The lobby of Courtyard by Marriott Siem Reap, the first Marriott-branded hotel in Cambodia
Marriott International has opened its first Marriott-branded hotel in Cambodia, the Courtyard by Marriott Siem Reap.
The resort offers 233 guestrooms and suites, all of which are furnished with modern furniture and amenities such as a 43-inch flatscreen TV. They also have private balconies with views of the pool, city or gardens.
The lobby of Courtyard by Marriott Siem Reap, the first Marriott-branded hotel in Cambodia
Facilities on-site include all-day-dining restaurant Lok Lak, rooftop bar Upper Deck; Quan Spa, outdoor saltwater pool, fitness centre, Kids’ Club; and recreation room. Corporate planners can choose from the 410m2 Grand Room or five functional meeting rooms to hold their events or meetings.
Courtyard by Marriott Siem Reap Resort is located a 20-minute drive from Siem Reap International Airport, while the UNESCO-listed Angkor Wat is a 15-minute drive. The property is also a five-minute walk to the bars, lounges, and restaurants of the city’s well-known Pub Street.
Courtyard continues to expand into Cambodia, and a Courtyard by Marriott Phnom Pehn is expected to open in the capital later this year.
Shanghai’s glamorous dining and party venues, many located in heritage buildings along the Bund, are attractive to luxury event clients
Shanghai’s appeal as an exciting destination for international business events continues to grow, and the addition of a number of high-end hotel brands is giving room for the city to go after more luxury incentives.
Shanghai’s glamorous dining and party venues, many located in heritage buildings along the Bund, are attractive to luxury event clients
Notable additions include the Bellagio by MGM Shanghai, the St Regis Shanghai Jingan, Capella Shanghai Jian Ye Li, and W Shanghai – The Bund. Also opening are boutique brands with between 100 and 150 rooms, like Bulgari, Edition, Middle House and Sukothai.
In February, for example, all 55 of Cappella Shanghai’s one-, two- and three-bedroom villas, were booked by a China-based finance company for a one-night stay that was combined with an off-site dinner as its annual company incentive.
According to Yvonne Peng, Cappella Shanghai’s director of sales and marketing, the hotel is also seeing demand for events that mix luxury lifestyle and business.
For incentive groups from Europe and North America, Violet Wang, destination manager of Pacific World in Shanghai, said the budget for luxury programmes ranges between 2,000 euros (US$2,466) and 3,000 euros per head, and while 5,000 euros per head is rare, it is not unheard of.
Kris Van Goethem, inbound and MICE director, Thomas Cook MICE, added that a big part of what appeals to European clients are Shanghai’s nightlife – think dining venues like Lost Heaven and the House of Roosevelt, and entertainment hotspots like Bar Rouge and M1NT Club.
DMCs TTGmice spoke to noted that popular incentive activities organised in Shanghai include visiting the growing number of boutique art galleries, restaurant hopping, meeting the locals for tai chi or dancing, and going on a bespoke tour on a public double-decker bus.
As well, new products are especially important to draw international corporate meeting and incentive groups that head to China to do business followed by a two- to three-day incentive programme.
Set up in 2016, regional DMC Faces of China, whose co-founder is Asian incentive veteran Jacques Arnoux, invested in its own booth at IMEX Las Vegas last year.
Cindy Zhang, its CEO, said: “We have created a new VR/AI product for the Shanghai Museum, and we are planning to target special interest incentive groups and high-profile incentive clients interested in Chinese art and culture, and want deeper knowledge.” She added that they will be doing “more at IMEX Frankfurt” this year as France and the US are its key markets.
Industries targeted include manufacturing, IT, insurance automotive, and pharmaceuticals looking for a traditional incentive programme, Zhang noted.
Another plus for Shanghai are its fairly stable hotel rates.
“Hotel demand in Shanghai is increasing but so is supply, and that is keeping hotel rates stable,” Pacific World’s Wang opined.
As for Shanghai rate increases, Julien Delerue, general manager of RFP platform 1000meetings, observed there was a “10 per cent growth for MICE group rates on room accommodation year-on-year in 2017 versus 2016 for five-star international hotels – RMB1,045 (US$166) in 2017 versus RMB945 in 2016”.
It was seven per cent for four-star international hotels – RMB645 in 2017 versus RMB600 in 2016, he added, and noted that similar rate trends are expected in 2018.
As China’s financial hub, domestic demand for Shanghai also plays a major role.
Chris Tsoi, general manager, St Regis Shanghai Jingan, said: “The hotel business in China has evolved and high-end domestic events are driving demand. Hoteliers have to ask if it is still worth the investment to promote in longhaul markets and attend shows like IT&ME in the UK.
“In the automotive industry, for example, local manufacturers don’t even have to set (incentive) targets for distributors (as business is going well). They just invite their partners to high-end events to continue building the relationship,” Tsoi shared.
Cheryl Yue, executive assistant manager – sales and marketing, W Shanghai – The Bund, agreed.
“China is now like the US and the domestic market is very important. Between 20 and 30 per cent of our business is domestic, and China, the US and Hong Kong make up our top three markets,” she shared.
Meanwhile, Shanghai’s hotel inventory will continue to expand at the 28ha Shanghai Hongqiao Economic and Technological Development Zone, located 5.5km away from Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport. The space is currently being developed for commerce and business events, and is where the mega National Exhibition and Convention Center is located.
According to a Shanghai business events official, the area will house 100 new international chain and domestic-branded hotels in the next three to five years.
There are now 51 hotels in the area, with around 14 business and higher-end hotels providing some 4,400 rooms, and 32 in the economy category providing another 4,000 rooms.
This story was first published in TTGmice May 2018 issue, as part of a destination feature on Shanghai. Access TTGmice electronic magazines by clicking here.
Best Western Hotels & Resorts has appointed Cyril Czerwonka as its new regional director of development – Asia.
Czerwonka joins Best Western’s Asia head office in Bangkok, where he will focus on seeking new hotel development opportunities for the company across the region.
He had his start in the hospitality industry with AccorHotels, focusing on Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia and the Maldives. His hospitality experience also includes five years at The Ascott, where he was business development manager for Europe and North Africa.
Then in 2013, he joined Dusit International as assistant director of development for EMEA, based in the UAE.
Faced with a slowdown in local corporate and government business events and corporate travel since April, due to both the general elections which was held yesterday and the month-long Ramadan which starts May 16, agents in Malaysia are holding their breath for a resumption in business after the festive celebrations.
Syed Razif Al-Yahya, managing director of Sutra Group of Companies, said government activities leading up to the general election was concentrated on election campaign activities.
Stakeholders believe business events and corporate group business will improve after back-to-back nationwide events
He shared: “We still received travel bookings, but it was mainly domestic bookings. Overall, government business saw a drop of 30 per cent in April and May, compared to the same period in 2017. Local corporate movements leading up to the general election have been slow (due to the) postponements of travel and incentives.”
He added that the outcome of the elections may also have an impact on future corporate groups as some companies have business dealings with government agencies, and are reliant on government contracts.
However, even though Syed Razif believes that government business activities will pick up after Hari Raya Aidilfitri, he opined that “budgets may be reduce as it has been eaten up by election activities”.
For S Jayakumar, operations manager at Dayangti Transport & Tours, his company also has received no corporate bookings during Ramadan.
“But we have a group of 30 travellers from Sri Lanka who are taking advantage of cheaper hotel rooms during the lower season to conduct their incentive programme in Kuala Lumpur, Melaka and Resorts World Genting,” he said.
In addition, the company will also have three local corporate incentive groups embarking on their 3D/2N incentive trips to Langkawi, Terengganu and Johor next week, with everything to be concluded before the start of Ramadan on May 16.
S Jayakuma remains optimistic that business will pick up after the fasting month.
“We have received enquiries from local corporate companies for domestic incentive trips from end-June to September. A trend we see is the growing maturity of corporate clients who are placing greater emphasis on service levels. They are willing to pay a higher price for better service and comfort for their groups,” he noted.
As well, Yvonne Lim, director of sales and marketing at Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur Hotel, remarked: “We foresee business will be slow for corporate meeting groups during Ramadan, and so we have introduced meeting packages with Ramadan break of fast buffet spreads.”
The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) awarded Chew Ghim Bok, Singapore’s bid chair for the Rotary International Convention 2024, with Best Business Event Champion at the Singapore Tourism Awards 2018 on Tuesday evening.
Awarded under the Experience Excellence (MICE) category, Chew was recognised for playing a key role in securing Singapore’s bid for the Rotary International Convention 2024. The event is set to be the largest association convention to be hosted in Singapore, with more than 25,000 Rotary members from around the world expected to attend.
Chew Ghim Bok
“Our bid was flexible in that we didn’t just present one venue. We suggested having the main event at one venue, and the plenary and breakout sessions at a nearby hotel or convention centre. Singapore is so small, so this mix-and-match element was also very attractive to the organisers,” said Chew.
He added that Singapore also enjoys strong “regional support”, in terms of having a good reputation among its neighbours, who spoke highly of the country’s safety and efficient immigration at the meeting.
“The support from STB has also been tremendous,” he shared.
The next challenge for the convention is in acquiring sufficient volunteers to execute and manage the event, Chew said.
The Experience Excellence (MICE) award category awarded a total of eight recipients for their achievements in Singapore’s MICE industry.
Read more about the MICE industry winners at this year’s Singapore Tourism Awards here.
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.
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.
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.