Conrad Maldives Rangali Island has named Akshat Sinha as its new resort manager.
With over 15 years of experience in luxury hospitality management, he brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the resort.
In his new role, Sinha will focus on executing key projects, including the ongoing repositioning of the resort’s dining venues and the introduction of new signature experiences.
Korean Air has named In Sung Hwang as its new country manager for Thailand, and Kyoung Hee Kang as its new regional manager for Vietnam.
Hwang brings over two decades of extensive aviation experience to his new role, having begun his career with Korean Air in 2001 at the Busan Passenger Office. Prior to his current appointment, he served as general manager of cabin planning from 2017 to 2022, where he led comprehensive cabin service strategies.
Kang, who joined Korean Air in 1997, is a seasoned airline manager with extensive experience across multiple strategic roles within the company. She has over 25 years of aviation industry experience, and takes on her new position from her role at Korean Air’s regional headquarters in South Korea, where she served as the head of sales management group.
The Link Seoul, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel, South Korea
Just a 45-minute drive from Incheon International Airport is The Link Seoul, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel. which features 141 guestrooms, including 16 suites and a Presidential Suite, set across 19 floors.
Dining experiences at The Link Seoul comprise an all-day restaurant, a modern beer pub, a lounge bar, as well as a bakery and café. The hotel also offers a fitness centre, and event venues like a 760m² grand ballroom and two meeting rooms.
Situated in the district of Sindorim in Seoul, the hotel is nearby the city’s Gocheok Sky Dome, and located between Guro Station on Line 1 and Sindorim Station on Lines 1 and 2 of the Seoul Subway.
Centara Karon Resort Phuket, Thailand
Centara Karon Resort Phuket has reopened after going through a transformation, inviting guests to explore its revitalised spaces and accommodation catering to every need, from The Terrace’s sea-view rooms and The Lagoon’s family-friendly options to the spacious layouts of Tropical and the romantic Private Pool Villas.
This tropical oasis also offers guests an eclectic mix of dining experiences, activities, and swimming pools for a fun getaway.
Alila Shanghai, China
Alila Shanghai has opened its doors to welcome guests to an urban retreat. The property overlooks and provides exclusive private access to Zhangyuan, a complex of restored shikumen stone-gate townhouses that have been transformed into luxury retail spaces ready for guests to explore.
The hotel features 186 guestrooms, including 94 suites. The Penthouse Suite King, located on the 37th floor, boasts views of the Shanghai cityscape, along with a marble-lined bathroom and an elliptical bath.
It also offers four innovative bars and restaurants serving a wide variety of wellness-oriented culinary experiences that showcase the local neighbourhood through authentic native flavours. Other facilities include a spa and event venues.
Hilton Garden Inn Rayong, Thailand
Hilton Garden Inn Rayong marks the brand’s debut in the city centre of Rayong, Thailand, in one of the country’s most popular beach destinations.
Boasting over 200 guestrooms, the hotel also houses a rooftop restaurant and bar, fitness centre, and an all-day dining restaurant.
Adjacent to Central Rayong shopping mall, guests are steps away from retail, dining and entertainment options. Conveniently located within an hour’s drive of Pattaya City and U-Tapao-Rayong-Pattaya International Airport, the hotel is also 15 minutes away by car to Ban Phe pier, offering guests easy access to Koh Samet’s beaches.
Meliá Hotels International is expanding its solar initiatives in South-east Asia with solar panel projects across its properties in Vietnam and Thailand.
The solar panel projects have seen over 2,600 solar panels added to Meliá Vinpearl Cua Hoi Beach Resort and Meliá Vinpearl Cua Sot Beach Resort, both along Vietnam’s north central coast, and Meliá Phuket Mai Khao on the tropical island of Phuket.
These seafront destinations are making the most of the sunshine with the addition of 1,450 panels at Meliá Vinpearl Cua Hoi, 546 at Meliá Vinpearl Cua Sot, and 622 at Meliá Phuket Mai Khao. In Vietnam, panels have been added to several areas including rooftops, in parking areas, offices and other back of house locations. In Thailand, they have been installed on 10 different buildings at the oceanfront resort, including the spa and lobby area.
The new systems in Vietnam are projected to supply between 10 to 30 per cent of each hotel’s total electricity consumption, while the new panels at Meliá Phuket Mai Khao will generate energy of 39,414.94 Kw each month.
Following these installations, Meliá Vinpearl Cam Ranh Beach Resort will be the next property to implement solar panels later this year.
“Solar panels are just one of the sustainable initiatives that our hotels are pursuing to ensure a healthier future in places where we have properties,” said Ignacio Martin, managing director for Meliá Hotels International in the Asia-Pacific region. “Our hotels and resorts are also investing in circular food economies, community projects focused on restoring local natural environments, and plastic reduction or elimination, to name a few initiatives.”
Families travelling with tiny tots are now welcomed at Club Med Kani in the Maldives, as the all-inclusive resort lowers its age limit for young guests to six months. This change comes with supporting facilities and amenities to allow parents and caregivers to enjoy their holiday with ease.
Club Med Kani now offers a baby corner at The Velhi buffet restaurant, where organic purees from popular brand, Hipp, fresh milk, and a microwave machine are available for use. A dedicated toddler playground has also been added to the resort’s kids club.
Come 2025, the resort will launch a new family space where various activities can be enjoyed by children along with their parents and caregivers.
“These are all complimentary, and we’ve made these arrangements to ensure the (holiday) here is seamless for families with very young children,” said Rachael Harding, CEO of East, South Asia and Pacific at Club Med.
The extended welcome to young families is aligned with Club Med’s family-friendly focus, which is exemplified by carefully curated children’s programmes at Club Med family resorts around the world. These programmes are designed to not only offer entertainment, but also educational opportunities, and activities vary according to age groups.
Harding noted that Club Med Kani is a strong family orientated product, where 70 per cent of guests arrive with big families.
“I know that we all love putting our kids in the kids club, but equally important when you’re on holiday is to be able to enjoy time with your children,” she said, adding that the resort team is well aware that it could be a challenge for parents and caregivers to find something to occupy little ones all day.
“We understand this. We know that when families come with grandparents, not just parents, they want activities that can be enjoyed as a family. We run such programmes throughout the day, be it games, competitions or workshops,” she shared.
Club Med Kani has some 30 activities, and through its recent revamp added several new options. These include family paddle boats with slides at the back, and a multi-purpose basketball court and full soccer pitch.
Harding remarked that the extensive on-site programmes provide parents and caregivers peace of mind, with activities conducted under one roof and according to Club Med’s high safety standards.
SITA has signed a deal with Singapore Cruise Centre (SCC) to help revolutionise the passenger experience at Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal (TMFT) and HarbourFront Ferry Terminal (HFFT).
As part of this project, SITA will deliver its advanced technology solutions, Smart Path hardware and Flex as a Service, to SCC.
SITA’s Smart Path technology, including biometric-ready kiosks, self-bag drop, and gates, will modernise the passenger experience at TMFT and HFFT. SCC is also adopting SITA’s Flex as a Service across all passenger processing touchpoints, which enables agile and responsive passenger processing, and creates a platform for SCC to build custom passenger-facing applications.
The upgraded ferry terminals, which serve as Singapore’s gateway to the Riau Islands and south-eastern coast of Peninsular Malaysia, are expected to handle about seven million plus passengers annually.
The project involves the installation of 45 SITA Smart Path Kiosks across both terminals, also providing a platform for biometric authentication implementation in the future as part of OneID initiative. Ten SITA Smart Path Bag Drop solutions will streamline the bag check-in process with SITA’s TS6 Kiosks, and 13 new SITA Smart Path Gates will be used for efficient boarding procedures.
SCC will integrate its new cloud-based Departure Control System (Cruise and Ferry Operation System) via SITA Flex. This project will significantly improve passenger processing capabilities and unlock future possibilities for the maritime passenger industry.
Sumesh Patel, president of Asia Pacific at SITA, said: “Seamless travel, by air, sea, or land will be one of the drivers of growth for the travel and transport industry, with transport hubs seeing a need to quickly digitalise their infrastructure to remain ahead of the curve.”
“We are happy to partner with SITA to bring aviation technologies to the maritime passenger industry so that we can provide similar seamless and future contactless experiences for our ferry, fly-ferry and fly-cruise passengers,” added Lee Siew Kit, vice president of technology and IT at SCC.
“The new technology will help the eco system streamline processes, and scale to handle more passengers through our terminals in the future.”
Singapore Airlines (SIA) is investing S$1.1 billion (US$827.2 million) to install new longhaul cabin products across 41 Airbus A350-900 longhaul and ultra-long-range (ULR) aircraft, enhancing the premium travel experience on its network.
SIA will introduce a First Class cabin in its seven A350-900ULR aircraft, while Business Class customers can look forward to an elevated travel experience with SIA’s upcoming Business Class seats boasting innovative designs that will offer even greater levels of privacy, comfort, and convenience in all 41 aircraft.
These A350-900 First Class and Business Class products feature a spacious layout and ergonomic elements – the same seat designs that will feature on SIA’s upcoming Boeing 777-9 aircraft.
The Premium Economy Class and Economy Class cabins will also be refreshed to enhance the travel experience for customers.
Complementing the cabin products, the next version of SIA’s KrisWorld in-flight entertainment (IFE) system will offer greater personalisation and an extensive range of lifestyle options across all cabin classes. First Class and Business Class seats will also feature new IFE screens.
The aircraft will be retrofitted by SIA Engineering Company in Singapore. The first retrofitted A350-900 longhaul aircraft is expected to enter service in 2Q2026, while the first A350-900ULR variant will follow in 1Q2027. The entire programme is targeted for completion by the end of 2030.
Post-retrofit, the 34 A350-900 longhaul aircraft will be configured with 42 Business Class seats, 24 Premium Economy Class seats, and 192 Economy Class seats. The seven A350-900ULR variants will feature four First Class seats, 70 Business Class seats, and 58 Premium Economy Class seats.
Goh Choon Phong, CEO, Singapore Airlines, said: “The S$1.1 billion investment in retrofitting our 41 A350 aircraft reaffirms Singapore Airlines’ unwavering commitment to delivering an exceptional travel experience. The introduction of these next-generation seats and KrisWorld system, together with the world-renowned warm and attentive service of our cabin crew, will set new standards in innovation, customer experience, and service excellence.”
Full details on the entire range of SIA’s forthcoming longhaul First Class, Business Class, Premium Economy Class, and Economy Class cabin products, as well as the latest version of the KrisWorld IFE system, will be revealed closer to the entry into service of SIA’s first Boeing 777-9 and retrofitted A350-900 aircraft.
Walk Japan has introduced its Onsen Gastronomy: Noto Tour, which is an exploration journey of Japanese culinary excellence and onsen bathing through the rural landscapes of the Noto Peninsula in Japan’s northern Ishikawa Prefecture.
The tours combines light walking through the rural countryside with a focus on the area’s renowned local cuisine, hot springs and fine crafts epitomised by Wajima lacquerware.
The Onsen Gastronomy: Noto Tour is a five-day, four-night fully guided tour with a maximum group size of 12. Starting at Kanazawa Station and finishing at Wakura Onsen, the tour covers mostly flat terrain, making it accessible to moderately active participants.
Prices start from 450,000 yen (US$2,922) per person, based on double occupancy, with no minimum group size required to run the tour.
This new tour highlights the natural beauty and cultural richness of Noto as well as supports the region as it recovers from the earthquake which happened on New Year’s Day 2024.
Experience up close the spirited, resilient and welcoming locals, their society, food and craft, the accommodation and restaurants that have reopened, enjoyable walking, and the reviving and healing properties of onsen bathing.
For more information, visit Walk Japan.
Japan Airlines and Hoshino Resorts have partnered on a joint campaign to promote Japan’s lesser-known areas as tourism destinations.
The initiative, launched in October, “encourages visitors to discover lesser-known destinations, helping to alleviate overtourism while supporting regional revitalisation”, the pair said in a statement.
The move is intended to support government efforts to disperse tourism impacts more evenly nationwide, as most overseas visitors still prioritise visiting places on the Golden Route, even as inbound tourism continues to grow.
According to the Japan Tourism Agency’s annual accommodation survey, overnight stays by international visitors totalled 117.75 million in 2023, surpassing the pre-pandemic level. However, 73 per cent of those stays were in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Fukuoka and Hokkaido.
The campaign comprises a new website to introduce the country’s hidden gems alongside its all-time favourites. Users can search based on five themes: winter wonderland, cherry blossom, outdoor adventure, festive fun and autumn leaves.
Hidden gems include Nagato, Yamaguchi Prefecture, where visitors can bathe in hot springs and view illuminated cherry blossoms in spring; Aomori Prefecture’s Towada, whose Oirase waterfalls freeze in winter; the Yaeyama islands of Okinawa Prefecture, where visitors can explore mangrove forests and coral reefs; and Nagasaki’s Kunchi Festival, which has been held for more than 400 years.
The campaign highlights that “every region is bursting with hidden gems, ready to be discovered by international travellers”.
Packages that combine Japan Airlines flights and stays at selected Hoshino Resorts are also available for purchase on the website.
Hyatt Asia Pacific has launched its Be More Foodie: Mindful Indulgence initiative across its eight properties in Thailand, offering curated menus to meet high nutritional standards and empowering the holistic well-being of diners.
Collaborating with a certified nutritionist and wellness advisor, the hotels’ restaurants and bars have carefully curated dishes and drinks that use responsibly sourced ingredients from local Thai farmers.
Thai classics such as pad thai, gai yang, and mango sticky rice have been given a mindful makeover, with reduced sugar and added fibre, along with pasture-raised beef and chicken from organic farms across Thailand. Western comfort dishes, including whole grain pizzas topped with local organic vegetables, nutrient-packed pastas, and low-sugar desserts, are also elevated, showcasing a seamless fusion of wellness, flavour, and sustainability.
The Mindful Indulgence offerings are now available at restaurants, bars and lounges at the following Hyatt properties in Thailand: Park Hyatt Bangkok, Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok, Hyatt Regency Bangkok Sukhumvit, Hyatt Place Bangkok Sukhumvit, Andaz Pattaya Jomtien Beach, Hyatt Regency Phuket Resort, Hyatt Regency Koh Samui, and Hyatt Regency Hua Hin.
“At Hyatt, we see well-being as the ultimate realisation of our purpose – to care for people so they can be their best. Aligned with our food philosophy, Food. Thoughtfully Sourced. Carefully Served., we are excited to support the well-being journey of diners through curated culinary experiences that are both delicious and nourishing,” shared Christophe Sadones, vice president, food & beverage, events & product development, Asia Pacific, Hyatt Hotels and Resorts.
Earlier this year, Hyatt launched Be More Here, a new global brand platform to encourage guests to immerse in meaningful experiences rooted in care.
