A rendering of a guestroom at Meixi Lake Hotel

SLATED to open at the end of October is the 310-room Meixi Lake Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Changsha.

The hotel, equipped with seven meeting venues totalling 2,679m² – the largest measuring 1,100m² – is targeting small MICE groups from the electronics, IT, automobile and medical sectors, general manager Eddie Tang, said.

The ideal group size for corporate meetings, product launches and seminars the hotel is eyeing is between 150 and 200 people, with the domestic market taking up a 90 per cent share, he added.

Heavy machinery, advanced materials, automobile and parts manufacturing, electronics and IT, food, tobacco and biological medicines are industry pillars in Changsha, the capital of Hunan in south-central China.

Taking up the upper floors of a modern tower with businesses, shops and a cultural centre, Meixi Lake Hotel is located 10 minutes from the Changsha National High-Tech Industrial Development Zone, 20 minutes from the Changsha North Train Station and 45 minutes from the Changsha Huanghua International Airport.

Meixi Lake Hotel is the first international luxury brand to enter the city in years, and the property will complement the 260,000m² Changsha International Convention and Exhibition, expected to be ready end-2016.

Moreover, the construction of a 67ha movie town in Xiangjiang New Area, with investment by Huayi Brothers Media Corporation, China’s largest private film company, is expected to further enhance the city’s tourism appeal.

View from The Lookout at Faber Peak

FABER Peak Singapore’s move to offer full venue hire for private events have earned it the favour of several leisure and corporate groups from China and along with in-market promotions in China since 2014, the hilltop attraction has seen a 200 per cent hike in Chinese arrivals this year.

Speaking to TTGmice e-Weekly, Jacqueline Low, deputy director, sales & business development with Mount Faber Leisure Group, said: “We have discovered what pleases the Chinese, and it is having bragging rights (acquired from their travels). They like being able to return home and say, hey, we had an entire hill to ourselves.”

“They also enjoy greenery and nice scenery, and we have both in abundance here,” Low added, pointing to the hill’s lush landscape and the cityscape that can be seen from the hilltop.”

At the time of the interview, a Chinese tour group had held a lunch party at Faber Peak’s Spuds & Aprons restaurant, and participants were free to explore the many open spaces for photo opportunities.

As Mount Faber Leisure Group owns and manages a variety of event venues and F&B outlets at Faber Peak and does the same with Singapore Cable Car, event planners are offered “great flexibility when holding events with us” as well as numerous branding opportunities, such as covering cable cars in corporate livery.

“All our spaces can be used and we can support creative ideas. For instance, our cable cars have been used as breakout rooms and for competing teams on a teambuilding challenge to come together and complete a task. The ride back and forth takes 30 minutes, just enough time for such activities,” said Low.

Low’s team has been taking these messages to China as part of Singapore Tourism Board’s destination showcases since 2014, as well as work Faber Peak’s various leisure appeal into a micromovie that was broadcasted on Youku in 2014 and Qunar in 2015. It also held a campaign with Ctrip in end-2015, and is now finalising another with Alitrip.

Low said: “China is a very important arrival market for Singapore, and as one of the key attractions here, we must feature it strongly in our own plans. We are proud to see a 200 per cent increase in Chinese leisure and corporate group arrivals since we started our promotions in China two years ago.”

(From left) Carlo Bezoari and Joanna Patterson

FCM Travel Solutions has appointed Carlo Bezoari as the director of sales, South-east Asia, and Joanna Patterson as the director of account management, South-east Asia.

In his new role, Bezoari will be responsible for leading the business development teams across the region. Prior to this, he was with Rosetta Stone and was responsible for corporate sales division across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Meanwhile, France-born Patterson joins from China Eastern Airlines, where she headed up the Global Corporate Sales Department, with a special focus on international markets. She has garnered 20 years of international airline experience under her belt with major airlines such as Lufthansa and Air France.

In her new role, Patterson will lead FCM’s expanding account management team and drive innovation in cost management and travel programme optimisation across the region.

MGM Grand Sanya

DIAOYUTAI MGM Hospitality (DMH), which has opened six hotels and residences in China, has another five confirmed in the pipeline.

The eight-year-old joint venture will launch Bellagio by MGM Shanghai – the first Bellagio-branded property to open outside the US – and Diaoyutai Hotel Frankfurt next year, followed by Diaoyutai Dalian and MGM Grand Xiamen in 2018, and Bellagio by MGM Beijing in 2020.

Meanwhile, opening dates for Bellagio by MGM Sanya, Diaoyutai Residences Hangzhou and MGM Grand Shenzhen are to be confirmed.

Explaining how the brands will be positioned in China, May Chow, area director, sales and marketing, DMH, said: “The majority of hotels now target the domestic leisure market and offer a different upmarket destination and luxury experience. To differentiate between the brands, the Diaoyutai brand offers a ‘home welcome’.

“Bellagio is positioned to appeal to artists and celebrities, while MGM Grand with its large pillarless spaces is going after MICE.”

The group’s brands are Diaoyutai Hotel, Diaoyutai Boutique Hotel, Diaoyutai MGM Residences, Bellagio by MGM, MGM Grand and Skylofts – offering designer suites within MGM Grand – and MX, an entry-level luxury brand for young travellers.

Hotels currently operating in China are the MGM Grand Sanya, Diaoyutai Hotel Hangzhou, Diaoyutai Boutique Hotel Chengdu, Diaoyutai MGM Residences Sanya, Luneng Diaoyutai MGM Residences Beijing and Luneng Diaoyutai MGM Residences Haikou.

FROM February 6, 2017, Etihad Airways will operate a double-daily schedule between Abu Dhabi and Sydney, which results in three extra weekly flights.

Flights will depart at 09.25 from Abu Dhabi (EY450) and arrive in Sydney at 06.15 one day later. The return flight will depart Sydney at 16.20 and land in Abu Dhabi at 23.55 on the same day. Operated by a three-class Boeing 777-300ER, this addition increases flights from four to seven per week.

This enhancement to the airline’s Sydney schedule comes with the move by strategic partner Virgin Australia to shift its Australia to Abu Dhabi operation from Sydney to Perth from June 9, 2017.

Expanding the codeshare agreement, Etihad Airways will also add its EY code to Virgin Australia’s new three weekly Perth-Abu Dhabi flights.

To maintain schedule continuity, Etihad Airways will operate its three new weekly Sydney services at the same timings as Virgin Australia’s current Sydney-Abu Dhabi flights, on which Etihad Airways has placed its EY code since February 2011.

Etihad Airways’ CEO, Peter Baumgartner, said: “Australia is a critical part of our network, and we will continue to add capacity in order to meet the growing two-way demand for business and leisure travel.

“The allocation of our newest equipment, the A380 and B787, to all four Australian gateways, and investment of our next-generation product and service offering demonstrate our commitment to this highly competitive market.”

The combined impact of the additional Sydney capacity and new codeshare with Virgin Australia is an increase in the UAE flag carrier’s Australian footprint from 42 to 45 weekly flights.

Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre

THE Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre (GCCEC) has won the bid for the 2018 International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (ISAAC) conference.

To be held from July 21-26, 2018, more than 1,200 delegates are expected to attend the 18^thbiennial event. Themed Access All Areas, the conference will see participants discuss technology and challenges associated with augmentative and alternative communication (AAC).

ACC is a set of tools and strategies that millions use worldwide to overcome complex challenges associated with the inability to use natural speech to communicate. Those affected include various disorder sufferers, victims of stroke and traumatic brain injury, temporary medical conditions and young children who are at risk of developing communication disorders.

Ease of accessibility and mobility to and from the destination, and to the GCCEC, were paramount considerations for the Canada-headquartered society. A diverse delegation consisting of users of AAC, their families, therapists, teachers, students, doctors, researchers, organisations and companies that make communication aids meant that numerous factors were considered before awarding the bid to Gold Coast.

The accessibility and infrastructure legacy of the upcoming 2018 Commonwealth Games proved highly appealing for conference organisers. Nearby Gold Coast International Airport and the wheelchair accessibility of the Gold Coast light rail, which stops directly in front of the access-friendly GCCEC, will provide ISAAC delegates with a world-class public transport network supportive of their needs.

Lead bid organiser and president of ISAAC Australia chapter, Gayle Porter said the affordability and affinity with the destination will enable more people in the Asia-Pacific region to discover more about AAC by attending the conference.

“We hope that attracting this international conference will stimulate conversations and draw awareness for people who use ACC, who sadly are all too often relegated to age care housing facilities, because of their complex communication needs,” said Porter.

Kennedy Kapulong

DAVAO’s MICE programme will have more perks than ever starting next year. Titled Let’s Meet in Davao 2017-2018, MICE Davao chair Kennedy Kapulong said that the programme is designed to give delegates a better experience, along with discounts and incentives.

Depending on the size of the MICE group, perks include experiential travel packages from tours consortium partners; complimentary massages from the Davao Wellness Association; and complimentary or discounted meeting rooms at SMX Convention Center Davao. Moreover, for the first time, Cebu Pacific and AirAsia will be participating in the programme to offer a special MICE group rate.

Other sweeteners include hosted fam tours for inspection teams; special rates from hotels, shopping centres, restaurants and car rental agencies; in addition to the usual airport reception and welcome kits.

Kapulong said Davao is MICE-ready with over 8,000 licensed rooms, increased air links, and a convention centre that can host large events with up to 5,000 pax, among other things. He added that there are more active partners in the year 2017/2018 due to the commitment and support from both the private and public sector.

He told TTGmice e-Weekly that “the overall experience from pre-convention up to the convention dates have been tailored to provide guests and visitors a seamless and holistic experience” and that they wanted to “double the results from 2016”.