Hotel management company Louis T Collection has appointed Lovelynn Clark as general manager of the Quay Perth, its upcoming 80-room boutique hotel opening in 1Q next year.
Most recently, Clark was part of the pre-opening team at the five-star, 468-room Viceroy Palm Jumeirah Dubai, where she served as executive housekeeper.
An Australian national born in Malaysia, Clark brings close to three decades of experience in hospitality to the table, with a career that has taken her through Asia, the Middle East and Australia.
Clark has been a member of pre-opening hotel teams for several five-star properties in mainland China, including the Park Hyatt Beijing, and Hyatt Regency hotels in Hangzhou, Dongguan, Jingjing City, Qingdao and Xi’an. She has also worked with Armani Hotel Dubai, Park Hyatt Maldives and Park Hyatt Hotel Canberra in various capacities.
K11 Artus, a luxury residence slated to open in summer 2019 at Victoria Dockside, has appointed Christopher Sommers as general manager.
The hospitality veteran has 17 years of experience under his belt, having worked extensively with luxury properties for brands such as Ritz-Carlton in countries such as US, Portugal, Russia and China.
Prior to joining K11 ARTUS, Sommers was general manager at The Ritz-Carlton Haikou where he oversaw the pre-opening and operation of the brand’s first golf resort in China.
You started in hospitality and eventually joined tourism. What drew you to this field?
I felt like I had found my calling to showcase Singapore to the rest of the world.
From groups, I branched out to private tours, and all these experiences helped me realise that there are many other things we can do to sell the country as a destination, but they’re not being done yet. There’s a lot of focus on man-made attractions, but the soft (experience) is not there.
I wanted to show another side of Singapore that a lot of travellers and incentive visitors have not seen.
Jane Goh
What sort of soft experiences?
A lot of our special interest groups or cultural troupes have done tours for locals before, but not tourists. They don’t know who to approach or how to go about it.
Activities like learning and performing the Chinese lion dance, and rowing across Marina Reservoir on dragonboat can be done not just for travellers, but for conferences, events and teambuilding attendees.
In fact, the dragonboat racing group had approached a travel agent for a partnership in the past, but was turned down.
We would like to promote this to event planners so that they know there’s something different they can do here in Singapore.
What are you anticipating most in your new DMC role?
This is a new direction for me, so I’m looking forward to how we can make the company different, and become successful among the many players in the market.
Scott Thomson has been appointed general manager of Hilton Taipei Sinban.Thomson most recently served as general manager of the Hilton Chongqing.
The 25-year hospitality veteran began his career with James Cook Hotel Grand Chancellor in New Zealand, followed by several hotel management positions in Auckland, Hong Kong, Mumbai, New Delhi and Chongqing.
Three years after forming the Fiji Convention Bureau in 2015, Tourism Fiji is now looking to establish a second events team that will bring greater power to its pursuit of international business events.
Speaking to TTGmice, Kathy Koyamaibole, regional manager Asia with Tourism Fiji, said: “The Bureau has been winning mostly government meetings and events. But with the expanded events team, we will be better able to go after international ones. In fact, my role reflects the focus we have on Asian markets, where we see strong potential for both business events and leisure travel.”
Fiji’s Denarau island is an integrated option for large-sized business event groups, thanks to its vast options of hotels, attractions and activities
Koyamaibole shared that China takes the lead in Asian business events bound for Fiji, with “significant interest coming out of Singapore”.
“That explains Tourism Fiji’s current investment in destination promotion in Singapore and the appointment of Aviareps as our destination representative in the market,” she added.
When asked about the challenges Fiji faces in destination promotion towards Asian business event planners, Koyamaibole pointed to the misconception that Fiji was “primitive”.
“But when planners get a chance to visit Fiji, they are always blown away by what we have to offer. We have so many international hotel brands, such as Sofitel, Raddison, Hilton and InterContinental, all of which have conference facilities. We also have unique attractions that are a great match to our international-standard hardware, some of which can add a Corporate Social Responsibility angle to the programme,” she said, adding that even more international branded hotels will be opening soon, including a Pullman and a Crowne Plaza.
She also underlined Fiji’s accessibility from various Asian markets. “Fiji enjoys direct flights from Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan, and it is easy for Asian event groups to connect in Australia for onward flights to Fiji,” she explained.
Koyamaibole is unable to say at press time if the expanded convention bureau will come with additional funding from Tourism Fiji in the new year.
A proposal to welcome associations into the ICCA membership is gaining adherents.
The 57th ICCA Congress opened in Dubai last Sunday; pictured (left) outgoing president Nina Freysen-Pretorius and acting CEO Dennis Speet
Historically, ICCA members have been limited to convention bureaus and suppliers but for several years now, the ICCA Associations Relations Working Group, together with the Board and ICCA Head Office, had been working on getting closer to associations in line with the adopted Strategic Plan from 2015.
Its draft proposal about potential association membership in ICCA was discussed in an open dialogue with members last Tuesday, with some mentioning the logistical and legal ramifications under the Dutch law as ICCA headquarters is based in the Netherlands.
Members input will be included in the final proposal which would be voted on next year either at IMEX Frankfurt in May or at the 58th ICCA Congress in Houston, Texas in November.
ICCA board member Jason Yeh welcomes associations’ entry into ICCA, saying that it is the right direction to grow in terms of membership, recognition and professionalism.
Yeh added that the ICCA Asia Pacific Chapter is already working closely with the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), newly-formed Asia-Pacific Federation of Association Organizations (AFAO), and the Philippine Council of Association and Association Executives (PCAAE).
Siti Karmila, head of sales and marketing at Indonesia Convention Exhibition, gives her nod on association membership, saying that associations will help balance the membership currently exclusive to suppliers.
Roman Ray Straub, CEO of Prague Congress Centre, is also amenable to the new direction, as association members will bring business to the supplier membership.
ICCA’s Asia Pacific Chapter is looking to launch a conference next year to address the region’s unique needs on education, networking and business development.
The ICCA Apac Summit 2019 concept paper, unveiled at the 57th ICCA Congress earlier this week, specified that the event “does not intend to dilute or replace official ICCA events but instead aim to complement ICCA’s presence in the region while leveraging on this platform that ICCA has built”.
The concept paper went on to say that the Asia-Pacific event “will mean a more active Apac community which is dynamic and robust, resulting in a stronger ICCA presence and brand in this region”.
Yeh: Asia-Pacific Summit not in competition with other ICCA events
Stressing that the ICCA Apac Summit 2019 will never replace ICCA events, ICCA board member and Apac Chapter member Jason Yeh said: “We have talked about organising the Summit for a long time. The region is so big and we cover very huge territories. It is very hard to form a common interest”.
As the Asia Pacific Chapter is “getting bigger and bigger, we want to tie up with all the communities in the region,” Yeh said. The Asia Pacific Chapter is the largest of all chapters outside Europe, with 265 members.
While the annual ICCA Congress had been held in Asian cities in recent years – Shanghai (China) in 2013 and Kuching (Malaysia) in 2016 – with the 2020 edition heading to Taiwan, there has not been an ICCA event that is organised by the members in the region, for the members in the region.
“Although ICCA events like the Congress and Association Meetings Programme (AMP) do rotate to the region, and we have our own Client Supplier Business Workshop, the time is right for this regional community to recognise the untapped opportunities within ourselves, and harness it,” the concept paper said.
Summit 2019 was discussed by Asia Pacific Chapter members during the Congress, and decisions will be made about the venue, budget, target market and whether it will be stand alone or in combination with another event.
To help defray the cost, the Chapter intends to charge a minimal registration fee for members, rely on sponsorship package, and to approach ICCA headquarters to host the airfare of five association executives from the region.
The draft programme for the Summit includes, among others, ICCA Business Leads Exchange, Data Lab on how to use ICCA data for business and communications, Destination Asia Pacific Market Place for outbound corporate travel managers and association executives, plenary session, and networking reception.
CITS American Express Global Business Travel, a joint venture between American Express Global Business Travel and China International Travel Service, has released the 2018 China Business Travel Survey (the Barometer). The Barometer has revealed that 45% of Chinese companies expect business travel spend to increase over the next 12 months.
Despite volatility and uncertainty in the global economy, the outlook reported by Chinese companies is one of the strongest indicators of corporate confidence that has been reported by the Barometer since its launch 14 years ago.
The level of business activity within tier two and tier three cities in Mainland China is rising
The portion of business travel expenditure allocated to domestic China (versus international) trips has increased by 18%, compared with last year’s Barometer. This indicates that the level of business activity within tier two and tier three cities in Mainland China is rising.
Research conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has revealed that inland and emerging cities within China are set to outpace top tier cities in annual GDP growth over the next three years*, creating attractive new business opportunities for Chinese firms.
“An interesting dynamic is emerging when it comes to business activity in China – in addition to domestic growth, China’s outbound direct investment is once again growing, indicating a focus on international business activity,” said Kevin Tan, vice president of CITS American Express Global Business Travel.
“Travel managers now need to ensure travel programmes and policies adequately cover the needs of travellers and companies in these new geographies. Emerging cities often lack the same level of infrastructure as more developed cities, creating a need to focus on spend categories that may have received a smaller budget allocation in the past, such as ground transportation. They should also ensure Chinese business travellers are sufficiently trained and educated in the nuances of travelling in different environments.”
The Barometer also revealed that ‘cost savings’ (62%) and ‘compliance’ (57%) are the top priorities for the travel programmes of Chinese companies, whereas ‘safety and security’ has slightly dropped from the top priority in 2017. In line with prior year results, the top three concerns on the minds of Chinese business travellers, according to the Barometer, remain: the travel reimbursement processes being too complex (49%), pre-trip validation processes being too complex (37%), and travel conditions too strict in general (37%).
“These figures highlight a clear and exciting opportunity to develop simpler and leaner processes to increase business traveller satisfaction and boost efficiency within the company. If a company’s travellers cannot understand or effectively navigate their company travel processes, there will be decreased compliance, leading to greater costs,” continued Tan.
Considering the significant amount of change occurring in China’s travel industry, both in terms of supply and demand, it’s worth noting that the Barometer revealed 45% of Chinese travel managers believe they have limited knowledge on how to manage a travel programme in current business conditions.
Tan added: “Traditionally for many companies in China, travel budgets have focused primarily on travel servicing rather than strategic travel management. However, as we celebrate the 40th anniversary of China’s Reform and Opening this year, cost-savings, governance and business efficiency, have become a greater focus for Chinese companies. It’s critical that companies engage the right partners for their businesses in order create a travel programme that meets their evolving needs.
“This could range from intelligence on where China’s high-speed rail can prove more efficient for domestic travel than air, as well as international guidance on visas, safety & security, and access to global travel cost-savings. For travel managers without experience in these areas, the learning curve can be steep, so it’s important to know when to outsource key business requirements,” he concluded.
Millennium Hotels and Resorts is offering a five per cent rebate on the final master bill for business events held at any of its 11 participating South-east Asia properties from now until December 31, 2019.
The Meet @ Millennium Hotels and Resorts offer is valid for new bookings of 10 guestrooms and above confirmed before March 31, 2019. Other terms and conditions apply.
Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel, Singapore
In Singapore alone, Millennium Hotels and Resorts has six strategically located hotels, with access to over 2,600 guestrooms and more than 9,290m2 of flexible event space.
Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Hua Hin in Thailand’s royal resort town has launched new meeting packages that feature all-inclusive coffee breaks and leisure activities.
Half-day meeting deals, priced at 1,550 baht (US$45) net per person, comes with use of a meeting room from 08.30 to 12.00 or 13.00 to 17.00, a Thai/ International buffet lunch or Thai/ International set lunch, and one coffee break.
The full-day option, priced at 1,650 baht net per person, comes with an additional coffee break.
Both packages include meeting room set up, audiovisual arrangements, free Wi-Fi connection and support from a meeting butler for the entire event.
The newly-opened Ritz-Carlton, Bangkok anchors the One Bangkok development with cosmopolitan elegance. Featuring the city's largest ballroom and a spectacular new penthouse suite, it delivers exceptional hardware and deeply authentic, soulful service for business and leisure travellers alike
Behind the imposing, Brutalist concrete that defines Zurich’s Oerlikon district lies a surprising secret. While its exterior honours the neighbourhood’s industrial roots, stepping inside Mama Shelter reveals a vibrant, neon-soaked world that is a far cry from its rigid shell
A polished urban retreat designed for business travellers, Hyatt Regency Kuala Lumpur at KL Midtown combines thoughtful design, seamless service, and exceptional facilities.
