Hiroshima Convention & Visitors Bureau (HCVB) has recently revamped and relaunched its website, and along with the effort a new destination logo.
Hiroshima’s new logo now features an orizuru (folded paper crane), a symbol of the city. Meanwhile, the website aims to provide event planners with ample information on holding conventions and meetings in Hiroshima City.
The website promises to provide planners with useful and necessary information to organise a convention or meeting in Hiroshima City
New features include a section called Uniquely Hiroshima which provides information on a variety of unique venues and unusual activities the city can offer. For instance, the restored Shukkeien Garden – originally built in 1620 – can serve as a venue for a post-convention programme, and delegates can experience a Japanese traditional tea party in one of its tea cottages.
As well, supporting supplies for conventions and meetings are available for download, among which are promotional booklets, photos and videos of Hiroshima City.
The new site also sports reviews and testimonials that HCVB has received from convention organisers HCVB supported in the past.
Artist impression of Holiday Inn Melbourne Coburg, scheduled to open in 2020
At least five new hotels will open in Melbourne over the next few years, among them two Hyatt Hotels and three from InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG).
Firstly, Hyatt has entered into into a management agreement with PEC Portfolio Springvale for a 200-key Hyatt Place hotel. The hotel will form part of a mixed-used complex, which will also include co-working facilities and retail stores.
An artist impression of Holiday Inn Melbourne Coburg, scheduled to open in 2020
Hyatt Place Melbourne Springvale will be located at the intersection of Springvale and Dandenong Roads in the heart of the Monash Employment and Innovation Cluster, which is home to a number of academic institutions, businesses and medical facilities. It will become the second Hyatt Place hotel in Australia upon its expected opening in 2020.
Over in Melbourne’s CBD, a Hyatt Centric is also expected to open in 2020 on Downie Street, a management agreement with developer Little Projects.
Hyatt Centric Melbourne will feature 280 guestrooms and suites, a restaurant, and rooftop bar offering views of Melbourne’s Yarra River and Southbank. Located close to Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Center and the Crown Entertainment Complex, this will mark the second Hyatt Centric-brand hotel in Australia.
Also upcoming in the CBD in 2022 will be a dual-branded Hotel Indigo and Holiday Inn. The property will front onto Bourke Street Mall on one side and Little Collins St on the other.
The A$200 million (US$150 million) mixed-use development will include international retail stores and a combined 453-room hotel – 181 in Hotel Indigo Melbourne Little Collins and 272 in Holiday Inn Melbourne Bourke Street Mall. There will also be F&B outlets, a gym, meeting spaces, and a distinct guest lobby and room experience for each brand. The development will enjoy shared back-of-house services and facilities that create common-sense efficiencies.
IHG has also signed a deal with Barnes Capital to open a design-led Holiday Inn in the Coburg suburb.
When it opens in 2020, Holiday Inn Melbourne Coburg will enjoy views across the town and its surrounding landscape, including Coburg Lake Reserve. It will feature a gym and large meeting facilities, as well as a bar and all-day dining restaurant. The 150-room new-build will show off a bold, new design statement for Holiday Inn, created by architects Hachem.
IHG currently has 47 hotels operating under four brands – InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express – in Australasia with another 17 in the pipeline.
Ascott is targeting to triple its Citadines room inventory by 2025 through a joint venture with Chinese hotel operator Huazhu Hotels Group and CJIA Apartments Group (CJIA), Huazhu’s subsidiary and an apartment rental firm.
The Singapore-based serviced residence operator, Huazhu and CJIA will hold 50 per cent, 10 per cent and 40 per cent respective stakes in the partnership.
From left) Huazhu’s Zhao Ru Quan; Ascott’s Tan Tze Shang and Kevin Goh; CapitaLand’s Group Lee Chee Koon; Huazhu’s Ji Qi and Jin Hui, at the signing ceremony of the joint venture between Ascott, Huazhu and CJIA
The joint venture will focus on growing Citadines in the first-tier Chinese cities of Shanghai, Beijing and Shenzhen for the initial years. It has secured its first property in the Pudong district of Shanghai, which will come under the Citadines brand and enjoys easy access to the city’s financial district.
Kevin Goh, Ascott’s CEO, said: “Our partnership with Huazhu and CJIA marks Ascott’s most significant and game-changing move in the asset-light ‘manachise’ (a hybrid of franchise and management contract) business to date. Huazhu is one of China’s biggest hospitality players with significant local capabilities. CJIA has scaled up rapidly in the apartment rental space with more than 90 per cent of its revenue from long-term rentals, which complements Ascott’s position in the long-stay business.”
“The ‘manachise’ business model focuses on design and product standardisation, as well as economies of scale, resulting in time and cost savings for the manachisees,” he explained.
Goh shared that China remains Ascott’s top source market globally with the Chinese constituting almost a quarter of customers and continuing to be the fastest-growing segment.
Besides ‘manachise’, Ascott will continue to expand through investments, strategic alliances, management contracts, leases and franchises.
The joint venture with Huazhu and CJIA comes on the heels of Ascott’s recent partnership with specialty township developer Riverside Group to launch serviced residences in Zhejiang, Chongqing and future riverside themed towns in other key Chinese cities.
Ascott is also in partnerships with new economy leaders such as Tujia, China’s largest online apartment sharing platform, and Alibaba’s online travel service platform Fliggy.
Ascott has more than 110 properties with over 20,000 units across more than 30 cities in China. Of these, 30 are Citadines-branded properties with close to 5,000 units in 19 cities.
COMO Metropolitan London unveils health-focused meeting package
The 144-key COMO Metropolitan London has launched a new Healthful Meetings package.
The package is priced at £110 (US$149) per person for groups of 10 delegates or more in any of its seven meeting venues. The package includes room hire from 08.00 to 17.30; COMO Shambhala wellness juice on arrival; healthy snack boxes for each delegate; two catered refreshment breaks; complimentary Wi-Fi access; as well as the use of audiovisual facilities.
As well as healthy cuisine, delegates are invited to choose activities from the hotel’s new wellness menu. Options include 10-minute massages for team members, to hour-long sessions on stress management, meditation or the power of controlled breathing with yoga teachers.
New event venue for Las Vegas
International Market Centers (IMC) – owners and operators of World Market Center Las Vegas – have entered a partnership with the City of Las Vegas to construct a new 32,516m2 Expo Center on the campus in the heart of Las Vegas.
The Expo Center will provide exhibition and meeting space in the downtown area for corporate and private events, meetings and tradeshows, as well as service the Las Vegas Market furniture, gift and home décor trade events that attract roughly 100,000 attendees annually.
The cost of the Expo Center will be approximately US$76 million. Construction is slated to begin in the next 12 to 18 months and will take approximately 18 months to complete.
Prague to welcome a new congress centre
A new multifunctional congress centre, the O2 Universum, is being built in Prague with a budget of 1.2 billion CZK (US$55.5 million).
It will have 21 halls of varying sizes, with the largest 1,800m2 room capable of holding 4,500 people. On every floor of the complex there will be 13,000m2 of floor space for exhibitions and commercial use.
Expected to open in summer 2019, the four-storey O2 Universum will also be linked to the south portion of the existing O2 Arena.
Millennium Hotels and Resorts (MHR) has introduced an extended stay package – Millennium Residence – for guests who stay at any one of the group’s six Singapore properties, on bookings made for seven to 21 nights.
For a minimum of seven nights stay, there will be 15 per off the flexible rate; as well as complimentary use of self-service launderette or 10 per cent off laundry & dry cleaning services; 10 per cent off on F&B across 13 restaurants throughout the six Singapore Hotels; 10 per cent off hotel restaurants, mini-bar & in-room dining; 10 per cent off on IDD calls; and 10 per cent off at the business centre.
M Hotel Singapore’s Suite Room
For a minimum of 14 nights stay, it will be 20 per cent off the flexible rate, and 15 per cent off the same inclusions listed above. For a minimum of 21 nights, guests will be able to obtain 25 per cent off the flexible rate, and 20 per cent off everything else on the list above.
All Millennium Hotels in Singapore have allocated two floors to long-stay guests. Millennium Residence rooms include daily housekeeping service, complimentary in-room coffee & tea making facilities, replenished daily; and complimentary Wi-Fi. Guests are also entitled to complimentary buffet breakfast for two persons throughout their stay.
All hotels also offer specially discounted self-parking rates and a free shuttle service to and from the hotel to designated locations.
The Millennium Residence offer is only applicable when booked via www.millenniumhotels.com from now until March 31, 2019, with minimum stay required. Terms and conditions apply.
UK-based travel and meetings engagement consultancy Festive Road has appointed Mike Orchard as the company’s senior travel management leader in the Asia-Pacific region.
In his new role, he will lead development of the business in the Asia-Pacific region across both the buy and supply community.
Orchard was formerly the global head of corporate travel and card at the Macquarie Group in Sydney. Other previous roles include vice president global supplier management at Carlson Wagonlit Travel in Singapore, and head of CWT Solutions Group Asia-Pacific, and HRG Consulting in the UK.
The Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau (PCEB) has appointed Tricia Loh as head of sales.
Before joining PCEB, she was the project manager responsible for developing a e-commerce business model for PG Mall.
Other companies where she has worked at before include Marcus Evans (Asia Pacific), and APAD Consultancy, as their sales and regional sales manager respectively.
Wellness programmes: As the island’s only all-inclusive spa resort, Fusion offers tailor-made programmes – that incorporate wellness packages, meeting services and F&B – to suit the individual needs of corporate groups. Group sizes should have no more than 10.
Fusion Resort Phu Quoc
The three-, five-, and seven-day packages aim to address every aspect of well-being through a combination of meditation, yoga, massage, taichi, spa treatments, fitness sessions, wellness consultations and nutritious meals and drinks. Fusion is also home to the island’s largest spa and wellness centre at 11,210m2.
Other support for corporate groups: This 97-pool villa property is located on the beach to the north of Phu Quoc island. Facilities include 20 treatment rooms surrounded by a pepper grove, steam and sauna, adults-only pool, health club and indoor and outdoor yoga spaces. A multipurpose meeting room catering for 100 to 150 people is slated for completion later this year.
Excursions can also be organised, including a bike ride to traditional fishing village Cua Can and visits to temples.
This story was first published in TTGmice May 2018 issue, as part of the cover feature. Access TTGmice electronic magazines by clicking here.
Location: Siem Reap, Cambodia
Wellness programmes: Navutu Dreams offers a range of programmes – mainly three- and five-day – that can be customised to suit groups. The resort has its own wellness team comprising a yogi/traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner, yogini/holistic healer, and fitness coach.
Navutu Dreams
Programmes include detoxing the body and mind, yoga minibreaks and nature-based fitness. There are two yoga studios, and a spa and wellness centre with a Traditional Chinese Medicine clinic and space dedicated to holistic healing and lifestyle coaching.
Other support for corporate groups: Housing 28 rooms and suites, Navutu Dreams can cater for groups with up to 35 guests. On the grounds are sprawling tropical gardens, three swimming pools, two yoga studios, and plenty of spots perfect for meditation.
Group transportation can be provided, with options for healthy group meal sets, holistic sessions, therapies, massages and detox programmes. Cultural tours can also be arranged, such as food, birdwatching, photography and spiritual tours, as well as visits to Angkor Wat and other remote Angkorian temples.
Contact: www.navutudreams.com
This story was first published in TTGmice May 2018 issue, as part of the cover feature. Access TTGmice electronic magazines by clicking here.
Location: Ipoh, Malaysia
Wellness programmes: The Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat offers a variety of wellness programmes that range from brief stays of two days to longer, customised trips. Programmes offered take a holistic path to wellness by incorporating meals, exercise, as well as spa and wellness treatments. Retreat programmes include detoxification, weight loss, fitness, rejuvenation and longevity.
Garden Villa at The Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat
On arrival, guests go through a personalised wellness consultation to ensure their objectives are complemented by an itinerary of appropriate activities so as to optimise their visit and time at the retreat. The hotel is able to handle group sizes of up to 15 people at a time.
The Banjaran is nestled in a 6.5-hectare valley cradled by lush tropical rainforest, geothermal hot springs, natural caves, cascading waterfalls and limestone hills. It is located a 15-minute drive from Ipoh City, or a two-hour drive from Kuala Lumpur.
Other support for corporate groups: The retreat features a collection of 45 luxury Garden, Water and Lake villas which accommodates two adults in each villa. For meetings and corporate gatherings, the meeting room can accommodate up to 20 people. Meanwhile, for private events and parties, Jeff’s Cellar’s exclusive ambience adds stylish appeal and extravagance to significant occasions and product launches held in limestone cave chambers.
Website: www.thebanjaran.com
This story was first published in TTGmice May 2018 issue, as part of the cover feature. Access TTGmice electronic magazines by clicking here.
Location: Yakushima Island, Kagoshima, Japan
Wellness programmes: Sankara Hotel & Spa is able to draw up bespoke wellness programmes for groups that want to experience the natural world – forests, mountains and rivers – that were traditionally considered the dwellings of gods. Ideal size of groups is between eight and 10 people, although the hotel can certainly accommodate larger groups. Organisers of the programmes recommend staying for five nights for optimum results.
Sankara Hotel & Spa Yakushima
Wellness guests will be able to take part in yoga and meditation sessions, art therapy, indoor or outdoor rock climbing, hot spring therapies, moon-bathing and traditional rituals at nearby shrines. The hotel’s spa provides therapies that make use of the natural environment. Guests are also able to partake in forest therapy, for as little as 30 minutes or for as long as 12 hours.
Other support for corporate groups: The property is the only luxury hotel on Yakushima, a UNESCO-listed island off southern Kyushu. The hotel occupies an elevated position with a terrace and outdoor pool overlooking the ocean. It has 24 twin-bed Samudra Villas, one 104m2 Sankara Villa Suite, three junior suites, and an expansive 126m2 Sankara Suite.
There are also two restaurants on-site that serve meals made out of local ingredients such as fresh seafood, seasonal fruit and vegetables. The venue also has a conference room and meeting facilities. Away from the property, guests can enjoy a range of water excursions like river and sea kayaking, stand-up paddle-boarding, scuba diving and snorkelling.
Contact: www.sankarahotel-spa.com/en
This story was first published in TTGmice May 2018 issue, as part of the cover feature. Access TTGmice electronic magazines by clicking here.
Location: Kandy, Sri Lanka
Wellness programmes: Santani has a specific programme for corporates that focus on corporate mindfulness. Named Inward Bound Training, this programme was designed for corporate groups and targeted at very senior-level groups of 10 to 15 people from the same company.
Idyllic infinity pool at Santani Resort and Spa
The main aim of this programme is to connect high performance teams at an inner level that will allow them to function better, as well as better manage their own teams. An expert in mindfulness, who is a former CEO of a public company, facilitates this. The programme also includes jungle hiking, spa treatments, yoga, and meditation apart from facilitated corporate mindfulness sessions. This programme can be customised from three to seven days based on a group’s needs.
Other support for corporate groups: Santani has 20 rooms and can accommodate 40 guests at a time. It is also home to an outdoor infinity pool, and the only spa in Sri Lanka with full hydrotherapy facilities and treatments that range from Western to Ayurveda.
The property also claims to be the only wellness resort in the world to offer fine-dining healthy cuisine, and features a bar that serves organic wines among other beverages. There is a fully-equipped theatre where presentations and workshops can be conducted, as well as screen movies. Excursions, such as a tea factory tour, can be arranged by the resort.
Contact: www.santani.lk
This story was first published in TTGmice May 2018 issue, as part of the cover feature. Access TTGmice electronic magazines by clicking here.
Image: Group shot at the Singapore Tourism Awards 2018
It was a wonderful night of celebration and congratulations for the seven distinguished recipients in the MICE category at this year’s Singapore Tourism Awards.
Organised by the Singapore Tourism Board and held on May 8 at the Fairmont Singapore, the gala award ceremony saw trophies presented for the following MICE categories:
Best Business Event Champion
Best Association Conference Organiser
Best Business Event Venue
Best Meetings/Incentives Organiser
Best Business Event Service Provider
Best Exhibition Organiser
Best Trade Conference Organiser
Mr Chew Ghim Bok, Singapore’s Bid Chair for the Rotary International Convention 2024, was named this year’s Best Business Event Champion.
Chew was instrumental in driving and securing Singapore’s bid to host what is likely to be the largest association convention ever to be hosted in Singapore – a turnout of more than 25,000 Rotary members from around the world is expected.
He managed to pull it off by forming a strong local organising committee and proactively garnering support and interest for Singapore’s bid from Rotary clubs in the region and among key bid decision makers from Rotary International.
The Best Business Event Venue award was presented to Singapore EXPO and MAX Atria for being customer-centric and offering a full suite of services customised to the needs of each attendee on multiple platforms.
Monetary Authority of Singapore, The Association of Banks in Singapore, and SingEx Exhibitions clinched the Best Trade Conference Organiser award for the Singapore FinTech Festival 2017. Held from 13 to 17 November, it was attended by more than 30,000 attendees from 109 countries.
The Best Business Event Service Provider award was presented to home-grown event technology start-up Jublia, which provided the technology solution – its proprietary Match 360° – for the Singapore FinTech Festival 2017.
Meanwhile, the IEEE Photonics Society Singapore Chapter was named Best Association Conference Organiser. The organiser achieved a number of firsts by staging a four-in-one event comprising the Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics Pacific Rim, OptoElectronics and Communications Conference, Photonics Global Conference and Photonics Global Student Conference 2017.
For Destination Asia Singapore, which clinched the Best Meetings/Incentives Organiser award for Philip’s Asia Pacific Customer Event 2017, its goal was clear; to have a dedicated team that continually exceeds the expectations of the client and its attendees, keep the customer satisfied and maintain the relationship for years to come.
The Best Exhibition Organiser recipient Asian Geographic Magazines, which organised the niche Asia Dive Expo (ADEX) 2017, was recognised for its conservation efforts and collaboration with international conservationists and scientists. Concurrently, the organiser engaged with the public through activities and programmes to educate them about building a sustainable future.
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.
At least five new hotels will open in Melbourne over the next few years, among them two Hyatt Hotels and three from InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG).
Firstly, Hyatt has entered into into a management agreement with PEC Portfolio Springvale for a 200-key Hyatt Place hotel. The hotel will form part of a mixed-used complex, which will also include co-working facilities and retail stores.
Hyatt Place Melbourne Springvale will be located at the intersection of Springvale and Dandenong Roads in the heart of the Monash Employment and Innovation Cluster, which is home to a number of academic institutions, businesses and medical facilities. It will become the second Hyatt Place hotel in Australia upon its expected opening in 2020.
Over in Melbourne’s CBD, a Hyatt Centric is also expected to open in 2020 on Downie Street, a management agreement with developer Little Projects.
Hyatt Centric Melbourne will feature 280 guestrooms and suites, a restaurant, and rooftop bar offering views of Melbourne’s Yarra River and Southbank. Located close to Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Center and the Crown Entertainment Complex, this will mark the second Hyatt Centric-brand hotel in Australia.
Also upcoming in the CBD in 2022 will be a dual-branded Hotel Indigo and Holiday Inn. The property will front onto Bourke Street Mall on one side and Little Collins St on the other.
The A$200 million (US$150 million) mixed-use development will include international retail stores and a combined 453-room hotel – 181 in Hotel Indigo Melbourne Little Collins and 272 in Holiday Inn Melbourne Bourke Street Mall. There will also be F&B outlets, a gym, meeting spaces, and a distinct guest lobby and room experience for each brand. The development will enjoy shared back-of-house services and facilities that create common-sense efficiencies.
IHG has also signed a deal with Barnes Capital to open a design-led Holiday Inn in the Coburg suburb.
When it opens in 2020, Holiday Inn Melbourne Coburg will enjoy views across the town and its surrounding landscape, including Coburg Lake Reserve. It will feature a gym and large meeting facilities, as well as a bar and all-day dining restaurant. The 150-room new-build will show off a bold, new design statement for Holiday Inn, created by architects Hachem.
IHG currently has 47 hotels operating under four brands – InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express – in Australasia with another 17 in the pipeline.