THE 434-key Conrad Seoul will open its doors in the Yeouido financial district on November 12, marking the brand’s entry into South Korea.

“Hilton Worldwide continues to expand our presence in Korea and the Conrad Seoul is an outstanding addition to our growing portfolio of Conrad Hotels in Asia-Pacific and to our expanding footprint in Korea,” said Martin Rinck, president, Asia Pacific, Hilton Worldwide.

“We are confident that this stunning property will be a great fit for the sophisticated and design-focused International Finance Centre Seoul (IFC Seoul) and will successfully cater to the ever increasing number of global, affluent travellers to this popular city destination,” added Rinck.

The 38-storey hotel will occupy one of four towers in IFC Seoul, with a luxury shopping mall and the Yeouido subway station located in its immediate vicinity.

While boasting expansive interiors measuring upwards of 48m2, each hotel room is implemented with Apple-based technology, which offer an all-in-one multimedia hub and a Mac computer. A key design of the hotel is the 40m spiral staircase connecting the first floor to the fifth.

Dining outlets include 37 Grill and Bar restaurant on the 37th floor, which offers 360-degree views of the city; an Italian restaurant, Atrio; and Zest, a three-meal restaurant with show-cooking stations and buffet islands. Its recreational facilities include a fitness club, a swimming pool, a golf driving range and a spa.

Conrad Seoul features 2,608m2 of meeting and banquet space across three floors, including two ballrooms seating up to 400 guests and 800 guests respectively as well as an 11 meeting rooms.

HOTELS in Ngwe Saung beach are now in the midst of reopening or revamping their premises ahead of the 2013 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, according to a spokesperson for the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism.

Five hotels that have been temporarily closed since 2006 – including Rainbow View Hotel, Hotel ACE, Asia World Hotel, Shwe Kayu and Shwe Thazin – will reopen to meet the expected room shortage during the SEA Games, while several other hotels have embarked on upgrading and expansion projects, the spokesperson added.

Ngwe Saung Zone Hotelier Association has already earmarked eight hotels to accommodate competitors participating in the yacht races that will be held at the beach during December 2013 as part of the games.

The existing 17 hotels at Ngwe Saung have a total inventory of more than 700 rooms. The ministry plans to add four more hotels in 2013, which will push the total number to more than 840 rooms if all 21 hotels can be opened next year.

Ngwe Saung welcomed more than 37,000 visitors, both from Myanmar and abroad, during the peak season last year, and hoteliers expect a higher number this season.

BEST Western International (BWI) has ramped up its presence in the Middle East with the opening of its first hotel in Bahrain.

The upscale Best Western Plus The Olive marks BWI’s latest expansion effort in the Gulf region, which follows the company’s debut in Saudi Arabia and the launch of the first Best Western Plus hotel in the region, plus its first-ever properties in Kuwait, Muscat and Riyadh earlier this year.

“The launch of our Best Western Plus brand in Bahrain marks another exciting stage in our Middle East expansion strategy,” said Glenn de Souza, BWI’s vice president international operations – Asia & the Middle East. “The Gulf region is one of the hottest hotel markets in the world today, and Bahrain is a key part of this.”

Located in the Juffair district of the capital, Manama, The Best Western Plus The Olive offers 250 guest rooms equipped with flat-screen TVs, minibars and high-quality mattresses, pillows and cotton linen. Complimentary Internet access is available in all rooms and public areas.

In terms of dining, the Vesuvio restaurant offers fine Italian cuisine, while Mantraa serves up modern Indian dishes plus daily breakfast. Other facilities include the Bhuvana Spa, a business centre, a gym, an outdoor swimming pool and 24-hour room service.

Best Western currently operates five hotels in the Middle East region, which are expected to increase to 23 by 2015, incorporating all three Best Western brands – midscale Best Western, upscale Best Western Plus and luxury Best Western Premier.

THE UK has lifted its travel advisory for visits to key tourist areas in Kashmir such as Jammu, Srinagar and Ladakh in the wake of improvements in the area’s security.

This makes the UK the third country to withdraw its travel advisory for Kashmir, following Germany and Japan in 2011, though it remains intact for travel to remote areas of the region.

Meanwhile, the US, Australia, New Zealand and several European countries still have travel advisories in place.

To further initiate dialogue with other trade players, negate the threat perception and persuade other countries to do away with travel advisories, Jammu & Kashmir Tourism is participating in roadshows in several countries.

Reacting to the news, P P Khanna, director of Diplomatic Travel Point New Delhi, said: “The withdrawal of the UK’s travel advisory on Kashmir will open the floodgates (of tourists) as the country is a prime source market for inbound tourists to India.

“Surely, other countries will follow suit now that the perception of insecurity in travel to Kashmir has been dispelled. Kashmir is and will continue to be a prime tourist destination in India.”

In 1H2012, Kashmir received 14,500 foreign tourists, a 24 per cent rise over the same period last year.

THE UK’s unpopular UK Air Passenger Duty (APD) came under fire on Monday night at the House of Commons, with travel industry leaders calling for a freeze on its planned increase and a reduction in duty levels.

Hosted by PATA CEO Martin Craigs, the dinner saw 50 global business leaders, members of parliament, ministers and international press come together in an aligned advocacy event aiming to draw attention to unfair taxation and travel-related schemes that were hurting tourism, especially UK outbound to longhaul destinations.

The UK APD is levied on outbound passengers and is said to be the world’s highest tax by a wide margin. The tax has also risen 140 per cent for economy class passengers and 325 per cent for business class passengers since 2007, and will be increased further next year.

According to Craigs, 73 per cent of PATA member destinations were in the two most heavily taxed bands of the UK APD.

An economy passenger from the UK flying to Australia has to pay 92 pounds (US$147) in taxes, while a business class passenger has to fork out 184 pounds. These amounts are to be revised to 94 and 188 pounds respectively come April 2013.

Craigs said the UK APD had turned away tourism and trade from Asia-Pacific, the world’s highest growing economic region.

“It is now time for a ‘declaration of interdependence’ among travel industry bodies. The travel industry is being victimised disproportionately by this tax. It negatively impacts travel industry jobs in the UK and abroad at a time when we desperately need to create growth,” he said.

“The best is yet to come, as we cajole and, where necessary, coerce political non-believers and short-termers into realising that travel and tourism is the fastest job-creating industry in the world.”