New hotels: Roku Kyoto, Sunway Hotel Big Box, and more
Roku Kyoto, Japan
Hilton’s LXR Hotels & Resorts marked its debut in Asia-Pacific with the opening of Roku Kyoto, which also represents Hilton’s inaugural property in Kyoto, Japan. Situated beneath the Takagamine mountains in northern Kyoto, the 114-key Roku Kyoto is nestled within the 11.57ha Shozan Resort Kyoto, a luxury enclave home to Japanese gardens, historic architecture and authentic tea houses. The expansive Roku Suite offers views of the mountains along the Tenjin River, while the Takagamine mountains can be observed from the Peak Suite. The Garden Deluxe rooms each feature a private onsen with a garden, while the Poolside Deluxe rooms are conveniently located closest to the Roku Spa and provide direct access to the outdoor onsen thermal pool from the room’s private terrace. The hotel also features a 24-hour fitness room. Named after the Tenjin River, the French restaurant Tenjin serves French-style dishes made from locally sourced seasonal ingredients. At the bar, guests can sip on signature cocktails made with local ingredients or enjoy a seasonal afternoon tea.
Sunway Hotel Big Box, Malaysia
Sunway Hospitality has launched the Sunway Hotel Big Box, the first Sunway hotel in southern Malaysia. The 284-room hotel is located in Sunway City Iskandar Puteri, a 728ha integrated township in Nusajaya, Johor with residential, hospitality, retail, educational and medical elements.
Opening in phases starting from October 1, Sunway Hotel Big Box is easily accessible via Senai International Airport, Puteri Harbour International Ferry Terminal, and the Coastal Highway Southern Link (CHSL) from Singapore, which is just 5km away.
Guests can choose from five categories of accommodation – Deluxe Room, Deluxe Plus Room, Family Suite, Executive Suite and Premier Suite – all of which come with complimentary Wi-Fi, smart flat-screen IPTV – Internet Protocol TVs, mini fridges, coffee and tea making facilities and sofa beds in select categories. During the soft-opening phase, guests will be able to book the 32m2 Deluxe King or Twin Rooms, which can host up to two adults and two children; or the 57m2 Family Suites, which feature a separate living space, two bathrooms, a bedroom with a super king or twin beds, a sofa bed, capsule coffee machine and microwave.
Hotel facilities include an outdoor pool and children’s pool, 24-hour fitness centre, and the Pool Bar. The Pendas Café serves local and international cuisine for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with a 24-hour in-room dining menu. For corporate travellers and event planners, the hotel features three flexible meeting rooms that can accommodate between 20 and 300 people, with a 3m LED video wall and mobile 86-inch interactive touch screen Smart Panel. The Sunway Hotel Big Box is connected via a bridge to the Sunway Big Box Retail Park offering a variety of leisure activities, shopping and restaurant outlets.
Grand Mercure Khao Lak Bangsak, Thailand
Located on a stretch of Thailand’s Andaman Coast in the province of Phang Nga, the Grand Mercure Khao Lak Bangsak offers travellers a unique and tranquil beach getaway experience. Taking inspiration from the traditional riverside villages of Thailand, a canal flows throughout the resort connecting guestrooms and shared areas. Each of the 195 guestrooms and suites at the property feature private terraces, with a wide variety of room configurations available.
All-day dining restaurant Patio features a range of Asian and international dishes, while beachfront restaurant Green Mango offers authentic Southern Thai cuisine using recipes passed on through the generations. Guests can also unwind at the Soak Pool Bar while sampling a variety of beverages and light snacks. Hotel facilities include three swimming pools, a kids’ corner, 24-hour gym, and spa. The resort is also equipped with a business corner offering computers, printing and other business services. Meetings, private parties and corporate events can be catered for at the resort’s 260m2 meeting room, which can accommodate up to 100 guests.
Hotel Gracery Taipei, Taiwan
Tokyo-headquartered Fujita Kanko Inc. has opened Hotel Gracery Taipei in the capital city of Taiwan, representing the company’s second Hotel Gracery property outside Japan after Hotel Gracery Seoul. Situated in the centre of Taipei, a minute’s walk from MRT’s Zhongxiao Xinsheng Station, the hotel offers 248 guestrooms with layouts starting at 25m2. All rooms boast Japanese-style bathrooms with separate toilets. One distinctive feature presented at the hotel is its various concept rooms themed after Japanese and Taiwanese brands like Tokyu Hands, Katsuya and Niseko.
Marriott widens South Asian footprint with 22 new signings
Marriott International has signed 22 new hotel agreements in South Asia – comprising India, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Nepal – in the past 18 months, expecting to add more than 2,700 rooms to its portfolio.
“In a highly unpredictable year, these signings are a testament to Marriott International’s resilience and agility in driving strong growth within a hospitality landscape that continues to evolve,” commented Rajeev Menon, president, Asia Pacific (excluding Greater China), Marriott International. “It is a sign of confidence from our owners and franchisees who have been an integral part of our growth journey.”
More than a third of the newly signed projects in South Asia in the last 18 months include hotels and resorts in the luxury-tier, comprised of brands such as JW Marriott and W Hotels.
Come 2024, the W Hotels brand will be making its debut in Jaipur with W Jaipur.
Meanwhile, JW Marriott properties are expected to debut across several locations within South Asia over the next five years. These include JW Marriott Ranthambore Resort & Spa located at one of India’s most prominent wildlife sanctuaries, The Ranthambore National Park; JW Marriott Chennai ECR Resort & Spa on India’s Southern coastline; JW Marriott Agra Resort & Spa in the land of the Taj Mahal; as well as the debut of the JW Marriott brand in Goa and Shimla – two of India’s most famous resort destinations – with JW Marriott Goa and JW Marriott Shimla Resort & Spa.
JW Marriott Hotel Bhutan, Thimphu is expected to mark the debut of the JW Marriott brand in Bhutan, anticipated to open in 2025.
The Maldives anticipates its second JW Marriott hotel in 2025, when the JW Marriott Resort & Spa, Embhoodhoo Finolhu – South Male Atoll featuring 80 pool villas is expected to open. The signing follows the newly opened The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands.
Comprised of brands such as Courtyard by Marriott, Fairfield by Marriott, Four Points by Sheraton, Aloft Hotels and Moxy Hotels, Marriott’s select brands also continue to resonate in South Asia representing more than 40 per cent of the 22 newly signed hotel projects.
The Moxy brand is expected to debut in India and Nepal with Moxy Mumbai Andheri West in 2023 and the Moxy Kathmandu in 2025.
Secondary and tertiary markets remain a focus for Marriott International in India, where its Courtyard by Marriott and Fairfield by Marriott brands will be expanding their presence with the recently signed agreements.
Courtyard by Marriott expects to add five new properties to an existing operating portfolio of 20 hotels across South Asia. Four of these properties are expected to open in the next five years and will be located in leading tier-two markets within India: Courtyard by Marriott Gorakhpur, Courtyard by Marriott Tiruchirappalli, Courtyard by Marriott Goa Arpora, and Courtyard by Marriott Ranchi. Meanwhile, Fairfield expects to add two new properties in Jaipur.
In Sri Lanka, the Courtyard by Marriott Colombo expects to mark the debut of the Courtyard brand in the country, slated to open in 2022.
Expected to further the growth of premium brands in South Asia, the recent signings include the Katra Marriott Resort & Spa in India and the Le Méridien Kathmandu, which will mark the debut of the Le Méridien brand in Nepal. Additionally, the Bhaluka Marriott Hotel expects to mark the entry of the Marriott Hotels brand in Bangladesh, anticipated to open in 2024.
Hilton makes two changes to its leadership team
Hilton has appointed Paul Hutton to the position of head of Australasia, while Alexandra (Alex) Murray will take on the role of head of South-east Asia, with both leadership changes effective January 1, 2022.
Hutton will succeed Heidi Kunkel, who has led the Australasia region over the past 3.5ears. The move represents a return to the Australasia leadership role for Hutton, who spent the past four years as Hilton’s regional head of South-east Asia, where he built a robust leadership team and oversaw significant portfolio growth.
As the leader of Hilton’s Australasia portfolio, Hutton will be based in Sydney where he will continue to drive Hilton’s successful recovery efforts, working closely with the company’s network of owners. In this role, he will oversee 27 operating hotels and a development pipeline of 12 hotels and resorts, with further growth plans to double Hilton’s footprint in Australasia in the next five years.
Taking up the South-east Asia leadership role is Murray, who will transfer from Hilton’s operations in Europe, Middle East & Africa. In that role, Alex oversaw a portfolio of 57 hotels with a pipeline of 47 properties.
Based in Singapore, Murray will oversee 46 open and trading hotels in the region, with a further 51 in the pipeline – including the largest Hilton hotel in the APAC region.
Both Hutton and Murray will be part of the Hilton APAC Senior Leadership Team.
Sri Lanka to lift lockdown, ease restrictions for vaccinated visitors
Sri Lanka looks set to end a six-week nationwide lockdown on October 1, while at the same time easing border measures for fully vaccinated visitors.
In an announcement on Tuesday (September 28), the government said that from October 1, fully vaccinated tourists and Sri Lankans will no longer be required to take a Covid-19 PCR test upon arrival at the local airport if they present a negative PCR test result at the point of embarkation.
Unvaccinated visitors, however, will be required to undergo a 14-day hotel or home quarantine.
The move represents a further easing of travel restrictions for fully vaccinated arrivals. Since July, vaccinated tourists can enter Sri Lanka without having to quarantine if they test negative for Covid-19 on arrival.
Authorities said that the relaxed rules is partly to boost tourism in the country. Tourist arrivals have been a trickle, averaging about 3,000 per month since mid-January 2021 when the airports reopened after a shutdown due to the pandemic.
Meanwhile, the government is also planning to end the nationwide lockdown on October 1, as the Covid-19 situation in the South Asian country has improved.
The six-week lockdown was imposed on August 20, and has been extended thrice, as the country struggled to contain a deadly third wave which began in mid-April.
With the looming lockdown lift, industry officials have said they are looking forward to a pick-up in tourist arrivals during the winter season.
In a recent interview in the Daily FT newspaper, national carrier Sri Lankan Airlines chairman Ashok Pathirage spoke of early signs of a tourism revival, “forecasting earnings of over 500 million rupee (US$6.7 million) alone in the upcoming winter season, demand for which is on the rise as the national carrier ramps up services”.
With the recent removal of Sri Lanka from the UK’s travel red list and surveys showing a rise in interest to travel to Sri Lanka, the national carrier will ramp up services to London. In 2019, the UK emerged as Sri Lanka’s second largest tourist source market, after India.
“The season ahead looks very promising and we are getting ready for a busy schedule,” Pathirage was quoted as saying.
As of September 28, Sri Lanka has recorded 515,524 Covid-19 cases and 12,786 related deaths.
One Singapore hotel is saying no to after-hours communication, yes to hybrid workplace
Singapore-based Royal Plaza on Scotts has introduced policies to enhance its employees’ work-life balance, including no after-hours communication, no meeting Fridays and hybrid workplace people practices.
The new practices indicate that employees should avoid communication about work after hours, on rest days and public holidays. These include emails, calls and text communication. All employees will pledge to support work-life harmony and sign their name to show their commitment for these new and progressive people practices.
With that new approach, employees are advised to respond with emojis to indicate that they are off work. A smiley face with sunglasses emoji means that one is off for the day. The reply can be made when the employee is back at work.
In the case of emergencies and unexpected situations that require immediate attention and resolution, employees can use three shocked expression faces to indicate urgency of the matter and continue to explain the situation further.
“The management understands that this might take some time for the employees to get used to as we are all so highly-connected via technology, especially since the beginning of the pandemic,” said Patrick Fiat, general manager of Royal Plaza on Scotts.
He added: “It is important that employees get quality time with their loved ones to stay productive and energised.”
In addition, No Meeting Fridays are also rolled out to help employees have one full day of uninterrupted time to fully concentrate on the tasks that they have on hand, to prepare themselves for the week ahead and to unwind for the weekend.
In embracing a hybrid workplace, Royal Plaza on Scotts has also introduced new worker-oriented policies.
Administrative employees can choose to work in office or from home and manage their work where they can be most effective. By working with their respective team leaders, employees can arrange for a work-from-home day once a week.
For frontline employees, flexible work arrangements exist in many forms. Operation team members have a choice of five- or six-day work week, 22- or 44-hour work week, or fixed shift, based on their individual needs.
Hilton offers franchise opportunities in China
Hilton has launched its large-scale franchise business model in China, allowing independent hotel owners in the country to benefit from Hilton’s commercial strategies and support network under franchised partnerships with its upscale focused-service brand Hilton Garden Inn.
The hotel group is offering a Hilton Garden Inn brand prototype developed specifically for the Chinese market, which fulfils its commitment to providing guests with exceptional stay experiences, while also driving long-term investment success for owners.
Under the programme, owners can take advantage of attractive upfront investment costs, while the leaner operating model drives profitability and provides ease for day-to-day operations.
To date, Hilton has inked more than 100 deals to develop Hilton Garden Inn hotels in China, bolstering the company’s confidence in the long-term growth of the focused service brand and its ability to cater to a rising middle class.
Clarence Tan, senior vice president, development, Asia Pacific, Hilton, said: “Beyond China, we are confident that this development model will thrive in key destinations across Asia, as we anticipate rising demand for hotels in this segment in the long-term.
“We are always on the lookout for the right partners in the right locations, and we will absolutely be assessing the right time to introduce the franchise model to regional investors in Asia-Pacific – helping them to capture the strong demand for midscale lodging solutions.”
Hilton Garden Inn currently has a global footprint of over 900 hotels, with 35 in China and 44 across Asia-Pacific.
Extended international flight ban a big setback for Indian tourism players
The road to recovery for Indian tourism stakeholders continues to be bumpy and uncertain with the government further extending the suspension on scheduled international commercial passenger flights till October 31, 2021.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) announced the latest extension via a circular on Tuesday (September 28). The earlier ban on scheduled overseas flights was to end on September 30.
To add on to the woes of tourism stakeholders, the government has yet to announce the resumption of the e-tourist visa facility, which has been suspended since March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Sanjay Razdan, director of Razdan Holidays and joint secretary of the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), shared that stakeholders had expected the Indian government to restart scheduled international flights and e-tourist visas from October 1.
“The IATO had made various representations to the Ministry of Tourism and other government authorities for the cause,” he said.
“We were also positive considering our major source markets like Europe have ensured that the majority of their population is vaccinated. Also, the Indian vaccination drive is going on in full swing.
“We were hoping for a positive announcement so that we can prepare ourselves to receive international tourists from November onwards.”
K Vijay Mohan, managing director of Holiday World and president of Tours & Travels Association of Andhra, opined that India is lagging behind other international markets in its tourism restart strategy.
“At a time when other international markets are opening up for tourism, we are still not beginning scheduled international flights. India is allowing special flights so I don’t see why scheduled international flights can’t be resumed,” he said, adding that airfares will become cheaper once international flights recommence.
India at present is allowing special international flights to operate in the country under the government’s Vande Bharat Mission (VBM) which launched in May 2020. Up till September 27, 2021, the national carrier, Air India, has operated 17,651 inbound flights under VBM.
“At present, travellers who are coming to India are arriving due to emergency reasons under other categories of visa. It is not a holiday and the majority of tourists would prefer not to pay the present steep fares to visit India,” said Lally Mathews, managing director, Divine Voyages.
“Inbound tourism can’t take off unless international flights and the e-tourist visa facility are resumed. There are many international travellers who have booked commercial flights online for coming months but they won’t be able to embark on the journey until scheduled international flights begin.”
Mathews added that Indian travel trade associations need to be more proactive if they want their issues to be addressed by the government.
Meliá Chiang Mai announces GM
A hospitality veteran with three decades of industry experience in Asia and Europe, Edward E. Snoeks, will take charge of the new Meliá Chiang Mai scheduled to open by end-2021.
Snoeks joins Meliá Chiang Mai after managing the pre-opening of Sindhorn Kempinski Hotel Bangkok & The Residences and working as both Thailand’s regional general manager and general manager of The Okura Prestige Bangkok.
Previously, he was the general manager of Crowne Plaza Hong Kong Causeway Bay and vice president of hotel operations at Hong Kong Parkview Hotel Services.
His work in Asia goes back to 1994 when he worked for The Regent Hong Kong’s F&B department. Snoeks’ hotel management experience also includes stints at the Marco Polo Hotels in Hong Kong, the Mutiara Hotel Kuala Lumpur and Le Royal Meridien Baan Taling Ngam on Koh Samui.
Comprising a 22-floor tower fronted by an adjoining seven-floor podium building, Meliá Chiang Mai will feature a host of facilities including two restaurants, two bars, two lounges, a YHI Spa with seven treatment rooms, a fully-equipped fitness centre, swimming pool, ballroom and four additional meeting spaces.
Nicole Regel to oversee Sabre’s business in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific
Sabre Corporation has promoted experienced travel industry leader Nicole Regel to oversee the Sabre Travel Solutions agency business across Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific.
Regel, whose career in the travel business spans more than 25 years, has been promoted to Senior Director in a significantly expanded role as she takes on the leadership of the Australia and New Zealand team while also retaining her role overseeing Sabre’s ongoing partnership with the Flight Centre Travel Group. Her focus will remain on leveraging Sabre’s best-in-class technologies and unrivalled access to global markets to grow its travel business in the region.
She has experience across the wholesale, airline, TMC, and technology sectors and has held leadership roles within operations, sales, and account management. The move builds on three years as director, global accounts, at Sabre for Regeel, as well as high-level roles within other travel and airline businesses including CT Connections, Virgin Australia, and Creative Holidays.
As senior director, Regel will continue to be based in Sydney, reporting into Sabre’s regional headquarters in Singapore.
Royal Caribbean is now accepting bookings for three- to nine-night sailings from Singapore to Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam onboard Spectrum of the Seas, marking the comeback of cruising to destinations.
The cruises will start from October 21, 2022, subject to approval from the Singapore authorities based on the prevailing health situation and border measures, Royal Caribbean said in a press release.
At the same time, the cruise line has further extended the Singapore season for the Quantum of the Seas through April 7, 2022.
Angie Stephen, vice president, Singapore, Royal Caribbean International, said: “We are thrilled to introduce a whole spectrum of new adventures with Spectrum of the Seas, which features groundbreaking escapades exclusively designed for the Asian market, a testament to Royal Caribbean’s confidence about the potential of the cruising industry in the region.
“We have seen a surge in repeat cruisers, as well as a significant number of new to cruise guests, and look forward to bringing the best of the Royal Caribbean experience to our guests.”
Quantum of the Seas is Royal Caribbean’s first Quantum Ultra Class ship featuring the cruise line’s first private enclave for suite guests; an array of Asian-inspired cuisine; as well as Asia’s first Sky Pad, a virtual reality, bungee trampoline adventure experience.
The ship also houses transformative venue Two70, which boasts 270-degree ocean views by day and transforms into a multi-dimensional theatre by night.
Other onboard facilities include a karaoke venue; as well as SeaPlex, an indoor active space featuring bumper cars, roller skating, laser tag, fencing, archery, and more.
As part of Covid-safe health and safety measures, the cruise line mandates that all guests 12 and older must be fully vaccinated for all new bookings made from October 1, 2021.