Anam Group has appointed Norbert Meyer as resort manager and Geoffrey Crabbe as culinary director at The Anam Cam Ranh.
German national Meyer has amassed more than 20 years of hospitality experience and returns to the resort where he was previously resident manager and acting general manager during his two years there starting January 2018.
His career has seen him work for major international hospitality brands in Europe, the Middle East, South-east Asia and mainland China.
In March, Vietnam announced that Binh Thuan province – home to Mui Ne and its stunning stretches of coastline, white beaches, sand dunes, and rich culture – will host the National Tourism Year 2023 initiative to boost tourism development in the region.
According to Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, the province still has strides to make to attract international visitors, with the campaign aiming to create “breakthroughs, contributing to further promoting tourism development in the south-central region”.
To aid this, authorities have developed a series of policies to support investors in the area. This includes shortening the time to process documents and provincial leaders inviting businesses to invest.
“This is contributing to promoting tourism in Binh Thuan in general, and Mui Ne in particular, quickly achieving the goal of turning tourism into a spearhead economic sector,” said Pham Ha, CEO and founder of Lux Travel DMC.
“Currently, the coastal areas have been heavily invested in with regard to infrastructure. High-end resorts have appeared more with a variety of services. This means tourists now have access to professional resort experiences instead of the lack of facilities before.”
These include the opening of The Anam Mui Ne, Azerai Ke Ga Bay, Centara Mirage Mui Ne and a range of projects developed by Novaland, such as Novaworld Phan Thiet, Novaworld Mui Ne, and NovaHills Mui Ne Resort & Villas.
Another game changer was the opening of the Dau Giay-Phan Thiet highway in April. This cut down transport time between Ho Chi Minh City and Mui Ne from 4.5 hours to two. An international airport is also slated to open in 2025, expected to further drive foreign tourists to the area.
“With the new highway and airport, travelling to Mui Ne will become easier and more convenient for visitors. This can enhance the attractiveness of the destination and attract more domestic and foreign tourists. When infrastructure is improved, Mui Ne tourism can attract more investors and businesses operating in this field,” noted Ha.
Currently, Mui Ne is developing a policy on the night economy to lure visitors, especially international. This includes the two-kilometre night street at Mui Ne Summerland. The pedestrian area takes in restaurants, entertainment and shopping facilities, with festival and art performances taking place weekly.
This is an area Peter Ye, resort manager at The Anam Mui Ne, said needs attention. “Mui Ne still faces some challenges that prevent it from reaching its full potential. One of these is the post-pandemic recovery, in particular of the secondary tourist infrastructure, such as restaurants, bars and entertainment places. We expect that to be over by next year.”
Linh Le, principal and co-founder of Luxperia, said the last few years have seen Mui Ne emerge as the “go-to beach destination” for local residents.
“From that, we are seeing more referrals and recommendations from our client base, as well as interest from foreign guests wishing to avoid another flight,” he added.
According to the official Department of Statistics figures, since April 30, the number of guests visiting the Ham Tien-Mui Ne area has increased, reaching high capacity at weekends when room occupancy hits about 80 per cent.
In May, Binh Thuan tourism continued to make an impression, welcoming more than 805,000 visitors. This marks an increase of 9.18 per cent compared to April 2023 and an increase of 66 per cent over the same period last year.
While pre-Covid, Mui Ne had established itself as a firm favourite with Russian visitors, with Russian-owned resorts, restaurants, and signage catering specifically to the market in abundance, Ha said the area is now rising in popularity with European tourists, as well as visitors from Australia, China, and nearby South-east Asian markets.
The Anam Mui Ne opened its doors in January and has played a significant role in raising the profile of the area, attracting high-end guests from various markets. It is the only affiliated member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World in Vietnam, offering prestigious recognition.
Ye said the main source markets have been locals and expatriates in Vietnam, South Korea and Europe.
“In the next quarters, we expect to see more guests from Australia, China, and other regions,” he added.
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) and the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) have entered into a partnership that will result in a structured framework for hotel sustainability that leads to GSTC Certification.
The partnership endorses the existing WTTC Hotel Sustainability Basics, which is a three-year programme.
Both organisations intend to send a potent message to the market regarding the coherence and collaboration in the travel and tourism sector.
The three-stage framework for hotel sustainability will now see the integration between the WTTC Hotel Sustainability Basics verification and GSTC Certification, designed to support hotels in their pathway towards full sustainability.
Julia Simpson, WTTC president and CEO, said: “Collaborating with an esteemed body like GSTC reinforces our dedication to leading the industry towards a more sustainable future. It’s imperative that we work with key global players like GSTC to drive change, set benchmarks, and inspire others to follow.
With members spanning across the world, GSTC’s rigorous accreditation programme not only elevates our initiative but also ensures that the hospitality sector worldwide moves toward a unified vision of sustainability.”
The next phase in collaboration with GSTC is scheduled to launch in 2024.
Christchurch International Airport, the second largest airport in New Zealand, has brought in Amadeus to upgrade its passenger service infrastructure with the use of more efficient, flexible and sustainable Common Use technology shared by multiple airlines.
The new system allows multiple airlines a simpler check-in process, more flexibility for seasonal operations, and to connect with passengers at locations away from the airport, such as the Christchurch convention centre Te Pae, or Lyttelton Port, during the cruise season. Doing so means the airport can unlock capacity ahead of demand from its airline partners.
Swifter check-in processes for both airlines and passengers also mean more time for travellers to relax before boarding.
The airport will work with Amadeus to enable future transition to more self-service kiosks and bag drops for all airlines and passengers.
With this upgrade, the airport will decommission 80 energy-intensive workstations and replace them with super-efficient thin client devices. Thin-client devices are simple, low-power, computers that provide an interface to the cloud, where computing tasks are undertaken by more efficient servers*.
Craig Dunstan, head of customer & commercial, Christchurch Airport, said: “We are especially pleased to have this first upgrade in place ahead of our upcoming very busy summer season. We will see all our international airlines return, some with larger aircraft and more flights, as well as a new direct service between Christchurch and San Francisco. The transition to the Amadeus Cloud Use Service is another exciting step forward in embracing new technology to enable a more streamlined and frictionless journey for our passengers.”
The Ascott’s portfolio of charming bespoke hotels and serviced residences under The Crest Collection brand is on a strong growth trajectory, with seven properties in operation and more to come in London, Bucharest, Hanoi, Tokyo and Paris.
The company debuted the brand in Asia with the opening of three properties in Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia, between the months of August and October 2023. Newest in this lot is The Robertson House by The Crest Collection, which stands along the Singapore River. It opened on October 14 following a seven-month refurbishment.
The Grand Mansion Mentang by The Crest Collection in Jakarta, Indonesia and The George Penang by The Crest Collection in Penang, Malaysia were both signed and rebranded in August and October 2023 respectively.
These properties join The Crest Collection’s four in France, which have recorded a strong occupancy rate of about 73 per cent, with the average daily rate increasing by up to eight per cent over the previous year.
Riding on the success of the portfolio in France, The Crest Collection has gained strong traction and further recognition in Europe. The 230-key The Cavendish London – the brand’s first property in the UK – will undergo a one-year renovation next year and reopen in 4Q2025. It will expand into Bucharest, Romania with a 171-unit property set to open in 3Q2025, and add a fourth to Paris come 2026.
Serena Lim, Ascott’s chief growth officer, said: “Ascott has seen a growing demand for collection brands from owners as they provide flexibility of a distinctive property positioning while being backed by the power of a global brand through its global sales and distribution platforms, and strong loyalty base. The ease of conversion with a collection brand means increased speed to market, and that is key especially in today’s economic climate amidst tighter lending conditions and rising construction costs.
“At Ascott, we are committed to manage our owners’ assets not only for the short and medium term. Bearing in mind long-term strategic growth, we work closely with our owners to uplift the value of their real estate, ensure longevity and future proof their business.”
Asian travel e-commerce platform KKday has inked an MoU with Rail Europe on October 19 on a strategic collaboration focused on promoting sustainable rail travel.
KKday’s decision was spurred by a significant uptick in sales of European travel products during the first three quarters of 2023, with figures surpassing the same period in 2019 by 60 per cent, as well as expectations of continued demand surge going into 2024.
Björn Bender, president and CEO of Rail Europe, shared that the partnership would see the creation of an all-in-one platform for travellers and the travel industry to access a wide array of products spanning 33 European countries and featuring over 150 European rail brands and routes.
Bender said: “In the post-pandemic era, individuals will have a heightened desire to travel. Many will opt for train travel over unnecessary flights due to the growing focus on sustainable tourism and environmental considerations, such as reducing carbon emissions.”
Rail Europe’s business recovery has been robust, according to Bender, with current performance across the globe now standing at 74 per cent of 2019.
Ming Chen, founder and CEO of KKday, hopes the partnership will serve to inspire more Asian travellers to explore Europe.
Both companies have concluded the initial phases of electronic product integration, and will commence joint marketing campaigns and collaboration on marketing resources. Both will also be working on enhancing the online feedback mechanism for passengers and automating product recommendations for Rail Europe.
Chen hopes to integrate sustainable travel with a range of in-depth experiences offered through Rail Europe pass packages.
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts has appointed Nils-Arne Schroeder as the senior vice president of operations for the Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions.
In his new role, he will be responsible for the operational performance of 18 hotels across Asia-Pacific and the Middle East as well as lead the expansion of the Fairmont portfolio across gateway cities with the debut of hotels such as Fairmont Dubai Skyline, Fairmont Shimla Fagu, Fairmont Udaipur, Fairmont Mumbai Sahar and Fairmont Agra.
With a wealth of experience in luxury hospitality which spans over three decades, he has held leadership roles in commercial, hotel operations and luxury brand management across five countries in three continents including the UAE, South Korea, China, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore.
He joins Fairmont Hotels & Resorts from his position as vice president, luxury brands at Hilton, Asia-Pacific.
Ayana Komodo Waecicu Beach has named Dermot Birchall as its new general manager.
In his new role, he will work with the team to elevate the hotel’s reputation in Indonesia, as well as spearhead sustainability efforts in Labuan Bajo.
He has over 25 years’ experience in luxury hospitality, and was most recently general manager at Barcelo Mussanah Resort in Muscat, Oman.
Tell us about your journey in the Amora Group.
I’m the second-generation owner of the Amora Group, founded by my late father. I took over the business just during the midst of Covid, and my first endeavour was the acquisition of Novotel Brisbane during 2020. Despite my mergers and acquisitions (M&A) background, I’ve always been working part-time and stayed very close to the family business. (The pandemic) was a challenging time and that was what prompted me to come back. Currently, our chairwoman is my mother, Khun Amornrat.
How extensive is Amora Group’s property portfolio?
We have six properties – three in Australia located in Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne, and three in Thailand. We’re (currently) transforming our new flagship in Thailand, the Amora Phuket Beach Resort, which will soft-open as a 264-key five-star property in December 2023 on Bangtao Beach.
Can you tell us about your experience with five-star hotels?
Our flagship in Sydney was our inaugural five-star venture, catering primarily to corporate clients. The Phuket property, however, is our first five-star leisure resort. It was open since 1999 as a 4.5-star hotel, and shut down two years ago for renovation. This is our biggest renovation to date – it’s a complete overhaul with the addition of many facilities including two F&B outlets and 1,000m² of event space for up to 750 pax.
Why the focus on Australia?
Our first hotel was in Melbourne, opened by my father in 1997. He travelled there to study and ended up putting down roots. There’s not a lot of Thai owners in Australia. Our background is unique, because Thai people tend to invest more in Thailand, or the US and the UK rather than Australia.
Your father ventured into hospitality during the Tom Yum Kung crisis. What drove him?
He was a very experienced and accomplished entrepreneur. His background was not hospitality, but duty-free – export and import. He was just a businessman with a love for hotels. As he didn’t grow up rich – he grew up middle-class or lower – it was his aspiration and dream to own a hotel. Seeing the opportunity in Melbourne, he just went for it.
What distinguishes Amora from other Thai hospitality brands or family businesses?
Firstly, what stands out is that we have international exposure. Not a lot of Thai hotel owners have properties in Australia, so we try to leverage that. We’re able to market to more audiences, especially in Australia. Secondly, we focus a lot more on our people, trying to cultivate a family-like culture. Family values are at the heart of what we do. It’s due to my background of growing up in a hotel, and seeing my father build this company.
When you grow up in a hotel and you see your people every single day, they become a family.
We want to extend this treatment to our guests. We treat our staff as a family, and in turn they treat our guests as family. This means recognising what they come for, why they travel, who they are – knowing their names, what they do for work, what they order for dinner so that next time we can immediately come to them with, “Do you want the same thing, sir?”
I think that personalised service makes us a bit different from the other independent hotels.
We call it the Amora way.
What’s the story behind the name Amora?
Amora translates to ‘love’ in Spanish. It’s also reminiscent of my mother’s name, Amonrat. The name was coined by my father as a tribute to her, to show his appreciation and love for my mother. So, Amora is a brand of love, a brand of warm hospitality.
The reason we focus so much on our people and legacy staff is because (we know that when our) customers come in and see the same people who were here five to six years ago having developed in their careers – you might see a receptionist turned assistant front manager, for example – it creates more stickiness, as if you’re going back home and seeing your family. That’s the kind of culture we’re trying to build.
The pandemic was a tough time for many hospitality brands. How did you handle the Covid crisis in terms of staff management?
While we had to make some tough decisions, our diversified presence in both Thailand and Australia helped us. Even if Thailand was badly affected, our Australian properties were able to go into a quarantine business. So, we still had cash flow and we were still afloat. Consequently, we could retain most of our legacy staff.
What can guests look forward to in terms of the interior for the Phuket property?
We focused on ‘bringing the beach into the resort’ – for example, our restaurant is called Isla, from the Thai word for ‘freedom’ – but in Latin, it means ‘cave,’ so we designed the venue to replicate a cave surrounded by water. This type of wordplay is indicative of what we are. We’re a multicultural company. The name of our beach club, located right smack on the beach where light shines through the most, is derived from ‘Manora,’ a Thai word meaning ‘light & pride’ – thus, the name Nora.
What is the average profile of travellers to your property in Thailand?
For our Phuket property, it’s leisure. We’re positioning it post-renovation as a modern lifestyle hotel, because we have a very balanced mix of customers who come to the hotel. I think it’s very risky these days to try to go after one market. Going only for Chinese, for example, would have been a disaster this year. It’s all about having a balanced mix and diversification rather than trying to take one main segment.
Historically, Russians and Europeans dominate the high season, but we’re keen on expanding our reach to other markets.
What is the inbound travel capacity from Australia to Thailand, and what are the travel behaviours of Australians?
Not a lot of Australians come to Thailand relative to other key markets, but what’s interesting about this is that as hoteliers, we don’t need millions and millions of Australians to come – we just need a few who are actually selecting our hotel.
The Australian market’s potential also lies in its different seasonality. Their winter is our summer – during Christmas, it’s hot. During June to July when Europeans travel less, it’s freezing there.
What are the specific markets and destinations you’re targeting for expansion in Asia-Pacific and South-east Asia?
We only focus on acquisition and renovation. In the next three to five years, we’re eyeing expansion in key Australian cities. We want a five-star property in each of the CBDs, which means Adelaide, Perth and another one in Melbourne; our current property there is 4.5-star and located on the fringe of the CBD.
In Thailand, we really want our next acquisition to be in Bangkok. We now have a small property, the Neoluxe Amora on Sukhumvit Soi 31. We want another flagship five-star property in central Bangkok for corporate clients.
What do you anticipate hospitality veteran Lars van der Most will bring as general manager of the Amora Phuket Beach resort?
He has extensive experience, coming from Marriott and Starwood – but what I like about him is that because he was a general manager in China, he understands the Asian culture and family values, so he resonates with what I want to do from a people perspective.
As a second generation hotelier whose father was passionate about hospitality, what do you think you can bring to the brand as an owner?
We didn’t have houses when I grew up in Melbourne. I grew up in a hotel, with hospitality staff around me, and that has shaped my vision of family.
At the start, I brought knowledge about M&A because my background is in deals advisory and investment banking – something less common among hotel operators. I’m expecting to utilise more of my experience in the future as our strategy is to acquire, renovate and rebrand properties.
Coming from the younger generation, I’m passionate about innovation, flexibility and aligning with modern trends – understanding more about these unique experiences that customers are eagerly awaiting when they travel. You have to be adaptable and ensure that you can accommodate all these trends. To go for only one trend, like digital nomads only, would be a mistake. Even when it comes to trends, we still have to diversify.
The third edition of the UNWTO Best Tourism Villages programme has recognised 54 villages from all regions in a ceremony on October 19 during the UNWTO General Assembly; 14 of which are in Asia.
The programme, established in 2021, recognises villages that are leading in nurturing rural areas and preserving landscapes, cultural diversity, local values, and culinary traditions.
The stringent selection, which took into consideration factors such as Cultural and Natural Resources, Social Sustainability, and Governance and Prioritisation of Tourism, was made from almost 260 applications.
A further 20 villages have joined the Upgrade Programme, which supports villages on their journey to meet recognition criteria, helping to close gaps identified during evaluation.
All 74 villages are now part of the UNWTO Best Tourism Villages Network, which will allow operators to share experiences and good practices, and learn from tourism and rural development experts in the public and private sectors.
UNWTO secretary-general Zurab Pololikashvili said: “Tourism can be a powerful force for inclusivity, empowering local communities and distributing benefits across regions. This initiative acknowledges villages that have harnessed tourism as a catalyst for their development and well-being.”
The list of Asian tourism villages new to the programme this year are: Biei, Hakuba, Oku-Matsushima and Shirakawa in Japan; Dhordo in India; Dongbaek, Mosan and Sehwa in South Korea; Huangling, Xiajiang, Zhagana and Zhujiawan in China; Penglipuran in Indonesia; and Tân Hoá in Vietnam.
Meanwhile, Asuka in Japan; Madla in India; and Bilebante, Pela and Taro in Indonesia are now being supported under the Upgrade Programme.
The call for submissions for the fourth edition will take place in the first months of 2024.