Patee Sarasin, former CEO of Nok Air, has launched his latest travel venture, Really Really Cool, which aims to make “exclusive packages and unique travel experiences” accessible to holidaymakers travelling into and out of Thailand.
The company will place an emphasis on packages designed specially with curated, authentic experiences.
Dusit International’s Suphajee Suthumpun (left) with Patee (centre) at Really Really Cool’s launch
Recognising that Thailand is home to a young and fast-expanding middle class, he intends to introduce new destinations to Thais and send them out to see the world, with the Maldives being the launch destination.
Really Really Cool has partnered Dusit Thani to bring travellers for its launch package, which will include round-trip air fare from Bangkok to the Maldives with Thai AirAsia, accommodation at the Dusit Thani Maldives, a full-board meal plan, complementary snorkel gear, domestic land and speedboat transfers, personalised butler service and a discount coupon redeemable for a 90-minute massage at the Devarana Spa.
The company is in the process of negotiating with other travel suppliers, hoteliers and airlines to create more experienced-based promotions.
“Travellers are rewriting their bucket lists and seeking out cool alternative experiences and fresh ways to travel, see and do things. So, we are starting by building experiences from scratch and taking a different approach to destination marketing,” Patee said.
“We believe in the future of this industry especially if we can capture a percentage of the ever-increasing numbers of visitors from around the world who are visiting Thailand.”
Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong - 11 June 2018: People walking across Apliu Street. Apliu Street Flea Market is a popular jumble of electronics and accessories.
After rolling out the Hong Kong Neighbourhoods campaign to encourage visitors to explore the city beyond the traditional tourist areas, the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) has now launched the Hong Kong Neighbourhoods – Sham Shui Po promotion.
A number of walking routes recommended by locals will be introduced, complemented by themed decorations displayed at various locations to help visitors experience the charm of Sham Shui Po.
People walking along the Apliu Street Flea Market in Sham Shui Po
HKTB has invited history professor Joseph Ting and three locals to recommend walking routes that introduce the history, creative trends, authentic food and treasure hunting hotspots of Sham Shui Po. The routes have been uploaded to a Sham Shui Po dedicated webpage on the HKTB website, complemented by video navigation and route-finding functions on Google Map.
Moreover, visitors can scan QR codes to access information at the various points of interest via their mobile phones, or by using the HKTB mobile app My Hong Kong Guide.
To highlight the unique characteristics of the district, HKTB has put up different types of decorations in various places in Sham Shui Po, like in the MTR station, on the lamp posts along major roads and streets, the street-facing wall of the neighbourhood landmark Dragon Centre, street railings as well as CLP Power’s pillar boxes.
HKTB will continue to organise fam tours to Sham Shui Po for overseas trade and cooperate with them to promote the neighbourhood.
It has also published a Sham Shui Po Self-guided Walks guidebook, offering walking routes recommended by local personalities and 65 thematic points of interest. The printed version of the guidebook is available at HKTB Visitor Centres, and an online version can be found on the HKTB website for browsing or download.
As for global promotions, HKTB has launched a micro-film series. It has also invited renowned local travel and food columnist Michelle Loo to film a TV programme about Sham Shui Po that targets ethnic Chinese markets.
Secretary for commerce and economic development, Edward Yau, said: “We have been striving to enhance the competitiveness of our tourism industry. We released a development blueprint for Hong Kong’s tourism last year setting out strategies and measures to achieve this. The district promotion campaigns of the Tourism Board are in line with the strategy raised in the blueprint to develop tourism products with local and international characteristics.”
Business optimsim runs high for Centara Grand at CentralWorld
Political stability and surging international visitors arrivals are proving a potent mix for Bangkok, as the Thai capital is poised to achieve its strongest performance in recent years in 2018 with no disruptive events anticipated.
Business optimsim runs high for Centara Grand at CentralWorld
“Thailand has seen a lot of ups and downs over the past 10 years but it’s on a clear path of growth (in the hotel sector),” STR’s area director Asia-Pacific Jesper Palmqvist projected at Thailand Tourism Forum earlier this year.
Bangkok’s hotel sector is “finding its strides”, reflected in the steady rise of its ADR and occupancy rates in the past three years. RevPAR, for instance, broke 10-year records for 10 months out of 12 in 2017, Palmqvist shared.
The growth momentum recorded for Bangkok’s hotels in the last two years is likely to be repeated in 2018, said Horwath HTL’s director Nikhom Jensiriratanakorn.
According to a recent HVS Market Pulse report, the overall stability in the market has contributed to the strong performance of hotels during the first two quarters of 2018. The outlook for the remaining months of 2018 is optimistic, driven by expected strong demand levels in international visitor arrivals, coupled with the political stability in the market with elections being postponed to 2019.
The positive outlook of Bangkok lodging sector is also apparent at Centara Grand and Bangkok Convention Centre at CentralWorld, which has enjoyed continued growth in all major metrics so far, Robert Maurer Loeffler, the hotel’s general manager and corporate director of operations told TTG Asia.
“Our Bangkok properties are enjoying a positive 2018. The first quarter was particularly strong and we have seen year-on-year growth in both occupancy and rates. Transient business has driven two-thirds of the growth while growth in the group segment has been led by double-digit increases from wholesale group business,” Loeffler commented.
“The remainder of 2018 is looking equally positive and while the transient growth will continue its trend from the first half of the year, the groups’ growth will be driven by increased MICE business, with other group segments remaining constant with last year. We hope to enter 2019 pacing ahead of prior years too,” he elaborated.
There is still considerable amount of new branded supply entering the Bangkok market in the foreseeable future, including much-anticipated brands like Capella, Edition and Four Seasons added to the city’s luxury segment.
Hilton, however, maintains “an extremely bullish outlook” on Thailand, including the luxury segment, said vice president, operations, luxury Asia-Pacific Daniel Welk. The hospitality giant has just launched its latest property, Waldorf Astoria Bangkok, in the Thai capital.
If there’s anything that growing competition has brought, it’s greater clarity for Hilton’s hotel brands, Welk stated.
Singapore’s Ascott Residence Trust (Ascott Reit) has acquired a prime greenfield site for S$62.4 million (US$45.6 million) for its maiden development project.
The property is expected to be managed by Ascott, under the co-living brand lyf. Lyf one-north Singapore, offering 324 units, is slated to achieve Temporary Occupation Permit by 2020 and open in 2021.
Rendering of Lyf one-north
This will be the first co-living property within Singapore’s research and innovation business hub, one-north. From its location at Nepal Hill, the property will sit amid 400 companies, 800 startups and 50,000 professionals,
The 60-year leasehold site was put up by the JTC Corporation for sale in a two-envelope concept and price tender. Ascott Reit’s concept proposal features the creative use of communal spaces, a holistic design centred on building a vibrant and collaborative community, as well as comprehensive programmes which promote social bonding, wellness, personal development and business networking.
UNWTO has launched a report that aims to help manage growing urban tourism flows and their impact on cities and residents during the recent 7th UNWTO Global Summit on Urban Tourism in Seoul.
The ‘Overtourism’? Understanding and managing urban tourism growth beyond perceptions report proposes 11 strategies and 68 measures to help understand and manage visitor growth. The report is the result of collaboration between UNWTO, the Centre of Expertise Leisure, Tourism & Hospitality (CELTH), Breda University of Applied Sciences and the European Tourism Futures Institute (ETFI) of NHL Stenden University of Applied sciences.
La Rambla Street, Barcelona
The recent growth of urban tourism requires the sector to ensure sustainable policies and practices that minimise adverse effects of tourism on the use of natural resources, infrastructure, mobility and congestion, as well as its socio-cultural impact.
Increased reports of negative attitudes among local populations towards visitors, due to perceived overcrowding, noise and other issues, have led to the spread of terms such as ‘overtourism’ and ‘tourismphobia’ in the media.
“Governance is key. Addressing the challenges facing urban tourism today is a much more complex issue than is commonly recognised. We need to set a sustainable roadmap for urban tourism and place tourism in the wider urban agenda,” said UNWTO secretary-general Zurab Pololikashvili. “We must also ensure local communities see and benefit from the positive aspects of tourism.”
To better understand visitor management challenges in urban contexts, particularly the relationship between residents and visitors, the report includes an analysis of residents’ perceptions towards tourism in eight European cities – Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Copenhagen, Lisbon, Munich, Salzburg and Tallinn.
“There is no one-size-fits-all solution to deal with overtourism. Instead tourism needs to be part of a city-wide strategy for sustainable development”, Ko Koens of CELTH and Breda University of Applied Sciences concludes.
The report recommends a common strategic vision among all stakeholders involved, bringing residents and visitors together and adopting careful planning which respects the limits of capacity and the specificities of each destination.
“The involvement and support of local residents is key in achieving sustainable tourism”, professor Albert Postma of CELTH and NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences explains. “Building shared responsibility amongst stakeholders directly or indirectly involved in tourism development is a key for ensuring long-term sustainability”, involved researcher Bernadett Papp concludes.
South Korea is looking further afield to boost its inbound tourism figures.
In the first seven months of 2018, the country welcomed 5.7 million foreign visitors. China topped the table with nearly 2.6 million arrivals, followed by Japan with 1.5 million arrivals.
Tourists taking photos at Nami Island
With these two source markets representing more than 50 per cent of arrivals and China’s growth slowing – a 1.8 per cent year-on-year increase – due to geopolitical tensions with Beijing, the industry is stepping up efforts to woo other markets.
Jang You Hyun, director of Korea Tourism Organization, said: “We need to diversify our source markets. The Chinese market is becoming smaller and smaller. The Japanese market may be growing, but we are still hungry.”
Jang said huge investment is being ploughed into attracting visitors from alternative longhaul markets, especially from Europe. He added: “Markets such as these have huge potential. We need to target them more.”
Large-scale marketing campaigns are currently being launched in Europe – mainly the UK and Germany. “We have to hugely invest in advertisement in these inbound markets,” said Jang.
Soy An, operator manager of Us Travel, said her company regularly attends travel marts worldwide to stimulate interest in South Korea.
She added: “Many longhaul markets don’t have much interest in South Korea yet, but that’s because they don’t know much. We need to change that.”
Despite this, she noted a growing increase in interest from Europe, thanks to Korean pop culture influence trickling into Europe. For example, French travellers are being inspired by the popularity of K-pop, encouraging them to explore South Korea.
Another event that is set to be a global game-changer for South Korea’s tourism was the recent 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. The company has put together a post-Olympic itinerary, which is proving popular with Europeans.
Said An: “The Winter Olympics is great marketing and we believe it will lead to many more tourists from Europe wanting to explore South Korea.”
SAii Lagoon Maldives will open as part of Curio Collection by Hilton come 2019, managed by S Hotels & Resorts under a franchise agreement between Hilton and Singha Estate.
The resort will be located in Emboodhoo Lagoon and a 15-minute boat ride from Velena International Airport. The first and largest integrated tourist destination in the Maldives, Crossroads, is a stroll across a footbridge away.
Saii Maldives renderings
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The 198-key modern resort will offer a mix of deluxe rooms, beach villas and overwater villas.
Facilities include the The Hub, where guests have several options for relaxation. They can pick out their own treats from the Snack Box, which offers a complimentary collection of healthy, family-friendly refreshments, while the Aroma Lab will allow guests to create their very own bathroom amenities – selecting a base product, such as shampoo, shower gel or body lotion, and pairing it with one of the Lab’s scents.
The spread of in-house dining options at SAii Lagoon Maldives extends from a daily breakfast at Café del Mar, to gourmet coffees, specialty teas and meals on-the-go at the casual resort café, bean/Co. Guests will have a choice of stylish and uniquely distinctive themed eateries serving a combination of healthy fare, Mediterranean classics, fresh seafood and Thai-inspired creations.
Update [September 25, 2018; 14.26]: The original joint statement from Hilton and S Hotels & Resorts stated that the rooms would carry designs created by Bill Bensley, but a Bensley atelier representative reached out to clarify that Bill Bensley is not the designer for the project
Rosewood Hotel Group has promoted the respective managing directors of its Beijing and Phuket properties Marc Handl and Andrew Turner to regional vice presidents, in addition to the appointment of new general managers for properties launching in the region soon.
From left: Marc Handl and Andrew Turner
With his promotion to regional vice president, Handl will additionally support Rosewood Sanya and the upcoming opening of Rosewood Guangzhou. Handl joined Rosewood in 2017 as area managing director of Rosewood Beijing, where he has been overseeing the group’s properties in Beijing, Shenyang and Langfang across its brands.
Handl has considerable luxury experience in East Asia, joining from Aman Group in Japan, where he was regional director based at its Tokyo property for almost two years. He previously held positions at Grand Hyatt and BC Fine Living in Beijing, as well as previous general manager posts at The Ritz-Carlton hotels in Osaka and Seoul.
Turner, following his promotion to regional vice president, will support existing Rosewood properties including Luang Prabang and Phnom Penh, as well as guide the upcoming Rosewood openings in Bangkok and Yangon.
The Australian joined Rosewood in 2016 as managing director of Rosewood Phuket. Turner has 22 years’ experience managing both city hotels and resorts across Asia, Middle East, Europe and the US, most recently at Baccarat Hotel & Residences in New York.
As well, three new managing directors have been appointed for Rosewood’s trio of upcoming properties in the region.
From left: Thomas Harlander, Stephan Tschuppik and Ed Brea
Thomas Harlander has been appointed managing director of Rosewood Bangkok (opening winter 2018). Bringing more than 18 years’ experience in the luxury hospitality industry, the German will manage and oversee all aspects of Bangkok property. Harlander’s career has taken him around the world to cities such as London, Washington DC, Los Angeles, Buenos Aires, Tokyo and most recently Seoul where he was general manager of the Park Hyatt hotel. Prior to joining Rosewood, his career extended throughout the Park Hyatt brand where he held hotel general manager and senior F&B management roles.
Stephan Tschuppik has been appointed managing director of Rosewood Guangzhou, which will be opening in Spring 2019. An Austrian native, Tschuppik’s hotel journey has taken him from his home country to the UAE, Oman, Vietnam, South Korea, Taiwan and China. He has over 25 years of industry experience, 16 years primarily across the Hyatt group in different destinations which includes Park Hyatt Saigon, Grand Hyatt Seoul, as well as a wealth of experience in pre-opening and opening China hotels, such as Grand Hyatt Shenyang and the Park Hyatt in Hangzhou.
Ed Brea has been appointed managing director of Rosewood Yangon, scheduled to open within 2018. With more than 30 years of experience in the luxury hospitality industry, Hawaii-born Brea has managed prestigious properties in Asia, most recently for Kempinski Hotels, as well as for Hyatt Hotels Corporation, Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts and One&Only Resorts.
The Shanghai Edition, China
The Art Deco-style former headquarters of the Shanghai Power Company, with the addition of a new skyscraper on Nanjing Road, is now home to boutique hotel maverick Ian Schrager’s Shanghai Edition. The hotel offers 145 rooms and suites, many of which provide views of the Bund.
Restaurants, bars, and entertainment include Shanghai Tavern, Michelin-star chef Jason Atherton’s all-day dining, brasserie style restaurant; Hiya, a Japanese restaurant also by Atherton; Punch Room, a cocktail lounge first made famous at The London Edition; Canton Disco, a traditional Cantonese restaurant concept; The Club Room – a gentleman’s club-inspired lounge; and Electric Circus, a club, VIP lounge and nightclub rolled into one.
Communal spaces include a multipurpose space for meetings and events for up to 200, a fully landscaped tropical Roof Garden, equipped with a bar and cinema; a swimming pool sunk in stone; a gym, spa with six treatment rooms, and multiple terraces.
Novotel Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Novotel has set foot in the capital of Mongolia with a new 192-room property. Every room has been adorned with a picture of Mongolia taken by a famous local photographer, and designed in a Chinese minimalist style. Rooms from the 12th to the 16th floors will also have views of the mountain and city of Ulaanbaatar. Facilities include an indoor swimming pool, fitness centre, spa, three restaurants, two bars, a ballroom and a meeting room.
Joali, Maldives
The island retreat Joali has opened in northern Maldives, situated on Muravandhoo Island in the Raa Atoll. The resort comprises 73 beach and water villas, ranging from two- to five-bedrooms. Amenities on the island include a whiskey lounge, curated library, ESPA spa, five F&B options, kids’ club and a chocolate and ice-cream store. The resort will create itineraries for its guests on request, where Dhoni excursions to meet local communities or snorkelling with manta rays can be arranged.
Holiday Inn Express Seoul Hongdae, South Korea
The second Holiday Inn Express in Seoul adds 294 guestrooms to the South Korean capital. Guests can enjoy amenities such as free and fast Wi-Fi throughout their stay, use of the business centre and laundry stations, and a 24-hour fitness room. There is also a Free Express Start Breakfast at the brand’s Great Room, or a Grab & Go option available. The property is on the main junction of Hongdae above the new AK Mall, and a 30-minute drive from Gimpo International Airport or a 50 minute drive (one hour by Airport Subway) from Incheon International Airport.
Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Mosque in Selangor's Shah Alam is known to be the largest mosque in Malaysia
While Kuala Lumpur remains a firm favourite in Malaysia thanks to its mature branding and iconic structures, agents are seeing neighbouring Selangor rising in popularity among tourists, fuelling demand for twin-destination programmes.
Yap Sook Ling, managing director, Asian Overland Services Tours & Travel, said new products in Selangor are driving interest for family travel from India, China, Hong Kong and the Middle East.
Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Mosque in Selangor’s Shah Alam is known to be the largest mosque in Malaysia
Itineraries span attractions such as Selangor Fruits Valley, Sekinchan paddy fields, Sky Mirror in Kuala Selangor and Sunway Lagoon, the oldest and largest theme park in Selangor.
She added: “We have seen demand for Selangor rising over the last two years, some from repeat visitors to Kuala Lumpur, and others who have heard about Selangor and were keen to explore beyond Kuala Lumpur.
“Selangor appeals to special interest groups as well as families with children because of its ecotourism attractions and educational experiences such as rice planting and harvesting and mangrove ecosystem in Kuala Selangor.”
In the past, Selangor was offered as a day trip component, but combination packages now include overnight stays both in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, she shared.
Cherry Lee, executive director, World Express Tours, said: “Selangor’s appeal lies in its greenery and there are a number of resort hotels with green landscaping and space, which appeals to the leisure segment, unlike Kuala Lumpur which has more business class hotels.”
Lee added that hotels in Selangor are priced very competitively, with new hotels coming up in locations near shopping malls and theme parks. Sunway Clio Hotel, for example, is located within walking distance of Sunway Lagoon and Sunway Pyramid Mall, whereas New World Hotel in Petaling Jaya is adjacent to Paradigm Mall.
“We see growing demand for Selangor from the Middle East market, who in the past used to want to stay only in Kuala Lumpur and do day trips to Selangor,” shared Lee.
“(Seeing the changing trends), we have asked hotels in Selangor to give us bigger allotments to add into our distribution channels,” she added.
For Abdul Rashid Asari, Selangor state government chairman of standing committees for cultural and tourism, Malay tradition and heritage, however, “travel agents unforunately still tend to sell the same old tours emphasising Kuala Lumpur”, despite the abundance of ecotourism, culture and heritage offerings in Selangor.
To change this, there are plans to step up product briefings and fam tours for travel agents from 4Q2018 onwards, showcasing offerings in and around the big cities of Petaling Jaya, Subang, Shah Alam and Klang, he told TTG Asia.
A chief focus is to “develop the tourism infrastructure outside the main cities by building three- and four-star hotels in places such as Sabak Bernam, Sekinchan, Hulu Selangor and Kuala Selangor”.
“This year, we also initiated the Selangor Community Host Programme to train local communities to be local guides in the areas they live,” said Abdul Rashid.
Nazri Tashriq Rahmat, corporate communications manager, Tourism Selangor, said Selangor continues to be a day-trip option for many Asian tourists, but the state tourism board hopes to increase this to a few nights’ stay over time.
Another challenge lies in Selangor lacking recall as a geographically distinct destination.
Said Nazri: “Many travellers doing Selangor-Kuala Lumpur combination tours are unaware that some (attractions they visited) are in Selangor, as the guides don’t point this out. We are now educating inbound agents to (make the distinction clear).”
Novotel Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Holiday Inn Express Seoul Hongdae, South Korea
