PULLMAN Saigon Centre opened yesterday in central Ho Chi Minh City as the third Pullman in Vietnam and the brand’s flagship property for South-east Asia.

The newly built hotel is found in District 1 near Ben Thanh market and comes with 306 guestrooms, including 17 suites.

In-room features include free high-speed Wi-Fi Internet, multi-function panels that can integrate the room’s entertainment system with guests’ own devices, and floor-to-ceiling windows for spectacular city views.

Guests staying in executive rooms and suites can make use of the Executive Lounge on the 30^th floor for express check-in and check-out, free breakfast and drinks throughout the day, free use of the ballroom and evening cocktails.

On the gastronomic front, Pullman Saigon Centre has Food Connexion Restaurant serving all-day dining buffets and an a la carte menu. It also has three private dining rooms.

The Cobalt Rooftop Restaurant offers both indoor and open-air terrace seating and serves progressive tapas and designer drinks, while the Urbane Lounge is ideal for private meetings or winding down. Cocktails and snacks are available at the Swimming Pool Bar.

For meeting planners, the hotel has a 700m² pillar-less function room, five natural daylight meeting rooms that can hold up to 120 guests, a Chill Out Space for innovative breaks and post-events, a dedicated IT solutions manager and an event manager.

Other facilities include a 24-hour Fit Lounge with a Jacuzzi and a sauna, The Spa, and an outdoor swimming pool with a separate kids’ pool.

Patrick Basset, senior vice president for Accor Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and the Philippines, said: “The hotel is Pullman’s newest flagship in South-east Asia and will redefine the hospitality landscape in the city; we expect the hotel will exceed the expectations of the growing demand for upscale accommodations in Ho Chi Minh City.”

GERMANY-BASED TUI has locked on to Sri Lanka’s immense potential as a travel destination and is considering restarting weekly charter services to the country.

Peter Long, CEO of TUI, who was in Sri Lanka earlier this week, said TUI is still looking into the 300-pax weekly flights, among other opportunities.

“There is a lot of potential in Sri Lanka,” he told reporters in Colombo on Tuesday.

TUI had halted charters in 2010 in the face of falling demand from Europe after the global economic crisis, but Long said the changing economic outlook in Europe and attractiveness of Sri Lanka as a destination are behind TUI’s about-turn.

In November last year, Spanish hotel chain Riu Hotels & Resorts announced it is partnering Aitken Spence Hotels, TUI’s local agent for Sri Lanka, to develop a 500-room hotel on Sri Lanka’s south coast (TTG Asia e-Daily, November 5, 2013).

Riu will collaborate with TUI to operate the charter flights once its hotel is ready for occupation in winter 2015.

AIR France is raising flight capacity between Singapore and Paris for the summer season with three more weekly flights beginning June 17.

This bumps up the number of existing flights for the Singapore-Paris (Charles de Gaulle) route from seven to 10 a week.

Additional flights will be operated with 247-seat Boeing 777-200 aircraft.

These flights leave Singapore on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 22.25, arriving in Charles de Gaulle at 05.55 the next day. Return flights depart 23.30 to reach Singapore at 18.20 the next day.

Passengers will be able to choose between two different flight times from Paris and Singapore as a result of the new flights.

The summer season tends to see stronger business demand on the Singapore-Paris route.

The carrier is also extending its Singapore service to Jakarta as of March 31 (TTG Asia e-Daily, January 8, 2014).

FAIRMONT Hotels & Resorts has announced an agreement with Cititower for the development of the Fairmont Kuala Lumpur, to mark the Fairmont brand’s debut in Malaysia when the hotel opens in 2017.

The 750-room, 62-storey hotel will be located within the Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC) development and include a high-rise office and connecting six-storey retail podium.

Fairmont Kuala Lumpur’s guestrooms and public spaces will occupy the building’s sixth storey and above for views of the nearby KLCC Park and Petronas Twin Towers. Guests will also be able to access the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre and office complexes through a covered walkway.

Besides its 750 guestrooms, the hotel also boasts an executive lounge and Fairmont Gold, the luxury brand’s hotel within a hotel offering.

Other facilities include six F&B outlets, a swimming pool, health club, spa and 2,787m² of meeting and banquet space.

Jennifer Fox, president of FRHI International and Fairmont brand, said: “Fairmont Kuala Lumpur is an important milestone for both our brand and for (FRHI Hotels & Resorts).”

“It’s a dynamic new destination for Fairmont and is our company’s first hotel in Malaysia, an influential and growing market that we feel is of strategic importance. We’re very excited to be entering Kuala Lumpur, a key gateway city in the region, and remain focused on expanding the Fairmont brand in South-east Asia and other leading destinations globally.”

Fairmont is also growing its reach in the Asia-Pacific with new projects set to open in Chengdu (residences 2014/hotel 2015), Jakarta (2015), Bali (2016), Taiyuan (2016), Changsha (2016) and Hangzhou (2017).

CARLSON Rezidor Hotel Group will focus on the midscale segment in its expansion plans for India, with plans for a vocational training school to support its growth.

Simon C Barlow, president, Asia-Pacific, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, said: “The Indian domestic market is emerging. The price and location is becoming more important for the traveller. So in our expansion plans we are doing fewer five-star (brand) properties like Radisson Blu and will be opening more mid-market brands like Park Inn by Radisson and Country Inns & Suites by Carlson.”

“We are also holding discussions with another partner along the same lines to push our mid-market brands in west India,” he added.

The hotel group signed a partnership agreement with Bestech Hospitalities in April 2014 for 43 more Park Inn by Radisson hotels in north and central India by 2024, according to a press release.

It is also looking to open a vocational training school near New Delhi so as to meet the manpower requirements of its upcoming mid-market hotels. It is expected to open by end-2016.

Carlson Reizdor wants to expand its portfolio of hotels in India to 100 by 2016 and 200 by 2020.

TUNE Hotels is riding into the Land of the Rising Sun with Red Planet Japan, aiming for 20 properties by 2020.

Tim Hansing, CEO of Red Planet Hotels and director of subsidiary Red Planet Japan, told TTG Asia e-Daily: “(Red Planet Hotels) entered the market by acquiring 40 per cent ownership of a public-listed company in Japan and renaming it.

“We picked Japan because 25 per cent of our (own) shareholders are Japanese, as well as the fact that the government is actively courting inbound travel and tourism investments, building on its successful bid for the 2020 summer Olympic Games.”

He said that some US$20 million had been raised to fund expansion in Japan.

Red Planet Hotels is Tune Hotels’ largest global franchise partner and has a 17 per cent stake in Tune Hotels (TTG Asia e-Daily, October 10, 2013). It owns and operates Tune Hotels in the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia and Japan.

Hansing explained that room sizes would be 0.5m² bigger and come with a luggage storage area. “We’ll be including most of the add-ons with the package so as not to confuse consumers who are unused to a ‘pay for extra’ concept.”

However, add-ons like early check-ins, late check-outs and meal packages will still be sold. Bundled packages will be rolled out for tour operators in the coming summer.

Red Planet Japan last summer opened its virgin Japan property in Naha, Okinawa and its second will open in downtown Tokyo. Hansing said Red Planet Japan would go to major cities that lacked accommodation options.

Beyond Japan, Red Planet Hotels may enter South Korea where five MoUs have recently been signed though Chinese expansion has been delayed due to rising operational costs.

THE south central coast of Vietnam has been chosen as the site for a large-scale resort development.

The project was born of the collaboration between petroleum company Vung Ro Petroleum and investment management and real estate development firm Rose Rock Group that had been founded by members of the Rockefeller family.

To be located in Vung Ro Bay in Phu Yen province, which offers direct links to Tuy Hoa and its airport, the development is split into three sections: The Marina, The Village and Bai Mon beach.

With an emphasis on sustainable development, the Vung Ro Bay resort community will comprise a number of hotels with over 760 rooms, 4,300 apartments, 100 luxury townhouses, 350 marina berths and a range of retail shops. The development will also include space for schools, healthcare facilities, retail and entertainment complexes.

Kirill Korolev, CEO and general director of Vung Ro Petroleum, said: “Our plan is to create a vibrant community for Vung Ro around the area’s natural beauty and provide a world-class destination for discerning residents and visitors.”

“Vietnam is rapidly evolving as a unique destination for investment, residence and tourism. We see this as a country of dynamic and diverse investment opportunity, with an economy that is growing at among the highest rates in the world,” he added.

INDIA’S hospitality players are expecting the post-election political stability and a stronger domestic demand in the year ahead to give a much-needed recovery jolt for the industry.

Rajeev Menon, area vice president, South Asia at Marriott International, commented: “I think that 1H2014 will be same like 2013, but if there is a stable government formation, it will boost the mood of the investors.”

“RevPAR for the industry witnessed negative 4.5 per cent growth last year, but we expect it will move towards a positive (number) once the new government is formed.”

Echoing Menon’s sentiments, Anupam Narayan, CEO and managing director (India and South Asia), Swiss International Hotels & Resorts, said occupancies are likely to rise after the elections.

Rajiv Kaul, president of Hotel Leelaventure, predicted that the industry could see modest growth in 2014. “Perhaps we have seen the worst in 2013 and this year will see us rebuilding. Post-elections will decide the momentum of growth.”

Hoteliers also expected the domestic market to play a pivotal role in their fortunes for 2014. “At present, 65 per cent of our business comes from the domestic market. In 2014, we will try to further grow this segment for us,” said Menon.

Confident was Naveen Jain, president of Duet India Hotels, saying: “As operators in the mid-scale segment, we expect strong demand from the domestic market, especially the business segment for hotels in the US$80-100 bracket.”

However, Kapil Chopra, president of The Oberoi Group, pointed out: “We have to remember that (foreign) tourism is one of the biggest contributors to our foreign exchange. The government needs to simplify and fast-track the current visa processes so as to increase international arrivals.”