Ascott refreshes Citadines brand, expands portfolio

September 28, 2022

The Ascott has refreshed the Citadines brand with 80 properties under development across 56 cities, quadrupling its portfolio to 104 properties in operation, including its latest flagship property, Citadines Raffles Place Singapore.

As part of the Citadines brand refresh, a brand film titled For The Love of Cities will be shown on various digital and social channels, illustrating how each city offers its own unique sights, sounds and experiences.

Convertible features are one of Citadines’ signature, such as the lobby at Citadines Raffles Place Singapore that features a shared workspace with varying seating arrangements

Tan Bee Leng, Ascott’s managing director for brand & marketing, said: “We have always believed in the market potential of aparthotel living. Supported by its design versatility, favourable guest demographics and resilient market fundamentals, the growth of the brand has been exponential.

“Over the past few years, the serviced apartment business has transformed. We have likewise pivoted our offerings towards a hybrid model that would not only allow us to offer the option of both hotel rooms and serviced residences, but also a robust programme that better caters to the lifestyle needs of our guests.”

As part of the refreshed brand and its ambition to promote a well-balanced lifestyle, ‘activ∞’ will be a key brand signature across all Citadines properties. A curation of amenities and programmes to jumpstart city living, activ∞ will ensure guests can live, work and play seamlessly within the property and around the city, such as resident events, fitness amenities and programmes that encourage an active lifestyle.

Another signature programme is ‘For the Love of Coffee’, a collaboration with local communities to deliver unique coffee-related Citadines experiences to guests around the world. For the month of October this year, Citadines properties around the world will be launching a series of coffee activation activities.

Other brand signature initiatives include the café check-in experience at Citadines Raffles Place Singapore, and the social-lounge-turned-coffee-bar at Citadines Bay City Manila.

Convertible features are also another brand signature, transforming spaces to suit guests’ needs – for example, at Citadines Raffles Place Singapore, the residents’ kitchen is a private dining space which doubles up for both meetings and intimate dining events; and at the lobby, a shared workspace is fitted with varying seating arrangements.

Citadines associates, known as Citazens, will undergo barista training and double-up as baristas, in addition to providing guests with the best hacks to navigate city living. This programme has since been successfully rolled out at Citadines Sudirman Jakarta, and will be further expanded to other Citadines properties.

The refreshed Citadines brand will progressively roll out all initiatives across regions including the Americas, Asia-Pacific, Europe and the Middle East by 2025.

A regional TikTok campaign was also launched yesterday across eight markets: Australia, France, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, Vietnam, the Philippines and the UAE.

Royal Caribbean to recruit 1,400 for onboard entertainment

By TTG Asia

September 28, 2022

0

Royal Caribbean International (RCI) will recruit more musicians and entertainers over the next year across its 26 ships, including its newest addition Icon of the Seas which sets sails next year.

With music and entertainment at the heart of Royal Caribbean holidays comprising nearly 800 music sets and 142 production shows performed each night, this move will help thousands of emerging artistes kickstart their career as they join the existing 3,000-plus cast members and production staff.

Royal Caribbean International will help thousands of emerging artistes kickstart their career by opening up 1,400 positions across its fleet (Photo: Royal Caribbean International)

Nick Weir, senior vice president, entertainment, RCI, said: “We keep pushing the boundaries of what is possible in entertainment in front of 105,000 guests each night, and the choice of career opportunities available to entertainment professionals is in the thousands.

“To continue raising the bar, we are expanding our incredibly talented roster of world-class vocalists, Olympic athletes, Broadway and West End stars, acclaimed producers and directors, to name a few. We are also committing more resources than ever before to music and entertainment for 2023.”

Performers have the opportunity to develop their talent with regular work – multiple nights a week – in front of an audience of thousands, all while travelling the world. As many as 25,000 performers from across the world audition for RCI every year, with many training at its 12,309m2 entertainment studio facility in Miami.

SLH collaborates with Malaysian artist to encourage wanderlust

By TTG Asia

September 28, 2022

0

Small Luxury Hotels of the World’s (SLH) has unveiled its first artist collaboration with Malaysian artist Beatrice Oh to expand holiday horizons for guests.

Oh’s storybook characters, Dumpling the Tiger and Li, will invite viewers to follow them on travel adventures around the world through a series of illustrations detailing the characters’ unexpected adventure and friendship as they set off on a worldwide expedition in search of Dumpling’s home. In the process, the duo will traverse diverse destinations, try out new activities, and get acquainted with the local communities as they try to find out where Dumpling’s home may be.

Oh’s storybook characters, Dumpling the Tiger and Li, invite viewers to follow them on travel adventures around the world, such as in Kyoto, Japan

Viewers are invited to join in their whimsical adventures via social media and encouraged to take a step to go on new travel adventures on their own. There will also be limited edition Dumpling the Tiger memorabilia and complimentary stays at SLH hotels to be given away, as well as travel-themed stickers available on GIPHY, Whatsapp, LINE and WeChat.

“Dumpling the Tiger was created as a little love letter to my place of origin – Malaysia, to bring out the culture and warmth of the people I grew up with,” said Beatrice Oh. “I hope the story brings readers some form of simple escapism and joy where we are free to roam about with a wild animal through familiar and new landscapes beyond.”

Richard Hyde, managing director, Small Luxury Hotels of the World, said: “Dumpling and Li are relatable characters for the brand to showcase standout experiences at our characterful collection of hotels in unusual places, giving users a window into the world out there waiting for them to explore, and in the process, enrich their inner lives.”

Spreading care and compassion across borders

By Christina S.

September 28, 2022

0

As tour agencies big and small bet on a sharp recovery in leisure travel bookings to drive profitability, one Singapore-based operator is shifting gear to cater to travellers who seek to give back or practise their faith while on holidays.

From life liberation daytrips which would see marine life put back into the sea to trips to Batam, Indonesia to offer the less-privileged villagers some daily necessities, Ik Chin Travel prides itself as being a progressive enterprise that’s adaptable to the evolving needs of their customers.

Kok: at times of need, people will lend a helping hand to support each other

The Covid-19 pandemic has given us an opportunity to stop and “see” compassion for what it is – a driver of change in an otherwise (mostly) apathetic world. According to Kok Jin Dao, general manager at Ik Chin Travel, there has been a mindset shift among customers before 2020 and now.

“There are so many stories of kindness during the pandemic; at times of need, people will lend a helping hand to support each other,” Kok said. “When we first started, we faced difficulties gathering groups due to the fear of the pandemic but as time passed, we saw more people signing up for our tours.”

Kok credits the travel agency’s change in business focus to the founders’ faith in Buddhism. Their arranged trips include annual visits to make offerings to the Buddhist Sangha community in Malacca. Ik Chin also organises Buddhism-related visits to India.

“One main difference about our travel agency is that there is some Buddhism influence in many of the tours we arrange,” he said. “For example, our life liberation tours will include a Buddhism ritual before the lives (marine or wild life) are released back to their communities.”

By arranging such tours to enable others to accumulate merits, Ik Chin’s founders and employees also hope to be able to contribute to the good deeds themselves.

“We realised that there are many people who want to do good but have not been able to find the opportunity to do so – by presenting our services to them, they’re willing to sign up for such trips to do good deeds with other like-minded tour members,” he explained.

Ik Chin Travel organises trips to provide daily necessities to the less-privileged; charity trip to Batam pictured

While these trips are unlikely to alter the lives of the less privileged overnight, Kok believes in the virtuous cycle of care and compassion. He shared: “As interpersonal relations become more transactional, we hope that through these trips, people are able to open their hearts more to care for and love others.”

Indeed, vacations need not be grand to be significant, and travellers can also find it rewarding to treat themselves to a trip of helping others. With more destinations and themes coming up at Ik Chin, travellers seeking to get a boost of endorphins from helping others will have more choices to select from.

Ik Chin has plans to organise tours to support the less fortunate students in Malacca and host visits to a village in Chiang Mai where customers will spend time interacting with and providing support for local villagers and students – from cooking them a meal to offering daily or school necessities.

“During a holiday, we are able to put away our troubles and enjoy, unwind and recharge. It is the perfect time to do good – not only can we do it more wholeheartedly, we can also share genuine joy and love with others,” Kok said.

Travel recovery slow despite Malaysia’s weakened currency

By S Puvaneswary

September 27, 2022

0

The ringgit has depreciated almost 11 per cent against the US dollar since the start of the year, making ground costs more competitive to markets that contract in US dollars. At press time on Monday, the ringgit reached a historic low of 4.6 ringgit against the US dollar.

However, inbound agents told TTG Asia that the favourable exchange rate has not resulted in a huge pick up in business as both airfares and air connectivity remain an issue.

Lee: poor air connectivity is hindering Europeans from choosing Malaysia

Arokia Das Anthony, director of The Essence of Asia Tours & Travel, lamented the lack of direct flights from the Indian cities of Amritsar, Hyderabad and Cochin, all of which are big source markets for Malaysia. For Indian cities that connect directly with Kuala Lumpur, flight frequencies have yet to return to pre-Covid levels.

He felt that Indian arrivals could have performed much better for Malaysia if there was better airlift. While Vietnam arrivals had picked up by “quite a bit” but he was unsure if it would sustain until end of the year.

Alex Lee, CEO, Ping Anchorage Travel & Tours, agrees, saying that poor air connectivity is hindering Europeans from choosing Malaysia even though the destination is very competitive now in the South-east Asia region.

Although the ringgit is in travellers’ favour, demand must be created for supportive flights to follow, opined Lee. In this regard, Ping Anchorage Travel & Tours is creating new packages with themes like beach retreats, nature, heritage and the arts, and will be exhibiting under the Tourism Terengganu pavilion at World Travel Market in London this November.

When asked about forward bookings for the year-end, Arokia said it was still too soon to tell – outbound agents are refraining from promoting specific destination at this point, so as to spread their business and reduce financial risks.

For Manfred Kurz, managing director, Diethelm Travel Malaysia, forward bookings were coming in “more or less as predicted” but it was getting harder to project the year-end performance as the booking lead time from Europe and the US had become shorter post-lockdown. While Europeans and Americans used to book three to four months ahead, they are now confirming just one or two months before their desired travel dates.

Airlines gear up for return to Japan

By Kathryn Wortley

September 27, 2022

0

Airlines are announcing the resumption and expansion of services to Japan in the coming months in response to the opening up of the country to independent, visa-free travel from October 11.

American Airlines and Delta Airlines will resume services between Haneda and Los Angeles from the end of October. United Airlines, meanwhile, will start its first route between the two cities at the same time, a launch that was initially planned for March 2020.

Airlines prepare to resume and expand services to Japan; Haneda Airport pictured

A daily flight between Honolulu and Haneda, which was also delayed due to the pandemic, is set to be offered by Delta Airlines from December 1.

Turkish Airlines will resume its Istanbul–Narita route on December 15, with three flights per week, marking the first time the carrier has operated the service since March 2020.

Japan Airlines will resume its Hong Kong–Haneda route on October 31.

Airlines are also increasing the number of flights on routes already in operation.

From October 1, Japan Airlines will offer a daily flight from Haneda to Chicago and from Haneda to Delhi. Two flights will also be available daily between Narita and Jakarta. The airline will increase the frequency of flights from Narita to Frankfurt, turning it into a daily service.

Singapore Airlines will add a second daily flight to Osaka from October 30, and increase flights to Fukuoka to thrice weekly.

All Nippon Airlines intends to boost its North America services to about 90 per cent of pre-pandemic levels from October 30. The airline’s CEO Shinichi Inoue said the airline “wants to welcome visitors from overseas with increased flights”.

Air Macau announced its intention to resume weekly flights to Japan from October. A spokesperson commented that “it’s the first time for Air Macau to resume international flights since the start of the pandemic”.

SriLankan Airlines seeks foreign investor

By Feizal Samath

September 27, 2022

0

Sri Lanka is planning to offer a 49 per cent ownership and management stake in its loss-making national carrier to cut losses and transform the airline to a profitable venture.

The move would signal a return to foreign management and partnership after a 10-year contract with Emirates ended in March 2008 without any extension. The Dubai carrier had a 43 per cent stake (at an investment of US$70 million) and full management control of the airline.

SriLankan Airlines has suffered huge losses and will need foreign investors to take over

SriLankan Airlines does not own any aircraft – its entire fleet of 23 planes are on lease.

Civil aviation minister Nimal Siripala De Silva said the airline has suffered huge losses so far and could be in deeper trouble unless an outsider takes over soon.

The airline’s accumulated loss in the 2020-2021 financial year was 49.7 billion rupees (US$138 million). During Emirates management from March 2007 to March 2008, it was profitable leading up to the last year with a profit of five billion rupees.

From March 2008 to March 2009, while under Sri Lankan government control, a loss of 10 billion rupees was reported.

From 2016 to 2019, a similar effort to secure a foreign investor to the airline was also unsuccessful.

Wharf Hotels launches Niccolo Resorts

By TTG Asia

September 27, 2022

0

Wharf Hotels has expanded its luxury Niccolo Hotels brand into the resort space with an initial collection of new-build Niccolo Resorts slated for China, Japan and Thailand.

The Hong Kong-headquartered group currently has hotel operations spanning China, Hong Kong and the Philippines.

Wharf Hotels is launching Niccolo Resorts in China, Japan and Thailand; Niccolo Chengdu pictured

“We are excited to bring our Niccolo Resorts brand to life. Anchored in exceptional art and design, stylish settings, and a service culture that is heartfelt and timeless, we believe these brand attributes will resonate with leisure guests who want to live the ‘contemporary chic’ lifestyle the brand espouses,” said Thomas Salg, president, Wharf Hotels.

Each Niccolo Resort will be a sanctuary suited for couples and multi-generational travel, and feature facilities such as a pool, a free-standing conservatory, dining venues, wellness treatments, children’s club and beach club for adults.

Travelport, Hopper expand strategic relationship

By TTG Asia

September 27, 2022

0

Travelport has renewed a multi-year agreement with Hopper, a global mobile-first travel marketplace and travel fintech company that will give the latter a Travelport+ technology upgrade and the former the ability to develop new agency tools using Hopper Cloud.

Both companies are collaborating on Hopper’s upgrade to Travelport+ in high-growth regions and will continue integration across Hopper’s central platform into early 2023.

Travelport and Hopper are actively working towards a mix of growth, traveller and supplier initiatives

As part of the data insight collaboration, Travelport and Hopper are actively working towards a mix of growth, traveller and supplier initiatives with an insights-driven approach to complement Hopper’s data science-focused strategy.

The technology upgrade to Travelport+ will help Hopper deliver the best travel content and fares through a single API, with simplified access to Travelport’s aggregated New Distribution Capability and multi-sourced content. Travelport’s innovative modern retailing platform will ensure Hopper can deliver the most valuable and relevant content through a user experience that makes it easier for users to navigate the multitude of options available to them.

Both companies are also actively exploring innovative ways to deliver new agency tools and enhancements for Travelport customers using Travelport+ with Hopper Cloud, Hopper’s B2B initiative. Hopper and Travelport will aim to collaborate in order to create a more modernised retailing experience for Travelport agent desktop users worldwide, while helping them deliver value, increase customer satisfaction and drive revenue.