Marriott International marks its 100th hotel in India with the recent opening of Sheraton Grand Bengaluru Whitefield Hotel & Convention Center.
The property offers 360 guestrooms including 39 suites, across eight categories. All rooms include high speed Internet access, a 48-inch LED flatscreen TV, The Sheraton Signature Sleep Experience, and a minibar. Club Room guests will be able to enjoy an extra study room, terrace, and kitchenette in their living space, as well as have access to the Sheraton Club Lounge on the sixth floor.
Deluxe Room Pool View
Recreational amenities include a swimming pool, fitness centre, and the Shine Spa for Sheraton with five treatment rooms. There are also six F&B options ranging from the poolside bar to a grill and barbecue restaurant.
Event planners will be able to make use of the hotel’s 6,072m2 of space across 12 meeting rooms, including 2,602m2 in the adjoining convention center. The Grand Ballroom can accommodate around 2,000 people at a given point in time.
One of the hotels many meeting spaces
The Sheraton Grand Bengaluru Whitefield Hotel & Convention Center is located in close proximity to the International Tech Park Bengaluru, Manipal Hospital and the Export Promotion Industrial Park Whitefield, within the integrated township of Prestige Shantiniketan.
Hyatt Hotels Corporation has appointed Bennett Peter as general manager of Hyatt House Kuala Lumpur Mont’Kiara.
Currently in pre-opening stage, the hotel is the first Hyatt House – the chain’s “modern essentials” brand – in South-east Asia and is set to open in 3Q2018.
Prior to this appointment, Peter was executive assistant manager of Hyatt Regency Kinabalu. He has over over two decades of experience in hotels and resorts across Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam.
The property has also appointed Daniel Mahathir as director of sales.
The four-star upscale residentially-inspired extended-stay hotel is part of Arcoris Mont’Kiara, a development by UEM Sunrise Bhd that will feature 298 guestrooms, restaurants, 288m2 of meeting space, a fitness centre and sky pool.
He tells us what his goals and priorities are for the company this year, and how he feels about the growth of Chinese companies on the international scale.
Stakeholders have lauded the government's latest move in making e-visas easier to obtain
Delegates looking to visit India for international conferences, seminars or workshops organised by private entities will now be able to apply for conference visas from the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Previously, conference visas were only given to delegates participating in events organised by the various ministries and government departments. Delegates that visited India for privately-organised events had to apply for business visas.
It is now easier to obtain a conference visa when visiting India
In another industry relief, the Ministry of Home Affairs also stated that manual prior clearance of visas at the ministry is now not required for all such events.
Business events stakeholders in India said this has been a long time coming, as they have been asking for such conference visas to be introduced.
“(For the past decade or so), we at the India Convention Promotion Bureau (ICPB) have been asking for conference visas (to cover) all types of conferences. Earlier, one had to apply for a visa three months in advance to attend a conference and approval used to come at the last minute. This was a major challenge for us. Now, delegates can visit Indian foreign missions to apply for a conference visa,” said Chander Mansharamani, vice chairman, ICPB.
Prior clearance will only be required if conference participants hail from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Sudan, foreigners of Pakistani origin and stateless persons. It will also be required if delegates arer equired to visit areas affected by terrorism or extremism like the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Chander added: “Without prior clearance from the Ministry of Home Affairs, foreign missions did not entertain visa applications belonging to conference delegates.”
Currently, the Indian government is also looking to add the conference category to the e-visa list, which would further simplify the process of obtaining a conference visa.
In addition, the ministry will soon launch an online module for the submission of visa applications by the organisers of international conferences. Clearance will then be generated through the online system and sent to the organisers, where a copy will also be sent to Indian missions overseas.
The Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau (TCVB) has won the bid to host the 1st Meeting of the International Societies for Investigative Dermatology in 2023 (ISID2023).
ISID2023 is to be held from May 10-14, 2023 at Keio Plaza Hotel Tokyo. The event – anticipated to lead to future breakthroughs in investigative dermatology and cutaneous biology – expects to attract over 2,500 specialists from more than 50 countries.’
Tokyo skyline
The main factor for Tokyo’s bid win was the recognition of Japan’s long-standing contribution to the ISID’s mission to strengthen the field of dermatology, both scientifically and internationally. Japanese Society for Investigative Dermatology (JSID) also plans to foster education and collaboration, and create a strong network between specialists and researchers in the Asia/Oceania region.
This win would not have happened without the strong support from academia and government institutions, with TCVB fully supporting the local bid committee in preparing a full bid proposal and presentation materials. Furthermore, assured financial and in-kind support from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government were decisive factors.
The ISID was founded in Edinburgh in 2013 through close cooperation between three sister societies – the JSID, the Society for Investigative Dermatology and the European Society for Dermatological Research. It is the first meeting to include other Asian/Oceanian societies.
Sanya Exhibition Industry Association, ExpoPromoter and STATA have signed a strategic cooperation memorandum in a major step towards internationalising the tradeshow industry in the Chinese province of Hainan.
The aim is to build more effective cooperation mechanisms and information sharing channels, and enhance the effectiveness of international exhibition industry and investment in Sanya. The aim of the agreement is to help Hainan to become an internationally renowned convention and exhibition centre and conference destination.
The tripartite memorandum aims to promote the reform and development of the exhibition sector, as well as other related opportunities like strengthening the tradeshow industry in Sanya
Sanya International Culture Expo Center is a comprehensive commercial operation focused primarily on cultural exposure, including an exhibition hall and five multipurpose rooms for conferences and tradeshows. The US$203.5 million project covers a land area of 41,026m2 and a gross floor area of 114,677m2.
The entire project is scheduled to be completed and opened in 1H2019, while the expo centre is slated for completion in December 2018.
ExpoPromoter will be involved in the opening of Sanya International Culture Expo Center in December 2018 and plans to create a multilingual expo hub which would simplify the process of selling tradeshow stands as well as provide customer support on site for both exhibitors and visitors.
Ascott is accelerating its expansion in Asia by forging strategic partnerships with developers in China, Japan and Thailand, amid an aggressive expansion expected to drive inventory up 300 per cent year-on-year this quarter.
In China, Ascott has partnered speciality township developer, Riverside Group, to launch serviced residences in Zhejiang, Chongqing and future riverside themed towns in other key cities.
Four Ascott properties to come out of alliance with Ananda Development; Ananda Development’s Chanond Ruangkritya (left) with Ascott’s Kevin Goh
This strategic partnership will start with two serviced residences with a total of 350 units in Zhejiang and Chongqing. It follows Ascott’s contract with Riverside Group to manage the 190-unit Ascott Riverside Garden Beijing which opened in November last year.
In Japan, Ascott has partnered NTT Urban Development Corporation – a subsidiary of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation – and are currently working on two serviced apartment projects in Fukuoka and Yokohama.
Turning to Thailand, Ascott’s alliance with Ananda Development has led to the signing of four properties under the collaboration – Somerset Rama 9 Bangkok, Ascott Embassy Sathorn Bangkok, Ascott Thonglor Bangkok and one more property in Sukhumvit 8. These will offer close to 1,500 apartment units in Bangkok when they open between 2020 and 2021.
Kevin Goh, Ascott’s CEO, said: “Leveraging Ascott’s global network of close to 100,000 corporate clients, we will create significant cross-marketing opportunities across the globe for our properties to maximise returns for our partners. We are confident of achieving our global target of 80,000 units this year, and to double our portfolio to 160,000 units by 2023. We will continue to scale up through investments, strategic alliances, management contracts, leases and franchises.”
Goh added: “Serviced residences are in high demand in many parts of the world. In the first quarter of 2018, we have added over 5,000 units to Ascott’s portfolio – more than 300 per cent growth on a year-on-year basis.”
Ascott Songshan Lake Dongguan and Citadines Songshan Lake Dongguan
In addition to the 1,607 units added to its portfolio in January and February, Ascott is adding management and lease agreements for another 14 properties with about 3,400 apartment units across 10 cities in China, Japan, Thailand and Indonesia this quarter. This includes a lease agreement with department store chain, Takashimaya Company to operate the first Citadines Apart’hotel in Osaka.
With China still Ascott’s top source market, making up a quarter of customers, the company has secured eight new contracts across seven cities in China, namely for Ascott Songshan Lake Dongguan, Citadines Songshan Lake Dongguan, Citadines Putuo Xiangyi Shanghai, Somerset Golden Pebble Winery Dalian, Tujia Somerset Centreville Haikou Serviced Residence, Tujia Somerset Jinshan Lake Huizhou Serviced Residence, Harmony City Elite Apartment Nantong and Hotel Purple Hong Kong.
With the additions in China, Ascott will have over 21,500 units in 118 properties across 33 cities in the country.
Delta Air Lines and Korean Air will launch a new joint venture partnership, having gained the go-ahead from regulatory authorities in the US and South Korea.
Beginning soon, Delta and Korean Air will implement full reciprocal codeshare deal on each other’s networks and offer improved reciprocal loyalty programme benefits, including providing customers of both airlines the ability to earn more miles on Korean Air’s SkyPass and Delta’s SkyMiles.
The agreement is the latest expansion of the longstanding partnership between Delta and Korean Air
The airlines will work closely to bring customers the full benefits of the partnership, including joint growth in the trans-Pacific market, optimised schedules, a more seamless customer experience, integrated IT systems, joint sales and marketing activities, and co-location at key hubs.
The combined network formed by this partnership gives both carriers’ customers access to more than 290 destinations in the Americas and more than 80 in Asia.
G Adventures unveils new custom-built vehicles
Small-group tour operator G Adventures has invested in US$3 million in a new fleet of 16 vehicles.
The fleet of 13 large adventure vehicles and three smaller transits will hit the roads this spring. The larger of the vehicles is 8.5m-long and comfortably seats 22 people, plus two G Adventures guides who also do the driving. Each seat boasts a USB charging port, while the vehicle offers built-in Wi-Fi, eight 120-volt AC outlets, four TV screens, and extra-tall scenic windows that optimise sightseeing and picture-taking.
The vehicles will be used for G Adventures’ National Geographic Journeys tours (passenger capacity of 15) and 18-to-Thirtysomething tours (passenger capacity 22) across the US. Three smaller transit vehicle carry up to 14 passengers during each of the operator’s Classic trips across Canada and the US.
Hilton launches two Curio Collection properties
Hilton has opened its first Curio Collection-branded property in the city of Reykjavik in Iceland. The 50-key hotel boasts unique Icelandic architecture and features natural building materials, where each room is furnished with a 49-inch HD TV, and complimentary Wi-Fi. Amenities on-site include a restaurant and bar, spa, and fitness area.
Over in Paris, the Niepce Paris Hotel marks the brand’s debut in the French capital. The 1920s-inspired property is located in the Montparnasse district, and offers 52 guestrooms including three suites. Amenities on-site include the La Verriere Paris restaurant, a Café ‘N’ Bar, gym, and a 73m2 meeting room equipped with the latest technology.
AIM Group wins three congress tenders
AIM Group International, a company that organises congresses, meetings and events, has won three tenders that add to their 2018 event portfolio.
The three conferences are SIFO 2018 – XXXIX National Congress of the Italian Society of Hospital Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Services of Healthcare Companies; SICP 2018 – XV National Congress of the Italian Society of Palliative Care; and SIGG – National Congress of the Italian Society of Gerontology and Geriatrics.
SIFO will be held in November at the Mostra D’Oltremare in Naples where 1,500 delegates are anticipated; SICP will be also be held in November at the Riccione Palacongress in Italy where more than 1,300 participants are expected; while SIGG will be held at the end of November at the Auditorium della Tecnica in Rome and will gather more than 1,000 doctors.
The 139-room Crowne Plaza Alice Springs Lasseters in Australia has completed the final stage of its A$6.25 million (US$4.8 million) refurbishment.
Guestrooms have been modernised with refreshed tiles, carpet, furniture, cabinetry, fittings and artwork, while bathrooms have been updated and now feature modern décor, a spacious walk-in shower and illuminated vanity mirrors.
A refurbished room
The new design reflects the Central Australian landscape, with vibrant orange and earthy tones coming together. Rooms feature a mix of indigenous paintings and prints of local landscapes created by local indigenous artists.
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.
