IN A bid to give back to the community and encourage sustainability, The Westin Singapore is inviting guests to join in its efforts to save energy through its Green Rooms.

Green Rooms refer to the 56 guestrooms on the hotel’s 38th and 39th floors that have been specially equipped to monitor and track energy consumption via a meter on the in-room IPTV system.

The meter ranks the guest’s energy consumption according to three different categories: green (energy consumption is 20 per cent below average), amber and red.

For every guest whose energy usage falls within the green zone, The Westin Singapore has pledged to donate US$1 to UNICEF.

Lance J Ourednik, general manager of the property, said: “For The Westin Singapore, we believe sustaining the environment and sustaining communities creates value for everyone and we are excited to invite our guests to be a part of this unique opportunity to improve our community and minimise our impact on the environment.”

The hotel’s other green initiatives include a green limousine, eco-friendly cleaning chemicals, room sensors for auto shut-offs, energy-efficient lighting and water-conserving low-flow plumbing and sanitary fittings.

EIGHT hotels along the Chao Phraya River have come together to promote the riverside within Bangkok, and will launch a campaign and other marketing activities.

The members of the Bangkok Riverside Marketing Partnership as stated in a media release are Anantara Bangkok Riverside & Spa, Chatrium Hotel Riverside Bangkok, Mandarin Oriental Bangkok, Millennium Hilton Bangkok, The Peninsula Bangkok, Ramada Plaza Bangkok Menam Riverside, Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel & Towers, and Shangri-La Hotel Bangkok.

Bangkok Riverside Marketing Partnership aims to strengthen the positioning of the Chao Phraya Riverside as a sub-destination in Bangkok; further promote the riverside for leisure and MICE markets; enhance awareness among tourism stakeholders of the partnership; and complement ongoing tourism recovery activities by local authorities.

The body will implement a range of activities such as a campaign for better positioning, training for MICE sales staff and CSR initiatives.

Speaking to TTG Asia e-Daily, a spokesperson for the partnership said: “The original idea (for the partnership) goes back to 1986 and was executed between The Oriental, the Shangri-La and the Royal Orchid, and resulted in an European, Australian and American incentive travel ‘boom’ for all three hotels in 1988-89.”

He noted that a second attempt in 2004 failed due to claims of exclusivity by one tour operator.

Asked why it was necessary for hotels to jointly promote the riverside destination specifically, the same spokesperson said: “The key for success for hotels in the leisure and MICE markets has always been ‘Destination First’, and the riverside destination within Bangkok is clearly a unique selling point.

“It is also an effort by those eight hotels to enhance the various recovery programmes by Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau, Thailand International Development Cooperation Agency and Tourism Authority of Thailand, and highlights the positives of Bangkok.”

PATA and the Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA) have signed a new MoU, committing to bilateral promotions to develop the regional tourism industry.

Said Martin Craigs, CEO of PATA: “Japan is a giant of tourism, long valued for its high-quality outbound sector. In recent years we have seen the rise of destination Japan as an inbound entity too. This is a desirable and sustainable trend that PATA is keen to support.”

This year, PATA regional director – East Asia, Ivy Chee, will moderate a panel session at the JATA Tourism Expo Japan 2014 in September, on the theme The Rapidly Growing Asian Market and Its Significance for the Tourism Industry. Craigs will also give a presentation on the fast-growing Asian travel market and sustainable growth.

JATA Tourism Expo Japan 2014 will be held at Tokyo Big Sight, September 25-28.

Meanwhile JATA will continue to participate in PATA’s programme of work.

Jungo Kikuma, chairman of JATA, said: “After the next 10 years, Asia will become the new centre of gravity of tourism in the world. Taking this time’s partnership opportunity and joining hands with PATA, we would like to make every effort for tourism vitalisation as a driving force in the world tourism market.”

TAUZIA Hotel Management has expanded into the island of Sumatra with the opening of Pop! Hotel Tanjung Karang last week.

The 168-room hotel in the heart of Bandar Lampung, the provincial capital, is the group’s ninth property and the first chain budget property in Lampung. Rooms at the hotel come only in one category with an opening rate of Rp328,000 (US$29), and its two meeting spaces can be further split into two.

Pop! Hotels brand director, Irene Janti, is targeting an average occupancy of above 70 per cent for the property. “Lampung (province, in the southernmost part of Sumatra) is a transit point for land travellers from Java to destinations like Padang and Palembang.

“Lampung itself is rich in plantation crops and tourist attractions, so the destination offers multi-market segments to tap on for our hotel, be it business, meeting or leisure,” Janti said.

Asked why Tauzia had opted to start its Sumatra expansion with the Pop! brand, Tauzia Hotel Management’s president director, Marc Steinmeyer, said: “Our expansion strategy is to work with the right investors, before choosing location and brand.

“Here, the owner wanted to do a Pop! Hotel and there is a market potential, so we started with the budget brand.”

Steinmeyer added that Lampung has potential for a midscale Harris brand hotel as well.

THE Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is courting the Vietnamese market through collaborative promotions on package tours and airfares.

The TAT’s Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) office has reported an “increasing number of Vietnamese tourists heading to the kingdom” since the end of anti-government protests in Bangkok and the rescinding of the emergency decree on the capital (TTG Asia e-Daily, March 19, 2014).

To promote Thailand as a holiday destination to the Vietnamese, the NTO has participated in a variety of marketing activities in Vietnam such as the HCMC Tourist Festival and Vietnam International Travel Mart, organised the Amazing Thailand Road Show in Nha Trang, and promoted Songkran Splendours 2014 celebrations through online and offline channels.

TAT has also linked arms with Vietnamese tour operators including Vietravel, Saigontourist and Phu Bao Tours, each holding promotions for travellers going to Thailand.

For instance, Vietravel is dangling free SIM cards to the first 500 Vietnamese travellers booking Thai-bound tour packages and, in collaboration with Qatar Airways, a one-million dong (US$47) discount on five-day packages.

Besides tour package deals, TAT has facilitated cheaper airfares in partnership with budget carriers AirAsia and Vietjet Air with Vietnam-Bangkok fares starting from 190,000 dong and US$2 respectively.

Vietnamese media were also hosted on a fam trip to Bangkok, Pattaya and Ayutthaya in March.

MALAYSIA Airlines (MAS) flight MH192 bound for Bengaluru was forced to turn back and make an emergency landing at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) early this morning.

According to an MAS press statement, this was due to a malfunctioning of the Boeing 737-800’s right-hand landing gear upon takeoff. The plane landed safely at 01.56 this morning.

MH192 had departed from KLIA at 22.09 last night and was scheduled to arrive in Bengaluru at 23.35 on April 20.

It carried 159 passengers and seven crew members on board, MAS revealed in a press statement.

The incident comes in the wake of MAS’ missing MH370 that has thrown up questions about airline tracking and safety (TTG Asia e-Daily, March 25, 2014).

TTG Asia e-Daily will be taking a break tomorrow, April 18.

Have a Good Friday and Blessed Easter!

PEPPERS Retreats & Resorts has added Asia to its portfolio with the rebranding of the former Sentosa Seminyak all-villa luxury resort in Bali.

Peppers Sentosa Seminyak comprises 49 three-, four- and five-bedroom luxury villas (177 rooms in total) each with private swimming pools. A further eight one- and two-bedroom villas have been planned for launch in 2H2014.

Facilities include a signature restaurant, Salt Tapas & Bar and a spa, among others.

Bob East, CEO of Mantra Group, which manages the Peppers brand, said: “The emerging middle class in Indonesia is a growing market and we are confident the Peppers style and service will resonate with them.

“It is an exciting era for Peppers to launch the first hotel in Asia in its 30th year and we look forward to increasing our network in the region.”

The property is offering an opening special from US$699 per night in a three-bedroom Royal Pool Villa or from US$919 per night in a four-bedroom Presidential Pool Villa including a welcome drink, fruit basket, sumptuous daily breakfast and complimentary Wi-Fi.

The offer is valid for booking until June 30 and valid for travel until December 23.

SPAIN and Portugal will join hands for tourism promotions in the four key longhaul markets of China, South Korea, the US and Canada.

The signing of an accord in Lisbon follows several months of talks between the two neighbours, aimed at creating savings for each country, according to Spanish secretary of state for tourism, Isabel Borrego.

Fam trips designed for travel consultants and the press to visit the two countries on the same journey will be a major element in the campaign, due to start later this year.

“We are going to see how it works, as to whether to extend them or increase them in 2015,” said Borrego.

A joint team is currently working on the programme, so details of the number of activities and the budget are not available at press time.

The partnership will also include human resource training and the exchange of information, particularly where it involves investment in the tourism sector.

Borrego also met with representatives of several Spanish companies that have since set up hotels, tour operators and travel agency chains in Portugal.

“With recuperation (from the economic crisis) starting, it is important to interchange information, intensify activities and to know how to improve the (tourism) product,” she said.