IN ITS first foray into the Indian market, Vantage Hospitality Group has inked a tie-up with Miraya Hotel Management to bring two properties under its economy hotel brand.

The two properties, one located in Sitarganj in Uttarakhand state and the other in Yercaud, Tamil Nadu, are to be rebranded under Value Inn Worldwide in the next two months.

But the US-based group, which has 1,200 properties across the US, Canada, South Korea, Indonesia and Mexico, has bigger plans for India.

“Our main focus will be to expand to Tier Two and Tier Three cities in India where there is a great demand for hotels for the middle class. We plan to grow through rebranding of existing hotels and greenfield projects as well,” said Roger Bloss, founder, president and CEO, Vantage Hospitality Group.

Apart from Value Inn Worldwide, Vantage Hospitality will also open properties under its mid-scale brand, Value Hotel Worldwide. Seven more openings are expected under these two brands within the next six months in destinations including Pune, Surat and Goa.

Miraya Hotel Management plans to invest Rs7 billion (US$112.3 million) in acquiring assets in India. About 70 per cent of Vantage Hospitality’s India properties will come under the Value Inn brand, and the rest, Value Hotel.

“Our aim is to be 100 hotel-strong in the next 10 years,” said Sudhir Sinha, managing director of Value Inns and Hotels India. “Owners who are part of our franchise model will also benefit from Vantage’s global reservation system, revenue generating programmes and other resources.”

Meanwhile, the travel trade welcomed the expansion.

Arun Anand, managing director of Midtown Travels, observed: “There is an undersupply of economy and mid-segment rooms in all the metro cities and more so in the rest of the country.”

“Introduction of these economy and mid-segment brands in India will cater to the market, which is looking to stay at branded hotels that offer rooms and other basic services at reasonable prices,” said Rajji Rai, chairman, Uniglobe Swiftravel.

SOUTH Korea, Japan and China, so disagreeable in the realm of history and geopolitics, have come together to promote the cause of regional tourism.

Japan’s tourism minister Akihiro Ota met with South Korean counterpart Kim Jong Deok and Li Jinzao of the China National Tourism Administration, marking the first time in four years the tourism ministers held trilateral talks, according to Jiji Press.

The meeting yielded an agreement to cooperate towards 30 million arrivals by 2020, when Japan hosts the 2020 summer Olympic Games.

Media in Japan also reported that the three countries would collaborate on a Visit East Asiacampaign to draw more tourists during Games.

Japan alone has already set a target for 20 million arrivals by 2020.

FOLLOWING an A$3 million (US$2.3 million) refurbishment, Quality Hotel CKS Sydney Airport has reopened.

Under the Choice Hotels Australasia umbrella and managed by the Lancemore Group, the hotel has upgraded its reception and common areas, restaurant and all 121 guestrooms.

One of Sydney’s nine on- and off-site airport hotels and positioned as an affordable, boutique offering, Quality Hotel CKS Sydney Airport features premium King Koil beds, a gastro pub and bar, and a conference room that converts to a cinema by night.

King, twin, triple and family rooms are available, as well as overnight parking and return airport transfers for all flights.

“Quality Hotel CKS Sydney Airport will be working closely with the local industry as part of the Choice Privileges programme,” a Choice Hotels spokesperson said. “Trade partners have been invited to view the property during development and will attend the launch this month.”

A NEW incubator and accelerator programme aimed at nurturing start-ups in the travel, payments and retail verticals in South-east Asia was launched last Friday, backed by the big names behind AirAsia Group.

Called Tune Labs, the programme will dispense RM5 million (US$1.4 million) to support regional entrepreneurs and was founded by Tony Fernandes, Kamarudin Meranun and Lim Kian Onn.

Tony Fernandes said in a release: “It has always been a personal goal of mine to promote and grow the start-up scene in South-east Asia. There is a lot of talent in the region which, to date, has lacked the access and opportunities that are readily available to budding entrepreneurs in the West.

“Through Tune Labs, my partners and I seek to provide the guidance and mentorship that we found hard to come by in the early days of building AirAsia and envisage a structured environment to encourage, validate and ultimately implement exciting, new ideas that will hopefully revolutionise and change the way we go about our everyday lives.”

Tune Labs consists of two distinct paths for applicants to develop and cultivate their ideas.

The first component, the incubator, will be conducted three times a year. Each session is a 12-week bootcamp for applicants with early-stage ideas with the aim of transforming those ideas into commercially viable propositions.

The accelerator programme provides entrepreneurs with access to capital and partnership so they can launch validated ideas and business plans – which may also include graduates from the incubator programme – in the market.

Both programmes give participants access to partnerships developed over the years by the founders, the established infrastructure and support system of Tune Group and the ability to leverage in-house technical and software development capabilities.

Lim Kian Onn said: “Tune Labs allows aspiring entrepreneurs to concentrate solely on developing and growing their ideas. The ability to utilise the wider Group’s assets coupled with essentials like office space, finance and legal – will significantly reduce costs and improve management focus.”

Further information on Tune Labs and information on application are available atwww.thetunelabs.com.

A BIGGER budget, more roadshows and a new campaign slogan are being rolled out for the Indian market in the year ahead as Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) seeks to capitalise on its gains from last year.

Anthony Lau, executive director, HKTB, shared that the India market expanded at one of the fastest rates last year, growing 18.7 per cent year-on-year.

“While growth was robust, it was not an easy year as we faced fierce regional competition. But we aim to capitalise on this by increasing our core marketing and promotional budget by 50 per cent compared to last year,” he said.

Hong Kong budgeted HK$9.1 million (US$1.2 million) for marketing in FY2014-2015, working out to HK$13.7 million for FY2015-2015.

The NTO has introduced it My Time for Hong Kong slogan to India, and will launch an extensive media campaign with an emphasis on TV commercials and digital channels including social media.

To highlight Hong Kong’s MICE potential, HKTB is planning roadshows in Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi and Chennai this August. It will also welcome about 30 travel consultants from India to Hong Kong for a tradeshow in December.

The NTO is also in talks with Indian producers to film two Hindi soap operas in Hong Kong.

Peter Hoslin, regional director Europe and new markets, HKTB, said: “We received 60.1 million international travellers overall, which is 12 per cent growth. Mumbai and Delhi still remain key source cities, but we are also focusing on other cities from which we have direct connectivity like Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata.”

RESORTS World Sentosa (RWS) will launch Genting Hotel Jurong end this month as it seeks to increase visitorship to its gaming and entertainment attractions.

The first major hotel in Singapore’s growing Jurong Lake District will soft open on April 30 and hold its grand opening almost a month later, on May 27.

Well-connected by expressways and public transport, the 557-room hotel is a 15-minute drive from Tuas Checkpoint, which connects Singapore to Johor Bahru in Malaysia, and a 40-minute drive from Singapore Changi Airport.

A free shuttle bus service will also operate 24/7 to ferry guests between Genting Hotel Jurong and RWS.

“Genting Hotel Jurong will boost RWS’ room inventory significantly and forms part of our business strategy to drive greater visitorship to RWS. It allows us to be part of the exciting transformation that is taking place at the Jurong Lake District,” said Chow Keng Hai, vice president of rooms, RWS, in a statement.

The three room types offered are the 18m² superior room, 27m² deluxe room and 54m²suite. Each room is equipped with free Wi-Fi and a flat-screen TV.

The hotel also provides a range of MICE facilities. The pillarless 427m² Genting Ballroom features a high ceiling with ample natural light and seats up to 300 guests.

Five meeting rooms at the hotel offer natural daylight and flexible layouts, while the rooftop sky lounge with an adjoining lawn is suitable for more intimate events.

As part of the hotel’s green efforts, a rainwater collection system has been implemented to reduce water consumption for irrigation purposes.

THAI hospitality group Centara Hotels & Resorts has gained a foothold in China with a newly clinched deal to manage a hotel in Guangdong.

The contract with Zhaoqing Yuhao Properties Development will see Centara open Centara Resort Zhaoqing in 4Q2017.

Located in Zhaoqing city in Guangdong, the resort allows quick access to the South China business and leisure centres such as Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Macau.

The four-star resort will have 250 resorts and a range of family-friendly facilities including a water park, swimming pools, a pool bar, an all-day restaurant plus two other dining venues, a fitness centre, spa, and kids’ club.

An 800m² ballroom is available for meetings and events.

Chris Bailey, senior vice president of sales and marketing, said in a release: “I believe this resort is an ideal start for our expansion in China, and it provides a valuable synergy with our other Centara properties around the world.”

JAPAN’S lifting of visa regulations for Chinese tourists on board selected cruise ships that homeport in China has encouraged greater travel to the country.

About 10 ships, including a number owned by Royal Caribbean International and Costa Cruises, have been approved by both Japanese and Chinese governments.

Yang Lei, CEO of Ctrip’s cruise department said online cruise bookings on Ctrip.com to Japan and/or South Korea have increased over 30 per cent in the immediate aftermath of the March 18 announcement.

A number of cruise operators originally offering mono South Korea itineraries now also include calls in Japan.

“Visiting two countries is definitely more attractive to our customers,” said Zhang Ji, cruise product director of Tuniu.com, a Chinese OTA.

With Japan’s visa waivers, South Korea’s Busan and Incheon ports may need to lower their port charges to compete with Japanese ports in the future, he added.

One Japanese port that has benefited from the visa waiver is Nagasaki’s new Sasebo port, which will welcome 15 visits during the 2015 season.

By Li Xu.

WORLDHOTEL & Residences Makati has severed ties with independent hotel collection Worldhotels, and will be dropping the brand name and support services that came with it.

The 252-key hotel and 149-unit residences project is owned by China Oceanis Group of Companies, led by its Singaporean president and CEO, Lim Chee Yong, through H2O Ventures.

A source within the company told TTG Asia e-Daily that the property – scheduled for a late 2015 or early 2016 opening – will no longer wear the brand name or receive sales, marketing and reservations support from Worldhotels.

Hotel H2O in Manila, likewise owned by H2O Ventures, also quit Worldhotels as of March.

TTG Asia e-Daily understands that internal changes within H2O Ventures were a main factor in the breakup, and a separate source has it that the owning company is mulling joining up with E-HORS reservations system and replacing the Worldhotel name with Seven Seas for the Makati project.

Neither Worldhotels nor Lim could be reached for comment.

China Oceanis plans to construct a Seven Seas Hotel in Palawan and Seven Seas Hotel & Residences in Boracay, having already set up C2G Hospitality and Consultancy in the Philippines in preparation for the above, said the source.

Worldhotels has two member hotels in the Philippines, the boutique Le Monet in Baguio City and the recently opened Hotel Luna, a museum hotel in UNESCO World Heritage Site Vigan in Ilocos.