Santiburi Koh Samui has named Giulio Stix as its new general manager.
With almost two decades of experience in luxury hotels and resorts in Europe and Asia, Stix is fully versed in digital transformation, and has gained a reputation for his ability to design and implement effective marketing strategies.
Previously the CEO of a contemporary design company in his native Italy, Stix is also fluent in Italian, German, English, French and Spanish.
The Phuket Hotels Association has appointed Jayne MacDougall as its new executive director.
A highly skilled hospitality professional with a wealth of experience in areas such as sustainability, training and policy, MacDougall is no stranger to the association, having served as its environment chair since 2017.
She has amassed over 20 years of experience in Thailand’s hospitality industry, and was most recently the senior consultant on the GIZ (German Corporation for International Cooperation GmbH) pilot programme in Asia, which aimed to eliminate the use of single-use plastic in the Thai hotel industry.
Onelle Pacheco-Verzosa has been appointed as director of sales at The Heritage Hotel Manila.
She joins The Heritage Hotel Manila from Boracay Tropics and Hotel Celeste in Makati, where she was director of sales and marketing.
Rural sites on Japan’s western Honshu island have launched starry night experiences to maximise the national and international recognition they have received for their beautiful night skies.
Misasa Onsen in Tottori Prefecture, which was ranked among the top locations in the country for “star visibility” in a nationwide stargazing survey conducted by the Ministry of the Environment, offers hot spring baths followed by stargazing.
Participants receive binoculars and a map of the night sky before being introduced to visible constellations and celestial bodies by expert guides.
“Visitors can enjoy both the town’s famous healing hot springs and clear night sky,” said a representative of Misasa Onsen Tourist Information Center, adding that participants can expect “a sky filled with stars and a breathtaking view of the Milky Way”.
The experience is available for groups from April to November and is held in the planetarium in the case of bad weather. Various languages, including English, traditional or simplified Chinese, and Thai are supported.
Bisei in Okayama Prefecture, a town recognised by the US-based non-profit International Dark-Sky Association as the first International Dark Sky Community in Japan and Asia, has also created new tourism experiences.
In addition to its stargazing tours and festivals held to showcase the starry skies, visitors can now use giant telescopes and enjoy a trip to space in 3D. There are also opportunities for guests to dine on local cuisine under starry skies. The experience is a collaboration between chefs, a travel agency and an advertising agency, according to Kenji Fujioka of the local tourism and exchange division.
Starry sky activities played a key role in 2022 in boosting domestic tourism to Chugoku, a region in western Honshu consisting of Tottori, Hiroshima, Shimane, Yamaguchi and Okayama prefectures, so travel agents are expecting similar interest from the international market as Japan’s tourism recovery continues.
The newly-opened Outrigger Koh Samui Beach Resort on Lamai Beach presents to guests a new magic theatre show that the whole family will enjoy.
The Illusions Theatre magic show will run six nights a week in the resort’s 71-seat air-conditioned show theatre from April 17. From Monday to Saturday, there will be two one-hour shows nightly – the 19.00 show is suitable for the whole family, while the 21.00 performance is for those aged 15 and above.
Magic show guests can enjoy pre-theatre dining and drinks at Outrigger’s Edgewater Beach Club restaurant and bar.
Tickets are priced at 1,200 baht (US$35) each for adults and children.
For more information, visit Illusions Koh Samui.
Ascott is giving out bonus points as part of a new campaign to celebrate the fourth anniversary of its loyalty programme, Ascott Star Rewards (ASR).
Members can earn 25 per cent bonus points when they book and stay at any of Ascott’s ASR participating properties from April 15 to May 31.
This also includes Oakwood and The Unlimited Collection brands, which were acquired by Ascott in July last year. All bookings made for stays at participating properties across the Oakwood and The Unlimited Collection brands will further entitle members to added double points for the same period. These include properties in Australia, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia.
ASR points earned can be fully redeemed for stays at participating properties spanning 14 brands globally. Alternatively, points can also be exchanged for rewards with Ascott partners or channelled towards a good cause.
Guests holding elite memberships from other hospitality loyalty programmes will also benefit from an equivalent status-match when they sign up for an ASR membership.
With the next phase of growth, the ASR programme will progressively be elevated with value-add experiences for all members, including a complimentary one-year Wall Street Journal subscription for eligible Platinum members who have booked and completed a stay during the campaign period.
Tan Bee Leng, Ascott’s managing director for brand & marketing, said: “We launched the ASR programme back in 2019 with a commitment to develop it as one of the strongest hospitality rewards programmes. Four years on and in spite of the challenges as a result of the pandemic, we are proud to continue upholding this ambition.
“Flexibility, convenience and stay benefits are just some of the offerings to empower our guests to make the most out of their stay with us. As consumer travel demand evolves, we strive to continue building customer loyalty by ensuring that our offerings remain relevant and compelling enough to meet the increasing expectations of an attractive loyalty programme.”
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts and Shekhar Resorts will launch a new property in Agra, the city of the Taj Mahal.
Scheduled to open by 2025, the hotel will offer 205 rooms, including 44 suites.
Fairmont Agra will sit on the banks of the Yamuna River and in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, just a two-hour drive from the capital city of New Delhi. The hotel will be about two kilometres from the Taj Mahal, offering guests easy access to the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
“We believe that the property will stand out and elevate the luxury hospitality experience in Agra and northern India. We are excited to start our first partnership with Fairmont and Accor, and to bring the most unique and memorable experiences to our guests,” said Anuj Jain, director of Shekhar Resorts, Agra.
Fairmont currently operates the Fairmont Jaipur in India, with plans to open additional hotels in Udaipur, Mumbai and Shimla Fagu over the next two years.
ILTM Asia Pacific has confirmed Sumana Rajarethnam, South-east Asia director of the Economist Intelligence Corporate Network, as keynote presenter at the Opening Forum on June 19.
He will present a macroeconomic global and regional outlook, as well as reveal current economic trends and future expectations, and provide actionable global business insights for attendees.
“I welcome and am looking forward to the opportunity to encourage ILTM Asia Pacific delegates to think differently, discover new possibilities and change their mindsets,” said Rajarethnam.
The Opening Forum will also highlight ILTM’s latest Buzz v Reality research, Decoding the Luxury Traveller’s Mindset; Spotlight China, which will provide valuable insights into the travel behaviours of today’s high-net worth Chinese traveller.
The other three days will see the industry come together in a programme of one-to-one pre-scheduled meetings, networking events and media meetings, providing the platform for building business relationships with suppliers of luxury travel brands.
The Westin Manila has named Alexander Dietzsch as its general manager, who was also the pre-opening consultant of the hotel.
Before joining The Westin Manila, Dietzsch oversaw F&B operations at NUSTAR Resort and Casino in Cebu. He has also worked in various capacities at The Westin properties in Bangkok and Bali.
Meanwhile, Meegee Yap is the new director of sales and marketing at The Westin Manila. She was previously at Park Inn by Radisson North Edsa with the same title.
Cebu is poised to retain its position as a key business events destination in the Philippines, with newly-minted hotels and resorts coming online to fill the gap for small events.
Moreover, soon to join the fray will be two new convention centres that are much needed for mid-sized events.
“Cebu has all the attributes of a good MICE destination, except that it does not have a convention centre,” said Afro Asian World Events president, Angel Ramos Bognot.
But the city’s fortunes are about to change later this year.
NUSTAR Resort and Casino, Cebu’s first integrated resort, is set to open the 2,000-pax NUSTAR Convention Center in 2Q2023. It will have “versatile event spaces, state of the art amenities and stunning sea views,” shared Jun Cordova, director of sales and marketing at Robinsons Hotels and Resorts/NUSTAR Resort and Casino.
“Later in the year, we also expect to open the ballroom at NUSTAR’s Fili Hotel that can cater to 310 pax. Complementing these new venues are Fili Hotel’s 379 rooms and suites,” Cordova said.
In two years’ time, the Megaworld Hotels and Resort will also be opening the Mactan New Town Convention Center, with a capacity for 1,500 guests banquet-style. The venue will be situated between the 550-key Belmont Hotel and 547-key Savoy Hotel in Mactan.
Jericha T Escriva, Belmont Hotel Mactan assistant director of sales, opined that the Mactan New Town Convention Center will be able to address the shortage of venues in Cebu for large corporate groups.
Mactan Island has also welcomed several top-tier hotels and resorts recently, lured by its proximity to the domestic and international airport and beaches.
The most luxurious of them is the Sheraton Cebu Mactan Resort. The property offers eight indoor meeting venues, the largest being the 727m2 Grand Ballroom that can hold 540 pax for banquets. There are also three meeting rooms, a boardroom, and a pre-function area. All of the indoor spaces have been built to make the most out of the sea view, and allow in natural light.
Other unique spaces on the beach, in the gardens, or in open spaces tastefully dotted with Kenneth Cobonpue installations welcome corporate gatherings too. There is also a roof deck on the 12th floor of the main building that can be transformed into an outdoor events venue.
Sheraton Cebu Mactan Resort’s general manager Dottie Wurgler-Cronin is keen to attract the bleisure – or blended travel – market, seeing how the property is armed with excellent leisure and business facilities.
“Cebu has always been a good destination for leisure and business events”, with a number of Korean and Japanese businesses, as well as the presence of call centres and other industries, located here, Wurgler-Cronin pointed out.
After the hiatus wrought by the pandemic, business events are returning to Cebu, noted Escriva, with a number of local and international events scheduled this year.
The future also looks promising, as Cebu’s provincial government is actively promoting the destination, together with Palawan and Boracay. There are also reports that the provincial government has bought a site in Mandaue meant for a convention centre.
Colliers Philippines associate director, Joey Roi Bondoc, opined: “Cebu is definitely among the major Philippine destinations that will capture gains from revenge travel, (and) retain its stature as a key business and leisure destination.”
Cebu’s need for more hotels and bigger venues are evident from a local medical convention that Shangri-La Resort Mactan will be hosting in July. The resort is unable to accommodate the 1,700 pax, so a number of delegates will have to stay at the nearby Belmont and Savoy.
Bondoc noted: “Colliers Philippines believes that now is an opportune time for developers to consider bringing in foreign hotel brands. Hotel operators should also continue to innovate with their services and tap technology in enhancing the customer experience”.
Bruce Winton, multi-property vice president Philippines of Marriott International, pointed out that another of Cebu’s plus points was the continuous improvement of its infrastructure, such as the building and completion of Mactan Cebu International Airport Terminal 2, and the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway which reduces the travel time between mainland Cebu and Mactan Island.
He added that the new infrastructure helps to improve lives all around, and urged the industry to “keep going”, and “focus on projects that benefit tourism”.
“(With all these developments happening,) surely the Cebu MICE landscape just got more interesting, and we look forward to welcoming everyone back to Cebu,” Cordova concluded.
