Singapore’s latest crown Jewel wants to outdo other airports in experiences

April 15, 2019

View-of-Shiseido-Forest-Valley-and-HSBC-Rain-Vortex-from-the-South-Viewing-Deck — View of Shiseido Forest Valley and HSBC Rain Vortex from the South Viewing Deck

Airports in Asia are constantly in a race to outdo one another in the area of experiences – just look to Singapore’s Changi airport, which seeks to incorporate the functional as well as experiential aspects of airport design.

Built at a cost of S$1.7 billion (US$1.3 billion), the long-awaited Jewel Changi Airport – which will officially opens its doors come Wednesday – has its sights set in enhancing the airport experience for visitors and transit passengers, on top of being a lifestyle destination for locals.

Jewel Changi Airport

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Designed by world-renowned architect Moshe Safdie, the 135,700m² complex is a multifaceted indoor destination that includes attractions such as the world’s tallest indoor waterfall, lush greenery, shopping and dining concepts, as well as accommodation facilities.

Jayson Goh, managing director airport operations management, Changi Airport Group, shared: “Many airports around the world are going beyond providing an efficient service for passengers. Experience now is the (buzzword). Many airports are trying to enhance the experience for passengers, regardless of whether they are arriving, departing or visiting.

“Jewel will be a clear example of how Changi Airport is moving quickly in this area. When Terminal 4 opened last year, it had many experiential elements for passengers.”

From a tour around Jewel Changi Airport, TTG Asia observes that stores have embodied the meaning of experiential, inviting customers in to experience its brand story and spend a longer time within.

For instance, lifestyle stores such as Foot Locker opened a dedicated women’s section on its second floor, complete with sofas, magazine rack, and a pop-up nail bar. At Muji, the Japanese retail company opened an 88-seater café, inviting customers to shop, dine and linger.

“Data has told us that passengers are spending longer when transiting through airports, which is the reason why there’s a need to increase to support them and provide a comfortable, stress-free environment during their transit,” said Goh.

That is why Jewel has gone beyond duty-free shopping, napping pods and quiet rest areas for transit passengers, and is “plugging the gap” for those who have a transit time of five hours or more, as well as travellers that have to check out of their hotel room early but are only departing at night.

Goh noted: “Look at Jewel’s amenities. We have a cinema where passengers can catch a movie, or take can stroll along the Forest Valley. If you’re awake on a different timezone, there are now (a list of) things to do.”

While general operating hours of Jewel are from 10.00 to 22.00, certain tenants like Burger & Lobster and A&W remain open into the early hours of the morning.

In addition to its amenities, green elements occupy a total area of 21,000m² within the development. Jewel’s piece de resistance is the 40m-tall HSBC Rain Vortex – the world’s tallest indoor waterfall – that is surrounded by the Shiseido Forest Valley. Play attractions include the Manulife Sky Nets, Hedge Maze, Mirror Maze and Discovery Slides, all of which will open later in June.

Also located within the Jewel development is YotelAir Singapore Changi Airport, an airport hotel offering flexible accommodation options ranging from four hours up to overnight stays for its 130 cabins, for those that would prefer a respite from their long journeys.

“Next time these passengers need to transit through Asia and need to choose a transit airport, (all of our airport offerings may compel) them to choose Changi Airport,” he opined.

Meanwhile, airport facilities at Jewel include an early check-in facility (up to 24 hours) for flights, and paid baggage storage service. A total of 26 airlines such as Singapore Airlines and Japan Airlines – representing 60 per cent of departing flights at Changi – offer early check-in options for passengers.

In line with the growth of Singapore as a regional cruise centre, Jewel also houses the 150-seat Changi Lounge complete with refreshments, showers and business facilities. The lounge will also provide pre-arranged transfers for passengers with connections to cruise and ferry services, where the end-to-end service will see passengers’ luggage delivered from the arrival flight to their departing vessel.

Jean Hung, CEO of Jewel Changi Airport Development, concluded: “The vision for Jewel Changi Airport is to be a destination where ‘The World meets Singapore, and Singapore meets the World’. Jewel is more than just an airport, it’s a lifestyle destination.”

Indonesia steps up pursuit of Muslim travellers

By Kurniawan Ulung

April 15, 2019

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muslim-traveller-tebing-keraton_bandung_west-java — Muslim traveller at Tebing Keraton, West Java

Sixteen destinations in Indonesia – from Aceh to South Sulawesi – have shown a stronger commitment to developing Muslim-friendly tourism as the country seeks to double the number of Muslim travellers from last year.

At the Wonderful Indonesia Halal Tourism Meeting and Conference 2019 in Jakarta on April 9, representatives from 16 cities and provinces signed MoUs with Ni Wayan Giri Adnyani (Giri), the deputy of industry development, Indonesia Ministry of Tourism.

Muslim traveller at Tebing Keraton, West Java

These destinations are West and Central Java, Yogyakarta, Greater Malang, South Sulawesi, Tanjung Pinang, Pekanbaru, Bandung (City, Regency and West Bandung) and Cianjur. They joined five destinations which have been named Muslim-friendly earlier, Lombok, Aceh, Riau, Jakarta and West Sumatera.

Giri said that the government’s target was to attract five million Muslim foreign tourists this year, up by 48 per cent from 2.6 million last year.

Stoking confidence are increased promotions, the implementation of the Indonesia Muslim Travel Index (IMTI) for the second time this year, and the country clinching top spot as the world’s best halal tourist destination in the 2019 Mastercard-CrescentRating’s Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI).

In Indonesia, Lombok was named the best Muslim-friendly tourist destination in the IMTI followed by Aceh, Riau and Riau Islands, Jakarta and West Sumatra.

Lombok has been “very committed” to prioritising the Muslim market. “They have done a lot of work in term of educating people in the industry. They also have done outreach programmes to promote Muslim-friendly tourist destinations,” explained Fazal Bahardeen, the CEO of CrescentRating and HalalTrip, which released the index.

He said that his company made the assessment in July and December last year and January this year with three key measures, namely access, environment and service. Access comprises visa requirements, air connectivity, transport infrastructure, and communication. The environment indicator is a measurement of safety and culture, while service relates to halal food and Muslim-friendly hotel and airports.

Bahardeen said that he had seen a lot of improvement in infrastructure in Indonesia, which resulted in better connectivity. He hoped that the top position that Indonesia already got would motivate the government and business players in the tourism industry to stay consistent in developing its Muslim-friendly tourist destinations across the archipelago.

HPL acquires Weligama Bay Marriott Resort and Spa

By Feizal Samath

April 15, 2019

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Weligama-Bay-Marriott-Resort-&-Spa — Weligama Bay Marriott Resort & Spa

Singapore-based Hotel Properties’ (HPL) wholly-owned subsidiary HPL Properties (West Asia) (HPLPWA) has acquired 100 per cent of a five-star Marriott hotel from its Sri Lankan owner for US$22.6 million.

HPLPWA bought the 198-key Weligama Bay Marriott Resort and Spa, located on Sri Lanka’s southern coast, from Sri Lanka’s East West Properties and Asia 2000 Investment.

This marks HPL’s second purchase in the Sri Lankan leisure market in less than a year, after it acquired a 94.7 per cent stake in the 35-key Tangalle Bay Hotel owned by Sri Lanka’s Tangalle Bay Hotels for 385 million Sri Lankan rupees (US$2.2 million) in August 2018.

HPL says it has interest in 32 hotels under hospitality brands such as Four Seasons, Hilton International, Como Hotels, InterContinental Hotels Group and Six Senses Hotels.

In addition, the group also manages its own portfolio of hotels under established brands such as Hard Rock Hotels and Concorde Hotels & Resorts. Including Sri Lanka, the group owns hotels, resorts and shopping galleries in 13 countries namely Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Maldives, Seychelles, Vanuatu, Bhutan, Tanzania, South Africa, Vietnam, the US, and UK.

HPL investment was welcomed by members of the local industry interviewed, who believe that big, global names entering the Sri Lankan leisure space will increase the country’s profile internationally.

“It is a welcome development to have such big names in the industry here. It would also help in marketing the destination because HPL will do its own international marketing,” said Mahen Kariyawasam, managing director of Andrews Travels and past president of the Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators.

Enterprise Holdings in franchise deal with Japan’s Nippon Rent-A-Car

By TTG Asia

April 15, 2019

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Enterprise Holdings, the world’s largest car rental operator, and Nippon Rent-A-Car International have entered into a franchise agreement to provide Japan’s inbound and outbound travellers with access to the former’s brands.

In a statement, Enterprise says the move underscores its commitment to continue growing reach of its Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car brands to travellers.

Enterprise brings its brands to more travellers going in and out of Japan

It is targeting inbound visitors to Japan, as well as Japanese travelling overseas, who will be able to rent cars at more than 10,000 locations in 90 countries through Enterprise’s global network.

“As one of the top destinations in Asia, Japan is a vital market for our customers,” said Peter Smith, vice president of global dranchising at Enterprise Holdings.

The partnership will be launched in April 2019 at approximately 80 Nippon Rent-A-Car offices located at Japan’s airports. These rental offices will feature the Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car brands, as well as the Nippon Rent-A-Car brand, and will offer discounted rental rates.

As the partnership progresses over the next few years, both companies will work together to develop additional customer offerings and services.

Nippon Rent-A-Car has 850 locations that give customers access to at least 42,000 vehicles throughout the country. Nippon has an existing partnership with National Car Rental that allows Japanese customers to reserve cars in the US and Canada and enables North American travellers to book cars in Japan.

Spectrum of the Seas joins Royal Caribbean family

By TTG Asia

April 15, 2019

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Royal Caribbean International officially took delivery of the 26^th ship in its fleet, Spectrum of the Seas, on April 11 in Bremerhaven, Germany.

Royal Caribbean Cruises chairman and CEO Richard D. Fain and president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International Michael Bayley received the new ship from Meyer Werft Yard’s managing partner Bernard Meyer at the official handover ceremony.

The blessing ceremony of Spectrum of the Seas

The first in the Quantum Ultra class of ships, the 168,666 GRT Spectrum of the Seas will arrive in Singapore on May 17 and homeport from Shanghai starting June 2019.

Highlights of the 5,622-guest ship include new dining concepts; a karaoke venue; an enhanced sports and entertainment complex; the Sky Pad, a bungee trampoline experience; and a two-storey Ultimate Family Suite complete with a recreation room that can hold up to 11 guests.

The Spectrum of the Seas will also feature Royal Caribbean’s first exclusive suites-only area; Golden and Silver suite accommodations in a private enclave at the forward end of the ship on decks 13 through 16. Guests who stay in these suites have a private elevator, a dedicated restaurant and lounge, and access to a private outdoor space.

Prior to her three sailings from Singapore, the ship will set sail from Barcelona, calling at several ports including Dubai, Muscat, Mumbai, Cochin and Penang.

Spectrum of the Seas’ sailings from Singapore are a three-night cruise to Kuala Lumpur (Port Klang) on May 18; four-night cruise to Penang on May 2; and on May 25, a nine-night one-way cruise from Singapore to Shanghai, calling at Ho Chi Minh City, Nha Trang and Hong Kong (overnight stay).

The ship will thereafter be based in Shanghai offering North Asian itineraries.

Riu celebrates twin Maldives openings with special discount

By TTG Asia

April 15, 2019

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Riu_Resorts_Maldives — Riu Resorts Maldives

Riu Hotels & Resorts has launched a special opening offer to celebrate the launch of its two 24-hour all-inclusive hotels in the Maldives on May 17.

Until July 31, guests booking at the two hotels can enjoy up to 50 per cent off room rates.

The hotels are located a 40-minute flight from Male International Airport plus a ten-minute boat ride.

The four-star Hotel Riu Atoll offers 264 bedrooms, 36 of which are suites over the Indian Ocean. There will be a main restaurant, two speciality restaurants, salon bar, sports bar and pool bar, while facilities include a swimming pool with swim-up bar, children’s pool, children’s club, fitness room and steam bath, and wellness centre.

Connected to Hotel Riu Atoll by a walkway surrounded by a lagoon, the five-star hotel Riu Palace Maldivas offers 176 rooms, 72 of which are overwater suites. For F&B, it offers a main restaurant and two speciality restaurants, in addition to a poolside bar. Riu Palace Maldivas features an infinity pool with swim-up bar.

Guillaume Faury takes the pilot seat at Airbus as CEO

By TTG Asia

April 15, 2019

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Guillaume Faury has replaced Tom Enders as Airbus CEO, following the aviation giant’s 2019 AGM in Amsterdam. Faury has also joined the Board of Directors for three years.

Airbus has appointed Faury, previously president of Airbus Commercial Aircraft, as Enders’ replacement since October 2018.

Faury, whose bulk of career was spent in the aerospace industry, started his career in the French defence ministry before joining Airbus’ helicopter division in 1998, according to a AFP report.

He then left for a four-year stint in research and development at French car group Peugeot in 2009, before rejoining Airbus. In February 2018, he was appointed head of the civil aviation division.

Onyx appoints veteran to area GM for eastern Thailand post

By TTG Asia

April 15, 2019

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Deborah Haines has been appointed area general manager for Eastern Thailand by ONYX Hospitality Group.

Based at Amari Pattaya, Haines is responsible for nine properties in Pattaya including the soon-to-open Ozo.

Haines brings more than three decades of hospitality experience, the past 18 years of which have been with Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. She was most recently general manager at Radisson Blu Plaza, Bangkok, and prior to that district director for the group’s hotel operations in Russia, responsible for nine properties.

Her extensive experience includes general manager positions at Radisson Blu hotels in Sochi, Moscow; Sofia, Bulgaria; and Durham, the UK. Her first general manager stint was in London, at Park Inn Hyde Park.

Can Artificial Intelligence Tackle Our Food Waste Problem?

By TTG

April 15, 2019

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Brought to you by Winnow Solutions

Food waste costs the hospitality industry alone an estimated $100 billion annually, with the figure set to increase further by 2030. In Asia, a growing hospitality sector means that food loss is likely to increase too. However, the opportunity for businesses to cut costs is considerable with the launch of new artificial intelligence (AI) technology to solve our food waste problem. Hotels, caterers, supermarkets and other hospitality companies cut costs by 3-8% in the first year of use.

Intent to tackle the problem at scale, Winnow’s new AI technology – Winnow Vision – automatically recognises discarded foods through a smart camera that sits above the bin. This development ensures that chefs have the insight they need to drastically reduce their waste without taking time away from busy kitchen teams.

The introduction of AI into the kitchen ultimately means that chefs receive better data to cut waste. Kitchen teams operate more efficiently too as minimal data entry is required to identify waste streams high in volume and cost.

The launch follows a testing phase that began in January 2018 with partners IKEA and Emaar Hospitality Group. In this time, Winnow Vision surpassed the level of accuracy of kitchen teams in categorising waste foods. As more data is collected, the model will get even more accurate.

Installed facing down over the kitchen bin, a photo is taken every time food is thrown away and the weight is logged by the scale connected underneath. Through a comparison of a previous photo and the new photo, the system is able to detect the newly wasted item.

This is the first time that AI has been deployed at scale to tackle food waste in commercial kitchens. More than 75 systems have been installed already, including 23 IKEA stores and a number of hotel restaurants around the world. With eight offices globally and three across Asia in Singapore, China and Thailand, Winnow is able to deploy the technology to hospitality businesses at scale.

IKEA has made great progress in tackling its waste. In UK stores, food waste is reduced by over 50% with Winnow Vision. This initiative has resulted in more profitable and efficient kitchens and sets the wider business on course to meet their goal of 50% food waste reduction by August 2020.

Hege Sæbjørnsen, Country Sustainability Manager for IKEA UK & Ireland, said: “We have set ourselves an ambitious target to cut our food waste by 50% across our operations before end of August 2020 and our partnership with Winnow is critical to realising that goal. We know that food waste is a complex issue, but Winnow Vision demonstrates that solutions to help tackle this don’t have to be.”

Winnow’s existing system is used by over 1,200 kitchens around the world. So far, Winnow has helped commercial kitchens save more than $30 million in annualised food costs, or 23 million meals saved from the bin.

Through the automation of food waste management, thousands more kitchens can take advantage of Winnow’s technology. Looking forward, the business aims to save the hospitality industry $1 billion annually in food cost savings by 2025.

If you wish to learn more about how Winnow Vision and understand how it could help to reduce costs for your business, request a demo today.

Bintan Resorts unveils ambitious growth plans, visitor targets

By Rachel AJ Lee

April 12, 2019

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Photo-3---Doulos-Phos,-The-Hotel — Doulos Phos, The Ship Hotel

Bolstered by record arrivals last year, Bintan Resorts has unveiled a slew of new hardware developments with the aim of doubling its room inventory by 2021 and tripling visitor numbers by 2023.

Frans Gunara, executive director, Gallant Ventures, parent company of Bintan Resorts, said at a media briefing earlier this week: “In 2018, we crossed the one million visitor mark for the first time. This is a 18.4 per cent year-on-year growth.”

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Among the upcoming attractions are the Treasure Bay Bintan Organic Farm (opening 2Q2019) and the 2.8-ha Marine Life Discovery Park (opening 4Q2019), while soon-to-open hotels include an as-yet-unnamed glamping tepee-style tent hotel (opening 2Q2019) and Doulos Phos, The Ship Hotel.

The glamping-style hotel will open with 40 keys, but will carry 100 keys upon completion.

Set for a June opening is Doulos Phos, The Ship Hotel, a 104-cabin hotel located within the 130m-long, 104-year-old MV Doulos passenger ship beside the Bentan Telani Ferry Terminal. This property will boast resort-like facilities – built on the land that surrounds the ship – spanning a swimming pool, spa complex, all-day-diner, as well as a maritime museum.

The new additions will boost Bintan Resorts’ inventory from its current 2,000 keys to 4,000 keys by 2021, Gunara added.

A new airport currently under construction will feature a 3km-long runway suitable for widebody aeroplanes, something the current airport cannot accommodate.

Gunara added that Garuda Indonesia, Sriwijaya Air, and Lion Air are already onboard, and the company is in talks with other airlines such as Korean Air to fly to Bintan.

“By the time the airport is ready, just from the airport alone, we’re looking at a million visitors alone. If volume goes up, a second runway will be built. Our end target is three million international visitors by 2023,” Gunara told TTG Asia.

“We are also confident that Bintan Resorts can contribute significantly to the 20 million international visitors target that the Indonesian ministry of tourism set out for 2020,” added Gunara.

Other upcoming developments that will soon break ground include the Chiva-Som Resort and Wellness Centre (opening 3Q2022), as well as branded international hotels such as Hotel Indigo, Novotel and Four Points by Sheraton.

The island is also using sporting events to draw more visitors to the island. In addition to the Bintan Triathlon and Ironman 70.3 Bintan, Bintan Resorts will be hosting the second edition of the International Bintan Marathon later this year from September 7-8.

When asked about Bintan’s growth trajectory, Peter Lee, director of One Adventure, a Singapore-based wholesaler who has been selling Bintan for 25 years, shared with TTG Asia: “I think Bintan will keep on growing, especially with all the new resorts coming up, as well as the newly-created attractions.”

But with Bintan facing competition from regional destinations “as airfare promotions (elsewhere) can sometimes be much lower”, Lee pointed out that it’s “necessary to create new resorts and activities to create the awareness”.

Overall, the domestic market is still Bintan’s largest at 40 per cent, with the next two being the Chinese market at 24 per cent, while Singaporeans make up 18 per cent.

Singapore’s latest crown Jewel wants to outdo other airports in experiences

Indonesia steps up pursuit of Muslim travellers

HPL acquires Weligama Bay Marriott Resort and Spa

Enterprise Holdings in franchise deal with Japan’s Nippon Rent-A-Car

Spectrum of the Seas joins Royal Caribbean family

Riu celebrates twin Maldives openings with special discount

Guillaume Faury takes the pilot seat at Airbus as CEO

Onyx appoints veteran to area GM for eastern Thailand post

Can Artificial Intelligence Tackle Our Food Waste Problem?

Bintan Resorts unveils ambitious growth plans, visitor targets

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