Wyndham Hotels & Resorts (WH) is debuting its La Quinta by Wyndham brand in the South-east Asia and Pacific Rim (SEAPR) region with the signing of two new hotels in New Zealand.
La Quinta by Wyndham, to be known as LQ by Wyndham in the SEAPR region, is an upper-midscale brand with over 925 destinations in the Americas and Europe.
LQ by Wyndham Remarkables Park is slated to open in late 2020
The two hotels will be located in Auckland and Queenstown, under a franchise agreement with Safari Group, Wyndham’s long-standing partner in the region.
Nestled next to the scenic Kawarau River, the 87-key LQ by Wyndham Remarkables Park, is set to open its doors in late 2020; while the the 246-key LQ by Wyndham Greenlane Auckland will open in mid-2022 on the Great South Road in the city’s Ellerslie district.
Both LQ by Wyndham Remarkables Park and LQ by Wyndham Greenlane Auckland will feature a mix of accommodation for short and extended stays, and facilities including fitness centres and “grab & go” cafés.
Wyndham acquired La Quinta’s hotel franchise and management businesses in 2018, further building upon the company’s diverse family of hotel brands and offerings around the world.
The announcement comes off the back of the brand’s recent European debut in Istanbul – the first La Quinta to open outside the Americas – and underscores Wyndham’s commitment to accelerate the growth of the brand’s footprint internationally.
In 2019, Wyndham announced plans to debut the brand in the Caribbean market by opening eight hotels across the Dominican Republic within five years, and it grew La Quinta’s footprint in Mexico and Chile in 2018.
Joon Aun Ooi, president and managing director, SEAPR, WH, said: “Despite the current (Covid-19) situation, we are confident of the tourism momentum in New Zealand and that international travellers will return to seek out the country’s natural attractions and stunning scenery.”
Some 70% of travellers would choose one travel provider over another if they received a positive payment experience, with price transparency, diverse payment options and enhanced security topping their list of demands, according to a study by Amadeus.
The Frictionless Travel Payments study surveyed 5,665 travellers across ten globally representative markets, and also drew on the results of a survey of payments leaders from 70 travel retailers and a range of interviews with Amadeus’ travel payments experts.
New Amadeus study identifies that travellers demand choice, transparency and security for frictionless payments
The study, which investigates what travellers value most from the payment experience so that travel companies can make better-informed decisions about how to cater to these travellers’ demands, found that travel and payment trends are colliding to drive new behaviour, with 74% respondents saying a poor payment experience reduces the enjoyment of their holiday.
For example, 74% of people now book travel less than two months before departure and millennials are more than twice as likely to do so than those over 55. When it comes to meeting the payment expectations of this growing group of late bookers, they demand price transparency, a wide choice of payment methods and improved security.
With millennials also more than twice as likely as those over 50 to ditch their shopping basket, payments represent a significant opportunity for the industry.
While new innovations such as “pay by instalment” are particularly popular with millennials, 66% of all respondents confirmed they would be more likely to buy with an instalment option and 56% said they would purchase higher-value services if they could spread the payments.
As the average traveller now relies on more than four different payment methods throughout their trip, it’s clear to see why 38% of travellers surveyed cite payment method choice (e.g. cards, bank transfer, e-Wallets) as their number one requirement. However, what matters even more is transparency, with 47% saying that unexpected fees, charges or foreign exchange surprises are a major point of friction.
Bart Tompkins, managing director, payments, Amadeus, said: “I’m confident that 2020 will be the year in which we see travel sellers aligning their payment strategies to meet not only customers’ demands but also their preferences. It’ll be the year where we see a significant step forward in delivering a frictionless payment experience in travel.”
He continued: “However, with 75% of travel firms still finding it hard to offer a simple and consistent payment experience, there’s work required to deliver on travellers’ desire for greater choice, transparency and security.”
The study includes a range of recommendations for the industry to deliver a frictionless payment experience. They include improving payment choice at checkout by regularly monitoring traveller payment trends at a local market level and having a process to continually test different payment methods locally; boosting transparency by integrating multi-currency conversion so travellers gain “price certainty” in a currency they’re familiar with and clearly displaying any charges up-front; and building trust by clearly communicating the steps they’ve taken to secure their customers’ data and by having a robust two-factor authentication process in place.
As well, travel operators should empower last-minute buyers by using open-APIs and cloud to deliver rich, fast and reliable payments as well as personalising the payment methods offered to a traveller during the trip; and remove the stress of travel with automated and pre-booked services by ensuring ancillary services like baggage or lounge access are offered pre-trip, and by providing “book-now, pay-later” options and modernised payments in areas like the airport.
Intrepid Travel has launched new women-only expeditions to Pakistan and Israel and Palestinian Territories – a move by the Melbourne-based travel company to strengthen its commitment to gender equality by including more female tour guides and female-owned enterprises on its tours.
The two new destinations add to the existing portfolio of Iran, Jordan, Nepal, Kenya, Morocco, Turkey and India; with customer numbers on the women-only expedition range growing 116 per cent in 2019.
Intrepid Travel launches women-only expedition that brings travellers to trek the Annapurna Base Camp in Nepal
“This is Intrepid’s fastest-growing range to date, and we have seen women connect with women in powerful and moving ways,” Intrepid Travel senior product manager Jenny Gray said.
“Now in its third year, local female leaders offer insight and a unique understanding of women in these regions with respect to their cultural and religious values. We have found experiences that share stories of female empowerment, and directly benefit local women by seeking out female-owned accommodation, restaurants, suppliers, and businesses in Pakistan and Israel and Palestinian territories,” she added.
This emphasis is in line with Intrepid Travel’s new gender equality goals. Last year, the travel company met its target of doubling female tour leaders, in its bid to increase opportunities for women in tourism. There were 154 female leaders in 2017; in January 2020, that number was 342.
In 2020, Intrepid will enhance those goals with new commitments to increase employment opportunities for women in the travel industry, including doubling the number of female porters globally who assist travellers on mountain hikes in Tanzania, Peru and Nepal.
“It’s crucial for us to enable women in all levels of the business – from our leaders on the ground all the way to gender parity on our board,” Intrepid Travel CEO James Thornton said.
Supply chain is an ongoing focus for Intrepid. The travel company will perform a rigorous audit to assess how many suppliers are women-owned or women-led in 2020. In 2021, Intrepid will work with its biggest suppliers to maximise opportunities for women and reduce gender inequality.
The Pakistan: Women’s Expedition, priced at A$4,270 (US$2,535), is a 15-day journey to Pakistan’s remote northern mountains, where a local female leader will guide guests to the Hunza and Yasim valleys. Guests will get to meet the local women working on empowerment projects throughout the region; stay with a local family in a remote mountain village, and witness the march of modern Pakistan in the country’s capital of Islamabad.
The Israel and Palestinian Territories: Women’s Expedition (A$3,195) is an eight-day journey to Israel and Palestinian Territories with local female leaders and guides from Israeli, Palestinian and Bedouin backgrounds.
Guests will get the chance to meet Palestinian peace activists, break bread with Bedouin women, and learn about Israeli women working to secure the right to pray at the Western Wall. They can also visit a social tourism project in an artist’s village in Arad, explore the West Bank city of Ramallah with a local peace activist, and enjoy a home-cooked meal and discussion with activists from the Women Wage Peace organisation.
Looking to soften the impact of cruise vacations disrupted by Covid-19 fears and travel restrictions, Genting Cruise Lines is giving passengers the option of cancelling their travel plans and receiving a full credit through its Cruise As You Wish assurance.
All existing and future bookings for travel prior to or on July 31, 2020 can be cancelled up to 48 hours before departure. Customers will receive a 100 per cent cruise credit for future trips with the company departing on or before December 31 this year.
World Dream
Michael Goh, president of Dream Cruises and head of international sales, Genting Cruise Lines, said: “We hope that the introduction of the Cruise As You Wish assurance will help minimise booking concerns among our guests and at the same time provide them with the much needed flexibility and cruise option.”
According to Genting Cruise Lines, there have been “no reported cases” of Covid-19 among its guests or crew. The company has put in place health screening and enhanced sanitisation and disinfection procedures across its fleet.
Agoda is debuting a new feature for longer-stay visitors, which allows reservation of rooms and properties for longer than 30 days and up to 90 days.
Launching first on Agoda Homes, the feature is set to be rolled out for Agoda’s other properties.
Agoda has stepped into the long-stay lodging space
It was designed in response to the growing market of long-term stay visitors, including those taking a gap year or planning for overseas assignments and relocations as well as retirees who have the budget and time to enjoy longer trips, said Agoda.
Travellers, such as working adults on a gap year — a rising norm, shared Agoda — have the option of making one reservation instead of “stitching together multiple bookings”, said David Salamon, director, product, Agoda Homes.
The National Association of Travel Agents Singapore (NATAS) has called off its annual travel fair after taking into consideration local and global government travel advisories as well as public health risk assessment and uncertain travel sentiments.
The event was initially postponed from February 21-23 to May 1-3.
After being moved to May, NATAS Travel 2020 will now be cancelled
According to a press statement from NATAS, the decision was also made in view of exhibitors’ responses to a poll conducted on March 13, where a vast majority of respondents supported the fair’s cancellation.
NATAS will offer a full refund of exhibitor’s booth rental.
At the same time, the association’s second travel fair, typically held in the second half of the year and scheduled for August this year, will be reviewed for continuity.
André Kretschmann – a pioneering GHM properties general manager – has rejoined the organisation to lead its flagship property in the Maldives, The Chedi Kudavillingili, later this year.
This new appointment will see Kretschmann’s 25-year career with GHM come full circle from his beginnings as general manager at The Financial Club Jakarta, then a GHM property. After two years, he took charge of The Chedi Phuket in Thailand, before opening The Chedi Muscat in 2003. He then moved to Sri Lanka for another two-year assignment on a GHM interest in Colombo.
During this time away from GHM, Kretschmann held stints as general manager with Leading Hotels of the World (Koh Samui) and Shangri-La Boracay. He was also director for hotel openings at LVMH Hotel Management for six years, where he managed the debut of properties in the Maldives, Oman and Egypt.
He returned briefly to GHM in 2015 for a one-year assignment in Bali and has worked since 2016 as the director of the Bangkok-based resort and villa operator, TempleTree International.
Visit Malaysia 2020 campaign has been shelved due to the Covid-19 outbreak; tourists posing against the backdrop of the campaign logo on a billboard in Kuala Lumpur pictured
In yet another blow to Malaysia’s tourism industry which has buckled under the pressure of the Covid-19 pandemic, the minister for tourism, arts and culture has ordered the immediate cancellation of the Visit Malaysia 2020 (VM2020) campaign.
Minister Nancy Shukri also announced on Wednesday that all over-the-counter and online services related to the ministry’s tourism licensing division would be frozen until the end of the Restricted Movement Order.
Visit Malaysia 2020 campaign has been shelved due to the Covid-19 outbreak; tourists posing against the backdrop of the campaign logo on a billboard in Kuala Lumpur pictured
The Malaysian Association of Tour & Travel Agents president, KL Tan, told TTG Asia: “It is a good move to call (VM2020) off as the pandemic has severely impacted the tourism industry in Malaysia and around the world. The minister’s decision is a pragmatic one.”
Tan added that the tourism ministry should now refocus its resources on “recovery measures and establishing healthier tourism fundamentals”.
Yap Sook Ling, managing director, Asian Overland Services Tours & Travel, believes that the funds set aside for VM2020 will be put to better use when travel confidence returns.
As Malaysia has one of the highest number of infections in South-east Asia, Yap suggested that communications be focused on rebuilding travellers’ confidence in the destination.
“We have to highlight the efforts we have taken to bring infection rates down and procedures in place by hotels and various attractions to prevent the spread of the virus,” she said.
Nigel Wong, director, Urban Rhythms Tours, Adventures & Travel, also regards the cancellation of VM2020 as a necessary move, adding that travel may only resume in 2H2020.
“When the situation normalises, the government and the travel trade should focus on growing the domestic travel market,” he opined.
Ramada and Days Hotels by Wyndham Singapore at Zhongshan Park / Caption: Ramada and Days Hotels by Wyndham Singapore at Zhongshan Park saw a sudden upswing in hotel occupancy within 24 hours of Malaysia's declared closure
Malaysia’s surprise movement control order, enforced on Wednesday at the stroke of midnight, has brought struggling Singapore hotels some relief from the current business gloom.
Singapore employers, desperate to retain their Malaysian staff and not have them return home where they would remain behind a closed border until the end of this month, have urgently sought short-term accommodation solutions.
Ramada and Days Hotels by Wyndham Singapore at Zhongshan Park saw a sudden upswing in hotel occupancy within 24 hours of Malaysia’s declared closure
Shin Hui Tan, executive director of Park Hotel Group (PHG), told TTG Asia that a flurry of enquiries on hotel rooms and rates came as soon as the lockdown was announced.
“We understood the predicament companies are in and wanted to help them as quickly as possible. We activated our housekeeping teams to turnaround rooms swiftly for immediate check-ins,” said Tan.
Of the Group’s six properties in Singapore, Park Hotel Alexandra on the edge of the city centre has been the busiest. Its city-centre sister property, Grand Park City Hall, is also enjoying an increase of around 40 per cent in its reservations.
Jeane Lim, general manager of Grand Park City Hall, said: “These guests are mainly Malaysian employees lodged by their Singapore employers, whereas some of these are employees of our corporate clients. They are mainly from companies in the oil and gas industries, and most are working in the local plants as technicians, or equivalent.”
Tony Cousens, general manager of both Ramada and Days Hotels by Wyndham Singapore at Zhongshan Park, saw a sudden upswing in hotel occupancy within 24 hours of Malaysia’s declared closure.
“Particularly, Days Hotel Singapore is favoured among Malaysian bookers due to the in-house Halal-certified restaurant, 21 on Rajah,” he said, adding that his properties are also providing shelter for his own affected Malaysian staff.
“The temporary spike in demand due to the lockdown was a reversal of the plummeting occupancy trend that local hotels have been facing amid the dynamic Covid-19 situation. However, with such severe restrictions on global travel, market recovery will only gradually happen when there is stabilisation and containment of the virus,” Cousens said.
While Singapore hotels are seeing a turnaround in fortunes, they have little intention of making a quick buck out of companies’ misery.
Tan revealed that PHG properties have dropped their rates “to levels never ever put up publicly so as to minimise the financial burden on affected companies”.
While she has shied away from specifying how low her room rates are, she said they are “nowhere near five-star rates” and will sufficiently “help minimise out-of-pocket expenses for companies”.
Tan: hotel rates are kept minimal to ease burden on companies
The Singapore government has pitched in to provide S$50 for each affected Malaysian worker having to stay on in Singapore for work, with the amount going to his/her Singapore employers to help subsidise urgent accommodation.
“We have made our rates affordable so that companies can house their employees in a comfortable environment. I imagine dormitories will be the first choice of some employers, as rates can go as low as S$35 per person per day, but it is six people to a room,” she said.
PHG properties are able to offer single and twin-share arrangements, as well as limited triple-share.
Gilbert Madhavan, general manager of the luxurious One Farrer Hotel, remarked: “While we do not believe in profiting from the situation, this has provided some relief in offsetting our operational costs which will put us in a better position to provide for our employees and tide over this crisis.”
The hotel has about 100 guestrooms taken up by Singapore companies for their Malaysian staff, boosting occupancy by more than 30 per cent.
Madhavan added: “We have rolled out an attractive accommodation package for affected Malaysians in Singapore, and have worked closely with our corporate clients and government bodies to reach out to those in need of lodging.”
The Urban Escape Room Package is valid for Malaysians only and for bookings until April 30.
According to various corporate sources, three- to four-star hotels at the city fringes are charging about S$100 (US$69) to S$160 per night for single occupancy, some with breakfast and most with the opportunity for reduced rates should they extend their stay beyond April 1 when the Malaysian government is expected to lift the movement control order.
However, one general manager of a marine company has had to fork out about S$129 for a single-occupancy standard room per day for each of her three staff across 12 days in a budget hotel. – Additional reporting by Pamela Chow
Tourists from Bali will no longer be able to travel to Gili Islands by fast boat; a boat at the coast of Gili Meno pictured
The West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) provincial government has closed direct access by fast boat from Bali to popular tourist spot Gili Islands (Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air) off the northwest coast of Lombok, as part of efforts to stem the spread of Covid-19.
The new regulation is in response to a surge in confirmed cases of the virus in Indonesia, which jumped to 309 on Thursday, with 25 fatalities, the highest death toll in South-east Asia to date.
Tourists from Bali will no longer be able to travel to Gili Islands by fast boat; a boat at the coast of Gili Meno pictured
Lalu Bayu Windya, head of NTB Transportation Agency, issued a circular to close Pemenang Harbour and harbours in the three Gilis, as well as Senggigi Harbour in West Lombok Regency, from March 17-30 due to the lack of thermal scanners. However, Bangsal Harbour will remain open.
NTB governor Zulkieflimansyah explained that the three Gilis will remain open for travellers, but they need to go through Lombok either via air to Zainudin Abdul Madjid Airport or via sea to Lembar Harbour, both of which are equipped with thermal scanners, before taking land transport to Bangsal Harbour.
He said the three Gilis as well as the aforementioned airport and harbour have been disinfected and “are safe to visit”.
Awan Aswinabawa, managing director of A&T Holidays and chairman of NTB Chapter of The Indonesian Travel Agents Association, is in favour of the circular but said the new measures would inconvenience many tourists from Bali as direct access taking 1.5 hours was no longer available; the trip would now last nearly 2.5 hours.
“However, if we do more anticipatory actions (at points of entry), they will feel safer and more secure (after they arrive in Gilis),” he said.
The stricter access measures would raise travel cost by 50 per cent, to around one million rupiah (US$63), because travellers have to take a flight from Bali to Lombok, rent a car and then to pay for speedboat service to reach the Gilis, according to Dewantoro Umbu Joka, the head of NTB chapter of Association of Indonesian Tours and Travel Agencies.
Having said that, Dewantoro observed that domestic travellers were still keen on visiting the Gilis despite the central government’s call for Indonesians to stay at home.
Therefore, he hopes that the government can provide incentives, such as exemption of boat service fee from Bangsal to the three Gilis, to ease the transport cost so that they can entice travellers to keep visiting NTB in spite of the higher cost and longer travel times.
Dewantoro said that facilitating visitorship would mean the world for people in NTB who rely on the tourism sector for a living.
