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Asia/Singapore Sunday, 14th December 2025
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Rough Guides forays into bespoke trip planning

By TTG Asia
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The travel information publisher forays into trip planning
The travel information publisher now also offers trip planning services by local experts

Travel publisher Rough Guides will from winter 2018 start creating bespoke trips “packed with personality and adventure”.

In addition to Rough Guides books, blog, and podcast, the company now also offers bespoke itinerary planning by a local expert.

“As our readership has evolved over the years, we’re conscious that not everyone wants to travel the same way… As part of our commitment to continue to serve adventurous travellers of all ages, we’re proud to launch our tailor-made trips,” commented CEO Rene Frey.

With new Garuda link, Belitung tipped to be next Bintan for Singaporeans

By Tiara Maharani
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Belitung, a new alternative to Bintan for Singaporeans seeking getaway

Hopes are high that Belitung will soon join the ranks of Bintan to become a getaway destination for Singapore travellers, with Garuda Indonesia’s newly launched service linking the Lion City to the east Sumatran island.

On October 29, the Indonesian flag carrier commenced four-times-weekly services between Singapore and Tanjung Pandan in Belitung, operated with a Bombardier CRJ 1000 aircraft.

Belitung, a new alternative to Bintan for Singaporeans seeking getaway (photo credit: Tiara Maharani)

Over the last three years, Belitung has emerged as hot destination for locals, with domestic tourism driving tourism growth of over 25 per cent.

Arief Yahya, Indonesia’s tourism minister, said that scheduled flights to Belitung could unlock greater tourism growth and investment, especially given that infrastructure is already “very good and continues to be developed”, coupled with the “extraordinary natural and cultural potential” in the destination.

Pikri Ilham Kurniansyah, Garuda Indonesia commercial director, said: “Belitung could be an alternative to those who are already bored with Bintan. With a less-than-an-hour direct flight from Singapore, Belitung is a perfect short getaway destination.”

He added: “This (new service) is just the beginning. If the demand increases, (there is potential of it becoming) a daily flight.”

The new flight is lifting hopes of Belitung’s ascent to the international stage among the destination’s tourism stakeholders.

Karmila Santy, chairman of the Association of The Indonesian Tours and Travel Agencies (ASITA) Belitung Chapter, added: “What we have long dreamed of has finally been realised. Last year we collaborated with the government to organise a charter flight with Sriwijaya Air. From this charter flight, a network was formed, and the market also began to realise that there’s a new destination (option). But the charter is no longer running and we lost the market.

“This Garuda service going to convince people to take a vacation to Belitung.”

In the near future, ASITA Belitung Chapter plans to conduct a sales mission in Singapore as part of efforts to attract more international visitors.

Karmila also hopes that the Garuda Indonesia flight will spark the development of flight connectivity to Belitung by encouraging more airlines to open routes from other countries. “Hopefully it can be from Malaysia, China and others.”

Sharing Karmila’s enthusiasm is Fhia LF, director of Belitung Archipelago, who made a sales call to Singapore with a few other agents following Garuda Indonesia’s announcement of the inaugural service on October 29.

“We directly contacted clients in Singapore and are actively promoting Belitung. Our mission is to introduce Belitung, so that people know that (this) beautiful destination exists.”

With greater awareness of the destination, visitors “will come”, she foresees.

Meanwhile, Arief shared that the Ministry of Tourism will provide promotional support for airlines or entrepreneurs looking to bring international visitors to Belitung.

Sansiri unveils launch of The Standard, One Night in Thailand

By TTG Asia
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From left: Standard's Amar Lalvani, Sansiri's Apichart Chutrakul and One Night's Jimmy Suh

The Standard, a boutique hotel brand, and One Night, a last-minute boutique hotel booking app, are expanding in Asia – first starting with Thailand.

The foray of both brands into Thailand was unveiled yesterday by Sansiri, coming on the back of the Thai real estate giant’s recent expansion into the global hospitality, technology and lifestyle industries through an investment worth US$80 million in six global brands.

From left: Standard’s Amar Lalvani, Sansiri’s Apichart Chutrakul and One Night’s Jimmy Suh

Apichart Chutrakul, CEO, Sansiri, said: “In November 2017, we announced our investments in several global brands that are leaders in the hospitality, technology and lifestyle businesses as part of Sansiri’s move to expand our collaborative, multi-disciplinary portfolio beyond real estate development. I’m delighted to share that only one year on, the investment has helped to fuel impressive growth that will see two of the brands – The Standard and One Night – expand into the lucrative Asian markets, with Thailand as their first port of call.”

He added: “The strategic partnerships with such strong and exciting brands will strengthen Sansiri’s core real estate business… The arrival of both The Standard and One Night in the Thai market marks another important step to be followed by several more in the future.”

The Standard has doubled its secured global footprint following Sansiri’s acquisition of a 35 per cent stake in the parent company for US$58 million. The boutique hotel brand currently boasts a portfolio of six properties and a combined 1,200 rooms (including the soon-to-open London property).

Ten properties are slated to open across the world over the next few years, as part of its five-year plan to develop 20 hotels globally in urban and resort locations, including London (opening 1Q2019), Paris, Milan, Berlin, Lisbon, Prague, Madrid, Chicago, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Atlanta, Dubai, Singapore, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Bangkok, Phuket, Hua Hin, Jakarta and Bali.

Amar Lalvani, CEO, Standard International, said: “Our first hotel in Thailand will be in Phuket where we will also introduce the first Standard Residences product in partnership with Sansiri. Thailand is a particularly attractive market with the growth in visitors, and the fit with The Standard brand giving its thriving culinary, fashion and arts scene. We have chosen to open our regional office in Bangkok to oversee all of our operations in Asia and the Middle East.”

Commenting on the launch of Bangkok for One Night, Jimmy Suh, the app’s president and co-founder, added: “Bangkok represents the ideal market for One Night – a last-minute hotel booking app offering a highly curated collection of the most sought-after independent hotels at the lowest rates.”

One Night, which is operating in 15 major cities in the US and London with over 170 independent hotels, is projected to be in 30 cities by year-end 2019, including more cities in Asia and Europe.

Meliá keeps up expansion pace in SE Asia with new signings, rebrands

By Prudence Lui
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Meliá Phu Quoc to rise next to the beachfront Sol Beach House Phu Quoc (pictured)

Asia-Pacific remains a key focus area of expansion for Meliá Hotels International with a trio of new signings as well as a series of rebranding efforts in South-east Asia, which will bring the number of properties under operation or due-to-open in the region to 51 by 2022.

Situated in Hoi An Ancient Town, Meliá Hoi An is a 30-minute drive from Danang International Airport. The property will offer 150 rooms across five categories, a swimming pool, fitness centre and spa. Other facilities include multiple dining options and Power Meeting rooms.

Meliá Phu Quoc to rise next to the beachfront Sol Beach House Phu Quoc (pictured)

Meliá Phu Quoc, a 10-minute drive from the Phu Quoc International Airport, will sit next to the Sol Beach House Phu Quoc along a beach. The property will boast 380 rooms, elevated lounge areas with mountain and ocean views, several swimming pools, the YHI Spa, a beach club, as well as meeting and banquet facilities.

Meliá Hoi An and Meliá Phu Quoc will bring the total footprint in Vietnam to 12 hotels, making it the second biggest market for the group in Asia-Pacific.

Scheduled to open in 2021, Meliá Phuket Karon is surrounded by 64,000m2 of untouched forest, more than half of which has been set aside for an Adventure Eco Park. The 224-key property will feature two restaurants, a beach club, two swimming pools, pool bar, spa and fitness centre.

In Thailand, Meliá Hotels International has four hotels under construction together with its local partner TCC-Land. The latest signing of Meliá Phuket Karon to the portfolio will give the group six hotels in the country, two of which are in Phuket.

Meliá also intends to strengthen its brand portfolio in the region through rebranding and repositioning efforts, vice president development for the region, Gonzalo Maceda told TTG Asia at the recent HICAP in Hong Kong.

Properties on the rebranded list so far includes Meliá BaVi Mountain Retreat (opened 2018), Meliá Saigon Central (2019), Meliá Koh Samui (formerly Imperial Boat House Koh Samui, opening in 2019 after renovation), Meliá Chiangmai (2019) and Innside Saigon Mariamman (to be rebranded from Lavender Boutique Hotel in 2020).

Meanwhile, Maceda sees possibilities in the Philippines as a new destination and expressed confidence that the group will foray into the country next year, with the Meliá, Sol and Innside brands offering good potential.

Opening of Myanmar-India border crossings to stimulate overland travel

By Marissa Carruthers
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Rhi village in Chin State, close to an India border crossing

The opening of Myanmar’s borders with India is expected to lure overland travellers from Europe and Asia.

From September, all nationalities were given clearance to enter Myanmar at the overland borders of Tamu and Rih Khaw Dar. It is now possible to travel through Myanmar and onwards to Bangkok, exiting at one of the four Thai border crossings.

Rhi village in Chin State, close to an India border crossing

Edwin Briels, managing director of Khiri Travel Myanmar, said this is the first time overland travellers can cross through Myanmar from Europe and Asia. Previously, the Old Silk Road was used, passing through China.

Said Briels: “In the past, travellers had to circumvent Myanmar, or pay high fees for a caravan permit that includes a government minder and all their expenses for the trip. Now, it’s possible to cross into Myanmar and exit to Thailand.”

He added once the route becomes established, it will lead to a steady growth in overland travellers. They tend to stay in the country for one month and travel year-round, including during the traditionally quiet green season months.

Briels also expects the route to appeal to overland bikers.

Sammy Samuels, managing director of Myanmar Shalom Travels, said the checkpoints make remote areas of Myanmar more accessible to travellers. Tamu connects with upper Sagaing Region and Rih Khaw Dar with Chin State.

Said Samuels: “Both regions offer many off-the-beaten-track places for travellers… We hope there is great potential for tourism development.”

However, Bertie Lawson of Sampan Travel pointed out that while the opening of the crossings have “provoked a lot of interest”, amenities are currently lacking and it will take time for it to become a popular tourist draw.

“Infrastructure and guide services are still basic and expensive,” he said. “So I don’t think it will make a huge difference soon.”

Air Astana readies LCC for 2019 take-off

By TTG Asia
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Foster: LCC is airline's response to rapidly changing local and regional business environment

Air Astana will soon launch FlyArystan, an LCC offering fares “approximately half” of what the airline has available today.

Scheduled for launch in the first half of 2019, FlyArystan will operate a fleet of Airbus A320 aircraft configured to an all-economy class of 180 seats. The LCC will have an initial fleet size of four aircraft, with plans to grow to at least 15 by 2022.

Foster: LCC is airline’s response to rapidly changing local and regional business environment

In a statement, the airline said it will adopt a “classic LCC model, strictly following the examples of highly successful airlines such as easyjet, Indigo, Cebu Pacific and Air Asia”.

FlyArystan will start with mostly domestic routes, Air Astana said in its announcement, before expanding into regional international routes in the mid-term.

The new carrier will operate from multiple aircraft bases in Kazakhstan with routes and aircraft bases to be announced over the coming months.

The management team has already been appointed, drawn from Air Astana’s senior local managers.

It will be led by Tim Jordan, a British-Australian national with more than 15 years’ senior LCC management experience at Cebu Pacific and Virgin Blue.

Air Astana stressed that the project will be entirely self-funded, requiring no capital from shareholders, no state subsidies or external financial support of any kind.

Peter Foster, president and CEO of Air Astana, commented: “FlyArystan is the result of much serious thought and internal business planning, and (our response to) a rapidly changing local and regional airline business environment. It will be good for the mid to long-term prospects of Air Astana, and we hope, very welcome to the Kazakhstan travelling public, who will be able to benefit from significantly cheaper airfares on domestic and regional routes.”

Aviation roundup: Singapore Airlines, Neos Air and more

By TTG Asia
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SIA adds Seattle to network
Seattle will become the fifth US city that Singapore Airlines (SIA) flies to once the non-stop route is launched on September 3, 2019. Flight SQ28 departs Singapore at 09.25 every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, and arrives in Seattle at 09.05 on the same day. The return sector, operated as SQ27, departs Seattle at 10.40 every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, and arrives in Singapore the following day at 17.30. From October 2019, flight SQ28 and flight SQ27 will operate every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.

An Airbus A350-900 aircraft will be used on the route, which is fitted with 42 business class, 24 premium economy class and 187 economy class seats.

In addition, existing non-stop services to San Francisco will also be increased from seven to 10 flights per week with effect from November 28, 2018.

Neos Air connects Myanmar to Europe
On October 31, Italy’s Neos Air became the first airline to connect Europe directly to Myanmar, with the commencement of Vietnam-Yangon-Milan flights. The airline deploys the wide-body Boeing 767-300ER, with capacity of 284 passengers, on the route. Flights arrive in Yangon every Wednesday at 15.00 and departs at 16.00.

AirAsia expands China network from Chiang Mai
AirAsia has announced a trio of new routes from Chiang Mai to China, namely Beijing, Hanghzhou and Nanchang.

Starting October 28, the airline launched its Chiang Mai-Hangzhou service. FD496 leaves Chiang Mai at 14.25 for arrival in Hangzhou at 19.00 on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. On the return, FD497 leaves Hangzhou at 20.05 on the same day, arriving in Chiang Mai at 23.10. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, FD496 leaves Chiang Mai at 07.00 to arrive in Hangzhou at 11.35. FD497 then leaves Hangzhou at 12.40 for arrival back in Chiang Mai at 15.50 the same day.

AirAsia has opened sales lines for its Chiang Mai-Beijing flights ahead of the route’s launch on November 30, marking the first time Thai AirAsia will be flying into the Chinese capital. The daily flight (FD484) leaves Chiang Mai at 22.40 for a scheduled arrival in Beijing at 04.40. FD485 then leaves Beijing at 05.50, arriving in Chiang Mai at 09.40.

Beginning December 1, the LCC will launch it Chiang Mai-Nanchang route. After departing Chiang Mai at 10.20 on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, flight FD305 will arrive in Nanchang at 14.25. FD306 is scheduled to leave Nanchang at 15.10 to arrive in Chiang Mai at 17.55.

Finnair invests in premium economy for longhaul flights
Finnair will introduce the premium economy class for its entire longhaul fleet from 2021. The rollout of this cabin class will start in 4Q2020 and is expected to be completed by the end of 2022.  Detailed planning of the cabin design, service concept as well as the commercial aspects are currently ongoing, and Finnair will be communicating more details at a later stage.

Meanwhile, the airline will also renew the whole cabin of its ATR aircraft, adding new seats and carpets, as well as a fresh interior design.

The first ATR aircraft with the renewed cabin is expected to be in operation in summer 2019, and the refurbishment of the 12 aircraft will be completed by the end of 1Q 2020.

Finnair’s ATR aircraft are currently used for domestic flights in Finland, on flights to the Baltics, Gdansk in Poland and Stockholm’s Bromma airport. The flights are operated by Finnair’s partner Norra.

HK Express to take off for Nagasaki
HK Express is set to launch thrice-weekly flights between Hong Kong to and Nagasaki on January 19, 2019. On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, UO830 departs Hong Kong at 13.05 for arrival in Nagasaki at 17.05. UO831 leaves Nagasaki at 19.50 to arrive back in Hong Kong at 22.05.

Egg-cooking robots take up service at Millennium hotels in Singapore

By TTG Asia
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The egg-cooking robot is being rolled out to Millennium hotels in Singapore, with plans for further deployment outside the city

Millennium Hotels and Resorts (MHR) is deploying AUSCA (Autonomous Service Chef Associate) to five more of its Singapore properties after first launching the robot at M Social Singapore in 2017.

The latest version of AUSCA is currently deployed at M Social Singapore, Studio M Hotel Singapore, Copthorne King’s Hotel Singapore and M Hotel Singapore.

AUSCA at your service at M Social 

He will be launched at Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel Singapore on November 12, 2018, and Orchard Hotel Singapore by end November 2018.

AUSCA, an egg-cooking robot, was first introduced to the hospitality industry in November 2017 as the world’s first robot chef prototype.

It was launched with the support from Singapore Productivity Centre’s Hotel Productivity Centre Applied Research initiative, and was developed by Kurve Automation with industry guidance from Republic Polytechnic, School of Hospitality.

This follows the rollout of AURA, the group’s front-of-house Autonomous Service Delivery Robot, to the group’s properties in Singapore, including M Social Singapore, Orchard Hotel Singapore, Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel Singapore, M Hotel Singapore and Studio M Hotel Singapore.

Tan Kian Seng, interim group CEO at Millennium Hotels and Resorts, said: “Given M Social Singapore’s size and millennial demographic, it was well-suited for such a new technology to exist first. The intention is now to incorporate these innovative robotic solutions into the rest of our Singapore properties before a global roll out.”

Travelport announces senior appointments to commercial team

By TTG Asia
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From left: Clarke, Dagg and Hickey

Travelport has named senior appointments within its commercial team led by chief commercial officer Stephen Shurrock.

Effective October 29, Nick Dagg is the new head of agency sales. He joins from DXC Technology, where he led the UKIMEA go-to-market teams.

From left: Clarke, Dagg and Hickey

Dagg previously worked at Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Services and IBM Global Business Services.

Jason Clarke, from his role of head of agency sales, is now the head of travel partners, a newly created function incorporating all content relationships across air, hospitality and car partners.

He will also assume responsibility for Travelport’s airline IT services business as well as its digital sales organisation.

Clarke first joined Travelport in 2004 and has previously led sales and commercial operations in a number of regional and global functions.

Reporting to Clarke is Damian Hickey, who has been appointed global head of air partners within the travel partners team.

Hickey has global responsibility for Travelport’s air content strategy and the commercial relationship with airline partners, having held leadership positions in the company’s Asia-Pacific region since 2012.

So Sofitel Hua Hin unveils new wing

By TTG Asia
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So Lofty Pool Access

So Sofitel Hua Hin has unveiled an expansion with the launch of its new wing, adding new facilities and room types for business and leisure travellers.

The 8,094m2 expansion brings the total number of guest rooms, suites and villas from 78 to 109.

The new wing also brings the addition of One-bedroom So Pool Villas and So Family Suites complete with bunk beds.

So Sofitel Hua Hin upgrades
1 of 5
So Lofty Pool Access
Signature Pool with Wibit adventure course
Bunk beds in Family Suite
Master Bedroom in Family Suite
Kids Tent, one of the new facilities added

The new So Studio and So Lofty Pool Access rooms feature an open concept design complete with a TV/wardrobe console which can swivel for viewing from both bathtub and bed.

As well, refurbished So Comfy Pool Access and new So Lofty Pool Access rooms boast private outdoor terraces providing direct access to the Signature Pool.

A facility highlight is the 16m-by-60m Signature Pool, consisting of a water playground anchored by a Wibit adventure course running down the middle of the pool. Among other new facilities in the new wing are a dedicated kid’s pool area, a So Sundae poolside ice cream bar and a kids club.

A multi-purpose centre comprising a mini 18-hole golf course and tennis and basketball courts will open in December.

Situated on the beachfront in Cha Am, 200km on the west coast from Bangkok, the hotel is 30 minutes from Hua Hin.

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Sister Publications
TTG Asia TTGmice TTG India TTGssociations TTG Asia Luxury
TTG Asia | Salter Brothers Hospitality names Chris Curran as COO
TTG Asia | Building a new world
TTG Asia | Le Méridien Putrajaya welcomes new GM