JW Marriott Hotel Bangkok has appointed Dongwoon Kim as director of sales and marketing.
A Korean national, Kim joins JW Marriott Hotel Bangkok from Renaissance Riverside Hotel Saigon, where he was also director of sales & marketing.
His previous stints include the positions of director of sales and associate director at the Grand Hyatt Guangzhou, and other sales positions at the Hyatt Regency Jing Jin City Resort & Spa, and the Hyatt Regency Xi’an.
Royal Caribbean International has entered into a new multimillion-dollar marketing partnership with Singapore Tourism Board and Changi Airport Group (CAG) to promote fly-cruises.
The five-year tripartite collaboration is expected to bring some 623,000 international fly-cruise visitors to Singapore, and generate over S$430 million (US$315.6 million) in tourism receipts between end-2019 and 2024.
The partnership targets key regional markets including China, India, Indonesia and Malaysia, as well as longhaul markets like Australia, the UK, and the US.
Angie Stephen, managing director Asia-Pacific, Royal Caribbean Cruises, is confident that the partnership will “extend beyond five years”. She told TTG Asia: “This is because of the success that we’ve seen over the past 11 years. Cruising, and the awareness of cruising, is just getting started in Asia. I am very optimistic about the growth of cruising, (which is further) buoyed by a rising middle class.”
The partnership is also expected to generate at least 60 per cent higher tourism receipts compared to the previous partnerships combined. The first partnership ran from 2015 till 2018 to market Mariner of the Seas, followed by another three-year partnership launched in 2017 to promote Ovation of the Seas and Voyager of the Seas. Both partnerships generated a total of S$260 million in tourism dollars.
Aside from being a significant generator of economic benefits, South-east Asia’s cruise tourism sports a positive outlook, as the sector is expected to post growth of between 4.6 per cent and 6.4 per cent per annum to reach 4.5 million cruise passengers by 2035.
To support fly-cruises, a fast-growing passenger segment, CAG launched a seamless intermodal transfer service for passengers flying into Singapore and sailing out on cruise lines and ferries.
Passengers who take up this service will have their bags delivered from their arriving flights to their departing ship and enjoy facilities of the Changi Lounge located in Jewel Changi Airport, before being transferred to the cruise terminal. From December 1, 2019, Royal Caribbean guests sailing out of Singapore from China will be able to enjoy this seamless transfer service as part of the new fly-cruise travel packages.
This announcement is in tandem with the cruise line’s five-year Quantum Class ship deployment in Singapore. To kick off the partnership, Quantum of the Seas has arrived fresh from her multimillion-dollar refurbishment for her six-month homeporting season in the city state – Royal Caribbean’s longest ever Singapore deployment for a Quantum Class ship – which is expected to carry some 150,000 overseas and local guests.
Royal Caribbean also announced new amenities onboard the refurbished Quantum of the Seas, including an escape room and glow-in-the-dark laser tag, which target multigenerational travellers.
“We’re also working on a new children’s programme that we hope to announce next year. We’re also looking at themed cruises – for instance we’re partnering a local radio station in March 2020 – and we’ve also successfully completed a halal-certified cruise for a partner in Malaysia with 500 guests on Voyager of the Seas two weeks ago,” Stephen shared with TTG Asia.
She noted that it marked the cruise line’s first halal-centric initiative, and based on its success, is certainly something “we can explore in the future”.
Ascott Residence Trust (Ascott Reit) will join City Developments (CDL) and CapitaLand to redevelop the Liang Court site in Singapore’s Clarke Quay area into an integrated development, the companies announced in a joint news release on Thursday.
The site currently comprises Liang Court mall, Novotel Singapore Clarke Quay hotel and the Somerset Liang Court Singapore serviced residence.
The Liang Court site proposed integrated development, which will have a gross floor area (GFA) of 100,263m², will comprise two residential towers offering some 700 residential units, a commercial component, a hotel, and a 192-unit Somerset serviced residence, subject to approval from the authorities, according to the statement.
The proposed integrated development is targeted to open in phases from 2024.
The residential and commercial components will be owned by the 50:50 CDL-CapitaLand JV entities, while the serviced residence will be owned by Ascott Reit, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of CapitaLand.
Upon completion, CDL and CapitaLand’s 50:50 joint venture entities will own the residential and commercial components, while Ascott Reit will own the Somerset serviced residence. CDL Hospitality Trusts (CDLHT) will own the hotel under a forward purchase agreement with CDL.
The new hotel will be operated under the Moxy brand by Marriott International when it is completed around 2025, the result of a deal involving CDLHT selling its entire stake in Novotel Singapore Clarke Quay to the 50:50 CDL-CapitaLand joint venture entities and CDL, according to a report by The Straits Times.
Meanwhile, Ascott Reit, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of CapitaLand, said that it has signed a put-and-call option agreement with CDL to sell 15,170m² of the site’s GFA for Somerset Liang Court Singapore for S$163.3 million (US$119.8 million).
With net proceeds from the sale, Ascott Reit will redevelop the retained GFA of 13,034m² into a new Somerset serviced residence with a hotel licence. The land’s lease tenure will be refreshed from 57 years to 99 years. Upon completion, the estimated project development expenditure of the new property is approximately S$300 million.
The consortium also said that it plans to rejuvenate the river promenade flanking the integrated development, which is “in line with the government’s plans to enhance the vibrancy of the precinct”.
The move is expected to to generate social activities around property, increase footfall and improve pedestrian accessibility along the Singapore River, it added.
Bob Tan, Ascott Residence Trust Management’s chairman, said: “With revitalisation plans in place for the Singapore River and Clarke Quay precinct and the proposed construction of a new integrated development, it is an opportune time to recycle our capital into redeveloping our ageing property into a new Somerset serviced residence and refresh the land’s lease to 99 years.
“We will strengthen our presence in a prime location in Singapore’s popular lifestyle hub. We will continue to seek yield-accretive acquisitions, as well as development and conversion projects to maximise returns for unit-holders.”
Oakwood, a wholly owned subsidiary of Mapletree Investments, will be launching its first Oakwood Hotel & Apartments in the Bahan Township of Yangon, Myanmar.
Opening in 2H2021, this new development signals Oakwood’s aggressive expansion within Asia-Pacific following recent property announcements in Australia, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam.
Housed within a newly developed landmark, Oakwood Hotel & Apartments Yangon will offer 128 studio and one-bedroom apartments. On-site facilities include an outdoor swimming pool, fitness centre, an all-day dining restaurant and two meeting rooms.
Oakwood Hotel & Apartments Yangon will have easy access to many tourist attractions, including The Shwedagon Pagoda, which is a short drive away. Other nearby attractions include the famous Kandawgyi Lake, Yangon Zoological Garden, People’s Park and Bogyoke Aung San Museum.
Singapore-based digital rewards platform UTU is providing global tourists and shoppers with the means to receive 85 per cent of their VAT refund back – a significant increase from the 55-60 per cent refund that tourists currently receive.
Tourists can now bypass the long queues at multiple tax-free operator counters by utilising UTU Direct, a tax-free app, to consolidate all their purchases and track transactions throughout the refund process, until they receive the money and cash back to their preferred credit card.
International shoppers in Italy can also bring any tax refund form issued within Italy by any tax refund operator to the UTU Service Counter, and using UTU Direct, receive 85 per cent of the tax refund amount back.
Working with various card schemes and bank-issued cards, UTU Direct has been created to bring “increased fairness to the tax-free shopping sector”, which has long been operating through a paper-based system shrouded in opaque commissions, meaning shoppers do not receive as much VAT refund as they are entitled to.
Co-founded by Asad Jumabhoy, a VAT refund veteran with 25 years’ experience, UTU said that its focus is customer-centricity for VAT refunds – paired with a new business model designed to deliver additional value to shoppers and shops in this era of mobile connectivity.
“Most shoppers are not aware of their rights or that they even have a choice in how they claim their VAT refunds to get the best outcome for themselves. The goal of UTU has always been to innovate the tax refund process, which has remained mostly unchanged for decades as a complex, paper-based and commission-ridden system. Our solutions ensure tourists the choice in how they wish to receive their refunds, getting more for their VAT Refund every time,” said Sanjay Chinchwade, senior vice president of marketing at UTU.
In coming weeks, UTU also plans to launch UTU Plus, a VAT refund product available to all travellers and shoppers across 19 Eurozone countries, providing up to 5 per cent more on all qualifying VAT refunds.
UTU is also in the process of beta testing its 100 per cent VAT Refund product in Italy at selected stores, pending a general roll out.
Thailand-based travel firm Really Really Cool (RRC) has partnered Bangkok Dusit Medical Services (BDMS) to sell bespoke medical tourism packages specifically tailored for Chinese travellers.
Founded in 2018 by former Nok Air CEO, Patee Sarasin, RRC is looking to tap into the rapid growth of China’s outbound medical tourism market.
Patee said that Chinese travellers are spoilt for choice now that every country in Asia is trying to woo a larger market share of outbound travellers from China.
“Innovation is key if Thailand wants to remain the preferred top-of-mind destination with Chinese travellers,” said Patee.
“Thailand is losing travel business from China to other destinations around Asia. For example, Japan is currently experiencing 14 per cent growth of Chinese tourists travelling to Japan versus only 1 per cent growth of those coming to Thailand. The Chinese are also spending 18 per cent more in Japan than in Thailand.”
Several factors are affecting inbound travel from China to Thailand, including the Thai baht’s persistent strength and visa issues. Currently, Chinese tourists coming to Thailand can apply for a visa upon arrival at the airport, but they have to contend with long queues, said the company. In comparison, Japan issues five-year multiple entry visas for Chinese tourists looking to visit Japan.
“What I would like to propose for Thailand’s policymakers is that we offer three-year multiple entry visas for FIT Chinese travellers. This segment doesn’t have an issue with visa fees, but they are looking for convenience. If we can fix the visa issue, it will certainly help capture more Chinese tourists to come to Thailand for medical purposes,” said Patee.
Thailand receives between 50,000 to 60,000 Chinese medical tourists per year, according to RRC estimates. Patee claimed that current flight arrival time slots available to many airlines between Bangkok and key Chinese cities like Beijing and Shanghai aren’t convenient. Passengers depart China late at night and arrive in Thailand too early in the morning and, vice versa, he said. He also urged the responsible authorities to continue discussions with operators on how to find more suitable departure and arrival times.
Thailand ranked third globally in terms of medical tourism revenue, according to the Chinese Medical Travel Journal 2018. A growing number of Chinese patients are seeking both practical and preventive programs such as anti-aging, IVF, plus elective health screening and treatment, said RRC.
Every year, International SOS receives 4.1 million calls from our clients all over the world, requesting for assistance and advice on different medical situations and/or security situations before and during their business trips.
This can range from non-urgent ailments to critical emergency cases, and is often exacerbated by the lack of knowledge on what to do in these situations.
Based on data collected from our 26 global assistance centres, we found that medical advice cases have increased by nearly half. Most significantly, the number of cases where emergency evacuation and/or repatriation has been prevented has risen by 10 per cent, which demonstrates how prevention helps to avoid costly emergencies.
While it is important to obtain travel insurance and understand the scope of coverage, we recommend five other best practices that business travellers should note before their trips, to stay prepared for the hidden dangers of medical emergencies during their travels.
Be aware of your own medical history
The first and most vital step for business travellers is to undergo a thorough medical examination by physicians. A physician can detect pre-existing medical conditions which may be potentially exacerbated by varying conditions during the trip, and help you to mitigate these risks by arranging for the required vaccinations, medication, and emergency protocols.
Assess the most suitable medical options to provide specialised care
When you consider existing medical care options, this does not just involve researching the most reputable or the nearest facilities. Some hospitals differ with specialised medical and nursing staff and medical equipment, and may be more equipped to handle certain emergencies. You must also consider the accessibility of the hospitals to the locus of activities during your trip, especially in population-dense environments where road travel is often hindered by the sheer number of vehicles, extending journeys for hours on end.
Research the health risks of a destination to know your potential exposure
All travellers should refer to current health advisories issued by their governments and travel assistance partners before the trip so that they can keep abreast of any current or potential outbreaks. There may be vaccinations or prophylaxis that the traveller can take prior to the trip, to directly minimise the health risk. During the trip, there are usually simple non-medical measures that the individual can take to mitigate the risk of contracting any infective diseases as well.
Understand the permitted medication you can bring into your destination
One major concern that travellers have is running out of medication, particularly if they have a chronic condition. Pharmaceutical regulations can vary from destination to destination, so if you have medication to bring, keep to the permitted amount so that there will be no complications when you enter. To further reduce any hassle, carry relevant documents to certify usage and avoid any miscommunication.
Communicate, communicate, communicate
Before leaving home, know who is responsible for protecting you and how you can easily reach them if you are caught in a medical incident. Take note of the contact information and address for your embassy or consulate.
Business travellers can be equipped with the capability to share their locations and access immediate medical advice and assistance anytime and anywhere with the help of companies like International SOS. Such visibility is critical particularly during an incident where it is imperative within the golden hour to know who is safe, and who else needs help most.
Betsy Atkins, CEO and founder of Baja Corporation, has been appointed by Oyo Hotels & Homes as an independent director on the company’s board of directors.
As an independent board member, Atkins will play a supervisory role and provide guidance to the founder and the management on key business decisions.
She brings to the board experience in several aspects of the business, including corporate governance, driving tech-enabled efficiencies in business operations as well as ensuring strong business economics.
Experienced in scaling companies through the hyper-growth stage and leading them to access to the public markets and acquisitions, Atkins joins Oyo as the company is embarking on its next phase of growth.
At Baja Corporation, Atkins has built three early-stage funds and made early seed investments in consumer and enterprise software companies. Prior to that, she co-founded enterprise software companies in multiple industries, including energy, healthcare and networking.
Atkins is currently the chairman of the board at a private company, GlobalLogic, and also serves as board member at Wynn Resorts, SL Green Realty and Volvo.
SureStay Hotel by Best Western Vientiane, Laos
Designed with a blend of classical Lao art deco and French colonial styles, SureStay Hotel by Best Western Vientiane comprises 68 rooms and suites. Guests will have access to an onsite restaurant, Sure Spa, a business corner in the lobby, and a fitness centre and the Tipsy Elephant Rooftop Bar on the top floor. This is the brand’s inaugural property in Laos, and the fourth operational SureStay hotel in Asia.
Change Overnight Hotel, Australia
Guests can support a cause and stay the night simultaneously at Change Overnight Hotel, an 18-room apartment-style modern property built upon a social enterprise concept in Launceston. Choose one of eight causes, such as the Good Shepherd Agricultural Mission in India, where one night’s stay contributes to nutritious breakfasts for the children of the orphanage. For guests passionate about the environment, a one night’s stay can protect approximately 10m² of land in Tasmania through the Tasmanian Land Conservancy.
The Postcard Galle, Sri Lanka
Located on the country’s south-western coast near the fortified city of Galle is The Postcard Hotel’s latest outpost. There are just 10 rooms, each featuring high Burmese teak ceilings, wooden beds and titanium flooring. Attic Suites can house up to four guests, and come with a mezzanine floor and a private seating area overlooking the ocean. Luxury Suites meanwhile, offer an added plunge pool or jacuzzi. Facilities on-site include a lap pool, spa and restaurant-lounge.
Microtel by Wyndham Guiyang, China
The newly-built, 192-room Microtel by Wyndham Guiyang is billed as the “first intelligent hotel in Guiyang”, featuring QR code payment, and in-room voice automation allowing guests to control lighting and temperature. Amenities include an all-day dining restaurant, two meeting rooms, a gym and complimentary laundry services. Two more Microtel-branded hotels in Greater China are slated to open later this year, one of which will be in Hangzhou.
The Ritz-Carlton Pune, India
The second Ritz-Carlton in Maharashtra features 198 guestrooms and 35 suites, the largest being the Presidential Suite with two bedrooms, a living room and dining area, private bar and in-suite treatment room. Guests staying on the Club Level floors will enjoy access to the Ritz-Carlton Club Lounge on the 18th floor that features views of the golf course, private check-in, a dedicated Club Concierge, and small bites throughout the day.
There are five dining venues on-site, as well as recreational facilities includes a fitness studio, yoga deck, and Ritz-Carlton Spa with eight treatment rooms. Event planners may avail the myriad spaces on-site spread across more than 3,200m², with spaces such as an outdoor foyer for hire.
Grand Park City Hall has appointed Rachel Ng as executive assistant manager, a promotion from her most recent role as director of sales at Park Hotel Alexandra.
In her new position, Ng will work with general manager John Kockan to
lead the sales, marketing and revenue teams to drive yield and growth for the hotel.
Ng brings some 17 years of hospitality experience to her new role. She spent more than a decade of her career with the Park Hotel Group, joining Grand Park City Hall in 2015 as senior sales manager and leaving as assistant director sales in 2013. She then took on the position of director of sales at Parkroyal on Beach Road and subsequently returned to the Park Hotel Group in 2014 as director of sales at Park Hotel Alexandra.
