Hotelbeds inks partnership with Centara
Hotelbeds has sealed a partnership with Thailand’s Centara Hotels & Resorts, giving the bedbank’s clients access to special rates and exclusive offers at the group’s properties across Thailand and the Middle East.
In return, Centara Hotels & Resorts will expand its global reach by gaining access to Hotelbeds’ network of 60,000 travel trade buyers in more than 140 source markets worldwide, including high value channels such as travel agents, tour operators, airlines and points redemption programmes.
Centara Hotels & Resorts operates six brands: Centara Reserve, Centara Grand, Centara, Centara Boutique Collection, Centra by Centara, and COSI Hotels.
First giant panda cub born in Singapore
Singapore welcomed her first giant panda cub born to parents Kai Kai and Jia Jia on August 14 at the River Safari.
The gender of the cub, which weighs about 200g, is yet to be determined and will be announced later, according to a release by Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS), which manages the River Safari. Meanwhile, mom and baby are in an off-exhibit den to give them time to nurse and bond.
In April this year, 13-year-old Kai Kai and 12-year-old Jia Jia displayed signs of being in heat, officially entering their seventh breeding season. Working closely with the China Conservation and Research Centre for Giant Panda (CCRCGP), WRS’ animal care team initiated the breeding plan for this year, emphasising natural mating with assisted reproductive technology as back-up if required.
There was optimism that the pandas would naturally breed this year, after the pair had shown improvements in their mating techniques the year before.
To make the most of the once-a-year breeding season, CCRCGP experts advised WRS’ vets to perform artificial insemination before the end of the receptive period. The procedure was carried out by the in-house veterinary team at WRS’ Wildlife Healthcare and Research Centre, using frozen semen collected from Kai Kai before the mating season.
Caring for Kai Kai and Jia Jia in Singapore contributes to the conservation efforts of giant pandas which remain a threatened species, WRS said. It cited a recent study suggesting that giant pandas in the wild are more fragmented and isolated than they were 30 years ago, and that the species continues to face a high risk of extinction.
Radisson Blu Resort Maldives welcomes new GM
Radisson Blu Resort Maldives has appointed Gavin Sanders as General Manager, who brings more than 30 years of extensive experience in all areas of hotel management, operations and sales.
Prior to this move to the Maldives, Sanders was general manager of Radisson Golf and Convention Centre Batam commencing July 2017, his first international assignment.
Sanders embarked on his hospitality journey in 1987 at Radisson Edwardian Vanderbilt Hotel in London. He built his career at Radisson Edwardian Hotel Heathrow from 1989 to 2012, holding various positions until he became general manager. He was then assigned to Radisson Blu Edwardian hotels in New Providence Wharf, Bloomsbury, and Kenilworth.
New Zealand to enter snap lockdown over single Covid case
New Zealand will enter a nationwide lockdown on Tuesday (August 17), after its largest city of Auckland detected the country’s first locally transmitted Covid-19 case in six months, announced prime minister Jacinda Ardern.
All of New Zealand will be under the strictest level lockdown for three days from 11.59 Tuesday; while Auckland and Coromandel, a coastal town that the infected person had also spent time in, will be in lockdown for seven days.
Under level four lockdown, schools, offices and businesses will be closed, with only essential services such as supermarkets and pharmacies allowed to operate.
Ardern told a press conference Tuesday authorities were assuming the new case involving an unvaccinated 58-year-old man was a Delta variant, although this has not been confirmed.
“We are one of the last countries in the world to have the Delta variant in our community,” Ardern said. “We’re in the position to learn from experience overseas, and what actions work, and what actions don’t work.”
“Delta has been called a gamechanger – and it is. It means we need to again go hard and early to stop the spread. We have seen what can happen elsewhere if we fail to get on top of it. We only get one chance.”
New Zealand has won widespread praise for its Covid-19 response, recording just 2,500 cases and 26 deaths in a population of five million. But the country has been slow to vaccinate, with only less than 20 per cent of the population fully inoculated.
Vietnam’s first Bill Bensley art gallery arrives at InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort
An exclusive new art gallery featuring a collection of original artworks by prolific architect and interior designer Bill Bensley stands ready to open at the InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort.
Located at the Sky Level of the resort, the Bensley Outsider Gallery will house 50 colourful and bold artworks, including prints and paintings, which can be viewed and purchased by in-house guests and visitors alike. Visitors can also hear the story behind each artwork through a unique interactive storytelling approach that uses QR codes and YouTube videos.
Prices for the featured artworks start from US$250, with proceeds to go to wildlife charities, including those dedicated to combating poaching in South-east Asia.
Bensley is known for creating some of Asia’s most iconic hotels and resorts, including the InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort. He took up painting just three years ago and the gallery’s name, “Outsider”, reflects his feeling that he is not a classically trained artist, and considers himself an outsider in the art world.
The Bensley Outsider Gallery will be open from 09.00 to 18.00, Wednesdays through Sundays, upon the reopening of the InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort, when conditions allow.
The post-vaccine world: the future of travel and hospitality in APAC
Since the start of the Covid outbreak in 2019, the travel landscape has changed dramatically with people taking trips near home. One key question on everyone’s mind remains: when can we travel freely again?
While a zero-Covid-19 world seems almost impossible, there are promising developments that are taking shape that will lift recovery and as more countries adopt an endemic approach towards travel.
The resumption of large international events such as the Tokyo Olympics exemplifies the confidence in Asia-Pacific’s recovery in the second half of 2021. All eyes are now on us to see how we navigate the next chapter.
The vaccine rollout: Changing the face of travel
The rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine is poised to stimulate the travel and hospitality industry’s long-term revival across the region. Improved accuracy in rapid testing and contact tracing will also help to facilitate cross-border travel and enable the recovery of the sector.
In Singapore, the city-state has been ramping up its vaccination drive to inoculate 80 per cent of its population by September. In parallel, it is looking to allow quarantine-free travel for those who are fully vaccinated, and establish travel corridors with countries or regions where Covid-19 is under control.
Phuket Sandbox is also an encouraging sign of rebound. Paving the way for Thailand’s reopening to international travellers who are fully vaccinated, Phuket’s hotels have seen a significant uplift in occupancy compared to other resort leisure destinations, according to recent STR reports.
The Phuket Sandbox is an important initiative for the travel industry as it offers a framework and model that enables travel into these “green” zones. This can potentially lead to a series of similar rollouts in other destinations.
On the other hand, while China may be experiencing a resurgence of Covid-19 cases, it is demonstrating a swift and firmer approach in managing the situation. Today, China is leading the world in domestic vaccination and will continue to spearhead its aggressive vaccination drive.
With restrictions easing in due time, domestic tourism will regain traction, as exemplified by the surge in Labour Day weekend travel. It also attests to a pent-up demand for travel that will fuel a travel boom for a time to come.
A recent survey found that around three-quarters of business travellers expect to travel the same amount or even more after the pandemic. This denotes a resurgence of business activities and pent-up demand after teleconferencing for months. We believe that business travel is set to become one of the first frontiers to boost the hospitality industry post-Covid.
Paving the way to recovery in a post-vaccine world
As destinations around the world gradually open up their borders to vaccinated travellers, hotel owners and operators will need to adapt and evolve in tandem with the shift in traveller’s preferences. While people are eager to travel for leisure or business, health and hygiene will be paramount as travellers seek a sense of safety.
Innovation and digitisation will be at the fore with a focus on providing guests with seamless experiences that limit contact with others. Adopting a multi-pronged approach will ensure travel remains possible for all, which will mutually benefit individual businesses, the economy, and the livelihoods of many. For Wyndham, through our health and safety initiative Count on Us, our hotels are equipped with a full suite of hygiene protocols to provide our guests with continued reassurance while they stay with us.
In 2020, we opened more than 125 hotels and made 140 signings across Asia-Pacific. Continuing on that momentum this year, as of June 30, 2021, we have signed over 70 hotels and opened 30 directly franchised and managed hotels across China, Malaysia, New Zealand and Vietnam. It is a testament of a shared vision with hotel owners to herald a brighter future in the post-vaccine world.
We will face setbacks and challenges ahead but the hospitality industry is a resilient one. We have bounced back in the past and we can do it again. We will need to adapt and pivot to the changing shape of travel, but those that embrace it will be poised for success.
Capella alleviates energy poverty
Capella Hotels and Resorts has donated 200 solar lamps to youths facing extreme energy poverty in provinces across Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, in commemoration of International Youth Day.
The first initiative in a long-term partnership with SolarBuddy, a global community dedicated to alleviating energy poverty for children, Capella pledges to help youths study after dusk and improve their educational outcomes through the gift of clean, sustainable light.
“At Capella Hotels and Resorts, we believe that each and every child has the right to develop to their full potential,” said Nicholas Clayton, CEO of Capella Hotel Group. “Our collaboration with SolarBuddy was an opportunity that enabled us to amplify our Capella Youth initiative, ensuring every child receives proper education. This is strongly aligned with our philosophy of empowering youth to build a sustainable future for themselves.”
Around the world, 789 million people live in darkness and have minimal access to light when the sun sets. To enable visibility at night, energy-poverty communities depend on rural forms of energy such as using fuel-based kerosene lamps. These energy sources not only emit high carbon dioxide but harm the health and wellbeing of people using them.
Through SolarBuddy’s renewable solar-powered lights, children will benefit from a productive study environment after dusk. The sustainable solar invention also eliminates families’ kerosene expenditure per annum, leading to overall economic development and improvement in quality of life.
One of the beneficiaries include students from Mbinudita, Indonesia, where education remains a challenge with over 50 per cent of the children having no access to electricity back home.
Contributions to Capella’s fundraiser can be made at www.capella.life/solarbuddy. All donations will go directly towards purchasing SolarBuddy’s sustainable solar lights for the beneficiary communities.
Etihad Airways trials Affinidi’s Covid-19 verification solution
Etihad Airways has partnered with Singapore-based technology company Affinidi to advance the aviation industry’s ability to process Covid-19 test results more efficiently for a more seamless traveller experience.
Currently, travellers are required to book pre-departure tests at accredited healthcare institutions and present the health reports with negative test results to airlines and immigration authorities before they can board their flights. However, the lack of a global standard for digital health credentials impedes the verification process.
Affinidi’s travel verification and interoperable solution reads and authenticates various verifiable QR codes on health reports in a confidential manner, regardless of the issuing authority and format, allowing airlines to process health credentials more seamlessly.
Since March 27 this year, Etihad has been trialling Affinidi’s travel verification solution to authenticate the digital health credentials of passengers travelling from Singapore to Abu Dhabi.
Through this partnership, Etihad was the first airline to trial Affinidi’s Healthcare Network Assessment programme in Bahrain, Cairo, the Maldives, Manila, and Jakarta. Etihad said that it will continue to extend the Affinidi Healthcare Network Assessment across more destinations in its network “over the coming months”.
SIA to serve dishes from famed hawker brands on select flights
Singapore Airlines (SIA) has launched an initiative to support and collaborate with leading Singaporean brands to offer unique on ground and inflight experiences for its global customer base.
Under the initiative, dubbed Singapore Showcase, SIA has worked with several Singaporean hawker brands to make their dishes available to customers on board the airline’s flights out of the city-state.
These include Boon Tong Kee’s chicken rice, Bismillah Biryani Restaurant’s chicken dum biryani, Song Fa bak kut teh, Qiu Lian ban mian, Kok Kee wonton noodle, as well as the Beach Road prawn noodle.
Starting from September 2021, each hawker dish will be available on rotation on the inflight menu in first class and business class on selected flights departing from Singapore. There are plans to introduce popular dishes by other famous brands in the coming months.
This initiative is also a celebration of Singapore’s Hawker Culture, which was added to the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2021, said the airline in a release.
As well, the carrier has partnered local media production and distribution companies such as Encore Inflight, Mediacorp, and MM2 Entertainment to offer more Singaporean content in its KrisWorld in-flight entertainment system from this month. This will include Singaporean movies, documentaries, TV series, music, and podcasts.
SIA has also worked with Scent by SIX, a Singapore artisanal perfume label, to develop a signature scent for the airline. Dubbed Batik Flora by Singapore Airlines, the scent includes floral notes from flowers in SIA’s new batik motif and aims to provide “a unique sensory experience” for the airline’s customers.
The scent will be progressively introduced at key customer-facing SIA locations from October 2021, starting with the SIA service centre at ION Orchard. Customers will also be able to enjoy this signature scent at SIA’s redeveloped SilverKris Lounge at Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 3, when it reopens.
Batik Flora by Singapore Airlines will be produced in the forms of reed diffusers, pillow mists, and an eau de toilette fragrance, and will be available for sale exclusively on KrisShop.com from October 2021.
Into its 28th edition, the Singapore Food Festival (SFF) will take place in a hybrid format for the first time over three weekends from August 27 to September 12.
With the theme Savour Singapore In Every Bite, SFF 2021 will feature more than 50 gastronomic and drinking experiences on a hybrid platform – double the number compared to last year’s virtual edition.
This year’s festival line-up comprises four components: live masterclasses, virtual food experiences, partner events and workshops, and SFF food merchandise.
A range of live masterclasses, some free-to-view and others pay-to-view, will feature renowned chefs, bartenders, and food personalities on Singapore’s culinary scene. Selected masterclasses will also offer ingredient boxes and food bundles that participants can purchase and get delivered to their doorstep in Bangkok, Chengdu, Manila and Singapore.
The festival will also showcase virtual food experiences in interactive formats, including a docu-feature spotlighting Kok Fah Farm, a soil and hydroponics farm; and recipe videos like Kitchen Insider: Sustenir, which educate foodies on modern farming in Singapore, suggesting ways to incorporate local produce into everyday dishes.
There will also be virtual food tours of Little India and Tiong Bahru presented by popular food host, Nikki Muller.
Some of these virtual tours will also be presented in physical formats as part of partner events held across the island. Foodies can learn more about the colourful spices that go into Indian dishes at the Heritage Tour of Little India, or embark on the Kim Guan Guan Factory Tour to uncover the history and heritage behind one of Singapore’s oldest kopi (coffee) suppliers.
For a hands-on experience, SFF workshops will also be held islandwide. Foodies can try their hand at making the traditional red turtle cake nyonya-style at the Make Your Own Ang Ku Kueh Workshop by Ji Xiang Ang Ku Kueh, held at CapitaLand Bugis Town. Cocktail lovers can learn how to mix their own Hendrick’s gin and ice cream cocktails at the Museum of Ice Cream’s MOIC Cocktail and Ice Cream Pairing Workshop: Sips and Scoops.
Exclusive SFF food merchandise will also be available for purchase. Local small-batch granola brand Nommish has partnered with Kim Guan Guan to present Kopi Granola and their own rendition of Milo Granola – the Malted Chocolate Granola. Meanwhile, local bakery Old Seng Choong has created Nyonya Sambal Nasi Lemak Cookies, a unique rendition of the classic local dish.
Paying tribute to the iconic pandan flavour that Singaporeans love, bubble tea brand LiHO Tea will push out two new drinks, Singa-Pandan Lime and Singa-Pandan Shake, which will be available in LiHO stores in Singapore, Brunei, Malaysia, and Shanghai.
For the full list of activities, visit singaporefoodfestival.sg.