INDONESIA’s Archipelago International has registered more than 60 of its hotels with online hotel reference tool Salam Standard to better serve Muslim travellers.

Among them, 31 are classed as Bronze Standard, meaning they provide in-room Kiblat signs, Muslim prayer carpets and a Quran on request, while 21 hotels meet the Silver Standard requirements, meaning they offer information on Halal restaurants in the vicinity, with no-alcohol protocols in the hotel room mini-bars.

Additionally, 16 of Archipelago’s hotels meet the Gold Standard, meaning they offer the most accommodating options for Muslims, including serving Halal food within the hotel, certified by a recognised Halal certification body.

Tenaiya Brookfield, vice president of sales and marketing at Archipelago International, said: “Indonesia has the highest Muslim population in the world, making them also our largest market.

“We understand it can be cumbersome for travellers to hunt and filter through information to find the best hotel for them (while meeting) their religious needs. We hope this new standard will help to make the search easier.”

FOLLOWING Jeju Air’s announcement of its IPO earlier this month, the South Korean LCC is now aiming to expand its current fleet of 22 to 34 by 2018.

Speaking to TTG Asia e-Daily on the sidelines of CAPA Aviation Asia Summit 2015, Hyuk Park, head of planning at Jeju Air, said: “We have raised 105 billion Korean won (US$91.6 million) from the IPO and we intend to use this to take advantage of the increasing number of Chinese travellers visiting South Korea.”

Jeju Air currently plies 20 international routes, five domestic routes and operates more than 140 flights a day. According to Park, while the carrier has touched down in over 30 Chinese cities, a majority are charters due to the traffic rights limitations in China.

“Approximately 15 per cent of our revenue currently comes from the Chinese market and we hope to continue growing it because of the potential there,” he elaborated.

SABRE has entered into an agreement to acquire the Trust Group of Companies – a central reservations, revenue management and hotel marketing provider – from global investment firm Battery Ventures for approximately US$154 million.

Sabre will also gain Trust International, InnLink and Nexus with the acquisition.

“The technology needs of the hospitality industry are evolving at a rapid pace. Hoteliers want a global technology provider that anticipates their needs and delivers broad, integrated solutions, including data and analytics, retailing and guest engagement,” said Alex Alt, president of Sabre Hospitality Solutions in a statement.

“By bringing together Sabre and the Trust Group, we will immediately expand our capabilities and increase the pace of innovation we deliver to the industry.”

The acquisition is still subject to regulatory approvals, but is expected to finalise in early-2016. Until then, both companies will continue to operate independently.

LUFTHANSA has unveiled a new online portal where registered IATA travel agencies can directly and independently arrange group bookings of at least 10 people.

The portal is available in 14 languages and allows agents to find flights, request availability, prices, and book with instant confirmation, as well as change and manage existing bookings.

Formerly, groups could only book flights via an online application form or by email enquiry to Lufthansa.

The new portal will be available in all retail markets for over 12,000 agencies by end-2015. A one-time registration at www.lh-bookagroup.com is also required.