Canopy Park opens its doors on the top floor of Jewel Changi
Jewel Changi Airport has unveiled the Changi Experience Studio and Canopy Park, further cementing its ambitions to create destinations out of traditional airport gateways.
The Changi Experience Studio opened its doors on Level 4 of Jewel, featuring a garden that sings, an adrenaline-pumping runway race, a quest to collect airport trolleys, a battle of smiles and more.
With a collection of over 20 different touchpoints and 10 zones spread over 3,000m2 (about half the size of a football field), the Changi Experience Studio utilises technology to present a diverse mix of unique experiences under one roof, including interactive games, projection storytelling, immersive shows and gallery exhibits.
Canopy Park opens its doors on the top floor of Jewel Changi
Visitors can play games simulating different functions at the airport and learning how things work behind-the scenes through interactive projection exhibits. They can also look forward to an immersive show that will trigger their senses and imagination about the past and future of aviation.
It takes over 90 minutes to complete all the experiences within the Changi Experience Studio.
Exploration of the studio is done primarily with the Travel Guide – a personal interactive device that accompanies every visitor on their journey through the studio.
One of the studio’s highlights is the Garden of Harmony where visitors use their individual Travel Guide to make music through vertical hand movements. In this enchanted garden, each visitor plays a different musical instrument, before coming together with other players to perform a symphony – which plays out in the form of an audio and visual spectacle.
Jayson Goh, Changi Airport Group’s managing director for airport operations management said: “Importantly, through the various touchpoints that showcase different airport functions, Changi Experience Studio is a living tribute to the 50,000-strong airport community that makes Changi Airport what it is today. We aspire for the studio to be a showcase of Changi experience and service innovation. As an innovation space, the interactive exhibits will not remain static, but will continue to evolve as new stories on Changi are written.”
The Changi Experience Studio operates daily from 10.00 to 22.00 (last entry is at 21.00). The entry fee for Singapore residents is S$19 (US$14) for adults and S$13 for children over six years of age / seniors. Families enjoy a bundle rate of S$54 (for two adults and two children / seniors). Children under the age of six enter for free.
In addition, the Canopy Park is a 14,000m2 space taking in seven play attractions and creative gardens.
Guests can look forward to navigating their way through the Mirror Maze and Hedge Maze, walking or bouncing on the Manulife Sky Nets, exploring the sculptural playscape of Discovery Slides, and enjoying a view of the HSBC Rain Vortex and Shiseido Forest Valley from the Canopy Bridge, a bridge with glass panel flooring suspended 23m above ground.
Integrated with the attractions are interactive garden spaces that encourage play and imagination. Foggy Bowls feature four gentle concave bowls with an element of mist and fog to create the experience of playing among clouds. Topiary Walk is a whimsical wonderland, featuring animal topiaries such as an orangutan, crocodile, elephant, peacock and chameleon. Petal Garden will boast seasonal displays of flowers. Along the main loop that connects these attractions are four trees, including a pair of olive trees and the Lover’s Tree which earned its name because of its conjoined trunks.
There are eight F&B outlets at Canopy Park, and a space that can be used for events called Cloud9 Piazza.
Hung Jean, CEO, Jewel Changi Airport Development, said: “When Canopy Park was conceptualised, we envisaged a green natural environment with play and leisure activities for people of all ages. Importantly, we wanted to create a space where activities that are traditionally conducted outdoors, are brought to an indoor environment so that they can be enjoyed under all weather conditions.”
Entrance fees for Singapore residents to Canopy Park is S$4.50, while access to the various attractions will range from S$7.20 to S$19.80. There are also bundle packages to enjoy all or most of the attractions.
Gojek wants to bring headcount in India up to 500 by year-end
Gojek has acquired AirCTO, a Bengaluru-based company that uses AI tools to accelerate recruitment and opened an engineering and product development centre in Guargon, to be staffed with over 100 people.
As part of the deal, the AirCTO team will join GoJek with immediate effect and look into building products that accelerate the recruitment of talent for the Indonesian ride-hailing company.
Gojek wants to bring headcount in India up to 500 by year-end
The company has also announced the opening of a new office in Gurgaon, the first in the city and second in India, to be staffed with 100 employees, expected to bring the total India headcount to 500 by year-end.
As part of its expansion plans, the company is also considering further acquisitions in India. The Indonesian-headquartered company is seeking companies with complementary expertise in engineering, design and product management.
“Our investment in Gurgaon underlines our commitment to growing the GoJek India story. We have looked at multiple ways to expand our operations and concluded that Gurgaon is a logical destination to set up shop, not least because of the amazing talent we have found in the area.
“GoJek recorded an annualised gross transaction value of US$9 billion as of 2018, and the hyper-growth journey we’ve been on demands talent who are willing to take risks, fail, learn and continue to scale a company that aims to solve everyday problems for South-east Asia,” said Sidu Ponnappa, managing director India at Gojek.
This adds to operations in Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Sidu said the AirCTO team bring the relevant technology to help GoJek scale up its hiring processes. “Finding quality talent is always a challenge, and (AircTO founder Atif Haider) and team are here to find technology-based solutions that will help us to overcome this challenge.”
As part of the expansion, GoJek’s largest India-based product team, Go-Food, will set up product divisions in the Gurgaon offic
GoJek currently runs one of the largest JRuby, Clojure, Java and Go clusters in Asia. Its robust tech-infrastructure is built and managed by just some 350 engineers in Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
At the beginning of the year, GoJek announced the first closing of its ongoing Series F funding round led by Google, JD.com and Tencent, along with Mitsubishi Corporation and Provident Capital.
Qantas Owned Images - No licence restrictions Qantas Owned Images - No licence restrictions Qantas Owned Images - No licence restrictions Qantas Owned Images - No licence restrictions
Rising passenger expectations and competition are driving airlines to innovate and experiment with passenger comfort experience, making the experience of flying a bit less stressful and more relaxed.
The airline industry as a whole is now placing a stronger focus on the passenger experience and the individualisation of services for passengers, noted Joe Leader, CEO, Airline Passenger Experience Association at the Passenger Experience Conference in Hamburg earlier this year.
Below, a look at how major airlines in Asia-Pacific are pushing the envelop in air passenger experience.
Qantas First Lounge at Sydney International Airport
Wellness on the ground
Australia’s flagship carrier aims to set itself apart by offering comfort to travellers prior to boarding through its Qantas First lounges in Sydney and Melbourne.
“Construction is underway on our new First Lounge in Singapore and new premium lounges are also operating in London and Perth to complement our non-stop services between Australia and the UK,” said Qantas head of customer product and service delivery, Phil Capps.
Unique design elements of the lounge include retro-inspired aviation touches like a huge engine cowling-inspired light above the entrance escalator, old-style flapper flight screen boards custom-made and imported from Italy, and large air vents modelled from a 1950s’ Lockheed constellation lining the roof of the lounge. As well, Qantas’ Perth International Lounge now offers a dedicated yoga class.
In Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific has recently launched The Sanctuary by Pure Yoga in The Pier Business Class Lounge in Hong Kong. The 65m2 dedicated yoga and meditation space is open to oneworld first and business class passengers, as well as oneworld Emerald and Sapphire members.
“Wellness is becoming increasingly important to our customers,” said Cathay Pacific’s general manager for customer experience and design, Vivian Lo.
Reimaging economy
To ease passenger discomfort during longhaul travel, Air New Zealand in 2011 introduced the Economy Skycouch – a row of three Economy seats that convert into a flat, flexible surface that allows customers to stretch out in Economy cabin Skycouch – to appeal to couples or parents travelling with kids, said Jenni Martin, Air New Zealand’s head of South and South-east Asia.
More recently in 2018, the airline further enhanced the Skycouch product with an infant harness, belt and pod, making it even more family-friendly to provide additional comfort and protection for infants and peace of mind for parents, Martin told TTG Asia.
As air travel becomes commonplace and first class travel dwindles in popularity, premium economy becomes another way that airlines are rolling out differentiated products and services to stand out in a competitive market.
Said Martin: “Air New Zealand recently began operating the new configuration B787-9 Dreamliner on the Singapore-Auckland route (see review on page 12), which has more Business Premier and Premium Economy seats to serve this growing demand. This December, we will commence a new service between Singapore and Christchurch using the same aircraft.”
Cathay Pacific’s The Sanctuary at The Pier Business Class lounge
Elevated meal options
Culinary partnerships with chefs have become a popular way for airlines to step up the quality of their dining offerings mid air.
In April, Air France launched a year-long partnership with Julien Royer, two-Michelin-star chef and co-owner of Odette, the newly crowned champion of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2019 awards.
Under this partnership, which runs until March 31, 2020, La Première and business class passengers on the Singapore-Paris route can enjoy signature dishes specially created by chef Royer. Each cabin will enjoy six dishes rotating every six months.
Nicolas Ricard, Singapore country manager for Air France, told TTG Asia: “People tend to perceive inflight dining in general as being quite standard or unimpressive, but we hope this collaboration will turn this on its head.”
As part of its Signature Chefs series, Air France previously worked with other Michelin-star French chefs including the late Joël Robuchon, and is currently working with other culinary names such as Ann-Sophie Pic, Michel Roth, Régis Marcon, and Guy Martin to create their own signature dishes.
Singapore Airlines’ (SIA) premium class passengers will soon be presented with a more extensive selection of artisanal wine labels. The airline says it will offer the widest selection of Burgundy wines in the skies, with 47 labels planned for rotation over a period of 18 months – a six-fold increase from 2018.
“By expanding the range of labels that SIA offers on board, we are able to ensure a well-planned rotation of wines to keep the palates of our frequent flyers continually excited. Customers can soon look forward to a new and exciting label delivered on board every two months,” said SIA’s divisional vice president inflight services and design, Betty Wong.
“During our wine consultants’ visits to the vineyards, we also actively sought out smaller maisons and domaines to bring them into the SIA family, thus allowing us to expand the depth and range of our offerings, and satisfy the rising demand for more exclusive Burgundy labels.”
In addition, SIA has signed an MoU with wellness brand Como Shambhala. Under the initial phase of this partnership, commencing in 2H2019, Como Shambhala’s award-winning wellness cuisine will be served on selected SIA flights. The menu will be introduced across all classes, while co-developed dishes will progressively be made available in SIA’s Book the Cook service.
This comes as travellers “are paying more attention to their health and well-being whenever they travel, (including considerations) such as their menu choices or how they spend their time on board”, said SIA’s senior vice president customer experience, Yeoh Phee Teik.
Sake offerings from ANA
Others like All Nippon Airways (ANA) is keen to immerse passengers in the Japanese drinking culture as the reputation and popularity of sake rice wine has taken off globally in recent years.
“ANA considers itself to be an unofficial ambassador for Japanese culture, which is part of the reason that we aspire to set the standard for comfort and convenience in air travel,” said Yutaka Ito, executive vice president with responsibility for cabin service and developing new products for passengers.
The airline in February updated the sakes that it serves on board aircraft and in its lounges, calling on the knowledge of renowned sake sommelier Yasuyuki Kitahara to select 36 new sakes and to bring the total it now serves up to 44.
“The selection has been carefully curated to appeal to avid sake lovers as well as those who may be trying sake for the first time,” said Ito.
ANA intends to continue to encourage passengers to enjoy Japan’s washoku culture and will revise its inflight menu and drinks list in the future, Ito added.
Branded experience
It’s natural that legacy carriers leverage their ‘flag carrier’ status to showcase their national heritage and for passengers to experience a touch of local culture on board.
“Sophisticated travellers also expect a touch of Nordic hospitality in the service delivery and onboard experiences, and this is a key factor when deciding on implementing new onboard innovations in Finnair,” shared Maarit Keränen, category head, longhaul flights at Finnair.
Finnair’s Airbus A350 aircraft from Asia to Helsinki features “dynamic ambient mood LED lighting” with 24 light settings aligned with different stages of the longhaul flight, according to Keränen. “As the plane approaches Helsinki, the cabin is filled with blue hues resembling the Northern Lights.”
Furthermore, Finnair also recently created soundscapes – deemed an essential part of the overall unique Nordic experience – to create better brand awareness of the airline and about Finland for Asian passengers.
Keränen said: “Hear the Taste is our solution to the challenge of serving delicious food, marred by the background noise of the aircraft engines which in turn, affects how we perceive taste. The low background noise decreases sweet and salty flavours, whereas bitter and umami flavours are enhanced with it.”
The soundscapes are available on the inflight entertainment system and passengers can listen to it while eating. Keränen said: “It has a bit of meditative impact, and the pleasant, somewhat ambient soundscapes encourages one to focus on the meal and really enjoy the flavours while paying attention to the food, as opposed to just eating while watching an inflight movie.”
Finnair A350 business class cabin with mood lighting
Immersive inflight entertainment
To enhance passenger flight experience, Garuda Indonesia is rolling out inflight entertainment technology with the launch of an inflight virtual reality (VR) experience system in first and business class.
According to commerce director Pikri Ilham Kurniansyah, Garuda Indonesia is the first and currently the only airline in Asia-Pacific to have received safety regulations approval to offer such VR experience as inflight entertainment.
Through this VR facility, passengers can watch a variety of box office films on a wide-angle screen, spanning 180-360 degrees. The service has been introduced on Garuda’s Jakarta-Haneda (Tokyo) route since March 28.
The Indonesian flag carrier is keen to integrate cabin announcement feature into the VR entertainment system to enable passengers to be seamlessly connected, Pikri told TTG Asia.
Furthermore, Garuda is also exploring online streaming features on the VR facility and plans to be the world’s first airline to provide seat massage facilities on board. All these, said Pikri, are part of the airline’s efforts to offer “more personalised services” for its passengers.
Others like Philippine Airlines is already offering free high-speed Wi-Fi for all passengers on longhaul flights to the US, Canada, the UK and Australia operated on Boeing 777, Airbus A350 and Airbus A321neo aircraft.
Garuda Indonesia’s VR experience system
Targeted customisation
Malaysia Airlines’ Amal service is aimed at growing the pilgrimage business and enriching the experience of umrah and haj passengers from Malaysia and South-east Asia, offering both chartered and scheduled services to Jeddah and Madinah from Kuala Lumpur using Airbus A380 and A330 aircraft.
“We believe we are the first in the world to offer dedicated pilgrim-centric service,” shared Amal CEO Hazman Hilmi Sallahuddin. “The establishment of Amal is aimed at alleviating the overall quality of services in the pilgrimage market which is often associated with non-premium services.
“The market has responded favourably to the service. Small agents are able to purchase blocked seats directly from Amal if they don’t have the capacity to charter an entire aircraft. We are commencing charter flights to Jeddah and Medina for the upcoming Umrah season (September 2019 to June 2020).
“Within the next three years, we hope to get about 60 per cent of the Malaysian market share, 10 per cent from Indonesia and 50 per cent of the market share from Southern Thailand,” he continued. “Besides Indonesia and Thailand, our business plan also targets Umrah traffic in other countries in the region via feeder services and/or wet-lease arrangements.”
Amal’s onboard experiences include the invocation of inflight Talbiyah prayers, announcement of prayer times, the call to prayer (Azan), a brief tazkirah (Islamic sermon), special meals, as well as amenity kits specifically curated for pilgrims. The inflight entertainment system includes an interactive Quran, Islamic movies and TV series portraying good values and religious music.
S Puvaneswary, Pamela Chow, Tiara Maharani, Rachel AJ Lee, Julian Ryall, Prudence Lui, Adelaine Ng and Rosa Ocampo contributed to this report
Having emerged as a hot domestic travel destination in recent years, Belitung – an island east of Sumatra – is now set on transforming itself to make its mark in the international travel community.
The central government has committed to growing tourism in Belitung, with Tanjung Kelayang earmarked as a priority destination. There, the Ministry of Tourism has unveiled grand ambitions to create a new Nusa-Dua-like complex in a 324ha area, which will also embody the concept of sustainable tourism.
A popular domestic destination in recent years, Belitung now wants to woo international visitors
Arief Yahya, minister of tourism, said: “We will build Tanjung Kelayang as an integrated resort destination, which will be home to high-end hotels and resorts, a retail village as well as international restaurants, conference centre and other attractions.”
As well, Arief believes that Tanjung Kelayang, situated along a pristine beachfront, is well placed to capture the growing “bleisure” market, benefiting from its unique mix of corporate and leisure facilities and strategic location.
The Tanjung Kelayang area will be built gradually, with the first phase expected to be completed in five years. By end-2019, the destination will see the launch of the 180-room Sheraton hotel, which will be followed by Sofitel and MGallery properties next year.
Arief commented: “The recent development of Tanjung Kelayang has further raised Belitung’s attraction as a fresh destination, which can be seen from the (increasing) number of visits to Belitung.”
Belitung received a total of 380,941 arrivals in 2017, comprising 371,338 domestic visitors and 9,603 foreign visitors.
This was an increase over 292,885 visitors in 2016 arrived, made up of 285,773 domestic and 7,112 foreign visitors, he shared.
Belitung’s tourism growth has had a positive ripple effect on the hotel industry. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, there were 1,940 star hotel rooms in 2018 – up from 1,781 rooms in 2017.
The geographic proximity to Jakarta – an hour’s flight away – has also facilitated Belitung’s growth as a tourist destination, attracting hospitality brands like Golden Tulip, Fairfield by Marriott, Santika Premiere, and the latest, Swissbel Hotel.
To grow air connectivity, the regional government has approached a number of airlines to mount flights to the destination, including AirAsia as well as carriers flying to Thailand, Isyak Meirobie, deputy regent of Belitung, told TTG Asia. “China is one of them. At this point, we are still in talks,” he said.
However, at press time, Garuda Indonesia has just announced the axing of the the four-times-weekly Singapore-Belitung service, which had only began operations in October 2018.
With the closure of this Singapore connection, inbound agents fear that the positive momentum Belitung is starting to see for the international market in the past six months will be lost.
“The number is not in hundreds, but every week there are (overseas) groups that come (to Belitung),” said Yudianto Evan Setiawan, director of Billitonesia Tour. “A few groups were planning to visit Belitung in June-July, but this (service) closure inevitably made them cancel their trip and we lost the business.”
Without a direct link, Singapore and overseas clients are now “thinking twice” about selling Belitung, as domestic flights via Jakarta are more expensive and time consuming, he added.
“At this moment, the dream to make Belitung an international destination is broken,” Yudianto said. “Now we’re relying on AirAsia, said to launch flights from Kuala Lumpur in August. Hopefully the regional government will truly realise the cooperation with AirAsia.”
Airport capacity is another key challenge, Isyak pointed out, as the annual number of passengers has reached 800,000, outstripping H.A.S. Hanandjoeddin International Airport’s capacity of 250,000 passengers.
State-owned Angkasa Pura II has taken over the management of HAS Hanandjoeddin Airport to unveil a 400 billion rupiah (US$28.4 million) development plan beginning next year, which will see the addition of a new terminal that will accommodate three million passengers, an apron and a taxi way.
As well, Isyak is planning to form the Belitung Tourism Board to market the destination, as more new attractions and travel products come online.
Karmila Santy, chairman of Association of the Indonesian Tours an Travel Agencies (ASITA) Belitung Chapter, sees strong potential in the destination’s natural assets, with Tanjung Kelayang Beach, Batu Berlayar, Kelayang Beach, Lebong Island and Lengkuas Island among the key attractions.
Karmila said: “Belitung has 200 islands, and most of them have not been explored, so the tourism potential is still large.”
While Belitung is not lacking in attractions, Herry Sulistya, director of sales of Fairfield by Marriott Belitung, opined that tour operators are still offering standard island-hopping packages with some photo taking and snorkelling opportunities thrown in. “These kind of itineraries are only suitable for first timers with staying less than three days,” he said.
Agents should exercise greater creativity in designing packages to attract repeat travellers, opined Yudianto.
“Besides beaches and islands, they must think creatively to sell new attractions, such as combining nature and culture, so that packages are more varied and travellers are also not bored.”
Yudianto suggested that activities such as kayaking, diving and visiting turtle breeding spots can be combined with village tours for tourists to immerse and learn about the local culture, hence enhancing the overall Belitung experience.
Already, Fhia LF, director of Belitung Archipelago, is developing an adventure tour package that combines visits to a geopark, local coffee plantations, waterfalls and a tarsius conservation area.
“The government efforts to register the Belitung geopark (for UNESCO consideration) received good response from adventure tourists,” said Yudianto. “We also see a lot of scientists who are interested in coming to research the nature of Belitung.”
Home-sharing giant Airbnb has unveiled Adventures – an extension of Experiences – which is a new collection of multi-day experiences for small groups hosted by local experts.
At launch, there are currently over 200 Airbnb Adventures available for booking, with more to be added before the end of the year. Some of the Adventures are entirely exclusive to Airbnb, while some are provided by small local operators not found on a major booking platform.
Cowboy Life in the American Wild West
All Adventures are in small groups with a maximum capacity of 12 guests or less, and prices range from US$79 for an overnight trip to a US$5,000 10-day trek. The adventures cover numerous genres ranging from foodie to camping, and music to animals, but all will have a strong element that ties it to the local community, said Airbnb.
Several already-listed Adventures are Track Lions On Foot With Warriors; Cowboy Life in the American Wild West; Swedish Islands Culinary Kayaking Trip; and Farm stay in Indiana Amish country.
Hosts will be the providers of Adventures, where they arrange their own Adventure, control when and where they host, the itinerary, where they stay, what services they offer, and what they charge. Flights are generally not included.
Camp on the Side of a Cliff in Colorado
To mark the launch of the new offering, a limited number of individuals will have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to join an 80-day trip around the world. Inspired by the Jules Verne classic penned almost 150 years ago, this Adventure takes guests across six continents, 18 countries, two oceans, five seas and eight modes of transportation including, of course, a hot air balloon.
The Around the World in 80 Days Adventure will be available to book from June 20, from London to London departing September 1, 2019.
Airbnb was advised on safety and best practices for its Adventures segment by the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA). According to the ATTA, the international adventure travel market in 2017 could be valued at over US$683 billion, up 21 per cent from 2012.
Trade players have mixed feelings about whether deterred travel to Thailand is good or bad news for neighbouring countries
As travel to Thailand becomes more expensive due to an appreciating Thai baht, tourism traffic could shift to neighbouring countries, according to operators in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar.
“The Thai baht peaked within the last four months and is now contributing to higher costs and expenses. International visitors will avoid visiting Thailand and look to other destinations instead,” said Luang Prabang- and Bangkok-based Padej Jantarasorn, executive marketing consultant and regional sales representative for Villa Santi and Santi Resort & Spa in the Laotian city, speaking to TTG Asia at the recent TTM+ in Pattaya.
Trade players have mixed feelings about whether deterred travel to Thailand is good or bad news for neighbouring destinations
Compared to the last three or four months, the average total cost of travel for Europeans visiting Vietnam (including flights, hotels, meals, activities, etc) costs five to 10 per cent less than to Thailand. Cost of travel to Seam Reap in Cambodia and Luang Prabang in Laos seem relatively unchanged but prices for both destinations become more attractive as travelling expenses in Thailand go up.
Om Pharin, chairman and CEO of Charming Cambodia Tours, said more foreigners flocked into Cambodia this year, with arrivals expected to keep growing thanks to competitive prices.
“The political situation in Cambodia is very stable and its currency has not changed much so tourists have (little reservations about coming here),” he remarked. Furthermore, Cambodia has been promoting more attractions including beaches and islands along with expanding airports and major roads across the country.
Khaing Khin Thar, representative of Myanmar Tourism Federation, said Myanmar should take advantage of its more competitive prices as cost of travel to South-east Asia’s most popular destination continues to rise.
“The stronger baht and higher cost of travel may force many tourists to shift to other countries, not only Myanmar but also to Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam,” she added.
According to Amy Poulton, marketing specialist for Wayfairer Travel in the UK, many European customers continue to travel to Thailand and elsewhere in South-east Asia. Despite the region’s rising cost of travel, it is still more affordable to travel to South-east Asia compared to the US or within Europe, she explained.
On the other hand, a strong Thai baht may not entirely benefit other South-east Asian countries, Padej suggested. A decline in the number of tourists to Thailand could also impact businesses in neighbouring destinations, as many tourists start their trips from Thailand as the main gateway into the region.
Even before the baht peaked, Thailand’s tourism faced difficulties arising from the smog crisis in the first quarter of the year. The Ministry of Tourism and Sports reported that Thailand received 13.9 million foreign tourists during first four months, up 2.1 per cent from the same period last year.
Despite China remaining the top source market, its growth rate dropped 3.4 per cent. Meanwhile, the entire Middle East dropped 8.7 per cent and overall Europe arrivals dipped by 1.6 per cent.
Having spent more than 15 years working in the hospitality industry, Wing Prakoso, co-founder at Hore! Indonesia, only knows the staffing issues in the sector too well.
He said: “It is difficult to get competent daily workers, especially when hotels have events or are fully booked. The problem is not because no one can be employed, but because millennial workers lack motivation and commitment to work, and also have attitude problems.”
Prakoso: staffing issues in hospitality sector led to forming of hiring platform
On the other hand, he is also concerned about the growing number of vocational school and university graduates who remain unemployed as hotels cut back on manpower amid current economic situation.
Keen to address this challenge of supply and demand, Wing and two friends in January 2018 launched Hore! Indonesia (which stands for Hire On Ready & Educated) as an platform for hospitality recruiters to hire ready and educated staff to complete daily jobs.
Through the platform, hoteliers can access a ready pool of qualified workers, who have been interviewed, filtered and tested for their abilities. For young people, Hore! offers a flexible way to earn money and build up their experiences while providing flexibility in work hours.
Wing elaborated: “Hore! Indonesia is similar to Grab and Go-Jek. Hotels select the workers, who will then respond whether he or she can or cannot do the work.”
To become members, interested hotels and workers just have to sign up on the website. How then does Hore! ensure that its pool of workers are competent and ready for hire?
Wing explained: “Every worker who registers as a member of Hore! must go through several stages before being allowed to find work. First, they must fill in the profile data and be interviewed by our team, who then gives a review and rating. After that, we will provide training (to them) based on reviews and ratings.”
Hotels or parties can also rate the services of the workers. The higher the rating, the higher the renumeration rate for a worker. The rating also determines the quality and performance of the worker.
He added: “The rating also applies to hotels. Workers have the right to give an assessment, whether the hotel gives a reasonable fee, treats workers well, among others. This is to ensure the welfare of our members.”
Both hotel or workers can submit complaints, which will be followed up by an Hore! staff to mediate and seek a solution for both parties.
Workers who have received complaints will be temporarily suspended and sent to a training or workshop, Wing told TTG Asia.
To date, 1,350 workers have joined Hore! Indonesia as members. The platform has also established cooperation with 40 hotels, 10 restaurants, two event spaces, and one catering service in Surabaya, while in Jakarta it has partnered with seven hotels, one event space and one catering service.
Going forward, Wing hopes to attract more young people to join the platform and increase the workers’ hourly wages, which are currently paid at an average of 120,000 (US$8.40) to 150,000 rupiah.
Next on the start-up’s agenda is expanding into other cities, such as Yogyakarta, Bandung and Bali.
“We hope to work more with big (hotel or restaurant) brands. We also intend to collaborate with tourism institutes and vocational schools.
“We aim to be the platform that will empower young generations for a greater good and to contribute to Indonesia’s hospitality industry,” Wing concluded.
The majority of South-east Asian cities in a new study on future tourism growth readiness were recommended to evolve tourism policy and improve infrastructure.
The global index report from WTTC and JLL assessed the preparedness of 50 cities for future travel and tourism growth, and placed them in one of five typologies, namely Dawning Developers, Emerging Performers, Balanced Dynamics, Mature Performers and Managing Momentum.
Ho Chi Minh City classified under Emerging Performers
Five of the six South-east Asian cities the study looked at were classified under Emerging Performers and Dawning Developers. According to WTTC and JLL, cities in these categories tend to be in emerging countries, with a lower level of urban readiness.
To improve their preparedness, efforts should be focused on developing and enhancing urban infrastructure such as airport connectivity, accommodation stock and addressing environmental issues such as waste and water quality.
Kuala Lumpur and Manila were classified Dawning Developers alongside Bogota, Delhi, Buenos Aires, Cairo, Chengdu and more
Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City and Jakarta were named Emerging Performers along with Cape Town, Delhi, Istanbul, Mexico City, among others.
Both categories are characterised by emerging urban readiness and tourism infrastructure. Dawning Developers are in the stage of “slower tourism growth, and lower visitor concentration” while Emerging Performers are experiencing “growing tourism momentum and increased pressures”.
The recommended policy response for the former group of cities is to address areas for development to further enhance urban readiness, achieve incremental wins by focusing on and evolving tourism policies that enable tourism growth at a pace that the city can support, the report said.
And for Emerging Performers, the research recommends investing in infrastructure development to support sustainable tourism growth;
monitor potential crunch points and implement progressive policies as
needed.
Singapore is the only South-east Asian city to fall in the Balanced Dynamics classification. It sits with the likes of Beijing, Dubai, Hong Kong, Osaka, Shanghai and Tokyo.
These cities are described to have established urban readiness and
tourism infrastructure. They are often financial hubs with higher share of business travel than average.
Among the policy recommendations is to seek opportunities to attract a greater proportion of leisure travel by investing in leisure attractions.
Travel & tourism is an essential industry that contributes 10.4% to global GDP and was responsible for the creation of one in five new jobs over the last five years.
According to research, of the 1.4 billion international visitors crossing borders in 2018 for tourism purposes, 45% are travelling to visit cities. Furthermore, international arrivals to the 300 largest city travel destinations accounted for over half a billion trips last year.
Gloria Guevara, president & CEO, WTTC, said: “Tourism authorities in many major cities around the world are working incredibly hard to prepare for the future. However, for a city to truly thrive and for travel & tourism to develop in a sustainable manner, city planning authorities, developers, investors, legislators and community groups, need to understand how prepared the city is for future expected growth in tourism and the resulting challenges and opportunities it may face.”
The Royal Park Canvas Osaka Kitahama, Japan
Royal Park Hotels and Resorts has launched the third Canvas – a millennial-driven brand – hotel in Osaka. The property offers 238 rooms across six categories, ranging from the 15m2 Comfort Double up to the 45m2 Suite. All rooms are non-smoking, except for several designated rooms on the second level. Also on the second level is the Canvas Lounge which offers snacks and drinks to hotel guests at no extra charge; the gym; and laundry room.
Sofitel Beijing Central, China
Standing a short walk away from the Jianguomen subway station in the heart of Beijing’s civic and diplomatic area is the 345-key Sofitel Beijing Central. Aside from the three dining outlets, other facilities include a day spa, fitness centre and indoor pool. There will also be the Club Millésime Lounge – for Club guests – launching at the end of 2019. For event planners, the property boasts more than 1,500m2 of event space, comprising nine flexible meeting rooms that can hold a maximum of 400 delegates.
Ozo Phuket, Thailand
Onyx Hospitality Group’s latest opening is situated in the heart of Phuket’s Kata Town, offering 255 guest rooms and suites across nine different categories in a series of five-storey buildings. Amenities include two swimming pools with water slides; an indoor air-conditioned relaxation space for reading or a game of pool; as well as showers and storage lockers for travellers arriving before arriving early or departing late. As well, the two F&B options are the all-day dining restaurant where guests can order a a selection of Thai, Asian and international cuisine; and the Pool Bar which serves up pizzas and snacks.
Zagame’s House, Australia
The boutique hotel is the result of an A$18 million (US$12.4 million) transformation of the former budget Downtowner hotel on Lygon Street in Melbourne. The transformed design-led property offers 97 rooms complete with minibars, king-sized beds, European pillows, and organic UK toiletries brand, Cowshed. There is also a private event space, wine shop and bar, and café, on-site. This is the first of a series of boutique hotels that the owning Zagame family plans to expand in Australia.
Situated at the heart of Hong Kong Island, along the North Point waterfront, the new-build Hotel Alexandra is set to open its doors in early 2020.
The property is the latest addition to the line of hotels managed by Harbour Plaza Hotels & Resorts, which offers a collection of standalone hotels.
Guestroom at Hotel Alexandra
Hotel Alexandra is designed to meld Victorian elegance and modern concepts to create an atmosphere evocative of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
The hotel will offer 840 rooms and suites, many offering views of the harbour and city. Rooms are categorised by card suit names, from Diamond for two pax to Spade for six, through to the King Suite.
Facilities include onsite dining outlets, an outdoor swimming pool, a fitness centre, versatile function spaces, meeting rooms and a ballroom.
The property is approximately two minutes’ walk from MTR Fortress Hill Station, 10 minutes from Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, and 40 minutes from the Hong Kong International Airport.
