ROYAL Cliff Hotels Group and PEACH (Pattaya Exhibition & Convention Hall), which have undergone a one billion baht (US$32.8 million) renovation and rebranding programme, will host several major events this year.

One of these mega wins include the 600-pax Asia Golf Tourism Convention in April (TTGmice e-Weekly, December 6, 2012).

Royal Cliff Hotels Group and PEACH executive director, Vitanart Vathanakul, said the convention, coming on top of an Asia-Pacific Golf Summit it also hosted last year, would help promote Pattaya as a golf hub.

“Eighteen of the best golf courses in Asia are located in Pattaya, with one of the courses designed by Jack Niklaus. In addition, golfers will see that Pattaya city has improved its infrastructure significantly,” said Vitanart.

The convention will comprise a number of seminars conducted by sports icons and a buyers-meet-sellers programme, according to Vitanart.

Other conventions confirmed at Royal Cliff and PEACH to-date included a money expo, an Asia-Pacific cardiology congress, a world health conference and key corporate meetings such as Singha Corp and Thai Beverage Corp said Vitanart, adding the venue had been seeing more prestigious events and large-scale wedding groups since last year. This included a ministerial meeting where the Thai Prime Minister and her Cabinet addressed issues to improve the Eastern Seaboard region and a car rally organised by the Economic Reporter Association which brought more than 600 reporters in Thailand to Royal Cliff.

Vitanart said the billion-dollar baht renovation and an investment on human resource training gave Royal Cliff an edge to clinch prestigious events.

The 40-year-old Royal Cliff has repositioned the product to cover all segments and draw not just loyal customers but younger executives.

The 544-room Beach Hotel is now pitched at those who love “casual luxury”. Aside from new, modern Mini Suite Plus rooms, it has a new infinity-edge pool and a new beachside restaurant, Breezeo, which offers over 100 cocktails. Guests can also create their own cocktails, down to choosing the ice shape for their drink.

The 89-room Beach Terrace is now positioned as “boutique luxury”, and a highlight is its new rooftop sunset terrace.

The Grand Hotel targets those who want “formal luxury”. It is also made for business travellers, with features such as a large working table and high-speed Wi-Fi. For guests desiring “ultimate luxury”, the Royal Wing, with 85 rooms and presidential suites, awaits.

MARRIOTT Hotel Manila is looking to boost its MICE business with the construction of a new wing with 228 guestrooms and a convention centre within the Resorts World Manila integrated resort (IR).

The new wing and convention centre will be connected to the existing Marriott Hotel Manila by a walkway. The convention centre will house a grand ballroom that can sit 2,500 pax; two ballrooms for up to 300 people; some 50 meeting rooms; two wedding chapels; and other MICE facilities.

When these facilities are operational by 1Q2015, the hotel will boast a total of 570 guestrooms and 6,900m² of meeting space, making it the Philippines’ largest in terms of hotel facilities and services category.

The hotel sees exciting opportunities for MICE which currently contributes 13 per cent to its total room nights, according to Marriott Hotel Manila’s general manager Scott Sibley.

Sibley said the MICE segment would generate 56 per cent of the growth in total hotel revenue in the first year of operating the additional guestrooms and Marriott Convention Center.

The hotel’s increased focus on MICE comes at a time when Resorts World Manila, the country’s first IR, will be facing off with four larger competitors that will emerge in the Entertainment City in the Manila Bay area beginning this year till 2016.

In an earlier interview, Bill Barnett, managing director of asset management and hospitality consulting C9 Hotelworks, said the future augurs well for Marriott Hotel Manila, which has one of the largest occupancies in mega-Manila and 85 per cent corporate business.

Barnett said the property would not take business out of hotels in the Makati CBD, but would instead offer an edge in enhancing the MICE segment.

“(It is) a segment we haven’t seen in the Philippines,” he said.

DOMESTIC ferry operator 2GO is now marketing its Batangas-Boracay and Manila-Cebu overnight ferry trips to overseas MICE markets, offering corporate groups on option to host themed meetings and events on board its vessels.

Seminars can be conducted on vessels plying the Cebu route, with setups available for 200 pax in theatre style. Boracay-bound vessels offer converted space in the cafe and an open deck. Ships on both routes can be used for deck parties with band performances, karaoke nights and teambuilding sessions.

Stephen Rey Tagud, 2GO vice president and chief commercial officer, told TTGmice e-Weekly that free Wi-Fi would be offered from this year on, and onboard e-gaming facilities were being considered.

Corporate rates are available for groups of 10 or more.

Top local companies are being targeted, and 2GO is looking to build ties with the Philippine travel trade too.

According to Amy G Leyes, assistant vice president for passage group sales, 2GO is making headway in its MICE pursuit. The Supply Chain Management Association of the Philippines chartered the Boracay ferry last May, holding its conference onboard, while the Association of Administrators of Hotel and Restaurant Management Education Institutions utilised a round trip ferry service when it had its convention at the Crown Regency in Boracay in December.

Besides targeting overseas MICE buyers, 2GO is also keen on attracting value-conscious leisure travellers. The company has been pursuing leads from India and Taiwan obtained at PATA Travel Mart in Manila last September. Tagud explained that there were a lot of Indians who wanted to travel around Asia and the Philippines with their families, but were on a budget.

Leyes added that leisure enquiries were also streaming in from Latvia, Scotland and South Korea.

Meanwhile, 2GO has secured a pink market group for 1Q2013. Some 500 to 600 participants are expected. Theme parties onboard and in Boracay will be offered in the five-day/four-night programme, as well as bundled packages that include buffet meals, airport transfers, day tours to Intramuros and Tagaytay for early morning arrivals, shuttle services from Manila to Batangas port, and land and boat transfers to Caticlan.

A cruise-fly option is also offered to travellers planning on extending their visit in Boracay or elsewhere.

Tagud said: “We’re partnering a Taiwanese party organiser (with networks in the Philippines, Singapore, and Malaysia) to sell Boracay as a party destination.”

KEMPINSKI Ambience Hotel Delhi has cancelled its official opening celebrations planned for January 18, citing ongoing unrest in the city as reason.

Vella Ramaswamy, general manager of the property which had soft opened last October, denies that the move was due to cancellation of bookings from leisure and business clients as a result of the anti-rape protests that have been held in the city since mid-December.

Ramaswamy told TTGmice e-Weekly: “The ‘Kempinski Ambience Delhi is located in the heart of the city and therefore has to respect the ongoing sentiment of the capital. The city is (concerned about) the safety of its citizens and we would like to contribute in our own way by not celebrating the grand opening of the hotel.”

He added: “The entire political and administrative leadership is pensive over the current situation. New Year celebrations in the city were also curtailed in most of the places.”

That said, Ramaswamy is confident of “hosting substantially big events in the first quarter of 2013”.

The hotel is still open for reservations, although no definite date has been set of the official opening.

NAT Wong, former deputy president and COO of Reed Exhibitions Greater China, steps into his new role as head honcho of the company this week.

Wong replaces Preecha S Chen who had relinquished his appointment as president at the end of 2012.

Chen will return to Thailand to pursue his personal interest but will remain a board member of Reed Tradex, a joint venture of Reed Exhibitions in Thailand and Vietnam.

THE Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) has promoted Alice Lem Chu Hong to sales manager-exhibitions.

Lem has more than 13 years of experience in the meetings and events industry, and had joined KLCC in July 2011 as exhibitions floor manager.

In her new role, she is responsible for delivering and implementing a commercially effective sales plan to achieve optimum venue occupancy and profitable business mix in the exhibitions division. She is also expected to elevate the centre’s image and identify new opportunities for business growth in the exhibitions division.

Hilton Tokyo will begin an overhaul of its 630 rooms and suites this month as part of its three-year, multimillion-dollar master plan, which has already seen the completion of the hotel’s refurbished banquet facilities and chapel last April.

The renovated guestrooms are expected to be unveiled from April, and new touches will include a custom-made deep soaking bath with rain shower, original lacquer accents, Japanese timbers, and a glass and chrome work desk.

In keeping with Hilton’s tradition of incorporating cultural elements of the destination the property operates in, Hilton Tokyo will continue to feature Shoji and Fusuma screens as part of key décor elements in all guestrooms.

Offering a spectacular view of Shinjuku’s cityscape, the renovated guestrooms will be redesigned with both business and leisure travellers in mind.

DUSIT Thani Laguna Phuket has completed a 10 million baht (US$329,245) renovation of its meeting spaces which will allow it to better cater to an anticipated increase in demand this year.

The 223.7m² Dusit Laguna Hall, which can accommodate up to 300 pax theatre-style or 150 for seated banquets, now features new carpets, antique carvings, textured fabrics and furnishings that are complemented by state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment including a 55-inch LED TV, ceiling and mobile projectors, and screens.

Suriyan, Chantra and Dara rooms, which can be used as boardrooms or break-out rooms, have also been remodelled.

Besides refreshing its hardware, Dusit Thani Laguna Phuket has also enabled free Wi-Fi Internet access throughout the resort.

Meeting planners can leverage on a limited time offer to experience the resort’s refreshed event spaces. The Maximizing Meetings package allows planners to book at best available rates and receive 25 per cent of the first night’s rate as a credit against additional spend at the resort.

The package includes dining, cocktails, delegate packages, teambuilding activities, spa treatments and an array of other services.

The offer is valid for new bookings made between January 5 and March 31, with meetings held between April 1 and July 31. Contact dtlpsmevsmgr@dusit.com for more details.

THE Melbourne Convention and Visitors Bureau (MCVB) has made changes to its representation in North America and offices in Asia.

In North America, Myriad Marketing will replace Mondotels, which has represented the Australian city in a sales capacity for the past 14 years. The appointment will see two dedicated Melbourne resources working within Myriad Marketing.

MCVB CEO, Karen Bolinger, said the change of representation was a strategic decision designed to bring business development activity in the North American market in-line with the organisation’s new Strategic Business Plan, which aims to have Melbourne recognised as one of the world’s premier business events destinations.

“Our new Strategic Business Plan has already seen us implement a number of initiatives, including a major restructure of MCVB’s marketing department, the implementation of a dedicated research unit within the Business Development team and the development of a new positioning campaign, Melbourne IQ: The Intelligent Choice for Conferences,” she said.

“As we progress with our plan, we will be pursuing the North American market with a more streamlined and vigorous approach, and we believe Myriad Marketing is the right organisation to assist us in achieving our long term goals.”

Commenting on the new representation, chief executive of the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Peter King, said: “It is imperative that we continue to build robust leads and strengthen our ties in this important market and I believe Myriad Marketing will provide us with a platform to grow our presence and output from within North America.”

In a press statement by MCVB, Myriad Marketing, which has offices in New York and Los Angeles, is described as “specialists in international travel marketing” and as having “extensive experience within the travel and MICE sectors, with a 25-year history in working with Australia, including current client, the Northern Territory”.

In addition, as part of MCVB’s commitment to servicing the Chinese market, the bureau will close its office in Hong Kong and place an additional resource in Shanghai following Jennifer Tung’s departure in December 2012.

SITE India Chapter has been formed, and with its launch, the global association for incentive travel specialists now boasts 29 chapters worldwide.

Anup Nair will lead the new chapter as president, while other governing council members for 2013 include Ranganathan Parthiban as vice president, Pudukottai Nagarajan Nageshwaran as secretary and Amaresh Kumar Tiwari as treasurer.

Nair told TTGmice e-Weekly: “The opening of the chapter is a big boost to incentive travel professionals in the country, as it will provide members an enormous opportunity to network and learn on a global platform.”

Rajeev Kohli, who is director on the SITE Global Board and the 2013 vice president of SITE International, added that the new chapter would offer members a joint platform where they could share ways to maximise their revenues and work with airline and hotel partners for mutual benefits.

Kohli described SITE as a “very strong association globally, with members who are more mature, sophisticated and experienced”.

“We plan to collectively market our products with SITE India Chapter. Competition is good but it is an era of cooperation today. A few of us have been working together on joint initiatives and the formation of the India chapter will give us a formal umbrella branding when we talk to the world. We expect to be taken more seriously,” said Kohli.

Nair added: “I have been a member of SITE for the last 14 years and have benefited a lot. Besides increasing our membership, we will work towards bringing the SITE International Conference to India by 2016.”

Membership at SITE India Chapter is open to all MICE professionals at an annual fee of US$445. An admission fee of US$50 applies.