The Courtyard by Marriott brand made its Cambodian debut with the opening of Courtyard by Marriott Siem Reap in January 2018. The 233-key property is a welcome addition to Siem Reap’s mounting business event offerings, boasting a range of activities and facilities for event planners seeking a chic and contemporary setting that pays testament to its Cambodian home, coupled with excellent service.
Rooms
I stayed in a deluxe room with a balcony overlooking the resort’s large swimming pool. Upgraded options include the executive room, and courtyard and presidential suites. The room was spacious and light, furnished with a corner work space with a desk and chair, and a 43-inch flatscreen TV.
Courtyard by Marriott Resort Siem Reap
MICE facilities
It is clear that Courtyard by Marriott Siem Reap has heavily invested in its business events facilities, presenting more than 850m2 of meeting space spread across seven function rooms.
Its 410m2 ballroom – said to be Siem Reap’s only ballroom with natural light, thanks to floor-to-ceiling windows – has a five-metre high ceiling complete with stunning crystal chandeliers. It is equipped with state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment and flatscreen TVs. Planners will appreciate that use of the hotel’s event spaces comes with support from a full in-house events team.
An additional five function rooms – or Think Spaces – can accommodate up to 460 guests. Boasting modern designs, the flexible spaces can be adapted to planners’ requirements.
The resort’s Upper Deck rooftop bar also provides a great spot for private events, affording panoramic views that take in iconic Angkor Wat.
Other facilities
A range of F&B outlets run throughout the property, with Lok Lak being the main restaurant. A spa and fitness centre are onsite. Trips, tours and activities, including an in-house cookery class, can be organised by the resort’s team.
Service
Warm and welcoming.
Number of rooms 233 Contact Tel: (855-63) 968-888 Website: marriott.com/hotels/travel/repcy-courtyard-siem-reap-resort/
Four Seasons has appointed Alejandro Bernabé as the new general manager of its Seoul property.
Prior to joining Four Seasons Hotel Seoul, the Spaniard was group director of Avani Hotels and Resorts in Thailand, and was later promoted to its vice president operations.
The seasoned hotelier’s career first began in Asia as a restaurant manager at Colombo Hilton in Sri Lanka, before moving to Kempinski hotels where he took up his first general manager posting at the Kempinski Hotel San Lawrenz Gozo in Malta.
Bernabé rose up the ranks over the two decades with Kempinski Hotels to become vice president South-east Asia in 2013 and then CEO in 2014.
The Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) has a new strategy that sees it intensifying destination promotion in Asia, particularly South-east Asia. Why?
South-east Asia has a population of 622 million, a GDP of US$2.39 billion and total trade worth US$2.6 trillion. It is the third largest economy in Asia and the seventh largest in the world.
With such a huge potential coming from within this region and the Asian market, we believe it is important to look nearer to home when it comes to a strategic, targeted effort.
Zulkefli Sharif
How does your action plan look like?
MyCEB’s role is far from just observing and appreciating the growth of a state. Our objective includes rallying all business events players to come together as one and push Malaysia globally.
Therefore, we are targeting our key markets strategically in order to bring high-yield business events to Malaysia.
For the incentive segment, our target sectors are direct selling companies, and the finance and insurance corporations from China and South Korea. For our convention business, we continue to focus on medical, health, and oil & gas. For our exhibition business, we see furniture, defence as well as oil & gas as key markets.
We will continue to take part in the prominent tradeshows, as well as road shows and sales missions in key markets such as China and South Korea.
Does this mean reduced attention to Europe and the US?
Definitely not. The European and North American markets remain important to us, especially for the convention segment.
We will continue to take part in key tradeshows to maintain our position as the preferred business events destination in Asia, (emphasising our) tremendous value-for-money proposition, world-class services and facilities, as well as many other unique selling propositions to planners and organisers.
Malaysia has three state convention bureaus. How does MyCEB support them?
As a national bureau, MyCEB takes on the leading role in strengthening the business events industry. We strategise on policy implementation and work on destination branding and profiling, promoting the country on a larger scale. We hold regular meetings with our state counterparts to discuss strategic direction to secure more events. We support events at the state level as well.
We also provide industry training and other education platforms for staff of the state bureaus. These programmes give participants an opportunity to network with industry players.
The state bureaus are all different and are focused on selling their destination and promoting their set of unique selling propositions.
For example, Sarawak concentrates on (courting) association conferences on the back of the successful hosting of the ICCA Congress in 2016, while Penang and Sabah offer appealing attractions for corporate incentive tours. They all have their own strengths and pull factors.
Does MyCEB encourage collaboration among stakeholders, particularly in lead sharing?
Yes. We work with our partners on lead generation and focused efforts on ‘Team Malaysia’ for future bids. This is necessary. We have to work closely to come up with a winning bid to differentiate Malaysia from other destinations that are also vying for the same meeting.
Indeed, the establishment of MyCEB outlines the country’s priorities towards the development of Malaysia as a high-income nation, primarily as an economic contributor and catalyst for job creation and employment.
Hence, we continuously invite our industry stakeholders to join us for tradeshows, road shows, sales missions and any other sales and marketing activities that we take the lead on.
How do you see the business events industry evolving, and what steps are being taken to prepare players for the near future?
Public-private partnership is essential to ensure that the business events industry continues to progress dynamically and strategically.
By 2020, the industry is expected to contribute RM3.9 billion (US$934 million) in Gross National Income to Malaysia.
For a destination to be successful (in business events), it must have a strong profile and brand, high performance and strong value offerings. And it needs a broad local commitment, understanding and support from the larger community.
To achieve our 2020 target, these initiatives need a very strong industry-government partnership and support from industry players. A collective effort of all business events industry stakeholders, including various ministries and all industry players, is needed.
Kicking off networking events targeting young professionals
With manpower shortage continuing to be a pertinent challenge in Singapore’s hospitality sector, Skal International Singapore is ramping up its outreach via Young Skal initiatives.
“Young Skal is a category of Skal International specially for students and young professionals directly related to the travel and tourism industry. The idea behind Young Skal is to ensure that clubs (around the world) attract new and young professionals training for or working in the industry who, when qualified, will automatically graduate to Active membership, thus ensuring a continuous supply of new and younger members,” said Tony Cousens, president, Skal International Singapore.
Kicking off networking events targeting young professionals
Cousens – who is also general manager of Wyndham Hotel Group’s Ramada and Days Hotels Singapore – shared that as the hospitality industry is “scraping the bottom of the barrel” when it comes to manpower in Singapore, such initiatives are particularly important.
Last month, the association kicked off the first in a series of events targeting young career professionals, and it also announced that it was setting up a Young Skal executive committee in the city state.
The inaugural Young Skal mixer in Singapore was a casual affair that enticed participation from young career professionals with opportunities “to learn the art of making cocktails”, as well as for “networking and mentoring”.
More of such events will take place over 2019. “The Young Skal committee will organise their own events for the year and generate more members. These shall be after-office fun events at trendy and hip venues, (and act as) a platform for networking opportunities in a more relaxed manner,” Cousens shared.
Young Skal members will also be invited to the association’s traditional monthly luncheons and dinners, and be paired with senior members as mentors, he added.
Within the Skal Singapore executive committee, team Young Skal is made up of Michelle Sandhu, HMC Asia Pacific director; Andrew Chan, founder & CEO of ACI HR; Andrew Jeffery, co-founder and CMO of InsiderTV; and Angeline Tang, regional director for leisure travel & partnerships at Avis Budget Group, Asia.
According to Cousens, the team will strive to move Young Skal forward this year, firstly by identifying capable candidates for a Young Skal committee, which would comprise a president, secretary, treasurer and a couple of committee members.
Following the adoption of standards for hotel meeting rooms at ATF last year, the ASEAN committee on MICE competency standards is making further progress on certification with the focus now turned to exhibition venues.
The standard for exhibition venues is part of the ASEAN MICE Venue Standards (AMVS), whose committee is led by Thailand to focus on hotel meeting rooms, exhibition and convention venues, and public areas (special events venue).
Supawan: this year’s aim is to ensure exhibition venues in South-east Asia are AMVS-certified
Supawan Teerarat, senior vice president strategic business development & innovation, Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB), told TTGmice: “This year we would like the ministers to adopt and endorse the standards for exhibition venues so that we can start the (implementation) of the category in the region.
“We’ve had the meeting for the second draft of the exhibition venue standard last November and the 10 countries have come to an agreement (following adjustments to make them suitable for application in South-east Asia),” she shared.
Once the draft receives ministerial endorsement, regional NTOs will be invited to Thailand to receive auditor’s training of the exhibition venues. The auditors would then return to their respective countries to begin the auditing and certifying process, with the first exhibition venues expected to be certified in 2020, added Supawan.
Having certified venues based on common standards will be useful in courting international event organisers to the region, she stressed.
“The difficulty for South-east Asia at the moment is (to meet the needs of) organisers from Europe and the US looking for venues with high standards… Safety and security is the number one (concern), as well as accessibility and facilities within the venue, while physical, technical and services (also need to be addressed).”
As well, South-east Asian NTOs are developing standards for MICE professionals, through a working group led by Indonesia.
Ani Insani, head of the delegations for the Indonesian NTO, said: “We have developed the competency standards for MICE and events professionals from front liners to managers, and the ASEAN Secretariat has published the full set of them.”
The plan is to add the MICE and events professionals category to the ASEAN Common Competency Standards for Tourism Professionals (ACCSTP), which currently houses hotels, restaurants as well as tours and travel standards.
Ani said: “To add the MICE professional standard to the ACCSTP, we need to have all member countries’ endorsements. The Indonesia Minister of Tourism has sent the letters to his counterparts in ASEAN member countries, with Myanmar, Singapore and Brunei signed so far.”
S Hotels & Resorts, a subsidiary Thailand’s Singha Estate, will launch the first phase of its Crossroads Maldives integrated resort this June, adding two hotels, an events hall for up to 460 guests and a slew of lifestyle, retail and dining hardware to the destination.
The project covers three independent islands fringing the Emboodhoo Lagoon in the South Malé Atoll, just 15 minutes by speedboat from Malé International Airport.
A rendering of the upcoming IR
“The facilities that make up phase one of Crossroads Maldives will encourage guests to delve deep into the diversity of the destination, while also embracing the country’s exquisite natural beauty,” commented Dirk de Cuyper, chief hospitality officer of S Hotels & Resorts, who added that the development was designed to showcase the cultural charm and diversity of the Maldives, and will sport an architecture that reflects the country’s historical influences.
Central to this concept will be the Maldives Discovery Centre, an attraction that will showcase Maldivian customs and cultures through interactive displays, video and hands on experiential adventures. The centre will also display and sell handcrafted products created by local people, women in particular. The aim is to create mutual and sustainable benefits for long-term prosperity of the entire area.
Hard Rock Hotel Maldives will be one of the two hotels to open in the integrated resort. It will feature 178 rooms, suites and villas, plus family-friendly experiences and Hard Rock’s branded concepts.
SAii Lagoon Maldives, part of the eclectic Curio Collection by Hilton, will be the other accommodation provider. It will feature a range of distinctive rooms, beach villas and overwater villas, as well as extensive water sports, cultural activities, wellness and world-class dining.
The Marina @Crossroads, an 11,000m2 area, will house the cluster of lifestyle, retail and dining facilities.
Rooms
There are 333 rooms in total. The room I stayed in was modern, with sensors that detect a guest’s presence when the room door is opened, automatically turning on the lights and air condition. Similarly, the sensors can detect when the last person leaves the room, and turns off the electricity.
There is a smart television in each room with a total of 36 channels and five radio stations. Specific to the property, guests can also access the latest flight information at both airports.
What I loved best about my Deluxe Room was its size at 46m2. There was a king-sized bed, two lounge chairs, two work chairs, a small work table, and a long coffee table, but there was still plenty of space to walk about. A solid wooden sliding door separated my room from the bathroom. The bathroom was also impressively large, and boasted two sinks, a small round bathtub with shower facilities, and a rainshower. There’s a sensor on the huge bathroom mirror that when pressed, lights up a round vanity glass that is positioned at just the right height for personal grooming.
MICE facilities
The hotel offers direct access to the 2,386m2 Convention Hall. Within the building is a pillarless ballroom on the ground floor that can accommodate up to 2,000 banquet-style and a stage; six meeting rooms ranging from 24.3m2 to 87.8m2; a VIP holding room; and 10 other seminar rooms on the first floor with sizings ranging from 35m2 to 45m2.
Supplementing these and available to guests staying in the executive suite room categories, are three meeting rooms that can be booked up to two hours complimentary, subject to a first-come-first-served basis.
Other facilities
Temasya, a swanky coffee house on the ground floor, stands out for its unique concept. The flooring that leads to the coffee house is made of clear glass with flat stones underneath, the type one sees close to shore. I was told that come April, the flooring beneath the glass would be covered by shallow water and there will be fish swimming. I can imagine how cool that would be.
The eatery is spacious and has live cooking stations, while the food served is a mixture of local and international.
At 17.00 daily and lasting for an hour, the hotel holds its chocolate hour at Sira Lounge in the lobby. Guests are free to partake in as much chocolates, biscuits, truffles and brownies as they can possibly devour.
It was also at Sira – located right next to the reception area – where I enjoyed my welcome drink, a refreshing glass of iced lemon, tea.
There are four other F&B outlets, scheduled to open this April. One of the soon-to-open spaces will be Bara, a fine-dining restaurant with a combination of Mediterranean, Korean and Japanese influences. Meanwhile, Redup will specialise in light snacks. It is of note that the hotel is Syariah compliant, hence the kitchen is halal-certified, and no pork and alcohol is served on the property.
For recreation, there are swimming pools, gyms, and spas for men and women, as well as a tennis court shared by both genders.
In March, 12 spa pods are scheduled to open to provide short, complimentary neck, shoulder and feet massages. A kids’ club will also open then.
The entire property has free Wi-Fi access.
Service
Excellent! I remember calling for help way past midnight as I didn’t know how to connect the TV to Netflix and someone came to assist right away. I also loved the hassle free check-in service – I was handed my room key in less than five minutes – and the efficient service in Temasya where my plates were cleared from the table each time I left for seconds at the buffet line.
Verdict
Fantastic hospitality. Staff were attentive, friendly and made me feel right at home. I also thought that the food served at Temasya was remarkably delicious.
For event planners, I think this hotel has an excellent location, being less than 10 minutes’ drive to both KLIA and KLIA2, an hour’s drive from Kuala Lumpur City Centre and a two-hour drive from the historic city of Melaka. Meeting groups can easily extend for a city tour in Kuala Lumpur City Centre and Melaka.
The Hyatt Regency Bali in the heart of Sanur has reopened its doors after five years of renovations.
The hotel is spread across more than 8.9 hectares of land, and stands less than 30-minute drive away from Ngurah Rai International Airport. Throughout the hotel, local materials and techniques, such as hammered copper, rattan, bamboo and coconut shell, have been integrated along with batik printing blocks, Balinese wood, stone carvings repurposed as wall art and sculptures.
King Room
Hyatt Regency Bali boasts 363 rooms, which includes 39 one-bedroom suites with balconies, a separate living room, and an additional powder room with a shower. Booking a suite also allows guests access to the Regency Club Lounge offering a private concierge and complimentary snacks.
Recreational facilities include three swimming pools, a 24-hour fitness centre, and the Shankha Spa comprising 10 spa suites, an outdoor whirlpool, a yoga studio, and outdoor hot and cold plunge pools. There are also three F&B venues: Omang Omang, the all-day dining space; Pizzeria, a casual venue specialising in pasta and wood-fired pizzas; and the Piano Lounge.
Event planners can avail the hotel’s meeting facilities, ranging from the 468m2 ballroom complete with a show kitchen that can accommodate up to 600 guests cocktail-style, to the 240m2 outdoor courtyard that can is ideal for Balinese dance performances which can hold up to 120 pax. There are also smaller multifunctional meeting spaces that can hold between 25 and 150 guests.
Tengile River Lodge brings new stay option to Sabi Sand Game Reserve Conservation-led travel company &Beyond has launched the Tengile River Lodge within South Africa’s Sabi Sand Game Reserve, offering nine contemporary and luxurious guest suites deep into the riverine forest on the banks of the Sand River.
Drawing inspiration from the history of Kirkman’s Kamp, each suite offers 180-degree views over the river, looking out onto one of South Africa’s most wildlife-rich conservation areas. At over 200m2 per suite, the lodge boasts some of the largest rooms in the Sabi Sand.
In keeping with &Beyond’s ethos of sustainability, the lodge design makes use of repurposed material with a connection to the setting. For instance, the stone cladding was sourced from a local quarry while the roofs are covered in sand from the site itself.
Recreational facilities include a wellness centre comprising a gym and pool, massage rooms and a sunken deck from where guests can enjoy the tranquil surrounding while awaiting their treatment.
Women in events to be celebrated on March 7 The Association for Women in Events (AWE) will run its women’s leadership event Elevate! on the eve of International Women’s Day, March 7, at the Conrad Washington DC.
The event will include sessions from women in business and politics, as well as women and men who are making a difference in the industry and in business.
Sarah Hurwitz, White House speechwriter from 2009 to 2017, will be the keynote speaker and will share experiences from her time as the head speechwriter for former US First Lady Michelle Obama.
BCD Meetings & Events makes new hires As part of BCD Meetings & Events’ integration of Grass Roots M&E, three new hires have been announced for the EMEA region.
Katie Knight will serve as senior director, Life Sciences Centre of Excellence. She has over 20 years’ experience across the M&E industry, predominantly in life sciences, where she has delivered strategic and operational excellence across all elements of the market.
Mark Scales takes over as creative director, creative solutions EMEA. He most recently spent four years at Banks Sadler as head of event solutions.
Arran Cruickshanks will serve as account director. He joined the M&E world following a career as a professional sportsman.
Asian Trails Thailand has appointed Johann Aigner as the company’s new
MICE manager.
Aigner will work closely with assistant MICE manager Suriwipa ‘Gift’ Dalliston, and both will oversee the local MICE teams throughout the country.
Johann Aigner
Aigner’s management experience goes all the way back to 1999, when he first co-organised sporting events in the Australian Outback. He then turned his passion for events into a profession in his home country of Austria, from where he created, organised and delivered large-scale events for European clients throughout Europe and the Middle East.
The industry veteran moved to Bangkok in 2015, and has worked in South-east Asia’s travel industry as a MICE manager for various DMCs every since.
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.
