BEST Western International is showing no sign of rest with the opening of Best Western i-City Shah Alam in Malaysia, its sixth hotel in the country.

“As the capital of the state of Selangor, Shah Alam is a key economic hub in Malaysia. Located just 25km from Kuala Lumpur and 30km from Kuala Lumpur International Airport, the city is at the heart of the country’s development and provides an ideal setting for Best Western’s new generation of contemporary hotels,” said Ron Pohl, Best Western International’s senior vice president of brand management & development.

The 18-storey Best Western i-City Shah Alam houses 214 rooms and suites, all equipped with modern amenities such as 32-inch LCD televisions, mini bars, working desks, tea- and coffee-making facilities, and Wi-Fi access.

Event and business facilities consist of three meeting rooms, able to accomodate up to 180 pax in total.

The selection of F&B options include an all-day dining restaurant and a cafe, both Asian and international cuisine.

“Malaysia is an incredibly exciting market for Best Western International. With five hotels already open in the country and eight more in the pipeline, we look forward to serving the needs of ever more Malaysian and international guests in future,” Pohl said.

The opening comes on the heels of the company’s announcement of Best Western Premier Ion Delemen at Genting Highlands in October last year.

NEW Indian airline Vistara has confirmed that it will begin operations this week and revealed the sectors it will run.

Starting January 9, the airline will launch Delhi-Mumbai, Delhi-Ahmedabad and Mumbai-Ahmedabad flights on Airbus A320 aircraft in a three-class configuration of economy, business and premium economy – a first for a domestic airline in India.

However, the airline did not respond to an email enquiry from TTG Asia e-Daily regarding the frequencies.

It has also kicked off a frequent flyer programme, Club Vistara, that awards travellers points for ticket prices rather than miles travelled.

Tata-SIA Airlines, the joint venture between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, received its air operator permit for Vistara last month.

Meanwhile, India’s travel trade is welcoming the added competition to the frustrated aviation industry. “Economy class passengers can expect a more robust offering than with no-frill airlines. Increased competition and capacity are ultimately a good thing for the traveller, and the overall health of the industry,” said Ranjeet Oak, senior vice president-flights, MakeMyTrip.com.

Neelu Singh, COO, Ezeego1.com, said: “The concept of premium economy is a first of its kind in India and will certainly attract a lot of middle managers looking for more comfort than economy class but cheaper fares than business class.

“From an industry perspective, it is definitely good to have one more player in the full-service category which will give more choice to the customers.”

However, the airline is expected to face tough competition on the sectors it is operating. IndiGo has introduced a fifth daily flight on the New Delhi-Ahmedabad sector on January 4 and a sixth Mumbai-Ahmedabad flight on January 5.

ONE of the last undeveloped parcels of land along Bangkok’s Chao Phraya River has been earmarked for development into a luxury hotel and residential project that will be managed by Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts.

Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok at Chao Phraya River and Four Seasons Private Residences Bangkok at Chao Phraya River will come up along one of the longest waterfront promenades in the Thai capital to occupy 350m of riverfront space.

Valued at 32 billion baht (US$970.9 million), the project is Bangkok-based international real estate developer Country Group’s largest project to date.

The hotel will offer over 300 rooms and suites, restaurants and other hotel facilities, while the residence is to consist of more than 350 all-corner units in a 73-storey building.

“Through our collaboration with Four Seasons, our aim is for Chao Phraya Estate to redefine the waterfront experience in Bangkok and Asia,” said Ben Taechaubol, CEO of Country Group Development.

“Our contribution to the revival of the Chao Phraya River and skyline of Bangkok reflects our passion and respect for our city’s rich culture and history and our desire to see it be renowned as one of the greatest urban waterways in the world,” he said.

Michael Crawford, president, Asia-Pacific, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, said: “Bangkok continues to be a destination of choice for business and leisure travellers and this property will embody our commitment to innovation and exceeding the expectations of our discerning guests.”

Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok at Chao Phraya River and Four Seasons Private Residences Bangkok at Chao Phraya River are expected to be completed by end-2018.

The hotel operator’s existing property in the capital, Four Seasons Bangkok, will be rebranded by owner Minor Hotel Group to become Anantara’s new flagship hotel on March 1.

TWO European DMCs are reaching out to the markets of Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Brunei to promote their maiden Muslim-friendly tours in Europe.

Spanish DMC, Premium Incoming, has introduced a guaranteed seat-in-coach 11D10N Treasures of Islamic Spain tour to Andalusian cities such as Seville, Cordoba, Granada – once ruled by Muslims leaders – as well as Madrid, Valencia and Barcelona.

Meanwhile, Kompas, an established company in the Balkan region, has launched the 11D10N itinerary Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia and Slovenia Muslim Friendly, taking tourists to historical and natural sites.

Barbara Sette, managing director of Sette Reps – the appointed sales office for Kompas and Premium Incoming in South-east Asia – said both itineraries cater to the needs of Muslim travellers: four- and five-star modern hotels in the city area; a slower itinerary with more free time for shopping; a prayer stop included every day; and restaurants that serve halal-certified meat.

“We have been working on FIT (private basis or seat-in-coach) and group departures with specialised Muslim agencies from Malaysia and Indonesia for a while, but this is the first time we launch SIC (tours) only targeting Muslim clients,” she said.

Asked why South-east Asia was picked over the Middle East as target markets for the tours, Sette replied: “First, Indonesia is the country with the largest number of Muslims in the world. Second, we are already present in South-east Asia and well known. Knowing the market and their needs, we know this product can be attractive for our agencies that already use us as their partner in Europe.”

The new itineraries were introduced to Indonesian outbound travel consultants in October, and to Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei last month. Sette is still planning targeted sales visits promoting the tours to travel consultants.

INDONESIAN aviation safety is in the spotlight as the investigations into Indonesia AirAsia flight QZ8501 unearthed information leading to the temporary suspension of the carrier’s Surabaya-Singapore service on January 2.

Djoko Murjatmodjo, acting director general of air transportation, Ministry of Transportation, said: “The airline’s permit is to fly is for Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, but it turns out AirAsia was flying on Sundays.

“This is a violation of the flight permit, therefore we have temporarily frozen the Surabaya service for investigations.”

The official said the proceedings from here on are isolated and separate from investigations into flight QZ8501, and added that the Ministry would intensify controls on airlines to ensure compliance with aviation regulations, including the pilot briefing by flight dispatcher.

Sunu Widyatmoko, president director of Indonesia AirAsia declined to comment, but outbound passengers are meanwhile switching to different carriers.

Reza Novaldy, director of Tama Putera Wisata Bandung, said: “People will continue to travel but we have seen people shifting from LCCs to Garuda Indonesia on domestic routes, unless the destination is only served by LCCs.”

Likewise, Kencana Tour Jakarta’s president director, Yekti Suradji, said: “There was growing demand from our corporate clients to travel with AirAsia, especially from those with budget cuts. However, looking at the forward bookings, we see this demand in decline as clients start shifting back to Garuda.”

Pauline Suharno, deputy secretary general of The Association of Air Ticketing Companies in Indonesia expected this year to become a turning point for Indonesian aviation. “Aviation safety is in the spotlight, but the new minister of transportation (Ignasius Jonan) has moved quickly to improve and see that (different players) are complying with regulations.”

In a separate blow to Surabaya, the US Embassy in Jakarta issued a travel alert over the weekend against Indonesia’s second-largest city that warned of possible threats against American interests.

Posted on the embassy’s website, the statement read: “The US Embassy has been made aware of a potential threat against US-associated hotels and banks in Surabaya, Indonesia. The US Embassy recommends heightened vigilance and awareness of one’s surroundings when visiting such facilities.”

No further details were provided, but the concerns were likely heightened following attempts by a number of Indonesian citizens to travel to Syria and Iraq to join ISIS.

East Java regional police forces have denied any existence of a threat but are increasing patrols and security measures around US-associated facilities.