Singapore Airlines (SIA) will invest more than S$50 million (US$37 million) in a major revamp of its SilverKris and KrisFlyer Gold Lounges at Changi Airport Terminal 3 (T3).
Renovations will commence in August 2019 and are expected to be completed by mid-2021.
Artist impression of the refurbished lounge (Credit: HBA)
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The project, overseen by hospitality designers Hirsch Bedner Associates, will see an overall 30 per cent increase in space and total customer capacity for the T3 lounges.
Suites and first class customers can look forward to a brand-new Private Room and First Class Lounge. The First Class Lounge will continue to feature a flagship bar, while The Private Room will boast a full-service fine dining section within the lounge.
The Business Class Lounge will be expanded and feature four distinct zones. Customers with a short transit can have a light snack in a relaxed café setting, while those with more time may explore a full selection of Asian and international cuisines in the dining hall, including live stations offering local delights.
A highlight of the new Business Class Lounge will be a full service bar that doubles up as a self-service breakfast station in the mornings. Productivity pods will be available for customers who need a corner to work, and there will also be a rest area with chaise lounges for customers to catch some shut-eye.
The KrisFlyer Gold Lounge will also double in capacity and include dedicated working spaces, as well as larger al fresco seating and dining areas. It will also be equipped with restrooms and showers.
The construction process will be carried out over four phases, during which the lounges will be progressively renovated in sections, starting with the Business Class Lounge, followed by the First Class Lounge and The Private Room, and finally the KrisFlyer Gold Lounge. Customers, in the meantime, will be invited to temporary lounges.
Hilton Malaysia has unveiled its newest meeting package, Changing the Way People Meet, which reinforces the brand’s signature Meet with Purpose Concept.
On top of discounts and complimentary rooms plus upgrades, two categories (Deluxe and Executive) of value-added benefits are available based on event spend. These include 3x Hilton Honor Points, airport limousine transfers, cocktail receptions and more.
Participating hotels are Hilton Kuala Lumpur, Hilton Petaling Jaya, Hilton Kota Kinabalu, Hilton Kuching, DoubleTree by Hilton Kuala Lumpur, DoubleTree by Hilton Melaka, DoubleTree by Hilton Johor Bahru, DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Penang, and Hilton Garden Inn Puchong.
Booking dates are open from now until September 30, 2019, for event materialisation from now until December 31, 2019.
Amadeus has appointed Nadia Yahiaoui to head Corporations for Asia Pacific.
In her new role, she will focus on increasing Amadeus’ regional footprint by helping Asia-Pacific-based corporations better manage business travel and expense. She will be based in Singapore and report to Arlene Coyle, senior vice president commercial, corporations, travel channels.
Prior to this role, Yahiaou was leading a team in Asia-Pacific whose role is to retain and develop Amadeus’ business relationships with global TMCs. She has also held several global and regional management positions in Amadeus, both in airlines and the travel management companies segments.
Yeoh Soo Hin has been appointed as the pre-opening general manager of 8 Conlay Kempinski Hotel Kuala Lumpur.
He was previously the vice president of finance for Kempinski Asia.
Set to open in 2021 with 260 rooms and 300 suites, the hotel is part of 8 Conlay, an integrated development by lifestyle property developer KSK Land, located between the KLCC area and Golden Triangle. It is currently under construction and will have a four-storey lifestyle retail podium, as well as two towers of branded serviced residences called YOO8 serviced by Kempinski.
Hospitality company, Next Story Group, has opened its fifth Kafnu-branded property in Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City.
Kafnu Ho Chi Minh City is an eight-storey building located in Saigon Pearl. It is minutes from District 1 and 2, and a 30-minute drive from Tan Son Nhat International Airport.
Kafnu Ho Chi Minh City
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Members enjoy round the clock access to a range of work spaces including hot desks and private offices, high-speed internet, a soundproof phone booth, and five meeting rooms with video conferencing capabilities.
Spanning 2,440m2, Kafnu Ho Chi Minh City also has a 180m2 event space with multi screens, where members can host product launches, workshops, and other events for up to 150 guests. There are also eight ensuite hotel rooms that ensure members from out of town can rest in.
Members can also keep fit at the Virtual Fitness Studio which offers over 1,500 classes, socialise at Habitat Cocktail Bar, and partake in modern Asian cuisine at Soy Restaurant.
Kafnu members also enjoy access to all Kafnu properties worldwide, located in Taipei, Bengaluru, Hong Kong and Sydney.
Perth Convention Bureau's Gareth Martin; Australian High Commissioner to Singapore Bruce Gosper; Western Australia’s tourism minister Paul Papalia; and Singapore Airlines Edwin Chiang met with corporate travel managers and MICE planners at a Western Australian Networking session yesterday evening
Tourism Western Australia (TWA) has unveiled an A$12 million (US$8.4 million) international marketing offensive that will see the state intensify its promotional efforts in the region’s key markets over the next 13 months to nurture growing tourism traffic from Asia.
TWA also signed a three-year global cooperative marketing agreement with Singapore Airlines (SIA) on Tuesday afternoon to promote both leisure and MICE travel to Western Australia in 10 key international markets including India, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia and Singapore.
Perth Convention Bureau’s Gareth Martin; Australian High Commissioner to Singapore Bruce Gosper; Western Australia’s tourism minister Paul Papalia; and Singapore Airlines Edwin Chiang met with corporate travel managers and MICE planners at a Western Australian Networking session on Monday evening
The A$5 million agreement, jointly funded by TWA and SIA, will include advertising promotional airfares and travel packages to Western Australia through digital, print and TV channels.
Western Australia’s tourism minister Paul Papalia said at a press conference on Monday that this latest effort was the “biggest international marketing push in the state’s history”, as growing the tourism sector is part of the plan to “boost the economy, create jobs and develop business opportunities”.
He added: “One of the biggest opportunities for Perth and Western Australia at the moment is the MICE market. Coincidentally, there was a boom in mining (years ago), and hotels were built to meet that demand. But that demand shifted from construction to production.
“So all these high-quality, affordable hotels (have the capacity) to host business conferences and conventions. Melbourne and Sydney are much more expensive (in comparison).”
But Papalia acknowledged that Perth was “not that well-known” as a MICE destination, hence the aggressive marketing push.
On top of the new marketing push, Gareth Martin, newly-installed CEO of Perth Convention Bureau, revealed that an incentive for corporate groups has been made available from now until June 30, 2020. Any corporate groups bound for Perth will be given AS$50 per delegate.
Martin also sees this year’s Dreamtime – Tourism Australia’s incentive event – from December 1 to 3 in Perth as a shot in the arm for the destination.
Currently, Perth handles around 280 events per year of varying sizes, something that Martin wants to “grow by 10 per cent in the next two years”.
Stanley Yew, senior event sales executive of Singapore-based event management company Accolade, who attended the TWA trade event on Monday, told TTGmice that there seemed to be “more to do in Perth now, especially after hours”.
He pointed to lobster catching and a lunch cruise close to the city as attractive options for incentive groups, and opined that Perth needed to shout louder about its corporate event possibilities.
Pattaya city's skyline; Pattaya falls under Chonburi Province
Thailand has unveiled plans for a new convention centre on the country’s eastern coast which will help draw events related to high-tech industries.
Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) president Chiruit Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya shared that the bureau is conducting a feasibility study for the new-build, which will be located in one of three provinces: Rayong, Chonburi or Chachoengsao.
Pattaya city’s skyline; Pattaya falls under Chonburi Province
Subject to government approval, the future convention centre is scheduled for a March 2020 completion. It will complement two other large convention venues in nearby Pattaya – Pattaya Exhibition and Convention Hall (PEACH) at Royal Cliff Beach Hotel and Nong Nooch Garden.
The construction of the convention centre is in line with the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) initiative, aimed at transforming the region into a high-tech production base. Presently, the eastern coastal region is developing an aerospace metropolis that comprises U-Tapao Rayong-Pattaya International Airport as well as aviation related businesses.
Among TCEB’s proposals for the eastern coast to the government is the launch of a regular air show in Thailand in 2023 or 2024 to “boost the area’s reputation as an aero metropolis”, revealed Chiruit.
TCEB is also working on establishing the first TCEB branch and an ASEAN MICE Institute in the region.
The symposium will have an impact on Hear and Say, the paediatric hearing healthcare sector, and Brisbane (pictured) as a city.
A US-headquartered paediatric health symposium has chosen Brisbane as its first-ever Asia-Pacific host city, with 500 global experts set to meet in the city come March 2021.
The successful bid for the AG Bell Global Listening and Spoken Language Symposium was led by economic development board Brisbane Marketing in partnership with Hear and Say, a local non-for-profit providing early intervention services for children with hearing loss.
The symposium will have an impact on Hear and Say, the paediatric hearing healthcare sector, and Brisbane (pictured) as a city.
Hear and Say’s clinical director, Emma Rushbrooke, was one of the first recipients of the Lord Mayor’s Convention Trailblazer Grant. She used the grant to attend the symposium in 2018 and worked with Brisbane Marketing to advocate for Brisbane as a future host city.
Lord Mayor of Brisbane Adrian Schrinner shared in a statement that the three-day symposium would highlight Brisbane and Australia’s world-leading expertise in paediatric hearing and healthcare research while generating over A$890,000 (US$626,204) for the local economy.
“Business events generate an average A$250 million for Brisbane’s economy annually, and each conference that comes to our city facilitates knowledge exchange, partnerships and boosts the local tourism, hospitality and service sectors,” Schrinner said.
“Teaming up with professionals like Rushbrooke to attract international conferences is precisely why the Lord Mayor’s Convention Trailblazer Grant was established and it’s pleasing to see another conference secured through the programme,” he added.
“This conference will significantly boost Hear and Say’s profile, enhancing our reputation as specialists on an international scale, and showcasing our Brisbane HQ as a centre of excellence for paediatric hearing healthcare, research and training,” Rushbrooke said in a statement.
insights into the state of the business travel industry in Asia Pacific (APAC) and key technology trends
Business travel makes business happen.
Today, travellers want choice, price transparency and personalisation. At the same time, corporations want better value from travel spend.
Business travel agencies must adapt to this evolving environment, delivering a service that helps their customers and travellers get the most out of business travel. Business travel agencies need to help corporations by looking at two priorities: the needs of the corporations themselves and the needs of the business traveller.
To succeed, business travel agencies must have a strong technology backbone, be at the forefront of innovation, understand the changing needs of their customers, and move quickly to meet them.
We spoke to several industry leaders to understand which technology trends they think will have a significant impact on the sector.
What is the state of the business travel industry in Asia-Pacific (APAC) and what are the key technology trends?
Customising business travel
Just like personal travel, business travellers want personalised journeys as part of their overall package. Business travel agencies must equip travellers with access to the information and tools that help them enjoy stress-free and efficient journeys, from booking and beyond.
As content is aggregated, business travel agencies will be able to offer more choice to the individual travellers’ profile and allow corporations to control what the traveller sees. This will create a tailored experience right from booking, through to trip, and manage costs for the corporation.
Transparency at every touch point
The travel industry will start to embrace a ‘blockchain principle’, showing every single transaction in business travel (e.g. buyer, fleet operator, vehicle, driver, rider, location, routes, feedback, pricing etc.). This will mean business travel agencies will have insight into corporate travellers’ complete journeys – this data will be vital in creating a tailored experience. It also means that corporations will have a record of every journey and be able to use this data for reporting, forecasting and identifying trends.
Michael Chase-Smith, executive director at Orbit World Travel, commented: “Some of the booking platforms that we use through the global distribution system and traditional online booking tools will change over time, it’s starting to happen now. How it’s going to look in five years’ time, I’m not exactly sure, but I do know there will be a travel environment of more open booking channels. The trick will be managing the access to these new booking channels and the change in workflow processes in a way that ensures how travellers shop, book and play is streamlined and simplified.”
Millennials capitalise on the bleisure trip
Expedia Group Media Solutions predicts that 60% of business trips morph into ‘bleisure’ (business with leisure) trips and with millennials making up a growing share of the workforce, a lot of the b-leisure travel spend will be done by this demographic. Agencies that make bleisure a possibility for this generation will be harnessing this pool of potential profit by understanding and accommodating their needs. To remain competitive, business travel agencies need to work with corporations on creating business travel trips that appeal to a wide range of traveller expectations e.g. flexibility on dates and travel preferences.
Mobile first
Mobile technology is important in all types of travel agencies, but even more so for business travel. With hectic and time-sensitive schedules, travellers want to be able to communicate issues and manage travel plans at the touch of their fingertips. This requires the business travel agencies’ mobile platform to be fully optimised and connected. Mobile makes personalisation easier through mobile apps, gathering and using data, and sending targeted information.
Jitender Arora, co-Founder, MindYourFleet, added: “Technology is the only pill that will save business travel agencies from extinction. Technology brings in both cost efficiencies (discovery and operating costs) and opportunities to enhance revenues. Business travel agencies need to foster the culture of innovation and accept technology before their competitor does.”
Greater aggregation across the industry
As travel content becomes aggregated and centralised, business travel agencies will be able to access content more efficiently, without changing platforms. This ability will increase further with NDC, because it will give business travel agencies access to the individual’s profile (including needs and preferences), and allow them to control what the traveller sees, creating a tailored experience from inspiration to trip.
Renaud Nicolle, vice president business travel APAC, travel channels, Amadeus, said: “At the moment business travel agencies have to navigate their way through mountains of fragmented content across several platforms. But as part of Amadeus’ evolution from a global distribution system to a Live Travel Space, we’ll be able to offer one platform of choice with huge amounts of content for travel distributors and providers. It will transform how business travel agencies work and allow comparisons and bookings to happen in a uniform and transparent way.”
A whitepaper on the Future of Business Travel is also available and can be downloaded here.
The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) and Thai Hotels Association (THA) have turned to the power of music to send a friendly yet serious message to the MICE industry in Thailand to ‘Say No’ to plastic.
The classic ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off You’ has been given the Sound of Sustainability #SOS treatment, with rewritten lyrics and reworked music.
From left: THA’s Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi and TCEB’s Chiruit Isarangkun Na Ayutthaya
Lending their voices to the initiative in a stirring duet are ‘recording artists’ Chiruit Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya, TCEB president, and Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi, THA chairperson – environmental committee.
“The song is a light-hearted recording with the lyrics adapted for a serious shout-out to hotel owners, general managers, business event professionals and all in the MICE industry to switch from single-use plastics to other, sustainable choices,” said Chiruit.
More and more initiatives to combat the use of plastic in Thailand’s MICE sector and the broader tourism industry have been implemented in the past few years.
This includes a smoking ban that has been in place at many Thai beaches since November 2017, while national parks and zoos nationwide now ban plastic bags and other single-use plastics. The Pollution Control Department and Thai bottled water producers have cut the use of bottle cap seals, with the aim of eliminating them altogether within 2019.
This April the Thai cabinet approved a 2018-2030 roadmap to tackle plastic waste, which includes the goals of ridding Thailand of three types of plastic – microbeads, cap seals and oxo-degradable plastics – within 2019 and of four other types of plastics – plastic bags, foam boxes, single-use plastic cups and plastic straws – within 2022.
A polished urban retreat designed for business travellers, Hyatt Regency Kuala Lumpur at KL Midtown combines thoughtful design, seamless service, and exceptional facilities.
The five-star property excels in backing its expansive facilities with seamless service and personalised attention, setting the benchmark for luxury in Bangkok.
