St Regis opens its doors in Zhuhai, China

October 25, 2018

St_Regis_Zhuhai_Greater_Bay_Ocean_View_King_Room¥ÛÕÂ«¯∫£æ∞¥Û¥≤∑ø — Ocean View King Room

St Regis Hotels & Resorts has made its debut in Zhuhai, part of the Greater Bay area comprising Hong Kong, Macau and Shenzhen.

The St Regis Zhuhai occupies floors 41 to 72 of the Zhuhai Tower, the city’s newest landmark in the business district. It offers 251 guestrooms, including 34 suites and a 1,100m² Presidential Suite. All guest rooms offer panoramic views of the waterways of the Greater Bay area, as well as the historical landscapes and bridge structures of Macau and Zhuhai.

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The hotel offers five restaurants and bars, as well as recreational facilities like the Iridium Spa on the 68^th floor with nine treatment rooms, each outfitted with a Living Earth therapy bed; the fitness centre on the 69^th floor which boasts a heated indoor pool; as well as the outdoor sky pool on the 71^st floor.

For events and functions, the property offers 1,500m² of meeting space such as the rooftop on the 72^nd floor that opens out to views of the the river channel between Hengqin and Macau’s Cotai Strip.

A slice of Japan in the Lion City

By TTGmice

October 24, 2018

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Keyaki-Garden-Pavilion-Exterior — Keyaki Garden Pavilion Exterior

Pan Pacific Singapore has introduced its newest event space, a newly-constructed Garden Pavilion sequestered in its fourth floor open-air space.

The Garden Pavilion sits serenely in the heart of a beautifully-sculpted Japanese garden, and is connected via a short walkway from Keyaki restaurant. The rectangular structure is clad in traditional Shoji-inspired screens, and opens up to a shimmering koi pond.

The Garden Pavilion itself can seat up to 40 people for a sit-down lunch or dinner. In standing cocktail-style, the rectangular space would be able to hold around 80 pax. Keyaki itself can seat up to 140 pax, and it has two private dining rooms. Only Japanese fare from Keyaki will be served at events utilising the pavilion, and menus can be tailored and customised to any palate.

Kaiseki menus for private luncheons or dinners start at S$220 (US$162) per person, while cocktail receptions start at S$80 per person with canapés. The minimum spend for the use of the pavilion is S$6,000++ for dinner and S$5,000++ for lunch.

The Garden Pavilion would certainly be a perfect place to unwind, partake in a delicious meal, and imbibe a glass of wine, after a long day of negotiations and discussions. Opening hours for lunch are 11.30 to from 14.30, while dinners are from 18.30 to 22.30.

Paving new roads

By Pamela Chow

October 24, 2018

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The second half of 2018 conferred Singapore a spread of international fame in the form of high-profile events such as the Trump-Kim summit in June, as well as the premieres of movie Crazy Rich Asians and television series Masterchef Singapore.

Encouraged by this international exposure, business events players here are ramping up their promotions and products, with the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) working to woo large conventions and meetings.

Jeannie Lim, executive director, conventions, meetings & incentive travel, STB, told TTGmice: “As with all high-profile visits, (the Summit) places Singapore on the map for international audiences and showcases Singapore as an ideal destination, especially for business and meetings. Having the Summit will also further burnish our credentials as a leading business events city.”

The board is intensifying its partnerships with business events stakeholders, such as industry associations, to promote Singapore “as a hub for their flagship industry events”, explained Lim.

Recently concluded events include the ACTE Global Summit and SACEOS’ Singapore MICE Forum 2018, which drew record attendance numbers. Singapore will also host the ASAE Association Leadership Forum Asia Pacific this month.

Next up, the city state will host Rotary International Convention 2024, which is set to be the largest association convention to be hosted here, with more than 25,000 Rotary members from around the world expected to attend.

Chew Ghim Bok, Singapore’s bid chair for the Rotary International Convention 2024, explained: “We suggested having the main event at one venue, and the plenary and breakout sessions at a nearby hotel or convention centre. Singapore is so small, so this mix-and-match element was also very attractive to the organisers.”

Chew added that Singapore also enjoys strong “regional support” in terms of having a good reputation among its neighbours, who spoke highly of the country’s safety and efficient immigration at the meeting.

Held in Sentosa, the Summit has also given the island a new burst of fame that the Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) is riding on.

Lynette Ang, chief marketing officer, SDC, shared: “Building on the opportunities that were brought about by the recent DPRK-USA Singapore Summit, we are now marketing our capabilities as a MICE destination to engage and discuss with destination management companies, professional conference organisers, and even directly with corporates.

“In this regard, beyond being able to tap on our differentiated venues and assets to curate unique meeting and incentive travel experiences, we are also able to offer our safety and security capabilities as required of high-profile events.”

Equally important, Singapore’s reputation as a fun and attractive destination was preened by the premiere of the Crazy Rich Asians movie and the Masterchef Singapore TV show, which have contributed to a host of tour agencies launching itineraries that bring Crazy Rich Asian experiences to reality.

These include Indus Travel’s 12-day Crazy Rich Singapore Culture & Thailand Beaches, which spends four days touring the city’s historic sights, traditional cuisine and natural wonders; as well as Wok ‘n’ Stroll’s Crazy Rich Asians – Behind the Scenes Food Tour, that treats its participants to food mentioned in the novel and movie at venues like Newton Hawker Centre and Joo Chiat; as well as more upscale venues like Bib Gourmand restaurant New Ubin Seafood at CHIJMES, and LeVeL33 Craft-Brewery Restaurant & Lounge.

“When business travellers come to Singapore, they have about three hours (of free time) before their conferences for the whole day. We wanted to give the audience the experience of being a crazy-rich Asian for one evening,” explained Wok ‘n’ Stroll founder and CEO Karni Tomer.

The tour began its first run in August, when it had already garnered bookings for this month, revealed Tomer. She added that the tour – which can accommodate up to 10 pax – is “very suitable for corporate groups”. The agency will market the tour through STB.

Hard Rock Japan names new president as company focuses on expansion

By TTGmice

October 24, 2018

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After naming casino maestro Edward Tracy as CEO of Hard Rock Japan, which was launched last year, Hard Rock International has now appointed Ado Machida as the new president of its Japan unit to oversee the company’s integrated resort initiatives in the country.

With his vast experience in foreign affairs and expertise in international law, finance, business development and team building, Machida is expected to play a key role in leading Hard Rock Japan’s expansion efforts to develop a new luxurious integrated resort in the country.

Machida comes to Hard Rock Japan from Navigators Global, a management consulting organisation. Prior to Navigators Global, Machida was director of policy implementation for the Trump Transition effort. Additionally, he also served as chief domestic policy officer for vice president Cheney, as well as served in various leadership and advisory roles for senator Bob Dole.

He has also held positions with Goldman Sachs, both in New York and Tokyo, and also worked at the Boston Consulting Group based in Tokyo early in his career.

An unexpected turn

By S Puvaneswary

October 23, 2018

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Press-Conference,-pix-credit-The-Star-Media_CMYK — Photo by The Star Media

Event brief
An event organiser from the Pakatan Harapan Coalition political party confirmed a booking for the grand ballroom at the new Sheraton Petaling Jaya Hotel just a day prior to their event, which was to take place on the evening and night of the 14^th General Election on May 9. The organiser needed the venue for some 150 invited guests to watch live streaming of voting results from polling stations across the country.

Press conference. Photo by The Star Media

Challenges
What started off as a typical evening at the hotel took a drastic turn after 22.00, when the polling results started to favour the Pakatan Harapan Coalition party over the incumbent Barisan Nasional party which had been the ruling party for the past 60 years.

As the vote counting progressed, it suddenly seemed possible that the Pakatan Harapan coalition might actually win the election and form a new government. With this, well-wishers, supporters and party members started to throng the hotel lobby. Many insisted on entering the grand ballroom to be with party members.

Joining the growing crowd were press members from local and international media organisations although no press briefings were scheduled at the beginning. From just 150 expected guests, the crowd ballooned to around 600. The hotel had a crowd control issue in its hands. The organiser’s own security staff was also outnumbered by the crowd.

Christopher Moore, the hotel general manager, recalled: “As more and more people gathered at the hotel, we heard that party leaders of Pakatan Harapan were also on their way. We knew we had a very important function on our hands with many top politicians joining in.”

More hands were urgently needed on deck, but with election day being a national public holiday, many hotel managers and staff were not at work.

Moore added: “Another challenge was to keep the press away from the ballroom and the proceedings inside. Later, many photographers and film crew stood on our marble table tops and chairs to secure a vantage point during the press conference.

“And when the Coalition leaders arrived, we had to ensure their safety and that their movements were not hampered by the unruly crowd.”

Solution
Many staff who were not working on that day were recalled to work that night, and they were given temporary new responsibilities. This included managing the crowd and the media, and to ensure the growing list of requirements of the organiser was taken care of. The hotel also sealed the lifts and escalators leading to the ballroom on the third floor, barring unauthorised personnel.

The hotel security and staff assisted the organiser’s security team in ensuring people who entered the ballroom were legitimate guests.

Moore recalled: “It was a difficult task as some of those who turned up also held titles and insisted that they be let into the ballroom. They claimed to be invited guests but they didn’t have the necessary tags. It was quite challenging!”

To deal with the growing number of members of the press, the hotel chose to contain them in the foyer area, one floor below the grand ballroom.

“We also suggested that the organiser kept them updated on press briefing timings. We believed that would keep the press from getting restless and unruly while they waited,” he explained.

Moore said many of the press members had waited for more than two hours for the press conference to begin, and it finally took place close to midnight. In the meantime, the hotel distributed bottled water and allocated manpower in the foyer area to prevent “the press photographers and film crew from damaging our furniture”.

Key takeaways
Moore said the team spirit of the staff that night was incredible.

“They didn’t mind being recalled to work on a public holiday as they believed they were serving the nation and were being part of history in the making,” he said.

“They worked as a team. Their patience and ability to think on their feet to provide solutions to all the challenges that night was what made this event a success.”

Sentosa poised for new hotel cluster, redevelopment

By Pamela Chow

October 23, 2018

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Sentosa and its surrounding waterfront areas will undergo total rejuvenation and development, following announcements by key players and agencies at ITB Asia 2018.

Three new hotels were announced yesterday by Far East Hospitality’s CEO, Arthur Kiong, to bring the island destination “a wonderful mid-tier range of products”.

From left: Far East Hospitality Management’s Christine Choo, Gill Ishwinder and Arthur Kiong

These are Village Hotel at Sentosa, offering 606 rooms including family rooms, as well as the 193-key adults-only The Outpost Hotel – both slated to welcome guests in April 2019. Come 3Q2019, The Barracks Hotel will open with 40 rooms in a conserved colonial building.

The three properties will raise Sentosa’s total room count to 4,200, and their rooms will be “egalitarian” and “priced effectively”, said Kiong.

He explained: “Sentosa is a driver of business (for Singapore’s tourism) and is very popular, but it’s interesting that 90 per cent of its room inventory are in the luxury class.

“(Our new cluster) caters to families, groups, business events and niche segments. Visitors may be encouraged to extend their stay in Singapore and Sentosa from one to two days.”

This comes on the back of an announcement by Singapore’s senior minister of state for trade and industry, Chee Hong Tat, of plans to reshape the entire Sentosa island, as well as to develop the adjacent Pulau Brani, and the 1,000ha waterfront area along Tanjong Pagar.

This area, which Chee said is “as large as Sentosa itself”, will be branded the Southern Gateway of Asia. He revealed: “One area which I am personally very keen to explore and push ahead is how we can encourage more activities at night on Sentosa.”

Kiong expressed: “This is the harbinger of very, very exciting developments for Sentosa as well as the rest of the precinct.”

Airbnb for Work expands, aims to extend reach in lucrative corporate sector

By Paige Lee Pei Qi

October 23, 2018

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Apart from offering unique vacation spaces for travellers, Airbnb is ramping up its efforts to capture more of the corporate market by expanding its Airbnb for Work offerings.

The multibillion dollar company is now keen to tap three new key areas – teambuilding, offsites and relocations – as part of their “new strategic direction”.

Airbnb expands services to help companies locate unique spots for their next offsite meeting

This means that existing teambuilding activities (offered through Experiences), offsite and meeting locations (offered through Homes), and longer-term rentals for relocations (also through Homes) are now being promoted to the corporate community alongside Airbnb for Work’s existing product.

According to Alvan Yong, regional lead, Airbnb for Work, Singapore, Airbnb for Work now accounts for 15 per cent of the company’s overall bookings since its launch in 2014 when it was was first named as as “Airbnb for Business”.

Yong told TTGmice: “One of the biggest challenges for human resources today is engaging their employees.”

As such, he said the use of Airbnbs for work offsites could benefit companies with their offer of unique environments, which can be catalysts for belonging and personal connections – a factor much sought after especially among millennials.

He said: “The beauty of our experiences is that we can help to engage their staff, which will in turn help drive up the company’s productivity.”

According to the latest AMEX Global Business Travel report, rising demand for non-traditional meeting spaces is expected to continue to outpace the growth in demand for other property types in 2018. In addition to homes, there are nearly 3,000 castles and 1,400 treehouses around the world on the Airbnb platform.

With an increasing global and mobile working population, Airbnb will also now surface homes suitable for relocating individuals and families.

Delving further on Airbnb’s new strategy into the corporate market, Yong explained: “We want to go beyond just business trips, as the average of working professionals who travel for work is only 25 per cent.

“With our new push, we believe we can now make Airbnb available for all working professionals whether they travel or not,” he concluded.

IHG relaunches Regent as it seals deal to open brand in KL

By Prudence Lui

October 23, 2018

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Regent_Kuala_Lumpur_signing_ceremony — From left: Legal counsel Steven Hsu; Farmosa International Hotels’ Steven Pan; Multibay Development’s Koo Yuen Kim; IHG’s Kenneth Macpherson and Keith Barr; and Regent Hotels & Resorts’ Justin Channe

Following the acquisition of a majority stake in Regent Hotels & Resorts in March and appointment of Justin Channe as managing director in May, the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has relaunched the iconic luxury brand alongside the signing of Regent Kuala Lumpur.

Speaking at HICAP in Hong Kong last week, Channe said: “Our current growth is predominantly observed in Asia but there is interest from Europe. My priority is to bring the existing Regent portfolio and all our embedded hallmarks, service behaviour and brand promise into these hotels. Then, we’ll look how to work with owners on bringing these hotels up to the design standard of Regent, while at the same time prepare to close the Hong Kong property for full renovation and reopen it as a flagship hotel in 2020.”

From left: Legal counsel Steven Hsu; Farmosa International Hotels’ Steven Pan; Multibay Development’s Koo Yuen Kim; IHG’s Kenneth Macpherson and Keith Barr; and Regent Hotels & Resorts’ Justin Channe

The company last week announced its signing with Multibay Development to build a Regent hotel in Malaysia. Slated to open in 2022, the 250-key Regent Kuala Lumpur will be located next to Tun Razak Exchange, a 28ha mixed-use development.

“In addition to Kuala Lumpur, you will see Regent in Phu Quoc and Jakarta to be rolled out 1Q2020. Both properties are new buildings,” Channe revealed.

Positioned in the top end of IHG’s brand portfolio, alongside Kimpton, Regent is expected to grow from the existing six properties to 40 in gateway cities with strong luxury demand, he added.

“As a heritage brand, it’d be branded out in a management contract model so our partners need to understand luxury. It’s vital for us to capitalise on the brand by bringing in new design and a bit of innovation. We work closely with owners so they are aligned with our concepts when bringing the brand alive.”

Tom Rowntree, IHG’s vice president global luxury brands, pointed out three key factors driving the segment’s growth. He said: “Firstly, it is the continuous growth in traditional luxury markets like Europe and North America where we see consistent drivers of luxury travel such as the multi-generation family. Then, it is the incredible growth of Chinese travellers both domestically, intra-regionally and internationally. Thirdly, the rise in millennial customers today accounts for just over 45 per cent of all luxury consumption.

“Over the last few months since the deal closed, we did a lot of consumer research throughout the world as well as specific key markets working with taste makers and looking for interesting insights. For example, we spoke with design directors to see how technology come together. We dug deeply into the heritage and history of the Regent brand which was founded in 1971. At that time it created a new style of luxury and focused on very best Asian service and hospitality together with western design and innovation,” Rowntree shared.

IHG CEO for Greater China, Jolyon Bulley expects Regent’s strong heritage to attract interest from partners with an Asian base. “Certainly there is interest from South-east Asia, Chinese owners as well as a lot of outbound capital flow to Europe and the US. We even have interest coming from the Middle East where Regent doesn’t have a history,” he commented.

“We are being very selective on how we grow, in micro-locations or key gateways. We also have interest from InterContinental hotel owners who would like to go for Regent but that would involve selective conversations in respect to micro-location and capacity of the hotel to manage it. There would be a selected few, probably in the range of three to four, but no plan at this time for further conversions.”

WorldHotels on the prowl for new blood

By Mimi Hudoyo

October 23, 2018

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WorldHotels is hard at work recruiting dedicated sales team members in order to better capture Asia-Pacific’s business events segment.

The business events sales team will be located in its Asia offices of Shanghai and Singapore, and possibly Australia.

Jegge: more sales personnel in Asia for WorldHotels needed

Roland Jegge, president Asia Pacific of WorldHotels, stressed that there was a dire need for sales personnel in Asia as “intra-Asia MICE is a big market”.

“With Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI) acquiring WorldHotels in 2017, we need to step up our efforts in increasing the business events market. The reason ALHI bought WorldHotels was they were only in America, and not present in Europe and Asia. By purchasing WorldHotels they now have global presence,” Jegge remarked.

ALHI is a global sales organisation serving the North American meetings and incentive marketplace. In the US, ALHI has 60 team members specialising in business events. Two weeks after ALHI bought WorldHotels, there were groups coming into Hong Kong and Sydney.

In addition to hiring more personnel, WorldHotels also introduced a new three-tier classification system split into WorldHotels Distinctive, WorldHotels Elite and WorldHotels Luxury.

On October 31, WorldHotels will also launch a new loyalty platform which will give members instant benefits such as upgrades on availability. The platform will also harness the collective marketing resources of all participating properties.

Penang MICE contest now open

By TTGmice

October 23, 2018

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Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau (PCEB) has joined forces with TTGmice to launch a digital contest in conjunction with the BE @ Penang 2018 business events industry conference.

The “Are You A Penang Business Events Guru” contest invites delegates to answer eight questions about Penang as a MICE city, and perfect scorers will stand a chance to redeem economy flights into Penang from any Asia-Pacific city, plus three nights’ accommodation, and a free pass to attend BE @ Penang.

Lebuh Armenia, one of the main streets in historical Georgetown, Penang

Taking place on December 6 and 7, 2018, at the Setia Spice Convention Centre, BE @ Penang expects to welcome 400 delegates from around the world.

The conference will feature 20 experts, including Nina Freysen-Pretorius, president of the International Congress and Convention Association, as the keynote speaker, PCEB’s CEO Ashwin Gunasekeran said.

The contest is now open for participation here: http://bit.ly/2PKH6vF.

St Regis opens its doors in Zhuhai, China

A slice of Japan in the Lion City

Paving new roads

Hard Rock Japan names new president as company focuses on expansion

An unexpected turn

Sentosa poised for new hotel cluster, redevelopment

Airbnb for Work expands, aims to extend reach in lucrative corporate sector

IHG relaunches Regent as it seals deal to open brand in KL

WorldHotels on the prowl for new blood

Penang MICE contest now open

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