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A unit at the Metropole Bangkok, set to open in June
ASCOTT has unveiled The Crest Collection, a selection of some of the serviced residence provider’s managed properties that will retain the owner’s branding.
The debut collection comprises the soon-to-open 116-unit Metropole Bangkok and three of Ascott’s renamed Citadines Suites properties in Paris, now known as the La Clef Champs-Élysées Paris (70 keys, opening 2018), La Clef Louvre Paris (51 keys) and La Clef Tour Eiffel Paris (112 keys).
“The Crest Collection opens up more opportunities for us to work with property owners who want Ascott to manage their property while maintaining its unique features,” said Ascott’s CEO Lee Chee Koon.
Elaborating on the direction of the collection, Alfred Ong, Ascott’s managing director for Europe, said: “The Crest Collection is created to distinguish Ascott’s exclusive collection of unique luxury serviced residences that are designed with elegant and classic European flair. It caters to corporate and leisure travellers looking for a quintessential lifestyle in a homely space.”
“To greater differentiate our Citadines properties and The Crest Collection in France, we are renaming the Citadines Suites properties to La Clef, which represents ‘The key’ to a memorable experience through the art of luxury living,” explained Ong.
As one of the strongest economies in the Eurozone and a top tourist destination with over 84 million arrivals in 2015, France is a key market for Ascott and is the company’s largest market, home to its largest portfolio outside of Asia.
The Ascott is based in Singapore and operates over 27,000 serviced residences in 100 cities across 27 countries.
CARLSON Rezidor hotel group, in partnership with Bestech Hospitalities, is set to launch its Radisson Red lifestyle brand in India with a property in Mohali in May next year.
The property will have 160 rooms, a bar and a restaurant, and like all Radisson Red hotels, is positioned to appeal to millennials with features like using an app for room entry.
Raj Rana, CEO, South Asia, Carlson Rezidor, said: “Radisson Red is a brand that we are looking to (locate in mixed-use developments), for example in a shopping or office complex, which means a better and quicker return on investment.”
Commenting on further expansion plans, Rana said: “We would like to open 15-20 properties under the Radisson Red brand in India in the next five years near metro locations. We are also considering secondary Indian cities.”
He adds that the midscale segment will be their key focus with 50 per cent of their pipeline catering to that category.
The group is also expecting to open a second Radisson Red property in New Gurgaon and is in the process of establishing partnerships for this project.
SEVEN Malaysian carriers have joined forces to form the Association of Malaysian Air Carriers (AMAC), in the wake of a sudden 10-fold hike in operator fees by the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) proposed earlier this week.
If approved by the respective airline boards and the Registrar of Societies, the founding airlines of AMAC will comprise Malaysia Airlines, MASwings, Firefly, AirAsia, AirAsia X, Malindo Air and Berjaya Air. Membership is open to all Malaysian air carriers.
According to a joint statement released by the airlines, the purpose of AMAC is to provide a common platform for discussion of issues affecting the aviation industry.
With all the main operators represented, the association also hopes to provide a singular voice for the airlines while at the same time represent common industry interests among institutions such as the Ministry of Transport, DCA and the Malaysian Aviation Commission.
The statement further adds that AMAC will engage in subjects such as enhanced air traffic control services, aeropolitical concerns, safety and security standards in airports and other related issues.
It concludes that by joining forces, the airlines will be in a better position to promote growth for the industry and to create jobs for the sector and for the broader aviation ecosystem.
The Costa Concordia when it was sinking near the island of Giglio in 2012
THE Spanish Supreme Court has awarded 22 passengers who were aboard the Costa Concordia cruise liner when it sank in 2012 moral damages amounting to 12,000 euros (US$13,500).
They were among 177 Spanish citizens who were rescued from the ship when it ran into rocks near the Italian island of Giglio during the night, resulting in the loss of 32 lives.
The Association of Spaniards Affected by Concordia 2012 was consequently formed by the 177 rescued Spaniards to seek a much higher compensation than that offered by the ship’s operators, Costa Crociere, for their physical and moral suffering.
They had asked for 60,000 euros in compensation each, but the Spanish Supreme Court, the highest appeal court in Spain, upheld a lower court decision to award just 1,000 euros more than Costa Crociere’s offer of 11,000 euros per passenger.
In a statement, the appeal judge said the lower court had been correct in deciding that all passengers should be treated equally in compensation for moral damages.
However, 17 of the rescued will receive varying additional levels of compensation for physical injuries suffered while escaping the sinking ship, as verified by medical reports prepared by Costa Crociere’s doctors.
The Italian captain of the Costa Concordia was given a jail sentence of 16 years for manslaughter in February 2015, after acknowledging he steered the ship too close to the island.
Location The hotel is very conveniently located within a short walk to Bukit Bintang road, famous for its shopping and nightlife. It connects by a link bridge on level one to the adjoining luxury shopping mall, Starhill Gallery, and above it, the JW Marriott Kuala Lumpur Hotel, providing easy access even on a rainy day.
Another luxury shopping mall, The Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, is just across the road.
Deluxe Room
Room
I stayed in a one-bedroom suite, which has a large living room with built-in toilet, a dining table set and a lounge area for watching television. I must stress that the flat panel television, with a humongous 60-inch HD screen, provided an experience akin to a cinema.
The dining and TV area is separated from the bedroom by a wall and a door, which keeps light and sound out when someone’s trying to sleep while others may use the living room space freely.
What I loved most was the butler service provided for all guests, regardless of which room category they paid for.
My butler, Malcolm Sing, was very professional and courteous. He helped me with ironing, setting my mobile to access the complimentary hotel wifi and took me on a short tour of the hotel so I could get my bearings. He also helped arrange a two-hour itinerary which involved shopping and dining in the city.
Facilities
I loved the Spa Village and highly recommend it. I had a one-hour foot steaming session which is in a whole different league from the foot reflexology sessions in shopping malls.
The session involved rubbing oils from the soles of my feet up to my knees before soaking them in a huge, wooden tub and giving them a steam treatment for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, the therapist gave me a head, shoulder and back massage. The foot steaming was followed by a foot massage ending with the therapist hitting a tool that resembled a hammer against my feet in a continuous pounding motion. The entire one hour session felt really good.
The Jacuzzi was another memorable experience as the water was warm and the jets were powerful, just the way I love it.
F&B
There are five F&B outlets. My two personal favourites are Cantonese restaurant Li Yen, which serves delicious pork dishes, and The Lobby Lounge for its afternoon tea. In fact, The Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur is well-known for its daily afternoon tea traditions which comes with three-tiered pastry stands decked with sandwiches, cakes and pastries and served with freshly brewed tea. My favourite choice of tea is Irish Whisky which has a pleasant aroma.
Service
This is an area The Ritz-Carlton brands truly excel in and which has made my stay a truly memorable one. The staff are warm and friendly and always seemed concerned on whether I was having a good time during my stay. Plus, the butler service was a true indulgence.
Verdict A modern, luxurious aesthetic combined with impeccable hospitality makes any stay here a truly memorable one.
Name: The Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur No. of rooms: 364 guest rooms & suites Rates: From 750 ringgit (US$192) Contact details
Tel: (60)-3-2142-8000
Email: ritzkl@ritzcarlton.com.my
(From left) Tadahiro Uematsu, vice president, business development corporate strategy, ANA Holdings; Toyoyuki Nagamine, executive vice president, ANA Holdings; Shinya Katanozaka, president and CEO, ANA Holdings; Jan Smits, CEO, AMEA, IHG; Alan Watts, COO, AMEA, IHG; and Hans Heijligers, head of Japan, IHG.
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has extended its strategic partnership with Japan’s ANA Holdings. First established in 2006, the IHG ANA Hotels Group Japan joint venture currently operates 32 hotels in Japan under the InterContinental, Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn brands.
Santosh Kumar, director of corporate solutions, HRS India
CORPORATE hotel booking platform HRS has opened an office in Mumbai, its first in India, with hopes to better support the Indian business community as well as its corporate customers there.
“We believe that having a local office will facilitate more focused work and we are investing in building a strong local team,” said Santosh Kumar, director of corporate solutions for HRS in India.
The Global Business Travel Association expects the business travel market in India to enlarge at a rate of 11.5 per cent annually until 2019, and HRS is keen on better serving this growth segment by opening an office in Mumbai.
As part of its India expansion plans, HRS had also recently signed an exclusive partnership with India’s Oberoi Group, a luxury hospitality provider.
HRS has an existing inventory base of over 4,000 international chain brands and independent hotels in India, part of its global stock of 300,000 properties across 190 countries.
LCC Vietjet will commence new daily services linking Kuala Lumpur and Ho Chi Minh City from June 1. It will be using its three-year-old fleet of 180-seater A320 aircraft to ply the route.
Halal food will be served alongside non-halal offerings on the route, according to Nguyen Thi Thuy Binh, Vietjet’s vice president, to better accommodate Muslim travellers.
While it is the norm for budget carriers to use klia2, Vietjet is flying into the main terminal at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, said Nguyen, as “it offers better convenience to our customers.“
The airline has also engaged Reliance Travel as its general sales agent in Malaysia.
To celebrate the new route, Vietjet is giving away 50,000 promotional tickets at no cost during the ongoing campaign period which ends on April 18 for air tickets purchased between 1pm and 3pm daily for travel from June 1 to October 30, excluding public holidays.
Vietjet is also slated to launch on June 22 flights between Ho Chi Minh City and Tainan City every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday.
ALITALIA will commence four-weekly flights between Rome and Beijing beginning July 18 as part of plans to expand its network in East Asia.
Beijing will be the third East Asian city serviced by the Italian national carrier, after Tokyo and Seoul.
“The new route to Beijing represents a crucial investment for Alitalia as we continue to expand our network through increased longhaul flying to strategic markets,” said Cramer Ball, CEO, Alitalia.
The airline will ply the route using an Airbus A330 with 250 seats spread across three cabin classes: Business, Premium Economy and Economy.
It will depart from Rome Fiumicino Airport every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at 14.20, arriving in Beijing at 6.20 local time the next day. Departure from Beijing takes place every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at 9.15 local time, arriving in Rome at 14.25.
Alitalia currently also serves China with Etihad Airways codeshare flights, via Abu Dhabi, to Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu.
Currently, only Air China flies direct between China’s and Italy’s capital cities.
(From left) Tadahiro Uematsu, vice president, business development corporate strategy, ANA Holdings; Toyoyuki Nagamine, executive vice president, ANA Holdings; Shinya Katanozaka, president and CEO, ANA Holdings; Jan Smits, CEO, AMEA, IHG; Alan Watts, COO, AMEA, IHG; and Hans Heijligers, head of Japan, IHG.
