Raffles Hotels & Resorts has appointed Dennis de Groot as acting general manager of both Raffles Hotel Le Royal in Phnom Penh and its sister hotel Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor in Siem Reap.
With more than 15 years of experience in the hospitality industry, de Groot previously held hotel management positions in the Maldives, Azerbaijan and South Africa, including nearly three years at a private game lodge.
De Groot was recruited by the Accor Group in 2016 to oversee the rebranding of the Jumeirah Dhevanafushi as it transformed into the Raffles Maldives Meradhoo.
He then moved to Cambodia in 2018 as hotel manager at Raffles Hotel Le Royal and was appointed the acting general manager in January 2021.
Tax reforms and an improved climate for hotel investments are among the items on the wish list of India’s tourism and hospitality players, who are on the edge of their seat as they await the country’s Union Budget 2022-2023 presentation on February 1, 2022.
India’s tourism and hospitality stakeholders hope for supportive policy reforms this year; Parliament House in New Delhi pictured
Many industry stakeholders regard the new spending policy and direction as critical to their survival, and are expecting the government to announce policy reforms that will benefit the beleaguered but economically-crucial tourism and hospitality industry.
Naveen Kundu, managing director, EbixCash Travel Services – India, South East Asia & Middle East, told TTG Asia: “The forthcoming budget offers an opportunity for the Indian government to address long-standing demands of the tourism and hospitality (industry). The government should declare tourism as a priority sector for the next two years. We expect the government to provide tax concession to hotels and resorts in India to boost demand for domestic tourism and inbound tourism.”
The Hotel Association of India (HAI) has requested that the government confer status of ‘Infrastructure’ to the hospitality sector, which will encourage greater investments.
“Access to softer funding, longer repayment periods and resultant shortening of the gestation period will make hotel investments more attractive and sustainable,” said HAI vice president KB Kachru, who is also chairman emeritus and principal advisor, South Asia to Radisson Hotel Group.
“The road to recovery can also be aided by measures such as an extended moratorium, rationalisation of taxes, and ease of doing business,” he added.
Vishal Suri, managing director, SOTC Travel, called for government backing in structural transformation that is needed “to build a stronger, more sustainable and resilient tourism industry”, as well as the removal of a 50 million rupee (US$659,960) cap on the Service Export from India Scheme (SEIS) benefit. The latter would fuel tourism recovery and promote employment generation, he explained.
Under SEIS, exporters of selected services are entitled to an incentive on the net foreign exchange earned in the form of duty credit scrips, which can be used to pay import duty or encashed by selling it to an importer.
Best Western Hotels & Resorts has rolled out a Welcome 2022 Sale, a promotion that offers discounts of up to 40 per cent at its hotels and resorts in destinations across Asia.
Guests who book directly with Best Western between now and February 15, 2022, for stays taken any time through June 30, 2022, will obtain a 30 per cent discount on the hotel’s Best Rate. An additional 10 per cent will be extended to Best Western Rewards members. Full prepayment is required at the time of booking.
Participating properties are:
Thailand (Best Western Plus Wanda Grand Hotel, Best Western Royal Buriram Hotel, Best Western Premier Bayphere Pattaya, and Vīb Best Western Sanam Pao)
Indonesia (Best Western Kuta Villa, Best Western Plus Makassar Beach, and Best Western Premier Agung Resort Ubud)
Philippines (Best Western Plus The Ivywall Resort, Panglao)
Vietnam (Best Western Premier Sapphire Ha Long)
Japan (The Hotel Kyoto Palace, BW Signature Collection)
In place at all properties is Best Western’s We Care CleanSM programme, allowing guests to have peace of mind thanks to the comprehensive series of hygiene protocols and best practices, from check-in to check-out.
LA-based LEDR, a deep technology company which harnesses the power of collective intelligence to aid decision-making, is planning to set up the company’s headquarters in Singapore and use the city-state as a springboard for its next development phase.
LEDR was founded to commercialise cutting-edge technology that first originated from US national intelligence agencies.
Lau: LEDR has signed a multi-year engagement with a hotel chain to digitally transform its operations
The company creates an up-to-date digital representation of the organisation that gives companies full control of their knowledge assets when collaborating around analytics. This allows companies to generate insights for decision-making without having to centralise or exchange any data.
Last year, LEDR participated in the fourth cohort of the Singapore Tourism Accelerator (STA) programme, partnering with SATS to develop a deep tech system that promotes data sharing and collaboration among businesses in the aviation sector.
The company’s participation in the programme was “to enable the transition from building up our general capabilities to applying those capabilities to solve business needs in different industries, for example, hospitality,” shared Edwin Lau, CEO, LEDR.
“The programme also served as a launchpad for us to meet with multiple hotels and F&B companies.”
Since then, the company has signed a multi-year engagement with a hotel chain to digitally transform its operations, and is currently in similar talks with other global hotel chains and F&B businesses, said Lau.
The company has also held several discussions with other prospective stakeholders to apply its technology in smart buildings, cyber security, supply chain, financial services, and healthcare.
“Our expertise and innovative solution are brought into the spotlight in cases where there are disparate sources of information,” said Lau, adding that the company’s approach “makes insight and intelligence a lot more accessible”.
He explained that with growing demand for personalised services and instant gratification among consumers, companies like aviation businesses can harness technology to enhance guest experience and automate mundane and repetitive tasks, freeing staff to focus on customer relations and value-added activities.
“Companies need technologies that not only help them understand macro trends and patterns, but also, the micro details about each of their customer. All that insight needs to be utilised at every customer touchpoint – whether it is an automated chatbot or when flight attendants serve passengers on board flights,” he said.
In explaining why data sharing and collaboration among aviation and hospitality companies is vital for the future of the industries, Lau said that “the power of analytics is driven by the diversity of information sources you have access to”.
He noted that Gartner predicted that by 2025, 70 per cent of organisations will shift their focus from big to small and wide data, providing more context for analytics and making artificial intelligence (AI) less data hungry.
“No individual company will be able to have all the information they need. A diversity of perspectives matter in our increasingly connected world,” said Lau.
“Deloitte has found that organisations with diverse ecosystems are significantly more likely to have a transformative vision for AI, enterprise-wide AI strategies, and use AI as a strategic differentiator.”
Thus, collaboration and the sharing of information are important if industries such as aviation and hospitality want to maximise the value of their data assets, said Lau, but he pointed out that the process can be “difficult, expensive and risky if a company utilises conventional approaches”.
“A key problem is that conventionally, collaboration means that one party must give up control over their data. As one of the most valuable assets to any company, why would anyone willingly give it up?” he said. “In addition, having to extract and replicate data makes it hard to keep things synchronised, and out-of-date data can often be more misleading than having no data at all.”
This is where LEDR comes into play. Unlike solutions that require businesses to centralise data or information – for example, in data warehouses, data lakes or data exchanges – LEDR’s approach minimises the movement or replication of data, while enabling ecosystems to collaborate on insights and knowledge without the need to exchange data.
LEDR has created new capabilities that conventional approaches are unable to provide customers with, particularly pertaining to intelligent systems, said Lau.
Following its participation in the STA programme, which acted as the company’s platform for a market test, Lau said it has been getting “good reception” from almost every company that it has approached across a variety of industries. With that traction, Lau is building a team and establishing the company’s headquarters in Singapore.
“We believe our technology is transformational, and we plan to use Singapore as a springboard for the next phase of our journey,” he said, adding that the company’s efforts are in alignment with Singapore’s national technology agenda.
Indonesia has launched a Safe Travel Bubble Arrangement between Singapore and two Riau islands – Batam and Bintan – on January 24 in a bid to restart the once-thriving tourism industry in the two resort destinations.
The two islands have been approved for reopening as they are rated Community Activity Restrictions (PPKM) Level One, which indicates low local infection and hospitalisation incidences. At the same time, hotels and facilities in Bintan’s Lagoi and Batam’s Nongsa areas are certified under the country’s Clean, Health, Safety, and Environment (CHSE) certification programme.
Bintan’s Lagoi (pictured) and Batam’s Nongsa qualify for Indonesia’s Safe Travel Bubble programme, and are allowed to welcome fully vaccinated travellers from Singapore
Announcing the move on Monday, Sandiaga Uno, minister of tourism and creative economy, said: “The Safe Travel Bubble for Riau Islands has been prepared for more than a year, and we can declare now that Lagoi and Nongsa are more than ready to become the travel bubble zones for travellers from Singapore.”
He expressed hopes that the decision to reopen the islands for tourism would stimulate economic recovery, create job opportunities and send “positive signals that we have handled the pandemic well”.
Travellers using the Safe Travel Bubble must enter Batam via the Nongsapura ferry terminal and Bintan via the Bentan Telani ferry terminal, stated a circular issued by Indonesia’s Covid-19 Task Force.
They must also make an advanced reservation at one of the hotels in Lagoi or Nongsa, and restrict their stay and activities within these areas.
To qualify for the Safe Travel Bubble, travellers must have completed two vaccinations, show a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test result taken within 72 hours to arrival, hold a travel insurance with S$30,000 (US$21,951) of coverage, as well as download and use the Peduli Lindungi and Blue Pass applications.
Sandiaga said ferry services at Bentan Telani will be gradually increased to support the Safe Travel Bubble. For a start, the terminal will offer one trip per day, taking in 50 to 100 passengers. Operations will be intensified to eight trips per day, with up to 500 travellers in total daily capacity.
Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, coordinating minister of maritime affairs and investment, said the implementation of the programme would be monitored weekly, and reversed should Covid-19 cases rise.
Malaysia has relaxed her entry procedures for boosted travellers and will soon do away with temperature checks when entering premises as the country prepares to move into the endemic stage of Covid-19.
From January 24, 2022, the quarantine period for travellers that have received vaccination booster shots will be five days instead of seven. They will need to undergo Covid-19 polymerase-chain reaction (PCR) test two days prior to departure to Malaysia, upon arrival and on the fourth day of quarantine. They can opt for a rapid test kit (RTK) on the fifth day, with supervision by health officers, should they choose to forego the PCR test on the fourth day of quarantine. A negative result on either the final PCR or RTK test will allow the traveller to exit isolation.
Malaysia has cut-short quarantine-on-arrival requirements for vaccinated and boosted travellers
Vaccinated travellers who have yet to receive a booster shot will need to serve a seven-day quarantine, while those who are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated will need to serve 10 days.
Arrivals from abroad will be given a digital Home Surveillance Order and will not need to wear the usual surveillance bracelets. However, travellers from high-risk countries will need to have their surveillance bracelets on.
Health minister Khairy Jamaluddin said that the ministry has accepted a proposal to remove temperature checks from the Covid-19 standard operating procedures. He added that soon, individuals will only need to check in via MySejahtera app upon entering public premises. However, they will still be required to show their vaccination certificates before entering shops and restaurants.
Hong Kong’s Society of IATA Passenger Agents (SIPA) is seeking “formal notice” and clarification from Air India following a call from the airlines on January 11 that only the American Express (Amex) credit card will be accepted as the Form of Payment (FOP) with immediate effect.
According to SIPA, Air India’s “abrupt policy change with little or no notice” has raised a number of concerns for members and IATA Accredited Agents.
Air India alters FOP in Hong Kong and accepts payment made only with American Express credit cards
In his letter to Air India, SIPA chairman Tommy Tam wrote: “The change of your policy to accept credit card only will greatly limit an agent’s performance if customers are going to settle their payment by means other than credit card, not to mention the popularity of American Express Card in Hong Kong compared with many other card issuers.
“Clearly, such a policy places consumers who rely on far larger card issuers such as Visa, Mastercard, UnionPay etc at a significant disadvantage and discourages them from booking Air India.”
Citing IATA Resolution 890, paragraph 3, Sub-paragraph 3.4, one SIPA member writing directly to Air India stressed the airline’s “unprecedented directive conflicts with the IATA Resolution”.
The member noted: “Air India’s abrupt policy to suddenly change the Form of Payment has significant ramifications and has the effect of ‘withdrawing’ from BSP and ‘suspending’ sales from travel agencies as no travel agents can pay them and instead must ask passengers to provide a credit card, and that too is limited to Amex.”
In Singapore, a travel agent official told TTG Asia that Air India’s FOP had been “cash only” for a number of months and this had created “a lot of confusion and had also added to the administration process”.
He commented the airline, which has a low-key presence in the city-state, had been “in and out of the GDS system and where only international flights could be booked”.
Meanwhile in India, a corporate travel manager (CTM) in the IT sector said travel on Air India was low due to Covid-19. His travel management agency has clarified that his company was not affected by the new FOP as in Hong Kong’s case. Booking and payment were per normal.
A January 11 report in Simple Flying said a court case in Canada – over a failed satellite deal from a decade ago – could see the seizure of assets belonging to both Air India and the Airports Authority of India, specifically related to funds held by IATA belonging to the parties.
PATA has formed a new preferred partnership with Flywire, a global payments enablement and software company with significant experience in the travel industry.
According to PATA CEO Liz Ortiguera, the partnership with Flywire can assist its members in enhancing their international payment processes.
Flywire can assist PATA members in enhancing their international payment processes
Flywire brings industry-leading expertise to the PATA community to solve today’s complex travel payments and reconciliation challenges. Their focus travel segments include DMCs, travel operators as well as accommodation providers.
PATA members could benefit from expanded payment options for their guests and customers, timely receipt of payments in full, as well as digitised invoicing, automated payment tracking and reconciliation.
“Payment experience actually impacts a customer’s choice of travel agent or tour operator, and it’s not hard to understand why. Nearly half of travellers have experienced problems travelling because of payment issues,” said Colin Smyth, vice president and general manager of Travel at Flywire.
“Collecting and processing payments in multiple currencies and payment types is quickly becoming an integral part of (the) guest experience.”
Flywire can be used as a standalone product, and also integrates seamlessly with existing booking systems providing a one-stop shop for payment through receipt to reconciliation.
Shangri-La Rasa Sentosa, Singapore has partnered with Veuve Clicquot to host In the Sun, an exclusive pop-up beach club that comes with all the perks of a relaxing vacation without the commitment of an overnight stay.
Rasa Sentosa x Veuve Clicquot In the Sun Beach Club daycation package is curated for adults
Designed for adults – couples, groups of friends and individuals desiring a sun-kissed, Champagne-tinged beach escape, the Rasa Sentosa x Veuve Clicquot In the Sun Beach Club daycation package is available for a limited period – from January 24, 2022.
Priced at S$138++ (US$101) per adult, the package include access to the resort’s private beach from 12.00 to 19.00; one bottle of Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Brut; S$50 nett dining credits; sea sports activities; and amenities & services including towel service and use of a beanbag lounger and changing room.
The updated Travelport+ platform makes it even easier for travel agents to do their job and maximise revenue
Travelport has brought enhanced, modern retailing tools onto its Travelport+ platform to make it easier for agents to deliver better service to their travellers.
Travel agents can expect more capabilities that improve airline connectivity and minimise back-end work in customer servicing; upgraded hotel content distribution, with richer room, rate and rules details as a result of upgraded connectivity with Hilton; and a new version of Smartpoint which now comes with more customised itinerary quotes in Trip Quote as well as faster Assisted Ticketing capabilities that streamline complex ticketing and exchange tasks for agents.
The updated Travelport+ platform makes it even easier for travel agents to do their job and maximise revenue
Travelport has also launched a new Trip Manager portal on Travelport+, offering travellers the ability to service their own trip, and carry out fast, easy transactions on the go. The self-service option for travellers using the new portal allows agencies to preserve resources while providing travellers an improved experience with the ability to easily add extras to their trip.
These enhancements are part of Travelport’s continued Intelligent Storefront mission, which aims to make it easier for agents to understand offers and compare brands with similar attributes on a like-for-like basis, and to easily identify upsell offers with NDC and ATPCO fares.
Jen Catto, chief marketing officer at Travelport, said: “Today’s enhanced features empower travel agents to offer more choice, enable greater self-service capabilities for travellers, and simplify the most complex servicing processes.
“All Travelport+ customers enjoy a more modern, digital-first retail experience when connecting through our platform. That includes our desktop customers, who have said that the latest version of Smartpoint has managed to transform mundane travel management tasks into superior servicing opportunities.”
LA-based LEDR, a deep technology company which harnesses the power of collective intelligence to aid decision-making, is planning to set up the company’s headquarters in Singapore and use the city-state as a springboard for its next development phase.
LEDR was founded to commercialise cutting-edge technology that first originated from US national intelligence agencies.
The company creates an up-to-date digital representation of the organisation that gives companies full control of their knowledge assets when collaborating around analytics. This allows companies to generate insights for decision-making without having to centralise or exchange any data.
Last year, LEDR participated in the fourth cohort of the Singapore Tourism Accelerator (STA) programme, partnering with SATS to develop a deep tech system that promotes data sharing and collaboration among businesses in the aviation sector.
The company’s participation in the programme was “to enable the transition from building up our general capabilities to applying those capabilities to solve business needs in different industries, for example, hospitality,” shared Edwin Lau, CEO, LEDR.
“The programme also served as a launchpad for us to meet with multiple hotels and F&B companies.”
Since then, the company has signed a multi-year engagement with a hotel chain to digitally transform its operations, and is currently in similar talks with other global hotel chains and F&B businesses, said Lau.
The company has also held several discussions with other prospective stakeholders to apply its technology in smart buildings, cyber security, supply chain, financial services, and healthcare.
“Our expertise and innovative solution are brought into the spotlight in cases where there are disparate sources of information,” said Lau, adding that the company’s approach “makes insight and intelligence a lot more accessible”.
He explained that with growing demand for personalised services and instant gratification among consumers, companies like aviation businesses can harness technology to enhance guest experience and automate mundane and repetitive tasks, freeing staff to focus on customer relations and value-added activities.
“Companies need technologies that not only help them understand macro trends and patterns, but also, the micro details about each of their customer. All that insight needs to be utilised at every customer touchpoint – whether it is an automated chatbot or when flight attendants serve passengers on board flights,” he said.
In explaining why data sharing and collaboration among aviation and hospitality companies is vital for the future of the industries, Lau said that “the power of analytics is driven by the diversity of information sources you have access to”.
He noted that Gartner predicted that by 2025, 70 per cent of organisations will shift their focus from big to small and wide data, providing more context for analytics and making artificial intelligence (AI) less data hungry.
“No individual company will be able to have all the information they need. A diversity of perspectives matter in our increasingly connected world,” said Lau.
“Deloitte has found that organisations with diverse ecosystems are significantly more likely to have a transformative vision for AI, enterprise-wide AI strategies, and use AI as a strategic differentiator.”
Thus, collaboration and the sharing of information are important if industries such as aviation and hospitality want to maximise the value of their data assets, said Lau, but he pointed out that the process can be “difficult, expensive and risky if a company utilises conventional approaches”.
“A key problem is that conventionally, collaboration means that one party must give up control over their data. As one of the most valuable assets to any company, why would anyone willingly give it up?” he said. “In addition, having to extract and replicate data makes it hard to keep things synchronised, and out-of-date data can often be more misleading than having no data at all.”
This is where LEDR comes into play. Unlike solutions that require businesses to centralise data or information – for example, in data warehouses, data lakes or data exchanges – LEDR’s approach minimises the movement or replication of data, while enabling ecosystems to collaborate on insights and knowledge without the need to exchange data.
LEDR has created new capabilities that conventional approaches are unable to provide customers with, particularly pertaining to intelligent systems, said Lau.
Following its participation in the STA programme, which acted as the company’s platform for a market test, Lau said it has been getting “good reception” from almost every company that it has approached across a variety of industries. With that traction, Lau is building a team and establishing the company’s headquarters in Singapore.
“We believe our technology is transformational, and we plan to use Singapore as a springboard for the next phase of our journey,” he said, adding that the company’s efforts are in alignment with Singapore’s national technology agenda.