Singapore-based Vouch has forayed into Hong Kong, in hopes of using its digital solutions to help hotels in the city overcome manpower challenges, better manage fluctuating occupancy, and improve guest experience.
Established in 2016, Vouch offers an app-less guest experience platform that allows hotel guests to check-in, order room service, make facilities bookings, request items, and get immediate answers to their queries 24/7 – all from the convenience of their mobile phones.
Founder Joseph Ling noted that hoteliers everywhere are under pressure throughout the pandemic to function with a leaner team. Under such conditions, Ling believes that hoteliers can benefit from simple-to-use platforms that help to streamline operations and dial up and down operations easily while granting guests the freedom to manage their own stay experience.
“Hotels have been using apps for a long time but guests don’t want to have to download a new app and create an account (each time they stay in a different hotel). Vouch enables guests to scan QR codes to access (needed services),” Ling explained.
The company has offices in Indonesia and South Korea, and counts Fraser Suites Perth, Amara Sanctuary Resort Sentosa and Pan Pacific Singapore among its customers.
With its new Hong Kong office, Vouch has been able to bring its solutions to Grand Hyatt Hong Kong in August and will soon add two Hyatt Regency properties to its client portfolio.
According to Ling, about 90 per cent of all facility bookings made at Grand Hyatt Hong Kong last month came through the Vouch system, enabling substantial manpower savings for the hotel.
“Covid-19 has been a leveller and driver of many changes in the hospitality industry. If businesses were to resist change, they would be forced out of the market,” Ling said, adding that Hong Kong appears to be moving faster than other regions when it comes to adapting to change over the last two years.
He urged hotels to adjust their operations now to meet the needs of travellers post-pandemic. “When travel resumes, travellers want to be safe and will opt for hotels that can afford greater safety and fewer human contact. Hong Kong hotels have until early next year (to change) before the China travel market opens up again,” he said.
Vouch is also in talks with a number of Macau hotels, and aims to have its solutions adopted by one or two hotels by the end of 2021.
All-inclusive resort operator Club Med is gearing up for expansion in the Asia-Pacific region over the next five years, targeting greenfield opportunities in Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines.
Already, the brand has announced its first South-east Asia greenfield beach resort in Borneo, Kota Kinabalu, in collaboration with owners Golden Sands Beach Resort City. Slated to open in 2023, the 16ha Club Med Borneo Kota Kinabalu resort will be one of the brand’s most upscale resorts in the region. In addition, with growing accessibility of the resort just six hours from key Asian markets, Club Med said that it is “confident to capture the vast untapped potential of this pristine location”.
In the wake of the pandemic, Club Med has successfully reopened its resorts in China and the Maldives, followed by Northern America, the Caribbean and Europe.
Domestic travel to Club Med resorts in China soared by more than 2.5 times in 2021 and is already on track to surpass pre-pandemic demand. Meanwhile, Club Med’s resort in Malaysia saw an increase in business volume of over 60 per cent in the weeks following the relaxation of interstate restrictions, before the recent movement control order.
Beyond the success of its current resorts, Club Med is also readying itself with an aggressive expansion pipeline.
“We entered the pandemic with a strong economic position and are well-placed for a swift, decisive and impactful rebound. Club Med has a demonstrated track record spanning more than 70 years as the pioneer of new destinations and untouched locations, with Club Med Seychelles and Club Med Lijiang as successful case studies of our recent greenfield projects around the globe, as well as the upcoming Club Med Borneo Kota Kinabalu,” said Jean-Charles Fortoul, CEO, APAC Resorts, Club Med.
“Following these successes, we have also identified Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia as markets that are well-positioned to leverage this rebound and we are on the lookout for investors and partners to tap into the potential of these destinations.”