Just weeks after news of the hotel group negotiating the purchase of Potel & Chabot, AccorHotels is now in talks with FCDE (Fonds de Consolidation et de Développement des Entreprises) to acquire all the latter’s unspecified minority interest in French events and catering company Groupe Noctis.

FCDE had invested 11 million euros (US$12.2 million) in Group Noctis over 2013 and 2014 to help it roll out its events business, in particular through acquisitions. Over the past four years, it was reported to have grown revenue by 250 per cent.

Established the company in 2008, Group Noctis has a collection of exclusive venues in France and abroad, and has signed agreements to open about 10 new venues in Paris.

Through this strategic partnership, AccorHotels hopes to cement its leadership in the City of Lights, a prominent events destination, while Noctis will be able to tap into AccorHotels’ hospitality expertise for business clients, both companies said in a statement.

Laurent de Gourcuff, Groupe Noctis chairman, CEO and founder said: “Now we’re starting a new, decisive chapter in our story, with AccorHotels’ investment in our equity. It’s the best partner to team up with to push ahead with our bold development plans, and we’ll be able to share a group’s expertise in serving upscale customers and extract synergies with their various business lines.”

Sébastien Bazin, chairman and CEO, AccorHotels, stressed that Groupe Noctis represents “more than an enviable address book”.

He said: “This alliance blends naturally into our plans to transform and boost AccorHotels with a view to catering to increasingly discerning customers’ wants and needs beyond the travel universe. Its expertise and ours complement each other, and pooling our assets will put us in a position to tap into growth opportunities and synergies in France and beyond.”

Moxy Hotels, Marriott International’s millennial-focused boutique hotel brand, will enter Japan with two new properties late this year, following the opening of Asia-Pacific’s first Moxy in Bandung, Indonesia in 3Q2017.

Moxy Tokyo Kinshicho, a 205-room modern hotel converted from a stand-alone office building, is located in the heart of Tokyo’s historic Kinshicho, a short walk from the Kinshicho Station. It is owned by Goldman Sachs and managed by Tokyo-based commercial real estate developer Pacifica Capital.

A rendering of the Moxy Hotel in Washington, D.C

The 155-room Moxy Osaka Honmachi, also a conversion from a stand-alone office building, is situated a short distance to Honmachi Station, and is owned by Goldman Sachs while being managed by EGW Asset Management.

Moxy Hotels first debuted in Milan in September 2014, and currently operates nine additional hotels in New Orleans, Tempe, Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt, Vienna and the UK.

The brand currently has more than 70 deals in the global pipeline, in destinations including Amsterdam, Frankfurt, London, Oslo, New York City, San Francisco and Seattle.

Luxury tour operator Scott Dunn has expanded into Asia with the opening of its first regional headquarters in Singapore, adding to its existing offices in London and San Diego.

Andrew Dunn, founder and president, Scott Dunn, said: “We are excited to bring the Scott Dunn offering to the discerning Asian market. Our guest base from Asia-Pacific has been growing steadily for some time with the increasing demand for experiential travel, so it has been an ambition of ours to get a team of specialists on the ground here for a while.

“Singapore offers exciting opportunities for us to grow – the country has a strong base of avid and sophisticated travellers who would
benefit from the Scott Dunn experience. We look forward to expanding our services to this market,” he aded.

Founded in 1986 by Dunn as a European ski chalet operation, Scott Dunn now curates private journeys for travellers to more than 100 destinations around the world, including the Alps, Australia, Myanmar, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa and Thailand.

Expedia is set to acquire a majority stake in rail distribution technology provider SilverRail, with the transaction expected to close in mid-2017.

“Rail is ready for an online revolution, and we’re ready to be a part of it. Rail’s shift online is one of the fastest growing areas of innovation in the US$1.3 trillion travel market, and SilverRail is powering that innovation,” said Dara Khosrowshahi, Expedia president and CEO.

Said Aaron Gowell, SilverRail Technologies’ CEO: “Expedia is an ideal fit for us as it sees the huge potential in rail and has a history of keeping its brands nimble.”

SilverRail will remain focused on transforming the consumer experience of rail for carriers, travel retailers and corporate travel companies, it said in a statement.

Following an extensive makeover lasting eight months, the Tower Wing at Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore reopens today to reveal a refreshed lobby, brand-new rooms and suites, three novel restaurant concepts and a revitalised club lounge.

A new highlight in the lobby is the ceiling art installation, made of thousands of cascading stylised leaves, by renowned Japanese designer Hirotoshi Sawada.

Tower Wing lobby

The Tower Wing’s 503 refurbished guestrooms and suites include the Tower Wing Deluxe Rooms, Horizon Club Deluxe and Executive Rooms, the Family-Themed Suite, the One-Bedroom Suite and the 250m² Grand Suite.

The 38m2 Deluxe Rooms, for example, come complete with stylish furnishings, luxurious amenities, Internet access, glass wardrobes, floor- to-ceiling windows and a choice of city or pool views, while the Horizon Club Rooms offer guests access to the Horizon Club Lounge on level 24.

Among the fresh F&B concepts at the Tower Wing is the Lobby Lounge, which will showcase Singapore favourites such as fish head bee hoon soup, prawn noodle soup, bak chor mee, Hainanese chicken rice, Katong laksa, and chilli crab with mantou.

Next door, ShopHouse is a grab-and-go retail concept offering freshly baked bread, homemade sandwiches, salads and snacks, as well as gourmet sauces, chocolates and 3D cakes.

Nami Restaurant and Bar, on level 24, is helmed by head chef Akiba Shigeo, who cooked at the royal wedding of Japan’s Prince Akishinomiya and Princess Kiko.

To celebrate the reopening of the Tower Wing, Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore is now offering an exclusive promotion for Golden Circle members, which enables a stay in the Deluxe Rooms at Best Available Rate from May 16 to July 31, 2017 with breakfast at The Line and double GC Award Points.

InterContinental Hotels Group and Salta Properties have signed a management agreement for a Hotel Indigo in Melbourne’s heritage-listed Docklands waterfront precinct, due to open in 2019.

The 170-room Hotel Indigo Melbourne Docklands will boast a resort-style pool and gym, a meeting room, as well as a street-facing neighbourhood restaurant and bar split over two levels.

Artist impression of the new property

The property is the second Hotel Indigo confirmed for Australia and New Zealand, following the signing of Hotel Indigo Brisbane Fortitude Valley in late 2016.

Karin Sheppard, COO Australasia & Japan, IHG said: “The Hotel Indigo brand is extremely important to our continued growth in Australia, as we know the appeal that these ‘local’ hotels have for our guests.”

Sam Tarascio, executive chairman of Salta Properties, added: “With some 20 million visitors expected to visit the Docklands each year, it’s great timing to be developing this hotel in Melbourne’s new and contemporary neighbourhood.”

Following 20 years of product expansion, cycling tour operator SpiceRoads has evolved its brand to include a segmentation of products.

With the rebrand, SpiceRoads now has a refreshed identity with a new logo, look and slogan, along with a name update from SpiceRoads Cycle Tours to SpiceRoads Cycling.

The SpiceRoads Cycling brand now includes segmentation within its line of five cycle touring products, with the Touring sub-brand focused on classic bicycle touring; Road offering challenging road cycling in exotic locations; Epic complete with stories, remote locations and cultural encounters; Trails with single track adventures through jungles and mountains among other wild terrains; and Excursions offering short and day trips to explore a new city or destination.

Daniel Moylan, managing director of SpiceRoads Cycling, explained: “Rather than bridge the gap between cycling preferences, our brand will showcase each style as an entity of its own. Our growing product portfolio already supports the needs of all types of cyclists and our branding will now clearly communicate this.”

The brand reveal is accompanied by the launch of a website with an updated look and increased functionality.

Australian casino group Crown Resorts has exited its remaining 11.2 per cent stake in its Macau-focused Melco Crown Entertainment joint venture with Melco Resorts for US$1.2 billion.

In a statement to the stock exchange, Crown said it will receive A$987 million (US$732 milion) from the sale and use the proceeds to cut net debt.

Crown reportedly said it will turn its focus back home while keeping options open in Asia. It had originally owned a 34.3 per cent stake in Melco Crown Entertainment and most recently shaved its share down last December.

Eighteen of Crown’s staff were arrested in China last October, allegedly linked to the illegality of advertising overseas gaming in the country, sending Crown’s VIP revenue plummeting.

Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board will be opening its fourth office in China in Chengdu this week, on the back of new direct services by Hainan Airlines.

Hainan Airlines in March launched non-stop flights from Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, and Chongqing. Both flights operate twice-weekly.

Los Angeles International Airport

Although there are flights from Chengdu to Los Angeles, the direct flights present new opportunities. “Before it’s a bit tough for these travellers as they have to go via Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and other hubs,”said Kate Chang, the board’s regional director-China.

Last October, Chengdu-based Sichuan Airlines launched its first intercontinental services from Chengdu to Los Angeles via Jinan and Hangzhou, both twice weekly. Thrice-weekly Chengdu-Nanjing-Los Angeles flight operated by China Eastern Airlines have been in the air since 2015.

With Hainan’s direct flights and the new Sichuan Airlines services via Jinan and Hangzhou, Los Angeles is keen to tap the China outbound market from Chengdu and beyond, such as the Chongqing market, added Chang.

The Chengdu office will be Los Angeles’ fourth tourism office in China after Beijing, which opened last year, Guangzhou (2015) and Shanghai (2013). It will be headed by a newly-appointed director, Vincent Tang, who was a tour operator and most recently Brand USA representative in China.

Stephanie Nakasone, the board’s senior director-tourism, said last year was significant as Los Angeles became the first US city to receive over one million Chinese travellers. The number of Chinese visitors had been growing at an average rate of around 20 per cent per year for the last seven years, she said.

“With four direct services, we’re very excited, and we’ll be working with the tour operators in Chengdu and Chongqing on (devising) packages that will bring out the real Los Angeles for Chinese clients. We’re leading the Los Angeles delegation here on a sales mission to Chengdu (after ITB China) to connect to the tour operators, also to learn what the needs of the Chinese travellers are,” said Nakasone.

According to Michael Czarcinski, managing director of The Westin Bonadventure Hotel and Suites, the largest hotel in Los Angeles with 1,358 rooms, China market has transformed over the years. “Before, the travellers stayed outside of Los Angeles then visited the city, now it’s the reverse; they stay in Los Angeles then visit Hollywood, Downtown, Universal Studios, Disneyland, etc,” he said.

Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board has also launched a ‘Welcome’ initiative, thanking its trade supporters and the travelling public and also reminding them that Los Angeles remains welcoming and friendly to visitors, according to Nakasone when asked if Trump’s immigration policies have had any impact on the image of the US as being open to visitors.