SINGAPORE’S Naumi Hotel has reopened its doors to guests after a multi-million dollar renovation to its guestrooms and event spaces.

Its 73 guestrooms now sport designer furnishings, functional work desks with built in phone chargers, bath amenities from organic New York brand Malin + Goetz, free high-speed Wi-Fi and Apple TV’s AirPlay Mirroring, which lets guests play videos from their Apple devices on the in-room TV.

Naumi has also set aside an entire floor for the female traveller, offering use of hair straighteners, yoga mats and sanitary products in each room. Meanwhile, the Chanel- and Warhol-inspired rooms capture the essence of the new Naumi look.

The hotel’s meeting and event spaces – Varta 1 and 2 – can be configured to fit up to 20 guests, and boasts chandeliers, plush leather sofas, audiovisual facilities, a Nespresso coffee maker and Wi-Fi Internet.

In addition, destination restaurant Table by Rang Mahal has opened at Naumi Hotel. The all-day dining restaurant serves contemporary cuisine with Indian influences and breakfast for hotel guests. Bento lunches are also available.

Cloud 9, the hotel’s infinity pool offering views of the Singapore skyline, was also resdesigned to accommodate between 18 and 45 guests.

MALAYSIA Airlines (MAS) is increasing the number of Kuala Lumpur-Auckland flights from six to seven times a week after strong results on the route.

Beginning March 30, 2014, the airline will run daily flights to New Zealand’s largest city, offering an additional 52 flights a year.

The airline’s regional senior vice president Australia/New Zealand/South West Pacific, Lee Poh Kait, said: “This additional frequency for Auckland is in tandem with our overall expansion plan for 2014 and beyond. We are excited to see sharp increases in our load factors on all our flights plying the New Zealand and Australia routes.”

Added Dzulkefli Zakaria, New Zealand country manager for MAS: “This is also a perfect time to add capacity, especially in line with Visit Malaysia Year 2014.”

Meanwhile Glenn Wedlock, general manager aeronautical commercial for Auckland Airport, reported that Malaysian visitors to New Zealand increased 50 per cent in September.

“As part of our Ambition 2020 Asia strategy, we have been working very hard to secure growth from the High Opportunity Target, ‘HOT’, markets of Malaysia, India and emerging South-east Asia.”

“This latest increase from MAS will not only drive additional visitor spend in the tourism sector by at least US$10 million per annum but also provide New Zealand travellers and exporters even greater access to these important destinations for travel and trade,” he said.

THE operator of Resorts World Manila, Travellers International Hotel Group, this week began trading on the Philippine Stock Exchange using the ticker RWM.

Travellers International Hotel Group is a joint venture company formed by Genting Hong Kong and Alliance Global Group, responsible for the development and operation of Resorts World Manila.

Company chairman David Chua commented: “The close partnership between Genting and Alliance Global, which we have had for more than six years, has ensured the continuous success of Travellers. With this offering, we now look to bring Travellers to even greater heights as we continue to develop the tourism and entertainment industry in the Philippines.”

TOKYO hoteliers have reason to cheer according to a new study, which found that Olympic host cities enjoy long-term positive effects on RevPAR.

According to Tokyo 2020: The Olympic Games Effect by Jones Lang LaSalle’s (JLL) Hotels & Hospitality Group and STR Global, RevPar will receive a boost beginning the year of announcement and lasting over the next seven years.

The Japanese government estimates that some 8.5 million visitors will travel to Tokyo for the 2020 Summer Olympic Games.

Although an increase in the number of hotel rooms will be likely in the run-up to the event, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) assessment has determined that Tokyo has enough room capacity to accommodate tourists to the Japanese capital. Thus “only a moderate addition to supply is likely and will limit a substantial post-Games decline in RevPAR”, said the report.

The IOC states that there are 140,000 existing international brand hotel rooms within a 50km radius of Tokyo, as well as 9,500 rooms in ryokans. Tokyo’s accommodation plan offers a total guaranteed room inventory of more than 46,000 rooms in 363 hotels that met IOC requirements, of which 37,000 are within a 10km radius of the Olympic Village site.

In terms of annual average room occupancy, STR Global noted a decline during the year of the Games for previous host cities. JLL and STR Global expect a similar scenario for Tokyo.

However, this will be moderated by a rebound in occupancies in the period immediately following the sporting event, based on the presumption that travellers will postpone their non-urgent business or leisure trips to after.

Both JLL and STR Global also predict a significant jump in average daily rates in the month of the Games.

STR Global statistics for 33,739 rooms in Tokyo report positive figures for January to August 2013. Occupancies rose 4.5 per cent to 85 per cent, while average daily rate jumped five per cent to 15,046 yen (US$152). RevPAR has soared 10 per cent higher to 12,783 over the same period.

SWISS-BELHOTEL International last week launched the Swiss-Belresort Watu Jimbar in Bali, with an official opening slated for 1Q2014.

Situated in the heart of Sanur, the 306-key property is a five-minute walk from Sanur’s beaches and close to shops, restaurants, entertainment venues and tourist attractions. It is also half an hour from the Ngurah Rai International Airport and a 20-minute drive from the Kuta and Legian areas.

The resort features dining facilities, Wi-Fi access throughout all areas of the resort, F&B outlets, meeting and conference facilities, swimming pools, an outdoor spa and a fitness centre.

To commemorate the launch of its 39^th property in Indonesia, Swiss-Belresort Watu Jimbar has put together a special two-night package. Guests who take up this package at Rp1.1 million (US$99) stand to win a helicopter ride and seafood meal with champagne to Gili Trawangan island. Enter ‘takeoffsbi’ at the Swiss-Belhotel home page and book between now and January 31, 2014 to qualify and enjoy special rates on stays from March 1 to June 30, 2014.

INDONESIAN capital city Jakarta is set to welcome St Regis Jakarta in 2016, with Starwood Hotels & Resorts and Rajawali Group having broken ground on the property on Monday.

The all-suite hotel will reportedly feature 125 units (TTG Asia Online Editor’s Picks), located in Jakarta’s central business district along Jalan Gatot Subroto, near Jakarta’s Sudirman Central Business District and the Mega Kuningan area.

It forms part of a 141,000m² mixed-use development, encompassing a 47-storey office tower as well as a special F&B and retail component.

Design plays an important part in the development, with design powerhouses such as Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, Alexandra Champalimaud and Bill Bensley coming on board for the project.

The groundbreaking accompanies a 20-year strategic partnership that Rajawali has forged with Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, following the recent success of the St Regis Bali Resort.

OPTIMISING the use of available manpower in Singapore’s tight labour market has helped to drive the design of Singapore Changi Airport’s new Terminal 4 (T4), which will feature a labour-efficient layout and more self-service options for passengers.

For the first time, Changi Airport Group (CAG) will roll out a suite of fast and seamless travel (FAST) initiatives comprised of self-service and automated facilities.

These will be offered at check-in, bag drop, immigration clearance and departure gate boarding throughout the day, allowing passengers to check in at their own convenience. Roving check-in service agents will be on hand for assistance.

Said a CAG press release: “T4’s FAST initiatives are part of a global trend towards self-service options in airports and necessary in Singapore which faces a very tight labour market, especially in the groundhandling and security sectors.”

T4’s layout has also been designed to reduce manpower requirements, with the immigration and pre-board security screening areas will be centralised at the south end of the terminal. This creates a straightforward path for passengers towards their boarding gates, improves deployment of immigration and security officers, and removes the need for additional equipment at multiple gate holdrooms  for security screenings.

Singapore Changi Airport yesterday broke ground for the construction of the new two-storey, 195,000m² terminal. Scheduled to be finished in 2017, the terminal will cater to both budget and full-service flights and feature heritage-themed designs throughout, such as retail outlets decorated with the facades of old Peranakan shophouses.

A NEW law to end a restrictive dual line of reporting applied to all associations in China may be passed before the year is out, setting the stage for greater professionalism across the industry.

According to Maria Tong, China representative of American Society of Association Executives, the new law would require associations to register with and report to only the Ministry of Civil Affairs – the body that licenses such groupings – instead of having to do the same with a related industry authority within the government as well.

Multiple associations within a single industry may also be formed in the future.

“The growth of China’s associations industry is currently limited, as it is difficult to form an association and all projects are scrutinised by both authorities,” Tong said, adding that the vast country has only 260,000 associations today.

Florence Chua, director, Association Management & Consulting, MCI (Incon Group), China, said: “Multiple associations in the same industry will create intense competition for members. Associations will have to significantly improve their content for members and be on par with global standards. To do that, they will have to partner international associations. Eventually, we may see multiple Chinese associations in the same industry merging to form one powerful entity.”

Tong predicted that more association meetings would be held and the purpose of such meetings would be better defined, which in turn would see more associations engaging PCOs instead of handling everything themselves.

“Association meetings in China make up only nine per cent of the country’s total business events. Elsewhere in the world it is 19 per cent or so. There is much room for improvement in China,” said Yi Ding, lecturer at Hochschule Osnebrueck University of Applied Science, who studies China’s associations landscape.

While Chua opined that it would take several years for Chinese associations to mature, she has already seen some aspiring to function like international ones and are asking for overseas trade missions and knowledge exchanges.