Keith Hardie
STARWOOD Hotels & Resorts has appointed Keith Hardie as general manager of Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel & Towers, Bangkok.
Hardie returns to Thailand from being general manager of the 761-key Le Royal Meridien, Shanghai.
Previously, he was general manager of the Westin Grande Sukhumvit, Bangkok.
Apichart Asa
OUTRIGGER Hotels and Resorts Asia Pacific has appointed Apichart Asa as general manager of Outrigger Laguna Phuket Resort and Villas.
Prior to joining Outrigger in 2011, Apichart was general manager of the Metadee Resort in Phuket.
Chris Ong
PAN PACIFIC Hotels Group has appointed Chris Ong as general manager of Pan Pacific Ningbo and Pan Pacific Serviced Suites Ningbo, which are scheduled to open in June this year.
Ong started his hospitality career with Starwood Hotels and Resorts at Sheraton Utama Hotel in Brunei, and spent more than a decade at several Sheraton properties, including Sheraton Ningbo Hotel, China.
In his last appointment, he led the opening of the 770-room Sheraton Hsinchu Hotel in Taiwan.
A SURGE in foreign investment and trade missions to Sri Lanka is expected to grow the destination’s business travel segment, as well as its ability to host business events.
Speaking to TTG Asia e-Daily on the sidelines of a Sri Lanka Business Association investment seminar, Duminda Ariyasinghe, executive director (investment promotion), Board of Investment of Sri Lanka, said: “Increased trade missions to Sri Lanka will benefit tourism arrivals, while property investments will boost the country’s infrastructure. Singapore arrivals into Sri Lanka are growing (up 34.3 per cent between 2010 and 2011), and trade missions and business trips are playing a part.”
“Then, there is Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, which is going to open two hotels in Sri Lanka,” he added.
The Hong Kong-based hotel chain will open the 661-key Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo in mid-2015. Its second property in Sri Lanka, the 315-key Shangri-La’s Hambantota Resort & Spa, will open in 2014, and will be surrounded by an 18-hole golf course.
Other upcoming foreign investments include an US$800 million resort development in Katana by South Africa’s Sun City; the US$250 million Havelock City luxury residential, commercial and lifestyle project in Colombo, backed by Singaporean S.P. Tao who was also behind the capital’s World Trade Centre; and a US$115 million mixed-use development by Singapore’s Mustafa Shopping Centre.
According to Ariyasinghe, the Sri Lankan government is also planning to establish a waterfront development in Colombo comprising a convention centre as well as commercial and entertainment outlets, although no timeline has been set as yet.
Hiran Cooray, chairman, Jetwing Hotels, said Sri Lanka was “poised to (become) a premium MICE destination”. “We may not build something like Resorts World Sentosa right away; maybe within the next five years,” he added.
Meanwhile, Jetwing Hotels is busy expanding its portfolio to cater to the increasing number of Asian visitors to Sri Lanka. The group has overhauled and repositioned the former Blue Lagoon in Negombo from a two-star resort into the luxurious Jetwing Blue Negombo, complete with meeting facilities including a grand ballroom for 800-pax (theatre-style).
A DEARTH of effective local financing solutions, as well as prohibitive foreign investment laws is preventing international hotel developers and operators from cashing in on Myanmar’s tourism potential as it continues to undergo political reform.
Speakers at the recent Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific (HICAP) UPDATE breakout session on Myanmar revealed that hotels in the country’s capital and main international gateway, Yangon, were now running at 60-70 per cent average occupancy.
Ram Nurani, general manager, Parkroyal Yangon said: “In the last 20 months alone, we’ve seen occupancy rates grow by 20 per cent, as tourists are now visiting the country outside of the peak October to March season.”
In spite of these encouraging numbers, international hotel chains are still wary about taking the plunge into Myanmar. Global and regional hotel players make up less than 10 per cent of the country’s current room inventory.
According to Sukhdeep Singh, managing director, Myanmar Hotels International, the Myanmar banking system had to be liberalised if the country was to bolster hotel development.
“Ideally, local banks should be granted an international licence to remit money abroad. This facility does not exist at the moment, and Myanmar stands to become more attractive to developers and investors if current laws on outward remittances are relaxed,” he explained.
Jonathan Kyaw Thaung, CEO, Capital 8 Singapore added: “The (Myanmar) government has yet to issue full banking licences to foreign banks, and hence, foreign investors face a distinct lack of financing options. Moreover, domestic banks charge exorbitant lending rates which make investing in (Myanmar) less worthwhile.”
Speaking to TTG Asia e-Daily on the sidelines, Baron Ah Moo, CEO, Kalan Real Estate was of the opinion that Myanmar would require a new legal framework for foreign investors should it wish to nurture its hotel sector.
“The government has to enact bankruptcy laws to shield foreign investors if they go under. This will help mitigate the high level of risk involved in investing in Myanmar,” he said.
A CHECK by TTG Asia e-Daily on Kingfisher Airlines’ inventory offered via the various GDSs has indicated that the beleaguered airline is progressively suspending all bookings on international routes.
Starting with Mumbai-Hong Kong on March 12, the suspension will involve all international services by March 25. Delhi-London (Heathrow) flights will be suspended on April 10. Overseas destinations affected include Bangkok, Colombo, Dhaka, Dubai, Hong Kong, Kathmandu, London (Heathrow) and Singapore.
A check on the Kingfisher website confirms the route cull as the latest flight schedule shows flights only up till March 25. So far, the airline has not provided instructions on recourse for passengers already booked beyond this date.
In a statement released on March 14, Kingfisher’s vice president – corporate communications Prakash Mirpuri said: “We would like to confirm that we are curtailing our wide body overseas operations that are bleeding heavily. To this end, we have already returned one Airbus A330-200 to the lessor in the UK.”
Debt-laden Kingfisher is seemingly banking on an equity sale to a foreign carrier to lift its prospects. Mirpuri said at the close of his statement: “The (Indian) government’s final verdict on removing the restriction on investment by a foreign airline…is awaited. We can confirm that there is interest from prospectives on this basis.”
Current regulations restrict foreign ownership of an Indian airline to a 49-per cent stake.
MOVENPICK Hotels & Resorts is to manage a new resort on Huma Island in Palawan, the Philippines.
Andreas Mattmüller, COO, Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, Middle East & Asia, said: “This is our second resort in the Philippines after our property in Cebu, and it is a magical place that I am sure will cast an unforgettable spell over anyone that visits.”
The Mövenpick Resort & Spa Huma Island will feature 80 over-water bungalows with private jacuzzis when it opens in 4Q2012. There will be six F&B outlets offering Lebanese, Italian, Asian and seafood dishes as well as an entertainment room, a library, a fitness centre and a spa with six treatment rooms.
The island will be accessible from the mainland via seaplane and luxury speedboat.
The Huma Island resort is one of 15 new hotels in Asia to be opened by Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts by 2015. The region has been a major focus for expansion by the Swiss hospitality group, which already operates two properties in Thailand, two in Vietnam and one each in India, the Philippines and Singapore.
SILVERSEA Cruises has rolled out a new programme that offers corporate and incentive groups an array of complimentary amenities.
Available for group bookings of 10 or more suites, the programme includes:
1) Complimentary use of the show lounge, conference room and other onboard venues for meetings and presentations.
2) One complimentary berth for every nine paid berths.
3) Complimentary upgrades for all suites from Veranda to Deluxe Veranda category.
4) Complimentary Internet access.
5) Onboard spending credit of US$250 per person (which can be redeemed for spa treatments, shore excursions, boutique purchases, and more).
Nett rates start from US$2,566 per person.
For a complete list of 2012 sailings offering the new corporate and incentive group programme, visit www.silversea.com/group-offers
THE PORTMAN Ritz-Carlton, Shanghai has introduced a new Shikumen Meeting Package that allows meeting planners to play a part in preserving Shanghai’s unique architectural heritage, the Shikumen.
Available from now till the end of the year, the localised package allows guests to lay a brick while staging their meetings and events at the hotel, which will go towards construction of a Shikumen façade in its lobby. Bricks are available for purchase at RMB188 (US$30)/piece.
The package is available for both half- and full-day meetings, with rates starting from RMB788+ per guest. It includes exclusive use of a standard meeting room from 8am – 5pm, choice of specialty am/pm coffee break, standing lunch to be served outside or sitting lunch served inside the meeting room, usage of one LCD projector and screen, standard meeting amenities, and a dedicated meeting concierge.
An optional Shikumen Day Tour for an additional US$69 per pax is also available with minimum participation of 10 pax per group. The tour includes visits to four different Shikumen areas in Shanghai, transportation and a multi-language tour guide.
For reservations, contact The Portman Ritz-Carlton, Shanghai Groups and Catering Team at (86-21) 6279-8888, or email flora.zhang@ritzcarlton.com/calvin.xiao@ritzcarlton.com for more details.
AIRASIA X will increase its flight frequency from Kuala Lumpur to Taipei and Perth in June as part of its strategic shift to focus on key markets.
Services to Taipei will be increased from daily at present to eleven flights a week starting June 22, while services to Perth will be raised from daily to nine flights a week from June 24, the airline said in a statement.
AirAsia X CEO Azran Osman-Rani said: “AirAsia X is responding to the strong and growing travel demand to and from Taiwan and Australia. The demand for travel to Perth and Taipei recorded strong average passenger loads in excess of 85 per cent in 2011.”
“The additional flights will open up new horizons for commercial activities and boost tourism in the ASEAN region, Taiwan and Australia. We are confident that the network realignment plan (will) strategically expand our growth in Australia and Taiwan.”
