InterContinental Penang Resort, Malaysia and voco Osaka Central, Japan are the latest additions to IHG Hotels & Resorts’ expanding pipeline.
InterContinental Penang Resort will be the second InterContinental hotel in Malaysia, in partnership with THR Hotel (Penang), a subsidiary of Tradewinds Corporation.
InterContinental Penang Resort will sit among some of Penang’s most loved nature-based attractions
The collaboration will transform the former Penang Mutiara Beach Resort at Teluk Bahang into InterContinental Penang Resort. This is slated to open in 2025.
A 30-minute drive from central Georgetown, InterContinental Penang Resort will feature 355 rooms and suites, and a private enclave of six villas for an immersive stay among nature. A holistic wellness village will house 10 treatment villas, a yoga studio, and a relaxation pavilion.
Teluk Bahang Fishing Village, Penang National Park and the Penang Tropical Spice Garden will be the hotel’s immediate neighbours, and guests will get to enjoy views of the Malacca Straits. Facilities include three swimming pools, five restaurants and bars, meeting and event venues.
Over in Japan, IHG has signed a management agreement with NTT Urban Development Corporation to launch voco Osaka Central in 2023.
As IHG’s sixth hotel in Osaka, voco Osaka Central will feature 191 rooms and is located a few minutes’ walk away from Yodoyabashi, Honmachi and Higobashi stations. Facilities include a restaurant, café, fitness gym and meeting rooms.
Voco Osaka Central will take on sustainable initiatives such as the use of biodegradable coffee cups, energy-saving aerated shower heads, and bulk bathroom amenities.
Grand Hyatt Jakarta has welcomed Anumodit Chaturvedi as new hotel manager.
Chaturvedi has been with the Hyatt family for over 15 years and joins Grand Hyatt Jakarta after his time at Grand Hyatt Singapore and Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur.
Passenger ferry services between Singapore’s Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal and Malaysia’s Desaru Coast Ferry Terminal will commence on July 7, with operations set to scale up progressively in response to demand.
For the initial months, Batam Fast will operate one round trip from Thursday to Sunday, with a 330-pax ferry. The journey is approximately 90 minutes per sector. Ferry tickets and service schedules will be made available online at desarucoast.com and batamfast.com from June 30.
Desaru Coast gets a boost in international accessibility with the launch of Singapore-Desaru ferry services
Roslina Arbak, managing director and CEO, Desaru Development Holdings One, said the new service “will make Desaru Coast even more accessible to international travellers”.
“This is a game-changer for the destination. It will enable us to unlock new market opportunities in all travel segments and at the same time, position Desaru Coast as an attractive hospitality investment to draw like-minded investors for our next phase of growth.”
Paul R Gannaway, CEO of Batam Fast, said Desaru Coast and the south-eastern Johor region are popular tourist destinations, and the new ferry service “will give holidaymakers a rewarding experience”.
Desaru Coast will celebrate the launch with special packages that include return ferry tickets, hotel stays and golf, as well as day-tripper deals.
The Crystal Cruises brand along with luxury vessels Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony are now part of A&K Travel Group, and plans are underway to return the ships to service in 2023 after extensive refurbishment.
In a press release, Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio, co-chairman of A&K Travel Group, Crystal Cruises and Abercrombie & Kent, said he is “thrilled to start this new chapter and to be back in an industry that has always had, and always will have a special place in my heart”.
Crystal Serenity (pictured) and Crystal Symphony will return to service in 2023 under the same brand
The Lefebvre family acquired control of Sitmar Cruises 35 years ago and pioneered a new way of cruising, but the business was eventually sold away.
“Selling the cruise business that belonged to my family for a quarter of a century was a difficult decision, as I knew I would miss this industry immensely. Therefore, when the opportunity arose to acquire Crystal Cruises, I did not think about it twice,” d’Ovidio said.
Geoffrey Kent, co-chairman of A&K Travel Group and Crystal Cruises, and founder, co-chairman and CEO of Abercrombie & Kent, commented: “The idea of combining the unparalleled onboard service that Crystal Cruises is known for, with the extraordinary tailor-made experiences Abercrombie & Kent has been successfully providing for our guests for the past 60 years, fills me with excitement, enthusiasm and pride.”
Crystal Cruises and Abercrombie & Kent will report to Cristina Levis, CEO of A&K Travel Group.
Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong has named Christian Poda as regional vice president and general manager.
A seasoned hotelier and business leader with 23 years of global luxury hotel experience, Poda will supervise the completion of Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong’s renovation. He will also oversee operations at Four Seasons Hotel Guangzhou, Shenzhen and the upcoming opening of Four Seasons in Suzhou.
Prior to his latest appointment in Hong Kong, he was general manager of Four Seasons Hotel Beijing, where he welcomed important dignitaries to the hotel during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.
Louis Sailer is the new senior executive vice president of The Imperial New Delhi.
He brings with him an extensive multi-cultural business management background, having turned around global luxury hospitality brands and operations in Germany, Japan, Singapore, China, London, California, Hawaii, the Caribbean and India.
Dusit International’s Devarana Wellness concept has arrived at Dusit Thani Hua Hin, which has completed a a slew of significant upgrades such as refreshed accommodation and redesign of its large central pool.
Through Devarana Wellness, the beachside resort now offers new wellness-focused activities, services and facilities that abide by three key principles of Pause, Focus and Growth.
Dusit Thani Hua Hin has scaled up wellness facilities and experiences
Guests can expect micro-experiences such as curated self-care and grooming kits, as well as wellness workshops, healthy menus in the resort’s restaurants, special well-being-focused retreats for various types of travellers, and resident high-performance coaches.
The wellness concept covers various key touchpoints to meet the aspirational health needs of guests, while providing the luxury of de-stressing, detoxing, and getting a good night’s sleep.
Alongside a complimentary programme of mindful and physical activities, such as meditation, forest bathing, Muay Thai, Kaoshikii dance, full moon yoga on the beach, and Family Day Retreats, the resort also offers wellness on-demand via an exclusive series of videos produced by, and starring, emotional well-being coach and educator Cat Lau.
Trained in specialised somatic healing techniques using energy healing, movement, and coaching for emotional well-being, Lau guides viewers through Devarana meditation and yoga sessions filmed on Hua Hin beach. Guests can enjoy these relaxing sessions at their leisure on their in-room TV. The videos will also be made available at all other Dusit Hotels and Resorts soon.
Also new at the resort is the Devarana Wellness centre, which houses a spa, gym, lounge areas, an outdoor reflection pool, tennis and squash courts, and manicured gardens for meditation, sound baths, personalised workouts, and other rejuvenating experiences. The spa presents more than 30 luxurious and healing treatments conducted by expert therapists. Spa patrons can enjoy full-day access to steam room, sauna, and Jacuzzi.
For the past two pandemic years, Australia has continued to keep the dream of travel alive through remote campaigns. These included Tourism Australia’s Australia in 8D, using innovative audio technology to create a 360-degree dreamlike soundscape of the country, and distributing the incentive publication, Australia Next.
More recently, a double campaign launched in March during AIME showed that Australia was intent on playing the offensive to win the business recovery game worth A$36 billion (US$25.5 billion) to the country.
Vivid Sydney 2022 returns from May 27 to June 18, giving international business events in the city during that period a chance to enjoy spectacular sights and entertainment
A re-visioned Event Here This Year encouraged domestic market decision-makers to go local and in-person, while an international campaign targeting business events trade media in many regions including South-east Asia, South Asia and China promoted Australia as a friendly destination with fresh perspectives.
Evidence of the strategy working is beginning to show, with a high number of international event planners indicating they were keen to return to Australia, especially for incentive events.
Melbourne was quick to announce at the end of April its victory – the city secured six international incentive groups from Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and New Zealand. Melbourne Convention Bureau said the win would bring a “busy season” in May when the first group of 162 South-east Asian and New Zealand delegates arrives, filling close to 1,661 room nights and injecting more than A$898,000 in economic contribution to the state’s economy.
Sydney has similarly seen an immediate shift in business with borders reopening to visitors.
“Internationally, there was a clear change in sentiment as soon as the announcement was issued…with an influx of enquiries for international business in late 2022 and 2023” said Sinead Yeo, director, global corporate and incentives with Business Events Sydney.
“Some clients are cautious and testing with smaller groups, while others are keen to revert back to large-scale travel as soon as possible to celebrate with their teams or communities. Many are preferring to travel to closer regions, with Australia as the nearest western destination to Asia,” Yeo added.
Melbourne Convention Bureau (MCB) also noted that team bonding is emerging as a strong theme for incentive groups this year.
“After two years of hibernation, what I’m seeing with incentives is that comradeship has become even more important,” said Kelvin Yin, MCB’s regional director, South-east Asia and India.
“I have a group of 35 people from Malaysia, from top bosses to middle management, travelling together and taking turns to do a self-drive through Tasmania and regional Melbourne. Pure teambuilding has taken priority,” he observed.
According to indicators from the Business Events Australia Asia (hybrid) showcase in March, attended by 110 decision-makers and corporate planners, more movements are in the pipeline.
“Ninety-eight per cent of those from South Asia and South-east Asia said they were considering Australia for an incentive in the next 12 months,” said Robin Mack, Tourism Australia’s executive general manager of commercial & Business Events Australia.
“Even for China, with the travel friction that’s in place, the number was 69 per cent. So, I think they’re really good indicators for how we’re shaping up for that rebound and it’s certainly positive,” he added.
Melbourne secured six international incentive groups by the end of April
Many event planners have been pleasantly surprised by the number of new products and experiences on offer as Australia reopened her borders.
“The infrastructure development has been unprecedented in the last few years and there’s a lot to show as people are returning. We’ve had almost 100 new or refurbished hotels representing an extra 12,000 rooms,” said Mack.
These include the luxury eco Silky Oaks Lodge with 40 suites located in the World Heritage Listed Daintree Rainforest on the banks of the Mossman River, and the Dorsett Gold Coast sitting adjacent to the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre with direct access to The Star Gold Coast.
There is also the much anticipated Crown Towers Sydney which highlights 20 spacious villas with outdoor terraces, opulent finishes, and 24-hour butler service. The hotel includes a ballroom and boasts some of Sydney’s best dining, such as Nobu among its eight restaurants, all of which can be booked for exclusive use.
New experiences are also on offer like the Reef Magic Pontoon, a double-decker floating platform in the Great Barrier Reef with an onboard bar and dining area that can be exclusively booked for up to 350 passengers with VIP helicopter transfers.
Even more is on the way, promised Mack.
“The industry’s shift towards prioritising more sustainable business events products has also not gone unnoticed. Among several initiatives, an urban skyfarm with conference facilities in Melbourne is weeks away from completion at the time of writing. It will offer guests the ability to enjoy a post-meeting tour of the working farm and sample from the rooftop orchard and herb gardens.
While flying back to Asia from Europe in March, Roland Heller noticed long queues forming at the check-in counter and boarding gates as passengers waited for multiple travel documents to be manually verified.
Spotting an opportunity, Heller, CEO of airline mobile application solution Mobipax, worked to introduce new functions into his platform that will resolve such issues.
Mobipax is developing new tools for airlines to strengthen their onboard efficiencies, passenger servicing, safety and interaction
This anecdote was shared by co-founder Porntippa Pongthomma at this week’s Aviation Festival Asia 2022, where she revealed more about the company, which has ambitions to expand into the Asian airline market.
Targeted specifically at facilitating interactions between passengers and the cabin crew, the cloud-based smartphone application can offer services such as selling merchandise before and during a flight.
“It is very interesting that technology has advanced a lot, but the actual business process has not changed much,” said Porntippa. “We are ready to be one of the key players who support this change by providing modern, dynamic and affordable solutions for the airlines and passengers.”
To this end, it is developing two features at the moment.
The first is Mobiwatch for cabin crew to download onto their smart watches and access information linked to the flight, such as passenger preferences.
“Because of the multi-tasking they have to do, it is not so convenient for them to hold a tablet or smartphone while they serve passengers,” she explained.
The other feature is travel document verification, which it is looking to add to its existing Mobicrew application. In addition to scanning boarding passes, Mobipax is exploring the inclusion of other documents such as Covid-19 vaccine certificates and visas.
An added function for Mobicrew is delivering an alert to the crew if a passenger tries to board a flight with incomplete documents.
“Our aim is to give the airlines tools that can strengthen their onboard efficiencies, passenger servicing, safety and interaction,” added Porntippa.
Traveloka has become a member of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) as part of its strategic effort to preserve the environment and realise sustainable tourism.
Through its GSTC membership, Traveloka plans to promote sustainable tourism standards in the hospitality sector in South-east Asia.
Traveloka’s GSTC membership will present it with more opportunities to initiate sustainable tourism efforts
The lifestyle superapp has been educating stakeholders in the industry, including its partners and users, on the significance of environmental sustainability and social responsibility. It most recently assisted the Indonesian government in developing domestic tourism sustainably by planting 40,000 seedlings along the shoreline of Buleleng Regency, North Bali.
Alfan Hendro, chief operating officer, Traveloka, said: “The traveller of 2022 will be much more refined, caring more about sustainability, local communities, people and brands that align with their own personal principles; and it is important that businesses prioritise sustainable tourism with the commitment to preserve nature and utilise natural resources responsibly.
“Traveloka will continue to play a strategic role in supporting the environmental agenda anywhere we operate, and we hope that our membership with the GSTC will help open up more doors for us to initiate sustainable tourism in the region.”
Prior to his latest appointment in Hong Kong, he was general manager of Four Seasons Hotel Beijing, where he welcomed important dignitaries to the hotel during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.
Grand Hyatt Jakarta has welcomed Anumodit Chaturvedi as new hotel manager.
Chaturvedi has been with the Hyatt family for over 15 years and joins Grand Hyatt Jakarta after his time at Grand Hyatt Singapore and Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur.