SWISS-Garden International (SGI) Hotels, Resorts & Inns continues to expand aggressively through Malaysia with the addition of six more properties to its portfolio, bringing the total number of hotels and serviced apartments to 18.

According to Kem Siew, SGI’s vice president of sales and marketing, this bumper addition will increase the group’s total room inventory by 70 per cent, from its existing 2,500.

She said: “We are expanding our portfolio in tandem with demand and we want to increase our overall presence in Malaysia.” Siew added that the current occupancy rate for SGI’s city hotels stands at 80 per cent.

The six new properties, which are slated for completion within the next three years, are: Swiss-Garden Hotel Malacca, Swiss-Garden Hotel & Residences Cameron Highlands, D’ Majestic serviced apartments in Kuala Lumpur, Swiss-Garden Resort Residences Kuantan, Pavilion-Garden Suites in Kota Bharu and Damai Laut Sea Villas.

Siew said SGI was seeks to tap the “increasing demand” for serviced residences from both leisure and business travellers.

“Families that travel in big groups want to stay together instead of booking three or four hotel rooms, and there are corporate travellers who want to book a place for several months.”

According to Siew, SGI’s properties are largely popular among travellers from Singapore, Hong Kong and China, and that 70 per cent of SGI’s guests are from Asia, while 30 per cent belong to the Europe and Australia markets.

The bulk of SGI’s properties are concentrated in Malaysia, with the exception of one in Sydney.

Siew said: “Right now we want people to think of Swiss-Garden when they come to Malaysia, whether for a hotel or apartment experience. But in the long run, we definitely want to expand out of Malaysia into countries like Vietnam and China.”

MARRIOTT International is strengthening its presence in India, with the upcoming September 1 debut of Asia-Pacific’s first Fairfield property in Bengaluru and engagement with the local travel trade.

The 148-key Fairfield by Marriott Bengaluru Rajajinagar, situated close to Bengaluru International Exhibition Centre and 50 minutes away from Bengaluru International Airport, will offer three meeting rooms and 201m² of meeting space in total.

“We are launching our first Fairfield brand in Asia-Pacific with the opening of Fairfield Bengaluru on September 1 this year. Our plan is to open a number of Fairfield properties in Tier Two and Tier Three Indian cities,” said Vishal Gupta, director of travel trade sales-India, Marriott Hotels India.

“Marriott is adding four hotels on average every year in India. Fairfield, which is a mid-scale brand, will be an important part of our expansion strategy,” he added.

Marriott International plans to introduce the Fairfield brand in other Indian cities including Surat, Vadodara, Indore, Ranchi, Manesar, Goa, Mumbai, Lucknow, Noida and Visakhapatnam.

Marriott in February signed a franchise agreement with GHJM Hotels for the Fairfield by Marriott in Surat, Gujarat (TTG Asia e-Daily, February 7, 2013).

“Marriott has been a successful hotel group in the Indian market and we expect the Fairfield brand will be well accepted here,” said Manan Mahajan, vice president, Yatra Exotic Routes.

Marriott International is also looking to strengthen links with the travel trade, through which it derives eight per cent of its business in India and aims to increase this to 15-20 per cent by end-2013.

The travel trade was a “focus area” for Marriott this year, said Gupta.

Marriott International kickstarted customer appreciation events last week with Yatra Exotic Routes, is working towards popularising the Marriott Affiliate Program among Indian travel consultants, and is planning its first travel trade awards this year.

“We are asking travel trade partners to enrol in a pin number programme, which will give consultants access to wholesale rates,” said Gupta.

ACCOR has launched a Bahasa Indonesia version of its ibis.com portal, following the success of the Indonesian-language version of Accor.com a couple of years ago.

Accor Malaysia-Indonesia-Singapore regional director of sales, marketing and distribution, Adi Satria, said with more than 100 million Internet users and 37 per cent Internet penetration in Indonesia, the country was important for the digitial potential it offered.

“(An Accor) survey conducted in 2012 also showed that more than half of Indonesian travellers like to book hotels online, be it through the hotel website (27 per cent) or through OTAs (28 per cent). Therefore, web portals have a significant role in distribution and customer loyalty,” he said.

Asked what percentage of ibis hotel rooms were booked through ibis’ Internet and other web-based channels, Adi said the rates differed between destinations.

“In Bali, it is 30-40 per cent; in Bandung, 25-30 per cent; and in Jakarta, about 20 per cent. With the Bahasa Indonesia portal, we expect an increase of 40-50 per cent (in online bookings) for the overall (ibis) network,” he shared.

In the meantime, Adi said the repositioning of the ibis family brand in Indonesia was on track. Following the brand conversion of Accor’s economy chains in Indonesia ibis properties, the hotel group is now upgrading its infrastructure to reflect its new stance.

Separately, Angkasa Pura Hotels yesterday announced the opening of the 144-room ibis budget Surabaya Airport, the first ibis budget brand property in the country and the first airport hotel under Angkasa Pura Hotels.

Angkasa Pura Hotels is a subsidiary of Indonesia’s airport authority, Angkasa Pura Airports, which is venturing into the hospitality industry by opening airport hotels (TTG Asia e-Daily, March 21, 2013).

The next Angkasa Pura Hotels property to be managed by Accor as well is the ibis budget Makassar Airport, which will open in 2014 with 121 rooms.

CENTARA Hotels & Resorts will soft launch the five-star Centara Grand Phratamnak Resort Pattaya in September.

The property is located in Pattaya’s premier residential area of Phratamnak Hill and is a short drive away from destinations such as Jomtien Beach, downtown Pattaya, Bali Hai Pier and the Pattaya Exhibition and Convention Hall.

Featuring 165 guestrooms and suites, each room at Centara Grand Phratamnak Resort Pattaya comes with a private balcony, Nespresso coffee machine and free Wi-Fi, among other amenities.

Guests can also make use of the free shuttle service to and from Central Festival or dine at the rooftop Ruffino’s Restaurant & Bar, or any of the resort’s other dining venues serving fresh seafood, Thai and international cuisines.

Other facilities include a rooftop pool, pool bar, and a beach house with a two-storey spa centre. The hotel’s meeting facilities include a meeting room that seats up to 80 pax theatre-style, and a delegates’ bar ideal for small functions and coffee breaks.

HONG Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) is ramping up its marketing efforts to lure more visitors from Thailand, on the back of strong tourism figures from the kingdom.

Pote Sakuntalak, managing director of World Discovery Travel Network, HKTB’s representative in Thailand, said: “The number of Thai outbound travellers to Hong Kong has increased 10 per cent in the first five months of 2013, partly due to the strong Thai baht versus Hong Kong dollar in the earlier part of this year.”

According to HKTB statistics, Hong Kong recorded 501,759 Thai arrivals in 2012, a 4.4 per cent increase from 480,497 in 2011.

In Thailand, HKTB has intensified outreach efforts, such as jointly participating in consumer events this year with Shenzhen tourism authorities to promote multi-destination itineraries, according to Pote.

As the Thai outbound segment to Hong Kong has gradually evolved to produce more FITs, HKTB has also published more travel guides and materials in Thai to meet rising demand.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong’s hospitality players have locked on to this growing market. Said Andrew Chan, director of sales, Panda Hotel Hong Kong: “There is a 32.2 per cent increment from Thailand from July 2012 to June 2013. Malaysia is still the top South-east Asian market for us, but Thailand is becoming our (second-best) market.”

Having zeroed in on Thailand as its target market for 2013/2014, the hotel is anticipating another 10-15 per cent growth from the Thai market in the third quarter and 15-20 per cent in the last quarter of 2013, according to Chan.

Lilian Lui, director of sales and marketing of Kowloon Shangri-La, said: “Having (seen) the potential in South-east Asia including Thailand, we have revved up our marketing efforts in this region…We have seen promising growth of over 30 per cent in this market, depending on the travel season.”

However, increasing competition from other regional destinations may impinge on Thai travel demand for Hong Kong in the second half of 2013.

Noted Pote: “The Thai baht has since depreciated a bit, while Japan has waived visa requirements for Thais for short-term stays. While it is still too early to tell, I think Japan’s visa waiver is likely to have an impact (on demand for Hong Kong).”

MERLIN Entertainments, the British company responsible for the world-famous Madame Tussauds wax museums, has the Singapore attractions market in its cross hairs.

According to Singapore’s The Business Times, representatives from the firm were in the Lion City to view potential sites for setting up an attraction.

David Bridgford, strategy director, Merlin Entertainments, was quoted by the paper as saying that the company was “committed to investing in Singapore”, but a suitable site had not yet been found.

In the meantime, Merlin is also paying close attention to the proceedings regarding the Singapore Flyer, which was placed under receivership in May (TTG Asia e-Daily, May 30, 2013).

In the same interview, Bridgford told The Business Times that the company would monitor the receivership process, but the Singapore Flyer was “certainly of interest” to Merlin.

Merlin Entertainment operates close to 100 attractions across 22 countries, including Legoland theme parks, Sea Life aquariums, Madame Tussauds wax museums and the landmark London Eye.

THE second edition of IT&CM India, originally planned for August 20-23, 2013, has been rescheduled for August 2014.

Due to a smaller-than-expected exhibition showcase, the organisers have deferred the tradeshow in the interests of stakeholders and participating delegates, to ensure they continue to benefit from a quality and effective business platform that is the hallmark of any IT&CM event.

Clients and partners affected by the rescheduling will be contacted.

CHENNAI-BASED AirAsia India is likely to start domestic services this October with initial flights to South Indian cities such as Bengaluru and Kochi.

The LCC, a joint venture between AirAsia Group, Tata Group and Telestra Tradeplace, has already applied for a no-objection certificate from India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation and expects to obtain clearance for launch soon. AirAsia holds a 49 per cent stake in the airline.

AirAsia India will commence flights with its three existing Airbus aircraft and hopes to add 10 planes annually. AirAsia will invest US$30 million into the joint venture and offer low-cost fares in a market plagued by high fuel and airport costs.

Apart from domestic routes, flights to Gulf and African destinations are also on the cards.

Speaking to reporters in New Delhi on Wednesday, AirAsia CEO, Tony Fernandes, said: “I am hopeful that we will be able to start operations from October. I think the market is now conducive for us to stay here for a fairly long time. India’s population of 1.3 billion offers immense potential to us.

“Considering that 50 per cent of the domestic air travel market in India is between Delhi and Mumbai, through our South India operations we will strive for equal distribution of air traffic.”

Welcoming the news, Arun Anand, managing director, Midtown Travels, said: “Allowing AirAsia to start domestic operations with Indian partnership is a very positive decision. At a time when air ticket costs are going up in the domestic sector, AirAsia, through better management of operations, could offer low fares.”

He said AirAsia flights would help to boost traffic to and fill beds in hotels in destination cities.

“With AirAsia’s upcoming operations, there is a mood of optimism in the Indian tourism scene and as tour operators, we feel we can offer better services and with happy clients, generate more business,” he added.

MILLENNIUM & Copthorne Hotels (M&C) has opened its first overseas M Hotel and eighth property in China, M Hotel Chengdu.

The 196-room hotel is located a 13-minute drive away from Shuangliu International Airport, a five-minute walk from the upscale Xin Nan Tian Di area, and a 10-minute drive away from Chengdu High Tech Zone Park, where many Fortune 500 companies are based locally.

Each room at M Hotel Chengdu is equipped with a separate working area and flat-screen TV, while deluxe and en suite rooms come with kitchenettes.

Other facilities and services at the hotel include a gym, indoor pool, squash court, table tennis area, billard room, kid’s area, 24-hour in-room dining service, a library for surfing the Internet or reading, as well as two business meeting rooms.

Both Asian and International cuisines are served at the M Café on the second floor of the hotel.

M&C operates seven other properties in mainland China: Millennium Hotel Chengdu, Millennium Harbourview Hotel Xiamen, Millennium Hongqiao Hotel Shanghai, Millennium Hotel Wuxi, Copthorne Hotel Qingdao, the luxury Grand Millennium Beijing Hotel, and serviced apartment complex Millennium Residences Beijing Fortune Plaza.

In the China pipeline are also Millennium Fuqing in Fujian and Millennium Hangzhou Resort in Zhejiang.

WIDUS Resort and Casino, located in Pampanga, is undergoing major expansion to tap the newfound potential in increased Middle East flights and MICE opportunities within the area.

The 119-key property will see another 114 rooms come on stream through the addition of a second tower in October, while lobby expansion will start in 1Q2014.

Upgrading works to the casino, starting 4Q2014, will equip it with a 500-pax ballroom and three new F&B outlets, including a steakhouse.

The hotel will also get three more food outlets, says Alfred Reyes, general manager, Widus Resort and Casino.

The property’s convention centre, completed in early 2013, currently offers two major halls of 455m² and 189m², respectively. It will be improved to add another 2,000m² of space through the addition of a 75-pax plenary room and five 50-pax breakout rooms.

Widus is also in negotiations to acquire an additional 1.5 hectares for a water park adjacent to the property, while a third hotel tower with 300 rooms is planned for 2017-2018.

Reyes said the outlook for the property appeared bullish with new flights due to start. Emirates is launching a Dubai-Clark service on October 1, Qatar Airways is starting Doha-Clark flights on October 27, and Etihad Airways is rumoured to be readying an Abu Dhabi-Clark link for the near future.

“We’re also looking at MICE business from the local and Asian market. We expect 50 per cent of our business to come from Clark Freeport Zone, which has over five hundred business locators,” Reyes noted.

Widus wants to tap the opportunities presented by Clark’s yearly Philippine Balloon Festival, the Philippine MICE Convention in 2Q2014 that Clark is hosting, as well as the multi-venue Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit 2015. It is also experimenting with staging concert acts.

Reyes said that while South Korea and US guests, and the corporate market would continue accounting for most of Widus’ hotel business, he hoped to diversify into the Japan market and the medical tourism market, with the world-class, Joint Chiefs International-accredited 150-bed Medical City hospital being built at Clark’s Global Gateway Logistics City in the next few years.