New hotel openings: August 22 to 26, 2016

August 26, 2016

`The latest hotel openings and announcements made this week`

Wyndham Soleil Danang
Wyndham Hotel Group will be opening a massive 3,200-key, 57-storey, four-tower condotel complex in Danang’s Son Tra district in September 2018. The US$446 million project will also become the city’s tallest building standing at 199m at its tallest point. The development comprises apartments, studios and hotel rooms; extensive conference facilities; a retail and dining precinct; and recreation parks. Each room at Wyndham Soleil Danang offers views of the surrounding sea and mountains. Other amenities include a restaurant and bar, swimming pools, a gym, spa, and a health and wellness centre.

The Westin Jakarta
The highest hotel in Indonesia opened in Jakarta today, occupying floors 50 to 69 of the new mixed-used Gama Tower in the Kuningan CBD. The Westin Jakarta marks the entry of the brand in the city with 275 rooms, each offering views of the city skyline. The hotel opens with three F&B outlets while another will open later this year on the top three floors of the building. The hotel has 3,000m² of function space on the first two floors with another room set to open later this year on the top level of the building, which will make it the highest event venue in the country.

Oakwood Apartments Ho Chi Minh City
Oakwood Asia Pacific is making its first foray into Vietnam with the Oakwood Apartments Ho Chi Minh City slated for opening this year-end in the city’s District 3. It will offer 68 units ranging from studio, one-, and two-bedroom apartments with facilities such as a gym, residents’ lounge, and a restaurant. The property’s interior design is inspired by Saigonese architecture from the 1950s to 1970s.

Le Méridien Putrajaya
Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts has opened the new-build 353-room Le Méridien Putrajaya, located 15 minutes from downtown Kuala Lumpur by high-speed rail link and 30 minutes by car from Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Rooms and suites feature classic European designs and boast either city or garden views. The hotel has 15 versatile venues for business meetings and conferences, including a 2,500m² grand ballroom. Other facilities include a swimming pool, kids club and two F&B outlets.

Conrad Xiamen
Conrad Hotels & Resorts, part of Hilton Worldwide, has opened the 241 guestrooms and suites Conrad Xiamen, marking the brand’s debut in China’s Fujian province. The hotel occupies the 37th to 54th floors of the 300m tall Shimao Straits Tower. Rooms feature floor-to-ceiling windows and are on average 60m² in size. Amenities include a 24-hour health club, an indoor pool with sea views, a spa and five F&B options. Over 2,000m² of flexible meeting space, including a 760m² ballroom, is also available. Conrad Xiamen is located 22km from Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport.

InterContinental Hong Kong launches two new packages

By TTG Asia

August 26, 2016

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INTERCONTINENTAL Hong Kong is offering two new hotel packages, namely the Luxury Suite Get-Away and the Culinary Star Celebration.

The Luxury Suite Get-Away package comprises a two-night stay in a Deluxe Harbourview Suite or better, a four-hour private yacht cruise on Victoria Harbour with picnic lunch served by a private butler, a spa treatment worth up to HK$2000 (US$257), and breakfast for two.

Other activities to enjoy include a complimentary early morning Tai Chi class and weekend yoga classes.

Rates for the Luxury Suite Get-Away package start from HK$14,000 per night (double occupancy) with a minimum stay of two nights.

When booking a Superior Junior Harbourview Suite or above at InterContinental Hong Kong, guests that stay a minimum of two nights can select the Culinary Star Celebration package.

It includes a private cooking class with one of the hotel’s star chefs, a dining experience at the hotel’s Michelin star restaurants, daily breakfast buffet and roundtrip airport limousine transfers.

A box filled with an array of culinary specialities from the Michelin star restaurants will also be presented as a welcome gift.

Guests can choose to take the cooking class, inclusive of lunch, at acclaimed Japanese restaurant Nobu, learn to make dim sum at Yan Toh Heen or figure out the subtleties of French cuisine with the hotel’s other master chefs.

A dining voucher worth HK$2,500 can be used at any of the in-house dining establishments. Rates start from HK$6,500 per night (double occupancy plus child) for the Culinary Star Celebration.

Earthquake highlights need for rigorous protection of Bagan temples

By Xinyi Liang-Pholsena

August 26, 2016

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Bagan, Myanmar

BAGAN’s famed pagodas appear to be the greatest casualty in the tourism sector after a powerful magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck central Myanmar on Wednesday.

The US Geological Survey said the quake hit near Chauk, a town 120km from Bagan. At least three people were killed and some 185 brick pagodas were damaged, the state newspaper reported.

Hotels in the destination are generally unscathed and tours to Bagan are continuing to operate as usual, although the interiors of several temples are off limits for the time being, according to feedback from DMCs and tour operators in Myanmar.

Natalie Scott, sales and marketing manager at Myanmar Polestar, told TTG Asia e-Daily: “We are currently receiving updates on the extent of damage caused to temples in Bagan and to the surrounding area.

“There are over 3,000 temples and pagodas in Bagan and of these 171 have been affected. Most of the damage (was confined to) a small area of the stupas or parts of the buildings, while the main structures remain intact.”

Some temples in Mrauk U, another major tourist destination in Rakhine state, were also destroyed in the quake, said Lynn Zaw Wai Mang, general manager and executive director, Unique Asia Travels & Tours.

“Most of the affected areas are heritage sites, so people are saddened,” he said.

Seeing a “silver lining” amid the unfortunate event is Khiri Travel Myanmar general manager Edwin Briels.

“(The Bagan temples) were built over 800 years ago and there has been little funding since then to maintain the structures,” he said. “Yesterday’s earthquake has shown that all ancient temples are still standing strong even after a big earthquake.

“The majority of the bricks that fell off were the new bricks added during the renovations over the last decades,” Briels added, reflecting trade sentiments that proper repair and restoration of Bagan’s ancient architecture is critical to its sustainable development.

Myanmar is currently seeking UNESCO World Heritage Status for Bagan, after its first bid for recognition in 1996 was rejected due to poor management plans and legal frameworks.

Malaysia’s MICE, education sectors to gain from 2018 World Library and Information Congress

By TTG Asia

August 25, 2016

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MALAYSIA will play host to the 84th International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) World Library and Information Congress (WLIC) in 2018.

The announcement was made by IFLA’s president Donna Scheeder at the 82nd WLIC earlier this month in Columbus, US.

The bid was led by the Librarians Association of Malaysia, with strong support from two agencies under the Ministry of Tourism and Culture Malaysia, namely the National Library of Malaysia and Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB), along with Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission and Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.

WLIC 2018 is expected to generate RM44.4 million (US$11 million) in economic impact to the country and fully maximise Malaysia’s growth potential as an international education hub and first-world knowledge economy.

The eight-day annual congress is expected to draw over 3,000 participants from more than 100 countries.

Zulkefli Sharif, CEO at MyCEB, said: “The WLIC 2018 adds to the (growing) list of world conferences that have selected Malaysia as the host country. In a time when Malaysia is already being recognised for its effort to elevate the quality of Malaysian education offerings, we are giving rise to a platform that provides the opportunity for delegates both locally and globally. This will allow them to network, raise awareness and support a library and information profession which anticipates and responds to the needs of communities.”

Philippine agency CITTI powers up with 1 DMC Asia’s global reach

By Rosa Ocampo

August 25, 2016

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MANILA’S Corporate International Travel & Tours Inc. (CITTI) has joined 1 DMC Asia, an association of professional DMCs throughout the region and globally connected through 1 DMC World.

In return for annual dues, 1 DMC Asia “does the marketing for us to be connected to all MICE travel planners, either through social media, travel shows, and other marketing arms in the industry,” explained CITTI president Shan Dioquino David.

David added that the fact that 1 DMC Asia has only one representative in every Asian country and CITTI is its sole Philippine representative boded well for his company’s current MICE expansion.

“They expect us to have the same level of professionalism, high standard of service, unique and creative programs in the country that we represent,” David told TTGmice e-Weekly.

1 DMC Asia has a presence in 17 Asian countries while 1 DMC World is the umbrella association of DMC members in Africa, Europe, the Middle East, North and South America, and the Caribbean, aside from Asia.

Six Marco Polo hotels lure planners with new perks

By TTG Asia

August 25, 2016

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Marco Polo Ortigas, Manila

MARCO Polo hotels in Hong Kong and the Philippines have joined forces to attract corporate clients and meeting planners with a slew of new rewards.

The six participating hotels are Marco Polo Davao, Marco Polo Plaza, Cebu and Marco Polo Ortigas, Manila in the Philippines and Marco Polo Hongkong, Gateway and Prince Hotels in Hong Kong.

From now until October 31, 2016, book at least 15 rooms and one meeting or banquet to satisfy the minimum spend requirement – HK$70,000 (US$9,026) in Hong Kong and 200,000 pesos (US$4,291) in the Philippines – to earn a free night at one of the six hotels.

The stay period is from August 17, 2016 to March 31, 2017. Other terms and conditions apply.

For more information, visit marcopolohotels.com.

Starwood hotels in Macau go high-tech for events

By TTG Asia

August 25, 2016

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BOTH the Sheraton Grand Macao Hotel, Cotai Central and The St Regis Macao, Cotai Central have debuted tech initiatives for business event planners and guests.

For MICE planners, there is the secure digital meeting planning tool eVent Portfolio which helps to streamline the event-planning process and enables event planners to be environmentally-friendly.

First of its kind in Asia, the centralised web-based tool integrates all documents and correspondence, and sorts them by time and date into an easy-to-use and intuitive user interface. eVent Portfolio can be used on a PC, Mac or mobile devices, where users can plan events easily and connect with other parties by texting through eVent 911, available three days before an event.

This application is offered free to meeting planners, and Sheraton Grand Macao Hotel and The St Regis Macao are the only hotels in Macau to offer it.

The St Regis Macao’s Astor Ballroom

“eVent Portfolio is Starwood Hotels and Resort’s game-changing, web-based tool that makes planning an event faster, easier and more efficient, and offers an organised, systematic and detailed approach to putting together and managing any medium- to large-scale event. (It also) features a special sustainability tab that lets planners track how much paper, energy and waste they are reducing during their meetings. (This will) kick off a new era of mobile event planning, one that centres around going green,” said Daniella Tonetto, general manager of sales and marketing for Sheraton Grand Macao Hotel and The St Regis Macao.

In addition to eVent Portfolio, all of the 4,400 rooms across both hotels will feature complimentary Handy phone devices that allow all hotel guests unlimited local and international calls (to China, US, UK, France, Australia, and Singapore), along with unlimited data access.

Qatar Tourism’s new corporate brand, website go live

By TTG Asia

August 25, 2016

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Screenshot of QTA’s new website

THE Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) has launched a new corporate brand and web portal, unifying its leisure and business branding efforts, initiated in November 2015, under a single online domain, VisitQatar.qa.

QTA hopes to bolster the consistency of image and voice across all platforms with this digital integration, which extends to a similar domain change of all QTA email addresses and websites.

Meanwhile, the first phase of a new corporate website has been unveiled to better grant access to the public and media up-to-date information about QTA’s efforts to plan, regulate, promote and develop a sustainable tourism sector in Qatar.

Work is also underway to make VisitQatar.qa pages available in multiple languages including French, Italian and German.

SuperStar Libra to homeport in Penang throughout 2017

By TTG Asia

August 25, 2016

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STAR Cruises will be homeporting the SuperStar Libra in Penang from September 23 through to December 31, 2017.

It will offer three itineraries during this period, a one-night ocean cruise, and two different three-night sailings with calls at Krabi and Phuket for shore excursions.

The ship offers over 718 staterooms and amenities including a karaoke lounge, spa, gym, beauty salon, outdoor pool and an array of F&B offerings and duty-free shops.

Onboard entertainment and leisure programmes such as a magic show and themed parties are also available.

Thai Airways lowers fares, cuts fuel surcharge from Malaysia

By TTG Asia

August 25, 2016

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TICKET prices of all Thai Airways flights departing from Kuala Lumpur and Penang to all destinations have been lowered while the fuel surcharge has been removed.

Travel agents have been informed of the revised pricing structure effective since August 22, according to a Thai Airways statement.

“To be able to compete in any market, our airfares need to be attractive and at the same time competitive. The fuel price has gone down and so should our fares,” said Nivat Chantarachoti, country manager for Thai Airways Malaysia and Brunei.

From Kuala Lumpur, the airline currently operates double daily flights from KLIA1 to Bangkok with connections to more than 80 destinations worldwide. In Penang, Thai Airways codeshares with Thai Smile, a subsidiary company of the national carrier, to Bangkok daily.

New hotel openings: August 22 to 26, 2016

`The latest hotel openings and announcements made this week`

InterContinental Hong Kong launches two new packages

Earthquake highlights need for rigorous protection of Bagan temples

Malaysia’s MICE, education sectors to gain from 2018 World Library and Information Congress

Philippine agency CITTI powers up with 1 DMC Asia’s global reach

Six Marco Polo hotels lure planners with new perks

Starwood hotels in Macau go high-tech for events

Qatar Tourism’s new corporate brand, website go live

SuperStar Libra to homeport in Penang throughout 2017

Thai Airways lowers fares, cuts fuel surcharge from Malaysia

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