Wharf Hotels has promoted Dalip Singh from hotel manager to general manager for Marco Polo Hotels – Hong Kong.
Reporting to the group’s vice president operations, Singh will be in charge of three properties: Marco Polo Hongkong, Prince and Gateway.
Prior to joining Wharf Hotels, Singh was managing director of KOP Properties. He is also a seasoned hotelier with more than two decades of experience, and has held senior management positions with hotel groups such as The Ritz Carlton and Dusit Hotels in his native Singapore, Malaysia and Dubai.
Holiday Inn Resort Batam in Indonesia has launched a teambuilding and meeting room package at S$165 nett (US$125) per person.
The package includes a one-night stay in one bedroom suite for two, return ferry tickets, a city tour inclusive of lunch, half-day teambuilding or half-day meeting room usage, and one buffet dinner.
Groups have to have a minimum group size of 25 pax.
Air New Zealand has appointed Jenni Martin as head of South and South-East Asia. She will report to Scott Carr, regional general manager Asia.
In her new role, Martin will be based in Singapore, and will be responsible for sales and market development activity across South and South-east Asia, with a particular emphasis on working closely with Air New Zealand’s alliance partner Singapore Airlines.
Martin began her career at Air New Zealand in 2010 when she joined from Qantas as an account executive in the New Zealand region corporate sales team. Since then, she has progressed through a number of roles and was most recently the airline’s senior manager sales and operations based in Sydney.
Tell me quickly about the variety of restaurants you have at Anantara Peace Haven Tangalle Resort.
We have three restaurants. Journeys is our all-day-dining restaurant, with capacity for 120 to 140 guests. Il Mare Italian restaurant is led by an Italian chef and most ingredients are imported from Italy. With its location on a cliff, I think it is possibly the best place (to dine) in our resort.
And finally, we have Verele which specialises in Asian cuisine. It is a beautiful venue on the beach. There isn’t air-conditioning, and the space gets the sea breeze. Verele is built as two domes, one housing a bar and the other the dining area. At the dining dome are two teppanyaki grills, and we have experienced teppanyaki chefs dishing out Sri Lankan-Japanese fusion dishes.
Besides these three, we have the pool bar which overlooks the ocean.
Do the corporate groups at your resort dine often on property?
Yes, for convenience, hence it is important that we offer a variety of dining experiences to prevent them from getting bored over the two or three days that they are here with us.
Breakfast is often at Journeys, but for lunch and dinner, we can easily arrange a special setup on one of the two beaches, in the garden and by the poolside. We can do a bonfire party on the beach too.
Do all three restaurants welcome full venue hire?
All our restaurants are available for corporate bookings, including full venue hire. We are very flexible but the attendees must be staying guests.
We will look at the size of the group and the desired dining theme before recommending a suitable restaurant. For instance, we would recommend a section of Journeys for a 20-pax corporate group. A full venue hire wouldn’t make sense in this case.
We also have many open spaces that we can play with and turn into special event venues for corporate groups. For international guests, this is important because they don’t want to fly for hours to Sri Lanka, only to spend every day inside the boardroom. A unique setting is one of the keys to a magical and memorable event experience. A corporate group, for example, could meet on the beach, have lunch in the garden, have a sunset cocktail beach party with their feet in the waters, and enjoy a team dinner under thousands of stars.
A private dinner setup on the serene beach fronting Verele
What sort of dining events have you done recently?
We recently had a 20-pax, high-end dinner function by the beach and it was lit all around by tiki torches – beautiful. We had a cocktail party in the garden near Journeys, hosted by a government agency.
Coming up on January 24, we will host a gala dinner for a local branch of an international company. It will be at Verele, and the entire restaurant is booked for this purpose. Cultural performances will be brought in.
How ready is your kitchen to feed event attendees from around the world?
We are ready for all the different dietary requirements seen today. We have two Indian chefs who understand the many dietary needs and restrictions of our Indian guests, and they have been invaluable in our resort’s handling of Indian corporate groups.
We can also fulfill gluten-free and Halal dietary requirements. Our kitchen is Halal-certified and we have a strict audit of the food suppliers we engage. At the breakfast buffet line at Journeys, we have a gluten-free section and we clearly mark out pork-free dishes.
We get some Middle Eastern guests here at the resort and they can dine at ease with us.
All Anantara properties offer a Dining by Design programme. Tell me briefly about it and how can this be applied to corporate groups at your property?
Dining by Design is all about creating a special dining experience for guests, so they won’t have to be restricted to dining only at our restaurants. Our beaches, gardens, lawn on top the cliff at Il Mare and poolside are all possible venues for Dining by Design.
For leisure guests that often book a Dining by Design experience at the last minute, perhaps in the morning for a special dinner that evening, we can make it happen for no more than eight people. But with sufficient lead time, we can craft and deliver a memorable Dining by Design experience for larger groups, such as the corporate guests. We need time to make it happen because our kitchen and banquet teams need special preparations.
What’s your biggest F&B challenge when it comes to handling corporate groups?
Last minute menu changes. The organiser often decides and finalises the dining menu in advance, but on the day of the event, one of his/her assistants could come to us and say that there are now 10 guests who don’t want this or that in their main course or need this or that special order.
How do you deal with that?
Well, we make it happen (laughs). We have a team of very experienced chefs, thankfully, who are from Thailand, India, Italy, etc and we have local Sri Lankan chefs too. They do what they can to help with such situations.
We need to feed our guests well and make them happy. I think food and dining ambience are very important in winning the heart of guests and getting them to come back to us.
There was once I met a gentleman, a guest here, who told me gladly that he’s back for the second time. I checked his profile but couldn’t find records. Then I realised he was here for a corporate event the first time. He loved his experience here so much during his work trip, that he returned with his family for a vacation.
When Sri Lanka holds her largest ever government election on February 10, tourist arrivals – unlike in the recent past – will not be affected.
Major tourism stakeholders told TTGmice that they are confident that business would be as usual next month.
Shiromal Cooray, managing director at Jetwing Travels, asserted that there would be “no issues”.
According to Harith Perera, managing director of Diethelm Travel Sri Lanka, there is normally a level of cautious travel during elections. “This was evident during the last presidential election in January 2015 when there was tension and violence,” he said.
However, the situation is very calm this time and the election hasn’t attracted any global attention, he pointed out.
During the January 8, 2015 presidential election campaign, violence was rampant. There were also fears of post-election violence when incumbent president Mahinda Rajapaksa was challenged by health minister Maithripala Sirisena who defected to the opposition and eventually won the poll.
While January typically shows double-digit growth, in 2015 arrivals slowed to an increase of 6.6 per cent from January 2014, compared to a 24.3 per cent increase in January 2016 and 32.6 per cent in January 2014.
Also positive is Achini Dandunnage, senior manager, Sri Lanka Conventions Bureau, who expects business events traffic into her destination to continue as usual in February.
Anantara Kalutara Resort (ballroom pictured here) in southern Sri Lanka has several corporate groups arriving in election month
Offering proof of normalcy, Giles Selves, area general manager for Anantara Peace Haven Tangalle Resort, Anantara Kalutara Resort and AVANI Kalutara Resort, said he signed three corporate group contracts in the week of January 8 and Anantara Kalutara Resort will welcome several corporate events in February.
“We are not seeing any negative impact. Everything we are hearing (from the ground) is that there won’t be any issues during this election, so why wouldn’t travels into Sri Lanka continue? We are also still getting enquiries for March, April and onwards,” said Selves. –Additional reporting by Karen Yue
Hollywood Citywalk, one of the attractions at Movie Planet
A new indoor theme park – said to be the largest in Malaysia – has opened within the upcoming Capital City shopping and entertainment hub in Johor Bahru.
The park concept features three main zones, including Music Planet, which developer Capital World believes is the first in Asia to combine an indoor circus with theatrical and musical performance spaces.
Hollywood Citywalk, one of the attractions at Movie Planet
In addition, Movie Planet will feature 10 main attractions, with themes including Dinosaur World, Hollywood Stars, Haunted House and Pink Valentine. Visitors will also get a sense of being in the featured movies through augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technology.
Also utilising AR and VR technology is Cartoon Planet, which aims to bring “classic cartoon characters” to life through its child-friendly attractions.
Upon completion later in the year, the Capital City integrated project is expected to also feature a shopping mall, the 315-room Hilton Garden Inn, 630 units of hotel-style serviced suites and 690 units of serviced apartments.
This team-based VR game concept aims to foster collaboration and communication
Concept
Most interactive VR experiences today feature short single-player modes, while escape-room games are confined to physical spaces. Virtual Room combines these concepts and breaks out of the mould to present an immersive adventure across time and space.
The mission is to gather data from other fallen soldiers by travelling to different time periods and geographical locations, such as a prehistoric valley, an Egyptian tomb, or outer space.
Each game can be played by two to four participants, each given their own HTC Vive headset and a 3m by 3m room to move within. The experience can last up to 45 minutes, and has a seamless framerate – ensuring no dizziness or nausea.
TTGmice understands that Virtual Room is planning to launch another experience sometime this year.
Players ‘travel’ to different time periods and geographical locations, such as a prehistoric valley (pictured here), an Egyptian tomb, or outer space
MICE application
As expected in team missions, players are required to work together, pool their resources, and identify their objectives. An interesting condition in Virtual Room is that players are separated into individual rooms, with contact limited to in-built microphones and in-game interaction.
This system fosters clear and efficient communication between team members, as each player possesses a unique and crucial element that is required to solve every puzzle.
Some stages of the game also encourage participants to efficiently organise their line of attack while under pressure.
At the end of the mission, players can pose as their in-game avatars for “wefies” with backgrounds and props of their choice from the game.
While each game only allows two to four participants, the facility can hold up to 22 participants in total. Larger groups will be split into multiple teams.
Service
We were assisted by an experienced crew member, who walked us through essentials such as controls and how to avoid bumping into walls.
As we completed our mission with time to spare, the staff offered to let us replay certain stages and even the entire game with a speed run.
For players who have completed the experience or are awaiting their turn, the facility has a photobooth with props and a lounge. Bookings are essential in order to secure a slot.
CWT Meetings & Events, Carlson Wagonlit Travel’s meeting & events division, has appointed Sam Li as general manager for China. He will report to Cindy Fisher, senior vice president and global head of CWT Meetings & Events.
Sam Li heads CWT Meetings & Events China
Based in Beijing, Li will lead a team of meetings and events (M&E) specialists across CWT’s five offices in China. He will be responsible for growing CWT Meetings & Events’ business in this market, and creating highly participative, digital and data-driven M&E experiences for clients.
Li is a seasoned industry veteran with over 17 years of experience. Most recently, he was general manager and assistant president at one of China’s largest travel companies, where he spent 10 years growing their outbound tourism business and expanding their meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions operations.
The 352-room Crowne Plaza Auckland has launched three new packages – Mostly Energised, Mostly Inspired and Mostly Social – to ensure downtime is as productive as work time.
The hotel’s general manager Tim Pollock believes that the packages tie in perfectly with meetings and conference business.
“We want delegates to stay the night and enjoy everything Auckland has to offer. Whether they want to stay active in the city, be social or relax with a massage at the end of the day, we have all bases covered,” he said.
The New Zealand Gala Dinner package offers guests a unique welcome and insight into some of Aotearoa’s culture
To help guests do just that, the hotel’s created an online guide to Auckland business travel featuring ‘must do’ activities for their downtime, dining hotspots and teambuilding exercises around the city.
In addition, the property launched a video campaign to take bookers on a visual journey of the hotel, and offer inspiration on what can be done in its event spaces.
For instance, Crowne Plaza Auckland’s newest gala dinner package offers guests a unique welcome and insight into some of Aotearoa’s culture including a 15-minute Māori welcome, a New Zealand-themed buffet and Aotearoa-inspired decorations, along with inclusions such as stage and dance floor hire.
Meeting facilities in the hotel include 10 function rooms catering for everything from an executive boardroom meeting for 12 to a presentation or gala event for up to 460 guests.
All meeting and conference rooms are fully equipped with modern sound and visual systems, complimentary Wi-Fi and projectors. The hotel’s audio-visual specialists supply all the presentation needs from a data projector to staged events and widescreen presentations.
Marriott swiftly issued apology and statement ; Beijing Marriott Hotel City Wall pictured
Marriott recently caused an outrage in China when it was discovered that it had listed Tibet, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan as separate countries, resulting in the US hotel giant’s Chinese website and mobile app being shut down for a week by the Chinese authorities.
The saga began last Tuesday when a Chinese-language questionnaire Marriott emailed to customers referred to Tibet, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan as countries.
Marriott swiftly issued apology and statement; Beijing Marriott Hotel City Wall pictured
One of the hotel’s official Twitter accounts was found to have “liked” a Tibetan separatist group, further adding fire to the fuel.
Marriott last Thursday issued a swift apology for the gaffe, which had attracted accusations of disrespecting Chinese sovereignty and calls of boycott by angry netizens on Weibo.
“We don’t support anyone who subverts the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China and we do not intend in any way to encourage or incite any such people or groups. We recognise the severity of the situation and sincerely apologise,” Arne Sorenson, president and CEO of Marriott International, said in a statement.
Marriott was not alone in causing furore for geographical inaccuracies.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China said it had found Delta Air Lines to have listed Taiwan and Tibet as independent countries on its website and had asked the airline to rectify its mistake.
Delta on Friday also issued an apology for the website mistake and had taken immediate steps to resolve it.
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.
Martin began her career at Air New Zealand in 2010 when she joined from Qantas as an account executive in the New Zealand region corporate sales team. Since then, she has progressed through a number of roles and was most recently the airline’s senior manager sales and operations based in Sydney.
The mission is to gather data from other fallen soldiers by travelling to different time periods and geographical locations, such as a prehistoric valley, an Egyptian tomb, or outer space.
Each game can be played by two to four participants, each given their own HTC Vive headset and a 3m by 3m room to move within. The experience can last up to 45 minutes, and has a seamless framerate – ensuring no dizziness or nausea.
TTGmice understands that Virtual Room is planning to launch another experience sometime this year.
MICE application
As expected in team missions, players are required to work together, pool their resources, and identify their objectives. An interesting condition in Virtual Room is that players are separated into individual rooms, with contact limited to in-built microphones and in-game interaction.
This system fosters clear and efficient communication between team members, as each player possesses a unique and crucial element that is required to solve every puzzle.
Some stages of the game also encourage participants to efficiently organise their line of attack while under pressure.
At the end of the mission, players can pose as their in-game avatars for “wefies” with backgrounds and props of their choice from the game.
While each game only allows two to four participants, the facility can hold up to 22 participants in total. Larger groups will be split into multiple teams.
Service
We were assisted by an experienced crew member, who walked us through essentials such as controls and how to avoid bumping into walls.
As we completed our mission with time to spare, the staff offered to let us replay certain stages and even the entire game with a speed run.
For players who have completed the experience or are awaiting their turn, the facility has a photobooth with props and a lounge. Bookings are essential in order to secure a slot.
Contact
Website: singapore.virtual-room.com
Email: singapore@virtual-room.com
Tel: (65) 6966 8060