Jared Green has been named The Sanchaya’s director of sales.

Prior to joining the property on Indonesia’s Bintan Island, the Australian spent two years in the same capacity at The Strand Hotel in Yangon. He was formerly director of sales at Cambodia’s Song Saa Private Island and director of revenue at Raffles Hotels, Dubai.

The seasoned hospitality professional has almost two decades of experience across three continents, and has spent time in luxury hotels in London and Bahrain. Green first embarked on his hospitality career in Melbourne’s Prince Hotel.

The Malaysian Aviation Commission (MAVCOM) is reviewing the passenger service charge (PSC) for international flights beyond South-east Asia at KLIA2.

MAVCOM intends to raise the amount from the current RM50 (US$11.60) to RM73, the rate charged at KLIA, to promote fairer competition between airport operators in the country. The PSC for flights within South-east Asia is RM35 at all airports nationwide.

According to Malay Mail Online, MAVCOM’s COO Azmir Zain said the change is likely to be rolled out by January 2018.

Travellers departing Malaysian airports will also be subjected to a levy of RM1 imposed by MAVCOM as early as 2018, Channel NewsAsia reported. This will apply to all departing passengers on domestic and international flights, with the exception of rural air services to the interiors of Sabah and Sarawak.

As the 29^th SEA Games and the 9^th ASEAN Para Games are set to take place in Kuala Lumpur later this week, inbound agents are considering farther accommodation locations or shortening touring time in the destination for their Middle Eastern clients due to a lack of rooms in the capital city.
The biennial event this year coincides with the Middle East travel peak, with the latter running up to early September. Moreover, shopping is a key draw for Middle Eastern visitors to Kuala Lumpur during the current sale period (ending August 31).

Ally Bhoonee, executive director of World Avenues, said: “Middle East tourists are known to make last-minute bookings, as late as a week prior to arrival. If we cannot get rooms in Kuala Lumpur, we divert them to Penang or Langkawi first and make Kuala Lumpur the last stop before their departure.”

Saini Vermeulen, executive director, Within Earth Holidays, told TTG Asia: “When we fail to get rooms in the city, we put our guests out of the city centre such as in Petaling Jaya. They don’t mind as transportation comes to their doorstep and we still do the tours in the city, plus hotel rates are less expensive compared with the city centre. They save around 20 per cent on these packages.”

Likewise, Adam Kamal, CEO at Olympik Holidays, also diverts his Middle Eastern clients to accommodation in Selangor, Putrajaya and Cyberjaya when rooms in Kuala Lumpur are not available. The tour programme in the capital city remains unaffected.

Meanwhile, both Ally and Adam observed an overall decline in arrivals from the region this year, partly due to the economic downturn in the Middle East. Adam said: “Middle East tourists usually stay in five-star properties. This year we are seeing more demand for four-star deluxe properties. This lowers the package rate by approximately 20 per cent.”

Okura Nikko Hotel Management will rebrand the current Oita Oasis Tower Hotel in Kyushu into the Hotel Nikko Oita Oasis Tower, with a targeted reopening in December.

Currently undergoing a partial renovation to reflect Nikko Hotels International’s style, the rebranded property will benefit from Okura Nikko Hotel Management’s centralised reservation network, where reservations can be made through a website available in eight languages.

The rebranded property will help to strengthen the group’s business network and improve visitor convenience

The hotel is part of Oasis Hiroba 21, a commercial complex that also houses the Oita Prefectural Culture Center and the local bureau of Japan Broadcasting Corporation. It is the tallest building in Oita Prefecture, offering views of downtown Oita, Beppu Bay, Kunisaki Peninsula and Mount Yufu, and is located an eight-minute walk from JR Oita Station.

Hotel Nikko Oita Oasis Tower will be Okura Nikko Hotel’s ninth hotel property on Kyushu island.

Universal Studios Singapore’s has unveiled the seventh incarnation of its Halloween Horror Nights event, which will run from September 29 to October 29 this year.

Themed after seven new incarnations of sins present in modern-day life – Cruelty, Deception, Malice, Manipulation, Narcissism, Perversion and Obsession – these sins are embodied in seven characters called the Sinisters.

For the all-new Zombie Laser Tag Experience, teams of four will work together to fend off and “kill” deranged zombies in infested areas with laser tag gear. Select participants may get to wear headbands that sense concentration levels to help unlock clues. To enjoy the interactive experience, guests will have to upgrade their tickets at S$38 (US$28) each.

Headlining the haunted houses is the Death Mall where Singapore’s most malicious ghosts roam after the building suffered a structural failure. Guests can also venture Inside the Mind of a deeply depraved force of evil and experience a chilling and macabre foray into his psyche. There will be five haunted houses in total, as well as two scare zones.

There will also be two all-new shows. Laboratorium is a stunt-show that exposes the deception of plague doctors who treat humans as test subjects to find cures during the Black Death, only to create freaks with superhuman abilities.

Meanwhile, music lovers can catch the Slice of Life Tour where an album launch performance by newest pop trio Slit Face Girls turns into a bloody affair, in this horrifying twist on the Korean wave.

Selected rides and attractions will remain open during the programme as well.

This year, Halloween Horror Nights 7 starts at 19.30 and runs over 14 select nights across five weekends.

From now until September 5, tickets can be purchased at S$55 each, or purchase three to get one free. After which, a standard ticket will cost S$68.

Visit www.halloweenhorrornights.com.sg for more information.

AccorHotels will open Seoul Dragon City in Seoul’s Yongsan-gu district come October 1.

The property will feature four AccorHotel brands: the 202-room Grand Mercure Ambassador Seoul Yongsan; 286-suite Novotel Suites Ambassador Seoul Yongsan; 621-key Novotel Ambassador Seoul Yongsan; and 591-room ibis Styles Ambassador Seoul Yongsan.

Seoul Dragon City ‘hotel-plex’ (rendering pictured) will be Accor’s largest project in the country

In total, the complex will offer 1,700 rooms, alongside 11 restaurants and bars, 17 meeting rooms, and two multifunction grand ballrooms. There will also be four floors of entertainment in a Sky Bridge suspended between two towers.

Highlights at the Sky Bridge include King’s Vacation, a lounge bar with an indoor miniature swimming pool, stage and SkyWalk; and Sky Beach, a space reminiscent a private beach club.

Patrick Basset, COO of AccorHotels, Upper South-east and North-east Asia hailed Seoul Dragon City – dubbed a “lifestyle hotel-plex” – as the largest project the company has signed in South Korea.

He added: “By the end of this year, the group will have 24 hotels in South Korea, which will be followed by eight more in the next two years. We will also be diversifying our brand portfolio to the luxury segment in the near future.”