The Westin Resort & Spa, Himalayas has appointed Pankaj Singh Panwar as executive chef.
Panwar is a seasoned chef with global experience of over a decade in the hospitality industry. His primary responsibilities involve supervising the culinary operations, upholding high-quality standards, improving efficiency, and ensuring guest satisfaction.
An alumni of Punjab National University, Panwar commenced his career in 2010 with Wyndham hotels and gained valuable experience working at establishments such as JW Marriott Aero City, New Delhi, Sofitel Luxury Hotel Jumeirah Beach Dubai, St. Regis, W Hotel Al Habtoor city complex, The Show by Mawal club & lounge Hilton Al Habtoor city, and Marriott Executive Apartments Dubai Creek.
Sydney stands confidently in its own right; the new branding over the Harbour Bridge pictured
Business Events Sydney (BESydney) has unveiled a new logo, and a new website which has undergone a complete content refresh.
The website has also been completely re-engineered with new simplified customer journeys designed to reflect shifting client expectations and content to make choosing Sydney easier than ever.
Sydney stands confidently in its own right; the new branding over the Harbour Bridge pictured
BESydney’s general manager of content, creative & corporate affairs, Carolin Lenehan, stated that the new branding and website are backed by a comprehensive review of BESydney’s content strategy.
“We feel we have captured Sydney’s unique duality as an iconically recognised and aspirational visitor destination with a globally competitive business heart. It’s a delicate balance, but we believe by showcasing Sydney’s People, Place and Purpose, we’ve been able to showcase the intertwined strands of our city’s DNA. All this is presented in a vibrant new colour palette reflecting our harbour city’s blue skies, sea and sand along with the vividness and buzz of energy that Sydney creates.”
BESydney CEO, Lyn Lewis-Smith, added: “We feel the time is right for this bold change in our identity and the way we sell our city to reflect the evolution of our business, as the world of business events has shifted dramatically, with new business models, new ways of working, connecting and gathering.”
“We are the city’s international advocate with the responsibility for attracting global business and academic audiences to Sydney to get the fresh perspective they need to change their worlds,” she added.
Songdo Convensia has mandated that all event organisers utilise reusable coffee cups
Songdo ConvensiA, the first convention centre in Asia to achieve LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification for New Construction back in 2008, has reiterated its commitment to its sustainability efforts.
As of this month, the venue located in Incheon, South Korea, has mandated the use of reusable cups by all conference and exhibition organisers. These cups have been provided by the Incheon Metropolitan City.
Songdo ConvensiA has mandated that all event organisers utilise reusable coffee cups
Youn-soo Sho, head of Songdo ConvensiA Division, shared: “Incheon Metropolitan City has provided invaluable support for our sustainability efforts. They generously contributed 10,000 reusable cups, covered logistics expenses, and assisted with a portion of the cleaning costs. Their commitment to environmental initiatives aligns with our shared goal of creating a more sustainable and eco-friendly event space.”
Wanting to create a positive impact beyond environmental considerations, Sho added that the venue has also partnered with the Incheon Namdong Regional Self-reliance Center to provide employment opportunities – through the washing and maintenance of the reusable cups – for disadvantaged individuals.
Other sustainability initiatives at the venue include the establishment of 12 ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) event implementation standards for organisers; providing financial support to events that meet three or more of the ESG event implementation standards; and the hosting of ESG-related seminars.
“Eco-friendly campaigns to promote sustainable practices among visitors to the venue are also run,” stated Sho.
Moving forward, Songdo ConvensiA will continue to build and continue to beef up its sustainability credentials.
“We intend to install digital kiosks to reduce the need for physical banners, explore more ways to reduce or eliminate single-use items and materials across operations, and regularly monitor and report on sustainability metrics (waste reduction, energy efficiency, and carbon emissions) to track progress and identify areas for improvement,” elaborated Sho.
In a boost to its sustainability credentials, Songdo ConvensiA also achieved the Earth Check Silver Certification in 2021.
The conference will take place at the Manila Marriott Hotel in Pasay City
The Philippines’ Hotel Sales and Marketing Association (HSMA) will be launching its first HSMA Hospitality Summit on October 12 at the Manila Marriott Hotel in Pasay City.
Themed Elevate the Game: Taking the Lead Towards Global Competitiveness, the conference will tackle topics such as recovery in the hospitality industry, developing globally competitive Filipino hoteliers, and consumer behaviour and brand management.
The conference will take place at the Manila Marriott Hotel in Pasay City
These talks will be led by travel, tourism, and hospitality industry leaders, such as Jonathan Ravelas, managing director at eManagement for Business and Marketing Services, a private analyst in the Philippines known for his extensive expertise in the country’s economic landscape; and Wilma Estaura, group director of human resource at Ayala Hotels and Resorts.
Other speakers include Sophia Hilario-Altamirano, market director of sales, distribution and national sales office of Marriott Philippines; James Montenegro, who leads the Philippines’ Chroma Hospitality as its country manager; Peggy Angeles, SM Hotels and Convention Corp’s executive vice president; and Cleofe Albiso, managing director of Megaworld Hotels.
“We look forward to hosting this exciting summit to equip our sales and marketing leaders with the skills required to manage the demands of our constantly changing (hotel) industry,” said Loleth So, HSMA president and area director of sales and marketing of Megaworld Hotels and Resorts.
“As we continue on our road to recovery, it is through these kinds of events that we can gain critical insights to improve our travel, tourism, and hospitality as a whole and make it more competitive.”
Initiatives to create greater awareness about sustainable event planning, as well as offsetting carbon should be encouraged
Having evolved through various epochs over 4.5 billion years, humanity now lives in the “Anthropocene”, a term determined by our ability to affect Earth geologically on a global scale, not just locally and regionally.
Sadly, such amazing ability has proven mostly detrimental to the Earth and its non-human inhabitants, with a rapid build-up of Greenhouse Gases (GHG) through industrialisation and urbanisation happening in tandem with the Earth’s depleted ability to absorb these GHGs due to large-scale deforestation, ocean warming, and acidification that impairs the ability of sea organisms like phytoplankton and coral to sequester carbon.
Initiatives to create greater awareness about sustainable event planning, as well as ways to offset carbon should be encouraged
News reports highlight the increasing frequency of floods, droughts, wildfires and extreme heat sweeping the globe, which are set to worsen unless global warming is kept to no more than 1.5°C as called for in the Paris Agreement. According to the United Nations, this means GHG emissions need to be reduced by 45 per cent by 2030 and to reach net zero by 2050. Frighteningly, with targets not being met to date, these goals seem out of reach.
According to the World Meteorological Organisation, the number of weather-related disasters driven by climate change has increased by a factor of five between 1970 to 2019. During this period, there were more than 11,000 reported disasters attributed to these hazards globally, with over two million deaths and more than US$3.6 trillion in losses.
As an industry whose reason for being stems from bringing people together, it makes sense that the business events industry should be at the forefront of addressing the climate challenge, not least of all by dealing with its own GHG emissions. We are also an aggregator industry that brings together specialist providers for our travel, F&B, accommodations, audiovisual and other events needs.
This is no easy task of course. As much as events can be designed to be more sustainable through redesign, reduction, reuse and recycling, there will always be an associated carbon footprint that is correlated to the factors of production required. In the same logic as how we work with expert providers in other fields, working with carbon experts could make the most sense for our industry.
Initiatives targeting the business events industry to create greater awareness about sustainable event planning, as well as provide a practical last-mile means of offsetting carbon should be encouraged and supported.
This implies better cross-industry collaboration between industry stakeholders who understand the unique challenges of our industry, and can communicate better with carbon market experts to jointly create carbon offset solutions that can be applied with pragmatism for our industry.
Solutions include platforms that democratise decarbonisation, making it easy for anyone with access to the Internet a means of supporting genuine, verified carbon offset projects at scale, and thus contribute towards collective mitigation of the climate crisis.
It is more than symbolic that an industry that brings people together should exercise the power to restore balance to our Earth, helping to avert a future of worsening climate disasters that threaten human progress, and ultimately, our very existence. With the reach and power our industry holds with multiple stakeholders, it is time we can do more to mitigate the climate crisis together.
Editor’s note: Daniel Chua will be presenting more about this topic during the How MICE Can Decarbonise session at the upcoming IT&CM Asia, happening from September 26-28, 2023, in Bangkok.
Daniel Chua is a business events industry veteran of 20 years and co-founder of MICEcarbon, a platform enabling decarbonisation of the MICE industry. A sustainability advocate, he serves on the Singapore Tourism Board’s Sustainability Committee, and was the inaugural chair of his Town Council’s Greener Environment committee.
Singapore Airlines (SIA) will launch non-stop flights between Singapore and Brussels, the capital of Belgium, from April 5, 2024, marking a return to the city after more than 20 years.
SIA schedules non-stop services to Brussels
The airline will operate four weekly flights to Brussels with the long-haul variant of its Airbus A350-900s, which feature 253 seats in three cabin classes: 42 in Business Class, 24 in Premium Economy Class, and 187 in Economy Class.
Subject to regulatory approval, flight SQ304 will depart Singapore for Brussels on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays at 2355hrs (local time). The return sector, operated as flight SQ303, will depart Brussels for Singapore on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays at 1210hrs (local time).
The addition of Brussels increases the number of European destinations in the SIA network to 13.
Wego’s Ross Veitch; and Travelstop’s Prashant Kirtane
Wego, the largest online travel marketplace in the Middle East and North Africa, has acquired Travelstop, a platform that simplifies business travel and expense management for companies globally.
This strategic move will expand Wego’s reach into business travel and expense management.
Wego’s Ross Veitch; and Travelstop’s Prashant Kirtane
By combining their resources and expertise, Wego and Travelstop aim to revolutionise the way companies navigate the complexities of corporate travel, as well as contribute to the growth and development of the travel industry in the Middle East and Asia-Pacific regions.
Wego also aims to address the unique challenges faced by businesses operating in emerging markets, such as fragmented travel options and manual expense reporting. The combined platform will provide businesses with a one-stop solution, enabling them to seamlessly manage their corporate travel needs while gaining greater visibility and control over expenses.
According to an August 2022 GBTA BTI Outlook Annual Global Report & Forecast, the APAC and Middle East regions stand as the largest and most rapidly expanding markets in business travel. In 2023, APAC and the Middle East regions are set to contribute to 46 per cent of total global business travel expenditure.
The Olympian Hong Kong Hotel – a boutique hotel under Sino Hotels’ portfolio – will reopen its doors on September 20, 2023, and is celebrating with new stay packages.
Rates start at HK$1,100 (US$140.60) per night for a minimum of 14 consecutive nights, and include five days of complimentary breakfast sets for one registered guest and four self-service laundry tokens.
Olympian Suite
For a minimum of 21 consecutive nights, the rate starts from HK$1,050 per night, and includes seven days of complimentary breakfast sets for one registered guest and six self-service laundry tokens.
For a minimum of 30 conescutive nights, the rate starts from HK$28,000 nett per room, and includes 10 days of complimentary breakfast sets for one registered guest and eight self-service laundry tokens.
All extended stays come with two days of housekeeping service per week. Introductory rates from now until December 31, 2023, and all prices are subject to a 10 per cent service charge unless otherwise stated.
Business travellers on short trips to Hong Kong can also book a room at HK$1,600 per night, which includes two daily complimentary breakfast sets. For stays of three consecutive nights or above, guests can enjoy 15 per cent savings on the Best Available Rate, complimentary daily breakfast sets for up to two registered guests, and late check-out until 14.00.
The Olympian Hong Kong offers 32 keys across four room categories, where every room is equipped with a bathtub and separate rainshower, 55-inch LED IPTV with local and satellite channels, microwave and coffee amenities. The suites offer added living spaces, and feature a three-metre-high ceiling. Facilities on-site include a residence lounge, fitness centre, and self-service laundry room.
Regal Hotels International’s newest kid on the block, the 1,208-key Regala Skycity Hotel on Hong Kong’s Lantau Island has reported a high average occupancy rate of over 80 per cent so far this year, following Hong Kong’s resumption of inbound tourism without Covid restrictions in February.
While the five-star hotel was officially launched in late 2021, it went on to serve in the government’s hotel quarantine programme for almost a year, and only just begun its first year of normal commercial operations.
Regala Grand Ballroom is said to be one of the largest ballrooms in Lantau
Recent months have brought healthy business, Dora Liu, vice president-sales, with Regal Hotels International, told TTGmice when she led her team to Singapore on a trade and media engagement mission.
Liu said the hotel’s location – as an airport hotel supporting Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) and directly connected to AsiaWorld-Expo (AWE) convention and exhibition centre – contributes to the “good performance”.
She added that it has also helped that AWE has “many events locked in and happening now”.
Regala Skycity Hotel maintains a close relationship with AWE, where it supports event organisers with accommodation.
“The hotel’s extensive function rooms can also take on spillover events from AWE and offer alternative and supporting venues for main events taking place at the centre,” added Liu.
The hotel boasts the Regala Grand Ballroom, with space for up to 76 tables and is said to be one of the largest ballrooms in Lantau, plus two other banquet halls. International events are supported by a Halal-certified central kitchen.
Other facilities in the hotel include the Sky Deck which comprises a jogging track, outdoor gym and an organic farm that supports the hotel’s farm-to-table F&B concept; five game rooms; outdoor swimming pool; gardens; three restaurants, and an assortment of themed rooms for families.
Liu believes that Regala Skycity Hotel’s work and play, rest and recharge positioning, underpinned by an array of wellness, entertainment and event facilities, gives it an advantage in courting travellers today who blend leisure and business and also expect wellness and sustainable features as part of their stay experience.
Her business optimism is not limited to the new property. She told TTGmice that the Hong Kong Tourism Board’s busy calendar of festivals for the remaining months of 2023 is a boon for the other 11 Regal Hotels International properties in the destination.
Hong Kong is set to charm visitors with events such as Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance to celebrate the Mid Autumn Festival in September; Wine and Dine Festival 2023 in October; Taste Around Town in November, during which many restaurants in Hong Kong will serve special edition menus; and the Christmas light-ups and New Year countdown parties in December.
The return of sporting events bodes well for the group too, as it has “traditionally been very supportive of sporting events”, shared Liu. The group sponsors the well-known Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon, usually held early in the year, while Regala Skycity Hotel is supporting the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Half Marathon 2023 on November 19.
Air France-KLM Group and Etihad Airways have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aiming at enhancing their collaboration opportunities across passenger operations, loyalty programmes, talent development, and maintenance.
The companies are looking to expand their codeshare and interline agreements initiated in 2012, subject to regulatory approvals. As a first step, more than 40 new routes covering destinations across Europe, the Middle East, Asia-Pacific and Australia have been made available for booking upon the signing, for travel as early as the winter 2023 season.
The signing ceremony took place at the Air France-KLM Group’s headquarters in Paris, France in the presence of Etihad Airways’s Arik De (left) and Air France-KLM’s Angus Clarke
The MoU also proposes the ability for frequent flyers of both Flying Blue and Etihad Guest to earn and redeem miles with Air France, KLM, and Etihad. The airlines will also explore terminal co-location, reciprocal lounge access and ground handling, among other initiatives.
Etihad currently operates daily flights to both Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam Schiphol from Abu Dhabi international airport.
Air France will start operating daily flights between Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Abu Dhabi International Airport from October 29, 2023.
Angus Clarke, executive vice president and chief commercial officer at Air France-KLM Group, said: “This 11-year collaboration is now expanding even further, as we aim to explore opportunities in maintenance and loyalty, in addition to enhancing our route network for the benefit of our customers from all around the world. The attractiveness of Abu Dhabi as a destination and a hub, powered by Etihad’s large footprint spanning South and South-east Asia, as well as Australia, brings significant richness to this partnership. This moment marks our shared commitment to providing seamless, premium, customer-centric travel experiences to our shared global customer base.”
Arik De, chief revenue officer at Etihad Airways, added: “This MoU builds on our existing partnership by exploring deeper network enhancements as we offer improved connectivity between Abu Dhabi and Paris, and leveraging the extensive AF-KL network to Europe and beyond. It reaffirms Etihad’s intent to bolster Abu Dhabi’s cultural and economic growth as we look forward to welcoming more guests to our home enjoying better travel benefits and enhanced customer experiences along the way.”
The newly-opened Ritz-Carlton, Bangkok anchors the One Bangkok development with cosmopolitan elegance. Featuring the city's largest ballroom and a spectacular new penthouse suite, it delivers exceptional hardware and deeply authentic, soulful service for business and leisure travellers alike
Behind the imposing, Brutalist concrete that defines Zurich’s Oerlikon district lies a surprising secret. While its exterior honours the neighbourhood’s industrial roots, stepping inside Mama Shelter reveals a vibrant, neon-soaked world that is a far cry from its rigid shell
A polished urban retreat designed for business travellers, Hyatt Regency Kuala Lumpur at KL Midtown combines thoughtful design, seamless service, and exceptional facilities.
Daniel Chua is a business events industry veteran of 20 years and co-founder of MICEcarbon, a platform enabling decarbonisation of the MICE industry. A sustainability advocate, he serves on the Singapore Tourism Board’s Sustainability Committee, and was the inaugural chair of his Town Council’s Greener Environment committee.
