CHAN Brothers Travel will be holding an opening sale at its new flagship store and cruise centre anchored at Fook Hai Building in Singapore from July 21-22, 2012.

Spread over 370m2 of retail space, the new flagship store and cruise centre has boosted the company’s retail capacity by 15 per cent.

“Business growth does not come to a standstill just because we are plagued by economic uncertainties, said Anthony Chan, group managing director of Chan Brothers Travel.

“On the contrary, we are grabbing the bull by the horns, and amplifying our brand presence to expand the business online and on the ground.”

Offers at the upcoming sale will include 1-for-1 deals for selected package tours to China, 50 per cent off for second travellers plus 20 per cent off for children on selected package tours to Asia, up to S$600 (US$472) off for second travellers on selected package tours to Europe and the US, free flights for the first child for selected package tours to Australia and New Zealand, and up to S$500 off per cabin for worldwide cruises.

REAL estate developer CapitaLand has announced its intention to purchase the Somerset Grand Cairnhill serviced residence in Singapore from its associate, Ascott Residence Trust (REIT), for S$359 million (US$283 million).

Situated near Orchard Road, Somerset Grand Cairnhill, which currently offers 146 serviced residence units in studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom formats, will be redeveloped into CapitaLand’s first-ever integrated serviced residence and condominium project.

The revamped property will feature a 20-storey serviced residence tower with 371 units; the rest of the development will comprise high-end residential units.

The serviced residence tower is expected to be sold back to Ascott REIT for S$405 million in 2017, and will operate under a hotel licence – allowing it to accommodate both short- and long-term guests.

Meanwhile, Ascott announced that it would be splashing part of the S$283.6 million earned from divesting The Ascott Raffles Place and Ascott Guangzhou to Ascott REIT, on investment opportunities in Europe.

ANNIE, a Broadway and West End classic featuring everyone’s favourite little redhead orphan, premiered yesterday at the Sands Theater, Marina Bay Sands in Singapore.

Inspired by the Little Orphan Annie comic strip that first ran in the New York News in 1924, this uplifting rendition of Annie’s rags-to-riches journey from a New York orphanage to the home of billionaire businessman Oliver Warbucks features a 52-strong cast and company.

Scheduled to run till August 5, the musical showcases British comedy star Su Pollard as the scheming Miss Hannigan, and UK stage veteran David McAlister as Daddy Warbucks, whose heart is softened by the young orphan Annie, played alternately by three young actresses from the UK.

The show also boasts one of Broadway’s most memorable scores, with favourites such as Tomorrow, It’s The Hard Knock Life, You’re Never Fully Dressed Without A Smile, and Easy Street.

“Annie is one of the major productions that Lunchbox Theatrical Productions, in partnership with BASE Entertainment Asia, is bringing to Singapore (TTG Asia e-Daily, March 27, 2012),” said James Cundall, chief executive of Lunchbox Theatrical Productions.

“I am absolutely delighted to be able to bring not only such a legendary Broadway musical to this city, but a cast of such calibre as well. I’m sure local audiences will give them a very warm welcome.”

Ticket prices for the show range from S$68 (US$51) to S$178, including a S$3 booking fee per ticket.

Visit www.BASEentertainmentasia.com/annie or www.MarinaBaySands.com/Ticketing, call (65) 6688-8826, or head down to the Marina Bay Sands box office to secure a ticket.

AFTER almost a year of haggling, Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone and the Singapore government have finally agreed to extend the Singapore Grand Prix for another five years, according to a report in TODAYonline.

Originally scheduled to lapse after this year’s edition from September 21-23, the previous deal also included an option for a further two races in 2013 and 2014.

Earlier this week, Singapore’s Second Minister for Trade & Industry, S Iswaran, revealed that discussions between Ecclestone and race promoter Singapore GP to extend the event were still ongoing.

Iswaran emphasised that Singapore would continue to host the race “only if the terms for a full five-year extension (were) economically viable”.

The costs of hosting the Singapore Grand Prix are believed to include an annual rights fee of around US$40 million, and another S$150 million (US$118.5 million) to prepare for each race – of which 60 per cent is funded by the Singapore government.

A feasibility study on the benefits of securing an extension for the race revealed that the first three editions raked in more than S$420 million in tourism receipts, and attracted an average of more than 110,000 international visitors to Singapore each year.

PREMIER Inn, the UK’s largest budget hotel chain with over 630 properties and 49,000 rooms, launched its inaugural Asia-Pacific hub in Singapore on July 4 as part of plans to expand its regional presence beyond India (TTG Asia e-daily, March 15, 2012).

The Singapore office will be helmed by the company’s senior vice president development, Asia-Pacific, Erik van Keulen.

“Premier Inn recognised the great potential for growth in the budget hotel industry in Asia, and we felt the time was right to build on our other international operations and grow the business in the region,” said van Keulen.

“Singapore was selected owing to its prime location, which serves as the perfect gateway to South-east Asia and the (rest of Asia-Pacific),” he explained.

Van Keulen told TTG Asia e-Daily that Premier Inn was looking to bolster its presence in China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore. Properties in these locations would initially be situated in city centres, resort areas and near airports, “in keeping with the region’s travel patterns and key destinations”, he said.

A subsidiary of the UK-based hospitality conglomerate Whitbread, Premier Inn intends to grow its Asia-Pacific portfolio through a ‘capital right’ model, which will see the chain working closely with owners and developers to manage their hotels under the brand, instead of the owner-operator model adopted in the UK, said van Keulen.

RESORTS World Sentosa, which opened the 172-key Equarius Hotel and 22 Beach Villas earlier this year (TTG Asia e-Daily, February 14, 2012), has added two treetop lofts, Angsana and Tembusu, to its accommodation portfolio.

Conceived as “log cabins in the sky”, the Tree Top Lofts are cantilevered on four 1.3m-wide columns, and are perched seven and 12 metres above the ground.

The lofts blend into the forest canopy to offer guests a “back to nature” experience, with panoramic views of Mount Faber to the north and Sentosa’s forests to the south.

Both lofts offer over 73m² of living area and more than 90m² of outdoor terrace space – which can be used for private events. The wood-clad interiors feature high ceilings, large sliding glass doors, windows with mosquito screens, and a double roof system to keep the lofts cool throughout the day.

Angsana and Tembusu are now available for booking, with rack rates starting from S$3,000++ (US$2,370) a night.

AIRASIA X commenced twice-weekly services between Kuala Lumpur and Kathmandu on July 3, ending the monopoly by Nepal Airlines on the route.

Azran Osman-Rani, CEO, AirAsia X, said: “We see a strong tourism potential for the Kuala Lumpur to Nepal route and vice versa. This was proven by our 100 per cent load factor during our inaugural flight from Kathmandu to Kuala Lumpur on July 3.”

“Our flight into Nepal will foster new business travellers between South-east Asia and Nepal. We see strong feeder traffic between the two countries,” he added.

“In the near future, we are also looking at increasing our flight frequencies from Kuala Lumpur to Kathmandu.”

Earlier this week, Malaysia Airlines announced that it would start new Kuala Lumpur-Kathmandu flights in September (TTG Asia e-Daily, July 9, 2012).

GRAND Hyatt Erawan Bangkok has embarked on an extensive refurbishment, with the first 83 upgraded guestrooms to be unveiled this August.

American interior designer Tony Chi has been engaged to mastermind the makeover of the five-star hotel, which has been in operation since 1991.

Divided into two phases, the makeover will involve the re-modelling of 374 guestrooms and suites, as well as the Grand Club Lounge. The first phase, which began in March, will see a total of 197 rooms upgraded by October. The second phase will run from April till September next year.

The renovated guestrooms will be available for reservations later this month, for stays from late-August onwards.

MARRIOTT International has finalised its agreement with Weligama Hotel Properties to operate the Weligama Bay Marriott Resort & Spa in Sri Lanka (TTG Asia e-Daily, August 12, 2011).

Scheduled to open in 2014, the 200-room, 11-storey resort will be located in Weligama, a popular southern destination famous for its beaches and stilt fishermen.

Resort facilities will include 640m2 of flexible event space, three restaurants, one swimming pool with a pool bar, and a spa and fitness centre.

“Marriott is delighted to be extending its portfolio and opening a world-class hotel in Sri Lanka,” said Simon Cooper, Marriott president & managing director, Asia-Pacific.

“Sri Lanka is a destination that has great potential and opportunity, and we hope to capitalise on that and establish a strong presence in the country.”

Cooper added: “While India, the UK and Germany are the largest source markets for hotels in Sri Lanka; the Middle East and Russia are the emerging source markets. With the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority aiming to achieve a target of 2.5 million tourist arrivals by 2016, we are confident of attracting great leisure and business guests to the property.”