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.