Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort Pattaya's Royal Suite
Centara Hotels & Resorts has extended its Work from Hotel at Centara initiative, citing sustained demand from remote workers, as well as families wanting a change of scenery while engaged in online learning.
The long-stay special, applicable for stays of at least a week, starts from 4,550 baht (US$141) for a seven-night stay and 15,000 baht for a one-month stay, inclusive of daily breakfast for two guests in select hotels and resorts. Prices vary depending on the choice of accommodation.
Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort Pattaya’s Royal Suite
The offer can be booked from now until August 31, 2021, for stays by December 20, 2021. Up to two children stay free when sharing existing bedding with parents, making the offer also suitable for families.
Work from Hotel at Centara is available at select hotels and resorts in urban and resort destinations throughout Thailand, for instance Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort Pattaya, Centara Sonrisa Residences & Suites Sriracha, and Centara Q Resort Rayong.
For guests’ safety and peace of mind, the Thailand hotel operator has also implemented the Centara Compete Care hygiene and safety programme across all of its properties, developed in adherence to guidelines set by the World Health Organisation, the World Travel and Tourism Council, and Thailand’s health authorities.
The stringent programme was designed in close collaboration with Ecolab, a global leader in water and hygiene technologies, and Swiss firm SGS, the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company.
Hyatt Hotels has opened the Hyatt Regency Shanghai Songjiang, a district located in the south-west corner of Shanghai.
The 256-room property is located in the heart of the Ecology Business District and faces Wulong Lake, about a 40-minute drive from Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport.
King Room
Event planners will be able to avail over 1,900m2 of meeting space on the third floor of the hotel, comprising a 1,350m2 Regency Ballroom and five multifunctional rooms that can host events of between 60 to 600 guests. Venues are all equipped with advanced technology such as an HD LE screen, as well as allows natural light in. There’s also a scenic lakefront lawn ideal for cocktail parties.
There are also 11 private dining rooms that can hold smaller business gatherings within Xiang Yue Chinese restaurant, one of the on-site eating options serving authentic Jiangsu and Zhejiang cuisines. Other F&B options include the all-day Market Cafe, and the lounge and bar.
Each of the 256 guestrooms, including 18 suites, features smart technology and provides guests with picturesque views of Wulong Lake, gardens or the skyline through floor-to-ceiling windows. Select rooms offer Garden Terraces from which guests can enjoy lake sunsets from, and access to the sixth-floor Regency Club Lounge with its own lakefront terrace.
Other hotel amenities include an outdoor pool, an indoor pool, fitness centre, and yoga studio.
Pre-pandemic, China was the Philippines’ fastest-growing and second-largest source market – after South Korea – for both leisure tourists and corporate groups.
This was due to China’s close proximity and easy air access to the Philippines, the lure of her many islands, beaches and natural attractions, and a growing cache of modern event facilities. These, combined with the number of Chinese investments in a broad portfolio of local industries help bring about a large corporate base.
Sumilon Island in Cebu
Since the pandemic however, Raquel Tria, acting head, MICE head, Philippine Tourism Promotions Board (TPB), has indicated that these selling points are no longer sufficient. Established health and safety guidelines as well as hygiene will be the top priority of clients and organisers moving forward.
As such, Tria shared that in order to provide for both Chinese corporate groups and bleisure travellers, the TPB has ensured that “the accreditation of Philippine tourism establishments is now aligned with the global health and safety protocols through the World Travel & Tourism Council Safe Stamp”.
This will give potential travellers and event organisers peace of mind, knowing that Philippine suppliers are able to cater to the needs of the new normal and ensure safety and hygiene.
These high standards are held across the tourism industry, be it private islands in Palawan, Boracay, Bohol and Cebu, or in the capital of Manila.
In Manila, the safety and hygiene ante has been upped at its four integrated resorts, each a spacious hub for corporate events, incentive groups, and bleisure guests. Within these integrated resorts are luxury hotels, sophisticated event facilities, exclusive restaurants, alongside an array of fun and entertainment.
Twin Lagoon in Coron
Jennylyn Santillan, director of sales and marketing at the City of Dreams Manila – one of the exhibitors at IT&CM China – said that other plus points for the integrated resorts are their easy access from the city’s international and domestic airports, and close proximity to the country’s biggest event venues, the SMX Convention Center and 20,000-capacity Mall of Asia Arena.
Although borders have been slow to reopen due to the difference in vaccination programmes around the world, TPB’s recently-launched MICE Assist Program has made it easier for outbound Chinese groups to plan their trips. The programme offers assistance and incentives to China-based business events organisers that are looking to send their clients to the Philippines, shared Ireneo Reyes, Philippine Tourism Attache based in Shanghai.
Assistance, he elaborated, starts from pre-event (application for group visas, locating and contacting certified DMCs and PCOs, site inspection trips and technical visits, etc.), lasts throughout the event (airport assistance, giveaways and hosted events, etc.), and until post-event (assisted tours, feedback from guests to improve services).
Hospitality consultant Jerome de la Fuente, who has spent many years working in China, opined the Philippines should make efforts to snare China corporate groups as they are vastly untapped with an enormous potential, especially for luxury travel.
“(Philippine) MICE players must learn about the Chinese market and its idiosyncrasies. It’s not enough that they can speak Mandarin. They should know the MICE organisers and the corporations. Connections are important as most of the deals are done outside the office,” de la Fuente advised.
The past 15 months have been challenging for business events in Australia, a sector that was contributing A$36 billion (US$27.9 billion) to the Australian economy before Covid.
But feedback seems to show that Chinese buyer enthusiasm for the Land Down Under has not diminished despite the challenges of the pandemic, and it is something Business Events Australia would like to see continuing.
Melbourne’s skyline
“We have received solid leads for 2022 and beyond, indicating consumer mindset is optimistic and Australia’s desirability as a business events destination still remains,” said Andrew Hogg, Tourism Australia’s executive general manager eastern markets and aviation for Greater China.
“We have a dedicated business events team based in Shanghai who have strong relationships in-market and run distribution activity to keep Australia front of mind.
“We’ve also released new resources to help raise awareness and preference for Australia. These include a WeChat Mini Program and an industry toolkit that provides event planners with access to Australian marketing assets free of charge to use in pitch presentations and other promotional platforms,” he continued.
There’s still plenty to promote too. Behind the closed borders, new products are being launched in anticipation of market recovery. They include beautiful new hotels like W Melbourne which can host events of up to 500 guests in their Great Room, and Adelaide’s Oval Hotel, Australia’s first and only premium hotel connected to a sports stadium.
Several venues have also used the lockdown period to undergo significant renovation works. In tropical North Queensland, luxury treetop escape Silky Oaks Lodge is integrating indigenous artworks and custom furnishings by Australian designers across six luxury villa styles.
A function space at the Adelaide Oval
A brand-new A$60.5 million gallery has also opened at HOTA (Home of the Arts) on the Gold Coast with more than 2,000m2 of exhibition space. In Sydney, the Australian Museum has emerged from an extensive A$57.5 million renovation has given it a “very grand entrance” and transformable spaces for functions.
For the more adventurous, Perth’s latest experience offers a Zipclimb, which involves climbing 314 steps to the summit of the Matagarup Bridge above the Swan River. Climbers get to enjoy panoramic views of Perth from the SkyView Deck before ziplining down.
Penny Lion, Tourism Australia’s executive general manager of events, said: “The Chinese are such adventurous travellers and they know Australia well, but the reason why we’re always so proud to sell Australia is that we’re such a multi-destination. Even if people have been to Sydney before, there’s always something new to come back to.”
Another factor working strongly in Australia’s favour is its almost Covid-free status. “Chinese consumer behaviour has changed during the pandemic and concerns around safety will be front of mind,” said Hogg.
“But the opportunities that are presented as a result of these challenges put Australia in a favourable position. Australia has been relatively successful at managing the spread of Covid 19 and being a large country with plenty of open space and a low population density, it provides groups with plenty of space to explore Australia’s beautiful landscapes and exceptional experiences,” he said.
Australia has also announced it will extend its Business Events Bid Fund Program to attract international events.
Qatar Airways rolls out new business class suite with sliding privacy doors and a 79-inch lie-flat bed
Qatar Airways has launched its new wide-body aircraft, the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, featuring a new business class suite, on a number of key routes to Europe and Asia.
The aircraft’s inaugural service from Doha to Milan took place on Friday (June 25), followed by routes to Athens, Barcelona, Dammam, Karachi, Kuala Lumpur and Madrid.
Qatar Airways rolls out a new business class suite with sliding privacy doors and a 79-inch lie-flat bed
The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner has a total passenger capacity of 311 seats – 30 business class suites and 281 seats in economy class.
Arranged in a herringbone pattern, in a 1-2-1 configuration, each business class suite has direct aisle access with sliding privacy doors. Other features include a 79-inch fully-flat bed and a dedicated phone holder, equipped with wireless charging technology that is compatible with both iOS and Android devices.
In economy class, each seat is equipped with a 13-inch Panasonic IFE touch screen in addition to a personal electronic device holder for both mobile and iPad devices.
Qatar Airways said in a statement that it has continued to fly its fleet of 30 787-8s throughout the Covid-19 pandemic due to its strong fuel efficiency and excellent reliability record. The airline added that its investment in the 787-9 once again underscores its commitment to sustainability and achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
TPB can assist the organizers with their online platform requirements and including technical advice that will help their event be different and exciting from the usual forms of online events
The Tourism Promotions Board Philippines (TPB) has adjusted and enhanced the nature of assistance to event planners and organisers by giving equal priority to domestic and international events and by including hybrid and virtual events.
Raquel Ruth A. Tria, acting head, TPB’s MICE department, shared: “We are calling it the Enhanced MICE Plus Programme because it provides equal priority to local MICE events. Prior to Covid-19, priorities were given to regional and international MICE events.
Tria: TPB has expanded their subvention to encourage local organisers to hold events, both hybrid and virtual
“Since Philippine’s borders are still closed for foreign tourists, it compels us to encourage domestic MICE planners to organise events so we can help tourism recover.”
Additional incentives offered by the Enhanced MICE Plus Programme include event technology solutions, a virtual event platform, venue rental support, and sponsorship of care kits or hygiene kits for delegates.
This is because “most of the events TPB is assisting with have shifted to either virtual or hybrid”, hence there is a need to “adjust the nature of assistance and entitles”, Tria shared with TTGmice.
TPB is also encouraging local business events players to pursue more events in the country at Asian and international levels, for example, associations.
“We would like to increase our reach to local associations, as we see that many are keen to resume their regular events. We acknowledge the contribution of professional associations; they are the lifeblood of the meetings industry.
“We hope to build and increase the confidence level of local associations so they can start organising events, following necessary health and safety protocols, to local destinations that are MICE-ready,” Tria said.
Support already offered by the Enhanced MICE Plus Programme includes airport reception, giveaways for delegates and tokens for VIPs and speakers; collateral materials like brochures, images, etc.; hosted meals and cocktails; half-day city tour; and technical assistance in coordinating with various private and government sectors.
The Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) has engaged with key industry leaders in the business events industry to nurture collaboration and to move forward, in line with the nation’s Covid-19 recovery plan.
MyCEB’s CEO, Abdul Khani Daud, recently chaired a virtual meeting that was attended by industry stalwarts such as Irmohizam Ibrahim, chairman Asia Pacific, World Trade Centre Association; Vincent Lim, president, Asia Federation of Exhibition & Convention Association; Francis Teo, president, the Malaysian Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers (MACEOS)and Suppliers; and Alan Pryor, president, Business Events Council Malaysia (BECM).
Malaysia’s business events stakeholders business events have shown their resilience and are ready to reopen when the time is right
During the meeting, one initiative discussed was the creation of the MySafe Business Events Planner, jointly produced by MyCEB and BECM. The planner will provide detailed information on the advance planning and organising necessary for event organisers, both local and international, to ensure a seamless experience. It will also contain safety measures Malaysia has put in place to ensure events can be held safely and with confidence. The planner is expected to be ready by 4Q2021.
Next, industry leaders shared updates on their members’ involvement as vaccination centres under the national Covid-19 immunisation programme.
In collaboration with MACEOS, additional manpower will be called upon to assist the current staffing at convention centres that are running the vaccination programme. MyCEB staff and others from the business events industry will be deployed to assist venues such as World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC), Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Setia City Convention Centre, Persada Johor, Borneo Convention Centre Kuching, Sabah International Convention Centre and Setia SPICE Convention Centre.
Abdul Khani also welcomed the statement made recently by the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia, Nancy Shukri, which called for early vaccination of the tourism and business events frontliners.
“The business events industry will rally behind the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture in its recovery plan and seek out key players in the business events industry to be given early immunisation.”
He added: “The business events industry is intertwined with the rest of the tourism industry, including airlines, venues, caterers and transportation providers. We need each other in order to recover.”
“Once our industry is vaccinated, we can hopefully reopen.”
Dragon Trail’s Chinese Consumer Travel Sentiment Report found uncertainty for outbound leisure and business travel remains high, running counter to our expectations that vaccines would boost travel confidence. Why have Chinese respondents felt this way?
When the survey was taken in 1Q2021, global vaccination campaigns still had a long way to go, and the results of those campaigns were not as obvious as they are now.
China’s own vaccination drive has really only taken off from May 2021. Although vaccines are delivering positive results around the world, for Chinese travellers, it won’t be until travel restrictions and quarantine requirements are lifted that international travel becomes a real possibility once more.
A majority 51 per cent of respondents said they have become more cautious about travel since the pandemic. Will this mentality result in reduced leisure time during business trips?
I would not expect a reduction in ‘bleisure’ unless it is due to in-destination travel restrictions – for example, Chinese business travellers to Singapore in 2020 were required to stick to a pre-approved itinerary and refrain from taking public transportation.
Our survey respondents showed strong interest in visiting attractions such as landmarks and museums on their next outbound trip, indicating that they do not intend to significantly change how they travel due to health concerns.
China is regarded as a gold mine of a source market for many destination marketers. What would such deflated international travel confidence mean for marketers working to rebuild travel interest among Chinese travellers this year?
Strong engagement with overseas travel-related content on Chinese social media platforms, and with tourism boards livestreaming content from abroad suggests that Chinese travellers are still very interested in outbound travel, but simply cannot make plans to do so at this time. Continuing to inspire Chinese travellers and also keep them apprised of strong health protocols and positive news about successful pandemic control measures can help to guide their future travel decisions.
Let’s also talk about Chinese travellers’ preference for destinations that are deemed friendly to Chinese people. Is this something that corporate travel managers dealing with Chinese travellers as well as event organisers/owners targeting Chinese attendees should pay close attention to?
Our survey findings showed that friendliness to Chinese travellers was actually ranked as the most important factor impacting travel destination choice, so this is certainly an area that the travel industry should pay attention to. Destinations that are seen as friendly to China will also be seen as more stable for business relations. Travellers of any nationality want to feel safe and welcomed, so it’s important to be able to address and alleviate any concerns.
What would you recommend destination marketers do to rebuild Chinese travellers’ confidence?
Consumer marketing to maintain and build Chinese travellers’ interest and cultivate a welcoming image is one important side to this, but B2B relations with the Chinese travel industry shouldn’t be neglected. Travel agents can act as trustworthy sources of information, especially for travellers who may be more risk-averse and looking for reliable, professional advice. Our survey showed that for most global destinations, official advice from the government and travel agencies would impact the decision to travel again.
Recovery from Covid-19 is still uncertain, making it crucial for businesses to review their current strategies and priorities
A new study commissioned by SAP Concur about the business impact of Covid-19 and businesses’ resilience has revealed that slowing economic growth, employee safety, and well-being, and increased or new competition, are the top three challenges as companies in Asia Pacific embark on business recovery.
The survey, entitled Ready, Reset, Grow, polled 250 enterprise-level senior business, finance and IT executives across various industries in Australia, China, India, Japan, and Singapore. It uncovered how these executives are leveraging the experiences of the past year to reinvent the way they will operate and remain resilient in the next six months.
Recovery from Covid-19 is still uncertain, making it crucial for businesses to review their current strategies and priorities
Executives concerned about fundamental business challenges Given the uncertainty caused by the pandemic, it is no surprise that APAC executives are worrying about and focusing on the fundamentals of their businesses.
The pandemic has highlighted a need for increased investment in technology with executives reporting greater spending, as a result of Covid-19, across a range of technologies, especially remote work tools (59%) and cloud services/solutions (56%).
New remote working patterns are here to stay. Looking ahead to the business recovery phase of the pandemic, 78% of the APAC respondents expected their company to increase reliance on remote work in order to meet business goals.
Over the next six months, the top three technologies APAC executives see their firms harnessing are artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) (52%), cloud computing (49%), and 5G (38%). They view these technologies, particularly AI/ML, as being capable of enabling their firms to make more informed business decisions and consequently, enhance growth and development within the organisation.
The respondents see substantial opportunities for technology to improve operations in the travel, expense and invoicing side of their businesses. About 86% agree that having good control over company spend is necessary for weathering economic uncertainty. They said the most important travel, expense, and invoicing capabilities needed for their company to negotiate the next six months are the abilities to identify cost-saving opportunities (73%), access to real-time data and analytics (72%), and accurately forecast and budget (72%).
Through these investments, APAC executives hope to boost business process efficiencies (37%), reduce operational costs (36%), and make smarter, data-based decisions (35%).
Employee health and wellbeing come to the fore Given the omni-presence of the coronavirus today, it was also natural that employees’ health and wellbeing are uppermost on the minds of most employers, especially from the perspective of business travel.
Emerging expectations around personal and community health and safety will mean a new era of decisions, processes, and innovations across the travel industry. As travel resumes in a new way, employee safety will be of the essence.
Companies need to adapt and adopt, in part by harnessing technology that gives employees the ability to make safe travel choices while still keeping costs manageable for the company.
Travel management technology today enables companies to update travellers of hazardous situations, and locate and notify them in times of emergency, helping employers fulfill their duty of care to their workforce. With the integration of advanced analytics, both AI and ML are also well equipped to handle calamities impacting the company or the traveller − travel information can be pulled into reports from travel booking sites, emails, and corporate credit cards. On the finance side, such intelligent technologies give greater visibility and control of travel spend before it’s booked, and provide the data to strengthen negotiating positions with vendors.
For other findings, download the SAP Concur Ready, Reset, Grow report here.
understanding event performance will undoubtedly level up our events, live content and create insightful market intelligence reports
The International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) has established a research partnership with Explori, a full-service research agency, and platform for event experience insights.
With this partnership, ICCA will ensure that members and associations continue to benefit from exceptional educational content and world-class events. Through the partnership, ICCA will also be able to create insightful market intelligence reports.
Understanding event performance will help create insightful market intelligence reports
Meanwhile, Explori’s platform allows global event organisers, agencies, and venues to capture high-quality attendee feedback from any market in multiple languages. Through this partnership, ICCA will be able to customise events and speakers with relevant and engaging educational content.
“Explori is committed to creating high-quality insights about what makes a great face-to-face experience for event attendees and sponsors around the world.
“Our partnership with ICCA will expand the scope of stakeholders participating in our research and allows us to speak directly to their highly engaged members about the challenges and opportunities we will face together as an industry. We look forward to adding as much value as we can to their programme of content and events,” added Sophie Holt, managing director, Explori.
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.
The aircraft’s inaugural service from Doha to Milan took place on Friday (June 25), followed by routes to Athens, Barcelona, Dammam, Karachi, Kuala Lumpur and Madrid.
The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner has a total passenger capacity of 311 seats – 30 business class suites and 281 seats in economy class.
Arranged in a herringbone pattern, in a 1-2-1 configuration, each business class suite has direct aisle access with sliding privacy doors. Other features include a 79-inch fully-flat bed and a dedicated phone holder, equipped with wireless charging technology that is compatible with both iOS and Android devices.
In economy class, each seat is equipped with a 13-inch Panasonic IFE touch screen in addition to a personal electronic device holder for both mobile and iPad devices.
Qatar Airways said in a statement that it has continued to fly its fleet of 30 787-8s throughout the Covid-19 pandemic due to its strong fuel efficiency and excellent reliability record. The airline added that its investment in the 787-9 once again underscores its commitment to sustainability and achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050.