Ascott is acquiring an additional 60 per cent stake in Quest Apartment Hotels for A$180 million (US$137 million), which will increase its stake from the current 20 per cent to 80 per cent. Also part of the deal is an option for Ascott to acquire the remaining 20 per cent interest in Quest.

The acquisition will boost Ascott’s portfolio by over 11,000 units to more than 67,000 units across 507 properties and 124 cities globally.

100-unit Quest Cannon Hill to open next year

Lee Chee Koon, Ascott’s CEO, said: “Increasing our stake in Quest to become its majority shareholder will leapfrog Ascott to become the leading serviced residence provider in Australasia… Scale is important for us to offer more options to customers, strengthen our sales and distribution, and help speed up Ascott’s growth.”

The move will also allow Ascott to leverage the Quest brand and its “highly scalable business format” to further apply the franchise platform as a growth driver.

Quest has 180 properties with over 9,000 existing units in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji, and over 2,000 units under construction.

In addition, Ascott has acquired its first serviced residence in Brisbane from a local property developer for A$24 million as part of its strategic partnership with Quest, bringing its portfolio to 10 serviced residences with over 1,300 units in Australia.

The 100-unit freehold serviced residence, to be developed on a turnkey basis and operate as a Quest franchise, will open in 2018.

Quest Cannon Hill is the second acquisition made under the partnership. In mid-2016, Ascott acquired the 221-unit Quest NewQuay Docklands in Melbourne for A$71 million, which will reopen in 2019 as Quest’s largest property.

“Franchise, management contracts, investments, and strategic alliances will continue to be key strategies to solidify Ascott’s lead as we work towards exceeding our target of 80,000 units globally by 2020,” Lee said.

Singapore Airlines (SIA) has introduced a corporate travel programme for SMEs, named the Singapore Airlines HighFlyer, allowing corporates to earn points with no minimum annual travel spend required.

Corporates will earn five HighFlyer points for every S$1 (US$0.72) spent on tickets booked through the airline’s corporate booking platform or an appointed travel agent, while employees continue to be entitled to KrisFlyer miles.

SIA’s A380 business class

Businesses have the option to use their HighFlyer points to offset future ticket purchases partially or in full for flights on SIA or SilkAir to more than 100 destinations across 30 countries.

Through a self-service web portal, corporates can check points balance, utilise points, manage travellers and bookings, and download e- statements.

Corporates that reach a stipulated annual spend will have the choice of transferring to the Singapore Airlines Corporate Travel Programme, which allows large businesses to enjoy corporate fares and additional benefits.

For more information about the Singapore Airlines HighFlyer programme, visit: singaporeair.com/highflyer

Regent Hotels & Resorts has signed a management agreement with Vietnamese property developer BIM Group to manage Regent Phu Quoc, a luxury development on Vietnam’s largest island.

Set to open in 2019, the waterfront Regent Phu Quoc stands in Bai Truong’s Phu Quoc Marina, and will offer 400 hotel rooms and private residences, all with sea views. Facilities on-site will include Michelin-star restaurants, private beaches, a spa, as well as pool and gym facilities.

Regent Phu Quoc

Steven Pan, chairman of Regent Hotels Group, said: “Asia plays an important role in Regent’s global expansion plans, especially throughout the South-east Asia region and there is clear potential for growth in Vietnam.”

He added: “Alongside our development plans in Vietnam, we are finalising the second phase of our mixed-use development at Regent Porto Montenegro with the opening of the Regent Pool Club Residences. We will also be launching Regent Jakarta in 2018.”

With the launch of Regent Phu Quoc, the company’s third mix-used development, Regent Hotels & Resorts’ global property portfolio will increase to nine.

Bangkok-based Absolute Hotel Services (AHS) and Austria’s largest hotel group, Vienna House, have joined hands to expand their related brands in Europe and Asia respectively.

AHS’ U Hotels and Resorts will be brought into Europe via its office in Vienna, while the Vienna House brand will expand in Asia under the auspices of the Vienna House Asia office in Bangkok.

Jonathan Wigley (left) and Rupert Simoner

The reputability of Vienna House makes it an ideal partner as AHS into Europe, said Jonathan Wigley, CEO of the Thai hospitality management company. Vienna House owns and/or manages 36 properties in Europe.

Rupert Simoner, CEO of Vienna House, likewise commented on the company’s renewed confidence in expanding beyond Europe with the support and “strong background” of its new partner in Asia.

Norway-headquartered Hurtigruten has made Scenic Travel its GSA and preferred travel partner for Singapore.

Scenic Travel will be responsible for development of the exploration travel company’s business in the market, including growing travel agent awareness and preference for the brand.

William Harber, Hurtigruten’s president for China & Asia-Pacific, said: “Our GSA partnership with Scenic Travel recognises the great strides they have made in putting Hurtigruten on the map in Singapore.”

Hurtiguten’s products include Norwegian coastline and Northern Lights cruises as well as adventure travel itineraries to Antarctica, Greenland, Iceland, Svalbard and Arctic Canada, including the Northwest Passage.

With expedition cruising one of the fastest growing segments in travel, Hurtigruten is offering guests in Singapore sails on its fleet of 14 ships, plus two additional ships set for delivery in 2018 and 2019.

Japan will get its first international luxury onsen resort when the co-branded InterContinental Hotels Group-All Nippon Airways (ANA) property opens in Beppu in 2019.

ANA InterContinental Beppu Resort & Spa, the first international-branded property in Oita Prefecture, will feature a public onsen bath, spa and pool, as well as a fitness centre, restaurants and bars and Club InterContinental lounge.

Each of the 89 luxury guest rooms will be complete with both common and private onsen supplied with water from a local hot spring.

The resort – which is situated on 82,000m² of land overlooking Beppu city and bay – will be developed by Tokyo Century Corporation, with the support of Oita prefecture and Beppu City.

The Philippine trade is sanguine that the recovering inbound China tourist numbers will compensate for the slowdown in other key markets such as South Korea and Japan in the wake of recent security-related incidents in Mindanao and Resorts World Manila.

Speaking to TTG Asia at the recent Asia Premium Travel Mart, Mary Ann Ong, general manager of China inbound specialist Luxus Pacific Travel and Tours, said she expects the Chinese to start returning this month after some initial cancellations.

Bohol is becoming a top pick among Chinese travellers; Chocolate Hills pictured

“It’s easy to recover due to China’s proximity to the Philippines. Group tours were less affected than government, non-profits and IT trips,” she explained.

Ong said that her company is currently tapping on the upmarket Chinese segment and developing new destinations such as Clark and Subic.

While the Chinese-owned Golden Phoenix Hotel Manila did not receive cancellations, senior sales manager Mads Rono expects numbers from China to improve as the company’s head office in Beijing is currently promoting the Philippines and working closely with Philippine travel agencies. Previously, the company only relied on Ctrip for B2B bookings.

Meanwhile, Bohol, a growing favourite among the Chinese, has not been affected much as the local government handled the recent Abu Sayyaf incident very well, said Jenny Pearl Maleza, sales manager, Eskaya Beach Resort & Spa in Bohol.

Shinta Mani Hotels is once again joining forces with acclaimed designer and architect Bill Bensley to introduce The Bensley Collection, a new portfolio of super-luxe hotels and resorts that will be launched this year-end.

The debut flagship, Shinta Mani Angkor – Bensley Collection, will open its doors in Siem Reap this November with oversized indoor lap pools and gardens with a rooftop living room within its high-walled façade. Each of the 10 villas, which measures 156m² across two levels, will feature Art Deco-inspired decor, floor-to-ceiling glassed bathroom, outdoor bath and Apsara project sculptures.

Pool at Shinta Mani Shack

Opening 3Q2018 is Shinta Mani Wild – Bensley Collection, touted to offer a unique luxury tented camp experience in the remote wilderness of Tmor Rung, two hours’ drive from Phnom Penh. This super-luxe property will have 16 100m² custom designed tents elevated over swift-moving water and waterfalls.

The private sanctuary will combine “world-class design, hospitality and conservation” and has been dubbed by Bensley as “a utopia of sustainability”, according to a statement.

Meanwhile, Shinta Mani Hotels has since July 1 rebranded two of its existing properties – both also the work of Bensley – in Siem Reap to differentiate them as deluxe four-star and premium upscale boutique products.

Following a short closure and makeover, Shinta Mani Resort has reopened as Shinta Mani Shack offering 62 rooms and two junior suites, in addition to a refurbished pool.

Shinta Mani Club is now Shinta Mani Angkor, an upscale boutique property showcasing 39 contemporary designed rooms and public spaces boasting Khmer-inspired design.

AccorHotels will manage three additional hotels in Myanmar by 2020, resulting from a partnership with Thai developer LP Holding.

Mercure Mandalay Hill Resort, rebranded from the Mandalay Hill Resort Hotel, will open this year. Set on 4.5ha of gardens, the property features 206 rooms; three dining outlets – Yadanabon, Mings Chinese and Kinsana Garden; and two bars – Kipling’s Lounge Bar and Garden Tivaratee. MICE facilities include a conference centre, a ballroom and three meeting rooms.

Pullman Yangon Centrepoint

An adjoining property is slated to open in 2020 as Mandalay Hill Resort, MGallery by Sofitel. The hotel will feature 150 guest rooms and villas, a restaurant and bar, in addition to an outdoor pool and spa shared with Mercure Mandalay Hill Resort.

Another hotel scheduled for opening this year is Pullman Yangon Centrepoint. Situated opposite Yangon’s High Court building and the Independence Monument Park, the newly built Pullman Yangon Centrepoint will be part of the Centrepoint Towers commercial building developed by LP Holding.

The hotel features 300 guest rooms, an all-day-dining outlet, two specialty restaurants, a destination sky bar and lobby lounge. Meetings and events space include a ballroom and ten meeting rooms, while leisure facilities include a pool, fitness centre and a spa.

Passengers flying to the US from from Abu Dhabi International Airport are allowed carry-on laptop computers in airline cabins again.

The restrictions, implemented in March on some airports and airlines in the Middle East and Africa, have also been lifted for Etihad Airways.

Both the airport and airline have implemented initial enhanced security measures, the US Transportation Safety Administration stated.

Airlines and airports still on the list include Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Morocco, Qatar and the UAE.