Emirates unveils A380 premium economy cabin
Emirates has unveiled details of its new premium economy cabin fitted onboard its latest A380 aircraft, which the airline took delivery of last month.
Emirates’ premium economy cabin offers 56 seats in a 2-4-2 cabin layout. With a pitch of up to 101cm, each seat is 49cm wide, and reclines 20cm into a cradle position. Additionally, each seat is fitted with 6-way adjustable headrests, calf rests and footrests, alongside a 33cm screen, in-seat charging points, dining table and side cocktail table.
Emirates’ premium economy cabins will be offered as a complimentary upgrade to select passengers, until the airline has a viable number of seats in its inventory to bring to market, according to its president, Tim Clark. The carrier will also deploy its newest A380 aircraft on various routes, with further details to be announced in the coming weeks.
Emirates’ remaining order of five A380s will also be delivered with premium economy cabins over 2021 and 2022. The new seats will also be installed on some of the airline’s Boeing 777X aircraft, due to join the fleet in 2023. As well, there are plans to retrofit the carrier’s existing A380 fleet.
Additionally, the airline also unveiled a series of enhancements on its newest A380 plane, including refreshed cabin interiors, wider and taller doors for its first class private suites, new luxury finishes for its business class seats, and ergonomically designed seats for economy class.
Hard Rock Hotel Desaru Coast gets new GM
Hard Rock International has appointed Murray L. Aitken as the general manager of Hard Rock Hotel Desaru Coast, situated in the Malaysian state of Johor.
Boasting 30 years of hospitality experience, Aitken will lead the team in driving strategies for continued growth and implementing programmes that prioritise guests’ health and safety during their stay.
In his previous stint with Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas, Aitken played an integral role in opening the company’s first-ever luxury urban properties in Singapore’s Chinatown.
Aitken’s portfolio also includes running his own hospitality consulting and advisory company, as well as helming leadership roles with various luxury hotel groups around the world, including Raffles in South-east Asia, Rosewood in Indonesia, and several properties across South Africa.
GHM welcomes new VP for operations
General Hotel Management (GHM) has moved Ilkin Ilyaszade into place as vice president of operations and pre-opening services.
He will oversee the development of up-and-coming properties such as The Chedi Aquarius Koh Chang, Thailand and The Chedi Khorfakkan, UAE.
An Azerbaijani national, Ilyaszade is a seasoned Asia hand, having opened 10 hotels and resorts across Asia and the Middle East for Banyan Tree and Pan Pacific over the past 15 years.
As resort manager, he led the Four Seasons Resort at Jimbaran Bay in Bali – the brand’s flagship and largest operation. Prior to that, he spent 11 years with Banyan Tree, in the Maldives, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Singapore.
Agoda offers greater payment flexibility with Atome tie-up
Agoda has partnered with Singapore-headquartered “buy now, pay later” technology company Atome to offer flexible instalment payment options for accommodation bookings across the region.
The scheme has initially been made available in Singapore and Malaysia since December 21, and will be expanded to include eight additional markets in South-east Asia and Asia-Pacific this year.
Under the partnership, travellers can pay for their accommodation bookings on the Agoda website or mobile app in three interest-free instalments by selecting Atome at checkout.
Agoda vice president of commercial finance, Darren Makarem, said the new tie-up allows travellers “who might have previously found it inconvenient to pay for their booking in one lump sum to spread the costs over multiple payments”.
Launched in December 2019, Atome now partners over 2,000 online and offline retailers across verticals such as fashion, beauty, lifestyle, homeware and travel.
Indonesia’s entry ban on foreign travellers stokes demand recovery fears
The Indonesian government’s decision to ban all international arrivals for two weeks starting January 1 amid concerns over the new Covid-19 strain has triggered fears among trade players on the ensuring hit to demand recovery for the country’s tourism.
Foreign affairs minister Retno Marsudi, who announced the temporary ban on December 28, said foreign officials at ministerial level and above were exempted from the ban, but they had to go through strict health protocols.
Businesses like Pegasus Indonesia Travel have taken a hit from the entry ban. Its CEO, Jimmy Saputra, said December to February was traditionally the peak season for travellers from Russia and other CIS countries to visit Bali. He said the ban had prompted 10 Russians who had planned to visit Indonesia in January to cancel their business trip, and another 15 to reschedule.
Daniel Nugraha, director of Exotic Java Trails, was concerned that the temporary ban would be extended. Covid-19 had forced his inbound clients to push their 2020 travel plans to 2021, and he feared a second postponement could spark a wave of cancellations.
With the entry ban in place, travel companies are pinning their hopes on domestic tourism to revive business, according to Wisnu Arimbawa, managing director of GD Tour Bali.
He, therefore, expects the government to create conducive policies to support the recovery of businesses. He cited the case of the government’s last-minute announcement made just before the Christmas holiday requiring domestic tourists to present a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or antigen test result, instead of rapid test, when entering Bali. The additional costs incurred, especially significant for family travellers, had led to some guests cancelling their holidays.
Bali was at risk of losing up to 967 billion rupiah (US$68 million) due to airfare refund demands from domestic tourists following the sudden announcement of the test result requirement, according to Hariyadi Sukamdani, chairman of Indonesia Hotel and Restaurant Association.
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Shangri-La offers free Covid-19 coverage in Singapore
The Shangri-La Group is now offering free Covid-19 insurance coverage to international guests staying in any of the brand’s four hotels in Singapore from now through June 30, 2021.
Underwritten by AIG, the insurance will cover up to S$250,000 (US$189,860) in emergency medical expenses, should the guest test positive for Covid-19 during their stay. The policy also covers additional accommodation (room only) and travel expenses, should the guest need to extend their stay for medical reasons.
Guests can also contact a dedicated AIG customer service team for assistance if they are diagnosed with Covid-19 during their stay in Singapore. They will also have access to round-the-clock emergency travel assistance during their trip.
Currently, the Covid-19 medical coverage is only available to international guests entering Singapore under the reciprocal green lane or on the air travel pass scheme.
Chan Kong Leong, regional CEO for the Shangri-La Group in Southeast Asia & Australasia, said: “We have chosen to start with the Singapore market as the Singapore government has been proactively relaxing travel restrictions in a gradual and calibrated manner and has highlighted Covid-19 insurance coverage as a key enabler to rebuilding traveller confidence.”
To qualify for the Covid-19 coverage, guests have to book their stays through the hotel’s official website or mobile app. They can also do so via the reservations hotline and email directly to the hotel group.
Vietravel Airlines set for maiden flight
Vietravel Airlines has been given the green light by the country’s aviation authority to begin operating commercial flights, with plans to take to the skies in mid-January.
The airline has begun selling tickets since January 1. With a hub in Phu Bai International Airport near Hue, Vietravel Airlines will initially operate services to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, before expanding to major tourist destinations like Nha Trang, Danang and Dalat, reported VnExpress. It also plans to fly to South-east Asia, North-east Asia and the Middle East.
The airline has taken delivery of its first 220-seat Airbus A321 plane and is due to receive two more before the peak Lunar New Year travel season, according to the report. As well, it has hired some 200 pilots and flight attendants, and plans to expand its fleet to 30 for international operations.
Joining Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Air, Pacific Airlines, Vietnam Air Services Company and the Bamboo Airways, Vietravel Airlines is the sixth air carrier in launch in the country, amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic that has posed unprecedented challenges to the aviation industry.
Thailand maintains focus on health and wellness tourism
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has successfully concluded the Amazing Thailand Health and Wellness Virtual Trade Meet 2020, aimed at promoting the country’s health and wellness sector amid ongoing pandemic-induced travel restrictions.
The three-day event, which ran from December 15 to 17, was attended by 49 Thai suppliers and 82 buyers hailing from 27 countries.
Yuthasak Supasorn, TAT governor, said: “Due to the current challenging conditions during the Covid-19 pandemic, TAT has taken this opportunity to promote Thailand’s health and wellness industry. People are now more health-conscious that ever before, and Thailand is among the world’s top destinations that international tourists want to visit once the situation improves. (It also helps that) the country is globally recognised for its effective Covid-19 preventive control measures.”
The Amazing Thailand Health and Wellness Virtual Trade Meet 2020 allowed Thai health and beauty tour operators to highlight new products and services in Thailand, and connect with potential international partners.
The event boasted two main activities: a virtual trade meet with pre-scheduled appointments in three time zones, plus informative webinars including The Future Trends of Health and Wellbeing Economy: Wellness Tourism Trend 2021 session led by the director of Baramizi Lab.
TAT offices in Moscow, New Delhi and Chengdu also provided market insight updates on health and wellness pertaining to the Russian, South Asian and Chinese markets. Elsewhere, the president and CEO of the Wellness Tourism Association of Canada, in conjunction with the TAT Toronto Office, shared market insights on the North American wellness traveller.
The Department of Disease Control provided updates on key measures taken to tackle Covid-19, while the Department of Health Service Support shed light on the state of wellness quarantine in Thailand. As well, TAT provided further details on the Amazing Thailand Safety and Health Administration.
Destination updates from Phuket, Samui, and Krabi, alongside presentations from the Spa Association and the Private Hospital Association of Thailand, formed the rest of the event content.
Hilton and Jin Jiang International has extended the Hampton by Hilton management license agreement, with the goal of operating more than 600 hotels under the brand in China by 2034.
The exclusive license agreement between Hilton and Plateno, which has since been acquired by Jin Jiang, was first signed in 2014 to tap into the potential of China’s mid-scale hotel market.
Building on the original 10-year partnership, the extension is expected to help Hampton by Hilton maintain its edge in the highly competitive mid-scale hotel sector in Hilton’s top priority market, China.
Currently, in China, there are 155 Hampton hotels in operation, with over 350 in the development pipeline.