GREAT Eagle Holdings is buying nearly 4,000 sqm of land worth a reported Y22.22 billion (US$180 million) in central Tokyo for the first Langham hotel in Japan.

A three-minute walk from Roppongi-Itchome subway station, the site is a parking lot and has a number of small office buildings.

The transaction is due to be completed in December with plans for the property to be operational ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

Great Eagle operates 13 hotels worldwide comprising more than 6,000 rooms, including Langham properties in Sydney, Boston, Shanghai and Auckland.

THE spectre of a new giant in their wake from the Marriott-Starwood merger has not sent other hotel chains trembling in trepidation – or so they say.

Other hotel groups maintain the stance they have a good footing and are unfazed by the merger, despite it creating a portfolio that’s by far larger than theirs and expectations of more consolidation occurring in the months ahead.

When approached, InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) reiterated the statement made by its Board of Directors on November 6 that it was not considering a potential sale or merger of the company.

Hilton Worldwide also reiterated its position that it was “not involved in that process” and was “not worried”, said president and CEO Chris Nasseta during its 3Q2015 earnings call on October 28.

“The reason we’re not involved in that process and the reason I’m not worried about what happens there is because we feel very good about the setup that we have,” Nasseta said.

“We have an amazing business, an amazing opportunity in front of us, and that’s what we’re focused on, optimising for all of our benefits.”

Also feeling very good about its setup, IHG’s CEO of Asia, Middle East & Africa, Jan Smits, said: “We’re a successful business, we have an established strategy, we have a broad portfolio of brands and a proven track record of delivering growth and delivering shareholder returns.

“This is not a zero-sum game – there are good, organic prospects for all players. We’re used to operating in this context and right now we’re just being focused on delivering our strategy.”

Choe Peng Sum, CEO of Frasers Hospitality, said the merger between Marriott and Starwood would force other chains to re-evaluate their offerings and assess the need to join arms with other players, be it large or small chains, to better equip themselves for an increasingly competitive landscape.

“This is exactly what we at Frasers Hospitality have done with the purchase of Malmaison Hotel du Vin group, two best-in-class hotel brands, which have doubled our offerings in Europe, further strengthening our global expansion plans to achieve our goal of 30,000 units by 2019,” he said.

“Airbnb is here to stay and it would be foolish to ignore the impact they have made on the hospitality industry. It has caused companies to rethink their entire distribution strategy and hotels are now looking to merge with distribution channels to improve their online distribution.

“The entire consumer landscape of instant gratification and technology advancements, as reflected in the emergence of brands like Uber and Airbnb, has kept us on our toes. It has pushed us to enhance our guests’ experience with us, be more efficient in responding to guests’ feedback and is a good reminder that our customers are at the centre of everything we do. This is vital as customers will vote with their feet as their choices abound.”

THE 12th Aviation Festival Asia (AFA) will be taking place in Singapore on February 23 and 24 next year at the Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre, bringing together an expected over 2,000 aviation experts to the annual event.

More than 200 industry leaders – including Arif Wibowo, president and CEO of Garuda Indonesia; Juha Järvinen, senior vice president and chief commercial officer of Finnair; and Barathan Pasupathi, CEO of Jetstar Asia Airways – are expected to speak on topics regarding the aviation and airport business, technological advancements and application, as well as on passenger experiences.

Airlines that have confirmed participation include names such as Etihad Airways, Delta Air Lines, AirAsia, Lufthansa, Air New Zealand, VietJet Air, Tigerair and Air France KLM.

Discounts are currently available for groups of three at a rate of S$1,255 (US$885) per person. Staff from airlines and airports also enjoy special rates starting at S$650 (US$458).

For more information, visit AFA’s website.

COSTA Asia has opened a marketing office in Tokyo with plans to aggressively grow the cruising market in Japan.

Speaking to TTG Asia e-Daily at the launch reception in Tokyo on Monday, Buhdy Bok, president of Costa Group Asia, said he believes the Japanese market “could easily grow to be 10 times its current size.”

“We see Japan as a strategic market and we want to develop the cruising sector here to the point that it is seen as a mainstream vacation option,” he said. “The Japanese market is a sleeping giant.”

From summer 2016, Costa will introduce a casual family cruising concept to Japanese guests aboard the Costa Victoria. The recently refurbished vessel will take guests on six-day cruises between July and September, porting in Fukuoka, Maizuru, Kanazawa and Matsue in Japan and Pusan in South Korea.

“We believe it is all about finding the right combination of entertainment and facilities to unlock the potential of cruising in Japan,” said Bok.

“I do sense the uncertainty among the Japanese about cruising but we have chosen the itineraries with great care to avoid any anxiety among our passengers,” he added. “This means, for example, that the ships sail mostly at night, when passengers are asleep.”