Thailand’s Sala Hospitality Group has partnered boat rental company True Leasing to create private cruise packages that pair stay and dining experiences with a sightseeing trip along the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok.
The cruise aboard a classic mahogany Hacker-Craft boat will sail past the city’s landmarks such as the Grand Palace, Wat Pho and Wat Arun. Escorted by a boat captain, all boats offer seating for up to five guests – ideal for couples, families and groups of friends.
Sala Hospitality Group partners with True Leasing to offer private tours aboard a classic mahogany boat
Guests can choose from two curated packages that combine cruises and a five-course menu crafted by the chefs at the sala rattanakosin Bangkok’s Eatery and Bar, with one also including overnight stays at the hotel.
Lunch or dinner for two, along with a private 30-minute Chao Phraya classic boat cruise is priced at 9,100++ baht/US$290++ (down from the standard rate of 12,900++ baht). Alternatively, guests can combine their meal and a 30-minute cruise with an overnight stay in a wat arun river view suite, including breakfast for two the following morning for 16,999++ baht (reduced from the standard rate of 24,400++ baht).
Senior management teams from Centara Hotels & Resorts and and Amorn Patana Asset ink deal for a second Centra by Centara hotel in Bangkok at a signing ceremony held at Centara Grand & Bangkok Convention Centre at CentralWorld
Thailand’s Centara Hotels & Resorts and Amorn Patana Asset have signed a hotel management agreement for Centra by Centara Hotel Bangkok Phra Nakhon, slated to open in July 2022.
The ongoing project comprises the renovation of an existing building in parallel with the construction of a new building next to it to form an inner courtyard.
Senior management teams from Centara Hotels & Resorts and and Amorn Patana Asset ink deal for a second Centra by Centara hotel in Bangkok at a signing ceremony held at Centara Grand & Bangkok Convention Centre at CentralWorld
The 170-key hotel will be housed in two low-rise buildings, with accommodation ranging from 21m2 rooms to 44m2 for the largest Junior Suites. Facilities include a lobby lounge, restaurant, outdoor swimming pool in the courtyard, fitness centre, banquet and meeting facilities.
Centra by Centara Hotel Bangkok Phra Nakhon is the eighth Centra by Centara-flagged property in Thailand, and the second in Bangkok, after the Centra by Centara Government Complex Hotel & Convention Centre Chaweng Watthana.
Avani Hotels & Resorts has welcomed six new general managers to its team, who will head up properties in Asia and the Middle East.
Slated to open early 2021, Avani Doc Let Resort in Vietnam has welcomed Dennis Gordienko to the role of general manager.
From left: Dennis Gordienko, Beatrice Ellis, Michael Robinson
Gordienko first joined the Minor group in 2015 as cluster resident manager at Anantara Maldives. Prior to that, he was executive assistant manager leading the pre-opening of Amari Dhaka in Bangladesh. In 2019, he took the pre-opening helm at FCC Angkor by Avani prior to being reassigned to Avani Doc Let Resort.
The Ukrainian started his hospitality career as an F&B intern in Antalya, Turkey, with Sheraton Hotels & Resorts in 2003. Since then, he has worked in London and also his native country within F&B and rooms departments with international brands such as Radisson, InterContinental Hotels Group, and Fairmont Hotels & Resorts.
He then moved to YTL Hotels – Small Luxury Hotels, where he was general manager of Gaya Island Resort, before moving to Vistana Penang Bukit Jambul in the same capacity.
In another Vietnam appointment, Beatrice Ellis has taken the helm at Avani Hai Phong Harbour View Hotel.
Ellis joins the hotel in a newly-promoted role from Anantara Hoi An Resort, where she has been based since 2017, starting as executive assistant manager and, for the last year, as the resort manager.
The South African brings more than 18 years of international experience in the hospitality industry, spending the previous six years with Minor Hotels in both the Maldives and Vietnam.
Over in Cambodia, Michael Robinson has been named the new general manager of FCC Angkor by Avani.
Robinson’s decade-long career in hospitality has seen him work across the US, Middle East and Asia, starting with a trainee role with Hyatt Regency La Jolla in San Diego. In 2009, he moved to the Middle East as pre-opening assistant manager – front office with Grand Hyatt Doha in Qatar.
In 2011, Robinson joined Park Hyatt Dubai as assistant front office manager, followed by a promotion to the role of front office manager a couple of years later. The New Zealand national then relocated to Vietnam in 2016 to work as director of rooms for Caravelle Saigon in Ho Chi Minh City. Later in the year, he was promoted to his first general manager role for the same property – his last assignment prior to joining Minor Hotels.
From left: Yogeswaran Veerasamy, BK Kwon, Georges Farhat
Moving onto Malaysia, Avani Sepang Goldcoast Resort has welcomed Yogeswaran Veerasamy as its new general manager.
A Malaysian national, Veerasamy brings over two decades of hospitality experience across Asia and the Middle East. A seasoned hotelier with a strong background in F&B, he began his hospitality career in 1996 at the Raffles Hotel Singapore. Between 1999 and 2008, he held various F&B leadership roles at hotels such as The Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia; The Fullerton Hotel Singapore; and Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor in Cambodia.
Veerasamy was subsequently promoted to executive assistant manager of F&B at The Westin Hyderabad Mindspace in India in 2008. Between 2012 and 2017, he held hotel manager roles at W Singapore Sentosa Cove and The Grand Copthorne Waterfront Singapore, before taking on a general manager role in 2017 at The Hard Rock Hotel Desaru Coast.
Before joining Minor Hotels, Veerasamy was general manager for M Social Hotel Singapore.
Next up in South Korea, Avani Central Busan Hotel has appointed BK Kwon as the property’s general manager.
The South Korean has worked across Europe, Asia and Australia over a career spanning 15 years. Starting as a trainee with Conrad Hotel Bangkok in Thailand, he was promoted to assistant F&B manager in 2006. Between 2008 and 2011, he was based at Parmelia Hilton Perth Hotel in Australia serving as conference & banqueting operations manager, before being promoted to executive housekeeper, and finally, hotel operations manager.
In 2011, Kwon relocated back to South Korea to join Hilton Namhae Golf & Spa Resort as director of operations, followed by a stint at Haevichi Hotel and Resort Jeju as general manager from 2014. Prior to joining Minor Hotels, he was executive director – hotel business division for Haevichi Hotel & Resort Corporation.
Lastly, in the UAE, Georges Farhat has been appointed as general manager for the Avani Palm View Dubai Hotel & Suites, slated to open in 4Q2020.
With more than 25 years of hospitality experience and a strong background in operations, Farhat brings a wealth of knowledge to this role from his previous positions with InterContinental Hotel Group.
Farhat’s first foray into hospitality was in 1994 with the Crown Plaza Dubai Hotel as a management trainee, and he rose through the ranks in both commercial and rooms division. In 2007, he was appointed the property’s hotel manager, followed by his first general manager assignment in 2014. Most recently, Farhat was the opening general manager for the Crown Plaza Dubai Marina.
Teen Asian women standing with luggage or suitcase at the window watching aircraft taking off in the international airports in Thailand. Asian girl at International Airport.
The Covid-19 pandemic has shrunk flight booking lead times across the Asia-Pacific region since March 2020, with the last-minute booking trend led by India and Thailand, new data by Amadeus has shown.
According to Amadeus’ first Covid-19 Travel Insights bulletin, flight bookings across the region have been made 17 days later on average during the pandemic, compared to the same period in 2018 and 2019.
Asia-Pacific records a region-wide drop in booking lead times, led by India and Thailand: Amadeus
Indian travellers appear to be the most last-minute in the region when it comes to booking flights – making flight bookings on average only 10 days before their departure date between March-July 2020. This is followed by Thai and Singaporean travellers, who have been making bookings on average 21 and 25 days prior to departure during the pandemic.
The Amadeus bulletin also found that overall booking lead times for international and domestic flights combined have decreased during the Covid-19 pandemic across all ten of the Asia-Pacific countries that were studied, except Malaysia where there has been no noticeable change.
India, Australia, Thailand and New Zealand have seen the most significant changes in traveller behaviour, with decreases of 68 per cent, 54 per cent, 53 per cent and 51 per cent respectively in flight booking lead times compared to pre-Covid-19 levels. Even in Japan – where booking lead times have remained the longest in the region at 53 days – the booking window has contracted by 14 per cent compared to before the pandemic.
Cyril Tetaz, executive vice president, airlines, Amadeus Asia Pacific, said: “We expected that a greater number of passengers would prefer to book last-minute in light of the uncertainties and changing travel restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, and this has been borne out by our flight booking data across Asia-Pacific.
“This has significant ramifications for our industry as it looks to rebuild. For a start, airlines, hotels and tour operators now have a much shorter window of opportunity to engage travellers, and urgently need to adapt their marketing and business strategies to cater to the nuances of the last-minute market more than ever before.
“The old methods of using historical data to predict demand and income are no longer effective in the Covid-19 era, either; with so many bookings now left to the last minute, travel businesses will need to increasingly rely on reliable real-time data instead, and build flexibility into every aspect of their day-to-day operations, so that resources, systems and services can be seamlessly scaled up and down as demand fluctuates at short notice, without having any impact on the traveller’s experience.”
Amadeus’ Covid-19 Travel Insights bulletin also looked into the impact that the pandemic has had specifically on domestic flight bookings. Whilst most markets in the region followed a similar pattern of condensed lead times for domestic flights in the Covid-19 era, travellers in Malaysia and the Philippines have so far bucked this trend.
In recent months, Malaysian travellers in particular have been making domestic flight bookings much further ahead than they were typically doing before the pandemic hit – booking domestic flights, on average, 51 days ahead of their departure date between March-July 2020, compared to the country’s average booking lead time of 28 days for domestic flights prior to the Covid-19 outbreak.
According to Amadeus’ anonymised data, the same is true of Filipino travellers too, whose average booking lead time has increased by 22 per cent for domestic flights during the pandemic.
“Whilst in general we have seen the same pattern of much shorter lead times on domestic flight routes in Asia-Pacific, Malaysia and the Philippines are two important exceptions where travellers are actually booking domestic flights further ahead than they previously would have done. This could, in part, reflect particularly strong concerns from Malaysian and Filipino travellers about the safety of travel and the security of domestic bookings,” said Tetaz.
“Whatever the reason, travel companies in these markets will clearly need to go the extra mile to lure back hesitant domestic travellers, which is going to be a critical part of every country’s recovery, especially in the short-term.”
The Nepalese government will reopen the country’s borders to international tourists from October 17, 2020, following an almost eight-month-long shutdown.
Incoming travellers will be required to obtain a negative Covid-19 PCR test result within 72 hours before departure, after which, they will not be subjected to any kind of quarantine or self-isolation upon their arrival in Nepal.
Nepal’s reopening to foreign tourists will provide welcome relief to tourism-reliant local communities; a hiker enjoying the view atop the Himalayan mountains pictured
Trekking and mountaineering groups will also be allowed to take foreign clients up to the mountains from October 17, government spokesperson and foreign minister Pradeep Gyawali told a briefing, reported the Nepali Times. The decision was made during a cabinet meeting based on the recommendation of the Covid-19 Crisis Management Committee, it added.
As part of the country’s phased reopening, the government has allowed domestic flights, intercity buses, hotels and restaurants to reopen from September 17, according to the report.
The South Asian country’s reopening for tourism will provide a welcome relief to the local communities who eke a living out of trekking and mountaineering tourism, including travel agents, guides, Sherpas, and mountain workers.
Recently, Bahraini prince Sheikh Nasser Bin Hamad Al Khalifa led an 18-member team on an expedition to climb the Lobuche Peak and Mt. Manaslu. The country hopes that their expedition will spread a positive message around the world that Covid-19 health and safety protocols have been adopted by the tourism activity operators in Nepal.
Oakwood Premier AMTD Singapore - Outdoor Infinity Pool
As the remote working trend gains pace, Oakwood is now offering a day-use room package across 17 properties in Asia-Pacific.
The Work from Oakwood package caters for guests who seek personal space and residential comfort, alongside conducive work areas and amenities. Guests can avail a well-equipped private kitchenette, as well as each property’s recreational facilities, such as the fitness centre and pool, where available.
Remote workers seeking a change of scenery will soon be able to book a day-use package at the Oakwood Premier AMTD Singapore
Available from 07:00 to 19:00 daily, each package is inclusive of complimentary Wi-Fi, complimentary morning and afternoon snacks alongside all-day coffee and tea; black and white printing of up to 30 sheets of documents daily (cumulative); 20 per cent off colour printing; and 20 per cent discount at the property’s owned restaurants, if any.
Participating properties are: Oakwood Hotel & Apartments Brisbane (Australia), Oakwood Residence Shanghai (China), Oakwood Apartments Sanya (China), Oakwood Premier Prestige Bangalore (India), Oakwood Residence Whitefield Bangalore (India), Oakwood Premier Cozmo Jakarta (Indonesia), Oakwood Apartments PIK Jakarta (Indonesia), Oakwood Hotel & Residence Surabaya (Indonesia), Oakwood Residence Cikarang (Indonesia), Oakwood Hotel & Residence Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Oakwood Hotel & Residence Sri Racha (Thailand), Oakwood Residence Sukhumvit Thonglor Bangkok (Thailand), Oakwood Suites Bangkok (Thailand), Oakwood Residence Sukhumvit 24 Bangkok (Thailand), Oakwood Residence Hanoi (Vietnam).
In Singapore, a package will be launched soon at the Oakwood Premier AMTD Singapore, while a day-use option at the Oakwood Studios Singapore comes with a minimum booking of seven days.
The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) will hold its first-ever online B2C travel fair, from September 23-30, as part of a bid to kickstart the country’s tourism recovery from the impact of Covid-19.
The MATTA Fair Online will feature mainly domestic travel packages by about 100 participating exhibitors from across the country. The focus of the online fair is on domestic travel, with a tagline Buy Now Travel Later.
MATTA Fair will take place in a virtual format for the first time this year; a previous MATTA Fair pictured
MATTA secretary-general, Nigel Wong, shared that MATTA had chosen an online format this year for the annual fair, which traditionally has been held physically, to provide greater convenience to the growing segment of tech-savvy domestic travellers. He foresees rising demand for online travel bookings when borders reopen to leisure international travellers.
Plans for a two-day physical B2C MATTA Fair in Kuala Lumpur this November is also underway.
As part of its next phase of recovery, MATTA has recently developed a B2B platform to connect its members to international buyers. “At the moment, we are onboarding suppliers including product owners and tour operator packages,” said Wong, adding that they hope to launch the platform sometime next year.
PATA has launched an e-learning platform for travel agents, tourism professionals, and destination marketers who want to refresh their knowledge, learn new skills and stay relevant.
The destination platform is developed and promoted within the OTT agent training platform, which is accessed by over 150,000 travel professionals worldwide.
The free online courses allow participants the opportunity to watch videos, complete assignments and earn a certificate while learning from travel professionals and experts. Current coursework is available for Palau, Kenya, the Marianas, Tahiti, Bangladesh, Guam, Kiribati and Macau, China.
PATA CEO Mario Hardy said: “The current pandemic has allowed many tourism professionals to take this opportunity to increase their knowledge and education, thus improving their careers and products. Furthermore, destinations are struggling during these unprecedented times to find meaningful avenues to engage with various stakeholders.
“Participating in the PATA eLearning Platform is the perfect opportunity for travel professionals to furthermore develop insights into various destinations, while destinations can effectively engage with travel professionals in a meaningful manner.”
As part of the launch, PATA government members have the opportunity to participate on the eLearning Platform by uploading free training courses onto the platform until March 2021. Courses can be up to 10 pages of informative insights for travel agents and tourism professionals. At the end of the course, participants will be asked to complete a short quiz to test their knowledge and receive a certificate of completion.
PATA government members who wish to keep their course on the training site after March 2021 can do so by paying an annual fee of £1,750 (US$2,240).
KidZania Kuala Lumpur (KL) has signed an exclusive online travel agent (OTA) partnership with Klook to co-invest in initiatives to enhance and refresh the visitor experience at the indoor children’s theme park as well as curate marketing and promotional activities.
In support of KidZania KL’s mission to provide interactive and inspirational role-playing experiences for kids aged four to 14, Klook will also develop an interactive experience zone that would encourage kids to explore and be inspired by the journey of building a tech start-up.
From left: Tourism Malaysia’s Zurina Abd Samad, KidZania KL’s Shahrul Nizar Ahmad, Klook Malaysia’s Emily Tan, and KidZania KL’s Marco See at the signing of the exclusive partnership between KidZania KL and Klook
Shahrul Nizar Ahmad, mayor of Kidzania KL, said: “This partnership allows us to tap into Klook’s current user base in Malaysia, as well as its strengths in the inbound tourism market when international borders reopen.”
He added that more Malaysians are also booking their tickets online to reduce contact, and the company’s partnership with Klook “will result in a better customer experience overall by speeding up the entry process, especially with additional safety measures that we are taking such as temperature checking of every guest.”
Chuan Sheng Soong, general manager for Southeast Asia, Klook, shared that the partnership with KidZania KL will “help drive visitorship to the centre as well as enhance guests’ overall experience through Klook’s suite of merchant solutions”.
He added that both sides will be working together “to refresh and develop tech-centric experiences within the edutainment centre as well as curate marketing campaigns to meet joint business objectives and market needs”.
“Klook is also looking to work closely with government organisations such as Tourism Malaysia and open to teaming up with other industry partners to boost the recovery of the domestic tourism market,” he said.
Tourism Malaysia will lend its support to further promote this partnership via its marketing channels.
With safety, hygiene and personalised care taking the front seat in the new normal, budget and mid-range hotel brands may find themselves in a more advantageous position. Horwath HTL’s Robert Hecker, managing director, Pacific Asia, asserts that the segment’s traditionally low-touch approach can now work in hotels’ favour.
In this new episode of TTG Conversations: Five questions video series, Hecker talks about how brands must now pay even closer attention to their messaging and identity, in order to grow confidence in consumers. This is especially pertinent in Asia, where a plethora of family-owned hotels and local brands are scrambling for survival.
Avani Hotels & Resorts has welcomed six new general managers to its team, who will head up properties in Asia and the Middle East.
Slated to open early 2021, Avani Doc Let Resort in Vietnam has welcomed Dennis Gordienko to the role of general manager.
Gordienko first joined the Minor group in 2015 as cluster resident manager at Anantara Maldives. Prior to that, he was executive assistant manager leading the pre-opening of Amari Dhaka in Bangladesh. In 2019, he took the pre-opening helm at FCC Angkor by Avani prior to being reassigned to Avani Doc Let Resort.
The Ukrainian started his hospitality career as an F&B intern in Antalya, Turkey, with Sheraton Hotels & Resorts in 2003. Since then, he has worked in London and also his native country within F&B and rooms departments with international brands such as Radisson, InterContinental Hotels Group, and Fairmont Hotels & Resorts.
He then moved to YTL Hotels – Small Luxury Hotels, where he was general manager of Gaya Island Resort, before moving to Vistana Penang Bukit Jambul in the same capacity.
In another Vietnam appointment, Beatrice Ellis has taken the helm at Avani Hai Phong Harbour View Hotel.
Ellis joins the hotel in a newly-promoted role from Anantara Hoi An Resort, where she has been based since 2017, starting as executive assistant manager and, for the last year, as the resort manager.
The South African brings more than 18 years of international experience in the hospitality industry, spending the previous six years with Minor Hotels in both the Maldives and Vietnam.
Over in Cambodia, Michael Robinson has been named the new general manager of FCC Angkor by Avani.
Robinson’s decade-long career in hospitality has seen him work across the US, Middle East and Asia, starting with a trainee role with Hyatt Regency La Jolla in San Diego. In 2009, he moved to the Middle East as pre-opening assistant manager – front office with Grand Hyatt Doha in Qatar.
In 2011, Robinson joined Park Hyatt Dubai as assistant front office manager, followed by a promotion to the role of front office manager a couple of years later. The New Zealand national then relocated to Vietnam in 2016 to work as director of rooms for Caravelle Saigon in Ho Chi Minh City. Later in the year, he was promoted to his first general manager role for the same property – his last assignment prior to joining Minor Hotels.
Moving onto Malaysia, Avani Sepang Goldcoast Resort has welcomed Yogeswaran Veerasamy as its new general manager.
A Malaysian national, Veerasamy brings over two decades of hospitality experience across Asia and the Middle East. A seasoned hotelier with a strong background in F&B, he began his hospitality career in 1996 at the Raffles Hotel Singapore. Between 1999 and 2008, he held various F&B leadership roles at hotels such as The Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia; The Fullerton Hotel Singapore; and Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor in Cambodia.
Veerasamy was subsequently promoted to executive assistant manager of F&B at The Westin Hyderabad Mindspace in India in 2008. Between 2012 and 2017, he held hotel manager roles at W Singapore Sentosa Cove and The Grand Copthorne Waterfront Singapore, before taking on a general manager role in 2017 at The Hard Rock Hotel Desaru Coast.
Before joining Minor Hotels, Veerasamy was general manager for M Social Hotel Singapore.
Next up in South Korea, Avani Central Busan Hotel has appointed BK Kwon as the property’s general manager.
The South Korean has worked across Europe, Asia and Australia over a career spanning 15 years. Starting as a trainee with Conrad Hotel Bangkok in Thailand, he was promoted to assistant F&B manager in 2006. Between 2008 and 2011, he was based at Parmelia Hilton Perth Hotel in Australia serving as conference & banqueting operations manager, before being promoted to executive housekeeper, and finally, hotel operations manager.
In 2011, Kwon relocated back to South Korea to join Hilton Namhae Golf & Spa Resort as director of operations, followed by a stint at Haevichi Hotel and Resort Jeju as general manager from 2014. Prior to joining Minor Hotels, he was executive director – hotel business division for Haevichi Hotel & Resort Corporation.
Lastly, in the UAE, Georges Farhat has been appointed as general manager for the Avani Palm View Dubai Hotel & Suites, slated to open in 4Q2020.
With more than 25 years of hospitality experience and a strong background in operations, Farhat brings a wealth of knowledge to this role from his previous positions with InterContinental Hotel Group.
Farhat’s first foray into hospitality was in 1994 with the Crown Plaza Dubai Hotel as a management trainee, and he rose through the ranks in both commercial and rooms division. In 2007, he was appointed the property’s hotel manager, followed by his first general manager assignment in 2014. Most recently, Farhat was the opening general manager for the Crown Plaza Dubai Marina.