Trip.com, Singapore Tourism Board renew global partnership

October 25, 2023

Trip.com Group and the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the former’s Global Partner Summit – held at Resorts World Convention Centre – to renew their global partnership for three years.

Under the MoU, both parties will expand their collaboration and embark on joint campaigns to boost inbound travel to Singapore and promote more in-depth and lesser-known tours and experiences in Singapore.

The renewed partnership will see both parties embark on joint campaigns to boost inbound travel to Singapore

In addition, Trip.com Group will also leverage its expertise and resources to promote Singapore’s MICE offerings and explore digital innovations that enhance visitors’ experience in Singapore.

Both parties will launch marketing campaigns in mainland China and other key markets including Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand and South Korea, and also promote the various offerings, experiences and activities in Singapore, including new products relating to wellness and sustainability. Trip.com Group will also customise new itineraries for specific groups of travellers, including families, with the objective of enhancing their experience in Singapore.

STB’s chief executive, Melissa Ow, said: “We endeavour to deepen our collaboration (with Trip.com Group) to elevate Singapore’s status as a leading destination for leisure and MICE travellers. Additionally, we will expand the scope of our partnership to include exchanges on digital solutions and innovation, and jointly develop more in-depth travel products to diversify our destination offerings.”

“Singapore has always been one of the most popular destinations for the Chinese and other international tourists, and we have been collaborating with STB to promote tourism and showcase the beauty of this beautiful country,” said Jane Sun, CEO, Trip.com Group.

“Hosting our annual flagship Global Partner Summit – with its over 2,000 delegates – in Singapore earlier this week reflects our commitment to the local tourism sector and we will utilise our strengths, including content marketing, AI and innovation, to further strengthen Singapore’s position as a destination of choice.

Global Hotel Alliance remains on track for a record year for revenue

By TTG Asia

October 25, 2023

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Global Hotel Alliance (GHA) is on track for a record year with 2023 room revenues, room nights and total domestic and international stays year-to-date (YTD) all consistently higher than 2019.

Contributing to GHA’s 2023 gains are the 3Q2023 hotel revenues, which are 41 per cent higher than in 3Q2022, and room nights up 31 per cent year-on-year for the same period. The total revenue 2023 YTD has hit US$1.7 billion, 101 per cent higher than in 2022 YTD.

Hartley: this unbridled appetite for travel has made our loyalty programme even more compelling

With new GHA Discovery enrolments surging 46 per cent in 3Q2023 versus 3Q2022, the programme reached a major milestone with total membership topping the 25 million mark during the period.

GHA CEO Chris Hartley commented: “This unbridled appetite for travel, combined with more than 21 new properties across 14 brands joining GHA since the start of the year, has made our loyalty programme even more compelling, spurring huge growth in GHA Discovery membership to reach more than 25 million.”

The top three countries driving 2023 room revenue gains YTD are Spain, Thailand and Italy, with Singapore and the UAE coming in a close fourth and fifth.

Hotels generating the highest revenue from stays made by loyalty programme members in 3Q2023 showed Sugar Beach, A Viceroy Resort in St Lucia topping the list, followed by Parkroyal Collection Pickering and Parkroyal Collection Marina Bay, both in Singapore. Both Singapore properties also ranked in the top three for total room night stays made by members during this quarter, with the Marina Bay property ranking first and Pickering hotel taking the third slot. In addition, The Leela Ambience Gurugram Hotel & Residences in India was the second most popular property with GHA Discovery members in terms of total room nights.

3Q2023 highlights also included a significant 90 per cent increase in D$ rewards currency redemptions compared to 3Q2022, where total cross-brand revenue reached US$79 million, up 55 per cent from 3Q2022.

This builds on the US$135 million total cross-brand revenue generated in 1H2023, with GHA forecasting to hit US$280 million by year end.

Hartley anticipates further spikes in redemptions by end-2023 as “travel-hungry members use their D$ against winter vacations, topping them up with incremental spend to give 4Q2023 a boost”.

Singapore’s Changi Airport launches new travel campaign

By TTG Asia

October 25, 2023

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Changi Airport Group (CAG) has unveiled its new travel campaign which aims to show that one can enjoy travelling without the hassle of planning every minute of the trip.

Titled Shall We Just Go?, the campaign features six mystery destinations for anyone who is ready to fly within 30 days to participate in – and for just S$1 (US$0.73), the lucky winners will receive a prize package that includes a pair of return air tickets to a mystery destination and S$500 worth of Trip.com vouchers for accommodation.

The Shall We Just Go? campaign gives travellers a chance to win travel packages to six mystery destinations

Each of the six mystery destinations in the 12-week campaign is served by direct flights from Changi Airport within a four-hour flying radius. Open to all Singapore residents, participants simply have to indicate that they can take off in the next 30 days to enter the draw. Two winners will be selected every week, with one of them being a Trust Bank customer. Two additional winners will be selected towards the end of the campaign and they can choose their holiday destination from any of the six featured.

Shall We Just Go? is part of a broader campaign between CAG and Trip.com Group’s partnership to spur travel.

Lim Ching Kiat, executive vice president, air hub and cargo development, CAG, said: “Here at Changi Airport, we believe that travel should be an exhilarating adventure. Shall We Just Go? aims to capture the joy of spontaneity and anticipation of travel, blended with the ease of embarking on journeys without preconceived notions and meticulous planning.”

Cebu welcomes new resort on Bantayan Island

By Rosa Ocampo

October 25, 2023

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A luxury property, whose investors include Diethelm Travel CEO Stephan Roemer and Top Line Group managing director Heinz Zimmermann, has finally broken ground in Cebu’s Bantayan Island.

Using sustainable materials, The Ocoy Hotel and Villas by the sea will have 101 pool villas and feature an array of amenities including two exclusive restaurants and bars, wellness and spa facilities, basketball and tennis courts, and a dedicated kids’ club and family pool.

At the ground-breaking ceremony for The Ocoy Hotel and Villas in Cebu

The villas are being sold under the mixed-use ownership concept wherein buyers can opt to reside there with a la carte service packages or put the units for hotel operations for guaranteed profit and three-week holidays each year.

The villas for hotel operations will be shown as part of the inventory of the hotel booking system.

The developer, PhilSwiss United Holdings, is owned and managed by Swiss, Thai and Filipino citizens with Zimmermann as board chairman and Roemer as one of the directors.

The Ocoy Hotel and Villas will be operated by the Burasari Group of luxury hotels and resorts in South-east Asia, which owns properties in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. The group’s owner and managing director, Lily Udomkunnatum, is also a director of PhilSwiss Holdings.

Qatar Airways Group names new group chief executive

By TTG Asia

October 25, 2023

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Qatar Airways Group has announced that Badr Mohammed Al-Meer will take over as group chief executive from November 5.

He succeeds Akbar Al Baker, who has stepped down from the position after 27 years of service.

Twin Lakes Hotel welcomes new GM

By TTG Asia

October 25, 2023

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Rowena Relucio had been promoted to general manager of Twin Lakes Hotel, the upmarket property of Megaworld Hotels and Resorts in Batangas near Tagaytay.

She previously held the role of director of sales and marketing at the hotel.

Relucio has almost three decades of experience in the hospitality industry, including stints as assistant director of events and management in Edsa Shangri-La, sales and marketing positions at Manila Mandarin Hotel, Hotel Intercontinental Manila, Robinsons Hotels and Resorts, and B Hotel in Quezon City.

First Hyatt Centric branded hotel in South-east Asia grows from strength to strength

By TTG Asia

October 25, 2023

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The award-winning Hyatt Centric Kota Kinabalu is popular among travellers from China and South Korea

Brought to you by Hyatt Centric Kota Kinabalu

Bearing strong testimony to its robust growth, Hyatt Centric Kota Kinabalu commemorated its first anniversary amid positive guest sentiments and industry accolades, complete with key milestones.

Hyatt Hotels Corporation’s opening of the hotel late last year marked the debut of Hyatt’s rapidly growing lifestyle brand in Malaysia and South-east Asia.

Within one year of operation, the first Hyatt Centric branded hotel in South-east Asia clinched the MyMalaysia Tourism Awards 2023: Outstanding New Lifestyle Hotel; Pertubuhan Arkitek Malaysia (PAM) Award – Hospitality: Silver Award; as well as a Silver Certification by GreenRE.

The 222-key hotel also managed to up the popularity stakes, in particular gaining favour with travellers from China and South Korea. Guest sentiments have been exceptional during the first year too.

Hotel guests are generally impressed with its warm hospitality, thoughtful amenities and facilities, outstanding architecture and strategic location in the heart of the city’s lively dining and entertainment district.

Hotel highlights

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Building connections with the local community
In its first year, Hyatt Centric Kota Kinabalu has successfully reached out to the local community through meaningful activities that supported design, arts, sustainability and local culture, in line with its brand values.

Last December, the lifestyle hotel hosted the inaugural Ewan Lane Festival, in a bid to promote Kota Kinabalu’s urban culture and to foster connections with the local community.

The two-day festival spotlighted street art, extreme sports and music that featured street artists, painters, skateboarders, B-Boys and musicians, as well as 14 influential and diverse Sabahan artists who performed alongside the emerging young talents.

Esteemed chefs city-wide also whipped up a storm for the hotel’s specially curated its Best Bah-Ger (Burger) in Kota Kinabalu competition, a friendly cook-off at its ON22 restaurant.

To encourage hotel guests to explore the hidden gems of the neighbourhood, Hyatt Centric Kota Kinabalu even came up with guided street art tours.

Curated by a resident and local artist of Kota Kinabalu, participants could listen to the real stories and inspiration behind a collection of iconic works of street art through the 60-minute walking tour.

In addition, the boundary-pushing establishment took a bold step by partnering with well-known local designer, Melinda Looi, to come up with a striking and fun design for the hotel staff uniforms, paired with vibrant accessories from Happy Plastics Borneo made of upcycled plastic materials to promote sustainable fashion.

The sustainability front also saw the hotel advancing eco-friendly activations through its operations to garner the Silver certification by GreenRE for green building excellence.

Trailblazer in the F&B scene
Meanwhile, Hyatt Centric Kota Kinabalu’s novel culinary concepts is shaking up the F&B scene in the city.

The hotel introduced the immersion of the vibrant local Sabahan palate paired with true Sabahan hospitality, curated especially for food adventurers.

Now on the locals’ must-visit list, its all-day dining outlet ON22 with Chef Jun Yip Ho at the helm, is giving contemporary Asian cuisine a delightful twist by using fresh, sustainable, and mainly locally sourced ingredients, and centring it on the popular sharing concept.

Chef Jun’s signature Lambshank Rendang is one of the most-ordered dishes thanks to its succulent, fall-off-the-bone meat and flavourful sauce – a culinary delight that is worth a visit to ON22 just to try it out.

The hotel’s trendy ON23 Sky Bar is also making waves with its locally-crafted cocktails made with local ingredients, as well as its stunning panoramic views capturing the magical sunsets in Kota Kinabalu.

Talent at the heart
Hyatt Centric Kota Kinabalu remains committed to working closely with local talents to grow their careers, as well as learn from them to improve the hotel offerings and services to take it to the next level.

Manpower development continues to focus on regular staff engagement for job training and skills building for its workforce.

Fresh graduates are also given the opportunity to join the team and accumulate experience on-site for further career growth.

Ruben Schrijver, general manager, said: “I’m extremely proud of each team member; Working with such enthusiastic and friendly individuals in this hotel has been an absolute joy. After a year of noteworthy accomplishments, we’re eagerly looking forward to creating more memorable experiences with our guests and visitors.”

For more information or to book a stay,
Visit: www.hyattcentrickotakinabalu.com
Email: hyattcentrickotakinabalu@hyatt.com
Call/whatsapp: +60154 874 1234

To connect,
Facebook: Hyatt Centric Kota Kinabalu
Instagram: hyattcentrickotakinabalu

Fusion appoints new general managers at Vietnam properties

By TTG Asia

October 24, 2023

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Fusion Hotel Group welcomes three new general managers to its hotels in Vietnam.

Marcus Wirsching takes the helm as general manager of Maia Resort Quy Nhon. He has over 30 years of experience in the luxury hospitality industry, with experiences in destinations throughout Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

From left:Marcus Wirsching, Eugene Hendricks, and Ronald Espiridion

As general manager of Alba Wellness Valley by Fusion, Eugene Hendricks is a seasoned professional with several years’ experience at leading hotels in Vietnam, as well as in the Maldives, Australia, Thailand, and his home base of Malaysia.

Ronald Espiridion returns to Fusion as general manager at Fusion Suites Sai Gon. Originally from the Philippines, his experience in hospitality stretches as far as Cairo and Qatar to Brunei, Zanzibar, and the Turks & Caicos Islands in the Caribbean.

La Vie Hotels & Resorts announces new group director of commercial

By TTG Asia

October 24, 2023

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La Vie Hotels & Resorts has appointed Lachlan Harris to the role of group director of commercial.

Boasting three decades of hospitality experience across all sectors of the industry, Harris will be based at La Vie’s Sydney head office and will be responsible for delivering top line revenue for all of La Vie’s properties, including managing everything from revenue and distribution to client and customer engagement, multi-segment contracting and negotiation, product analysis, partnerships and marketing.

His previous roles have included local and international brands such as Naumi Hotels and Resorts, Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour, The Langham Sydney and Shangri-La Sydney.

Staff exodus weakens Sri Lanka’s hotel industry recovery potential

By Feizal Samath

October 24, 2023

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A combination of poor local economic performance in Sri Lanka and the lure of better paying jobs elsewhere has forced skilled hospitality staff to abandon the country.

Many have chosen to move to West Asia, Europe and North America in search of greener pastures, while businesses in Ireland, Japan, Australia, the UK and Canada are courting Sri Lankan hospitality talents.

Hospitality in Sri Lanka is facing a shortage of staff due to the pandemic and other crises in the country

Industry leaders say this is “crippling” Sri Lanka’s hotels.

M Shanthikumar, president of the Hotels Association of Sri Lanka, said the hotel industry is losing 20 to 25 per cent of its staff annually.

Rodney Armstrong, president of the Hotels Association of Kandy, said his hotel lost 15 chefs who went to Qatar to work during the FIFA World Cup last year.

“We have lost other skilled workers. Losing skilled workers is the biggest problem for hotels in Sri Lanka,” he remarked.

A chairman of a five-star hotel in Colombo city, who has asked not to be named, said the number of workers leaving the industry has increased during the pandemic and last year’s economic crisis.

The lack of skilled manpower to support operations and business recovery is especially worrying when hotel operators are also burdened by rising electricity rates and loan repayment pressures.

The anonymous hotelier told TTG Asia that electricity is the single highest cost for hotels in Sri Lanka, representing 30 to 35 per cent of total operational costs.

“We need space to recover. We need to rebuild the industry from the ongoing crisis since 2019, but costs are a deterrent,” he said.

Sri Lanka’s travel and tourism industry was given two moratoriums on loan repayments, but it is still challenged by a slow return in international tourists. The country welcomed 2.5 million visitors in 2018. In 2023, only 1.2 million are expected to have visited.

Trip.com, Singapore Tourism Board renew global partnership

Global Hotel Alliance remains on track for a record year for revenue

Singapore’s Changi Airport launches new travel campaign

Cebu welcomes new resort on Bantayan Island

Qatar Airways Group names new group chief executive

Twin Lakes Hotel welcomes new GM

First Hyatt Centric branded hotel in South-east Asia grows from strength to strength

Fusion appoints new general managers at Vietnam properties

La Vie Hotels & Resorts announces new group director of commercial

Staff exodus weakens Sri Lanka’s hotel industry recovery potential

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