Chatrium Hospitality has named John Neutze the new general manager of Chatrium Residence Sathon Bangkok.
Neutze has over 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry, and is responsible for the hotel’s overall operations and business strategy.
He possesses extensive experience in sales and marketing, operations and guest technology engagement solutions across hospitality brands like Raffles Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, and Stamford Hotels and Resorts.
The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, and TCEB, the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau, have renewed their Diamond Sponsorship Agreement.
The official signing took place during the Global CEO Summit in Hamburg at the end of June. The signed agreement focuses on education and sustainability, and demonstrates TCEB’s commitment to improving corporate visibility in UFI events.
As part of the Diamond Sponsorship Agreement, TCEB will gain year-round promotion and visibility across all UFI events and activities.
Nichapa Yoswee, TCEB’s senior vice president, commented: “This agreement between TCEB and UFI highlights Thailand as a main destination for international exhibitions. TCEB supports the sustainable development of exhibition business, promotes the Net Zero Carbon events which is in line with UFI’s policies, and enhances local exhibition stakeholders’ potential for Thailand’s exhibition industry’s development and readiness to embrace ASEAN and global opportunities.”
The Diamond Sponsorship is the highest tier of UFI sponsorship available, and all Diamond Sponsors directly contribute to expanding the depth and scope of UFI activities, to enable the association to serve the exhibition industry better.
UFI’s other Diamond Partners are Qatar Tourism and Freeman.
CWT has launched the next phase in its product evolution with carbon intelligence platform Thrust Carbon to further support sustainable travel programmes.
This follows the launch of carbon footprint indicators in March.
Integrated into CWT’s business intelligence solution, customers now have access to new Carbon Emission Summary dashboards, providing an all-in-one view of a company’s emissions using either DEFRA or Thrust Carbon methodology. Available to all CWT customers globally, the new dashboards help companies understand their CO2 footprint resulting from corporate travel, improve their environmental impact, and reach their responsible travel programme goals.
“We know that when it comes to CO2 data, greater accuracy and clarity supports greater accountability and better choices… Companies pursuing climate initiatives are looking for more comprehensive greenhouse gas emission data and analytics; 79 per cent of our global customers have told us as such, in a recent survey,” said Charlie Sullivan, head of product management, travel management portfolio, CWT.
Over the next 18 months, CWT has a number of initiatives underway to further evolve its sustainability capabilities and portfolio, enhancing and expanding existing and new capabilities in myCWT web and mobile.
Event brief
A private school in India sponsored a performance-based incentive trip for 38 of its teachers to visit three countries in South-east Asia – Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand – in late April.
World Tour Bengaluru was appointed as the event organiser, who worked with their travel partners in the three countries to manage the group respectively.
Destination Explore, the appointed partner in Malaysia, was given two weeks to propose and run a 4D/3N itinerary in the country. The itinerary covered Selangor, the nation’s capital Kuala Lumpur, and Resorts World Genting.
Event highlights
For many delegates, this was their first time in Malaysia. Destination Explore ensured they had a memorable time and provided many Instagrammable opportunities by including visits to iconic places such as the Petronas Twin Towers and Genting Highlands, a must visit destination for many Indian tourists.
Delegates went on a guided cycling tour around Chinatown (Petaling Street); climbed 272 steps to reach the Hindu temple in Batu Caves; took a sightseeing cruise on Putrajaya Lake; spent a night at Resorts World Genting and enjoyed the cool mountain air; rode on the glass-floored gondola cable cars which offered jaw-dropping views of the 130-million-year-old rainforest; and went on rides at the new Genting SkyWorld theme park.
Using contacts from their network, Destination Explore also managed to get the delegates entry into the exclusive, members-only Malaysian Petroleum Club, located within the Petronas Twin Towers. There, they enjoyed high tea while taking in city views.
On their last night in Malaysia, delegates were treated to a gala dinner at Atmosphere 360, a revolving restaurant located in KL Tower (South-east Asia’s tallest communication tower). Situated 282m above ground, delegates had another panoramic view of the city, this time at night.
Challenges
The criteria for entry requirements kept changing during the early days of the reopening. For example, there was confusion whether PCR tests were required to enter Malaysia, or not.
Ganneesh Ramaa, vice president, international sales at Destination Explore approached an officer at Tourism Malaysia who in turn, liaised with the Health Ministry to obtain the latest entry requirements.
However, many suppliers were grappling with manpower issues. Hotels had not fully reopened, large restaurants that usually catered to groups could not accept bookings, and private transportation companies had yet to restart their operations.
Ganneesh shared that his company worked closely with Resort World Genting to secure rooms. “In normal circumstances, getting 38 rooms at First World Hotel, which has more than 7,000 keys, would not have been an issue. But they had yet to fully reopen.”
“Many restaurants were also facing manpower shortage, but we managed to convince them to hire and train sufficient freelancers to wait on the tables and ensure our guests were provided with great service,” he added.
Crossing borders to another country also meant that more tests were needed, but a chartered bus was hired for the group to head from Malaysia to Singapore. As land checkpoints into Singapore did not require a PCR test then, this helped to save some costs for the trip.
“We had to negotiate with a vehicle supplier for a good rate that was both fair to our client and could help the supplier sustain their business. We had to persuade them to renew their licenses, restart their operations, and provide us with transportation,” he elaborated.
Event Incentive for private school teachers from Bengaluru
Organiser World Tour Bengaluru
Dates April 27 to May 1, 2022
Attendance 38
Hong Kong’s new chief executive John Lee said the authorities are considering the possibility of shortening Covid-19 quarantine requirements for travellers.
The city currently requires a seven-day hotel quarantine for arriving travellers, along with strict pre-boarding testing and application procedures.
Speaking at his first news conference on July 5 as the new Hong Kong leader, Lee told journalists: “I am conscious of the need for Hong Kong to remain open and convenient to travellers, but it is also important that we address the risks at the same time.”
Lee shared that health secretary Lo Chung-mau has been tasked to develop options that will facilitate a shorter mandatory quarantine for travellers.
Grand Lisboa and one floor of Shoppes at Four Seasons within Plaza Macao have been locked down by Macau authorities following the emergence of fresh Covid infection clusters.
Grand Lisboa’s closure will run from July 5 to 11.
In its worst-ever Covid outbreak since the pandemic hit in 2020, the city has ordered multiple rounds of mass testing to curb community transmission as well as lockdowns of buildings with multiple cases of infection. As of July 6, at least 16 other buildings in the city are also locked down.
It is, however, the first time that Macau has shut a casino down due to infections. Casinos have so far been allowed to remain open to ensure job security in an industry that generates more than 80 per cent of government income.
Four Seasons Hotel Sydney has appointed Francesco Mannelli to executive chef.
He will oversee all F&B outlets, including his restaurant Mode Kitchen & Bar, in-room dining, as well as conferences and events.
Originally from Florence, Mannelli has more than 25 years of experience in restaurants in Australia and Italy, including a decade in hatted Sydney restaurants such as Balla, Est. and Bistrode CBD.
American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT) and Shell Aviation have banded together to urge the private sector to help decarbonise air travel by joining a landmark sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) programme.
Currently, one million gallons of SAF are available at launch, and the SAF will be certified in line with the regulatory standards set within the country of delivery.
The pilot programme is operated on Avelia, the newly launched blockchain-powered book-and-claim platform developed by Shell and Accenture, with the support of the Energy Web Foundation. Avelia taps into Amex GBT’s global client base to aggregate global demand for SAF.
Corporations reduce emissions associated with business travel by committing to purchase SAF environmental attributes and gaining access to SAF.
Shell Aviation will then supply SAF into the aviation fuel network. Book-and-claim enables travellers to invest in and benefit from SAF, even if SAF is not available at their departure airport. SAF will instead be fed into another aircraft in an airport where it is available.
Purchase commitments by pioneering corporations include Accenture, Amex GBT, Shell and Aon – the first Amex GBT pilot customer to join the programme. Discussions are in advanced stages with several other global and multinational customers and airlines.
Amex GBT’s CEO Paul Abbott said: “This pilot is an important foundational step on our journey towards a net-zero world by 2050. As more businesses and organisations like Aon join this SAF pilot program, market signals will grow stronger, making SAF more cost-competitive with conventional jet fuel.”
Jan Toschka, president, Shell Aviation, said: “SAF is the only viable option for reducing aviation emissions in the near-to medium-term. Lower or zero-carbon technologies such as hydrogen and electric flight are decades away from having impact at scale, while SAF can be used immediately without the need for a fundamental change in infrastructure or aircraft design.”
Suzanne Neufang, CEO, Global Business Travel Association, added: “Transformative sustainability initiatives and collaboration will help create a better future for our planet and for business travel.
According to GBTA’s State of Sustainability Report published during Earth Month, 89 per cent of business travel respondents say sustainability is a major priority for their company. The business travel community is simultaneously demanding and driving environmental progress, with pioneering pilots such as this at the forefront.”
The Events Industry Council’s (EIC) Centre for Sustainability & Social Impact has rolled out an enhanced version of its Sustainable Event Standards, a set of eight standards designed to assess events and industry suppliers in support of environmental and social responsibility.
Originally created in 2019 to replace the APEX/ASTM Environmentally Sustainable Meeting Standards, the Sustainable Event Standards provide guidance and metrics for event professionals at all stages of their sustainability journey. They also contain the necessary support to implement and measure sustainable practices.
The updates to the 2022 Sustainable Event Standards include:
Mariela McIlwraith, chief sustainability officer at the Events Industry Council’s Centre for Sustainability and Social Impact said: “As an industry, we are making some progress in the areas of environmental action and social impact, but the reality is we need to do much more. The standards form a comprehensive framework and provide specific guidance in the areas of organisational management, marketing, communication and engagement, climate action, materials and circularity, supply chain management and social impact.
“We know that for many organisations, getting started in sustainability and social impact can seem daunting. To address this, we’ve introduced a new Foundations Level certificate that provides the guidance needed to develop the policies, plans needed to start the journey. The EIC Sustainable Event Standards are the next step, and through third-party auditing, they provide credibility and transparency for our industry’s stakeholders.”
EIC began an extensive consultation process in 2019 to review the standards, including surveys, webinars and sessions with key contributors. In total, 300+ individuals from over 20 countries provided feedback, including members from more than 20 industry associations.
Limeburners Whisky and Giniversity Swan Valley cellar door and restaurant is one of the newest destinations to open in Western Australia’s Swan Valley, offering guests a taste of its award-winning whisky and aromatic gin alongside contemporary dining.
The cellar door and restaurant occupies what was once the Carilley Estate in Herne Hill, and has lovingly transformed it into a modern space flooded with daylight and boasting views of lush greenery outdoors.
Private events have exclusive use of a rustic dining hall, with a well-conserved old-fashioned fireplace that will come in handy in winter. This venue seats 35 guests and accommodates up to 50 pax standing, and opens up to a miniature orchard.
Limeburners Whisky and Giniversity Swan Valley offers a selection of gin or whisky-pairing meals, with dishes that play up the best of Western Australian produce.
