Best Western Hotels & Resorts has brought in renowned wellness company, GOCO Hospitality, to curate exclusive wellness experiences for its guests at two upcoming hotels within Charm Resort Ho Tram in Ho Chi Minh City.
The partnership between the two companies will see GOCO managing a spa and wellness centre, staffed by GOCO’s team of health professionals. Hotel guests will be offered a wide range of natural therapies complemented by advanced technology within an oasis of landscaped gardens and waterways, just steps from the beach.
GOCO Hospitality will lead a holistic health and wellness centre within the two Best Western hotels set within the upcoming Charm Resort Ho Tram
The wellness facility will be part of the 470-key Charm Resort Ho Tram, BW Signature Collection by Best Western and the 548-key Charm Resort Ho Tram, BW Premier Collection by Best Western.
Erwann Mahe, managing director, international operations – Asia, Best Western Hotels & Resorts, said: “Wellness has become a key component of the hotel and resort industry, especially in Asia, and we are delighted to work with GOCO Hospitality and Charm Group on this impressive new project. This soothing sanctuary will become one of the key selling points at Charm Resort Ho Tram, BW Premier Collection by Best Western and Charm Resort Ho Tram, BW Signature Collection by Best Western.”
La Vie Hotels & Resorts, an independent hotel operator in the Asia Pacific region, has appointed Craig Bond to the role of Managing Director.
Based out of the group’s head office in Sydney, Bond will lead the company as it heads into a period of exponential growth, and will build the group’s reputation as an independent hotel operator of choice in the region.
Bond is an award-winning hotelier with a large portfolio of successfully developed and branded hotels, resorts, spas and restaurant concepts throughout the Asia Pacific region under his belt.
He joins the team from ONYX Hospitality Group in Bangkok, Thailand, where he was most recently executive vice president – COO.
Previously, Bond served as vice president, operations at Oakwood Worldwide Singapore and has also held roles across Australia as area general manager Oceania with Pan Pacific Hotels Group in Sydney, and area general manager with Mirvac Hotels and Resorts in Melbourne.
Cannabis tourism is poised to become a growth market in Thailand as the Kingdom’s relationship with marijuana goes back overground.
Thailand was the first South-east Asian country to legalise the production, import, and export of cannabis for medical purposes in 2018. This year, Thai authorities approved the de facto decriminalisation of marijuana but left a grey area around its recreational use.
De Cuyper: Thailand’s medical and wellness tourism sector can benefit from the rise of cannabis tourism
These moves, say observers, are fostering an environment where cannabis tourism can help resuscitate an industry that has been badly battered by the global pandemic. Indeed, many feel Thailand’s relaxed regulations could lead to a surge in medical and wellness tourism where marijuana is utilised as a key component.
“Thailand is well known as a destination for medical tourism and wellness travel. So, these sectors will surely benefit from the latest developments,” opined Dirk De Cuyper, CEO of S Hotels and Resorts.
Cannabis proponents say the plant can help relieve stress, reduce fatigue, increase appetite, and encourage deeper sleep. It can also stimulate the intestines and soothe inflamed skin.
Given these benefits, it is no surprise that numerous hospitality and wellness brands have latched onto the cannabis trend in Thailand.
Luxury spa facility Panpuri Wellness has put together a Holistic Cannabis Wellness Experience that includes onsen services, spa treatments using cannabis leaves, and cannabis-infused food and beverages.
Anantara is another major hospitality name going big on cannabis tourism. Anantara spas have created three “journeys” that utilise CBD (cannabidiol) oil – the second most active ingredient in cannabis. Over at Anantara Chiang Mai Resort, “healthy and nutrition-rich” cannabis-infused dishes have debuted on the menu at Service 1921 restaurant.
“There is growing interest in the therapeutic benefits of CBD,” said Chunxia Gao, group sirector of spa & wellness at MSpa International for the Asia region.
“With CBD safety guidelines ensuring the quality of the products, we can only foresee great success in CBD infused products, superfood choices, and CBD spa and wellness experiences.”
Cruise bookings have shifted away from intermediaries and OTAs, with many travellers opting to book directly with the cruise line, according to GlobalData’s findings from its recent report, Key Trends in Cruises (Cruise), 2022 Update – Analysing Key Market Trends, Opportunities, Challenges, and Projects.
Industry revenue from cruise intermediaries in 2021 increased by 65% year-on-year (YoY) from US$11.8 billion to US$19.5 billion. However, cruise passengers have increased at a significantly higher rate. According to Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), cruise tourism had risen by 95% YoY from 7.1 million to 13.9 million people.
There are more cruisegoers, but lesser of them are using OTAs and intermediaries
Craig Bradley, associate travel & tourism analyst at GlobalData, commented: “Unlike other sectors in travel and tourism, the percentage increase in revenue for specialist intermediaries is not correlative with cruise passenger growth in 2021, suggesting that cruise tourists now prefer to cut out the middle-man and book directly with the cruise line.”
Due to the pandemic, it is generally expected both passenger revenues and trips to be broadly similar in their growth rate, with only marginal differences. For example, if taking a look at global outbound travel in its entirety, total trips increased by 95% YoY in 2021 and outbound revenues increased by 99% YoY according to GlobalData’s Tourism Demands and Flows Database.
However, specifically for the cruise industry, it is clear that intermediaries are underperforming with revenue increases 30% lower than passenger growth.
On the other hand, further research from GlobalData reveals that this change in booking behaviour reflects the current consumer sentiment towards intermediaries. In a 3Q2019 Tourism Consumer Survey, 44% of respondents said they typically book via an intermediary such as an OTA. However, in a 4Q2021 survey, only 24% of respondents said they booked their last holiday via this booking method. In addition, respondents who said they booked directly with the provider increased from 32% to 36%.
Bradley added: “There is a whole list of reasons why travellers now prefer to go direct, all of which are a result of the pandemic. Some want more flexibility and peace of mind, while others have had their confidence damaged due to poor customer experience, particularly dealing with refunds.
“Furthermore, the skills shortages in the industry are also problematic, with many cruise sales agents laid-off during the pandemic and subsequently moving into different careers. However, these issues are all fixable, indicating that this may be just a temporary shift, but cruise intermediaries must act now to ensure they can capture demand in 2022.”
Son Hoang Le has joined Alma Resort Cam Ranh in Vietnam as director of sales.
The Vietnamese holds more than 16 years of experience in sales, marketing, events and operations at some of Vietnam’s well-known hotels. His last role was the director of room sales at the Caravelle Saigon.
Before that, he was the director of sales and marketing at Diamond Bay Vung Tau Resort & Spa and the director of sales at Hotel Majestic Saigon.
Son embarked on his hospitality career in early 2005 as a bellman at the Caravelle Saigon, where he spent the next 10 years also working as a receptionist, night supervisor and banquet sales executive, learning about various facets of the hotel business.
He moved to the Hotel Nikko Saigon to become a corporate sales executive, before progressing to the Pullman Hanoi where he became a sales manager and then an acting senior sales manager.
Airline retail operating systems specialist Mystifly has added an extension multi-city search feature to its existing Airline Shopping and Retailing Hub platform.
The new feature promises to make searching and booking consecutive one-way flights between multiple destinations quicker and easier. It can draw domestic and international, as well as GDS and non-GDS flight options for multiple destination in a single search.
Mystifly’s Airline Shopping and Retailing Hub platform can now perform multi-city flight searches
According to Mystifly, traditional multi-city search functions have limited price and itinerary comparison capability, requiring customers and travellers to spend more time to discover best pricing. The high number of options and prices variations – both over time and through different sellers – make the task even harder.
Powered by artificial intelligence based on Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning algorithms, Mystifly’s multi-city search feature rapidly explore and compare fare choices for each leg of route from around 700-plus GDS, LCC and NDC airlines to display the most relevant and competitive fare options. The feature also allows users to fine-tune the itineraries by applying filters like direct/non-direct flight, day/night flights based on traveller’s destinations, and personal preferences, as well as provides the required ancillary services for each leg of the travel to finally proceed with booking.
The first LXR-branded resort will make landfall in South-east Asia in late-2022, with the opening of a 72-key property perched on the limestone cliffs of Uluwatu, Bali.
Nestled amid the verdant landscape, all suites and villas will bring guests unobstructed panoramic views of the Indian Ocean. Five dining concepts, a clifftop chapel for weddings, wellness facilities, a kids club, and event spaces will be part of the resort.
The new LXR resort in Bali will offer only suites and villas
The resort will lean into the core values of the LXR brand, which focus on providing unique, immersive experiences defined by the local cultures and traditions of each destination. From local folklore, heritage crafts and ancient healing techniques, to authentic epicurean experiences and traditional Balinese culinary arts, guests can look forward to a natural connection to the destination.
The signing between Hilton and Surya Semesta Internusa Tbk for this property follows the recent opening of ROKU KYOTO, LXR Hotels & Resorts in Japan.
Guy Phillips, senior vice president, development, Asia and Australasia, Hilton, said: “This resort marks our fourth resort on the island and is a signal of our commitment to expanding our luxury portfolio with the right partners, in the right destinations, across the region. The signing also bears testament to the relevance of the brand ethos that speak to the evolved needs of luxury travellers.”
Western Australia will finally permit interstate and international entry from March 3, 2022, announced premier Mark McGowan today.
Triple-vaccinated interstate travellers will be allowed into Western Australia without the need for quarantine, while international arrivals will be permitted if they meet the Commonwealth requirements to enter Australia, and take an ART within 12 hours of arrival. Positive results must be reported.
Western Australia will dismantle border restrictions on March 3
Unvaccinated returning Australians to the state will have to undergo seven days of hotel quarantine.
McGowan conceded that “the virus is already here and we cannot stop its spread”. According to news reports, the state set to reach a peak of 10,000 new cases a day by the end of March.
McGowan had earlier in January cancelled intended border reopening on February 5 due to a surge in Covid-19 cases.
He confirms that the March 3 reopening is final, and a further change is unlikely.
Conrad Centennial Singapore welcomes Tamai Shimada as the new director of sales.
In this role, she is responsible for the overall hotel sales performance and strategy of the hotel.
Tamai has a wealth of hospitality operation and management experience spanning over 10 years of which seven years were spent with Hilton.
The Japanese started her career as a Front Office Guest Service Agent in both Hilton Niseko Village Hokkaido and Hilton Surfers Paradise Hotel & Residences Gold Coast Australia, before taking up a sales position in Bali. She returned to her home country to join Hilton Tokyo in 2016 and was later promoted to assistant director of sales at Hilton Osaka.
Novotel Goa Candolim and Novotel Goa Resort & Spa have appointed Rohan Samarth as cluster director of sales & marketing.
Samarth will be responsible for the entire management of the sales and marketing programmes, along with the implementation of strategies and budgets for the two properties.
He brings with him 10 years of experience in revenue management and knows the Goa market from his past association as director of revenue with Novotel Hotels and Resorts Goa in 2016.
Rohan has been associated with Accor for the last seven years. His last assignment was a corporate role as director of revenue and distribution for Ibis and Ibis styles India.
Western Australia will finally permit interstate and international entry from March 3, 2022, announced premier Mark McGowan today.
Triple-vaccinated interstate travellers will be allowed into Western Australia without the need for quarantine, while international arrivals will be permitted if they meet the Commonwealth requirements to enter Australia, and take an ART within 12 hours of arrival. Positive results must be reported.
Unvaccinated returning Australians to the state will have to undergo seven days of hotel quarantine.
McGowan conceded that “the virus is already here and we cannot stop its spread”. According to news reports, the state set to reach a peak of 10,000 new cases a day by the end of March.
McGowan had earlier in January cancelled intended border reopening on February 5 due to a surge in Covid-19 cases.
He confirms that the March 3 reopening is final, and a further change is unlikely.