AN EARLIER-than-expected takeover of the management of The Datai, Langkawi has caught the resort’s staff by surprise. Overseas tour operators contacted by TTG Asia e-Daily are also in the dark as to whom the new management company, Archipelago Hotels & Resorts, is and whether the resort’s quality and style will remain consistent.

The Datai was managed over the past 17 years by Singapore-based General Hotel Management (GHM), which put it on the map as one of Malaysia’s foremost hotels.

Archipelago took over on July 28 (TTG Asia e-Daily, July 28). But a source at the hotel said while the change was impending, staff had expected it to happen only by the end of the year.

Last year, Khazanah Nasional, Malaysia’s investment holding arm, bought a 70 per cent stake in Teluk Datai Resorts, the owners of The Datai, and subsequently formed Archipelago, its own hotel management company.

Franz Zeller, who was Taj Luxury Hotels Resorts and Palaces senior vice president and COO, has been appointed managing director of Archipelago, and a corporate team to grow the portfolio has been assembled.

A luxury tour operator based in Singapore said no one from The Datai had contacted him yet about the change, while a UK luxury tour operator was concerned about “consistency of quality and style” following the change.

The new GM at Datai is Anthony Sebastian.

Contacted by TTG Asia e-Daily, Archipelago’s Zeller assured tour operators that the new management company would continue the resort’s successful journey.

“All of the associates of The Datai are retained and our guests can expect the same warmth of hospitality and commitment to excellence that they have come to expect,” he said.

– Read more in TTG Asia, August 5 issue

THERE were 3,597,632 visitors to Indonesia over the first six months of 2011, a 6.42 per cent increase over the same period last year, according to the Central Board of Statistics of Indonesia (BPS). Regionally, Bali experienced robust arrivals growth, while Jakarta posted a slight decrease in visitor numbers.

The Bali Statistics Agency (BPS Bali) recorded 1,303,609 arrivals to Bali in the first half of the year, a 10.56 per cent increase over the 1,180,118 visitors recorded during the same period last year.

Travellers from Australia contributed 26.73 per cent of total arrivals to Bali. “Australia showed a significant growth in arrivals, the highest among the top ten markets,” said BPS Bali head, I Gede Suarsa.106,400 visitors were from China, up 8.29 per cent over last year’s 98,258; Malaysian visitor numbers grew from 69,251 to 83,491, an increase of 20.56 per cent.

Meanwhile, arrivals to Jakarta decreased from 935,673 to 911,021, a drop of 2.63 per cent.

BPS data also showed that there were 5,262,800 outbound air passengers from Indonesia over the first half of the year, up 17.08 per cent over the same period last year.

Soekarno-Hatta International Airport recorded the highest outbound traffic with 2,656,200 passengers, 50.47 per cent of the total. This was 20 per cent more than last year’s 2,213,700 passengers.

Bali’s Denpasar International Airport came second with 1,432,600 passengers, contributing 27.22 per cent of total outbound traffic. This was a 7.95 per cent increase over the first six months of 2010, when there were 1,327,100 passengers recorded.

INDIA-listed Cox & Kings’ planned takeover of Holidaybreak UK (TTG Asia e-Daily, July 29) forced many people to do a double take.

Thus far, the major travel acquisitions have been the other way round, i.e. European firms buying Asian companies, as Europe’s growth stagnates while Asia’s bubbling pot spills over.

Also, what’s a company like Cox & Kings, with a reputation in high-end travel, doing in buying Holidaybreak, which specialises in the more humble school trips, adventure, camping and short breaks segment?

– Find out more in Editor’s Pick, ‘Say what?’

HOTEL groups have so far shied away from commenting on the recent statement by hotel booking agent GTA’s Thailand and Indochina team on stop sell policy (TTG Asia e-Daily, July 29).

Accor, Centara Hotels and Resorts and Onyx Hospitality Group informed TTG Asia e-Daily that they were reviewing the situation, while Dusit International declined to comment.

Accor explained that the matter was a complicated one, and was dependent on the booking situation at each of its hotels in different locations. Accor, however, stressed the need to honour allotment contracts with agents.

Chris Bailey, Centara Hotels and Resorts sales and marketing senior vice-president, said: “We will need to review our current trading situation with GTA to evaluate their effectiveness as a distributor of our product.”

Starwood Hotels and Resorts said it was “aware and would comply with the GTA statement”, but stopped short of commenting further by moving on to reiterate its online marketing strategies to attract more direct bookings via its branded websites.

A source from a destination management company, who asked not to be named, said hotels were partly to blame for the current standoff.

The source explained that some properties in popular destinations such as Phuket had been constantly putting up stop sell orders, and their actions might have upset agents holding allotment contracts.

By Sirima Eamtako

SINGAPORE-based Furama Hotels International (FHI) has added Furama Bukit Bintang to its portfolio.

The four-star business hotel is situated in Kuala Lumpur’s Golden Triangle, adjacent to Bukit Bintang and Berjaya Times Square.

The property features 433 rooms, meeting and conference facilities on the top floor, an executive lounge, a restaurant, a swimming pool with Jacuzzi, and a gym.

Jason Peck, FHI CEO, said: “With the soft opening of our forty-first Furama brand of hotel – adding to our 7,500 rooms, this time in Kuala Lumpur, we are forecasting aggressive expansion within the region for our three brands.”

FHI is aiming to expand its portfolio in the Asia-Pacific region comprising China, Indonesia, Taiwan and Thailand, to 60 hotels within five years.

AERIAL tours by helicopter over selected scenic spots in Malaysia are now available under the 1Malaysia Helicopter Tour packages brand.

Targeted at high-yield tourists, these packages are offered in Kuala Lumpur, Sabah and Langkawi.

In Kuala Lumpur, passengers can be picked up from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport or the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang, and transported to Genting Highlands through a scenic journey.

Options on offer in Sabah are the Mount Kinabalu Aerial Tour and the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park Tour. The aerial tour in Langkawi covers the Unesco Global Geopark, Mount Machinchang and Dayang Bunting Island. Commentaries on passing attractions and landmarks are provided during the tours.

The packages are offered by six travel agents – Shajasa Travel & Tours, Elite Luxury Vacations (M), Global International Travel & Tours, Langkawi Helicopter Xtours, Amazing Borneo Tours & Events and Discover Borneo.

Shajasa Travel & Tours Tour Operator, Hannah Wong, said: “Prices for helicopter tours start at 835 ringgit (US$278) per person for a 30-minute ride for a minimum of four persons.”

“The cost increases based on the package and whether they follow fixed or custom-made itineraries.”

The response to these packages will determine whether the agency considers covering other states and offers more options.

“We will work with other travel agents to promote these packages,” Wong said.

By N. Nithiyananthan

AIR INDIA’S bid to join the Star Alliance has been suspended because the India flag carrier did not meet the minimum joining conditions that were contractually agreed to in December 2007.

Following a recent review of Air India’s application status at a meeting between the Indian Ministry for Civil Aviation, Star Alliance CEO, Jaan Albrecht, and the Air India CMD, Arvind Jadhav, the decision to suspend has subsequently been confirmed by the Star Alliance chief executive board.

Star Alliance CEO, Jaan Albrecht, said: “With the collective decision to put the integration efforts on hold, we aim to contribute to Air India’s flexibility to concentrate on its ongoing strategic reorientation. In this process, our member carriers will continue to provide assistance to Air India wherever required.”

Air India’s existing bilateral relationships with Star Alliance member airlines are not affected by the decision, which also leaves room to discuss a potential alliance membership in the future.

SATS has formed a consortium with Creuers del Port de Barcelona to submit a proposal to manage and operate Singapore’s second passenger cruise terminal.

The Singapore Tourism Board’s (STB) second tender for the management and operation of the International Cruise Terminal (ICT) closed on July 29.

SATS is a Singapore-based provider of aviation gateway services. Creuers built and operates five international cruise terminals in the Port of Barcelona.

STB is aiming to appoint the terminal operator by early fourth quarter of 2011 at the latest (TTG Asia e-Daily, May 9), while the terminal is expected to be fully operational from second quarter of 2012.

THE ANGKOR Palace Resort and Spa will be rebranded from today as the Grand Soluxe Angkor Palace Resort and Spa to attract more high-end Chinese visitors.

The property’s chairman and owner, Ly Hong, said: “We have noticed that the hotels in Cambodia have not been able to attract many of the high-yielding Chinese tourists to visit Angkor temple complex.”

“We hope that through our partnership with the Soluxe Hospitality Group, (we) can help (our) country attract more of these tourists to visit our magnificent Angkor temples.”

Grand Soluxe Angkor Palace Resort and Spa, spanning an 11-hectare area in Siem Reap, offers 259 keys, a golf driving range, a swimming pool, a gym, tennis courts, a spa, two F&B outlets and function space for up to 120 on banquet.

China is the third largest source of visitors to Cambodia. Last year, the country attracted 177,636 Chinese arrivals, up from 128,201 in 2009. Of last year’s tally, some 138,012 people visited for leisure and 37,783 for business.

HOTEL booking agent GTA has clarified that an earlier statement released by its Thailand and Indochina team, indicating the intention to reject any stop sell orders by hotels should it find that one room is still available in the market, was taken out of context.

GTA area sourcing director for South-east Asia, Alex Tan, told TTG Asia e-Daily: “We are simply sending out a reminder to say that we would like hotels to honour the allotment contract,” he said.

“This stop sell policy is not new. But we are now facing a situation where we are requested one month in advance to stop sell.”

Tan said that the operator only wished to remind hotels that it had continuously helped them during more trying times, and thus it urged hotels to honour the allotment during peak periods.

“But if hotels come to a situation where they are overbooked and are to stop sell in a certain period, we are more than happy to help provided that the situation is genuine,” Tan said.

In a statement sent to hotel partners, GTA stated: “While the overall business is picking up, it is vital for all parties to remain transparent and ensure our partnership grows from strength to strength in order to maximise opportunities and thus, we would like to update you on the following points below.

“GTA Stop Sell Policy is as follows: GTA will reject any stop sell and will keep on selling, as long as: one room is available, regardless of the room type and regardless of the selling channel.

“GTA will approve any stop sell as long as no rooms are available in the market.”

By Sirima Eamtako