Banyan Tree Krabi, Thailand
The 72-key luxury resort nestled on a verdant hillside has opened at little-known Tubkaek Beach, a 45-minute drive from Krabi International Airport. Launched by Banyan Tree Group, the five-star hotel is owned by Thailand-based Asset World Corporation (AWC).
The new resort grants three beachfront pool villas, 10 beachfront pool villas, and 59 pool suites – each of which has its own private pool. Eight suite and villa types are on offer. The most modest accommodation type, coming in at 99m², is the Deluxe Pool Suite, which boasts a private terrace, plunge pool and jet pool surrounding the bedroom. The largest is the seven-bedroom Presidential Villa, spanning 1,335m², is ideal for multi-generational family vacations and intimate wedding celebrations.
All suites and villas have private saltwater pools and water features. Mod-cons include a lavish bathtub and jet pool, high-speed Internet, IPTV with multiple-device connectivity, a full range of multilingual channels on flat screen TVs, and a premium coffee machine.
Facilities include two restaurants and a beach bar, a kids’ club, a fitness centre, a meeting centre, and a rainforest-themed spa. For in-room dining, novelties include a floating breakfast, floating sunset tapas set or a sizzling poolside barbecue. The centerpiece of the resort is a circular water feature in the lobby that cascades into a cavernous meeting room area below.
ibis Styles Nagoya, Japan
ibis Styles, a design driven brand within the Accor group, has unveiled the 284-room ibis Styles Nagoya in the Chūbu region of Japan. Conveniently located within walking distance from Nagoya Station, the hotel offers the compact 18m² Double Room and 20m² Twin Room. All rooms feature 49-inch 4K televisions, air purifiers with plasma cluster function, night tables equipped with power outlets and USB connectors, and rain showers. Interconnecting rooms are available for families and groups. Market St., a café style restaurant offering freshly brewed coffee and all-day dining, features a multi-purpose area that can be used as a co-working and meeting space for up to 20 guests.
Hilton Goa Resort, India
Located atop the scenic, terraced slopes of Saipem Hills, overlooking the Nerul River, the opening of the full-service resort marks Hilton’s third property in Goa. The hilltop resort offers 104 guestrooms, four swimming pools, suites with private plunge pools and signature curated experiences. There are three F&B options: @Saipe, the all-day dining restaurant; Doce, the coffee lounge; and Coco, the bar and restaurant featuring a Mediterranean-inspired menu. Other facilities include four outdoor pools with a whirlpool, kids’ pool, an aqua-themed kids’ club, soon to open full-service spa and salon and 1,635m² of event space.
Four Points by Sheraton Seoul, Myeongdong, South Korea
Ideally located within walking distance to Myeongdong, Seoul’s largest shopping district, Four Points by Sheraton Seoul, Myeongdong offers 375 guestrooms, each fitted with 55-inch TVs and complimentary high-speed Wi-Fi. The hotel features two dining venues: Evolution, the all-day dining restaurant, as well as the Lounge & Bar serving cocktails and light bites. There is also a fitness centre equipped with advanced cardio and weight equipment. With 155m² of event space, the hotel features four multipurpose areas and facilities for seminars, meetings, discussions, corporate training and other events for up to 60 attendees. A 24-hour Business Center is located at the lobby offering convenient workstations.
Holiday Inn Express Sydney Airport, Australia
Opened in partnership with Pro-invest Group, the new-build hotel is located on the doorstep of Sydney’s domestic airport terminal and minutes away from the international terminal. The 247-room, eight-storey hotel is inspired by the jet-setting ambiance of the local surrounds, featuring aeronautically-themed motifs throughout the hotel. The gym and meeting room walls are reminiscent of runways, while the business lounge is inspired by the classic airport concept. The hotel also features two meeting rooms, flexible workspaces, free business centre, self-service laundry and on-site carparking. Guests can also avail of Grab & Go breakfast options, snacks, and beverages, and barista-made coffee 24/7.
The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is partnering with Paris&Co, Paris’ economic development and innovation agency, to develop the tourism sectors in Singapore and Paris through exchange programmes between start-ups and information sharing.
The first-of-its-kind agreement between Singapore and France seeks to promote the development of tourism start-ups and accelerate the development of the tourism sectors in both cities.
As part of its digital transformation efforts, Singapore has been supporting its companies across various sectors to build their technology and innovation capabilities. STB launched the Singapore Tourism Accelerator last year to refine and test-bed innovative solutions that could benefit Singapore’s tourism sector.
The Accelerator has set up a highly selective six-month programme that provides the most promising young technology companies with mentorship and opportunities to pilot their solutions.
Building on these previous experiences, the Singapore Tourism Accelerator is at the heart of the collaboration between the STB and Paris&Co.
Paris&Co promotes the dissemination of innovation through the incubation of more than 500 French and foreign start-ups per year through 15 innovation platforms. One of them, called Welcome City Lab, is dedicated to urban tourism and includes the world’s first incubator specifically dedicated to this sector.
As such, STB and Paris&Co sought to explore the possibilities of partnership between the Singapore Tourism Accelerator and the Welcome City Lab. Under this partnership, Singapore Tourism Accelerator alumnus Bakuun.com has been accepted as a member of the Welcome City Lab innovation platform, allowing the UK-based start-up to gain direct access to the travel tech ecosystem in Paris and scale internationally.
Poh Chi Chuan, acting chief technology officer, STB, said: “Covid-19 has changed the way the tourism business works globally. Tourism organisations need to work even closer together than before to come up with innovative solutions to address the challenges brought about by the pandemic. The partnership with Paris&Co will allow us to build connections between our respective tourism ecosystems and facilitate the flow of ideas and co-innovation.”