Expedia Group adopts Amadeus NDC technology
Amadeus has teamed up with Expedia Group to deploy New Distribution Capability (NDC) technology for the global online travel agency.
Having worked with Expedia Group for nearly two decades, this multi-year agreement reinforces Amadeus’ commitment to accelerate the industry evolution towards modern, enhanced retailing, and to help the travel ecosystem to deliver value that supports both industry growth and an improved traveller experience.
NDC allows airlines to easily build, and tailor offers using the latest merchandising techniques, and to efficiently present and distribute them in a way that enriches and enhances the shopping experience for travel sellers such as Expedia Group and its customers.
Expedia’s vice president, global connectivity & partner solutions Chris Hodges commented: “Renewing our partnership with Amadeus and integrating its aggregated NDC content to our connectivity portfolio marks a significant step forward in our collaboration. This move further emphasises our commitment to offering travellers the widest range of choices and personalised experiences, in line with the industry’s ongoing embrace of NDC technology.”
“Amadeus is determined to enable all stakeholders to make the most of the potential that NDC can deliver, and bringing one of our largest online travel agency partners onboard is a great illustration of this. Building on our relationships with both airlines and travel sellers, we are in a strong position to foster cross-industry collaboration on NDC to the benefit of travellers everywhere,” said Sam Abdou, executive vice president global sales airline IT, distribution and global online travel agencies, Amadeus.
IHG Hotels & Resorts signs new voco in Seoul
IHG Hotels & Resorts has partnered with Gravity Asset Management’s Seoul South Gate Hotel Operations Company and Hotel HDC Co. to sign the new voco Seoul Myeongdong in South Korea.
The 576-room property will be rebranded as voco and will be IHG’s second voco property in South Korea, following the successful brand debut of voco Seoul Gangnam in 2022.
Situated at the heart of Seoul’s vibrant district of Myeongdong, voco Seoul Myeongdong is in close proximity to the business district and provides convenient access to attractions such as Deoksugung Palace, City Hall, Myeongdong shopping street and Namdaemun Market.
Less than an hour’s drive from Incheon International Airport, the hotel will feature an all-day dining restaurant, lounge, indoor swimming pool, fitness centre, business centre, and meeting spaces.
“With the increasing demand for upscale hotels in the country, we look forward to bringing voco’s distinctive lifestyle experience to a growing number of domestic and international travellers, and introducing more IHG brands, including Kimpton and Hotel Indigo, to the market,” shared James Oh, Korea representative, IHG Hotels & Resorts.
Il Moon, managing director, Hotel HDC, said: “We’re looking forward to leveraging IHG’s global scale, expertise, and stellar reputation in the industry to bring success to voco Seoul Myeongdong, and are excited to embark on this journey together, which we hope will be the first of many collaborations.”
Philippine Airlines to launch Manila-Seattle route in October
Philippine Airlines (PAL) will launch non-stop flights between Manila and Seattle starting October 2.
The Manila-Seattle-Manila services will initially operate three times weekly, every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, with departures at 22.40 (local time) from Manila’s Terminal 1, and at 23.40 (local time) from Seattle Tacoma International Airport.
The Philippine carrier will deploy Boeing 777-300ER aircraft to perform the Seattle services, with full-flat seats in Business Class.
The flights from Philippines will provide convenient connectivity to various US mainland cities, including Chicago, Houston, Las Vegas and Washington DC via PAL’s airline partners. Likewise, travellers from the US will be able to get connecting flights via Manila to PAL’s domestic and regional international network, including cities such as Cebu, Davao, Bangkok, Singapore, Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur.
Jetstar launches Clark-Singapore service
Starting on June 16, Jetstar Asia will resume direct flights from Singapore to Clark, the Philippines, offering four weekly return services.
This frequency will increase to five weekly services starting on October 18.
The route will be operated on Jetstar Asia’s growing fleet of Airbus A320s.
World of Sanrio arrives at Macau’s Studio City
From now to June 30, Studio City in Macau presents the Sanrio Characters Studio City Carnival where guests can embark on a Sanrio journey with their favourite characters including Hello Kitty, My Melody, Kuromi, Cinnamoroll, Gudetama, Pompompurin, Bad Badtz-Maru, Kerokerokeroppi, and Little Twin Stars.
Featuring life-sized installations of Sanrio characters with camera-ready spots throughout the resort, guests can explore Sanrio-themed interior designs, savour gourmet delights at selected outlets, and enjoy a Sanrio-themed Golden Reel cabin experience complete with a limited-time Sanrio Characters afternoon tea set offer.
There will also be interactive activities such as meet-and-greets with Sanrio Characters, complimentary popcorn, and opportunities to receive special gifts.
For more information, visit Sanrio Characters Studio City Carnival.
The Calile Hotel welcomes new GM
Chris Kemlo has been appointed as general manager of The Calile Hotel in Brisbane.
In his new role, Kemlo will be taking a guest approach, people approach and a business approach to further enhance the guest experience at The Calile.
With more than 18 years’ experience in the industry, he previously held leadership positions with Crown Resorts in Melbourne and, more recently, with Crown Towers Sydney.
David Roberts joins Fusion Hotel Group as COO
Fusion Hotel Group has named David Roberts as its new chief operating officer.
With 20 years’ experience in the Asian hospitality sector, Roberts joins the Vietnam-based team at Fusion from his previous base in Thailand where he worked as vice-president at Onyx Hospitality Group for nine years.
Audra Arul helms as cluster DOS for Kandima, Nova Maldives
Kandima Maldives has appointed Audra Arul as cluster director of sales for its Dhaalu Atoll property, and Nova Maldives.
With over a decade of experience in the hospitality industry, she will leverage her strategic vision and market knowledge to elevate the sales performance and strengthen the position of the resorts.
Air Canada’s longest flight by distance takes off
Air Canada’s newest international service – and the only non-stop flight between Singapore and Canada – has commenced, with an arrival in Singapore this morning.
Stretching 12,818km, the route is the airline’s longest flight measured by distance even though the flying time from Singapore is scheduled to be only 14 hours and 40 minutes.
The Singapore-Vancouver route is operated with Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners offering a choice of three cabins: Air Canada Signature Class featuring lie-flat individual pods; Premium Economy featuring larger seats with additional leg room and premium services; and Economy featuring complimentary chef-inspired and designed meals, wines, and beverages.
The service is operated four times a week, with flights departing from Vancouver International Airport every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday; and from Singapore Changi Airport every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.
Mark Galardo, executive vice president, revenue and network planning at Air Canada, said: “These new Singapore flights are part of our strategic expansion at (Vancouver International Airport) which, together with an efficient and seamless in-transit connection process, further position the airport as the preferred North American gateway to Asia.
“Singapore is also an important gateway from beyond destinations. Customers have a multitude of connection options travelling from South-east Asia, Southern India and Western Australia with our longstanding codeshare and Star Alliance partner, Singapore Airlines.”
Lim Ching Kiat, executive vice president for air hub & cargo development at Changi Airport Group, said the new service was “especially timely, as travel volume between Singapore and Canada last year has seen a healthy rebound, exceeding 85 per cent of pre-pandemic levels”.
Vancouver Airport Authority president and CEO, Tamara Vrooman, noted that the new service from Vancouver International Airport would generate US$18 million in economic output and support jobs across the sector.
Marina Bay Sands (MBS) has entered the final phase of design and programme enhancements for its multi-billion-dollar expansion, with full-scale construction of the project (subject to planning approval) anticipated to begin by July 2025 with a targeted completion by July 2029.
The expansion will include a luxury hotel tower with a sky roof, a 15,000-seat entertainment arena and additional premium MICE space, as well as new F&B and nightlife offerings.
MBS’ expansion will play an important role in driving additional inbound travel to Singapore – the new arena will help attract top entertainers from Asia and around the world who previously may not have included South-east Asia on their tours, while the additional MICE space will help attract more new-to-Singapore events.
The project is separate from a US$1.75 billion reinvestment in the existing property. The largest reinvestment since MBS’ opening in 2010, it has already seen the complete refurbishment of Hotel Towers 1 and 2, in addition to new dining offerings and luxury lifestyle amenities for high-value travellers.
Refurbishment work is now focusing on Hotel Tower 3, in addition to the Hotel Lobby and Sands SkyPark, which will include a reimagined VIP arrival experience, new premium dining and retail offerings, lobby transformation and renewed focus on wellness experiences for guests.
“With the ongoing support of the Singapore Government, this development will further enhance the leisure and business tourism appeal of Singapore. It optimises the site’s programming elements and is designed to drive high-value tourism growth to Singapore,” said Patrick Dumont, president and COO of MBS’ parent company, Las Vegas Sands.
“This significant investment in Singapore will help ensure Marina Bay Sands is ideally positioned to grow its economic, employment and visitorship contributions in the years ahead.”