HOSHINO Resorts is planning to tap surging arrivals from Thailand and grow its customer base from the kingdom to 10 per cent within the next three years, said the hotelier’s director of global marketing.

Fumi Miyauchi said while Japan received some 453,000 Thai tourists in 2013, a record growth of 74 per cent from the year before, Thai visitors currently account for just one to two per cent of guests across the brand’s chain of 32 properties.

“We want to grow the Thai market to 10 per cent of guests within the next three years,” she said. “We currently don’t have many contracts with travel consultants in Thailand, but we have implemented plans since last year to change this. We are currently developing plans to run fam trips for travel consultants and media from Thailand to our properties.”

Senior sales and marketing executives are in Thailand for the second time since November to strengthen their relationships with local outbound operators and consultants. The brand will also visit its two other target markets, Singapore and Malaysia, next month, which currently account for five to six per cent and under one per cent of its guests respectively.

Hoshino will target young families from within the region, emphasising its ice park and snow palace products, in contrast to promoting snowboarding and skiing to more activity-focused tourists from Australia.

Japan exempted tourists from Thailand – its six largest source market – from visa requirements mid last year (TTG Asia e-Daily, June 14, 2013), which together with the devalued yen, catalysed record arrivals from the country.

Hoshino is opening two properties in Japan and its first overseas resort in Bali this year (TTG Asia e-Daily, December 13, 2013).

MILLENNIUM & Copthorne (M&C) Hotels today announced it will be purchasing its first hotel in Italy, hot on the heels of the acquisition of Novotel New York Times Square earlier this month (TTG Asia e-Daily, February 11, 2014).

A subsidiary of M&C entered a conditional purchase and sale agreement with Grand Hotel Palace for the five-star Boscolo Palace Roma in Rome, priced at 65.5 million euros (US$90 million).

The transaction is expected to be completed by 2Q2014.

Boscolo Palace Roma is situated on Via Veneto and offers 87 luxury guestrooms and suites. It underwent a full-scale renovation in 2010 that was overseen by renown architect and designer, Italo Rota.

Kwek Leng Beng, chairman of M&C, commented in a media release: “This acquisition adds an important new travel destination to M&C’s European portfolio. We have been seeking to establish a presence in Rome for many years, and this acquisition continues our strategy of selective growth through careful investment in key gateway cities…(The hotel’s) location together with the quality of the product and its high service levels will enhance the Millennium brand experience and reputation.”

Read TTG Asia’s View from the Top interview with M&C chairman, Kwek Leng Beng, in TTG Asia, February 21, 2014 issue or the full, online version here.

INDIA is on the way to confirming an expansion of bilateral seat capacity with Dubai for 20 per cent more seats as strong demand has gobbled up current allotments.

Emirates and FlyDubai have together exhausted the existing 54,200 weekly seats. Although Dubai had requested 20,000 additional seats, India will allow only 10,800 more pending the inter-ministerial group meeting in New Delhi this week.

Ajit Singh, minister of civil aviation, said: “Dubai has been asking for more bilaterals as the current entitlement on both sides has been fully used up.”

According to India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Emirates carries the largest number of outbound passengers from India. The airline is also considering deploying the Airbus A380 on Indian routes, which had been disallowed by India until now.

Gulf-based carriers have been on the receiving end of India’s largesse, as seen in Etihad Airways’ allotted seat capacity between Abu Dhabi and India that rose from 13,000 per week in 2010 to 50,000 in 4Q2013.

However, India denied Qatar Airways’ application last year to nearly triple its seats from 25,800 to 72,600 weekly as India was using less than 25 per cent of entitlements to Qatar.

MARRIOTT International has launched Shanghai Marriott Hotel Parkview under a long-term management agreement with owners Shanghai Bao Hua Group for its 21^st property in the Chinese city.

Located next to Multimedia Valley in Zhabei District and adjacent to the largest green space in downtown Shanghai, Danin Lingshi Park, the hotel is 25 minutes away from Shanghai Hongqiao Airport and 45 minutes to Shanghai Pudong Airport.

It offers 317 rooms and suites with views of Danin Lingshi Park, a 24-hour fitness centre, an indoor swimming pool, a golf practice green, a tennis court and the Executive Lounge on the 23^rd floor.

Guests can pick from four F&B options including the all-day dining Shanghai City Bistro; Man Ho Chinese Restaurant serving Cantonese and Shanghainese cuisine; Tatsumi for Japanese and Korean fare; and drinks and afternoon tea at the Lounge in the hotel lobby.

Shanghai Marriott Hotel Parkview also provides 2,800m² of meeting space located on a single floor and is the only hotel in Shanghai city centre with two pillarless ballrooms. The larger offers 1,400m² and two 65m² LED screens, while the smaller is 1,000m² in space with one LED screen.

Five flexible function rooms and a dedicated wedding planning service round up the hotel’s MICE offerings.

Ricky Lam, general manager of Shanghai Marriott Hotel Parkview, said: “Shanghai is one of the most important cities for meetings and events in the region, and the magnificent new Shanghai Marriott Hotel Parkview underlines Marriott’s commitment to lead the future of meetings in Asia.”

ORIENT-EXPRESS has launched the Belmond brand, a new name under which the luxury property owner and operator will market its collection of hotels and travel experiences.

The Belmond brand will come into effect from March 10 and encompass Orient-Express’ portfolio of hotels, trains, safaris and river cruises, with the name to be carried alongside each individual property brand.

A press release issued by the company said Orient-Express expects the new brand to “heighten awareness” about its offerings by making them “easier to recognise, navigate and explore”.

Ralph Aruzza, chief sales & marketing officer, said: “We will support the launch of Belmond with a sizeable investment of US$15 million in enhanced promotional and marketing initiatives. This will include new websites, social media and our first-ever, large-scale advertising campaign.”

HILTON Worldwide is making inroads deeper into the Asian market with the opening of the Waldorf Astoria Beijing last week and a new partnership with KDU University College in Malaysia to develop talents for the growing hospitality industry.

The 176-key Waldorf Astoria Beijing is located in the heart of the capital on the former site of Xianliang Temple. It is 27km away from Beijing International Airport.

Guestrooms include 28 suites in the main hotel tower as well as the Waldorf Hutong Villa, three hutong studios and a room housed in two villas with private entrances located in a garden courtyard.

Other amenities offered include three restaurants, 796m² of meeting space, and a spa and fitness centre with a heated indoor swimming pool.

Waldorf Astoria Beijing is the brand’s second property in China, the first being Waldorf Astoria Shanghai on the Bund.

Separately, Hilton Worldwide last week said it has partnered Malaysia’s KDU University College in Petaling Jaya to offer students on-the-job practical training and a theoretical curriculum.

Under the Hilton Class programme, 30 first-years will be selected by the school and Hilton Worldwide from the pool of students pursuing degrees in international hotel & tourism management, hospitality management, culinary management in culinary operations or baking & pastry.

Chosen students will be offered at least one six-month internship at a Hilton property in Malaysia and also benefit from guest lectures, on-site visits and a specially tailored e-learning programme. They may also receive job offers from any Hilton Worldwide hotel.

William Costley, vice president, South-east Asia – operations, Hilton Worldwide, said: “This collaboration, the second of our strategic school alliances in Malaysia, also reiterates our commitment to developing our portfolio in Malaysia as well as the South-east Asia region.

“In preparing best-in-class talent to support this expansion, we are confident that this partnership will also support capacity building of local talent, and benefit the growing hospitality industry in this country, as more trained students enter the workplace.”

RELAIS & Chateaux is beefing up its presence in India and China, with new hotels entering its membership this month.

On top of its four hotels in India, the company has brought on board Samode Safari Lodge near the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh, as well as desert resort Mihir Garh in Rajasthan.

Jaume Tapies, chairman of Relais & Châteaux, said: “We hope to have five projects in India by 2014. And in another five years, we hope to have 20 hotels in India.”

The company intends to set up circuits among the four regions in India, with north and south circuits already underway with its existing four properties.

“We are looking at projects in Kolkata, Darjeeling, Assam, Nepal, among other places, to develop the east circuit which is expected to be active in another two to three years,” commented Tapies, adding that Relais & Châteaux has shortlisted 15 of the 50 hotels inspected for membership in India and hopes to have at least five join the association this year. A member restaurant in New Delhi is also being sought.

In China, Brilliant Resort & Spa in Kunming has come under the Relais & Châteaux banner.

NATIONAL flag carrier Biman Bangladesh Airlines will resume flights to New York and Frankfurt this year with newly acquired aircraft.

Following a cash infusion by the Bangladesh government, the airline has signed a five-year dry lease of two Boeing 777-200 from EgyptAir that will be delivered next month, said Kevin Steele, managing director of Biman.

The airline will use the aircraft to resume twice-weekly flights to Frankfurt beginning March 31 after a seven-year hiatus, and has rolled out a 50 per cent discount on fares available for booking until March 18 to mark the occasion.

Biman will also relaunch Dhaka-New York flights in June 2014. Its original Dhaka-Brussels-New York service was terminated in 1996 when the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) downgraded Biman to Category Two safety status for its use of DC-10 aircraft that the aviation body deems unsafe.

FAA and Biman are in talks for Biman’s reversion to Category One status given the change of aircraft model.

Bangladesh has air service agreements with 43 countries but only flies to 18 cities in 15 countries due to lack of aircraft.