free breakfast and Happy Hour drinks every day, minibar replenished daily, self-service laundry, flexible check-out, Wi-Fi, and Apple TV and 3D Smart TVs in-room.

F&B outlets at the hotel include Cirqle that serves comfort foods and desserts in a canteen-inspired venue, Lo Lounge for cocktails and nightlife, and rooftop bar Above.

In terms of meeting spaces, Ovolo Southside has the B.I.G. room, the hotel’s take on a Mao-style meeting room with reclining leather armchairs lining padded walls of Chinese floral fabric.

For larger gatherings, Ovolo’s G.I.G. is the warehouse’s former garage and can host up to 375 attendees. The room’s centerpiece is a truck turntable that is now used as a rotating stage, while an 18m projection wall and state-of-the-art sound system make the room suitable for meetings and events.

Ovolo Southside is a member of Design Hotels.

THE Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is stepping up trade engagement after registering a five per cent year-on-year decline in arrivals from India in April, launching a new consortium, roadshows and other promotions.

Local TAT offices are tying up with Thai Airways International (THAI) and up to four Indian consolidators who will promote competitive travel packages to Thailand, with TAT subsidising half the promotion costs. The identities of these companies were not disclosed. THAI on its part will offer 50 discounted seats daily on all Indian sectors it serves.

Runjuan Tongrut, director, TAT New Delhi office, said: “In spite of the coup we have seen large group movements from India, especially wedding groups in places like Hua Hin. Working closely with our trade partners will enable us to increase tourist arrivals from India.”

Tongrut commented that India’s travel trade remains confident in Thailand, reflected in the fact that there were no cancellations from Indian buyers at Thailand Travel Mart Plus early this month.

TAT is planning a three-city roadshow beginning on July 31 covering New Delhi, Jaipur and Bhubaneswar, and expects 100 Indian buyers participating.

Partnerships with major Indian travel portals, a radio and online advertisement campaign, and the recruitment of a Bollywood actor to promote Thailand are also in the works.

Thailand received 72,000 arrivals from India, its sixth largest source market, in April and aims to hit 1.1 million arrivals by end 2015.

THE Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) is pushing through concrete plans to overhaul the aviation sector barely a month into the new government’s term, while also taking steps to address the downgrade of India’s safety ranking by US authorities (TTG Asia e-Daily, February 4, 2014).

Airports of Indore, Bhopal and Raipur will be allowed international flights by 1Q2015, while the Airports Authority of India has identified 50 airports across India to be built on a low-cost model. A contract for the modernisation of Port Blair airport in Andaman & Nicobar Islands will be awarded soon.

Rita Dhanwatay, director of Nagpur-based Ritz Safari, commented: “More international flights arriving to Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities will cut costs for inbound tourists.

“This will spread inbound tourist footfalls to a larger geographic area in India, and open up new destinations and products.”

MoCA has also engaged Washington-based Wicks Group to aid the upgrade in India’s air safety administrations and operations over a one-year period, and ordered the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to create IT platforms for e-governance and digitise most of DGCA’s operations.

Validity periods for pilot licences are also to be extended from two to five years.

Rajendra Churiwala, director-eastern region, IATA Agents Association of India, said: “Conforming to US Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) top category norms must be a priority as Indian aviation cannot afford a second-grade image while courting greater inbound tourism. Air India and Jet Airways were restricted in their expansion plans because of the downgrade earlier this year.”

MoCA will approach the FAA within 100 days after upgrading its regulatory control system.

THE Westin Resort Macau will be operated as Grand Coloane Beach Resort from June 22, marking the end of the licensing agreement with Starwood Hotels & Resorts in place since 1993.

Owned by Sociedade de Turismo e Desenvolvimento Insular, the eight-storey resort celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2013 and completed a comprehensive refurbishment of 208 guestrooms.

According to director of sales and marketing, Antony Box, the existing management team will continue running the hotel.

Said Bruno Simões, CEO of event company SmallWorld Experience and a member of Westin Club since 2008: “The Westin is our family heaven in Macau, full of greenery, a nice pool…etc. However, the problem it has been facing is a lack of investment to do continuous upkeep and necessary renovation for a seaside property of such size.”

“With direct management from the owner, everyone is hoping the necessary investments will be made. I’m confident that most things will continue as before, especially service. Being a former Starwood and Westin property gives many clients a certain assurance of service levels that an unknown brand can’t provide. So everyone is looking forward to seeing the new strategy and plans for the future.”

Reservations for the newly rebranded hotel can be made through via reservations@grandcoloane.com after June 22.

THE growing availability of large public and private information sources has led to the development of big data analytics, a potential trove of information that travel businesses can leverage to deliver more effective and tailored services to their customers.

In particular, Asia’s high rates of smartphone penetration, skyrocketing demand for ‘phablets’ (mobile devices straddling smartphone and tablet) and immense popularity of social media underscore the vast opportunities big data present, said speakers at PATAcademy-HCD, which takes place in Bangkok from June 17 to 20.

“The Internet of things” – a term that refers to the advanced connectivity of devices, systems and services – can enable travel brands to capitalise on the potential of “real-time marketing” to personalise the customer experience and predict their current and future needs, said Sonal Patel, business development director, exchange – APAC, Twitter Singapore.

Moreover, the emergence of wearable technology like Google Glass will further enhance the development of real-time marketing.

Citing his market research firm’s findings, Laurens van den Oever, global director for travel at GfK, illustrated how big data can be used to understand the booking seasonality and characteristics of destinations around the world.

For example, German and English travellers are early bookers while Italians and Russians tend to be late bookers when it comes to a summer vacation in Spain; within the region, Singaporeans are extremely late bookers, usually just four weeks in advance, he shared.

Applying booking seasonality trends to crisis communication, PATA COO, Mario Hardy, remarked: “If a crisis (in a destination) happens during high season, how you communicate to your markets is also different from when it happens during low season.”

While online is a part of nearly all travellers’ consumer journeys, van den Oever also pointed out that offline remains a major influencer. “Cross-channel usage is strong, so (travel marketers should) ensure a synergy of message across online and offline touch points,” he said. “For package tours, travel agencies and catalogues are still important touch points.”

Moreover, he also emphasised the complexity of travel purchase journeys, as consumers go through multiple pathways – ranging from generic search and aggregators to destinations and travel agencies – prior to making a booking so it is vital for travel marketers to consider the placement of their message. “Being present on all touch points is becoming mission critical,” he stressed.

NOK Airlines and Singapore Airlines (SIA) subsidiary Scoot have jump-started the creation of a new LCC by acquiring Pete Air.

In a regulatory filing on the Singapore Exchange yesterday, SIA announced that Scoot has officially entered a joint venture agreement with Nok to create the Bangkok-based NokScoot Airlines.

Said the Singapore flag carrier in the statement: “Thailand is Asia’s premier tourist destination and a logical hub for Scoot to expand to. The joint venture airline aims to develop a new market segment and to offer Thai consumers and travellers to Thailand more travel options. Acquiring Pete Air instead of setting up a greenfield venture, would expedite the startup of NokScoot.”

Both airline companies will initially hold 43.75 per cent share capital, a figure that will rise to 49 per cent following subsequent restructuring within the new company. Pueannammitr, set up by the management of Nok Air, will own the remaining two per cent.

The airlines have raised an initial aggregate share capital of two billion baht (US$61.6 million).

NokScoot’s commencement of operations is subject to regulatory approvals.

News of the joint venture broke late last year when SIA and Nok Airlines signed an MoU to start a new Bangkok-based LCC that will be based in Don Mueang airport and fly medium to longhaul routes.

THE Travel Corporation’s (TTC) stable of brands will return to Egypt later this year in a “strong showing of support for the Egyptian people” after its exodus from the country in 2013 due to political instability.

Contiki will begin trips to Egypt this September, while Trafalgar and Insight Vacations will recommence Egypt itineraries from January 2015. Uniworld cruises into the country in September 2015.

Brett Tollman, CEO of TTC, said: “We have been monitoring the destination closely and after extensive consultation with our teams on the ground, and in speaking with our travel partners in each market, we are pleased to confirm a return to Egypt later this year.

“Guest safety is the utmost priority and so we will maintain constant dialogue with colleagues in the region ahead of our planned recommencement dates.”

Tollman added that the company has seen pent-up demand for the destination, which recently went through a presidential election.

“Recognising that travel and tourism have historically represented around 30 per cent of Egypt’s GDP, it is so important that we as an industry show our support for this great country and proud peoples’ economic recovery at this time,” he said.

TTC said it will continue to observe government travel advisories.

BY AUTUMN, Chinese and Indian travellers will be able to move unhindered between the UK and Ireland with either an Irish or UK visa for the duration of the visa’s validity.

Ireland and the UK have agreed to recognise short-stay visas issued by either country for travel to their respective territories, doing away with the need for separate visas when travelling between the two. Ireland’s current regulation already allows UK visa holders to enter Ireland for a short stay.

According to Ireland Tourism, arrivals from China and India rose 68 per cent from 2010 to 2013.

Vineet Gopal, secretary, Outbound Tour Operators Association of India, said: “A single visa for seamless travel in the UK and Ireland will boost tourist traffic from India and open many new destinations.”

C Nagendra Prasad, chairman of Chennai-based Travel Express, added: “The UK is already a popular destination but is usually coupled with other destinations in continental Europe. Now such multi-country itineraries can be contained within Ireland, England and Scotland primarily, and flight costs will be less. This opens up many new combinations for Indian travellers.”