Luang Prabang Film Festival. Courtesy: Luang Prabang Film Festival

This year’s edition will feature films such as A Yellow Bird (Singapore), Banana Pancakes and the Children of Stick Rice (Laos), and Before The Fall (Cambodia), among others.

Daytime films will be screened at the Sofitel Luang Prabang’s screening room which can seat 75 people. On the property is also a short film screening room that can seat 20 more. At night, films will be screened outdoors at the Handicraft Market, which can accommodate over 1,500 pax.

Villa Maly, a four-star boutique hotel in Luang Prabang is currently running a package promotion – available to all ASEAN members – from December 2-7. At US$490 for two people, it includes a three-night stay in the hotel’s Superior Room, return airport transfers, daily breakfast, and a lunch cruise to Pakou Cave.

For every package booking, Villa Maly is also offering a 20 per cent commission for agents.

The US embassy in New Delhi issued a security message for US citizens in India yesterday citing local reports of plans by ISIS to launch an attack in the country.

“Recent Indian media reports indicate ISIL’s desire to attack targets in India,” stated the advisory, using a different acronym to refer to the jihadist group.
Mumbai skyline

It continued: “The US embassy warns of an increased threat to places in India frequented by westerners, such as religious sites, markets, and festival venues.

“All US citizens are reminded to maintain a high level of vigilance and take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness.”

Eric Ricaurte

A new alliance aimed at spurring sustainable hotel development in Asia by going straight to the roots – i.e. the owners who build the properties – has been launched.

Spearheaded by Greenview and a few launch partners including Marriott International, Hotel Owners for Tomorrow (HOT) is possibly the first coalition of sustainable-minded Asian hotel owners, coming at a time when the region continues to see a robust pipeline of hotels.

Eric Ricaurte, founder/CEO of Greenview, which is based in the US and has an office in Singapore, believed Asia is “the battleground for sustainable development as more hotels are going up in Asia than the rest of the world put together”.

HOT welcomes all owners to join, start the conversation among one another on sustainability, share best practices and get recognised for their efforts.

HOT is asking its members to commit to five actions for building a sustainable future: incorporate sustainability from the beginning of investment decisions; evaluate one renewable energy project and one efficiency project per property per year; routinely monitor and benchmark sustainability performance; support brand efforts; and share best practices.

Thus far, apart from Marriott, Wyndham Worldwide, Hyatt Hotels, Six Senses, TAJ Hotels, Resorts and Palaces, AKARYN Hotel Group, PATA, Horwath HTL and the International Tourism Partnership and the Global Sustainable Tourism Council are signatories of HOT. TTG Asia Publishing has also signed up as media supporter.

“By becoming a signatory, owners will not only receive distinction for helping shape the industry in their destinations, they will also benefit by avoiding the future costs of regulation, identifying opportunities for increased ROI on investments, and by gaining access to capital from equity partners which require strategy, disclosure and action on environmental, social and governance issues in order to do business,” said Ricaurte.

In an interview during the recent HICAP (Hotel Investment Conference Asia-Pacific) in Hong Kong, Ricaurte, when asked what Asian owners were not doing about sustainability, said “they are not talking about it” but added this was the same in the US years ago.

He recalled introducing sustainability to US hotel clients and they went “ya ya ya” – until they got pressed by institutional fund shareholders about their sustainable practices. “Then they really started getting into it and now you see teams that are engaged and want to find the best opportunities as there is so much innovation (in sustainable development) out there,” said Ricaurte.

In Asia, where the market is dominated by individual or family owners, a coalition like HOT is even more critical. “Some owners may be building a hotel for the first time…they may spend a lot to build an opulent lobby, but won’t spend money on, say, solar panels because they may not understand that if they look longterm, building an efficient hotel is going to save them money. Not only that, since it is family money and they want to leave a legacy for the family, how best to leave a legacy than this? So we want to make that kind of connection with them, not talk about sustainability in too technical terms,” he said.

According to Ricaurte, younger hotel owners are “the biggest opportunity”. “They get it, they are hungry and they want to make their mark,” he said.

Daphne Tan, vice president, head of development planning/feasibility & owner relations Asia-Pacific of Marriott International, said what she liked about the coalition was the chance to engage owners before they build. “A lot of times we look at how to improve waste management, energy efficiency, etc, oftentimes because it’s triggered by the need to save costs. In India a few years ago, our owners were eager to incorporate sustainable measures as energy costs were soaring, for example.

“What we like about this coalition is, why don’t we start from the beginning? It takes three to five years to plan/develop a hotel, why not look at the full spectrum and see how owners can adopt sustainable practices early on? I don’t think they think about that so the coalition can help educate owners and raise their awareness.”

The Grand Palace in Bangkok, which closed following the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, has reopened to the public yesterday.

“The Grand Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha or Wat Phra Kaeo are the jewels in the crown of Thailand’s attractions. It is a superlative example of Thai art and architecture and has been the heart of the country for over two centuries,” said Yuthasak Supasorn, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).

“So we’re happy that visitors can come and enjoy this special place and take home glittering memories of our capital.”

Still, all visitors are expected to dress respectfully when visiting the Grand Palace, stated TAT, reminding that Thailand is still currently undergoing an official period of mourning for the late King.

Visitors are advised to wear sombre-coloured attire as a mark of respect during this period when visiting.

For tourists, the Grand Palace is open every day from 08.30-15.30. Entry and exit is via Wiset Chaisri Gate only.

Concurrently, the Laguna Phuket Triathlon 2016 event, which was cancelled earlier, will be reinstated to continue as planned on November 20, albeit with some adjustments for appropriateness.

Indigo Pearl, an established design icon in Phuket’s hospitality scene, recently rebranded as The Slate with a stronger focus on the family and MICE segments in its “next phase of evolution”, said Prakaikaew Na-Ranong, co-owner of the luxury resort alongside her father Wichit Na-Ranong.

All 177 suites and villas, F&B outlets as well as wellness facilities were given a makeover following the property’s relaunch in August 2016. According to Prakaikaew, the new experiences in the pipeline will encompass “increased MICE offerings and kids’ activities”.

The availability of outdoor space spanning over 14ha of tropical landscaping, a wide range of indoor and outdoor venue options, plus new experiential activities such as Buddhist monks’ blessings, meals featuring superfoods and a variety of team activities such as cooking, yoga and archery make up the property’s strengths in courting the corporate incentives and events segments, Prakaikaew posited.

Although European and domestic Thai markets have been its top clientele on the leisure front, The Slate is increasingly seeing “a strong pick-up (in demand) from South-east Asia, Japan and China”, prompting a focus on “new markets especially in the region”, she added.

Digital marketing will hence become a central focus for The Slate in 2017 to cope with the expected surge in short-term, last-minute bookings from a clientele that is becoming more mobile and demanding.

The Slate will continue to engage internationally acclaimed designer Bill Bensley, the creative mastermind behind the Indigo Pearl, to ensure that the industrial-chic resort stays fresh and updated in its design and facilities, informed Prakaikaew.

A Himiko boat at Odaiba Seaside Park. Courtesy: japan-guide.com

Tokyo’s waterways are being revitalised ahead of the 2020 Olympic Games.

With Tokyo Bay established in recent years as a tourist destination, attention has now shifted to improving transportation and leisure offerings on the river.

For instance, government-owned docks meant for emergencies are being opened for use by ferry services. Earlier in June, Taito ward opened one near Asakusa’s Senso-ji temple so that tourists can travel there by boat from Haneda Airport.

Currently, Japan’s first waterway transport company, Tokyo Water Taxi, which had been in operations since November 2015, says the company operates from 25 docks city-wide with more being opened, according to spokesperson Yuha Inoue.

The company plans to expand its routes by 2020 to include lesser-known destinations.

Meanwhile, authorities have been testing the feasibility of water routes between Haneda and tourism hot spots such as Akihabara and Yokohama.

Carl Kay, president of tour provider Tokyo Way, believes the waterways are a huge natural draw for tourists. “Deregulation needs to speed up but we remain hopeful, and we bring guests to the Tennozu Isle area whenever it fits their interests and schedules,” he said.

Earlier this year, restaurants were also opened on dry riverbeds in Tokyo and companies tested out cruises on the canal network.

According to Emi Izawa, representative of private tour operator Travelience, these efforts are likely to be popular given the success of other existing river and bay cruises in Japan.

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group has rebranded its online travel platform from Alitrip to Fliggy (Feizhu in Chinese), which means “flying piggy”.

The rebrand is part of a decision to refocus toward Chinese millennials, according to Sina News, with the company confident the cartoon-style logo can attract the younger generation.

Fliggy joins Ant Finance’s ant, Tmall’s cat, logistics arm Cainiao’s bird and second-hand goods site Xian Yu’s fish as the latest addition to Alibaba’s menagerie of animal logos.

Read the full story on gbtimes.

Article by gbtimes.

Mumbai skyline

The US embassy in New Delhi issued a security message for US citizens in India yesterday citing local reports of plans by ISIS to launch an attack in the country.

“Recent Indian media reports indicate ISIL’s desire to attack targets in India,” stated the advisory, using a different acronym to refer to the jihadist group.

It continued: “The US embassy warns of an increased threat to places in India frequented by westerners, such as religious sites, markets, and festival venues.

“All US citizens are reminded to maintain a high level of vigilance and take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness.”

Winnie Chiu (center), president of Dorsett Hospitality International; Anita Chan (fifth from right), general Manager of Dorsett Wanchai Hong Kong; and hotel staff

The Cosmopolitan Hotel Hong Kong has been rebranded as Dorsett Wanchai Hong Kong in a bid by Dorsett Hospitality International, a subsidiary of Far East Consortium, to better consolidate its branding efforts.

The property, located between Wanchai and Causeway Bay, has also given its 454 guestrooms, lobby and other facilities a major revamp to suit the midscale Dorsett positioning.

Dorsett Wanchai Hong Kong now offers eight room categories ranging up to 48m2 in size. The highlight remains its signature Grand Deluxe Course View Room which offers views of the famed Happy Valley racecourse located in front of the hotel.

Dining Place Restaurant that serves Chinese cuisine, the 3T Bar, a gym room and various meeting spaces have been given a facelift.

“The name change is more than just an upgrade of the hotel infrastructure. Our new credo comes with a new motto. ‘Delivering What Matters To You’ reflects our commitment to creating a unique experience by giving extra services to meet every individual’s needs while travelling,” said Anita Chan, general manager of Dorsett Wanchai Hong Kong.

The rebranding officially took place on October 29.