Travel management company Carlson Wagonlit Travel has expanded its mobile air booking offering in 20 key markets around the globe, where travellers now have the option of booking their flights on the myCWT app.
Originally piloted in early 2017 and launched commercially in 2Q2018, the mobile air booking has been rolled out to the US, Germany, France, the UK, Canada, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Australia, Poland, Brazil, Denmark, Hong Kong, Singapore, Spain, Ireland, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
Travellers in 20 countries can now book flights on the myCWT app
The app’s booking capability has a set of innovative features, including a “best time to book” indicator, which alerts travelers when prices are expected to increase, and recommends an optimal time to book.
Screenshot from the updated app
Meanwhile, a 24-hour search function gives travellers a complete list of options, including cheaper flights outside a specified window, simplifying the booking experience as well as saving costs for employers.
The app currently features check-in functionality for most major airlines, as well as notifications for flight delays, cancellations, gate changes, and safety and security travel alerts.
It also offers mobile hotel bookings for 850,000 hotels worldwide, calendar synching, traveller profile integration with loyalty programs, and advanced sharing functionality. CWT’s mobile air booking also supports global distribution system and low-cost carrier content, as well as client rates and preferred airlines.
A personalised travel safety app is aiming to encourage informed and engaged travel for leisure and corporate travellers.
In 2013, US-based technology company GeoSure launched its first phase of operations, offering hyper-localised safety rankings for neighbourhoods across the globe geared towards solo female travellers.
Screenshots from the GeoSure app
Using artificial intelligence (AI) and real-time, crowd-sourced data from a range of organisations, including the United Nations, World Health Organisation, Interpol and crime statistics, individual neighbourhoods are ranked from one to 100, with one being the safest.
“Safety is central to travel, and we want people to be more confident and inspired about travelling to any part of the world,” said CEO Michael Becker.
He added that the ultimate aim is to enrich travel experiences by providing detailed information on localised safety levels, which vary from neighbourhood to neighbourhood. Travel warnings are an example, where they are often unnecessarily placed on entire countries or regions, with detrimental effects.
He said: “If you put a travel ban or warning on an entire destination, it can have devastating impacts on the tourism economy when there may only be small parts of the country affected, while the rest is fine to visit. This app can help solve this problem.”
Becker: the app aims to enrich travel experiences by providing detailed information on localised safety levels
Operating on a B2C and B2B level, GeoSure is working with OTAs, TMCs, DMOs, tourism boards and other organisations to offer customers, employees and members hyper-local safety information.
While the app is free to download, GeoSure has also developed a premium, paid-for DoC (duty of care) product for corporates and multinationals. Under this, travel brands and organisations will be able to receive safety solutions and awareness and planning content.
Said Becker: “Hyper-local safety information provides timely, and monetisable, content for platform end-users. “I’m a solo female business traveller, what does the safety around my hotel look like?”, “How is the safety complexion of the neighbourhood where the business meeting is?”
Looking ahead, GeoSure is developing more features for additional travel segments. In September 2018, the second phase was rolled out, focusing on LGBTQ+.
Rooms
I stayed in the comfy 32m2 Grand Room (Grand Rooms are located on the 11th to 15th floor), with windows that overlooked the 15,000m2 resort. It was a pleasant view, as I could see Macau Cultural Centre at one end, and the harbour at the other.
The room’s overhauled design now comes with perks such as free in-room movies (for the Grand Room category and above), as well as amenities such as a Nespresso coffee machine, universal power sockets with integrated USB ports and dimmable lights.
My favourite is the bathroom, complete with a rainshower and a bathtub. While the shower area had several wall-mounted dispensers for shampoo and shower gel, I also found a complete set of Portuguese-brand amenities at the sink.
1 of 4
Lobby
Grand King Room
Kam Lai Heen Chinese Restaurant
Cafe
MICE facilities
There are five F&B options, where several can be turned into event spaces. For example, the 300-seater Kam Lai Heen Chinese restaurant offers eight private dining rooms, up from three before the makeover. There is also a separate entrance for its largest space, the Lotus Room, which means more privacy for groups. There are rooms with built-in/drop down screens as well as the latest audiovisual system should groups require.
Other meeting spaces in the hotel include the 425m2 ballroom which can accommodate a maximum of 400 guests for cocktails, or 300 pax for a sit-down dinner; as well as three meeting rooms – with sizes ranging from 32m2 to 160m2 – on the 17th floor.
There are several outdoor venues as well, such as the 800m2 lawn and Naam’s garden, a Portuguese courtyard with a fountain. Both venues can be used for an intimate cocktail gathering.
Other facilities
The resort is equipped with an outdoor temperature-controlled swimming pool with waterfall, green lawn area, a hot whirlpool in the garden, tennis courts, fitness centre, aerobic studio, sauna, steam room, indoor Jacuzzi, and The Grand Lapa Spa.
Service
The premises are perfect for bleisure travellers. There is no doubt to its long-established attentive service culture so guests will be well taken care throughout the stay. Staff were quick to address guests’ requests or needs without delay.
Dave Junker has joined Shangri-La’s Boracay Resort & Spa as its new general manager.
Prior to his most recent appointment at Shangri-La Hotel at the Fort, Manila, Junker has also been assigned to other Shangri-La hotels in South-east Asia, including Sule Shangri-La, Yangon; Shangri-La Hotel, Chiang Mai; Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok and Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort & Spa, Cebu.
A Luxembourg national, the seasoned hotelier has close to two decades in the industry, and was also stationed at luxury hotels in the UK, the US, India and the UAE before joining Shangri-La.
Hotel ICON is an award-winning luxury property housing 262 upmarket rooms. Located in the bustle and energy of Tsim Sha Tsui in Hong Kong, Hotel ICON is a modern, uniquely designed property with a commitment to delivering unrivalled guest comfort and featuring a wide range of dining choices for both leisure and business guests.
In addition to being a top-rated business hotel on TripAdvisor, Hotel ICON is also a training school for the next generation of hospitality leaders. Owned by Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hotel ICON was opened in 2011 by Richard Hatter, the hotel’s general manager and adjunct professor, and operates as a research and training facility for the School and Hotel of Tourism Management in Hong Kong.
Photo: Suite bedroom
Attracting Higher-Value Guests in a Competitive Market
“Hotel ICON operates in one of the world’s most competitive hospitality markets and at very high occupancy levels—all of which means there is little margin for pricing error,” said Hatter. “Our executive team is always looking for ways to not only enhance guest experiences, but also improve the returns from our inventory and maximize revenues.”
Hotel ICON has a large inventory of upmarket club rooms and suites boasting superior amenities and accounting for 38.5% of the hotel’s total room inventory. Demand from guests, however, has traditionally been overwhelming for the property’s standard rooms, compared to higher-priced rooms. Demand for standard rooms from January to December 2017 was 126% compared with 40% for club rooms and 54% for suites.
“Our executive team was challenged by how to best lift revenues when market demand for our room inventory from guests was largely focused on lower-rated room categories,” said Hatter. “We quickly realized we needed a new approach with a best-of-breed revenue management system that could assist with room-type pricing and yielding.”
Photo: Lounge area
Returning to the Market Leader
Hotel ICON had been working with a different global revenue management system (RMS) provider but had experienced limitations with the system. Given the advanced automation and room-type management needed, Hotel ICON chose to work with IDeaS, a company the management team had previously enjoyed a successful relationship with.
“We had used a different IDeaS product previously, as well as another revenue management solution, and were confident that IDeaS G3 RMS’s unique ability to assist with room-type management and yielding, along with IDeaS’ solution for meeting space revenue management, was the best choice to drive revenue and profitability for the next stage in our revenue management journey,” said Hatter.
Through its adoption of IDeaS G3 RMS, Hotel ICON achieved optimal RevPAR performance through rate increases and by selling the higher room categories at suitable market prices. Importantly, this process helped minimize overbooking entry-level rooms and forced upgrades, a key area of opportunity many hoteliers are challenged by in the hyper-competitive Hong Kong market.
“Previously, increased demand would simply push the selling price of our room inventory higher across all room categories,” said Hatter. “Today, with the advanced IDeaS G3 RMS, Hotel ICON can accurately forecast and price our room inventory based on different room categories. This is a significant development for our property.”
Early Rewards
Since returning to work with IDeaS and implementing the industry leading G3 RMS solution, Hotel ICON has experienced significant improvement in the performance of the property’s higher-value room categories. Within three months of the G3 RMS installation, Hotel ICON saw year-on-year RevPAR growth of 4.51% for its higher-value club and suite rooms, driven by a 7.35% increase in ADR.
“When we looked to update our approach to revenue management, we committed ourselves to changing our strategies over the long term,” said Hatter. “We are pleased that since returning to work with IDeaS, Hotel ICON has experienced tangible improvements in the performance of our club and suite room categories, which has contributed to a signficant uplift in revenue over a short space of time.”
Thinking Outside the Guest Room
Going forward, Hotel ICON will also implement Smart Space by IDeaS, making their property the first in Hong Kong and China to benefit from the innovative, web-based tool which provides unparalleled visibility into meetings-and-events demand. Smart Space seamlessly pulls data from other sales tools to strategically manage function space events, allowing hoteliers to collaborate and create ideal pricing scenarios for group business.
“The positive results we have witnessed with IDeaS to enhance revenues from higher-value room categories gives us tremendous confidence we will see similar improvements from our meetings and events,” said Hatter. “We look forward to continuing our growth with IDeaS as we aim to enhance our total revenue performance.”
About IDeaS
With more than 1.6 million rooms priced daily on its advanced systems, IDeaS Revenue Solutions leads the industry with the latest revenue management software and advisory services. Powered by SAS® and with nearly three decades of experience, IDeaS proudly supports more than 10,000 clients in 124 countries and is relentless about providing hoteliers with insightful ways to manage the data behind hotel pricing.
IDeaS empowers clients to build and maintain revenue management cultures—from single entities to world-renowned estates—by focusing on a simple promise: Driving Better Revenue.
IDeaS has the knowledge, expertise and maturity to build upon proven revenue management principles with next-generation analytics for more user-friendly, insightful and profitable revenue opportunities—not just for rooms, but across the entire hotel enterprise. For more information, visit www.ideas.com.
About Hotel ICON
Unlike any other, Hotel ICON is an upscale Hong Kong hotel in the heart of Tsim Sha Tsui East. Standing as a testament to Hong Kong’s creative energy and vibrant arts scene, Hotel ICON showcases work from the city’s celebrated designers and the world’s most acclaimed architects. Offering the ultimate in comfort and committed to service excellence, Hotel ICON’s 262 stylish guestrooms comprise seductive extras, including complimentary wired and Wi-Fi internet connections, smartphone with unlimited mobile data and an ultra-slim 40” Ultra High Definition LED TV. Located on level 9, Hotel ICON’s Angsana Spa is a tranquil oasis while the harbour-facing outdoor swimming pool and fitness centre allow guests to exercise while enjoying views of Hong Kong Island’s spectacular skyline.
With a maximum capacity of 580 persons, Hotel ICON’s grand Silverbox ballroom is the ideal venue for a celebration or theatre-style conference. Hotel ICON houses three restaurants: Above & Beyond, The Market and GREEN, providing guests with exceptional quality of the food and impeccable service. wallpaper* magazine included Hotel ICON in its 2011 list of the world’s Best Business Hotels and DestinAsian included the hotel in its Luxe List 2011. The premier hotel has also won in 2 categories including the Top 25 Hotels in Asia in the 2017 TripAdvisor Traveler’s Choice Awards. Join us by following our official social media accounts at @hoteliconhk and share your memorable moments with us by using the hashtag #hoteliconhk.
Best Western Hotels & Resorts has appointed David Calvet as general manager of Tawaravadee Resort, BW Signature Collection by Best Western, in Thailand’s Prachinburi province.
The hotelier possesses an extensive knowledge of Thailand’s hospitality industry, having worked for for a series of international hotels in Bangkok and Phuket over the last 20 years.
Calvet was most recently the general manager of ibis Styles Bangkok Sukhumvit 50. Previously, he also held senior management roles with a series of well-known hotel brands, including Novotel and Sheraton. He also spent more than three years as directeur général of École d’Hôtellerie et de Tourisme Paul Dubrule, an international hospitality school in Siem Reap.
Tawaravadee Resort is Best Western’s first BW Signature Collection by Best Western property in Asia.
An exhaustive research has come up with recommendations for CVBs, suppliers and meeting planners – varying from simple steps for persons with special needs to industry-wide certification programme for universal accessibility – in an effort to help business events be more accessible and inclusive.
In the 89-page tome, Universal Accessibility in Meetings, prepared by BestCities Global Alliance, GainingEdge and Rehabilitation International, “disability” and “special needs” cover not just physical mobility, but also the senses (vision and hearing impairment), cognitive/developmental (autism, Down Syndrome, dyslexia), and medical (autoimmune, allergies/diet, cancer, arthritis, etc.).
The study encourages future venues to be first designed with accessibility in mind, while existing venues can improve their facilities to become more accessible for PWDs
One recommendation that was put forth was that future venues should be designed with accessibility in mind, while existing venues can become more accessible for persons with disabilities (PWDs) by adding facilities such as accessible rest rooms, hotel rooms with doors wide enough for a wheelchair, and a ramp on the podium.
Venus Ilagan, Rehabilitation International’s secretary-general, said: “If people with disabilities have to pay more to attend events or to get a hotel that has the right facilities, then that is not good. It should be one standard for all.”
Ilagan further suggested that destinations look into the concept of universal design, go through the process of creating products from scratch, so that they do not have to make changes later.
“It would only be one per cent additional cost at the start when integrated at the planning stage of building, but if they have to have a post-build audit to analyse where the gaps are, the cost could be 35-40 per cent more to retrofit. Universal design should be looked at from the beginning, not an afterthought,” Ilagan elaborated.
The research also mentioned that careful design and use of technology can determine whether it will enhance or inhibit the user’s experience. For example, it cited examples of technological barriers like inaccessible event registration website, resources or reading materials not available in alternative formats like Braille or large print, and a lack of a close captioning system for those with hearing problems.
Other recommendations include universal access audits; seeking champions within local associations; providing reference documents and links to guidelines on how to accommodate PWDs for event organisers; Best Practice case studies; visitor information; accessibility guides, and training in organisations.
GainingEdge CEO Gary Grimmer said that the survey results of the 20 venues in BestCities Global Alliance destinations found “that they try to be innovative beyond what they are required to do, which shows their true level of commitment” in making meetings universally accessible.
He also noted that there are many associations working with the destinations, and that members are increasingly more inclusive.
Grimmer said the research “is not the end of the project but the beginning of the journey”, adding that they will continue to promote awareness and provide tools for the industry including training.
The research also noted that policies on disability not only allow PWDs to be given equal treatment and opportunities, but they also present wider and more diverse opportunities for businesses, considering that the meetings industry comprises myriad groups, from delegates, event spectators and participants to employees, clients, suppliers and volunteers.
According to IACC’s 2018 Meeting Room of the Future report, international meeting planners have noted a significant increase in conference delegates expressing dietary and allergen requirements during event registration.
As this trend is forecasted to grow in 2019, IACC – in collaboration with the World Obesity Foundation and industry partners such as MPI, Events Industry Council and Thrive Meetings and Events – has created the Guide to Managing Conference Delegate Dietary Requirements. The new, comprehensive guide is designed to help planners manage partnerships and liaison with venues on the topic of dietary needs and requirements to ensure delegate health and well-being.
Meeting planners from the around the globe are noticing a significant increase in dietary and allergen requests from their delegates
The guide also explains the various allergens and emerging diets, including religious requirements and health-related allergens, and provides advice and practical tips on how to place delegate health and well-being at the heart of events without compromising on experience.
One of the pieces of research undertaken by IACC that surfaced a gap in the market which presented a challenge for planners and drove the creation of the dietary guide, was IACC’s latest Trends in Nutrition & Delegate Wellbeing study, which highlighted that 79 per cent of meeting planners agreed that they now receive more dietary requests in comparison to two years ago; only 75 per cent of venues offer training to staff on serving people with allergies; and only 33 per cent of venues include basic nutritional information on their menus.
Mark Cooper, IACC’s CEO, commented: “Last year, when I asked a room of 200 meeting planners if managing dietary needs was a challenge and 75 per cent or more raised their hands, I knew immediately that we needed to do more as an association and industry.
“As we conducted more research, we saw clearly that there was some valuable insights and best practice that if adopted, would help both our planner and venue community. This is just the beginning and we hope that in the near future we will see more training and certifications to support the competent management of dietary needs.”
As an additional resource, in January 2019, IACC will be hosting two webinars, one for planners and one for venues, focused on F&B trends. Registrations will be made available at iacconline.org in due course.
Data takes the lead in business lead generation in Oglivy's newest solution
Real-time data is the next step in lead generation, as Ogilvy Singapore develops a solution that identifies hot leads during an event.
EventPlus 2.0, developed by Ogilvy Singapore’s Innovation Lab, produces a live lead-scoring model that identifies and prioritises leads with the highest potential. It does this by incorporating data from pre-event registration and during the event via RFID tracking.
Data takes the lead in business lead generation with the help of Oglivy’s newest event solution
The system also aids in tracking user engagement during an event, such as through attendee movement patterns and time spent at each booth. This also generates an event heat map showing the most popular booths, the average visit duration and more.
Teresa Shiang, associate director, Ogilvy, explained that currently, the “most common way” that feedback is collected from events for lead qualification is “through physical paper surveys or a mobile app that attendees have to download”, which are “intrusive to the event experience”.
She said: “The biggest pain point of event organisers is a lack of understanding of what is happening live and in real-time at the event. For most attendees that do not respond to paper or mobile app surveys, they become a missed opportunity or lead for organisers.”
As an alternative, EventPlus 2.0 provides real-time data visualisation of the event and live lead qualification, which are subsequently imported into the client’s CRM system. Meanwhile, the RFID tags and gateway technology used for location tracking can also be reused in future events.
“The sales team could send their best salesperson to meet the hottest leads identified by the lead scoring model during the event itself,” said Shiang.
She revealed that at its infancy stage, companies had “initial concerns about privacy and location tracking” when using such data-driven technology. However, the location trackers in EventPlus 2.0 use a RFID technology that is designed for tracking only within a designated event area, Shiang clarified.
Ogilvy first developed this solution for a global technology company in Singapore. It is now open to clients in B2B industries that host large-scale events or conferences.
Shiang further shared that Ogilvy is looking into “other behaviours that can be tracked by RFID technology” in order to “enrich the lead scoring model”.
She added: “We’re continually refining and adapting depending on the industry, and the product we’re running this solution for.”
Front row: Ascott’ Ervin Yeo (left) and Ciputra’s Artadinata Djangkar
Ascott has formed a strategic alliance with Ciputra Development Group, one of Indonesia’s top property developers, to manage serviced residences in Indonesia and China within the next five years.
The announcement made yesterday did not disclose the number of properties Ciputra was planning to develop in both countries within the period, but revealed that the 253-unit Citadines Sudirman Jakarta targeted to open in 2021 would be the first property under the alliance.
Front row: Ascott’ Ervin Yeo (left) and Ciputra’s Artadinata Djangkar
Artadinata Djangkar, senior director of Ciputra, said that prior to formalising the alliance, the companies had already been in partnership over a span of two decades.
“It started with Somerset Grand Citra Jakarta in 1996 (which is jointly owned with Ascott Residence Trust). Ascott also acquired Ascott Kuningan Jakarta from Ciputra in 2014 and Ascott Sudirman Jakarta in 2017,” he said.
The signing ceremony yesterday also simultaneously marked the opening of the 192-unit Ascott Sudirman.
Artadinata said: “In Indonesia, we have properties in cities such as Jakarta, Semarang and Surabaya with the potential to be developed into serviced residences. These properties can be managed by Ascott through its portfolio of brands.”
Kevin Goh, Ascott’s CEO, said: “Forming strategic cooperation with leading industry players continues to be a key growth strategy for Ascott, as it provides us with accelerated access to a pipeline of quality projects.”
The alliance with Ciputra follows Ascott’s recent partnership with Tauzia Hotel Management, one of Indonesia’s major hotel operators.
Goh added that strategic partnerships have helped Ascott add the biggest number of properties in Indonesia in a year.
“With an expanded product offering, we expect to pick up pace in our growth in the country. Indonesia is South-east Asia’s largest economy, where we see huge potential for us to expand.”
Erwin Yeo, Ascott regional general manager Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, said Ascott currently operated nine properties in Indonesia and would open nine more serviced residences with more than 1,600 units in the country over the next five years, including first properties in Bandung, Somerset Asia Afrika Bandung and Citadines Kings Bandung.
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.
