The Hong Kong Hotels Association (HKHA) has announced the election of its new chairperson, Rebecca Kwan, senior vice president of sales – Hong Kong & United Kingdom of Dorsett Hospitality International, who has commenced her two-year term from August 22.
Kwan was recently appointed an additional role within Dorsett as head of operations – United Kingdom, which will see her supporting UK sales and hotel revenue related matters. She is also general manager of Lan Kwai Fong Hotel @ Kau U Fong, Hong Kong, a boutique hotel under Dorsett’s d.Collection brand.
She was a member of the HKHA’s executive committee since 2009, before being elected second vice chairman in 2017. Now elected chairman, she succeeds Shaun Campbell, who had steered the association since 2017.
Campbell, managing director of The Langham, Hong Kong, is now a member of the executive committee.
Millennium Hotels and Resorts has unveiled new treats for fans of Chelsea Football Club as part of its exclusive three-year partnership with the Blues.
Guests will be able to access football-focused room packages, book a range of guest experiences and enter competitions to win prizes on the new Millennium Chelsea FC webpage, www.millenniumhotels.com/chelseafc.
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Screenshot of the new website
(From left) Simon Scoot, Chris Madsen, Jennifer Fox, Kwek Leng Beng & Franck Kermarrec
The ultimate Blues supporter hotel package comes complete with the ‘eat like a Blue’ breakfast, ‘energise like a Blue’ smoothie, ‘train like a Blue’ fitness centre access and a Chelsea FC welcome gift. The package also includes a room for two guests, club lounge access, free high speed Wi-Fi, late check out and My Millennium reward points.
To further celebrate the new partnership, Millennium Hotels and Resorts will be hosting a number of competitions, offering participants the chance to win tickets to upcoming Chelsea matches, including a night’s stay at one of Millennium Hotels and Resorts’ London-based hotels.
Down the line, Millennium Hotels and Resorts also plans to offer more exclusive deals for fans, such as training ground meet-and-greet experiences with players, hospitality box access, VIP travel packages for European away matches and signed merchandise, to name a few.
The Lufthansa Group has launched its new NDC Partner Program in Hong Kong and Singapore to help travel agencies, corporate customers and travel technology providers learn more about its direct sales interfaces.
Accompanied by a website, the NDC Partner Program bundles offers, exclusive content and solutions of the group’s NDC API connection on a single platform.
The new website provides immediate information and access to Lufthansa Group Airlines’ NDC API solutions
The website is available for free and provides information on services – the NDC Smart Offer, as well as technological and strategic cooperation options.
Meanwhile, the programme offers user support for connected sales partners and training programmes. Travel agencies interested in the free web-based NDC solution SPRK can now register on the website and gain access to the booking and service platform.
April Dela Cruz, Lufthansa’s general manager sales Singapore, said: “The newly launched NDC Partner Program enables us to host all important information related to our NDC initiatives and assures our local agents that it’s easy to do business with us as we have a range of solutions that suit their technical readiness.
“We have connected a strong base of partners in Singapore with a good mix of tour operators, consolidators and TMCs who are benefiting from our Direct Connect offers.”
Malte Haut, general manager, Hong Kong, South China & Macau of Lufthansa Group Airline Sales, added: “Our NDC enabled partners and their customers benefit from exclusive offers and promotions as well as discounted fares. We are constantly expanding our product range in this channel.”
To inspire an appreciation of wildlife among the five million guests that spend a day in our immersive wildlife parks – Jurong Bird Park, Night Safari, River Safari, and Singapore Zoo – we go beyond providing a beautifully landscaped physical environment and curating a diverse living collection.
Marcus Heng
We look within ourselves and believe that the heartware would add a Midas touch to transform a fun day out for our guests into a truly memorable wildlife experience.
Over the last few years, WRS has focused on three areas:
Guest-centricity
The guest is at the core of everything we do, and the key is active listening: feedback forms, focus groups, surveys, social media, phone interactions and face-to-face engagements. Listening helps us identify key strengths and map out areas of improvement.
Guest satisfaction at our parks is a shared responsibility across the organisation, thus multidisciplinary teams are engaged to look into service enhancements.
Heart campaign
We believe in serving from the heart; a warm greeting as guests walk through our gates, a zookeeper personally explaining more about the animals to guests, or a caring operations executive offering an ice-cream to a distressed child who temporarily lost sight of her parents.
Such service takes time and effort to cultivate, and it must begin with a motivated team.
That is what we sought to spark with the Heart service campaign. Over several months, we inspired and imbued staff across various levels of the organisation with the values of Heart: happy, empathetic, attentive, reliable and timely.
An affable zookeeper will foster meaningful interaction with visitors
The Heart service campaign stretches beyond service skills and focuses on the core of why we do what we do in a wildlife park – to inspire our guests to love and appreciate wildlife – and thereby go the extra mile to engage our guests.
The organisation also holds internal service awards to recognise and appreciate staff who display excellent service attitudes and actions, as well as those who have gone above and beyond for our guests, embodying all the Heart values.
Empowerment
Extending a degree of responsibility to guest-facing staff is the organisation’s way of showing that they are trusted with the on-the-ground decisions they make. In return, this trust would create a sense of accountability towards our common goal, and empowers and motivates staff to deliver service excellence.
With motivated and dedicated employees, it will inevitably lead to better guest experience and satisfaction.
Our efforts at service excellence were recently recognised at the Singapore Tourism Awards 2018, where Night Safari was awarded Best Attraction Experience, and one of our stellar team members from Night Safari, Emmey Mohamed bin Nenpari, won the Best Customer Service for Attractions.
Such success does not come overnight, and certainly is the culmination of
many people, processes and culture. We will continue to strive for service excellence.
W Xi’an, China
Billed as the largest W in the Asia-Pacific, W Hotels’ flagship in north-western China has opened with 385 guestrooms and suites each boasting its own balcony. The hotel’s decor has been inspired by the Zhou, Qin, Han, Sui and Tang dynasties, five ancient dynasties that once called Xi’an home.
Aside from four F&B venues, recreational facilities include an indoor swimming pool, 24-hour gym and Away Spa with five treatment rooms. Event planners can avail the 4,000m2 of versatile function spaces, including the 2,330m2 Great Room which can accommodate up to 1,000 guests. In addition, a digital screen at the end of the pool allows for projected graphics and the ability to host on-water fashion shows.
Best Western Senayan Hotel, Indonesia
Best Western Hotels & Resorts has opened a new property in downtown Jakarta. The modern midscale hotel features 137 contemporary rooms, all equipped with complimentary Wi-Fi. The hotel’s restaurant serves daily buffet breakfast, followed by a choice of local, pan-Asian and international cuisine throughout the day. For corporate travellers, there is a business corner and six meeting rooms. The new-build is also located near to the Jakarta Convention Center and the 76,000-pax capacity Gelora Bung Karno Stadium.
Photo credit: Hoshino Resorts
Hoshino Resorts KAI Sengokuhara, Japan
The 15th KAI-branded property is a Japanese-style hot spring ryokan inn built at an elevation of 700m on the Sengokuhara plateau in the Hakone district. The property features 16 guestrooms in either Japanese- or Western-style, and an outdoor hotspring in every room.
Facilities on-site include a dining space, several larger shared gender-separated hotsprings, a travel library and shop. Kaiseki meals can also be arranged to be had in-room. An annex building, scheduled for completion in November 2018, will be a secluded retreat with only three rooms, surrounded by a grove of trees.
Four Points by Sheraton Sydney, Central Park, Australia
The downtown Sydney hotel, designed by award-winning British architectural firm Foster + Partners, is situated in the Eastern Tower of the Central Park Development on the corner of Abercrombie and Broadway. It offers 297 guestrooms, including two luxury suites. Amenities include the Malt Bar, Central Quarter restaurant, a fitness centre, and 553m2 of function space comprising flexible rooms and an elevated outdoor terrace.
Louis T Collection has named Robert C Hauck general manager of the 156-room Galle Face Hotel and area vice president for South Asia.
A hospitality leader with over 25 years of hotel experience across Asia, Europe, South America and the Caribbean, Hauck was most recently general manager of Kanuhura in the Maldives.
The German was previously director of Asian operations for International Group Management, Shanghai, a five-star hotel and private member club at Zhejiang Circuit; and president of Thanyapura in Phuket, Asia’s first sports resort, directing the launch of the mixed-use project.
Hauck was earlier general manager at Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor in Siem Reap; held executive roles at Shangri-La hotels in Taipei, Hong Kong and Pudong; and had assumed other executive positions at Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur; the Fairmont Hamilton Princess, Bermuda; Hotel Oro Verde, Guayaquil, Ecuador; and Kempinski Hotel Furstenhof, Leipzig, Germany.
Galle Fort Walks, one of the experiences on the platform
Potentially paving the way for regulation in the non-hotel accommodation space in Sri Lanka, Airbnb and the state-owned Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) have announced a strategic partnership to launch Airbnb Experiences in the country.
Airbnb previously partnered the Tourism Authority of Thailand on a similar initiative for local accommodation, but the collaboration in Sri Lanka is the first in Asia where the homesharing giant is working with a NTO to onboard local experience hosts, officials said.
Galle Fort Walks, one of the experiences on the platform
Simran Kodesia, spokesperson for Airbnb in India, told TTG Asia: “We have (rolled out) Experiences in almost 800 cities globally but this is the first time in Asia we have partnered with a tourism authority (rather than) launch Experiences on our own,” she said.
Travellers can now choose from more than 40 Airbnb Experiences in Sri Lanka designed and led by local experts. The experiences range from heritage trails in southern Galle to surfing experiences in southern Mirissa, and adventure walks in Sri Lanka’s national parks (across the island) to discovering the best local food spots in Colombo.
Kavan Ratnayaka, chairman, SLTDA, believes the move “would be of great value to the tourism industry of Sri Lanka”.
Other experiences include tuk-tuk (three-wheel ride) and possibly cricket lessons, said Kodesia.
In the local trade, where lack of regulation of Airbnb-type suppliers is a common grouse, the move is seen as a possible step towards “proper regulation”, said Harith Perera, President – Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators.
Harith added that this bodes well for an outcome where all suppliers on Airbnb register with tourism authorities and pay taxes like formal accommodation providers.
Almost 40 per cent of visitors to Sri Lanka prefer to stay in non-formal accommodation including homestays.
Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Alibaba Group have entered a partnership covering flight ticket sales, loyalty programmes, marketing initiatives, cloud services, payments and logistics.
The tie-up represents an extension of a partnership between SIA and Alibaba Group’s affiliate, Alipay, which was introduced as a payment option on SIA’s website in 2013. In 2016, an official SIA flagship store was also launched on what was then known as Alitrip (later rebranded Fliggy), Alibaba’s travel service platform, for direct purchase of SIA flight tickets by consumers in China.
KrisFlyer and Fliggy members will soon be able to convert points both ways
There are over 600 million monthly active mobile users on Alibaba’s China retail marketplaces alone, and SIA and Alibaba Group expect to gain actionable customer insights through the new deal, the partners said in a joint statement.
The extended partnership will kick in later this year, when KrisFlyer and Fliggy introduce two-way points conversion, allowing members to enjoy membership perks from both loyalty programmes. SIA and Fliggy also intend to explore further opportunities to sync their respective loyalty programmes and to drive cross-promotion of membership services.
In addition, eligible Fliggy members at certain loyalty programme tiers will be able to earn KrisFlyer Elite Silver or Gold status. Accompanying privileges could include tier bonuses on miles flown, priority reservation waitlist, seat selection privileges and priority baggage handling. Fliggy members who achieve KrisFlyer Elite Gold status can also receive benefits from the entire Star Alliance network, the world’s largest airline alliance.
SIA and Alipay will also work on extending Alipay acceptance beyond flight purchases to also cover in-flight products and services, airport services, retail merchandise and ancillary touchpoints.
In addition, together with Alibaba Cloud, the cloud computing arm of Alibaba Group, SIA will explore how its IT ecosystem – from web hosting to apps and membership systems – can benefit from Alibaba Cloud’s global network. This includes the strong coverage of Alibaba Cloud’s data centres and its capabilities in managing aviation-related resourcing needs through ET Brain, Alibaba Cloud’s proprietary AI programme.
SIA will also work closely with Cainiao Network, the logistics arm of Alibaba Group, to enhance international air cargo services.
“Amid structural changes in our industry, we have been making significant steps to ensure we meet new competitive challenges and deliver on our brand promise to customers. Enhancing our digital capabilities is one of our priorities, and our partnership with Alibaba Group will be an important element in our drive to be a digital aviation leader,” Mak Swee Wah, Singapore Airlines executive vice president commercial.
“Through Alibaba Group’s digital assets and keen insights of Chinese consumer behaviour, we will be able to better understand the needs of our customers and develop more innovative travel solutions to help them explore the world.”
Front row from left: MQDC's Chris Ow, and Visit Malaisira sign with Six Senses' Neil Jacobs, Bernhard Bohnenberger; back row from left: Six Senses' Omar Romero and Gordon Drake
Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas’ first Bangkok property will open in The Forestias, an upcoming 48ha mixed-use development located in the city’s Bangna district.
“Six Senses has chosen The Forestias, its first location in Bangkok, for a 60-room hotel, 36 residences and the group’s first membership club in Asia,” said the company’s CEO Neil Jacobs.
Front row, from left: MQDC’s Chris Ow, and Visit Malaisira with Six Senses’ Neil Jacobs, Bernhard Bohnenberger; back row, from left: Six Senses’ Omar Romero and Gordon Drake
The wide variety of on-site facilities and services, including health and wellness amenities provided by Six Senses’ first membership club in Asia, will enhance the lifestyles of guests and residential owners at Six Senses Forestias, said Jacobs.
The Forestias is spearheaded by Bangkok-based property developer Magnolia Quality Development Corporation (MQDC), which in a statement said the mixed-use project will be built under its ‘sustainnovation’ principle featuring extensive woodlands and green spaces.
Other on-site features will include a medical complex, office building, community centre, condos and residences, a check on The Forestias website revealed.
MQDC’s president for hotels & hospitality, Chris Ow, said the developer would contribute expertise in design and management. “MQDC’s increasing success as a mixed-used property developer is confirmed by this agreement, which follows similar associations with other high-end hotel brands,” he said.
Hotelbeds will make a 24/7 personal assistance hotline available to customers of its travel intermediaries
Hotelbeds Group’s Ancillary Bank has launched a concierge service for use by end consumers of travel intermediaries, following its earlier foray into hotel concierge service with City Expert.
Its first FIT-focused offering, the service is now available in Bangkok and Phuket in Thailand; Punta Cana, Cancun and Riviera Maya in Latin America; as well as Malta and Bodrum in the Mediterranean.
Hotelbeds will make a 24/7 personal assistance hotline available to customers of its travel intermediaries
Javier Arévalo, Ancillary Bank director, Hotelbeds Group, commented: “This allows us to offer the first service focused on FITs, with the goal to offer advice and personalised attention by local experts from the beginning of their stay.”
The new offering will be made available on Hotelbeds Group booking platforms – aimed at FITs – as well as in its wholesale and retail channels – including the Hotelbeds, Tourico Holidays, GTA and Bedsonline brands.
Travellers will be able to access a 24/7 personal assistance hotline operated by local people conversant in both English and Spanish.
The feature is expected to enrich in-destination local experiences for travellers through the expertise of local assistants offering interpretation/translation services, information on local infrastructure, services and transport, arranging and booking tours, tickets, attractions, events, transfers and car rentals, and offering information on culture, lifestyle, sports and local traditions.
A face-to-face meeting with the concierge will also be available on request.
