HILTON Worldwide yesterday announced the signing of management agreements with Eden Group for five Hilton Hotels & Resorts properties in Myanmar.

Under the agreements, two of Eden Group’s recently opened properties in Naypyidaw and on Ngapali beach in Rakhine State will be rebranded as Hilton Nay Pyi Taw and Hilton Ngapali Beach Resort respectively. They are scheduled to welcome their first guests as Hiltons this October.

Three other hotels will open in the next three years, namely Hilton Bagan and Hilton Inle Lake in 2016, and Hilton Mandalay in 2017.

The 200-room Hilton Nay Pyi Taw will open in time for the ASEAN Summit and ASEAN Plus Summit 2014 in November. The hotel spans more than 404,000m², and will feature three F&B outlets including an all-day dining restaurant, as well as meetings and events spaces.

Hilton Ngapali Beach Resort, located on the popular beach destination overlooking the Indian Ocean, offers 51 guestrooms. The beachfront property also features an all-day dining outlet, a hotel bar and function rooms.

Hilton Bagan will offer 220 rooms; Hilton Inle Lake, 180; and Hilton Mandalay, 300 with a spacious 1,000m² ballroom.

Citing 2013’s statistics from Myanmar Tourism, Hilton said in its press statement that the country witnessed about two million tourist arrivals in 2013, a significant increase of over 90 per cent visitors from 2012, and that it is likely demand for rooms will outpace supply in the next five to 10 years.

Andrew Clough, Hilton Worldwide senior vice president of development, Middle East and Asia-Pacific, told TTG Asia e-Daily design adjustments to the hotels in Naypyidaw and Ngapali are being carried out to meet Hilton’s brand standard.
U Chit Khine, Eden Group chairman, told TTG Asia e-Daily: “Although Thingaha (the existing brand for the Naypyidaw and Ngapali hotels) is quite a reputable brand in the country, we still need to learn a lot about hospitality. This is also the right time to bring such a big international hotel chain into Myanmar to promote the quality of services and to access the international market. It is very important for Myanmar to reconnect with international communities.”

Eden Group is one of Myanmar’s largest private companies founded in 1990. Its key business sectors include construction, banking, hospitality, energy and agriculture.

ASCOTT today announced it has secured its first franchise agreements in Vientiane, Laos and Bali, Indonesia.

The agreements are for an operating serviced residence in Vientiane that will be rebranded as a 116-unit Somerset Vientiane in the 4Q2014, and a 194-unit Citadines Kuta Beach Bali scheduled to open this August.

Lee Chee Koon, Ascott’s CEO, said: “These franchise agreements mark a new milestone for Ascott…Franchise will be one of Ascott’s growth drivers for the future. Through the franchise agreements, we have added two more cities to our portfolio to reach 85 cities worldwide.

“Together with investments, management contracts and strategic alliances, franchise will bring us closer to achieving our target of 40,000 apartment units globally by 2015.”

He added: “As the Laos government pushes for more economic reforms and creates more special economic zones across the country, the number of expatriates and corporate travellers in the economic hub of Vientiane will increase. This will generate significant demand for our serviced residence, especially since there is a lack of international-class serviced residences in Vientiane.

“While most of our guests are expatriates and business travellers on extended stay, more leisure travellers are also choosing to stay in Ascott’s serviced residences. Bali is a popular destination for holiday, meetings and conferences…It (the Bali property) will further reinforce Ascott’s position as the largest international serviced residence owner-operator in Indonesia with over 2,400 apartment units across 11 properties in Jakarta, Surabaya and Bali.”

Ascott awarded the franchise for Somerset Vientiane to a subsidiary of LCD Global Investments, a real estate and hospitality group listed on the Singapore stock exchange.

Under the agreement, the serviced residence will be managed by Ascott for the first two years to ensure that it is refurbished to Somerset brand standards before transitioning to a franchise arrangement.

The franchise for Citadines Kuta Beach Bali was awarded to Menara Permata Propertindo.

VIVE Hospitality, provider of bespoke white label services for new or existing properties, has entered into an agreement with Malaysia’s Triton Equity to develop, brand and operate the new Qliq Damansara in Kuala Lumpur, opening this year.

Qliq Damansara is adjacent to eclectic architecture, corporate offices and the Damansara Performing Arts Centre, and provides quick access to Kuala Lumpur and key suburbs via major expressways. All rooms come with a view of lush greenery or the modern city landscape.

Michael Luible, executive director of Vive Hospitality, said: “ It was an exciting task to conceptualise and brand a quirky hotel with the needs and aspirations of ‘generation next’ in mind. We are confident the upbeat design and ambience of the hotel, combined with the intuitive, genuine and vibrant service delivery of our Talents will position Qliq Damansara firmly as the choice hotel for the avant-garde traveller within the Petaling Jaya area.”

The ‘Talents’, or ‘Qliq-ers’, are a team of service personnel handpicked through a stringent yet unique selection process, where candidates introduce their abilities through various social media platforms. They are intuitive, genuine and vibrant, thus delivering service that is prompt and effective.

The 271-room hotel also offers high-speed Internet and engaging facilities at the Qliq Corner. Visit www.qliqhotels.com to enjoy special opening rates.

COSTA Cruises’ first Around-the-World cruise customised for Greater China tourists opened for booking yesterday.

Departing from Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Cruise Terminal on March 4, 2015, Costa Atlantica (with a capacity for 2,680 passengers) will sail across three oceans and five continents, visiting 28 destinations in 18 countries and regions. Cruise fares of this 83-day voyage start at US$17,742 per person.

Guests who book External Classic Cabins (fromUS$22,580 per person) before June 30, 2014 can enjoy a special complimentary upgrade to Balcony Premium Cabins (from US$32,258 per person).

Bookings can be made through Costa’s preferred sales agents Miramar Travel, Westminster Travel and Wing On Travel Service.

Costa Cruises had last month announced in a press statement the launch of this special cruise, which would depart from Shanghai or Hong Kong for an 86-day and 83-day journey respectively, and will also provide Chinese-speaking crew members on board as well as Asian cuisines.

Buhdy Bok, senior vice president Pacific Asia & China, Costa Crociere, said in the statement: “Our aim is to further develop the Asia-Pacific cruise market…our experience in serving the Hong Kong market has shown that Hong Kong people have a great love for the joie de vivre of travelling and exploring exotic locations. We are confident the 86-day Around-the-World tour on Costa Atlantica will satisfy their infinite passion for travelling.”