THE 405-room Days Hotel Singapore at Zhongshan Park and 384-room Ramada Singapore at Zhongshan Park have been busy building up their talent pool for their respective openings in December 2012 and February 2013 (TTG Asia e-Daily, March 14, 2012).

Tony Cousens has been appointed pre-opening general manager of the two properties, while management for the human resources, sales & marketing, revenue, F&B and rooms departments are already in place.

Cousens brings with him over 30 years of hotel management experience in North America, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific, including previous stints with Le Meridien, Four Seasons and Jumeirah. He also led the successful relaunch of Marina Mandarin Singapore in 2005.

“Our immediate task now is to recruit associates to join us as part of our pre-opening team for both hotels,” said Cousens. “We are looking for people who will come and shape the future of the two international hotels within the Wyndham family in Singapore.”

As part of its recruitment efforts, Days Hotel will be hosting a career fair from August 17-18 at the Drama Centre Foyer of the National Library Board building in Singapore.

BEST Western International (BWI) has launched the Best Western Premier Dua Sentral in Kuala Lumpur.

Located in the up-and-coming business and transportation hub of KL Sentral, the 364-room flagship property marks BWI’s entry into the Malaysian capital, and is also the inaugural Best Western Premier hotel in the country.

Glenn de Souza, BWI’s vice president, international operations – Asia & the Middle East, said: “We are delighted to open this stunning new hotel and introduce our Best Western Premier brand to Malaysia.”

Best Western Premier Dua Sentral offers rooms with sizes ranging from 34 to 183m². Hotel facilities include eight function rooms with space for 12 to 192 pax, three F&B outlets, an infinity-edged swimming pool, and a spa.

Elsewhere in Malaysia, Best Western Wana Riverside Hotel will open in Malacca later this year, while other Best Western properties are also scheduled to open in Ipoh, Klang, Shah Alam and Petaling Jaya (TTG Asia e-Daily, February 23, 2012).

BWI expects to operate 11 properties and more than 1,700 rooms in Malaysia by 2015.

IBIS has introduced a Ramadan promotion across its hotels in Indonesia to boost business during the upcoming Islamic fasting month.

Scheduled to run from July 20 to August 26, the Ramadhan Dimana? Di ibis Saja promotion is available at 19 ibis Styles/all seasons, ibis hotels and Formule1/ibis budget properties in Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya, Jogjakarta, Semarang, Solo, Pekanbaru, Balikpapan and Bali.

Packages are priced from 450,000 rupiah (US$50) per night, and include pre-dawn meal/breakfast and fast-breaking meals (or standard dinner).

Guests will get double Le Club Accorhotels points and flexible check-in/check-out times, as well as opportunities to win free stays at ibis branded hotels in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore and a grand prize of a sponsored Umrah (pilgrimage to Mecca).

Speaking at a press conference in Jakarta yesterday, Accor Indonesia-Malaysia-Singapore regional director, sales, marketing & distribution, Adi Satria, said: “Over the last five years, the Ramadhan programme has become a tradition for the ibis brand family and has proven very popular with our guests.

“A similar programme last year (TTG Asia e-Daily, July 14, 2011) attracted nearly 400,000 guests throughout the month of Ramadhan, and this year we expect to achieve similar results.”

TRAFALGAR has launched its latest winter itineraries to Europe, highlighting Christmas-themed vacations and immersive experiences.

Positioned as The Insider, this year’s winter lineup features immersive experiences such as drinking warm red wine at Christmas markets in Vienna, and cruising along The Seine river in Paris.

Trafalgar has also introduced three new winter itineraries – “Paris & Rome”, “Highlights of France & Barcelona with Madrid extension” and “Best of Morocco” – bringing its portfolio for the season to a total of 33 programmes.

Three family-dedicated departures have also been added, featuring highlights such as Flamenco lessons in Spain, pizza-making sessions in Rome, and painting carnival masks in Venice.

Nicholas Lim, Trafalgar’s regional director, said: “We have proactively sought to set ourselves apart, creating in-depth itineraries with exclusive trip highlights and enhanced inclusions.

“Singaporeans are some of the most frequent travellers in the region, and we fully expect the figure to grow as we head into the peak season for winter journeys,” he added.

CARLSON Rezidor Hotel Group will roll out the latest iteration of its Radisson Blu brand campaign, Turning the World Blu, across Asia-Pacific during the second half of the year.

An update on last year’s Discover Blu campaign (TTG Asia e-Daily, September 23, 2011), Turning the World Blu will run across 15 markets in Asia-Pacific, mainly through online advertising on established media channels and selected pan-regional business titles.

The campaign will feature architectural landmarks in key Radisson Blu markets, iconic photography, and visuals of hotel interiors.

Experiential consumer touch points will also be introduced, such as 3D interactive street art to highlight Radisson Blu’s free Internet, tinted Radisson Blu branded sunglasses for guests to experience the world from a ‘Blu’ perspective, and a ‘Blu Day’ in October to mark a regional celebration.

Lucinda Semark, executive vice president, revenue generation, Asia-Pacific, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, said: “This campaign is part of our three-year brand investment strategy in Asia-Pacific to encourage travellers to ‘Discover Radisson Blue’.”

Since 2011, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group has invested US$7 million in building the brand’s global visibility, of which US$3 million was spent on the Radisson Blu brand campaign in Asia-Pacific between 2011 and 2012.

Simon C Barlow, president, Asia-Pacific, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, said: “We have established strong growth momentum in Asia-Pacific, expanding the portfolio from one Radisson Blu hotel and resort in 2010, to 29 at the end of 2011. By 2015, the group will have close to 70 Radisson Blu hotels and resorts operating in the region.”

THAI Airways International (THAI) has introduced special flight arrangements for Thai Muslims planning to go on the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

The first flight will depart from Hat Yai on September 17, which is the first day of the pilgrimage. From September 17 to November 15, THAI will operate twice-daily services from Hat Yai to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, in addition to one daily flight each from Phuket and Krabi.

THAI will operate a total of 42 special inbound and outbound Hajj flights, using Airbus A330-300 aircraft with a 295-seat capacity. The carrier expects to serve approximately 6,000 Hajj pilgrims during this period. Roundtrip airfares for the special flights start from 48,500 baht (US$1,530) per pax.

Meanwhile, THAI and Brussels Airlines have entered into a codeshare agreement on the Brussels-Bangkok route, a thrice-weekly direct service launched by THAI last November (TTG Asia e-Daily, November 21, 2011).

“The codeshare agreement between the two carriers will offer passengers greater choice in travelling (between) Bangkok (and) Brussels, with access to other parts of Europe as well as South-east Asia,” said Pandit Chanapai, THAI executive vice president, commercial department.