MÖVENPICK Hotels & Resorts has taken over management of the Mövenpick Resort & Spa Cebu with immediate effect.

Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts president and CEO, Jean Gabriel Pérès, said: “We are very excited about our arrival in the Philippines. It is a significant milestone for Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, as it marks our 15th signed hotel in Asia.”

The Mediterranean-inspired Mövenpick Resort & Spa Cebu, set on its own private beach on Mactan Island, offers deluxe and executive rooms, as well as one- and two-bedroom Executive Spa Suites.

Mövenpick has been busy extending its Asian presence, with four openings in India, Singapore and Thailand slated for this year (TTG Asia e-Daily, February 25).

PAN Pacific Hotels Group will open its flagship PARKROYAL hotel, PARKROYAL on Pickering, in Singapore next year.

The 363-room PARKROYAL on Pickering’s hotel-in-a-garden design, with sustainable characteristics including rainwater harvesting, automatic sensors to regulate energy and water usage, and solar cells to power landscape lighting, has earned it a Green Mark Platinum rating from Singapore’s Building and Construction Authority.

“With its design features, this is a brand-defining hotel for PARKROYAL,” said Patrick Imbardelli, president and chief executive of Pan Pacific Hotels Group.

The hotel, which will cost close to S$350 million (US$277.6 million) to build, will have a dedicated wellness floor with day spa, a 300m nature trail and waterfall walk, a pool terrace, a gymnasium, a business centre with full secretarial services, and a rooftop bar with 360-degree views of the city skyline.

Pan Pacific Hotels Group currently owns and operates three other PARKROYAL properties in Singapore – PARKROYAL on Beach Road, PARKROYAL on Kitchener Road and PARKROYAL Serviced Suites Singapore.

INTERCONTINENTAL Hotels Group (IHG) has signed a 20-year joint venture partnership with Duet India Hotels Group, the hotel investment arm of global asset manager Duet Group, to develop and manage 19 new Holiday Inn Express hotels across India by 2016.

IHG Asia Australasia’s CEO, Jan Smits, said: “The Holiday Inn Express brand will address the need for internationally branded and high-quality hotels for domestic travellers.”

IHG will invest through a 24 per cent equity stake, injecting US$30 million to support construction of the 19 hotels over the next five years. The first hotel is expected to launch by mid-2012.

The hotels will add approximately 3,300 rooms to IHG’s current India development pipeline of over 10,000 rooms (46 hotels), and will primarily be located in India’s major metros and key secondary cities, including New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore.

“IHG is strongly positioned to build a significant India footprint, with a growing presence in India’s key business and leisure hubs. Overall, we are on track to have a 150-hotel presence by 2020,” said Smits.

Over 75 per cent of IHG’s India pipeline is with the Holiday Inn family of brands.

WORLDHOTELS has opened its first office in India, with hospitality industry veteran Naresh Chandnani appointed as regional director hotel development for the Indian subcontinent and the Maldives.

Worldhotels’ vice president Asia-Pacific, Roland Jegge, said: “Opening a dedicated office in India is a significant step, supporting a fast-growing network on the subcontinent as we continue to expand worldwide.”

The new office in Delhi National Capital Region will support the group’s significant growth in India, with a portfolio of nine hotels in the region so far.

This includes the Asiana Hotel in Chennai, The Claridges in New Delhi and Surajkund, Pride Park Premier in Gurgaon, The Sahara Star in Mumbai, Aamby Valley in Pune, Matthan Hotel in Bangalore and new Svenska Hotels in Mumbai Juhu and Bangalore Electronic City.

Worldhotels’ network expanded to 450 hotels (100,000 rooms) last year, with 25 per cent growth in roomnight production from 2009. The group has added 73 new hotels to its portfolio in the last one year, many in new destinations.

THE THAI cabinet yesterday appointed Ayuthaya as the host city in the country’s bid to host the World Expo 2020.

The ancient Thai capital was chosen for its close proximity to Bangkok and its planned mega-infrastructure development compared to Chiang Mai and Chonburi, the other destinations shortlisted during a feasibility study led by the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) in August last year (TTG Asia e-Daily, August 23, 2010).

TCEB president Akapol Sorasuchart said Thailand would submit its bidding proposal to the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) within six months.

Thailand will need to win votes from at least 80 countries out of a total of 157 to secure its host country status, said Akapol.

Other countries in the running include Australia, Brazil, China, Denmark, the UAE, the US and South Africa. The BIE will announce the successful host country in 2014.

By Sirima Eamtako

CARLSON has expanded its Thailand portfolio with the opening of the 125-key Park Plaza Bangkok Soi 18 hotel.

“This is our second Park Plaza hotel in Thailand,” said Simon Barlow, president, Carlson Hotels, Asia-Pacific.

The Park Plaza Bangkok Soi 18 hotel is located near Sukhumvit, Bangkok’s entertainment and shopping district, and is within walking distance of the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center.

“The hotel will appeal to both corporate and leisure travellers,” said the hotel’s general manager, Martin Fabiano.

Besides Mezza, an all-day dining restaurant with a show kitchen featuring Western grill, local Thai delights and Mediterranean tapas, there is also Sway, the hotel’s rooftop pool bar and Chai, the lobby cafe.

The hotel offers private meeting spaces for small-to-medium-sized events, a fully equipped business centre and complimentary wireless Internet in all public areas.

TERRAPURI Heritage Village in Penarik, Terengganu, will soft-open on June 1 with seven heritage villages. This will be the inaugural property of CEO Alex Lee, who is also the CEO of Ping Anchorage Travel & Tours.

The boutique resort was initially scheduled to soft-open last August (TTG Asia e-Daily, July 12, 2010).

According to Lee, the resort is already fully booked for June and almost full for July. Projected occupancy for this year is 75 per cent.

He is targeting Asian and European FIT travellers and will work with agents overseas to promote the resort, which is about 45 minutes by speedboat from Redang Island’s famous dive sites.

Lee expects the resort venture to contribute at least 10 per cent of his overall business.

Featuring restored palaces and aristocratic houses from the 19th century, there will be 19 villas in total when the resort is fully open in April 2012. They will offer views of the South China Sea or the Setiu Wetlands. Facilities include a restaurant, spa, gallery and a swimming pool.

SILVERSEA Cruises’ Silver Shadow will not stop at any Japanese ports in four of its Asian voyages in April and May. They will instead be replaced with calls in China, Hong Kong and South Korea.

Referring to the change as a “difficult decision to make”, COO Kenneth Watson told TTG Asia e-Daily that many customers who were booked on those trips had done so to see Japan.

“But the concerns (of the nuclear crisis) far outweighed the guests’ desire to see the sights. We found that a lot of guests were concerned about calling at any ports of Japan, even at ports far away (from the affected area),” Watson explained.

He said there were several cancellations initially for voyages involving stops in Japan, but the revised itineraries and incentives, such as a complimentary two-day land programme in Beijing, encouraged customers to retain their bookings.

Steve Odell, senior vice president, Asia-Pacific, said the itinerary changes had even drawn new bookings, as they now feature an in-depth showcase of China, including Dalian, Tianjin and Qingdao.

Silver Shadow will next return to Asia in September, and the company is deliberating whether to replace Japan with other Asian ports for that season.

WITH six months to go before the opening of aLoft’s first property in South-east Asia, aLoft Bangkok – Sukhumvit 11 has already secured official hotel status for the 2012 Rotary International Convention and fielded several enquiries from travel agents and event houses.

Slated to open in October, the 297-room hotel will target leisure and business travellers, as well as small- to mid-size meeting and incentive groups. It has four meeting rooms that can each take 20 to 30 delegates in a classroom-setting.

A meeting and incentive programme that includes deals for first-time corporate bookers and top corporate spenders was launched late-March, and more opening deals will be unveiled later this month.

Located opposite the Bed Supperclub, the hotel will also offer guests complimentary VIP access to the popular dance club.

Director of sales & marketing Patcharee Bunma told TTG Asia e-Daily that Bangkok’s political stability since the second half of 2010 has helped hotels in the city centre, including those in Sukhumvit, see better occupancy rates and a pick-up in enquiries.