Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas has appointed Sally Baughen as general manager of Six Senses Bhutan, a property comprising five individual lodges.
Based in Thimphu, the hospitality veteran has over 25 years of experience. In her most recent role, Baughen led development and pre-opening operations for 700,000 Heures in Cambodia. Prior to that, she was a consultant with the Split Apple Retreat in Tasman, New Zealand.
The Kiwi first began her professional career as the F&B of Bali’s Amankila, then moving to roles at Nihiwatu and Como Shambhala Begawan Giri, also in Bali. Returning to Aman Resorts, she relocated to Myanmar as general manager of The Strand in Yangon, a position that she held for five years before leading Amanbagh’s opening in India.
Over the course of her tenure with Aman, she has also served as general manager at Amankila and Amandari, and played a leadership role on the pre-opening team at Amanfayun in Hangzhou. She then moved to Cambodia to helm Amansara in Cambodia from 2011 to 2016.
Encouraged by a study conducted by the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE) that shows incentive travel is the fastest growing element of business events, and one that achieves the highest spend per person across the widest spectrum of destination suppliers, the Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) has intensified its courtship of this segment.
One of its major moves was to host the SITE 2019 Global Conference last week, an event that drew 350 incentive travel specialists from all over the world and emphasised Thailand as flagship destination for such events in Asia.
TCEB’s Chiruit Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya and SITE’s Philip Eidsvold opened SITE 2019 Global Conference in Bangkok last week
The conference, which ran from January 11 to 14, showcased Bangkok’s contemporary society and culture, key features that are increasingly important in incentive travel where “authentic experiences” have become a must, noted Chiruit Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya, TCEB president.
Philip Eidsvold, SITE president, said: “Our research findings are clear: incentive travel planners place more importance on overall destination appeal than air access and hotel infrastructure, and Thailand has star quality appeal for incentive travel qualifiers. Thailand is really the perfect incentive travel destination offering excellent access, amazing five-star hotels and venues, deep history and heritage and extraordinary gastronomy.”
TCEB expects the Kingdom to gain in areas of learning, development and the overall professionalism of the local incentive travel community through the hosting of the SITE 2019 Global Conference.
Besides hosting the event, TCEB also partnered with SITE to provide Certified Incentive Specialists (CIS), an entry-level certification programme for incentive travel professionals. The course, conducted on January 10 and 11, saw 60 participants from Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, the US, and Thailand.
There are currently 68 CIS professionals from Thailand, placing the country in first place for CIS graduates in Asia.
Further, the SITE Thailand Chapter was officially launched last week.
“TCEB has been a mainstay in establishing the SITE Thailand Chapter with the bureau providing support and coordination to ensure the success of the initiative. The SITE Thailand chapter is the first SITE chapter in (South-east Asia) and its launch emphasises Thailand’s image as the world-class destination for incentive travel,” said Chiruit.
Thailand has 23 incentive travel professionals who are members of SITE.
Luxury serviced apartment provider Oakwood Worldwide is rolling out a hefty expansion plan for the Asia-Pacific region, with an eye on growing its global portfolio of properties from 48 to 150 by 2021.
Dean Schreiber, managing director of Oakwood Asia Pacific, told TTGmice that upcoming projects to meet this goal will be developed “predominantly in Asia-Pacific”.
Schreiber: upcoming Oakwood projects will be mainly in the APAC region
In South-east Asia, Oakwood has signed to develop properties in Jakarta and Thailand.
Schreiber said: “China is a massive area for us in terms of growth potential; likewise, we’re seeing very good growth in Indonesia. In Thailand, we’ve just signed a deal to roll out 10 properties over the next 10 years.
“We’re exploring some new geographies this year too. We’ve signed our first deal in Cambodia, we’re looking at some opportunities in Sri Lanka and we’re also targeting some leisure destinations. Phuket and Pattaya are the first couple of opportunities (for us).”
The group plans to place one Oakwood Studios and multiple Oakwood Premier properties in each key Asian city.
Although Oakwood Studios targets millennial corporates, the brand’s debut in Singapore has also attracted traditional business travellers and enjoys a diverse guest demographic, said Schreiber.
The bedroom in the Oakwood Showroom
To ensure a consistent quality and feel to its properties across the region, Oakwood last week (January 10) launched The Oakwood Showroom in its corporate office in Singapore for property owners to view and purchase in-room amenities.
The showroom is a mock-up of a suite that features the latest gadgets, furnishings and other homewares from various product partners, such as Samsung, Bang & Olufsen and Serta.
Egencia, the business travel arm of Expedia Group, has revealed the findings of a global study on flight demand for the 20 most travelled-to cities for business travel.
Overall, Asia dominated the top 20 positions. Shanghai, China’s pre-eminent commerce centre, is the fourth most travelled-to business travel destination internationally this year. Elsewhere in Asia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Tokyo ranked sixth, eighth and ninth respectively, and Beijing (15th), Mumbai (17th) and Seoul (20th).
Shanghai (pictured) is the top business travel destination in Asia for 2018
Meanwhile, New York continues to outpace London as the most popular business travel destination globally, as it tops the list for the fourth consecutive year. London last held the top ranking in 2014 before being overtaken by the Big Apple the following year. New York’s dominance is likely to continue, as Egencia flight data shows that business trip flight bookings to New York were nearly 10 per cent higher than bookings to London in 2018.
In North America, Canadian cities performed well, with Toronto in fifth, outranking many major commercial centres in the US such as San Francisco, Chicago, Los Angeles and Boston.
Meanwhile, Europe represents two of the top three business destinations, with Paris coming in third globally as the city continues to establish itself as a popular regional business hub. From 2016-2018, Egencia data showed that air travel to the French capital experienced a 20 per cent growth. London (second) and Paris (third) were the only two European cities to place in the top 20 global business destinations for 2018.
The complete list of 20 most travelled-to destinations
Between January 1, 2014 and December 1, 2018, total business travel flight bookings increased globally by nearly 110 per cent. Singapore saw the largest increase in flight bookings globally – air travel to and from the destination increased by nearly 160 per cent over five years.
“While US and European cities retain the top three spots, the most interesting takeaway is how global business travel has truly become with five of seven continents represented in the top 20 destinations,” said Andrew Dyer, vice president of global supply at Egencia brand.
“As business travel continues to grow, it’s never been more important for companies to have a traveller-friendly programme that also provides unified global tools for travel managers to assist their travellers.”
The Egencia data used in this study captured flight booking and reservation trends from small, mid-cap and multinational companies in more than 60 countries between January 1, 2014 and December 1, 2018.
The new ships will have a similar capacity as the 1,250-guest Riviera
Oceania Cruises, the upper-premium subsidiary of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, has ordered two ships under its new Allura-Class, scheduled to be delivered in 2022 and 2025 respectively.
The contract price for each of the two vessels is approximately 575 million euros (US$664 million) per ship.
The new ships will have a similar capacity as the 1,250-guest Riviera
The two 67,000 gross ton ships will each accommodate about 1,200 guests. This new class of mid-size cruise vessels will retain the design elements and signature amenities of Oceania’s Marina and Riviera ships, while affording guests an additional level of comfort, convenience and luxury amenities, the cruise line said in a statement.
The expansion of Oceania Cruises’ fleet is expected to” meet the strong demand for upscale culinary- and destination-focused cruise vacations around the globe”, said Frank Del Rio, president and CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings.
Oceania Cruises currently has six ships, which carry 684 or 1,250 guests and call at more than 450 ports across Europe, Alaska, Asia, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, New England-Canada, Bermuda, the Caribbean, Panama Canal, Tahiti and the South Pacific.
The 223-key Hilton Da Nang has opened near the city’s famed Bach Dang street and a 10-minute drive from Da Nang International Airport.
Its location grants hotel guests easy access to Danang’s main entertainment, shopping and business belts.
Guest Room
Ranging from 36m2 to 202m2, all guestrooms and suites feature locally inspired contemporary designs and views of the Han River.
Event facilities in the hotel include eight meeting rooms and a grand ballroom, totalling 725m2 and all fitted with the latest audio-visual equipment, LED screens and high-speed Wi-Fi. The ballroom can accommodate up to 500 guests.
Guests can look forward to a host of dining outlets, including Brasserie Nam, an all-day dining restaurant which serves a creative menu with locally sourced ingredients, and The Sail high-end rooftop grill bar on level 28.
Hilton Da Nang is Hilton Hotels & Resorts’ third hotel in Vietnam, joining Hilton Hanoi Opera and Hilton Garden Inn Hanoi.
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has opened InterContinental Dhaka at a prestigious address in the Bangladeshi capital and close to the downtown business district.
The hotel offers 226 guestrooms including 25 suites, and facilities such as a Club Lounge, temperature-controlled swimming pool overlooking Ramna park, a steam room, sauna and spa. Dining options include an all-day restaurant, speciality restaurant, lobby cafe and pool bar.
Lobby lounge
For meeting planners, the property offers more than 1,950m2 of space across two ballrooms and seven meeting rooms, all equipped with the latest audiovisual technology.
Vivek Bhalla, regional vice president, South-west Asia, IHG, said in a press statement: “InterContinental Dhaka (is) a stunning property that will offer guests a luxurious experience with signature facilities and high standards of service that we have become renowned for. We are confident that the hotel will be a great success and we look forward to welcoming our guests from around the world. The opening also aligns with our strategy to expand our presence across brands, and key cities in the South-west Asia region.”
The property is developed with Bangladesh Services. A representative from the company remarked that “Dhaka is emerging as a business hub, attracting travellers from across the globe”, and the new hotel will offer “world-class luxury and comfort to our discerning guests”.
Siem Reap’s growing collection of quality tourism products, activities and services is triggering Cambodian inbound specialists to tap into the business events potential of the destination.
That, coupled with an intensifying corporate desire to seek out new destinations away from the traditional options of Thailand and Indonesia, are helping to plant Siem Reap on the corporate incentive map.
Angkor Wat Temple
Steve Lidgey, general manager of Travel Asia a la Carte, said 2018’s figures are on track to see a 20 per cent year-on-year improvement in business events performance, noting a “surprise” increase during the recent high season.
He added the majority of business comes from MNCs based out of Singapore, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur organising regional events and incentive trips for mostly Asian participants.
He believes 2019 will see a peak in interest from China as Cambodia becomes an increasingly popular destination. Said Lidgey: “I also expect to see more growth from existing Asian markets looking for new destinations.”
David Baron, Angkor Golf Resort’s director of golf, has seen a 15 per cent hike in corporate bookings in 2018, with the 18-hole stand-alone golf course mainly serving groups from Singapore, Hong Kong, China and Japan. An increase in enquiries is coming from Thailand.
The temples remain Siem Reap’s top draw, with many planners seeking to incorporate a visit to the historic structures into their agenda.
However, more innovative temple experiences are being crafted, including boat trips on Angkorian ponds, picnics at remote jungle temples, and exclusive dining experiences overlooking ancient monuments.
Sala Kdei is an elegant traditional wooden house that sits on the banks of the Sra Srang reservoir at Angkor.
Jason Blackwell, director of marketing and sales, said the venue is increasingly catering to corporate groups of up to 150 pax seeking private dinners that feature traditional apsara shows, shadow puppet performances, and demonstrations of Khmer martial art bokator.
Siem Reap’s abundance of natural beauty and increasingly improving accessibility are also driving more creative itineraries.
Examples include private classes with performers at Phare, the Cambodian Circus, Vespa tours, candlelit dinners in the middle of paddies and new venues for cookery classes, such as the top-class kitchen at Mahob Farm that caters for groups of up to 30 in the heart of rural Siem Reap.
Adrien Dennhardt, partner and managing director of Inspiration Cambodia, said the development of several five-star hotels on the coast of Sihanoukville has also helped bolster corporate incentive interest in Siem Reap, as he can now work on cross-country agendas.
He said: “It has helped us to work on more attractive itineraries with nice accommodation across the country because once you confirm Cambodia as a destination, visiting Angkor is the number one request.”
Cambodia’s competitive costs are also stimulating growth.
Pascal Tadin, general manager at Sofitel Angkor Phokeethra Golf & Spa Resort, said: “We see strong performance from the corporate incentive market due to attractive value compared with neighbouring countries. Siem Reap offers modern meeting facilities minutes from a world-heritage site. This provides delegates a truly unique experience while on corporate incentive trips.”
The resort, which was the first in Siem Reap to organise exclusive dinners at the temples accompanied by apsara shows, is gearing up to open an additional ballroom-inspired events space for mid-size groups.
However, challenges remain if Siem Reap is to reach its full potential. Ashley Lai, general manager of Courtyard by Marriott Siem Reap Resort – which opened in January 2018 – and is actively targeting corporate groups, said more direct flights are essential for the market to grow.
Lidgey noted Siem Reap is still losing out on business to other destinations, including Bangkok, because of the lack of indoor activities and restaurants with high capacity.
He said: “There are precious few restaurants with capacity for 100 pax or more with audiovisual facilities in Siem Reap.”
Dennhardt called for further improvements to roads and cleaner private and public areas, while pointing out that Siem Reap faces rising competition from emerging destinations, such as Sri Lanka and Myanmar, as well as established options like Vietnam which has waived visas for citizens of several European countries.
The Carlton Group has appointed new general managers for its Singapore as well as upcoming Bangkok property.
From left: Darren Ware and Mark Bulmer
Darren Ware, previously general manager of Carlton City Hotel Singapore, is now heading Carlton Hotel Singapore in the same capacity.
Former general manager of Carlton Hotel Singapore, Mark Bulmer, has relocated to Thailand take up the new role of general manager at Carlton Hotel Bangkok Sukhumvit, set to open in late 2019 as the group’s first property outside of Singapore.
Event brief
The Skål Asia Area Congress, which has been held every year since 1972, returned to Macau for the third time in June 2018. The event is a gathering of professionals from all sectors of the tourism industry.
Macau last hosted the Skål Asia Area Congress in 1994 and 2007.
The 47th Skål Asia Area Skal Congress adopted the theme, Gastronomy Tourism, highlighting the host city’s designation as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy.
DOC DMC Macau was appointed the PCO and was made responsible for a wide range of tasks including project management, financial control and event promotion.
Challenges
Due to Skål International’s rich history, the majority of members fall into the over-55 age group. Members are also seasoned tourism industry professionals who have seen the world and attended countless events themselves.
This presented a challenge, opined Bruno Simões, managing director of DOC DMC Macau.
Simões said: “The average span of tourism industry experience among the members is 20 years. How can you meet the expectations of such seasoned professionals? The answer lies in the programme itself. It has to have quality and originality, and be flawless.”
The PCO also received a variety of dietary requests from the attendees.
A third challenge emerged in the transfer requirements between Hong Kong International Airport and Macau, as many delegates had to fly into Hong Kong from faraway lands such as Spain, Mauritius and India. Lastly, the PCO had to take into consideration a single disabled delegate.
While Macau’s tourism infrastructure for the disabled abides by international standards, Simões said the city is generally “not prepared” in terms of transportation for the mobility-challenged.
“There are no travel agencies in Macau that offer transportation for disabled visitors,” he recalled.
Solution
To please and impress the experienced delegation, a butler service approach was taken in the congress programming.
Simões explained that every delegate had their own butler who took care of their registration and bookings, and who greeted them upon their arrival. The same butler also took care of their dietary needs, and was on call at the hotel throughout the event duration.
Bearing in mind the age of attendees as well as the single disabled delegate, DOC DMC Macau provided medical support at the congress venue.
While Simões declined to provide examples of how the on-site medical support was put into use, he said: “It proved to be very useful in a couple of instances.”
To ensure a smooth transfer around Macau, the PCO appointed an extra staff with each vehicle to complement the mandatory tourist guide. However, little else could be done to ease the Hong Kong-Macau transfer until the new bridge between the two cities was completed, said Simões.
As for the disabled delegate, DOC DMC Macau outsourced the transportation requirement to Caritas Macau, a non-profit association that provides such services for the locals.
Key takeaways
Simões had a number of takeaways from this project. Firstly, he emphasised the need to utilise an online tool for registrations and payments.
He also acknowledged that some event owners had their own pre-arranged solutions, and the appointed PCO needs to be aware of what they are.
As well, as the PCO, Simões said a strong marketing support must be provided to the client. His team made sure the Skål Asia Area Congress was well connected with both the local media and specialised media to deliver editorial coverage before, during and after the event. As well, his team utilised social media to tell the congress story.
Event: The 47th Skål Asia Area Congress 2018 Organiser: DOC MMC Macau Venue: Macau Fisherman’s Wharf Convention and Exhibition Centre Date: June 21 to 24, 2018 Number of participants: 170
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.
