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.”

THE LUXURY Collection Hotels & Resorts is continuing its regional growth momentum with the debut of seven properties over the next three years in key gateway cities and resort destinations in Asia.

Paul James, global brand leader, St. Regis and The Luxury Collection Hotels & Resorts, said:  “As a new generation of global affluent travellers emerge, we are strategically growing our portfolio beyond the traditional luxury grid and in diverse destinations, like Hainan Island and Chennai, that have become important hubs for business and leisure.”

The Royal Begonia, a Luxury Collection Resort, Sanya will open in August 2012 as the brand’s first resort in China. The hotel will offer 142 guest rooms, and eighteen luxury villas – each featuring a private pool and gardens. In September 2012, the 171-room Twelve at Hengshan, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Shanghai will make its debut.

Looking ahead in China, The Castle, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Dalian is scheduled to open in 2014, while The 1958, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Suzhou is set to launch in July 2015.

In India, The Luxury Collection will reach ten hotels this August with the introduction of ITC Grand Chola, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Chennai.

The brand will also reach its third property milestone in both Thailand and Indonesia with the opening of 80-room Vana Belle, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa, Koh Samui in December 2012, and 64-room The Sarasvati, a Luxury Collection Resort, Bali in January 2014.

TUNE Hotels, which opened three hotels in the Philippines earlier this year, is set to unveil seven more properties in the country by the first half of 2014.

Ann Olalo, Philippines country head for Red Planet Hotels, which manages the Tune Hotels brand in the country, said the rapid expansion was being fueled by escalating demand for budget accommodation options.

The seven Tune Hotels in the pipeline include one in Manila’s Makati CBD – scheduled to open this month, three more in Manila, one each in Davao and Cagayan de Oro in the south, and another Iloilo in the Visayas.

While priced as economy hotels, Tune Hotels feature five-star beds, pressure showers and accessible locations to attract the middle class. Olalo said: “In fact, we have corporate accounts targeted at middle management.”

The three existing Tune Hotels in Ermita (Manila), Clark and Cebu boast 40 per cent walk-in guests, while nearly 60 per cent of customers make online bookings through the Tune Hotels website and Agoda.com. “We still do traditional selling with travel (experts), but that has become a minor segment,” said Olalo.

So far, Tune Hotels’ only local competitor in terms of market, pricing and product concept is Go Hotels, which is also fast expanding into secondary destinations, said Olalo.

SINGAPORE Airlines’ budget offshoot Scoot will introduce its inaugural Singapore-Taipei flights from September 18, instead of in October as previously announced (TTG Asia e-Daily, June 6, 2012).

Operated thrice-weekly using Boeing 777-200 aircraft, the outbound flights will depart Singapore Changi Airport at 01.05 and arrive at Taipei’s Taoyuan airport at 05.40. The return flight will leave the Taiwan capital at 15.40 and arrive in Singapore at 20.10.

To mark the launch of the Singapore-Taipei route, Scoot is offering a 48-hour sale from July 9, with economy fares starting from S$88 (US$69) per pax (one-way).