OVOLO Group, a Hongkong-based hotel and serviced apartment owner and operator, will open its first overseas property in Melbourne, Australia in third quarter 2012.

The company has forked out A$11.7 million (US$12.6 million) to acquire Somerset Gordon Heights Melbourne from Ascott.

After a refurbishment, the property will feature a mix of studio, one- and two-bedroom units, as well as penthouses with balconies. There will be 43 units in total.

“Melbourne was identified as the (site for our) first (overseas) property due to the trendy nature of the city, which fits in well with Ovolo’s branding,” said Ovolo Gorup general manager of business development & marketing, Gaurang Jhunjhnuwala. “We are looking to grow into (other) main cities (in Australia) in coming years.”

A timeline has not yet been determined for further expansion within Australia, he added.

Ovolo Group, founded in 2002, has a portfolio of six hotels and serviced residences on Hong Kong Island and West Kowloon, as well as a serviced office property, Izi.

THAILAND is reconsidering its open-door policy for international visitors after it was established that the three Iranians accused of planning an attack on Israeli diplomats in Bangkok had spent time in Pattaya prior to visiting the capital.

Even though the country receives 12 million overseas visitors and more than US$25 billion (S$32 billion) in tourism evenue each year, lax visa and law enforcement policies have been blamed for an influx of criminals, and now, terrorists.

Last week’s scuppered bomb plot forced Thai authorities to recognise that the country was a target for international terrorist networks, and prompted the tourism ministry to shelve a plan that would have allowed nationals of Middle Eastern countries to avail of visas on arrival.

Instead, immigration authorities have since been ordered to be more vigilant when conducting background checks on potential visitors, especially those from countries that might be considered breeding grounds for terrorist activity.

AIR Australia was placed into voluntary administration earlier today after creditors discovered the airline had insufficient funds to cover basic operational expenses.

The carrier, which operates scheduled services to Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Derby and Port Hedland, and to international destinations such as Denpasar (Indonesia), Phuket (Thailand) and Hawaii, has been forced to suspended all services indefinitely, leaving about 4,000 passengers stranded without flights.

Qantas and Jetstar are offering fares to stranded passengers at the same price as their Air Australia tickets, while Virgin Australia said it would offer discounted tickets to passengers stuck in Denpasar, according to a report in ABC News.

These passengers were earlier asked to make their own alternative travel arrangements.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines will offer additional flights from Singapore to Denpasar starting March 26, boosting frequency on the route from five-weekly to daily.

The Netherlands flag carrier will operate its Singapore-Denpasar services using Boeing B777-300 and B777-200 aircraft configured with 35 business-class seats, and 390 or 283 economy-class seats, respectively.

“We recognise the growing popularity of Bali as a travel destination,” said Paul Rombeek, general manager Singapore, Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand, Air France KLM.

“The introduction of daily flights to the destination will offer customers greater convenience and flexibility in planning their travel schedule.”

THE CHARTERHOUSE Causeway Bay has joined Great Hotels of the World as the only member of its classic collection in Hong Kong.

“In less than two months since our co-operation began, the hotel has been accepted by reputable consortia agents and received a few meeting and convention business leads,” said Bernard Rodrigues, general manager of The Charterhouse Causeway Bay.

“We are ready to work closely with the Great Hotels of The World in order to develop more opportunities and drive business in the corporate market.”

Great Hotels of the World provides global hotel reservation, sales and marketing services for a selection of over 250 primarily independent hotels and resorts worldwide.

TRAVEL insurance will become compulsory for all outbound tour packages sold by members of the Malaysian Association of Tour & Travel Agents (MATTA), starting March 1.

“There have been many cases of travel companies becoming insolvent or absconding with the money of consumers,” said MATTA president, Mohd Khalid Harun.

“That is why MATTA has been pushing to make travel insurance mandatory, so that the interests of consumers are looked after.”

The new ruling follows the launch of MATTA’s outbound travel insurance coverage scheme yesterday, as well as the appointment of six insurance firms as official service providers.

The scheme will cover various aspects identified by MATTA, such as claims for medical, hospitalisation and treatment expenses, emergency medical evacuation and repatriation, and reimbursement of deposits/full payment of air tickets and tour packages.

Also covered under the scheme are claims for repatriation of mortal remains, compassionate visitation benefits, accidental death and permanent disability.

Reporting by N. Nithiyananthan