Mercure Hotels & Resorts has opened its first midscale property in north-eastern Vietnam.
Located in the CBD, Mercure Hai Phong is the tallest building in the city and is housed within the SHP Plaza shopping centre, a 28-story mixed-use development.
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The property offers a total of 176 guestrooms and suites, as well as 57 one- to three-bedroom serviced apartments. Guests staying on the 25th to 27th floors of the hotel will be able to enjoy breakfast and evening cocktails, and complimentary access to the meeting rooms at the Privilege Lounge.
For events and functions, the hotel features six meeting rooms including the city’s largest grand ballroom that can cater up to 380 guests. Recreational facilities include the Bloom Spa, a 24-hour gym, and an outdoor infinity pool.
Meanwhile, dining options on-site include two restaurants and three bars, ranging from the all-day Flame Grill & Bar to the first rooftop bar in the city, Cloud28 Sky Bar & Lounge.
The Department of Tourism (DoT) has finally thrown in the towel on the fourth edition of Madrid Fusion Manila, citing the need “to focus its resources on the many pressing challenges in the industry, in particular to address the needs of sectors that require support as the tourism industry adopts a policy of sustainable tourism”.
Although DoT has the option to host the international gastronomy event for five years, the fourth edition, which was supposed to have taken place this year, has no taker yet from the private sector.
Madrid Fusion Manila was last hosted in 2017, having found no takers for the 2018 edition
PACEOS (Philippine Association of Convention/Exhibition Organizers and Suppliers), which won the event management bidding for Madrid Fusion Manila in the first three years, cannot afford to do it on its own without government support, its president Joel Pascual told TTGmice.
“It will be a tough call” as they don’t have the means to promote it to the world which is MFM’s direction, Pascual said.
On the other hand, Arnold Gonzales, Tourism Promotions Board deputy COO for marketing and promotions, said they might revive the World Street Food Congress next year.
Commenting on the impact of Madrid Fusion Manila, Gonzales said it has introduced and lifted the image of the erstwhile relatively unknown Philippine gastronomy in the world market, benefiting tourism, agriculture and other sectors of the economy.
DoT said in a statement that it “will continue its support of Filipino gastronomy by focusing its efforts on areas that will make it truly sustainable” and “will continue to develop and improve culinary and farm tourism product offerings, while the department’s foreign offices will continue to promote the country as a premier culinary destination to the international market”.
SM Hotels and Conventions Corp (SMHCC) has signed a license agreement with the Radisson Hotel Group (RHG) for a Park Inn by Radisson hotel in Iloilo City, opening in 1Q2019.
This will be the third Park Inn hotel in SMHCC’s portfolio.
The 200-room Park Inn by Radisson Iloilo will provide choice venues for meetings and offer convenient access from the Iloilo International Airport as well as the city’s main commercial district, tourist attractions, museums and historical landmarks.
SMHCC president Elizabeth Sy, said in a statement: “SMHCC’s long-time partnership with RHG will be further strengthened with this agreement and reflects a strong mutual intent to grow the brand in the country. As owners, SMHCC looks forward to benefitting from RHG’s vast global resources that have helped make RHG one of the most progressive hotel companies in the world.”
“We are confident that this new landmark in our partnership starting with Park Inn by Radisson Iloilo, will add to the vibrant tourism landscape of the city and set a new benchmark in hospitality in the Visayan region,” added SMHCC executive vice president Peggy Angeles.
Katerina Giannouka, president, Asia Pacific, Radisson Hotel Group, described the upcoming property as a “perfect fit for the market”
“Park Inn by Radisson Iloilo will provide a comfortable option for guests seeking high levels of convenience and connectivity,” Giannouka said.
Associations management company CIMGlobal and Peritoneal Dialysis Society of India have secured the hosting rights to the 37th Annual Meeting of the International Society of Blood Purification (ISBP) for Hyderabad, India.
The city of Hyderabad will welcome the 2019 congress
Set to take place from August 21 to 24, 2019, the event will attract up to 1,000 delegates from various countries.
The ISPB congress is expected to be of “exceptional importance for India”, said a statement issued by CIMGlobal, as it will showcase the latest international achievements and the most up-to-date methods used in Blood Purification field.
The congress was hosted in Skopje, Macedonia this year and in Guangzhou, China in 2017. Other Asian cities that have hosted the congress include Hiroshima (2016), Yokohama (2012), Beijing (2011) and Nara (2006).
ACTE Global (Association of Corporate Travel Executives) is expanding its research capabilities, which contribute to the organisation’s educational content, with a stronger Research Business Unit that is led by a new research director.
Draper is ACTE Global’s new research director
Fitzgerald Draper assumed the position on November 1. A 16-year veteran in market research, Draper most recently served as research director for Child Care Aware of America. He has a diverse background executing all aspects of market research, including: identifying emerging issues; developing research options, white papers, surveys, focus groups and market research reports; and working with specialty vendors.
Draper will join ACTE’s team of industry-leading researchers to develop and implement the enhanced offerings of the organisation’s community-centred, focused, and driven research aimed at helping business travel professionals develop stronger, more successful and cost-effective programmes.
“Expanding and refining ACTE’s research capabilities, including bringing Fitzgerald on board, is essential to our long-term strategic plan,” said Leigh Bochicchio, president, ACTE Global. “Having dedicated research resources will allow us to improve our already-strong offerings through new methods of collecting data and new ways to share our insights.
ACTE Global has reported a significant expansion of its research projects in 2018 leading up to this announcement.
“ACTE exists to serve the corporate travel manager and, by extension, the business traveller, and research is a critical component of this mission,” said Greeley Koch, executive director, ACTE Global.
“Our strategic goal for 2019 is to build upon the success of our research programme to tackle even more complex and timely issues, including expanding our investigation into the topics that most impact our members and furthering our Instant Issue polls, which allow us to get an immediate pulse on breaking industry news.”
A refreshed vision for AIME 2019 has led to a series of international exhibitors returning to the annual show in Melbourne.
Thailand will be one of the presenting destinations at AIME 2019
Returnees include Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) and Dubai Business Events & Convention Bureau (DBE), said a statement issued by event owner Melbourne Convention Bureau and event manager Talk2 Media & Events.
This notable return to AIME comes as a result of the refreshed vision, which has overhauled the way that exhibitors take part in the event, sharpening the focus to a positive return on investment through rigorous curation of the buyer programme and format that meetings are delivered.
“The interest that we’ve received from both international and regional exhibitors has been monumental. While they span very different industries, they are all signing up for the same reason – to meet and connect with more quality buyers from across (Asia-Pacific) who are ready to do business”, said Matt Pearce, CEO, Talk2 Media & Events.
DBE last attended AIME in 2015, with Thailand last attending in 2017.
Other international exhibitors attending the 2019 event include Hawaii Tourism Authority, the Ministry of Tourism Republic of Indonesia, the Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau, and the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board.
With only three months to go before the event opens, AIME 2019 has already confirmed quality buyers from across 32 different countries, with 48 per cent being new to the show and 65 per cent originating from outside of Australia.
AIME 2019 will run from February 18 to 20 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Jerusalem, Tel Aviv enhance tourist services
The cities of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv in Israel have launched a new suite of tourist services that to improve the destination experience for visitors.
In Jerusalem, the Jerusalem Development Authority (JDA) has created a new week-long city pass that offers a bus service from the airport, free inner-city public transportation and discounts at the city’s attractions and museums. Employees in uniform at the “Itraveljerusalem” stand will greet the tourists arriving in Israel at the airport. In addition, information trucks are now positioned at the Jaffa gate and the Machne Yehuda food market to offer free Wi-Fi access, cell phone recharging stations and refreshments.
Over in Tel Aviv, the Ministry of Tourism and the Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality have launched two new Tourist Information Centers as well as an information truck located on the Tel Aviv Promenade in front of the Frishman Beach and a pop-up information centre operating on weekends inside the historic clock tower at the entrance of Jaffa.
Business events get focus in Wales’ Year of Discovery campaign
The Welsh Government’s Business Events team will be building up Wales’ reputation as a world-class business events destination as part of the destination’s Year of Discovery campaign in the new year.
The focus ties in with the impending opening of the new International Conference Centre Wales in 2019, and follows on from a five-point approach undertaken in 2018 to accelerate the growth of the country’s business events market. The five-point approach includes: the appointment of Heledd Williams as head of business events; a programme of attendance to national and international shows; a co-ordinated approach to promoting Wales; an education programme for Visit Wales partners; and exploiting Wales’ reputation for hosting major global events such as the Champions League Final and the Volvo Ocean Race.
The Year of Discovery campaign will provide a further opportunity to highlight Wales’ unique appeal as a centre of expertise and academic research, as well as its stunning blend of natural landscapes, culture and heritage.
Vienna to welcome diabetes experts in 2020
The European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) will stage its 56th Annual Meeting at Reed Messe Wien, Vienna, Austria from September 21-25, 2020.
Some 15,000 participants from 130 countries are expected to attend the event, which is said to be the world’s largest diabetes research and treatment congress.
The EASD Annual Congress scientific programme will feature 1,200 talks and presentations covering the latest advances in diabetes research and treatment.
It will be the fifth time that the Austrian capital hosts the EASD Annual Meeting.
Mark Bradford in now general manager of Mandarin Oriental Wangfujing, Beijing, which will open in early 2019 as the group’s first property in the Chinese capital city.
Prior to his Beijing move, he was the opening general manager of the Mandarin Oriental, Marrakech in Morocco.
Bradford possesses more than 17 years of hotel management experience with Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group. He first joined the group in 2001, and has spent time in the Bangkok property as hotel manager, and helmed the Chiang Mai, Jakarta and Manila properties as general manager.
New World Petaling Jaya Hotel has named Shona Pang as director of sales & marketing.
Pang will play an integral role in the development and implementation of strategic sales and marketing plans.
Prior to joining New World Petaling Jaya Hotel, Pang was the pre-opening director of sales and marketing for Sheraton Petaling Jaya.
The seasoned hotelier with almost 15 years of industry knowledge in events, MICE and corporate sales, and has worked across various international hotel brands such as The Westin Kuala Lumpur and Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur.
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