If luxury event space in a choice location, bespoke service and stylish elegance rank high on the checklist, then the 491-room luxury hotel on West Beijing Road – in the cultural and business centre of the Jingan district – is a contender.
St Regis Drawing Room
Concept
Opened in May 2017, in time for ILTM China, the hotel organised a flow-around party and threw open its F&B outlets to luxury buyers attending the show. With 14 meeting spaces, totalling more than 3,000m2, of which the largest measures 1,400m2, it was the perfect opportunity to showcase its business events capabilities and mount an impressive debut.
MICE application
The exquisitely designed 1,400m2 open floor plan Astor Ballroom, which can accommodate up to 1,300 guests and is adjoined by a 368m2 foyer, makes it the biggest space in Jingan and among the top three in Puxi. The investment in the ballroom’s 95m2 LED wall projection system gives event planners the ability to create dazzling visuals and entertainment.
During its 2017 ILTM China coming-out party, the hotel closed off its second floor which houses Chinese restaurant Yan Ting, Japanese restaurant Seki-Tei and Bespoke – its contemporary international cuisine restaurant offering a tailor-made menu using seasonal ingredients – which became the after-party venue. Downstairs, live music wafted around the lobby and into Social, its international buffet restaurant.
If an event calls for an intimate space, the exquisite Drawing Room – with its beautiful teardrop chandelier – needs no other embellishment. Likewise, the St Regis Bar, serving more than 50 handcrafted cocktails – including the Mary Jing, its version of the Bloody Mary, which was invented at The St Regis New York – is another ready-to-use thematic venue.
Service
The attentive staff just seem to know how to make guests feel at home. I wandered into the Drawing Room one day, sat down to check my iPhone and it was nice to be offered a glass of warm water – it was cold outside – when I did not wish to order anything to drink.
The ancient walls of Galle Fort are now a landmark loved by visitors
Sri Lanka’s quiet southern coast appears to beckon corporate incentive planners looking for a novel destination with plentiful activities and memorable properties.
The ancient walls of Galle Fort are now a landmark loved by visitors
Ravinder Gairola, deputy general manager of Orange DMC, opined that destinations located along the southern and south-western coastline, are particularly attractive for corporate meetings and incentive groups new to Sri Lanka.
Orange DMC handles leisure and corporate groups to India, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka.
Explaining his observations, Ravinder said the southern and south-western regions make convenient bases from which groups can explore Sri Lanka’s main tourism gems – its safaris such as Yala National Park, beaches and pumping waves, and the historic fortified city of Galle.
Ziyan Ameen, destination manager for Sri Lanka and the Maldives with Pacific World, agrees that the Southern coast is a hit with corporate groups, largely due to easy access via the Southern Expressway – a 126km route that links Colombo with major cities Galle and Matara in the south. Destinations along the coast also throws up beach and culture activity options.
Ziyan shared that his team has brought corporate groups from Australia and Singapore to the southern coast, with itineraries featuring teambuilding activities in Galle and village tours with traditional games, farm house visits and lunch.
Ravinder pointed out that different destinations along the coastline cater to groups with varying budgets, with Hikkaduwa, Waskaduwa and Ahungalla areas along the south-western coast having more affordable resorts with events capabilities, while Tangalle and Kalutara being more suited for high-end corporate incentives.
Ravinder added: “Tangalle and Kalutara are known for their secluded beaches, and in recent times have welcomed some luxury hotels. Small-sized corporate incentive groups will appreciate these two destinations because there are properties that are not built for big MICE groups, and are pricier than those in other parts of the coastal region.”
Companies should expect to pay US$300 to US$400 per room night for a five-star hotel in Tangalle and Kalutara during the low to mid-season, and up to US$500 or US$600 for the high season, Ravinder advised.
So far, high-end incentive requests to Orange DMC for the southern coast are mostly from the UK. The rest of its corporate bookings are from other parts of the world, with India and China being its biggest source markets.
“We have an Orange specialist based in Taiwan. We have a good reach into the Chinese markets, and our efforts are supported by a Chinese staff sitting in our Sri Lanka office,” said Ravinder.
Giles Selves, area general manager for Anantara Peace Haven Tangalle Resort, Anantara Kalutara Resort and AVANI Kalutara Resort – all located at the bottom of the teardrop-shaped island – believes that “there is massive potential for growth” in Sri Lanka’s business events sector and his properties are “at the forefront of driving that”.
He explained: “There aren’t many hotels of our size here with an international brand. There are some local brands that have done an excellent job, but having an international brand puts a different slant on things. Our global sales network has a wider reach than the local chains, which allows us to get to key source markets and tell them about our product and the destination.
“As well, Anantara has a strong reputation in many markets. Anantara Riverside Bangkok Resort, for instance, gets a lot of business events, while Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara does a lot of corporate incentives.”
Selves shared that his three properties have enjoyed “successful” business. AVANI Kalutara Resort has been in operations for five years while Anantara Peace Haven Tangalle Resort and Anantara Kalutara Resort (see review next page) opened more recently in December 2015 and mid-2017 respectively.
Since its opening, Anantara Kalutara Resort has had buyouts in 2017, and 1Q2018 was reportedly a busy one, with “a very big incentive in April, taking a thousand room nights” as well as “over half a dozen resort buyouts”.
But for the southern region – and the whole of Sri Lanka – to do better in the business events space, Selves said a stronger destination brand was needed.
He said: “Now that there are more international hotels coming into Sri Lanka, there will be wider awareness of Sri Lanka as a destination. But to promote a destination, efforts must be government-led, because the economics of such work do not stack up for the private sector.”
Hairul Maharis has been named general manager of Mövenpick Hotel & Convention Centre KLIA, a Sharia-compliant property scheduled to open in mid-2018 near the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).
A Malaysian native, Maharis boasts a strong background in the management of airport hotels, having previously overseen the Tune Hotel klia2 and, most recently, ISG Airport Hotel in Istanbul.
Over the course of his 25-year-long career, the seasoned hospitality professional has also worked with brands including Le Méridien, Sheraton and Best Western.
Event brief
Local DMC Discovery Overland Holidays (DOH) was given 1.5 years lead time to organise an incentive programme in Penang, Malaysia, for 265 of Amway of Australia & New Zealand’s top achievers.
Welcome reception at 32 Mansion
The DMC was to create a seamless experience, from meet and greet at the airport up until the group’s departure. The programme had to include sightseeing tours, meals, entertainment and various workshops.
Challenges
The event was to be held two weeks after Penang experienced flash floods in early November, no thanks to a 17-hour non-stop downpour. The event organiser was concerned about the safety of the delegates and considered cancelling the event.
Another challenge was helping the 60-odd delegates who arrived on the 17.10 flight from Singapore to clear immigration quickly so that they would have time to freshen up in their rooms at the Eastern & Oriental Hotel, Penang, and still be on time for the welcome reception at 19.30. There were other international flights arriving at the same time which created a queue at the Immigration counters.
Another challenge was to ensure that on day four, the branded Achievers Dine-around went smoothly. This fine-dining experience involved seating 265 delegates at eight different restaurants, in various locations around the city.
Delegates had to be shuttled to the various dining experiences from Leong San Tong Khoo Kongsi, where pre-dinner drinks were served along with cultural entertainment. DOH also only had 20 minutes to get all 265 delegates moving.
The challenge was to coordinate the transfers to ensure everyone arrived at the different venues around the same time, as the first course was to be served at around 20.00, and the entire meal was to be completed in 2.5 hours later. DOH also had to ensure that the dietary requirements of all delegates were met.
Solution
Lex Lam, director of sales at Discovery Overland Holidays, recalled: “To reassure the organiser after the flash floods, our staff sent daily weather updates, as well as pictures of clear skies and street scenes to show that things were normal and it was safe to proceed with the event.”
While there was heavy rain during the welcome reception, it did not dampen the mood at 32 Mansion, which had photos of Penang landmarks and attractions projected onto the front of the building, supplied by the Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau.
“Upon arrival at the airport, we had staff waiting at the aerobridge to greet delegates as they entered the airport terminal. Noticing a long queue at the immigration counters when the third batch of participants arrived, our quick thinking staff requested for two special counters that was opened only for Amway delegates. This helped to create a special arrival experience,” Lam said.
“Prior to the group’s arrival, we received a list of dietary requirements from all delegates, as well as their choice of restaurant for the Dine-Around dinner experience. We trained the waiting staff in all of the eight restaurants on how to greet delegates, and how we wanted to have the food served,” he added.
As serving staff would have to take a delegate’s order for their choice of main course, different coloured stickers were placed on their chairs to help waiters serve main courses correctly. This also helped to adhere to the various dietary requirements.
Delegates left in batches for the various restaurants from Leong San Tong Khoo Kongsi, with those travelling furthest leaving first. This was done so that everyone could arrive at their designated restaurant at around the same time.
Key takeaways
Lam recalled that having a back-up plan was important. For instance, the sightseeing itinerary to Penang Hill had to be scrapped as the road leading to Penang Hill was closed due to road maintenance after the flash flood. Instead, delegates were taken to Tropical Fruit Farm, Tropical Spice Garden and Entopia by Penang Butterfly Farm.
Another takeaway was the need to work closely with the organiser to further enhance the delegate experience.
Event:Amway Achievers Penang 2017 Organiser: Amway of Australia & New Zealand Destination: Penang Date: November 21-25, 2017 Number of participants: 265
Mandarin Oriental, Kuala Lumpur has recently unveiled a meetings and accommodation package, priced at MYR625++ (US$159++) per delegate.
Available until December 29, 2018, the Essential Meetings package includes one night’s accommodation in a deluxe room and a full-day meeting package, including light breakfast, lunch, two coffee breaks and use of a meeting venue from 09.00 to 17.00.
The Topaz Room on Level 2
The package also comprises the free use of standard audiovisual equipment and LCD projector, Wireless Internet access, one complimentary breakout room, and one room upgrade to the next category for every 15 rooms booked, or a Park Suite upgrade for every 30 rooms booked.
The package is valid for single occupancy only, and is subject to availability. A 10 per cent service charge, six per cent GST and RM10 (US$2.50) Tourism Tax for non-Malaysian guests will apply.
In order to effectively manage a constantly growing portfolio of events, UFI has reorganised roles and responsibilities within the Paris headquarters.
Jana Hofmann has moved from the events manager role, and is now UFI’s programme manager. In her new role, Hofmann will focus on event content and production and will be the main project lead for the UFI Global Congress.
From left: Karen Cohen; Jana Hofmann
Karen Cohen has joined the UFI team as events manager. She takes over from Hofmann and will manage UFI’s event activities.
Cohen brings to the team her broad experience in event management and operations, notably in the hospitality industry. Prior to joining UFI, for the past 10 years, she was responsible for the events department at the Paris Marriott Champs Elysees Hotel. She was also a member of the Advisory Board Event Management Marriott Europe.
Once the general manager of Putrajaya International Convention Centre, Oh Kin Tat is now the owner of his own PCO business, KT Conference & Events, in Malaysia.
Oh, who has a local partner, said the company is currently working on the bidding documents for two Asia-Pacific medical conferences in 2019, and an international environmental conference in 2020.
Oh: aims to be a hands-on company
On why he decided to set up his own company, Oh said: “Malaysia has an average of 150 conferences annually, comprising national, regional and international conferences. At the same time, there is a shortage of PCOs.”
He believes the future of Malaysia’s conference industry is bright, hence his business as well.
KT Conference & Events will be a “hands-on” company that “gets into areas” most local PCOs shy away from, according to Oh.
“Many local PCOs do not get involved in (areas such as) sponsorship management, abstract reviews, and exhibition booth seeking and allocations,” he explained.
“I am willing to work closely with clients on these areas and go into sponsorship management, programme design, abstract reviews, vendor management, and liaising with the national and state convention bureaus to obtain their support for the conference. We will also assist the local host with marketing activities.”
Oh has more than two decades of experience – 13 of which were spent in hospitality, while seven were spent with two local convention centres. He was Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre’s convention & conference manager from 2012 to 2016, before becoming the general manager, sales operation at Putrajaya International Convention Centre.
In 2016, in his first year with Putrajaya International Convention Centre, he managed to achieve a surplus of RM4 million (US$1.02 million). He was then promoted to the role of general manager, where he was tasked with overseeing operational standards, and sales and marketing.
A new arrival hall opened in Terminal 1 (T1) of Singapore’s Changi Airport on April 24, increasing the terminal’s floor area by 35 per cent to 8,500m2.
The new hall is part of a larger expansion plan for T1, estimated to boost the terminal’s handling capacity to 24 million passenger movements per annum. The terminal served about 3.2 million passengers in 1Q2018.
The garden in T1’s Arrival Hall
Within the arrival hall, a 460m2 garden has also opened, featuring palm trees of up to 15m in height, a feature pool and a diversity of flora incorporated with dragonfly topiaries and sculptures.
This is the airport’s first garden situated in the public area. It also offers a glimpse of the upcoming Jewel Changi Airport, which when open will be directly connected to the arrival hall.
Coming up, the floor area in the baggage claim hall will also be expanded by 90 per cent, with an increase from the current eight belts to 10.
A water feature in the garden
Upgrades are currently being made to T1’s departure, arrival and baggage claim halls, with works including the replacement of check-in counters, implementation of Fast and Seamless Travel (FAST), interior design fit-outs and an expansion in floor space.
T1’s baggage handling system will also become fully automated with sortation capability to support automated check-in and automated bag-drop functions. An automated early baggage storage facility will also be implemented.
American Express Global Business Travel (GBT) has made a multi-channel ground transportation platform available to travel managers.
The new platform offers access to more than 750 ground operators in more than 2,000 cities in 18 countries. Integrated options include black cars, taxis, limos, airport express trains and shuttles, plus ridesharing via a recently announced partnership with Lyft – the first integration of its kind between a ride-sharing company and a travel management company.
The multi-channel ground transportation platform aims to give travel managers and travellers expanded flexibility, choice and control
The company has indicated that the platform is GDS-agnostic and helps travel managers capture ground transportation bookings in one place, regardless of whether the booking was made online, offline or via the Amex GBT mobile app. The system is customisable at both the manager and traveller level, and can integrate changes in company policy and individual preferences.
The platform also connects to Global Trip Record, GBT’s single source of trip data, and its Expert Care disruption and risk management platform for additional corporate duty of care.
Other features include 24/7 global customer support, negotiated supplier discounts, real-time flight status monitoring to ensure smooth transfers, attachment of ground bookings so they appear on one itinerary with air and hotel reservations, secure data and privacy standards, access to reporting and benchmarking data, the ability for travel managers to edit bookings on behalf of the traveller, and advice on programme optimisation.
Michael Qualantone, executive vice president of global supplier for AMEX GBT, said: “Traditionally, ground spend has been a blind spot for travel managers. GBT clients saw around 95 per cent leakage through out-of-policy booking channels for ground bookings in 2017, resulting in lost opportunities for our clients to negotiate on that spend and ensure traveller compliance.”
The platform is currently in a pilot stage with select clients in North America and EMEA. GBT clients can contact their client managers for more information about the GBT ground platform.
Singapore Airlines (SIA) has added its LCC brand, Scoot, to the HighFlyer programme – the flag carrier’s frequent-flyer programme for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
From May 2, corporate members of SIA’s HighFlyer programme will be able to earn five HighFlyer points for every S$1 (US$0.75) spent on tickets if their SIA or SilkAir travel itineraries include a Scoot-operated flight segment and are booked through SIA’s corporate booking platform or an appointed travel agent, for eligible booking classes and destinations.
A Scoot Plane at Changi Airport
These points may be used as full payment, or part payment for SIA and SilkAir tickets, upgrades, and selected ancillaries.
Highflyer members will also have the option to redeem HighFlyer points for travel on Scoot-operated flights later this year.
“Scoot offers many products and services suitable for the business traveller, such as our premium ScootBiz cabin on our 787 Dreamliner fleet, with in-seat power and Wi-Fi connectivity. Coupled with our expansive and growing network spanning 63 destinations, including longhaul points like Athens, Honolulu and soon, Berlin, Scoot’s inclusion will provide greater choice and connectivity to corporates in the HighFlyer programme,” said Scoot’s CEO, Lee Lik Hsin, in a press statement.
Earlier in April, SIA announced that it was adding Lufthansa and Swiss as partner airlines to the HighFlyer programme, where SMEs could obtain points on eligible sectors flown by the carriers.
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