India-based hospitality company Oyo Hotels & Homes has pumped US$200 million into its India & South Asia business to expand its reach in the subcontinent.
Oyo is present in more than 250 cities in India, offering more than 173,000 keys. Last year, the company added over 81 Indian cities to its portfolio. Globally, it is currently present in 10 countries and 500 cities, and has over 515,000 rooms.
The group has committed more than US$200 million to be put towards technology investments, renovation, and managing investments
As well, Oyo recently launched Collection O, a midscale business hotel brand to cater to this burgeoning corporate travel segment.
Collection O joins six other brands in the company – Oyo Townhouse, Oyo Home, Capital O, SilverKey, Palette Resorts, and, more recently, Oyo Life in the housing rental space.
To ensure a secure and safe experience for guests, Oyo has piloted what it says is an industry-first in-app SoS button in over 25 cities in India, which activates on check-in and includes options to contact the police and Oyo’s 24/7 safety response team. In addition, the company will also ensure real photos of the property are provided to guests.
Guests will also have access to in-person assistance by the Oyo Captain, in-app feedback options, as well as CCTV surveillance in all lobby areas during their stays.
Bedsonline has strengthened its senior leadership team with the appointment of Tomeu Gili as director of sales for Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
In this newly-created position, Gili will be responsible for supporting Bedsonline’s existing travel agency customers in the local markets to drive growth while further expanding and diversifying the number of agencies working with Bedsonline’s booking platform. He will be based in Dubai and lead a team of 70.
Gili brings with him over 20 years of experience in the travel industry, where he was spent time in leadership positions for companies such as Destinations of the World, RTS and Gowaii Corp. Prior to these, Gili worked for Bedsonline in senior leadership roles for 12 years following the brand’s launch in 2003.
This latest appointment follows Hotelbeds’ integration of both GTA and Bedsonline under the refreshed Bedsonline brand.
Hotel Indigo Phuket Patong, Thailand
This newly-opened property features 180 guestrooms and suites, all decorated to reflect the neighbourhood that it stands in – in this case, Patong’s past as a fishing village is highlighted.
There are six categories of rooms and suites, such as the Oasis Pool Access Room, where guests have access to a personal terrace and the pool, and the 72m2 Executive Suite. Aside from the three F&B venues, recreational facilities include a fitness centre, two swimming pools (one on the rooftop), and a full-size Muay Thai boxing ring. Meeting planners can book one of the three function spaces, or the rooftop garden, for corporate events.
Karma Reef Gili Meno, Indonesia
Located on the tiny, traffic-free island of Gili Meno, Karma Reef presents 14 rooms over several categories, from the 37m2 one-bedroom sea front tents to the 46m2 two-storey bungalows. Room service breakfast is included in the room rate.
Amenities on the island include the Sea Spa, the Tiki Bar offering cocktails and juices, Karma Beach restaurant, and the free use of bicycles and non-motorised water sports. A beach lounge offers night programmes such as live acoustic music, seafood barbecues, movie under the stars and traditional Indonesian-themed nights.
Mandarin Oriental Wangfujing, Beijing, China
Located on the upper levels of the WF Central retail centre, the first Mandarin Oriental-branded hotel in China’s capital offers 73 guestrooms and suites. Rooms start from 55m2, with many offering views towards the Forbidden City. Amenities on-site include a spa with four suites, fitness centre, 25m-long indoor lap pool and three F&B options – rooftop MO Bar, Café Zi and Mandarin Grill + Bar.
SureStay Plus by Best Western Shin-Osaka, Japan
The SureStay Hotel Group has made its Japanese debut in downtown Osaka, near to the Shin-Osaka train station. The new-build offers 108 guestrooms all equipped with complimentary Wi-Fi, as well as facilities such as a gym, laundromat and a business centre. A restaurant on site serves daily buffet breakfast.
DoubleTree by Hilton Perth Northbridge, Australia
Located at 100 James Street, the new-build offers 206 guestrooms, each with a Digital Key allowing Hilton Honors guests to use their smartphones as room keys, Sweet Dreams by DoubleTree sleep experience beds and Crabtree & Evelyn bath products. Facilities include an outdoor pool and bar, 24-hour fitness centre, executive lounge on level two, a versatile meeting space with capacity of up to 160 guests, and the James St Bar + Kitchen all-day dining venue.
The World Travel & Tourism Council’s Global Summit 2019 centred on the theme of ‘Changemakers’ will celebrate and gather the people and ideas who are defining the future of the Travel & Tourism industry.
This year, WTTC’s Global Summit will be held in Seville, Spain on 2-4 April and will be hosted by Ayuntamiento of Seville in partnership with Turismo Andaluz and Turespaña.
For the first time ever, WTTC will be opening the Global Summit for industry professionals to apply to attend with a registration fee.
In addition to gathering industry leaders to influence the future of Travel & Tourism, the WTTC Global Summit will celebrate a pivotal moment in history, one that signalled the birth for global travel as we know it today – 2019 marks the 500th anniversary of the departure of the first circumnavigation of the world from Seville and the world-changing impact of that achievement.
Gloria Guevara, WTTC President & CEO, commented, “The WTTC Global Summit is the principal event where the global public and private leaders of our sector meet. We are happy to be back in Europe and especially in the beautiful city of Seville, where we will celebrate the 500 years since the first circumnavigation, while we define and shape the future of our sector and recognise the ideas which will make it happen. Anyone wanting to know what the future of our sector looks like should come to the WTTC Global Summit.”
“At our last summit in Buenos Aires we had more than 1,300 delegates with more than 100 CEOs, the President of Argentina, the Prime Minister of Rwanda, more than 30 ministers or heads of tourism, three former presidents, three United Nations’ Secretaries General (UNWTO, UNFCCC and ICAO) as well as leaders from PATA, IATA, WEF, CLIA, and even one Academy Award winning film director.
“So, 2019 provides a new opportunity for industry peers to attend and gain inspiration from our ‘Changemakers’, outlining a future vision of Travel & Tourism with the pioneering individuals and disruptive ideas that will make it happen.”
In addition to providing an invaluable networking opportunity for the Travel & Tourism industry at large, the WTTC Global Summit also offers an opportunity for its host city to take the spotlight and expose its unique heritage to the global Travel & Tourism community.
Juan Espadas, Mayor of Seville, said “The Global Summit will demonstrate the extraordinary economic and tourist potential of Seville. It offers a great opportunity for entrepreneurs to recognise the possibilities of investment in the city and for tourists to see Seville as a destination of global importance. I have no doubt that the WTTC Global Summit will position Seville on the ‘tourist map’ and highlight our great city as an obligatory place to visit given its heritage, culture and history.”
Places are limited so don’t miss this opportunity – register your place now!
Absolute Hotel Services (AHS) Group has appointed Yaowanarth Phothiprom as general manager of U Zenmaya Phuket.
Yaowanarth first joined the company in 2017 as general manager at Eastin Residences Muscat in Oman.
Prior to joining AHS, the seasoned hotelier spent over two decades working with properties such as Dusit Thani Maldives, Santhiya Koh Yao Yai Resort & Spa, The Sukhothai Bangkok and Chikusenso Mt Zao Resort & Spa in Japan’s Miyagi Prefecture.
The Malaysian government will be conducting a study to decide the fate of ailing national carrier, Malaysia Airlines (MAS).
National sovereign wealth fund, Khazanah Nasional – the sole shareholder of MAS – had accounted half of its RM7.3 billion (US$1.8 billion) impairments registered last year in sustaining MAS. This caused Khazanah Nasional to post a pre-tax loss of RM6.3 billion in 2018, its first since 2005, reported TheEdge Markets.
Malaysian government mulls over the future of its national carrier
According to The Star newspaper, Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, said at a press conference: “To me, it’s a serious matter to shut down the national airline. We will nevertheless study whether we should shut it down or sell it off, or refinance it. All of these options are open for the government to decide.”
During a briefing on the sovereign fund’s 2018 results, Khazanah Nasional’s managing director, Shahril Ridzuan, stated in a New Straits Times report: “As a shareholder, we think that the important question to be asked is whether every dollar spent on MAS is generating other economic benefits to the country, which the government needs to answer to determine the right level of support for the airline.”
Agents TTG Asia spoken to offered suggestions, from corporatising MAS to revamping the airline.
Adam Kamal, secretary-general at Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association, opined: “Shutting down the national carrier should be a last resort. If the government feels it is unable to carry the burden of maintaining the airline, they should corporatise it I am sure there will be takers. This option may even take MAS to greater heights.”
Kamal pointed to AirAsia as an example of a private company doing well, and stated that he was confident that if MAS is corporatised, “it will have a bright future”.
Richard Vuilleumier, managing director, Panorama Holidays, added: “What needs to be done is to re-strategise and revamp the airline and to have good leadership at the top management level who knows the aviation industry, and not politicians.
“As it is, MAS is not really benefiting agents who are selling longhaul as the only longhaul destination it flies to is London. To further grow the inbound longhaul market, which in turn will see increased tourism revenue, is to have more direct connections,” Vuilleumier added.
Manfred Kurz, managing director of Diethelm Travel Malaysia, agreed: “The ownership of the airline is of no interest to agents as long as it can provide good service, fly on important routes and has plans for further expansion.”
At press time, Malaysian finance minister gave his assurances that the government will not shut down MAS.
An ever-growing roster of luxury hotels in Singapore is drawing greater interest from European buyers at the recent ITB Berlin.
Hollywood movie Crazy Rich Asians and the historic Trump-Kim summit in June last year delivered a promotional boost to Singapore, with icons like Marina Bay Sands, Capella Singapore and Raffles Singapore coming under the spotlight as some of the city’s luxury offerings.
Aerial view of Capella Singapore on Sentosa island
Rica Thies, team assistant Asia, Art of Travel Germany, said: “The luxury hotels in Singapore are so impressive that they are able to provide an experience on their own already.”
Thies said her clients, who typically stay between one to three nights in the city, would often prefer city-based five-star hotels with a view of the Singapore River.
Anticipating the reopening of the iconic Raffles Singapore in August this year, Thies said: “We have many requests for this hotel already because it combines a lot of history, elegance and luxury which we do not get in typical hotels.”
Hasan Hakim, general manager, Beyond Oceans Travel Lebanon, agreed that the ready availability of quality and luxury hotels in Singapore is a winning factor. “It makes the destination’s image feel secure when you know of all the big hotel names,” he said.
Hakim, who is exploring Singapore as a new product, shared that he is looking at packaging the city with surrounding destinations like Indonesia and the Philippines. “I am looking for new ideas that can excite, and I think Singapore has many to offer,” he said.
He added that Sentosa could be a potential key product for his clients as its resort island offering with luxury hotels and attractions in one spot is a novel and attractive one.
As for Karin Portzgen-Pruijssen, representative of Reisteam in Netherlands, Singapore is an “all-in-one city that has everything travellers need”, with shopping as one of the top favourite activities among them.
Apart from luxury hotels, Singapore’s reputation for quality hotels is a “very strong” drawcard for Portzgen-Pruijssen.
Earlier last month, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) unveiled plans to woo longhaul markets like the UK and Europe with a roster of Bicentennial-themed programmes and tour products.
STB has also launched the next phase of its Passion Made Possible global campaign in 16 markets worldwide, including Germany and the UK.
Four travel executives died in an river tubing accident in Magelang, Central Java yesterday when they were hit by sudden floodwaters.
They were Tantri Aristiawati of Nitour, Yully Wu of Yope Cavations and Sicilia Mantjoeng of Advent Tour, all from Jakarta, and Datin Hanisa of Travel Dynamic Selangor Malaysia.
Tourists tubing along the Singgono River in Magelang. Photo shown is not of agents involved. Photo credit: Little Ubud River Tubing
They were buyers attending Jogjakarta Istimewa Travel Exchange (JITEX) which took place from March 10-12. Together with 11 other JITEX participants, they extended their stay to take part in the Little Ubud River Tubing adventure along Singgono River in Magelang.
Djohari Somad, chairman of the Association of the Indonesian Tourism Players, said in a statement: “Around 14.00 (when they were resting in the middle of the adventure) a sudden river flooding took place and swept participants away. Four, including three of our association members, were casualties while the rest were safe.”
Yudianto Adhi Nugroho, head of Magelang Police Office was also quoted by the local media as saying there was no rainfall and the weather was fine for tubing when the group started the adventure. However, a sudden flooding took place when the group got to the middle of the tubing route, resulting in the unfortunate tragedy.
Japan Airlines (JAL) has revealed that its first medium- to longhaul LCC will be named Zipair Tokyo.
Registration is now official, and the new carrier will prepare for launch during summer 2020 as previously announced.
Initial plans for JAL’s LCC have been announced
Zipair’s first two routes will be between Tokyo’s Narita airport and Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport; and between Narita and Seoul’s Incheon airport. The two routes will be operated on two Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners.
According to a Reuters report, Zipair has plans to offer trans-Pacific and European flights in its pipeline, and aims to turn profitable in two years after its inaugural flight in 2020.
Seoul-Danang is the fastest-growing passenger route in Asia-Pacific, in a new study release by Routesonline at Routes Asia 2019, which took place from in Cebu last well.
More than 2.2 million passengers took a flight between the two destinations in 2018, compared with 1.3 million just 12 months earlier, translating to a 71% rise in the number of passengers.
The Seoul-Danang route is the fastest-growing route in the Asian region; Danang’s Golden Bridge pictured
According to OAG Schedules Analyser, two-way capacity on the Seoul-Danang route jumped by 73% in 2018 to 2.8 million available seats. A total of 10 carriers served the market, up from nine in 2017.
Jin Air had a 20% capacity share of the total number of seats on offer last year, with Korean Air on 15.1% and Jeju Airlines on 13.2%. In total there were almost 12,100 flight departures on the route, compared with fewer than 7,500 in 2017.
In second place is Manila-Iloilo, which connects the capital of the Philippines with Iloilo City on Panay Island. Total passenger traffic increased by nearly 48% in 2018 to more than 2.1 million passengers.
Overall two-way capacity rose by 49% in 2018 compared with the previous year, OAG figures show, increasing to 2.5 million seats. Cebu Pacific commanded a 50.5% capacity share, followed by Philippine Airlines with 31.3% and Philippines AirAsia with 18.2%.
In joint third in the list are two domestic routes. The first links Indonesia’s capital Jakarta with the port city of Palembang, while the second connects Hyderabad in south India with Bengaluru. Both routes saw passenger numbers increase by 20% in 2018.
Routesonline’s research found the top 100 passenger routes to/from and within the Asia-Pacific region during 2018 using the latest data provided by Sabre Market Intelligence. The list was then ranked by percentage annual growth when compared with the same period in 2017.
