Cachet Hospitality Group (CHG) will launch Savant Vela Hotel Bangkok in November 2017, marking its second property in the Thai capital and first Savant hotel in South-east Asia.

Located in the heart of Bangkok near Siam Square, the affordable lifestyle hotel features 72 Brilliant Rooms averaging 20m2, and amenities such as Interactive Mobility to offer guests convenient check-in and check-out, streamlined booking and payment processes through WeChat.

Savant Vela Hotel Bangkok

For F&B, The Scholar Bar features an interactive table with affordable wines and automated dispensers, while The Habitat on the first-floor lobby offers a space for guests to lounge and mingle. The Cardio Zone, a workout studio featuring TRX equipment and spinning bicycles, rounds up the hotel’s facilities.

To oversee its expanding portfolio in the region, CHG has promoted Kimy Chen to president of South-east Asia, managing business development for the entire region. She was previously responsible for Cachet’s development in Greater China. In her new position, Kimy will oversee the current projects in Bangkok and the pipeline of at least ten hotels and resorts in advanced stages of negotiations located in Phuket, Koh Samui, Singapore and other markets in South-east Asia.

Meanwhile, Jitsak Lim-Pakornkul joins CHG South-east Asia as director of brand marketing, bringing over 17 years of hospitality industry experience. Prior to CHG, Jitsak previously worked in brand marketing at Starwood Hotels & Resorts and has served as general manager for several hotels in Thailand.

Also joining the regional team is Sorachai Rojanasuwan, director of business development, South-east Asia. Sorachai brings over 10 years of industry experience and has worked at several Southeast Asian real estate developer companies including The Erawan Group.

The Indian government has from April 1 eased visa regulations, allowing tourists coming into the country on e-visa to stay for up to two months instead one and double-entry benefits. Furthermore, the window for e-visa application is now extended from the earlier 30 days to 120 days.

As well, new medical and business categories are added to the e-visa facility, and are given triple- and double-entry benefits respectively.

Reactions to the relaxed regulations have been positive, as the trade has been demanding a more robust e-visa regime to enhance convenience for international tourists availing the facility.

Arun Anand, managing director, Midtown Travels, said: “The earlier e-visa facility only allowed single entry, which was a bottleneck for tourists keen to combine their visits to India with neighbouring destinations. Though a multiple-entry e-visa would be ideal, at least a double-entry e-visa will allow us to suggest the facility to clients looking to visit neighbouring countries as well.”

While Lally Mathews, honorary secretary, Indian Association of Tour Operators, thinks it’s too early to speculate if the new move will increase inbound arrivals, it is nevertheless beneficial that travellers can “now apply for an e-visa well in advance to make the most out of competitive airfares”.

At present, e-visas are only available for nationals of 161 countries for entry through 24 airports and three ports – Cochin, Goa and Mangalore. Authorities are looking to extend the e-visa facility at the ports of Mumbai and Chennai to promote cruise tourism.

Thailand’s Montara Hospitality Group – known in the luxury market for its Trisara resort in Phuket – has set up a separate company, Heritage Stay, to turn heritage buildings into posh hostels or poshtels.

The new company is a joint venture with an experienced hand at poshtels, Chittipan Srikasikorn, who was business development director at Lub d, part of Thailand’s Narai Hotel Group that operates modern hostels in Bangkok and Phuket.

Poshtels generally are design-, technology- and social-led, their growing popularity driven by travellers who desire local colour and interaction, not necessarily just budget accommodation. The trend started in Europe with brands such as Generator, which change the idea of hostels as cheap and dirty with their smart looks and a full social programme that brings guests together.

Heritage Stay adds a new twist. Its first project is a conversion of one of Asia’s oldest movie theatres, Prince’s Cinema in Bangkok’s Bang Rak district, near Shangri-La Hotel, into a poshtel. Abandoned for years, the building is under the purview of the Thai Treasury; Heritage Stay has obtained a 10-year lease with an option to renew, according to Montara chief commercial officer, Kittisak Pattamasaevi.

The cinema is now being renovated into a theatre-inspired poshtel with around 100 beds. There will be private suites and ladies rooms, and the maximum number of beds per room will be eight, although each guest will have his/her privacy in a way that keeps to the them – theatre curtains in this instance.

“We’re looking at the top-end of hostel offerings, targeting an average rate of 600 baht (US$17) to 700 baht per night per bed,” said Kittisak. “We expect a high turnover due to the great location, the concept and our focus on key essentials such as security.”

The idea to turn heritage buildings into poshtels stems from his father’s love for old buildings. The Pattamasaevi family, which established Montara, has preserved buildings in Lampang as a library, art and exhibition centre.

Chittipan, who is managing director of Heritage Stay, said the company is looking to acquire or lease not just heritage buildings in Thailand but South-east Asia.

When asked how differently he would do poshtels from his previous company, he said: “The Lub d brand has a sense of fun, is social and vibrant. Heritage Stay will be more focused on local authentic experiences – we have tons of stories about the property and destination – and more social engagement. We want to be a smart host as we know travellers today don’t travel only for fun.”

Heritage Stay is targeting for 1,000 beds by 2019.

The annual smog that blankets northern Thailand due to slash-and-burn agriculture in the months of March and April is less severe this year, which should give tourism operators in Chiang Mai cause for optimism but other factors weigh on their business outlook.

Chalinee Rojanaboontham, e-commerce manager at Dusit Princess Chiang Mai, said the hotel is not affected by the smog but occupancy for the Songkran holiday is still not full. Room occupancy on April 13-14 has reached 80 per cent but dips to only 50 per cent on April 15.

Wat Phra That Doi Suthep 

Part of the reason, according to Chalinee, is that this period is a low season for Chiang Mai, unlike the peak season from late November to February.

While the smog impacts other northern provinces and rural areas of Chiang Mai, neither Chiang Mai’s downtown nor Standard Tour’s business is affected, said the company’s spokesperson Ampha Chanawat.

However, the Chiang Mai-based tour operator, whose main clientele is Chinese, has saw a decline in Chinese business following the zero-fee tour clampdown as some customers switched to Vietnam instead.

As well, a Chiang Mai Tour Center staff told TTG Asia that the smog is a lesser concern but the agency has not seen much business from foreign tourists, resulting in a loss of revenue. The company plans to compensate for the loss by launching tours to target the domestic market instead.

The Flight Centre Travel Group (FLT) has outlined plans to create a new global business that will provide in-destination services to travellers, including transfers, excursions and day-trips, arrangements for meetings and incentive groups, and land arrangements for cruises and tour groups.

The plans, which are being implemented in conjunction with Vietnam’s Thien Minh Group (TMG), will see the companies create a large Asia-based DMC business by combining TMG’s Buffalo Tours business in Vietnam with the smaller joint venture DMC businesses the two companies currently operate across 10 other countries.

“We believe that there are huge opportunities in the in-destination sector and it has become one of our key strategic growth areas for the future,” said FLT’s managing director Graham Turner.

Further acquisitions and diversification are planned, with FLT previously signalling its intention to consider hotel management opportunities, or joint ventures in key markets in the future.

TMG will retain a 41.5 per cent holding in the larger business, while FLT will see its holding increase from 49 per cent to 58.5 per cent of the new business.

Agreements are in place for FLT to increase its holding further in 2018 and for TMG to invest in the global DMC offering that the companies plan to create in the short to medium term.

The new Asia DMC is expected to turnover about $US70million and generate in the order of $US5million in earnings before interest and tax during the 2017 calendar year.

With the expansion and growth in Asia, the company’s leadership structure will change.

Suyin Lee, previously the head of FLT’s businesses in Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines, will become Buffalo Tours managing director. She will continue to be based in Singapore.

With Lee’s promotion, David Fraser, the managing director of FLT’s Greater China (Mainland China and Hong Kong) business, will now take on a broader role as head of a regional Asia leadership team that will oversee the Greater China, Singapore, Malaysia and Philippines businesses, together with the FCM Travel partner network in the region.

In India, Rakshit Desai will continue as managing director.

Fraser and Desai will continue to report to Rob Flint, executive general manager – global corporate operations, while Lee will report to the Buffalo Tours board.