Hotel service robots to roll out of Alibaba AI Labs

September 25, 2018

Come October, Alibaba AI Labs will introduce a robot designed specifically for the hospitality sector.

“Alibaba AI Labs’ robot is the next step in the evolution towards smart hotels,” said Chen Lijuan, general manager of Alibaba AI Labs, adding that the development will help “bridge the gap between guest needs and the response time they expect”.

The robots will have semantic map, autonomous navigation system and facial recognition capabilities

From its deployment in October, the new robot will be able to deliver food or laundry to guests, offering a glimpse into the future of hotel service. Guests can talk to the robot, using voice commands, touch and hand gestures. Its answers are powered by AliGenie, the software behind the Tmall Genie smart speaker made by Alibaba AI Labs.

The robot, slightly under one metre in height, moves at a speed of up to one metre per second. It is cased in aluminium and features multi-sense data functionality, along with parallel computing, for fast responses.

Onboard are a semantic map, autonomous navigation system to identify and dodge obstacles, a communications system to control elevators and facial-recognition technology for ID verification.

The global market for service robots is on the rise. Citing the International Federation of Robotics, Alibaba says there the market is growing between 20 and 25 per cent from 2018 and 2020, with sales during that period totalling around US$27 billion for the professional service segment.

After trialling the service robot at hotels, AI Labs will determine whether it’s suitable for use in hospitals, restaurants and offices.

PPHG expands resort footprint in Malaysia

By TTG Asia

September 25, 2018

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Pan Pacific Hotels Group (PPHG) is on its way to open two more resorts in Malaysia, after seeing success at its Penang property.

Lothar Nessmann, CEO, PPHG, said: “Parkroyal is an established brand in Malaysia, where we already operate a hotel, serviced suite and resort in the key cities of Kuala Lumpur and Penang. We are expanding our portfolio of resorts in this market after seeing the popularity of Parkroyal Penang Resort, which underwent an RM55 million (US$13.3 million) transformation recently.”

Parkroyal A’Famosa Resort will open in 2019 within a resort precinct located 40 minutes from the Malacca town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The resort will offer dining options including a lobby lounge, all-day dining restaurant, Chinese specialty restaurant, club lounge and pool café.

For corporate retreats, teambuilding and other events, the resort offers seven meeting rooms, an outdoor garden, an open rooftop and a grand ballroom that can accommodate up to 700 pax.

Guests will also have access to a range of facilities and activities in the A’Famosa integrated resort, such as a water theme park, animal safari, bowling, horse riding, fishing, tennis, BBQ, in addition to a kids’ club, activity centre, outdoor swimming pools and playgrounds.

A five-minute stroll from the resort are the A’Famosa Resort Golf Course, a 27-hole international championship golf course and the Freeport A’Famosa Outlet, which offers more than 70 fashion, sports and lifestyle brands.

Opening in 2020, Parkroyal Langkawi Resort is nestled at a beachfront location on Pantai Tengah Beach, the longest stretch of beach in Langkawi.

It will offer 294 guestrooms, including premium suites complete with “sky dipping pools” and seven villas.

Facilities include an all-day dining restaurant, a Japanese restaurant, a beach bar, and multi-tier outdoor swimming pools.

The resort is a 20-minute drive from Langkawi International Airport and 18 km from the nearest town centre, Kuah Town.

Radisson boosts China expansion with trio of appointments

By TTG Asia

September 25, 2018

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Radisson Hotel Group is beefing up its expansion plans in China with three key appointments made for the development team.

Eric Cheng, senior director, development, China, recently joined the company from the UAE’s Emaar Hospitality Group where he held the position of head of business development, China.

Knight Kang, senior director, development, China, has joined Radisson from AccorHotels where he was most recently senior director, development, Greater China.

Kevin Chai, director, development, China, joins Radisson from Centara Hotels & Resorts, where he was previously director of business development, Greater China.

Cheng and Kang will report to Ramzy Fenianos, chief development officer, Asia-Pacific, while Chai reports to Cheng. They will work alongside Chloe Fei, director, development, China, to drive the growth of Radisson Hotel Group’s portfolio throughout the country.

Earlier this year, Radisson Hotel Group secured a series of milestone signings in China. As well, Radisson Ningbo Beilun, Radisson Suzhou and Radisson Blu Zhengzhou Huiji are also on track to open their doors in 4Q2018.

Radisson Hotel Group’s growth strategy in China is a key initiative in Destination 2022, its five-year strategic operating plan. With 35 properties in operation and under development across 21 cities in China, the group plans to triple its portfolio of hotels by 2022.

The Phantom of the Opera returns to Singapore

By TTG Asia

September 25, 2018

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4._THE_PHANTOM_OF_THE_OPERA._Masquerade._Photo_Johan_Persson — Cast of the world renowned musical

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s much-beloved The Phantom of the Opera is coming back to Singapore next year.

The renowned musical will make a long-awaited return to the Sands Theatre, Marina Bay Sands (MBS), Singapore for a limited season from April 24, 2019. It last played to the Singapore audience in 2013.

Cast of the world renowned musical (photo credit: Johan Persson)

Tickets are now on sale through www.MarinaBaySands.com/ticketing or www.sistic.com.sg, or telephone +65 6688 8826.

Base Entertainment Asia, the resident producer, programmer and manager of live entertainment at MBS’ Sands Theatre, also offers an exclusive concierge service for all partnerships, sponsorships, corporate and group bookings.

Travel agents and corporate planners seeking to curate unique experiences at the theatre for their clients can contact BasXclusive, the client services and group sales division of Base Entertainment Asia.

For more information, contact: BaseXclusive@baseentertainment.com.sg

SE Asia rises as new target market for Guam

By Pamela Chow

September 24, 2018

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South-east Asia is emerging as the new darling of Guam, as the US island territory steps up promotion efforts in the region in hopes of attracting travellers from key markets like Singapore and Malaysia.

Guam Visitors Bureau’s (GVB) marketing manager – North America & Pacific, Mark Manglona, told TTG Asia at the recently-concluded PATA Travel Mart: “Our main tourist markets are Japan, South Korea, the US and Taiwan, so we’re trying to diversify our visitor market profile. We hope to meet agents from Malaysia, Singapore and other parts of South-east Asia.”

Guam, an island in Micronesia in the Pacific Ocean, is looking to diversify its markets and attract more visitors from South-east Asian nations

Travellers from Singapore have been on the rise, and the bureau has begun monitoring Malaysia’s arrivals since January, he said.

Earlier this month, its delegation held a presentation in Kuala Lumpur with Philippine Airlines and Korean Airlines to 15 local travel agents. In Singapore, the bureau has brought a product showcase to key travel agents, accompanied by Philippine Airlines (PAL), United Airlines and other US commercial travel services.

“Guam is still a relatively new destination to this part of the world. Ninety per cent of the people we met did not know that Guam is a US territory or that there is a visa waiver for Malaysian passport holders. It’s going to take a lot of education and marketing efforts,” said Manglona.

He added that GVB has been working closely with travel agents and airlines. For example, Kuala Lumpur-based Apple Vacation has been selling travel packages to Guam, and PAL is pushing out promotional prices for flights to Guam.

Agents will soon be invited on a fam tour via Philippine Airlines, shared Manglona.

Concurrently, GVB is escalating its marketing efforts in traditional markets like South Korea and Japan, despite dipping arrival numbers from the latter.

“We get a lot of repeat visitors from Japan and a healthy number of arrivals year after year,” Manglona remarked. “We have aggressive plans to revive the Japan market, and we also have airlines adding additional seats to Guam.”

TAT, Fliggy team up to improve Chinese tourists’ travel experience in Thailand

By TTG Asia

September 24, 2018

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TAT-delegation-at-Alibaba’s-headquarters-in-Hangzhou-China — XXXXX

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has formed a strategic partnership with Alibaba’s online travel subsidiary Fliggy.com, following last week’s conference between TAT and Fliggy Holiday at Alibaba’s headquarters in Hangzhou, China.

The development followed the meeting between Thai prime minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and Alibaba Group founder and executive chairman Jack Ma in Thailand earlier this year in April, which concluded with a possibility for TAT to team up with Alibaba to establish an online Thailand tourism platform.

TAT governor Yuthasak Supasorn (third from right), the TAT delegation and Fliggy team after the meeting at at Alibaba’s headquarters in Hangzhou, China

Yuthasak Supasorn, TAT governor, said the meeting in Hangzhou confirmed the partnership between the TAT and Fliggy Holiday, with discussion covering various dimensions aimed at improving Chinese tourists’ quality travel experience in Thailand and promoting emerging secondary Thai tourist destinations.

The partnership will allow TAT to enhance the awareness of major Thai destinations including Bangkok, Phuket and Chiang Mai, and also to promote emerging secondary cities such as, Chiang Rai, Satun, Hat Yai, Ratchaburi, Buri Ram and Chanthaburi.

Besides taking the lead in promoting new itineraries to Thailand, Fliggy also plans to launch its first title-sponsored event in Thailand, the New-year Electronic Music Festival in Pattaya, which will target young millennial Chinese tourists.

TAT will also assist Fliggy in ensuring a seamless travel experience for Alibaba members including fast-track immigration services and dedicated shuttle bus routes between the airport and accommodation.

For Phuket in particular, a masterplan for marine safety has been formalised. This includes a Marine Surveillance and Assistance Centre for disaster prevention and mitigation, while an emergency weather alert system has also been ramped up. In addition, authorities have stepped up security measures at Phuket International Airport.

TAT and Fliggy also discussed cooperation to enhance tourist safety. TAT will provide support for a bilingual real-time notification system to be operated by Fliggy. The system will not only communicate with Chinese travellers on immediate safety concerns, but also educate them on potential problems throughout the year to avoid unnecessary risks when travelling in Thailand. This will help ensure tourists’ safety at any destination across the kingdom.

Crazy Rich Asians movie spurs Singapore, Malaysia travel searches

By TTG Asia

September 24, 2018

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CHIJMES, a heritage building in Singapore that was first built as a Catholic convent in 1852, is one of the filming locations in the movie

Travel search volume for Singapore and Malaysia have seen massive spikes in recent weeks, which Expedia said was the “knock-on effect” of recently released Hollywood film Crazy Rich Asians.

Singapore tourism has hit jackpot with this blockbuster movie, which has already sparked a boost in tourism promotions and new tours to sell the island-state.

CHIJMES, a heritage building in Singapore that was first built as a Catholic convent in 1852, is one of the filming locations in the movie

When comparing the search volume for travel to Singapore across Brand Expedia sites in the two weeks before and after the movie was released, Brand Expedia’s Malaysia site (Expedia.com.my) saw the biggest increase, with search volume doubling over the comparison period. Brand Expedia’s Hong Kong site (Expedia.com.hk) also saw an increase of more than 90%, while its Taiwan (Expedia.com.tw) and US (Expedia.com) sites saw increases of nearly 50% over the same period.

When comparing the search volume for travel to Malaysia across Brand Expedia sites in the two weeks before and after the movie was released, Brand Expedia’s Hong Kong site (Expedia.com.hk) saw the biggest increase, with search volume increasing by almost 85% over the comparison period. Brand Expedia’s Singapore site (Expedia.com.sg) also saw a nearly 75% increase, while its Taiwan (Expedia.com.tw) and US (Expedia.com) sites saw increases of almost 45% and over 40% respectively over the same period.

“There are a few things in life that are certain to inspire you to travel, no matter who you are, and a good movie is most definitely one of them. Crazy Rich Asians has been an amazing hit for Singapore and Malaysia, both on the awareness and tourism standpoint,” Lavinia Rajaram, regional head of communications, Brand Expedia in Asia, said in a statement.

My Diethelm launches as new online resource portal for agents

By TTG Asia

September 24, 2018

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Diethelm Travel Group has launched an exclusive agent section of its website to provide agents comprehensive information, resources and updates available 24/7.

The online hub offers insider access to sourced content from all of Diethelm Travel’s 13 country offices to allow agents to easily stay up-to-date on new products and promotions, many of which are only available through Diethelm Travel.

The online hub offers in-depth Asia travel information and business insights

The rich resource is expected to help agents more fully explore and understand destinations from the convenience of their computer to then better guide and serve their clients.

Available only to registered agents, key features of My Diethelm include:

a streamlined dashboard summarising newly added information;
product updates from all 13 Asian countries Diethelm Travel operates in;
special promotions on hotels and travel packages;
downloadable files sharing useful business intelligence, such as marketing materials, inspection reports, travel tips, hotel development and construction reports, etc;
destination guides highlighting local recommendations from Diethelm Travel’s on-the-ground experts of the best places to dine, shop and more;
access to Diethelm Travel’s webinar series including past webinar archives available to replay with downloadable presentation files;
an image gallery where agents can download exclusive Diethelm Travel images to use in marketing materials;
archived newsletter content;
and an event calendar highlighting unique holidays, festivals and events to help plan ahead for special trips;

A downloadable tariff function will soon be added to allow agents to log in and easily retrieve all pricing of Diethelm Travel’s various products including hotel rates, packages, excursions and transfer services.

To access My Diethelm, agents can register at www.diethelmtravel.com/agent-registration or contact sales@diethelmtravel.com.

Connectivity a challenge in Malaysia’s push for more tourist arrivals

By S Puvaneswary

September 24, 2018

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Tajong-Aru — Tourists at Tanjung Aru Beach in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

Malaysia is working on improving tourist arrivals from its core markets, with air connectivity a major factor in Asia and marketing key to keeping its hold of visitors from the region.

Abdul Khani Daud, deputy director-general (promotion), Tourism Malaysia, said the organisation is working with Malaysia Airports to attract airlines from Thailand, the Philippines, India and Hong Kong, among others, to fly to secondary destinations in Malaysia, including Sabah and Sarawak.

Tourists at Tanjung Aru Beach in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

Quezon City’s Thousand Miles Travel general manager, Cassey Antoinette Ruiz, opined that air connectivity from the Philippines to secondary cities in Malaysia such as Langkawi, Sabah and Sarawak will make it easier to push the destinations, which are limited to Kuala Lumpur combination packages as there are no direct flights.

Abdul Khani shared that the government was also trying to attract India-based airlines as this was key to arrest year-on-year decline in arrivals from India since 2012. Currently, the India-Malaysia route is served by Malaysia-based carriers, namely Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia and Malindo Air.

DoView Holidays India director, Srinivas Vemuri, said: “Indian airlines would improve air connectivity with B Class Cities such as Pune, Gujerat, Lucknow, places where there are currently no flights to Malaysia.

“Most Malaysia-based airline routes between Kuala Lumpur and India are to the main metro cities in India, making it inconvenient for Indians living outside these cities to travel to Malaysia. Also, there is a lack of awareness about the e-visa facility offered to Indians.”

Meanwhile, Tourism Malaysia is sensing a greater urgency to intensify promotions in the Middle East, as arrivals from traditional top performer Saudi Arabia fell nine per cent in the first four months of 2018.

Abdul Khani said: “The promotional budget for the (region) has been reduced while our competitors, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam and others are working to (gain) market share. We need to increase our promotional campaigns in the Middle East or risk losing share.”

Ghaleb Hayek, branch manager at Sazat, based in Lebanon, said there is a general lack of awareness about the destination and that the capital, with its Pretronas Twin Towers, is too similar with more accessible Dubai. He commented: “Malaysia has to promote its unique cultures and heritage outside the city areas.”

New product manager heads up Premier Holidays Asia portfolio

By TTG Asia

September 24, 2018

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UK-based independent tour operator Premier Holidays appointed John Parker as the new product manager to oversee its core destinations in Asia, including Thailand, Malaysia, Borneo, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines and Brunei.

Currently the project manager for Africa, Parker has since September taken over the reins of Asia programme from David Carlaw, Premier’s former head of faraway who is now the UK sales representative for Diethelm Travel Group.

John Parker on a holiday in South Africa. (Photo credit: Premier Holidays: Trade’s Facebook)

Parker has been a product manager at Premier Holidays for 12 years, and in the past has contracted areas including Hong Kong, China, Australia and New Zealand. He still remains product manager for Africa.

Hotel service robots to roll out of Alibaba AI Labs

PPHG expands resort footprint in Malaysia

Radisson boosts China expansion with trio of appointments

The Phantom of the Opera returns to Singapore

SE Asia rises as new target market for Guam

TAT, Fliggy team up to improve Chinese tourists’ travel experience in Thailand

Crazy Rich Asians movie spurs Singapore, Malaysia travel searches

My Diethelm launches as new online resource portal for agents

Connectivity a challenge in Malaysia’s push for more tourist arrivals

New product manager heads up Premier Holidays Asia portfolio

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