Cozystay first in vacation rental space to use blockchain solution
Frans Westraadt joins Six Senses Yao Noi as resort manager
Six Senses has appointed Frans Westraadt as resort manager of Six Senses Yao Noi in Thailand.
Westraadt is no stranger to the brand as he brings his extensive experience in top-tier resorts and team management from Six Senses Laamu to Six Senses Yao Noi, where he will be in charge of the resort’s overall operations.
Throughout his career, he has been overseeing premium lodges and resorts in the Maldives, Namibia and the Seychelles.
Prior to joining the Six Senses family, Westraadt served as the executive assistant manager of Constance Ephelia in the Seychelles where, among his other responsibilities, he dedicated himself to the sustainability practices of the resort.
Bringing Vietnam’s homestays to the world
Fed up of hearing complaints about the quality of homestays in Vietnam, Bui Thi Nhan decided it was time to take the matter into her own hands.
With more than 15 years’ experience in the tourism industry, in 2012, Bui Thi Nhan – also director of Ecosea Travel – started running tours into Vietnam’s remote northern parts. With a focus on sustainable journeys, homestays formed an integral part of the experience. However, the quality was lacking.
She said: “The quality of homestays just wasn’t good enough. Tourists didn’t want to stay in hotels, they wanted the real experience, but the homestays were too basic.”
Nhan spent a year carrying out research, speaking to other tour operators, tourists and communities, and set about putting plans in place to elevate Vietnam’s homestay landscape.
Said Nhan: “Not all of the homestays are bad, some are good but need a bit of help, so we came up with a solution to work with them to upgrade their services, create activities and help them with their marketing.”
Nhan and her team of three set about finding potential homestays and working with the communities to create a collection of higher-quality offerings, as well as coming up with itineraries of activities for guests to do in the area.
“It’s not just about the homestay,” said Nhan. “There needs to be some sort of products that can be developed for guests to do in the area as well, such as cooking, carrying out activities with the family, and learning about the culture.”
That was the inspiration behind Ecohost, which aims to help communities behind homestays, who often have little experience in marketing and selling their products. Through the Ecohost website, all of the homestays are uniformly packaged and presented, with the option to book.
Said Nhan: “Homestays and community-based tourism can be a sustainable income for some of these families that live in the countryside and mountains. We really want to help them be successful, have lots of guests and make money.”
Ecohost has currently developed four “ecohost” offerings, with several others slated to be operational this year. In 2019, franchise options will be rolled out, with Nhan currently developing a set of standards that lay out strict criteria hosts must adhere to.
Ecohost has already been inundated with requests from existing homestays and tour operators wanting to partner up. Plans are in the pipeline to start connecting with online tour operators and push the product there, and in June the company landed a spot as a finalist in this year’s Mekong Innovative Startups in Tourism.
Nhan said: “We were very excited to hear this because it means people care about this project. We hope to benefit more communities and families in the future.”
Dusit’s new Manila college grooms next generation of hospitality talent
In a sea of more than 1,000 schools offering hospitality courses in metro Manila, Dusit Hospitality Management College (DHMC) stands out as an institution that offers hotel courses designed for supervisory and management levels.
The graduates will also have the potential to continue learning and progressing into a senior management position in five to seven years, said Lars Eltvik, managing director of the school. Six years ago, Eltvik was also at the helm of Dusit’s first tourism college in Bangkok.
DHMC will be a fully-integrated hotel school with “high-tech, high-touch balance”, occupying the first nine floors of Dusit D2 – The Fort Hotel and Serviced Residences. While the school starts operations next month, the hotel – which features 135 Scandinavian-designed rooms and 129 serviced residences of 40m2 to 80m2 – will soft open in January 2019.
Eltvik, who will also manage the hotel – one of the eight that Dusit International has signed in the Philippines – said that to guarantee its “relevance”, DHMC will try “to fill the gap between what the industry needs and what the schools are producing” as “the academe is slow but the industry is moving fast”.
Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne will certify the four-year bachelor degree in hospitality management, while Institut Paul Bocuse is the partner for bespoke culinary programmes. There will also be short courses teaching English and French languages, and maybe Mandarin for the fast-growing China market, elaborated Eltvik.
Marco Polo Ortigas Manila’s director of sales and marketing Pearl Peralta-Maclang noted that aside from producing a more qualified pool of young talents that the industry needs, it is also more affordable for students to study at DHMC in Manila as compared to Europe.
“It is also an opportunity to attract foreign students to study in the Philippines… so that is good for the economy,” said Peralta-Maclang.
Golden Phoenix Hotel Manila’s director of sales and marketing, Christine Urbanozo-Ibarreta, agreed that the industry as a whole stands to benefit from the opening of DHMC, as graduates are not limited to working at Dusit only, but at other hotels as well, in the future.
“It is the best of both worlds combining Thai and Filipino hospitality,” Urbanozo-Ibarreta remarked.
Find experiences with Hyatt’s new activities platform
Hyatt Hotels has launched Find, an extension of the World of Hyatt loyalty programme that allows members to earn and redeem points on experiences.
Eligible members can earn 10 World of Hyatt Base Points for every US$1 cash spent on experiences, or redeem World of Hyatt points for experiences worldwide.
Find offers over 100 local experiences across categories of eat and drink; fitness and relaxation; and tours and adventure. This collection will continue to evolve in the US and international markets such as Sydney, Delhi, Siem Reap and Ho Chi Minh City.
In Ho Chi Minh City, guests may choose a Vietnamese cooking class with a focus on well-being. Another example is a calligraphy session with local hero Qamar Dagar in Delhi.
Find is the latest in a series of wellness initiatives by Hyatt. In 2017, Hyatt acquired the Miraval brand, which caters to self-improvement. World of Hyatt members are able to enjoy their loyalty benefits at Miraval Arizona Resort & Spa through the World of Hyatt programme.
In addition, through Hyatt’s acquisition of Exhale, Hyatt guests and World of Hyatt members can access boutique fitness classes and restorative spa therapies.
Last month Hyatt also launched the World of Hyatt Credit Card, which includes a fitness Bonus category that rewards members for well-being purchases on fitness club and gym memberships. More Hyatt well-being initiatives will be unveiled in the near term.
Find offers over 100 wellness-centric local experiences including food and exploration. This collection will continue to evolve in the US and international markets such as Sydney, Delhi, Siem Reap and Ho Chi Minh City.
In Ho Chi Minh City, guests may choose a Vietnamese cooking class with a focus on well-being. Another example is a calligraphy session with local hero Qamar Dagar in Delhi.
Find is the latest in a series of wellness initiatives by Hyatt. In 2017, Hyatt acquired the Miraval brand, which caters to self-improvement. World of Hyatt members are able to enjoy their loyalty benefits at Miraval Arizona Resort & Spa through the World of Hyatt programme.
In addition, through Hyatt’s acquisition of Exhale, Hyatt guests and World of Hyatt members can access boutique fitness classes and restorative spa therapies.
Last month Hyatt also launched the World of Hyatt Credit Card, which includes a fitness Bonus category that rewards members for well-being purchases on fitness club and gym memberships. More Hyatt well-being initiatives will be unveiled in the near term.
Best Western signs new hotel in downtown Pattaya
Best Western Hotels & Resorts has sealed an agreement with Numchai 2014 to manage a new property in Pattaya.
Slated to open in 4Q2019, Best Western Plus Speech Pattaya Hotel will feature 163 design-led guestrooms furnished with wooden floors, low-slung beds, working desks with international power outlets, mood lighting and complimentary Wi-Fi.
The hotel will also feature a range of facilities, such as an all-day restaurant specialising in modern Thai and international cuisine, a bar, state-of-the-art fitness centre and an outdoor infinity pool.
Located on Pattaya 3rd Road, Best Western Plus Speech Pattaya Hotel will be within easy reach of many local attractions, including the Terminal 21 and Central Festival lifestyle malls, Alcazar Cabaret Show and Art in Paradise gallery.
StanChart Private Equity buys stake in India’s TBO Group
Standard Chartered Bank’s private equity arm, Standard Chartered Private Equity (SCPE), will acquire Naspers’ stake in TBO Group, an online B2B travel distribution company in India for an undisclosed sum.
Ankush Nijhawan, co-founder of TBO Group, said in a statement: “We are very happy to have SCPE as our partner as we embark on the next stage of TBO’s growth. Through leveraging SCPE’s extensive network and business planning expertise, we would be able to strengthen our position as a leading B2B travel distribution player in the global landscape.”
Gaurav Bhatnagar, also a co-founder, said: “The overall B2B travel distribution landscape is ripe for consolidation and we believe that in partnership with SCPE, we can leverage our strengths in technology and scale to drive this consolidation.”
TBO, also known as Travel Boutique Online, was founded in 2006 and has since expanded its operations to more than 90 countries.
South African company Naspers first invested in TBO in 2012.
Swiss-Belhotel collaborates with Citilink to promote Indonesia
Swiss-Belhotel International has signed a partnership agreement with Citilink – Garuda Indonesia’s LCC – to promote Indonesian tourism destinations.
Travellers who book accommodation at Swiss-Belhotel International properties in Indonesia using with their Citilink boarding pass will receive a promotional code that entitles them to a special discount of 30 per cent from Best Flexi Rates at swiss-belhotel.com. The promotion rate is valid through March 2019.
This cooperation also applies at all Zest Hotels, the group’s budget brand. Citilink passengers can fly and stay at Zest Hotels in Jakarta, Bogor, Bandung, Yogyakarta, Surabaya, Bali and Batam for Rp550,000 (US$38) per room for two nights by using a Citilink promo code and showing the valid boarding pass upon check in.
Swiss-Belhotel International operates 64 hotels and Citilink flies to more than 30 cities across the Indonesian archipelago.
Six Senses Duxton
Location
Tanjong Pagar, the heart of Singapore’s lively business district, seems at first an unlikely seat for a Six Senses property. The brand is known for its relaxing wellness stays – a far cry from Six Senses Duxton’s busy surrounds of restaurants, pubs, cafes and offices.
But within eight restored heritage shophouses in this bustling district, the hotel transports visitors to a plush and cosy sanctuary. It is located between the Outram Park and Tanjong Pagar train stations, and 200m from its soon-to-open sibling, Six Senses Maxwell.
Rooms
The intimate property houses just 49 rooms, each uniquely designed due to the conserved layout of the building. This makes for interiors that pay homage to the heritage of its location, which dates back to the 1860s.
The Skylight Suite, in which I stayed, features a lounge flooded with natural daylight that mimics the open-air courtyard of traditional shophouses. The 41m2 room exuded a lush and calming vibe with its black-wood furnishings and brown parchment-like wallpaper, which I learnt is a reproduction of a 1800s document from the designer’s personal collection.
To call the mini-bar as such would be inadequate; the counter is stocked with alcohol in medium-sized bottles and an impressive range of local and regional goodies, including Singapore’s famous salted egg fish skin snack.
On the top level, the Duxton Duplex Suite incorporates a spacious loft concept with spiral banister stairs reminiscent of olden houses, and looks out to a striking view of neighbouring shophouses and buildings.
F&B
Yellow Pot is Six Senses Duxton’s sole F&B option, a combination of a 50-seater restaurant and 20-seater bar. My modern Chinese dinner was extremely sumptuous, and every dish – from the seared pork cheek with cumin to the wok-seared organic beef tenderloin – left me wanting more.
The dishes washed down well with the hotel’s signature non-alcoholic beverages. My favourites are the Kaifeng Chrysanthemum Cordial and the Apple Cinnamon Tonic, concocted with the hotel’s own filtered sparkling water.
In line with the hotel’s dedication to sustainability, its dishes and drinks contain neither MSG nor GMO, and ingredients are personally sourced from local and regional suppliers by the chefs. Such ‘clean’ eating also ensured that I was filled up without the feeling of bloatedness.
Facilities
The Duxton property is the smaller of Six Senses’ two projects here. The humble space occupies just eight shophouse space, and its elongated lobby features a host of lounging and working spaces, both communal and private.
Murray Aitken, general manager of Six Senses Singapore, shared that one of these lounges will soon be converted into a traditional Chinese medicine consultation room, where one physician will be stationed to provide guests with a basic diagnosis.
Service
The hotel also offers other wellness experiences, including a visit to a nearby family-owned tea house, outdoor yoga on Duxton Hill, as well as a calming and immersive singing bowl experience.
Staff members are warm and attentive, especially in Yellow Pot where they were happy to describe the dishes in detail, and chatted with guests about their day.
I was also offered a turndown service that included treats such as a jar of soothing Tiger Balm and an adult colouring page, which made for a therapeutic evening.
Verdict
At the end of my stay, I felt completely refreshed. The hotel has even inspired me to adopt more sustainable day-to-day practices.
No. of rooms 49
Rates From S$332 (US$243)
Contact details
Tel (65) 6914 1428
Email reservations-duxton@sixsenses.com
To the big four and beyond in Myanmar
Myanmar’s diversity of attractions is promising to sustain tourism interest and keep visitors returning to explore beyond the “classic four” of Yangon, Bagan, Mandalay and Inle Lake.
Minister of hotels and tourism, Ohn Maung, said: “People are getting tired of seeing the same thing and we are seeing more (return visitors), so it is necessary to develop new destinations and attractions.”
He added that this year the ministry is focusing on promoting the emerging destinations of Mergui Archipelago in the south – which is predicted to rise in popularity from October, when the first of six approved hotel projects opens – and Kayin State. The ministry will also push Kyaikto and Ngapali Beach.
May Myat Mon Win, Myanmar Tourism Marketing’s (MTM) chairperson, said the organisation is carrying out campaigns to highlight new attractions at international trade shows and through social media.
This year has also seen MTM invite international journalists, bloggers and influencers for fam trips to experience new destinations. She said: “We are trying to diversify the products available and experiences for visitors to Myanmar.”
Tour operators are also developing a series of alternative itineraries in the form of trekking tours in Shan State, mountain bike trips and eco-adventures and community-based initiatives in other areas such as Kayin and Kayah States, including mountain bike tours, kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding and nature-related trips.
Phyoe Wai Yar Zar, managing director of Diethelm Travel Myanmar, said: “We can’t rely on run-of-the-mill products. Part of Myanmar’s (appeal) are opportunities for local interaction and the best way to (highlight) that is by telling stories. That’s easy to do in Myanmar. We create products that our clients can participate in, such as biking through villages and trekking.”
Su Su Tin, Exo Travel Myanmar’s managing director, commented: “These destinations have existed for many years. However, they are now being promoted and have more facilities. Accessibility is better, there are more restaurants and hotels, and tour operators are promoting them.”
Edwin Briels, managing director of Khiri Travel Myanmar, said destinations opening up away from the classic four of Yangon, Bagan, Mandalay and Inle Lake has meant tour operators can expand their itineraries, creating more options.
He said: “We want to create new products that aren’t just temples, and see where we can go off the beaten track and what we can do there.”
However, when looking for new destinations, Khiri tries not to stray too far off well-trodden paths, curating travels that take in authentic experiences with locals that are accessible from one of the major four.
“We want to avoid people having to fly or drive for too many hours,” said Briels, acknowledging first-time visitors want to visit some of the classics. “Myanmar is huge so it’s best to (visit) part of the country. If it’s your first time, then you may want to do Bagan and Inle Lake, and then try to include one more off-the-beaten-track area.”
Khiri has a lot of repeat visitors, who return to explore more outlying areas, Briels added.
Bertie Lawson, managing director of Sampan Travel, said even when visiting the classic four, it is imperative tour operators seek out the many undiscovered or overlooked sites that exist nearby.
Said Lawson: “Tourism isn’t spread out here yet. People still want to go to Bagan and Mandalay. They think it’s going to be very quiet but, for example, when they visit Mandalay they go where everyone goes and join hundreds of people. This is bad for tourism, bad for tourists and bad for Mandalay. Tour operators need to be clever and take people to other places that are just as beautiful.”
Cozystay Holdings has partnered Singapore-based Share Everything Lab (SEL) to bring blockchain technology to the vacation-rental sharing economy.
The Vancouver-based vacation rental platform, which has been operating since 2015, will be the first adopter of blockchain-based trust protocols currently being developed by SEL.
SEL’s protocols intend to resolve four major pain points said to plague the vacation rental industry: double-booking, security and fraud, review reliability and high fees.
SEL said in a statement: “The success of our growth will come through proper technology and strategic partnerships to slowly evolve from an accommodation-sharing platform to a global sharing-economy website.”
Tujia and Chinese blockchain technology company Tai Cloud are among the existing partners for Cozystay, the first vacation rental platform targeting Chinese vacationers that is headquartered outside of China.
Cozystay, which has 60,000 users, 200,000 listings worldwide, has completed US$4 million in seed funding.