The first Pullman-branded hotel in Singapore is slated to open on Hill Street in 2022, the outcome of a partnership between AccorHotels and property developer EL Development, which through this deal makes its first foray into hotels.
Pullman Singapore will join a range of flagship addresses worldwide
The 342-room hotel will feature a rooftop bar, a health and fitness centre and pool, as well as an executive lounge with sweeping views over Fort Canning park, the Singapore River and St Andrew’s Cathedral.
There are currently over 120 Pullman hotels in 33 countries worldwide, and Asia-Pacific accounts for more than 70 hotels and resorts and over 21,000 rooms.
The first ship in Royal Caribbean International’s new Quantum Ultra Class will arrive in Asia next year, with sailings from Singapore, Shanghai and Hong Kong.
Spectrum of the Seas has a total capacity of 5,622 guests and is 347m long, which will overtake sister ships Quantum and Ovation of the Seas, both currently Asia’s largest.
An aerial view of Spectrum’s rendering
She will come with first-at-sea features such as Sky Pad, a virtual reality, bungee trampoline experience and the two-level Ultimate Family Suite with an in-room slide, as well as new dining concepts.
Debuting on the forward end of the ship is the cruise line’s first private enclave for suite guests. Guests booked in the suites will be able to enjoy card key access, a private elevator and outdoor space, as well as a dedicated restaurant and lounge.
Another highlight is the two-level, 261m2 Ultimate Family Suite for up to 11 guests. The three-bedroom suite will include a master bedroom with an ensuite bathroom that extends above the sea level providing ocean views, and two additional suites. The ship will also come with an in-room slide and a recreation room, complete with surround sound equipment.
The ship will be the first among its sister ships to feature a karaoke venue. This will join returning features such as the North Star elevated glass capsule, RipCord by iFly skydiving simulator, the FlowRider surfing simulator, Bionic Bar, Seaplex, the largest indoor activity space at sea with new augmented reality walls and floors, and Two70 – a “high-tech entertainment venue” offering 270 degree panoramic views out of the back of the ship.
F&B options include a three-level main dining room serving a variety of international and Asian a la carte options, imaginative cuisine at Wonderland, Jamie’s Italian by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, Izumi Japanese cuisine, a new speciality restaurant Sichuan Red, and a traditional tea room concept, Leaf and Bean.
Spectrum of the Seas will debut in April 2019 in Barcelona with segmented cruises on the Global Odyssey to Singapore before continuing on to Shanghai, taking guests to 13 countries.
She will sail the following itineraries from Singapore: a three-night cruise to Kuala Lumpur (Port Klang) on May 18; a four-night cruise to Penang on May 21; a nine-night one-way cruise from Singapore to Shanghai, calling at Ho Chi Minh City, Nha Trang and Hong Kong (with an overnight stay) on May 25.
For her Shanghai season from June 2019, she will introduce new itineraries with visits to new ports, such as Hakodate and Niigita, Japan; Ilocos, Philippines; and Vladivostok, Russia.
In winter 2019, the ship will reposition to Hong Kong to offer special holiday cruises.
AirAsia announces two new routes linking Thailand
AirAsia has announced two new routes, one between Kota Kinabalu and Bangkok, and the other between Chiang Mai and Yangon.
The thrice-weekly route between Chiang Mai and Yangon will begin on August 11, operating on an Airbus A320 on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
FD802 will depart Chiang Mai at 13.15, and arrive at 13.45, while the return leg FD803 will depart Yangon at 14.45 and land in Chiang Mai at 16.30.
The Kota Kinabalu-Bangkok service will begin on August 16, and will be operated thrice-weekly on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
FD471 will depart Kota Kinabalu at 15.00 and arrive at Bangkok’s Don Muang Airport at 17.05. The return flight FD470 will depart Bangkok at 09.30 and arrive in Kota Kinabalu at 13.35.
Air Belgium’s first Hong Kong flight finally takes off
Air Belgium’s inaugural flight from Brussels South Charleroi Airport touched down at 07.40 on June 7, 2018, at Hong Kong International Airport, marking the start of its international operations.
The launch of this four-times weekly service to Brussels South Airport was initially announced for April 30, but it was postponed to June.
Every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, flights leave at 14.00 for arrival in Hong Kong at 07.30. For the return sector, flights depart Hong Kong on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 11.30 and arrive in Brussels South by 18.30. The route will be operated on the Airbus A340 with 257 seats – 32 business class, 21 premium and 212 economy.
Air Belgium will operate two flights per week to Hong Kong departing from Brussels Charleroi, three per week as from July and four flights per week from October onwards.
Finnair begins codeshare with Cathay Dragon
Finnair and Cathay Pacific Airlines have entered into a new codeshare partnership on the routes operated by Cathay Dragon – Cathay Pacific Airline’s affiliate – between Hong Kong and selected destinations in Asia.
The new codeshare agreement adds four new destinations to Finnair’s network in Asia. Starting June 15, Finnair customers can connect with Cathay Dragon’s flights from Hong Kong to Hanoi, Danang, Yangon, Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.
In addition, subject to regulatory approval, from July 11, Finnair customers can connect from Hong Kong to Kuala Lumpur. Flights to Kuala Lumpur can be booked from June 28 onwards.
Finnair customers can also enjoy oneworld privileges, and earn and redeem frequent flyer points also on Cathay Dragon’s flights.
Air China launches new service to London; signs JV with Air Canada
Air China has started a new, non-stop service between Chengdu and London operated by an Airbus 330-200.
The Chengdu-London route is operated under flight numbers CA423/4 on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays every week. Outbound flights depart from Chengdu at 15.45 and arrive in London at 20.00; return flights depart from London at 22.00 and arrive in Chengdu at 15.40 the following day.
The airline has also signed a joint venture agreement with Air Canada that will be implemented in phases over the next six months. It promises flexible flight choices, optimised flight schedules, aligned frequent flyer privileges, reciprocal lounge access, and joint sales including corporate and marketing programmes.
The carriers’ recently expanded codeshare increases the number of Canada-China connecting flight opportunities for customers by 564 each day. The two carriers now operate up to a total of 52 trans-Pacific flights per week between Canada and China from Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal to and from Beijing and Shanghai.
The 42km Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (HZMB) is promising to open the floodgates to new source markets and travel segments when it kicks off later this year, linking three of the most prosperous centres in the South China region.
A Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) spokesman said: “The new competitive advantage (HZMB) provides lies in its ability to offer visitors a new option for travelling to Macau from neighbouring mainland cities and Hong Kong.
HK-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (Photo from Government Information Bureau of Macau)
“This will be strongly bolstered in terms of connectivity with many international flights operating from the Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA), where the constraint of having a single mode of transportation to HKIA by sea would soon become liberated.”
The new bridge will present an additional option linking Hong Kong and Macau. “Some visitors find the existing ferry connection complicated so we’re hoping the bridge will offer greater convenience,” said Manuel Wu, managing director of Macau Explorer Cultural Travel.
Besides further integrating the three regions physically, the bridge is also expected to change visitor profiles, travel patterns and average length of stay in Macau and Zhuhai.
The Macao Tourism Industry Development Master Plan projects that by the year 2025 the average stays of visitors will be 2.3 days, compared with only 1.2 days in 2017.
Wu said: “I am sure it will stir up demand for lengthier visits here. The bridge may also help divert the traffic from China which currently jams up the existing cross-border gates.
“Also it may further intensify and promote the established multi-destination travel concept across the Pearl River Delta.”
He believes the bridge will also bring more FITs and day-tripper traffic, especially for longhaul travellers arriving at HKIA.
“In the past, they treated Hong Kong as the main destination while Macau was only a getaway escape. Hopefully, the fact that the Hong Kong side of the bridge is adjacent to HKIA will change this perception.”
Beyond improving access, the bridge will also be treated as an attraction in itself.
MGTO is looking into working with partner travel agencies and airlines to develop commemorative and themed tours incorporating the bridge as a novel component in their Macau and multi-destination tour packages.
In addition to repackaging the “Hong Kong and Macau twin cities” tour products, Wu has also observed more frequent requests to charter a boat and tour around the mega-project, which is deemed an engineering marvel.
The launch of the bridge is likely to enhance Macau as a business events destination as well.
Wu added: “While both (Hong Kong and Macau) prove capable of hosting mega groups, Macau’s transportation services remain a stumbling block owing to limited international air connections, as well as flight and ferry capacity. This makes it difficult to mobilise big groups and drives event planners to choose (Macau over) other destinations.”
However, Sands China, marketing and brand management, senior vice president, Ruth Boston believes it’s probably too early to tell the full scope of how the bridge will affect travel to Macau. Still, she acknowledged that convenience of travel is a primary motivating factor for people booking holidays, and the new bridge which links up several key Chinese cities in Guangdong will substantially reduce overall travel time.
Meanwhile, Macau’s air connections keep improving. In July 2017, Beijing Capital Airlines inaugurated flights between Lisbon in Portugal and Macau via Beijing. Last November, AirAsia commenced the first Malaysian connection to Macau from Johor Bahru, which was followed by Thai AirAsia’s Phuket-Macau service in January 2018.
The hospitality industry in Indonesia is flourishing on the back of the country’s brisk tourism sector. Not only are more global hotel companies coming in and growing their presence beyond the major destinations, homegrown hotel brands too have been hard at work.
Larger homegrown groups like Santika Indonesia Hotels & Resorts, Archipelago International and Tauzia Hotel Management have consistently been growing their portfolio, while smaller players, such as Sahid International Hotel Management and Consultant, have been steadily scaling up in recent years.
The Samaya Ubud Resto
New names such as Jambuluwuk Hotels & Resorts, Dafam Hotel Management, Artotel Group and Sudamala Resorts have also entered the hospitality space in the last decade to grab a piece of the huge domestic travel pie and the growing international market.
Launched in 2011, Artotel Group currently operates five properties with five more to open this year and six next year, the majority of which will be under its midscale Artotel brand. The group also has an upscale (Curated Collection) and economy brand (Bobotel).
“We are collaborating with rising young talented artists and art galleries. Artotel strives to enhance guest experience while promoting local contemporary art to the world,” said Erastus Radjimin, CEO of Artotel Group.
Meanwhile, Jambuluwuk Hotels & Resorts’ properties combine traditional elements with a modern touch. The group currently owns and operates five properties in Yogyakarta, Bali, Puncak, Batu and Gili Trawangan, and is reaching out to international wholesalers as well.
Jambuluwuk Malioboro hotel lobby
Mella Purwanaika, Jambuluwuk’s vice president marketing, commented: “We have surveyed some of the governments 10 New Bali’s such as Morotai. We find (the locations) beautiful but it would probably be some time before we enter these markets, as we want to concentrate on destinations that are more ready (to welcome tourists).”
Jambuluwuk’s owning company Arcs House is hence planning to open outposts in Labuan Bajo, Ubud and Bandung, tourist destinations that are growing in popularity. The group is also seeking to expand its management service into existing and new hotels.
Family-owned Sudamala Resorts launched its first property, Sudamala Suites & Villas, in Bali’s Sanur in 2015, and now has properties in Lombok and Labuan Bajo (Komodo), with another one coming soon in East Bali.
Sudamala’s owning company, Griya Usaha, is committed to developing bespoke boutique resorts with strong local cultural characters.
Emily Subrata, director of Griya Usaha, told TTG Asia: “My father is a great art collector so there are many artistic masterpieces adorning our properties. Each suite has its own unique interior design, and we are careful to make our properties blend in with the environment, particularly its local culture.”
Sahid International Hotel Management & Consultant, which for many years was content with maintaining its existing properties, has now adopted an aggressive strategy to plant its brands around Indonesia.
Said Sahid’s director of sales, marketing and business development, Vivi Heelambang: “Our aim is to have a hotel in every city in the country, whether (through new-builds) where we get involved from scratch or taking over existing hotels.”
In the last couple of years, Sahid Hotels has acquired management of existing properties in Maumere, Kupang, Wakatobi and Banyuwangi, while new hotels will be opening on Bangka Island, Gili Trawangan, Serpong and Bandung. In the pipeline are properties in Pangandaran, Timika and Yogyakarta.
“There are nice hotels with good locations in exotic destinations managed by individual owners, which have not been very successful in operations. We take over the management of such hotels that we believe have the potential; most of them did not perform merely because of the lack of management skills,” Vivi elaborated.
Most of the hotels, within months of the takeover, have seen their occupancy and revenue increased by 200-300 per cent, according to Vivi.
“Some hotels needed renovations, while others needed additional amenities and our sales marketing channels to make them visible to markets,” she added.
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.”
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”.
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.
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.
