TTG Asia
Asia/Singapore Wednesday, 24th December 2025
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IHG unveils new upscale conversion brand Voco

By TTG Asia
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The first Voco has been signed in Surfers Paradise, Australia

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has launched Voco, its new upscale hotel brand, alongside a first signing in Australia.

The new brand will focus primarily on conversion opportunities and work with individually and locally-branded hotels to leverage IHG’s systems which includes revenue management and technology capabilities, and will be part of the IHG Rewards Club loyalty programme.

The first Voco has been signed in Surfers Paradise, Australia

The roll-out of Voco will begin in IHG’s Europe, Middle East, Asia & Africa regions, with plans to take it to the Americas and Greater China over time.

The first signing will be the Watermark Hotel & Spa Gold Coast, Surfers Paradise, Australia, and is due to open under the Voco flag late this year. The 388-room hotel offers guests two swimming pools and 800m2 of meeting space.

As well, IHG announced last month it was adding 13 UK hotels to its portfolio after signing a deal with Convivio (formerly Foncière des Régions). A number of these properties will join the Voco brand in coming months.

How a Voco property might look like from the inside

Voco – inspired by the meaning ‘to invite’ or to ‘come together’ in Latin – will focus primarily on conversion opportunities and strengthen IHG’s offer in the US$40 billion upscale segment, which is expected to grow by a further US$20 billion by 2025. Voco is also expected to open more than 200 hotels in urban and leisure locations over the next 10 years.

IHG said it had identified three “critical moments on the guest journey” through “deep customer insight where Voco can create a compelling guest experience that will differentiate the brand.”

These are Come on in – targeting guests at the beginning of their stay with a “swift and simple check-in” and “unexpected, locally-influenced treat”; Me time – IHG will invest in bedding, bathroom amenities, smart TVs and connectivity; and Voco life – communal spaces that “work for different moments of the day.”

Keith Barr, CEO of IHG, said in a statement: “We’ve talked about the significant growth opportunity we see for IHG in upscale and Voco will help us deliver against this. With Voco, the recent addition of Regent Hotels & Resorts in the luxury space, the launch of Avid hotels in the Americas, and the work we’re doing to enhance our existing brand portfolio, we’re making great progress with our ambitious plans to accelerate growth.”

Frenemies Ctrip and Booking Holdings deepen partnership

By TTG Asia
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Online travel giants Ctrip and Booking Holdings are extending their partnership, with Gillian Tans, CEO of Booking.com designated as Booking Holdings’ observer to the Ctrip board of directors, a seat that was previously occupied by Booking.com‘s director for Asia-Pacific.

The Chinese OTA and Booking.com will continue to share access to the companies’ combined hotel inventory, allowing customers to select from a wider range of price competitive products globally.

Ctrip expands cooperation with Booking Holdings

“Ctrip is a large partner for Booking in China and the relationship continues to be strong,” commented Glenn Fogel, CEO of Booking Holdings.

The two recently deepened their partnership when Ctrip teamed up with another one of Booking Holdings’ businesses, OpenTable, to link North American restaurants on the online reservations platform to Ctrip users.

Jane Sun, CEO of Ctrip is “confident that our combined resources will bring more innovation and value to global travellers”.

Pan Pacific builds market-specific strategies with brand refresh

By Pamela Chow
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As part of its global brand refresh, Pan Pacific Hotels Group (PPHG) will introduce market-specific strategies on top of a revamped logo and new hotels in the pipeline.

Cinn Tan, chief sales & marketing officer, PPHG, told TTG Asia: “We are working more strategically with local partners in every key source market, such that we can identify and understand the behaviour (of customers in those markets).”

A redeveloped Pan Pacific Orchard that will grace Singapore’s skyline come 2021

For example, in Japan, the group is working closely with JTB and online travel agencies to identify what the Japanese are looking for and are particular about to better fulfil their needs, she explained.

She added that for the Middle East market, PPHG now crafts customised “combo” packages for the frequently large family groups to accommodate them in connecting suites.

This market-specific strategy also includes an e-concierge “mini-programme” on WeChat for its Chinese guests, who can access information about the hotel and nearby attractions, as well as other technology in its hotels based on market segment profiles and preferences.

Tan revealed: “We can no longer set a standard operating procedure to cut across every region. This is a service industry so we need to allow our staff to have a degree of flexibility.

“We still have certain standards but we want our staff to exercise their own initiative in deciding what should go on top of delivering our standard service.”

To inculcate the refreshed service philosophy, PPHG is also launching a new service training programme that sees its own regional and upper-management teams conducting training classes for their own staff.

Tan: working closely with local partners in key markets to better understand customers

“The top management team knows their product and brand the best. They know the challenges and kinds of customers (the hotel is) facing day to day, so they are able to relate better, quote examples and give solutions to staff during training,” explained Tan.

The group has also combined its three websites into one to streamline and simplify its booking process. The new website will also feature social elements, such as reviews and user-generated content, to appeal to the younger generation of travellers, revealed Tan.

Lined up for the next three years are a slate of four new Pan Pacific and three Parkroyal additions globally, including the flagship Pan Pacific London by 2020, a redeveloped Pan Pacific Orchard in Singapore by 2021 and Pan Pacific’s first resort in Danang.

Bangkok’s Chinatown morphing from ethnic enclave to hip tourist hotspot

By TTG Asia
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Yaowarat Road, also known as the main street of Bangkok's Chinatown

The rapid transformation of Bangkok’s Chinatown is turning it from “a centre of Chinese immigrants in Thailand” to “one of the hippest areas in Bangkok”, C9 Hotelworks’ managing director Bill Barnett notes in a blog post.

A sign of the pace of change, Barnett observed that a few years ago, millennials still viewed Chinatown as an “ancestor’s area where elders meet up and have their Asian breakfast”. While the traditional food scene still exists, the average age of visitors has dropped substantially and visitors now are becoming bar or café hoppers.

Yaowarat Road, also known as the main street of Bangkok’s Chinatown

It won’t be long before this transformation extends into tourism, with the boutique hotels, hostels, hip bars and cafes becoming increasingly prominent features of Chinatown.

Barnett wrote: “Based on our research and market interviews with hotels in the area, the number of tourists visiting Chinatown has sharply increased over the past few years. Thus, hoteliers in the area foresee that Chinatown will be reinvented over the next five years.”

The average daily rate (ADR) of boutique hotels in Chinatown ranges from 2,000 to 6,000 baht (US$62-187), with occupancy averaging over 75 per cent. But due to the constraints on development scale, hotel inventories for the existing hotels range from a handful up to 70 or 80 rooms.

There has not been an international hotel brand in Chinatown until recently, with a Holiday Inn Express expected to be completed by the end of this year.

Meanwhile, Thailand-based Burasari Group, which owns and manages Shanghai Mansion Bangkok, has signed an agreement to manage a new 128-key conversion property in Chinatown early this year, marking itself as a leading operator in the area.

While the hotel and lifestyle space shapes up, public transportation remains a “a key factor” weighing on tourism potential, according to Barnett. Scheduled to open to the public in mid-2019, Wat Mangkon MRT station is the nearest mass transit connection to Chinatown, sitting across from the upcoming Holiday Inn Express. Yet, “MRT does not carry the same clot as the BTS since many tourists are not familiar with the MRT”, Barnett pointed out.

Amadeus gets level three on latest NDC standard, welcomes Qantas to NDC-X

By TTG Asia
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Distributors evolving with new standard

Amadeus has become the first to achieve level three certification on the latest version of the NDC standard, released in March this year.

“We’ve been working hand in hand with IATA and other industry partners to test and improve this latest version of the standard, which will help to drive industrialisation and adoption. Version 18.1 and the new data model means that NDC messages between airlines and third parties – whether aggregators, travel sellers or corporations – now have a more defined structure,” explained Gianni Pisanello, vice president, NDC-X program, Amadeus.

Amadeus is targeting level 3 aggregator certification

He added: “This means that we are getting a step closer to the milestone when all the industry players will be able to speak and interpret the NDC language, in the same way, which is a key benefit for the whole industry.”

This certification as an IT provider follows on from Amadeus’ previous level three certification as an IT provider and level one certification as an aggregator in 2016 and 2017. Amadeus says it is on track to achieve level three certification as an aggregator later this year.

Meanwhile, Qantas has joined Amadeus’ NDC-X program soon after the two renewed an IT and distribution partnership. Amadeus will connect to the Qantas Distribution Platform and deliver NDC content to travel sellers, allowing travel sellers to book NDC content alongside other travel content.

Pisanello said efforts are underway to make NDC content available within Amadeus Travel Platform. “We’re making great progress, and will have online travel bookings in production later this year, meaning that the full booking flow of ‘shop, order and pay’ will take place using the NDC standard,” he elaborated.

Melbourne to get a new Vibe on historic Queen Street

By TTG Asia
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Construction has started on the Vibe Hotel Melbourne, set to open in late 2019 comprising a preserved 145-year-old building on the site of the former Fletcher Jones showroom and a new 24-storey glass fronted tower.

To rise on the corner of Melbourne’s Queen and Flinders Streets, Vibe Hotel Melbourne will feature 206 rooms as well as “contemporary communal areas”. Its upper levels will take in views of the Yarra River to Port Phillip Bay, while its dual frontage provides city views to the north and south-east.

The hotel’s new design will be preserving the 145-year-old building’s façade and add a 24-storey glass fronted tower with four distinct sections marking the links between old and new

The original two-storey building on the Queen Street site was built in 1873 in the Renaissance Revival architectural style and was called the Cobden Building, first serving as offices for the maritime trade. In 1955, clothing manufacturer and retailer Fletcher Jones bought the building, which became a fixture for Melbourne shoppers. At its peak the company ran 55 stores, using the building as its main city showroom until the company’s collapse in 2012. It was then occupied by streetwear brand Culture Kings.

Since launching in Sydney in 2003, Vibe Hotels has now grown to nine locations: Melbourne, Sydney, Rushcutters Bay Sydney, North Sydney, Gold Coast, Darwin Waterfront, Canberra and Marysville (Victoria).

In addition to Vibe Hotel Melbourne, two more Vibe Hotels are under construction in 2018 – Argyle Street in Hobart and Sydney’s Darling Harbour.

TFE Hotels’ CEO Rachel Argaman said: “We are about to unveil a multi-million-dollar refurbishment at Vibe Hotel Gold Coast with a coast-meets-hinterlands design scheme and we are completely transforming Vibe Hotel Sydney in Goulburn Street, Sydney, adding a new dining offering, Storehouse Sydney Central.”

Asia’s largest cruise ship makes double maiden call in Philippines

By TTG Asia
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Royal Caribbean International’s Ovation of the Seas, said to be the largest cruise ship sailing in Asia, arrived in the Philippines’ Subic Bay and Manila for the first time last week.

The ship brought to the Philippines the highest number of cruise guests, which totalled close to 4,600 from around the world. At 347m long, 168,666 gross registered tonnes, Ovation of the Seas has a total capacity of 4,905 guests staying in 2,091 staterooms and hosted by 1,500 crew.

A traditional plaque exchange ceremony was held onboard between (from left) local officials Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority’s Wilma Eisma and senator and former tourism secretary and former chairman of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority Richard Gordon, as well as Ovation of the Seas’ captain Flemming Nielsen

Highlights of Ovation of the Seas’ upcoming cruises are the six-night cruise from Hong Kong to Tianjin with calls at Fukuoka and Shimonoseki on June 15; the 12-night cruise from Tianjin to Singapore visiting Okinawa (Naha), Taipei (Keelung), Hong Kong, Hue/Danang (Chan May), Nha Trang and Ho Chi Minh City (Phu My) on October 7; and the 14-night cruise from Singapore to Sydney visiting Perth (Fremantle), Adelaide and Hobart on October 19.

Catalonia – Barcelona is much more. A destination with quality and character.

By TTG
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Catalonia - Barcelona is much more. A destination with quality and character.

Brought to you by Catalan Tourist Board

Catalonia – Barcelona is much more. Fall in love with our land, gastronomy, Mediterranean culture, and rich heritage.

Besalú – Medieval village in Costa Brava
Image: Besalú – Medieval village in Costa Brava

Catalonia is a Mediterranean destination with a millenary history, its own culture and language, wealthy historical and natural heritage. With a population of over 7.5 million, the region covers 32,107 km2 and enjoys a temperate and mild Mediterranean climate, characterised by dry, warm summers and moderately cool winters. It is home to many significant metropolises, from its capital, Barcelona, to the provincial cities of Girona, Tarragona and Lleida and smaller towns filled with remarkable heritage and majestic monuments.

Barcelona, the gateway and capital city of Catalonia is the perfect start to the region with its incredible vision of architect and designer Gaudí. As you take a stroll around the city, you will be awestruck by the whimsical Catalan Modernism epitomized in the Sagrada Família, Casa Batlló, Casa Milà and Park Güell and the newly opened Casa Vicens.

Unha - snowcapped village in Val d’Aran
Image: Unha – snowcapped village in Val d’Aran

If you fancy a change of scenery, you do not have to travel far. The beauty of Catalonia is that a diverse array of landscapes can be found within a compact area highly connected by high speed trains and highways. Visit the mountains of Montserrat, go wine-tasting at iconic wineries like Bodegas Torres, discover the home-towns of Salvador Dalí, Picasso and explore the 36 UNESCO World Heritage treasures and taste the gastronomic highlights of Catalonia.

Tarragona Amphitheatre - UNESCO World Heritage Site in Tarragona
Image: Tarragona Amphitheatre – UNESCO World Heritage Site in Tarragona

The Catalan landscape is varied; with the rugged Pyrenees, with several peaks well over 2,000 metres, inland mountain ranges, charming villages, seaside towns, 600 km of Mediterranean Sea and also one of the largest deltas in Europe, the Ebro Delta. In addition to its landscape, the region boast incredibly colourful and tasty produce. It is no surprise that the small region has 65 Michelin stars and 11 Designations of Origin for wine and cava (Catalan champagne).

Camp Nou – FC Barcelona home stadium, Barcelona
Image: Camp Nou – FC Barcelona home stadium, Barcelona

When it comes to sporting credentials, Catalonia is unsurpassed. Boasting one of the most famous football teams in the world, FC Barcelona, the region also hosts Formula One and has one of the finest golf courses on the continent. Today, over 300 sports are played in Catalonia. From swimming to sailing, deep-sea diving, skiing, mountain-biking and road cycling, there is something to cater to every sports lover.

All this and much more make Catalonia a destination that attracts more than thirteen million foreign visitors every year.

Whether you are looking for a luxury break, an adrenaline-packed adventure, a beautiful honeymoon, MICE destination with a difference, or an exciting gastronomic journey, Catalonia is truly the place to experience the good life.

We invite you to see it with your own eyes.  Visit www.catalunya.com for more information!

‘World’s loneliest airport’ in Sri Lanka gets even lonelier

By Feizal Samath
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At one point, five airlines flew to the airport

Sri Lanka’s Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA), once dubbed “the loneliest airport in the world”, yesterday become even lonelier when the only airline flying there ceased services.

Owing to a combination of bird strikes and commercial viability, Dubai-based budget carrier Flydubai has stopped flights to Mattala, located in Sri Lanka’s southern town of Hambantota, from Monday onwards. It was the only airline flying there since the airport’s opening in 2013.

The airport had initially opened to some fanfare and attracted five airlines

“Bird strikes have led to costly repairs, and we have only an average of 13 passengers per flight to Mattala,” said an officer at Flydubai’s Colombo office, who declined to be named.

The airline has faced 21 bird strikes since the inception of flights to Mattala. Each time this happens, the airlines is forced to heli-transport an engineer from Colombo, 260 km away. In one instance, an engine even had to be replaced.

“Mattala doesn’t have proper infrastructure (nor) engineers to handle this type of crisis,” he said, adding that apart from costly bird strikes, it was also commercially unviable to continue this route. Flydubai will however continue its four-times daily flights on the Colombo-Dubai sector.

The officer said while they are considering resuming flights in December to Mattala, this is also contingent on the airport being upgraded with bird alarms, and better passenger loads. “We are also hoping to attract hotels in the areas with more charter flights,” he said.

Airline and travel trade industry officials said the Mattala airport would have succeeded if there was enough international marketing and promotion. “No one marketed this airport, otherwise it may have attracted airlines since its closer from Mattala for tourists to visit popular sites in Sri Lanka, then coming to Colombo,” an industry member said.

MRIA was built by the former regime in the hometown of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, opening to much fanfare on an old wildlife sanctuary of birds and elephants.

Initially five airlines were using MRIA – SriLankan Airlines, budget carrier Mihin Lanka, Abu Dhabi-based Rotana Jet, Air Arabia and Flydubai. Gradually others pulled out due to low passenger loads from Mattala, while Flydubai, which also operated a few wedding charters, continued operating there.

The government has been looking for a foreign party to manage the airport and industry sources said India was interested in striking a deal. Sri Lankan migrant workers make up most of the traffic to and from the Middle East.

Cartoon Network theme park coming to Bali

By TTG Asia
0
First Cartoon Network theme park with indoor and outdoor components

Indonesia will welcome its first internationally branded theme park in 2020, with Turner Asia Pacific having entered a licensing partnership with Indonesian real estate and hospitality investment company, The Maj Group, to develop a 4.3ha entertainment park in Bali.

The destination will feature the island’s largest waterpark and an indoor entertainment centre – all splashed with Cartoon Network theming.

Artist impression of the first Cartoon Network theme park with both indoor and outdoor components

Live entertainment and performances at the park will feature characters from shows such as Ben 10, We Bare Bears, The Powerpuff Girls and Adventure Time.

The development will include water rides as well as surf and wave pools, and sit within The MAJ Nusa Dua complex, which also features hotels and an award-winning golf course.

Gita Wirjawan, chairman of The Maj Group, expects the Maj Nusa Dua complex, with the addition of the theme park, to help position Bali as a family-friendly destination in Asia.

This will be Indonesia’s first park to partner with an international brand, and will be Cartoon Network’s first with both indoor and outdoor attractions.

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