ACCOR is ramping up its footprint in Kuala Lumpur with the introduction of its premium economy brand – ibis Styles.

The 156-room ibis Styles Kuala Lumpur Cheras opened on October 1, while the 500-key ibis Styles Kuala Lumpur Fraser Business Park is slated to launch on October 25. Both hotels offer all-inclusive accommodation, which is packaged with breakfast and Internet access.

Located in the South Cheras commercial and light industrial district, ibis Styles Kuala Lumpur Cheras features a restaurant, a bar and five meeting rooms.

Situated in Sungei Besi, ibis Styles Kuala Lumpur Fraser Business Park offers convenient access to Chan Sow Lin Light Rail Transit Station for an easy commute to business areas, shopping malls and attractions within Kuala Lumpur’s Golden Triangle.

Gerard Guillouet, senior vice president, Accor Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore, said: “The arrival of ibis Styles Kuala Lumpur Fraser Business Park and ibis Styles Kuala Lumpur Cheras will mark the first international premium economy brand hotels in Malaysia. Guests can experience two new styles with one international identity in two different locations.”

Andy Muniandy, director of sales & business development, Asian Overland Services Tours & Travel, said: “As ibis Styles is a well-known brand abroad, it will be an easy sell to partners overseas. There are not many international brands in the premium economy category in Kuala Lumpur. Both properties are also good for groups as we have our own vehicles to ferry them to the hotels.”

Adam Kamal, managing director, Tina Travel & Agencies, said: “The big inventory at ibis Styles Kuala Lumpur Fraser Business Park will be good for incentive groups. Complimentary Wi-Fi in both properties is a plus factor, as it is still a novelty in Kuala Lumpur hotels.”

THE Wyndham Hotel Group has signed deals for 16 hotels throughout India and Indonesia, 12 of which will be in the former.

The group’s first Howard Johnson in India is scheduled to open next March in Bangalore, joining 16 hotels that are already in operation and another 15 that are currently under development in the country.

“Our focus for India will be similar to our strategy in China. We will concentrate on penetrating secondary and tertiary markets, where there may not even be an international brand, and work to place products where value-driven markets can stay,” said the group’s managing director for APAC, Frank Trampert.

A number of agreements were sealed with India-based firms to plant six Howard Johnson hotels, one Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham, one Days Inn and four Ramada properties.

Trampert said he foresaw great potential for growth in India, with the group anticipated to sign around “60 hotel deals in total over the next five years”. There are also plans to localise the brands. For instance, unlike the Howard Johnsons in the US, those in India would have an F&B facility.

Wyndham will make its first foray into Indonesia when it opens three Howard Johnsons – one each in Bali, Surabaya and Makassar – and a Ramada in Bali.
Trampert said: “Indonesia is an interesting market in comparison to India, as last year the country drew 7.5 million foreign arrivals compared to India’s 6.2 to 6.3 million. There’s therefore a great need for more world-class properties to cater to this demand. From a tourism perspective, Indonesia offers tremendous opportunities.”

Meanwhile, Wyndham still intends to augment its presence in China, where it currently has 470 hotels.

In the longer term, Wyndham hopes to make its mark in Indochina, most notably Myanmar and Cambodia.

“These fantastic markets are seeing an influx of foreign investment, but the primary challenge, as in other developing countries, remains the infrastructure. We are not ruling these destinations out, but we are still in the interim stages of working out how we can plant ourselves there,” said Trampert.

AS Singapore’s population continues to age, silver tourism has the potential to develop into a top market for outbound travel companies, according to the results of a pilot study of 377 Singaporeans presented during the NATAS Travel Conference at ITB Asia last week.

Based on the findings, Goh Chin Kwee, lecturer, gerontological management studies, Temasek Polytechnic, said: “The segment of travellers between 50-59 years of age is the best group to target (for silver tourism). They are at the age bracket before the onset of illness and often have children who are of independent age of 18 years old or older.”

“For the older group of travellers between 65-74 years of age, they are willing to pay more for trained medical service support, despite being in the more price-sensitive segment (as retirees). A significant 85 per cent would purchase fully arranged tour packages – the older they are, the higher the tendency.”

Goh also pointed out the trend of improving Internet literacy among these older travellers, who are becoming increasingly comfortable with online purchases. He added that inter-generational travel was more common among baby boomers in Asia, unlike their counterparts in the West who often travel with people their own age.

Aaron Teo, consultant, Golf Holidays Singapore, estimated that senior travellers comprised 10 per cent of his company’s clientele.

“Senior tourism is not a clearly defined segment, plus their preference to travel with their families as a mixed-age group also makes it hard for us to identify their needs. They are certainly more into tailor-made, lifestyle packages that are slower-paced, as well as (displaying) a keener interest in culture, religion and food compared to younger travellers,” he said.

“However, they are also more cautious of risks, such as the (propensity for) floods in Thailand, so the sales outlook for this segment remains unclear.”

THE Chinese subsidiary of MGM Resorts International and gaming tycoon Stanley Ho’s Sociedade de Jogos de Macau (SJM) have signed separate land deals with the Macau SAR government to build new casino resorts in the Cotai Strip.

MGM China Holdings, which already owns and operates MGM Macau, forked out US$161.4 million, including a down payment of US$56.2 million, to secure a 71,833m2 plot of land adjacent to the Avenida da Nave Desportiva.

Armed with a budget of approximately US$2.5 billion, MGM China plans to construct a five-star luxury resort and casino that will offer 1,600 hotel rooms, 500 gaming tables and 2,500 slots. Over 85 per cent of the property’s gross floor area will be set aside for non-gaming facilities, including F&B, retail and entertainment offerings.

Meanwhile, SJM, owner-operator of the Casino Lisbao and Grand Lisbao, has paid US$269.5 million for the right to build a new five-star luxury resort and casino on a 70,468m2 site in the Cotai Strip.

The new resort will incorporate a casino with up to 700 gaming tables and 1,000 slot machines, a range of non-gaming facilities including venues for dining, shopping and entertainment, as well as 2,000 hotel rooms and suites.

Construction of the two resorts is expected to begin after the publication of the Land Concession Contracts in the Official Gazette of Macau, and is anticipated to take up to three years.

LUXURY travel operator Orient-Express has appointed Heavens Portfolio as its official sales and marketing representative for Singapore/Malaysia, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Shane Arrold, regional director of sales, Asia-Pacific, Orient-Express, said: “We believe (Heavens Portfolio) is the perfect partner for Orient-Express in the region, given their depth of relationships, market knowledge, ability to drive business and expertise in representing products which offer unique travel experiences aimed at capturing the imagination of discerning travellers.”

Heavens Portfolio is a sales, public relations and marketing representative firm with offices in Hong Kong, Macau, China, Taiwan, India and Singapore.

Headquarted in London, Orient-Express’s business encompasses hotels, rail journeys and river adventures across six continents.

MYALN.COM, an OTA based in Shanghai and specialising in luxury travel packages for the Chinese leisure market, has registered a five-fold increase in business compared to a year ago.

Frank Lin, CEO, myALN.com, said: “We handle tens of thousands of FITs each month, 60 per cent of whom travel within China, with the other 40 per cent headed to destinations such as Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam and Cambodia.”

Participating at ITB Asia last week as a buyer, Lin told TTG Asia e-Daily he was keen to expand his product portfolio by adding upscale leisure packages and luxury hotels in key destinations.

“The average budget of our outbound clients is US$700-800 per pax excluding airfare, while their length of stay ranges from three nights to a week,” he said.

According to Lin, high-end Chinese travellers are starting to favour destinations in the Middle East and Polynesia, with Dubai and Hawaii top of their lists.

Lin added that they were especially interested in Western culture, shopping, and any location that was “Chinese-friendly”.

AMADEUS has introduced a new user interface and mobile application for its online corporate travel booking tool, Amadeus e-Travel Management (AeTM).

Currently used by over 6,000 corporations in 59 markets, AeTM has undergone a workflow redesign, streamlining the booking process and enabling travellers and travel arrangers to saving time on tasks.

The new booking experience, which is closer to the flow that travellers are used to on leisure websites, also enables a higher acceptance of the company travel programme, while reducing the need for heavy management and mandating processes.

The mobile app, Amadeus e-Travel Management Mobile, allows travellers to make air and rail bookings via their iPhone and Android mobile devices. The app is currently in beta testing mode in Scandinavia and will be released to users in the next few months.

Albert Pozo, VP global customer group, Amadeus, said: “The feedback from clients who have been testing both tools to date is overwhelmingly positive.”

MYANMAR Airways International (MAI) is considering adopting technologies offered by air transport communications and IT firm SITA to bolster its future growth.

U Si Thu, managing director, MAI, said: “MAI is about to embark on a major route expansion across the region and it is critical that this is supported by efficient IT systems in order that we meet passenger and operational expectations.”

If implemented, the new IT platform will be introduced over the next three years, and is expected to improve efficiencies, while lowering costs in areas such as passenger and baggage management, airport operations and aircraft communications.

MAI carries 500,000 passengers per year between Yangon and Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Gaya and Guangzhou.

The airline recently ramped up frequencies to existing destinations and will begin a thrice-weekly service to Hong Kong in December. It is also planning to add medium-haul routes to South Korea, Japan and Taiwan.

EMIRATES has upped the frequency of its Dubai-Hong Kong flights to thrice daily, providing over 1,100 seats per day between the two destinations.

Effective this winter (from October 28), EK385 and EK381 will depart Hong Kong at 21.15 and 00.35, arriving in Dubai at 04.50 and 05.35 respectively. Return flights EK 384 and EK380 will depart Dubai at 03.05 and 10.05, and will touch down in Hong Kong at 17.30 and 21.05 respectively.

The third flight takes off from Hong Kong daily at 17.55, arriving in Dubai at 23.10, while the return flight leaves Dubai at 03.20 to reach Hong Kong at 14.30.

Emirates operates the Hong Kong-Dubai route with a mix of Airbus A380, Boeing 777-300ER and Airbus A340-300 aircraft.

“Hong Kong is one of the most important markets in the region for both business and leisure travellers. We have been witnessing a huge demand in the past few years, and have greatly increased passenger capacity and flight frequencies since we first launched the route in 1991,” said Edwin Lau, vice president, Emirates Hong Kong.

Emirates recently upgraded its airport lounge at Hong Kong International Airport. The facility is now equipped with a sitting area for 150 passengers, a business centre, shower facilities and a dedicated prayer room.

The carrier will be launching services to Adelaide on November 1, Lyon on December 5, Phuket on December 10, Warsaw on February 6, 2013 and Algiers on March 1, 2013.