EMPLOYERS in the retail and hospitality sectors can now assess an applicant’s language proficiency, communication skills and personality without having to arrange for a face-to-face interview through a new recruitment website, JobStar

To use the service, companies pay US$50 to post a vacancy online. Applicants apply to the position by hitting record, providing their answers and uploading the video to the site.

Employers can then shortlist suitable candidates based on their paper qualifications as well as their soft skills such as communication abilities and personality.

Companies can also build a dedicated company page on the site to showcase corporate videos, post multiple open positions and share information on its corporate culture.

Malcolm Davies, one of the founders of JobStar, said: “Having owned a successful bar and hostel franchise here in Singapore, I understood all too well the challenges facing organisations in the hospitality and retail trade when it comes to finding the right people.

“Given the sheer number of customer-facing employees required to run these operations, the traditional method of finding and hiring suitable candidates was too time consuming and didn’t allow the organisation to assess critical skills such as language until too late in the process.”

He added: “We established JobStar to help overcome these challenges by providing a means for organisations to screen candidates and assess basic skills without the need to review hundreds of CVs or conduct extensive face-to-face interviews.”

The site has been tested by companies including Virgin Active, the W Singapore – Sentosa Cove, Furuma City Centre, Robinsons, Mothercare, Hard Rock Cafe, Jamie’s Italian, Home-Fix and Poppies Bistro Bar.

MARRIOTT International has launched Courtyard by Marriott Seoul Pangyo, a 282-room hotel in Pangyo Techno Valley in suburban Seoul.

The new hotel is situated in the rising IT cluster in Seongnam city, three minutes from Pangyo subway station. Located within a 19-storey building, the hotel occupies the eighth floor onwards, with offices, retail shops, restaurants and coffee houses in the floors below.

Don Cleary, COO for Asia Pacific, Marriott International, said: “We are delighted to be opening this Courtyard hotel as the first Marriott branded property in Korea’s Gyeonggi province, and are proud to be the first hotel to be built in this emerging IT business hub.”

Rooms at Courtyard by Marriott Seoul Pangyo range from 26 to 42m², all equipped with high-speed Internet access.

The Executive Lounge on the 19th floor offers free daily breakfast, evening happy hour service with canapés, complimentary coffee and tea, and free meeting room usage benefits.

F&B options at the hotel include the all-day-dining restaurant MoMo Café with an open kitchen and live cooking stations for international cuisines, the adjoining MoMo Bar serving snacks, beverages and spirits with an outdoor terrace overlooking the Pangyo Techno Valley.

The hotel also comes with seven multi-functional meeting rooms and a dedicated event manager.

Courtyard by Marriott Seoul Pangyo is the seventh Marriott International property and second Courtyard branded hotel to open in South Korea.

To mark the hotel’s grand opening, Courtyard by Marriot Seoul Pangyo has rolled out a Stay 3 Nights and Save 33 per cent offer, is valid now through May 31.

WILDLIFE Reserves Singapore (WRS) yesterday launched a new shuttle service that takes locals and tourists alike to its cluster of wildlife parks in Mandai from the city centre.

Called Safari Gate, the service was conceptualised by Duck & Hippo and WRS for visitors to the Night Safari, River Safari and Singapore Zoo.

Shuttle rides start at 08.30 and end at 22.30, offering more than 10 trips from the two pick-up points at the Singapore Flyer and Suntec City.

On-board entertainment is provided for the duration of the 45-minute ride, operated with premium Rhino coaches. Duck & Hippo also provides free transfers from city hotels to the two Safari Gates.

“Conceived jointly by WRS and Duck & Hippo, Safari Gate is a game changer, a departure from the current market offering of fixed-time group tours. It puts control back in the hands of the visitors. With hourly departures to the parks, 10 trips a day, visitors get to tour at their own time and pace. It’s free and easy, no more fixed timing or itinerary,” said James Heng, chief duckie, Duck & Hippo.

More information about Safari Gate is available at www.safarigate.com.

INDIAN carriers, which fly 275 weekly flights to Dubai, will curtail their frequency by a third from May due to the closure of one of two runways at Dubai airport for nearly three months.

The carriers have either cancelled flights or re-routed them to Sharjah, which is located 30 minutes’ drive from Dubai.

Emirates will also cancel 21 out of 185 weekly flights to India.

Starting May 1, Dubai airport will close its southern runway for routine maintenance until the end of the month, while the northern runway will close until July 20 once the southern runway becomes operational.

Effectively, one runway will remain closed for about 80 days, reducing aircraft movements by 25 per cent. Last year, Dubai handled 369,953 aircraft movements.

The hub traffic, which forms the main business for Dubai airport, will be taken by its competitors in the region for the period of closure.

India is the second largest source market for visitor arrivals in Dubai, after the UK. In 2013, India accounted for 8.4 million arrivals, out of a total of 66.4 million, to Dubai airport.

Sejoe Jose, managing director, Kochi-based Marvel Tours said: “Summer is not a peak time for Indian travel to the UAE so even with reduction of flights, the negative impact on the number of visitors will not be significant.

“Moreover, uninterrupted flights to Sharjah and Abu Dhabi will also enable seamless transit to Dubai.”

SINGAPORE Airlines (SIA) and the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) have embarked on a strategic partnership to attract more visitors from key source markets to Singapore.

The partnership, which runs until June 30, 2015, entails a global marketing collaboration that targets a broad spectrum of leisure, cruise and business visitors. It would see the partners investing a total of S$4 million (US$3.2 million) in joint campaigns across the globe, with a focus on Australia, China, Germany, India, Japan, the UK and the US.

Both parties would also jointly invest in the co-development of new products, where exclusive and customised experiences would be curated for SIA customers from target markets based on their interests.

Lynette Pang, STB’s assistant chief executive, marketing group, said: “Consumers already have a strong brand affinity to SIA, and would be able to easily relate to new marketing initiatives and products. Together, we can amplify the Singapore story, and attract more quality visitors.”

SIA and STB had last year worked together to enhance the Singapore Stopover Holiday (SSH) package to entice travellers from Europe, who are particularly attracted by Singapore’s unique cultural mix and lush greenery.

Since its launch, the refreshed SSH package has seen double-digit growth in bookings over the same period in the previous year.

ACCOR has announced the worldwide implementation of a digital solution to offer customers a personalised welcome.

There are four steps involved. Two days before their hotel stay, guests are invited to check-in online. On the arrival day, guests receive a welcome message by SMS, confirming that their room and key are ready, and offering practical information such as transport services to the hotel and car park access codes.

When guests arrive at the hotel, their key has been prepared and is handed over immediately without the usual administrative formalities. This means staff are even more available to greet guests and cater to their requests.

Finally, on the departure day, guests can check out simply by handing in their key. The invoice is sent to them by email.
The service is deployed across all Accor brands and will be offered to all loyalty card or subscription card holders and to customers booking directly through Accor via accorhotels.com, brand websites, mobile applications, or by phone directly with the hotel, etc.

It has been tested in approximately 20 establishments in France, the UK, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands, and it is now deployed in 60 hotels in 13 countries. Accor’s aim is to roll out this solution in 1,000 hotels, or close to 30 per cent of its network, by end-2014.

Explained, project manager, Christine Pouletty: “This innovation focusses on giving our guests a warm, personalised welcome and on saving time thanks to new technologies. The first feedback from hotels already equipped with the system is very encouraging, since more than 90 per cent of guests who used this service say they are willing to do so again.

“Queues are diminishing and hoteliers are more available for their guests. They can devote themselves completely to their passion, the job of host.”

Vivek Badrinath, deputy CEO, marketing, digital solutions, distribution and information systems, said: “Accor definitely places digital technology at the service of its guests at every stage of their hotel experience – before, during and after their stay – adapting its hotel services to the new modes of consumption which are more mobile and connected.”

MARRIOTT International has launched the Jixian Marriott Hotel for the 16th Marriott Hotel brand property in China that boasts a focus on reduced carbon emissions.

The hotel operator has signed an agreement with Saint Light Investment Group for the property in Jixian in northern Tianjin, close to Beijing. This puts guests close to a range of leisure travel attractions including the Pan Mountain, Great Wall, golf courses, ski parks and natural parks.

Jixian Marriott Hotel, awarded the three-star certificate of green building design by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of China, does its part to educate guests about their carbon footprint. Through its carbon footprint recording system, the hotel can keep track of the guest’s activities in the hotel and energy consumption levels. Upon check-out, guests are given a personal carbon emission statement.

Henry Lee, COO – Greater China, Marriott Hotels commented: “I would like to applaud our owner partner Saint Light Investment Group for its vision of building such an exceptional hotel that puts focuses on low carbon footprint and environmental friendliness. Marriott International is a staunch supporter of sustainable tourism, and we are most pleased to work with partners that share the same philosophy.”

Jixian Marriott Hotel offers 282 guestrooms, inclusive of eight suites and eight villas, as well as amenities such as a fitness centre, swimming pool, and spa with hot springs.

The hotel’s F&B offerings include Man Ho for authentic Cantonese cuisine, The Lounge or Great Room with a feature bar that serves coffee and pastries by day and alcoholic beverages in the evening.

Meeting facilities occupy 1,900m² of space, and consist of one grand ballroom, one junior ballroom and eight function rooms. They are complemented with the state-of-the-art meeting facilities and technologies.e