THE political turmoil in Bangkok has sent room occupancies in the city on a nosedive, but some hospitality players have actually seen additional business.

Chris Bailey, senior vice president for sales & marketing at Centara Hotels & Resorts, has seen many MICE events postponed and leisure bookings cancelled but noted: “Centara Grand at Central Plaza Ladprao actually sees much better figures (perhaps due to) its location slightly outside the city and also corporate clients whose business is as usual.”

Debrah Pascoe, Onyx Hospitality Group’s senior vice president sales and marketing, commented that while occupancy is lower than usual for this time of the year, the hotel is not lowering rates.

“Optimistically, our properties in resort locations are so far unaffected and a number of them are picking up last-minute bookings from guests diverting their travel from Bangkok, especially those within driving distance from the capital, namely Pattaya, Hua Hin and Koh Chang,” she added.

Same-day booking app HotelQuickly appears to be an unexpected winner amid the crisis, recording a surge in bookings for Bangkok properties.

Said COO Christian Mischler: “New member sign-ups in Thailand have more than tripled over the past few days…However, the longer the protests go, we expect to see a bigger increase of bookings, as many might treat themselves a nice shower and a comfortable bed as a change after having spent a number of nights in a tent or sleeping on the floor at a rally site.”

He noted that most of the new members speak Thai and are located in Bangkok when they register on the app.

Meanwhile, hotels located near the demonstration sites have rolled out discounts targeting local residents. Centara Hotels & Resorts has launched a Bangkok Shutdown package across its five Bangkok properties for this week, while Grande Centre Point Hotel Terminal 21 has a Thai Resident Special.

“This (Bangkok Shutdown) promotion is not generating a huge volume increase, as most rally-goers still prefer to go home. However, we’re seeing more rally-goers coming for meals and spa treatments for breaks or relaxation, particularly at Centara Grand,” revealed Bailey.

Likewise, Dusit Thani Bangkok is receiving more lunch business from local offices, including “marginal business from rally-goers”, noted general manager, James Wilson, although month-to-date occupancy has dipped 40 per cent from last year.

“We do have one large international group in house at present and some small overseas groups arriving throughout the week, as well as FIT bookings. Our corporate accounts are still booking, although in reduced numbers,” he said.

BANYAN Tree Holdings, known for its luxury hotels around the region, is looking to branch out into the mid-scale segment in India.

Speaking at Hotel Investment Forum India, executive chairman Ho Kwon Ping said: “We are planning to foray into new segments beyond ultra-luxury because when we started in that segment, nobody was there. But now we are looking to operate other segments like four-star hotels and service apartments.”

While he declined to divulge further details, Ho told TTG Asia e-Daily that the first of such a property is expected to open in the second half of 2014.

He added that India holds great potential for the mid-market segment and the country would see such openings from Banyan Tree Holdings.

“We entered India as a high-end luxury resort company. But we feel that the demographic of India just doesn’t need luxury hotels,” he said.

The company’s first project in India, Banyan Tree Kerala (TTG Asia e-Daily, July 8, 2013),  has repeatedly delayed its opening due to environmental and licensing issues.

AIRASIA X will increase the number of flights between Kuala Lumpur and Seoul (Incheon) from seven weekly to double daily by the end of the year.

From July 2, flights on this route will be increased from seven to 11 times weekly, while double daily services will commence on December 2.

Azran Osman-Rani, CEO of AirAsia X, said: “Overall, the airline has carried over half a million passengers to and from its Korean routes since it began operations in South Korea in 2010. South Korea contributes over eight per cent of the airline’s total revenue, with an average of 83 per cent passenger load in 2013.”

He continued: “Our flights from Kuala Lumpur to Seoul have performed extremely well and the extra flight services will help meet increasing demand, provide guests with a greater choice of travel times and enable us to offer improved flight connections across our network and that of the AirAsia Group.”

Seats on the additional flights are already available for purchase and the airline is dangling special fares to mark the occasion.

One-way, all-in ticket prices start from RM269 (US$82) for economy class and RM699 for premium. The offer runs from January 20 to February 2 for travel between May 5 and September 30.

Besides Seoul, AirAsia X also flies to Busan four times a week out of Kuala Lumpur.

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).