Luxury travel network Virtuoso is extending an opening promotion for stays at the Bvlgari Hotel Shanghai, which debuts in June 20.
Available to clients of Virtuoso advisors, the promotion includes a guaranteed room upgrade at the time of booking, valid until December 31, 2018. In addition, guests get to enjoy daily breakfast for two (including room service); hotel credits valued at US$100; early check-in/late check-out (subject to availability); and Wi-Fi.
A room in the Bvlgari Hotel Shanghai
The 48-storey Bvlgari Hotel Shanghai features 63 rooms and 19 suites, six F&B venues, 2,000m2 spa and fitness centre, plus complimentary Maserati limousine service within the city centre.
Capella hotel on the island of Sentosa to witness the historic meeting between Trump and Kim
Ahead of confirmation that the historic Trump-Kim summit would take place on June 12 at Sentosa’s Capella Hotel in Singapore, hospitality establishments located in and around “special event areas” rolled out themed publicity and anticipated higher occupancy during the meeting period.
Patrick Fiat, general manager of Royal Plaza on Scotts, shared that the hotel “has seen an increase of 15 per cent in hotel bookings in the past week since the announcement” that the Tanglin area will be gazetted as an event venue for the summit.
Trump and Kim to meet at Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore
Royal Plaza on Scotts is located down the road from Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore, which was shortlisted as one of the summit venues and may host “lead-in activities and social events connected with this summit” as part of the “special event area” gazetted by the Singapore government.
In theme with the summit, Royal Plaza’s Scotts Lounge launched a “Trump Kim Burger” and “Summit Iced Tea”, available June 8-15. The items combine American and Korean culinary elements, including chicken-and-kimchi burger patty.
Royal Plaza on Scott’s Trump-Kim Burger and Summit Iced Tea
Alluding to the date of the summit, the Trump-Kim Burger is priced at S$12 (US$9) and the Summit Iced Tea at S$6.
Fiat added: “We are currently 75 per cent filled. The hotel expects to run above 90 per cent during the summit.”
Other F&B establishments in downtown Singapore have also launched summit-themed dishes, such as Trump Kim-Chi rice dish by Harmony Nasi Lemak and El Trumpo (cheeseburger) and Rocket Man (Korean fried chicken) tacos by Lucha Loco.
Indeed, travellers have not been shying away from Singapore during this period, but some are rerouting their stops at locales here.
Crystal Sim, president & CEO of Albatross World, noted that none of her clients are avoiding Singapore during the summit period, but the gazetted areas for the summit as well as hotspots like the Istana are regarded as “places to keep clear of”, although this will be “for all of one day”.
Going forward, Sim believes that this high-profile event will encourage more business meetings to be held in Singapore.
The solution offers greater efficiency in the management of hotel distribution channels
Meritus Hotels & Resorts has joined forces with travel technology provider Travel Prologue to launch a new technology platform that delivers real-time data on room availability as well as dynamic and static rates to offline contractors including travel agencies, wholesalers and corporate travel intermediaries.
The Travel Prologues’ Trip Affiliates Network (TA Network) hotel platform solutions is expected to enable Meritus to collaborate more effectively with its offline contractors, particularly in the sale of any online tactical or promotional rates that have typically only been made available to OTAs.
The solution offers greater efficiency in the management of hotel distribution channels
The real-time connectivity afforded through the new platform will allow the hotel group to expand and develop a more diverse distribution network with its offline partners, regardless of their location or time zone.
By facilitating direct connectivity and automating the inventory management process, the TA Network platform will allow Meritus and traditional wholesale agents to bypass the manual updating of inventory and confirmation of booking, hence potentially eliminating human errors in manually maintaining hotel contracts and increasing staff productivity.
“The launch of this new wholesale distribution platform… (allows) us greater efficiency in the management of our distribution channels. As a result, we enhance our overall yield, as well as build up a more robust base demand in order to maximise revenue for our hotels,” said Adrian Tan, regional vice president – sales & revenue strategy, Meritus Hotels & Resorts.
Ho Siang Twang, executive director of Travel Prologue, added: “In addition to benefiting from higher yield, greater efficiency and productivity, our hotel clients will also be able to exercise greater control over its distribution channels – thereby reducing the risk of overbooking rooms, particularly during peak travel periods. In the process, they also significantly improve the booking experience for their customers.”
Despite there being a reported oversupply of hotel rooms in Myanmar’s major tourist hubs, hospitality players say there is still room for growth in the mid-tier space, both in the country’s primary and emerging destinations.
Recent years have seen the country’s range of hotels grow from a handful of luxury properties to more diverse offerings catering to the growing tier of international tourists.
Industry players welcome more budget accommodation
According to the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, there are 1,648 licensed hotels and guesthouses, offering a total of 66,065 rooms across the country, with a swathe of new developments slated to open in the next two years.
The majority have focused on the luxury market, with a rise in guesthouses and other budget accommodation.
Still, Chu Chee Seng, general manager of Keppel Land Hospitality Management, which owns and manages Sedona Hotel Yangon, said there is still “growing potential” for mid-tier options in Yangon.
Adding more mid-tier options would allow Myanmar to better compete with neighbouring countries and help drive tourism to coastal areas, where currently there are only high-end properties, remarked Su Su Tin, managing director of Exo Travel Myanmar.
Said Su Su Tin: “We definitely need more good quality mid-range hotels, both local and international chains, ranging from between US$50 to US$70 a night. We don’t have much of this, especially at beach destinations.”
Greg Allan, vice-president of operations (ASEAN) for Pan Pacific Hotels Group, which operates Pan Pacific Yangon and Parkroyal Yangon, agreed that more quality budget beds would add value to the country’s emerging destinations, which are “soon-to-be-discovered by tourists”.
Chu remains confident the gap will be filled. He said: “Travellers can expect a growing range of accommodation options, from budget to five-star hotels, hostels and inns. We believe Myanmar’s hotel/accommodation landscape will continue to evolve, catering to more diverse markets.”
Onyx Hospitality Group has appointed Sukamal Mondal as general manager of Shama Lakeview Asoke Bangkok.
An Onyx veteran with 12 years of service in China and Thailand, Sukamal was most recently general manager at Oriental Residence Bangkok. Prior to that, he headed Shama Sukhumvit Bangkok as general manager.
A quest to simplify holiday bookings online led Aaron Sarma to launch Touristly in March 2015 as a travel portal offering tours, attractions, activities and restaurants in the Asia-Pacific region.
Aaron recalled: “I saw a business opportunity in creating a platform that would help holiday makers to plan their holiday itinerary as well as book tours, attractions and activities.”
Aaron: a platform that helps travellers discover the world
The Malaysia-based portal also provided travellers with tools to curate their holiday itinerary in one place and then share it with friends on social media.
In April 2017, AirAsia’s acquisition of a 50 per cent stake in Touristly provided Aaron with the necessary resources to scale up the startup’s offerings through the RM11.5 million (US$2.9 million) deal. The platform has since grown to serve 78 destinations in Asia-Pacific with over 13,000 bookable tours and attractions.
The deal with AirAsia also saw Aaron working more closely with Tony Fernandes, group CEO of AirAsia. Seeing how popular video sharing had become on social media platforms and how integral smartphones had become in people’s lives, the company decided that creating visual reviews of holiday experiences was the way forward.
In May this year, the company rebranded as Vidi, an abbreviation for Visual Discovery and also Latin for “To See”. It also marks the next phase of growth where focus will be on engaging users and building communities through a product that is both visual and social.
The Vidi mobile app, which was soft launched in June, allows users to make immediate bookings while creating videos of their holiday experiences and sharing them immediately through the app.
Likening the app as a travel companion for modern travellers, Aaron said: “It is another tool for millennials, which form a majority of our current database of users. Research shows that 30 per cent of time spent on the Internet is used watching videos. Vidi will create engagement and return visits. Reviews of places are currently text based, and sometimes there is conflicting information. With videos, travellers can see and hear for themselves what the place is like from peers who had been before them.
“Our business model remains the same. We do not make money from the videos, but only from booking the tours, attractions and activities we sell in the app.”
Marketing for this app and the Vidi portal is mainly done through AirAsia’s Travel 3Sixty inflight magazine and digital touchpoints within the LCC’s portal.
By 3Q2018, the app will also be available in simplified and traditional Chinese, Bahasa Indonesia and Malay.
When asked how he saw the company five years from now, Aaron replied: “We hope to incorporate new technologies such as virtual reality and augmented reality. We also intend to grow tours and activities beyond Asia-Pacific, to also include Europe and the US. We have already started looking for partners whom we can work with. At the end of the day, our mission remains the same. We aim to be the platform that helps travellers discover and book amazing experiences to see the world.”
Working towards the day when a face, iris or fingerprint can act as a single biometric travel token
WTTC and IATA are partnering to achieve the benefits of biometrics and deliver traveller digital identity management throughout the travel and tourism sector.
The agreement, which was announced on the sidelines of the IATA AGM in Sydney earlier this week, will see the two organisations joining forces to adopt a common approach, exchange information and work together to energise the entire sector to achieve international harmonisation through the use of biometrics standards and inter-operability.
Working towards the day when a face, iris or fingerprint can act as a single biometric travel token
IATA, on behalf of its member airlines, is promoting a range of innovations to be considered for airports of the future. This includes the One ID initiative – IATA’s vision of an “end-to-end passenger experience that is seamless, efficient and secure”.
Likewise, WTTC, through its Seamless Traveller Journey programme, is committed to working with the existing initiatives in this area to encourage the use of biometric technology and digital identity throughout the wider sector.
IATA director general and CEO Alexandre de Juniac said: “The journey thorough the airport is often a frustrating experience. Passengers have to verify their identity at numerous points across their journey. IATA One ID project is helping the industry rapidly move towards the day when a face, iris or fingerprint will act as a single biometric travel token. Partnerships are key to help realise this vision and today’s agreement with WTTC will act as a strong catalyst for industry change.”
IATA is forecasting a rise from four billion annual air passengers now to 7.8 billion over the next twenty years, and UNWTO estimates global international arrivals to rise from 1.3 to 1.8 billion by 2030.
Gloria Guevara, president and CEO, WTTC, commented: “The traveller experience has to improve if we want to achieve the growth potential. Last year one of every five jobs created in the world were in our sector. If we don’t use biometrics technology to improve the processes, we are not going to be able to achieve the potential of travel & tourism. Millions of jobs are at stake, so this is a priority for WTTC and our members.
Best Western Hotels & Resorts has signed an MoU for a new upscale beach resort in Dong Hoi, the capital of Vietnam’s Quang Binh province, as it continues expanding to new parts of the country.
Ron Pohl, senior vice president and COO for Best Western Hotels & Resorts, said: “The signing of this exceptional hotel marks the latest phase of our brand’s expansion to premier beach destinations in Vietnam, following the signings of upscale resorts in Cam Ranh, Vung Tau and Phu Quoc.”
Best Western Hotels & Resorts’ Olivier Berrivin, and FLC Quang Binh One Member’s Tran Quang Huy at the MoU signing ceremony
“Best Western Premier Quang Binh is the latest in a series of major upscale properties for Best Western in Vietnam, which we have identified as a priority market… we are now bringing international hospitality to exciting new parts of the country,” added Olivier Berrivin, Best Western’s managing director of international operations – Asia.
Scheduled to open in 2020, Best Western Premier Quang Binh will overlook the East Sea and feature will feature 501 rooms and suites, all equipped with bathrooms, workspaces and complimentary Wi-Fi.
Guests in the executive rooms and suites will be offered unlimited access to a beachfront lounge, where they can enjoy a series of exclusive services and privileges.
A rendering of Best Western Premier Quang Binh
Hotel facilities include a restaurant, outdoor infinity pools, a spa, children’s playground and gym. A business centre and meeting rooms will also be available for special events and corporate gatherings.
Developed by FLC Quang Binh One Member, Best Western Premier Quang Binh will feature two wings connected by a glass sky bridge. The hotel will form part of a major new development by FLC, which also includes a golf course, premium retail complex, restaurants, bars and a marina.
Dong Hoi is the gateway to Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage-listed site that houses Son Doong, the world’s largest cave.
A new gateway to Phang Nga in Thailand is expected to open the destination up to a larger mainstream market, says C9 Hotelworks’ managing director, Bill Barnett.
“Without a doubt the biggest game changer going forward is the plan for a 60 billion baht (US$1.9 billion) airport in Khok Kloi Phang Nga. If it materialises, the travel time to the Khao Lak tourism area will be reduced to approximately one hour and in effect create a far broader mainstream tourism market,” Barnett remarked in the Khao Lak & Phang Nga Hotel Market Update June 2018.
In 2017, visitor arrivals to Phang Nga totalled 4.6 million
The destination is already seeing strong arrivals growth. According to C9, visitor arrivals in 2017 totalled about 4.6 million, with a five-year compound annual growth rate of 24 per cent, due to increasing airlift at the gateway Phuket International Airport.
And while Western European visitors are typically the main market feeder for Khao Lak, accounting for 65 per cent of total international guests, there has been increasing demand in the MICE segment, comprising weddings from Europe, India, and Australia together with incentives from Singapore and Hong Kong.
Looking at hotel supply, C9 reported a rebound from the slight drop in 2016, with 2017 seeing a six per cent increase in inventory to 12,623 keys.
While a majority of the existing hotels are concentrated in the Khao Lak centre area which includes Khuk Kak Beach (29 per cent), Nang Thong Beach (17 per cent) and Bang Niang Beach (11 per cent), locations have been expanded to other beaches such as Pak Weep Beach (10 per cent).
In addition, more developments are being pushed to Bangsak and the pipeline footprint is continuing to grow northwards, C9 observed.
Hong Kong Jockey Club had spent 10 years pursuing the 'heritage-led conservation plan'
Hong Kong Jockey Club had spent 10 years pursuing the ‘heritage-led conservation plan’
A former police headquarters compound in Hong Kong has been transformed into a world-class heritage and arts hub, Tai Kwun, in what’s said to be the largest heritage revitalisation project ever undertaken in the city.
Led by the Hong Kong Jockey Club in partnership with the Hong Kong government, the revitalisation involved the conservation of the heritage buildings and the addition of two new buildings, JC Contemporary, a gallery building with a contemporary art space, and JC Cube, an auditorium building for performing arts, film screenings and educational events.
Comprising 16 historic buildings and outdoor spaces on a 13,600m2 site in the business heart of Hong Kong, Tai Kwun is home to three declared monuments, the former Central Police Station, Central Magistracy and Victoria Prison. The local colloquial name used by police officers and the public alike to refer to the city’s Central Police Station, have borne witness to over 170 years of Hong Kong history.
