Air France KLM has appointed Wouter Gregorowitsch as country manager for Indonesia.
Based in Jakarta, Gregorowitsch will oversee commercial sales throughout the country, strengthen Air France KLM’s market position, and cooperate with partners and SkyTeam alliance partners.
Wouter Gregorowitsch
He succeeds Wouter Alders who has moved to the position of commercial director for Spain and Portugal.
Gregorowitsch’s most recent position was within the pricing department at KLM’s head office in Amstelveen, and he has held other positions within the e-commerce, apron services, and engineering and maintenance departments.
Wellness destination Chiva-Som in Hua Hin, Thailand, has reopened after a six-month closure, after completing the third of four stages of the resort’s first major renovation since it opened 23 years ago.
The latest aesthetic and hardware developments comprise a complete overhaul of the Thai Pavilions, Emerald Room, Orchid Lounge, Library, Fitness Centre and Niranlada Medi-Spa. Changes include a new look created with materials such as local sustainable teak, silk and bamboo.
Newly renovated spaces at Chiva-Som
1 of 3
The Fitness Centre has also increased in size to incorporate a larger gym area and a separate stretching space with an array of new cardio equipment, functional and non-functional training equipment, as well as a private training room and two fully renovated Dance and Pilates Studios.
In addition, a new room category, the Thai Pavilion Suite, features an outdoor pantry and its own outdoor private glass-walled sala, a private space for around six guests set amid gardens and is suitable for private meals or meditation.
The Kinesis Room has been renamed the Re-functional Studio, home to a private Neurac Room, Functional Assessment room and boasting brand new equipment including a Biodex 4 Pro Isokinetic Dynamometer to help with rehabilitation, leg mobility and balance, as well as preparing the body for more strenuous exercise. Further additions are the Queenax functional training equipment; a suspended body weight training system and an Electrical Muscle Stimulation system (Vision Body) to help reduce exercise-induced joint damage and aid recovery.
Chiva-Som’s Total Golf Enhancement retreat has launched as well, aimed at developing guests’ overall game. This new retreat is suitable for players of all levels and provides expertise in specialist areas, such as golf fitness training and golf biomechanics. In addition to golf-specific inclusions, guests will also enjoy related treatments in essential areas, such as post-game muscle recovery, relaxation and skincare. Improvement will be assessed by the included round(s) of golf with an in-house accredited professionals, played at one of Hua Hin’s leading courses.
Labuan Bajo is witnessing a rising tide of travellers “who are pushing beyond the Eat Pray Love script of culture club Bali” and embracing the more adventurous call of the wild, according to C9 Hotelworks.
A gateway to Komodo Island and sanctuary of the namesake reptilian species, Labuan Bajo is seeing the accession of an entirely different giant.
Tourist boats in Kelor Island, Labuan Bajo
In 2017, year-on-year passenger arrivals grew by 24 per cent with nearly 218,000 arrivals. Currently expansion of the airport is underway and international direct flights are in the planning stages.
Despite overseas visitors to the National Park accounting for 61 per cent of traffic, domestic travellers have remarkably doubled over the past two years.
The rapid growth in tourism in Labuan Bajo, where there are just over 1,000 accommodation units, has spurred a hotel development groundswell, with more than 650 rooms in the pipeline.
Setting the tone for a new marketplace is the recent entry of the first five-star luxury resort, the 205-room Ayana Komodo which opened in September.
International brands are entering the fray for the first time, with a Marriott branded hotel, and properties under familiar names such as AccorHotels and Alila coming.
Despite the growth of impending entry of big box hotels, a growing number of tourists are seeking out non-traditional experiences. One case in point is the Le Pirate Group, who has seen some success in its waterborne Boatel offering and an “off the grid” Pirate Island getaway.
Meanwhile another upshot trend is modernised traditional Indonesian phinisi sailing boats, which are capturing the imagination of upscale travellers.
Stepping back and examining the tourism journey of Labuan Bajo from a broadly niche offering of nature lovers and divers into the harsh light of the mainstream, C9 Hotelworks managing director Bill Barnett is quick to point out: “The destination is not alone in its somewhat accidental trajectory. One only has to look at the Maldives, Palawan and the islands off Cambodia where the echo of small scale of tourism is being amped up into an entirely new animal. Where once only dragons roamed, tourism is the new giant.”
Singapore’s Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) is intensifying efforts to woo more tourists from China as the destination welcomes a series of new developments promising to widen the island’s appeal.
“Tourists prefer to visit Resorts World Sentosa (RWS), not Sentosa as a whole island,” observed Joseph Sze, senior director of Siam Express, a Singapore DMC.
Sentosa keen to capture more Chinese inbound travellers to Singapore; AJ Hackett Sentosa Bungy Jump pictured
He opined that while Sentosa has “great tourism resources and market potential”, it would fare better among both international and domestic visitors by rebranding and repositioning as “a whole integrated island”.
But this is set to change with redevelopment plans, which could see the nearby Pulau Brani “transformed” as part of Sentosa while “retaining the island charm with new attractions and nature zones”, revealed SDC’s assistant chief executive and chief financial officer, Chin Sak Hin.
“We are working closely with the other government agencies on planning this whole area. We are now at the masterplanning stage,” he said.
Meanwhile, Far East Hospitality (FEH) is launching three hotels along Artillery Avenue in the Palawan area, covering three different segments of the traveller market.
Opening in April 2019 are Village Hotel at Sentosa, offering 606 rooms, as well as the 193-key The Outpost Hotel, featuring a stylish adults-only colonial island concept. In 3Q2019, The Barracks Hotel will open its 40 rooms in a conserved colonial building in the style. The three properties will raise Sentosa’s total room count to 4,200.
Arthur Kiong, CEO, FEH, said: “Sentosa has always been known as a regional tourist spot. However, we found that 90 per cent of the market currently comprises luxury hotels, so we saw an opportunity to add to the island’s mid-tier inventory.”
As change comes to the island, SDC’s Chin told TTG Asia: “The Chinese market is very important to us. We have invested quite a lot in this space. We have accounts on digital channels Mafengwo and WeChat and we are working with big OTAs like Ctrip. Last year we also rolled out AliPay islandwide; now about 70 per cent of businesses on the island accept AliPay.
“We still see a lot of scope for us to invest in China’s digital space. We need to do even more to engage Chinese tourists, of which there are increasingly more FITs.”
Not only are Chinese travellers digitally savvy, they are also “world-savvy”, and are now in search of unique and different experiences, Chin explained.
To cater to such changing preferences, Sentosa has been rolling out a year-round calendar of diverse and “relevant” events, said Chin.
Launching soon is the Pikachu Night Parade, the first to be hosted outside of Japan, as part of Sentosa’s Island Lights light-up event next month.
SDC will market these events and attractions based on themes such as beach, music, food, sports and festivals, to help visitors gain awareness of the island’s suite of offerings.
Meanwhile, broader developments are underway to give visitors more access to attractions on the island. SDC’s My Sentosa App was refreshed with new functionalities such as itinerary planning, smart navigation and gamified trails.
“The island is also working with the Ministry of Transport and ST Engineering Land Systems (on) autonomous Mobility-On-Demand-Vehicles, which will go on a public trial next year,” added Lynette Ang, SDC’s chief marketing officer.
Other activities promising to bring change to the island include the redevelopment of Sentosa’s main north-south pedestrian thoroughfare by 2021, a robust calendar of unique events such as the Sentosa Sandsation: Marvel Edition and Sentosa GrillFest, as well as developing the Sentosa 2030 masterplan.
Fujita Kanko is launching Tavinos, a new millennial-friendly brand touting an artificial intelligence (AI) concierge to help hotel guests find a travel buddy, among other tasks.
With Tavinos, the Japanese hospitality is hoping to blend “the social aspect of hostels with style and technology”.
Artist impressions of Tavinos
1 of 4
Tavinos entrance
Tavinos lounge
Tavinos guestroom
Tavinos hallway
Besides matching guests interested in similar activities, the AI-powered concierge can also perform automated check-in/check-out as well as provide local information.
Fujita Kanko says the “minimal staffing” enabled by technology will allow the hotel to keep rates affordable – averaging at around 10,000 yen (US$89) per night for a twin/double room – even in prime urban locations.
Fujita Kanko will open the first 188-room Tavinos in Hamamatsu-cho, Tokyo, in August 2019, followed by the second 278-room Tavinos in Asakusa, Tokyo, in May, 2020.
Rooms, sized at an average 12m2, and other hotel spaces will be covered in manga art, while the lobby lounge will offer continental breakfast and serve as a communal area for guests to meet and mingle.
“There are already affordable accommodations throughout Japan, but travelling millennials are hungry for the community of a hostel and the professionalism and expertise of an experienced hotelier,” commented Akira Segawa, president and CEO of Fujita Kanko.
“Tavinos will offer what outgoing and adventurous travellers want: the opportunity to meet interesting people, plan activities together, and explore.”
While concerns continue to swirl around the Boeing 737 Max 8, South Korea’s biggest LCC Jeju Air has announced a US$4.4 billion purchase of 40 units of the jet, the biggest contract for a single aircraft type by an airline in the country.
The purchase contract includes an option to buy an additional 10 aircraft, and Jeju Air estimates it will take delivery of the planes between 2022 and 2026.
Jeju Air indicates the 737 MAX 8 is an ideal aircraft to help grow and meet rising passenger demand for international routes
According to Jeju Air, the order is expected to help the company maintain its cost competitiveness.
The new planes will be deployed on popular international routes, with no further details on the routes available at press time.
The largest order comes amid a boom in outbound budget travel from South Korea, with six of the country’s budget carriers seeing a quadrupling of passengers international routes to 20.3 million in 2017, Reuters reported, quoting the country’s transport ministry.
Jetstar Asia Airways agrees to be more transparent in the ticket and booking process
Jetstar will join Singapore Airlines and Scoot to remove travel insurance pre-selection next October after the Consumer Association of Singapore (CASE) engaged the three airlines to be more transparent in their ticket pricing and booking process.
CASE had earlier this year reached out to the airlines separately about selling insurance with flight bookings through an “opt-out” approach, where the add-on product is automatically included in the purchase until the consumer unchecks a box.
Jetstar Asia Airways agrees to be more transparent in the ticket pricing and booking process
In a statement released this week, the association said: “With the growth of e-commerce in the past decade, we have noticed several challenges that consumers encounter when shopping online. For example, encountering pre-ticked boxes that adds options to their purchases without their express consent.
“Any additional goods or services, whether paid or free, should only be included if the consumer has given express consent. In CASE’s view, failure to opt-out of travel insurance should not be regarded as express consent as it is possible for some consumers to overlook that this option had been selected.”
From October next year, Jetstar will implement an “opt-neutral” approach for travel insurance, in which consumers will need to consciously select to either accept or reject travel insurance while making flight bookings.
Scoot and SIA have already replaced “opt-out” insurance with an “opt-in” feature starting February and May this year respectively.
“Businesses should clearly present all information relevant to a sales transaction upfront to the consumer,” CASE reiterated, while “strongly encouraging” all businesses to engage in ethical marketing by ensuring that their consumers consciously agree to the purchase of goods and services by taking clear action.
Under Singapore law, businesses are not prohibited from using pre-ticked boxes to seek express consent for additional payments from consumers. However, there are measures in place to protect consumers from pre-ticked boxes in certain jurisdictions overseas such as the European Union.
FAQ Bot being trialled at hotels including Hotel Palace Zoo (pictured)
Instaroom, an artificial intelligence (AI) powered messaging platform built for hoteliers, has launched its new FAQ Bot, designed to answer commonly asked customer questions and reduce hotel management costs.
According to the company, the new FAQ Bot, which comes with premium subscriptions, can be integrated into a hotel’s homepage and help reduce incoming inquiries by up to 40 per cent, consequently decreasing inbound phone calls and emails.
FAQ Bot being trialled at hotels including Hotel Palace Zoo (pictured)
White-label bots customisable to a property’s needs are also on offer.
“Every day hoteliers are answering the same questions over and over again – including when are breakfast hours, what are parking costs, and how much for a room,” said Niklas Pettersson, co-founder and CEO of Instaroom.
An example of how the Instaroom bot could benefit hoteliers
“Over the course of a year, thousands of employee hours are being wasted. We’ve designed an intelligent bot that customers can interact with on a hotel’s website and our beta results show that nearly 50 per cent of visitors are using the widgets. The product has increased efficiency for hoteliers, but it’s also making the customer journey much more user-friendly in an era where consumers expect quick results.”
Among the hotels where Instaroom has been testing its new AI FAQ bots are Desa Visesa Ubud in Bali, Delfins Beach Resort in the Dutch Caribbean Island of Bonaire, and the Hotel Palace Berlin.
Instaroom has opened a new office in Singapore’s CBD, which will serve as the headquarters for sales and marketing in Asia-Pacific.
The company has welcomed two new investors, including Jack Chia, who currently serves as vice president of corporate business development for Pico Global in Singapore, and Anthony Lai, managing director of OTA #NoFilter Holidays.
Onyx Hospitality Group is set to launch the riverside Amari Vientiane come 2021, its second property under the brand in Laos after Amari Vang Vieng which opened this year.
Resulting from a management agreement with Laos-based Asia Investment, Development & Construction Sole, the new-build hotel will be located by the Mekong river at the intersection of Quai Fa Ngum and Khun Bu Lom Roads, a short walk to the city’s night market street and the Chao Anouvong Park.
A rendering of the upcoming Amari Vientiane
Featuring 250 rooms and suites in a 15-storey building, Amari Vientiane
will offer Amari brand signatures including service from Amari Hosts, the street market-style Amaya Food Gallery, Breeze Spa, meetings facilities and indoor and outdoor space.
Other facilities include a specialty restaurant, outdoor pool and fitness centre.
“As a rapidly booming tourism destination, Laos recently saw the doubling in capacity of its international terminal at Vientiane’s Wattay International Airport. We look forward to the opportunity of targeting more international visitors as flight connectivity increases in the coming years,” said Douglas Martell, president and CEO of Onyx Hospitality Group.
Adrian Chan is appointed the new general manager of Sanya Marriott Hotel Dadonghai Bay and The Shanhaitian Resort Sanya, Autograph Collection.
The hospitality veteran has over 22 years of management experience in various cities – including Calgary, Beijing, Suzhou, Chengdu and Sanya – under his belt.
Born in Hong Kong, Chan first started his career at the Calgary Marriott before taking up various operational roles in other international luxury hospitality companies, including Fairmont, IHG, MGM, Swire and Rosewood.
Prior to this appointment, he was also the pre-opening hotel manager for Rosewood Sanya.
