British Airways has picked Noella Ferns to be its regional general manager for Greater China and the Philippines, based in Hong Kong. Ferns has been with the company for over 20 years. She last led the Hong Kong, Philippines and Taiwan sales teams to drive growth in corporate accounts, trade partnerships and new business, while also overseeing the airline’s channel shift strategy.
Evason Ana Mandara in Nha Trang, Vietnam has named Michael Murphy its general manager. Murphy was the pre-opening general manager at Six Senses Qing Cheng Mountain in China from July 2104 to October 2015, and next general manager of Vinpearl Luxury Nha Trang.
Conrad Centennial Singapore has welcomed the return of Heinrich Grafe as its general manager. He had left the hotel in 2013 after 16 years to lead Conrad Tokyo as general manager.
Marco Polo Hotels has appointed seasoned hotelier Dalip Singh as hotel manager of its three Hong Kong properties – Marco Polo Hongkong Hotel, Prince Hotel and Gateway Hotel. Singh previously served as the managing director of KOP Properties.
Perth Convention Bureau has placed Amy Hallam in the newly created role of senior business development manager. Hallam will focus on bidding and securing large-scale international conferences for Perth and Western Australia. Prior to this appointment, she worked with the City of Perth in Economic Development.
Opened August 2016, The Garage Bar on the lobby floor of Cordis Hong Kong at Langham Place in Mongkok is said to be the first outdoor food truck destination in a hotel.
Previously known as The Backyard, the venue has undergone a renovation to create additional space and seating. As outdoor drinking space is rare in Mongkok, The Garage Bar is a welcome oasis for city folks.
Concept The Garage Bar offers an urban food culture experience by blending Western food truck favourites with traditional Asian flavours and pairing dishes with nearly 40 local and international craft beer brands. All that is delivered in a striking red and black setting with two vintage Citroën vans – one from 1966 and the other from 1972.
Must-eats include the Hongkongese Burger, a New Zealand steak in a bamboo charcoal pineapple bun (known among the locals as bolo bao); Crab & Cheese Melt Sandwich; and Churro Cherries Dulce.
Beer lovers will rejoice over a sample option that features local and international – three different labels will create a personalised “beer flight”.
MICE application The Garage Bar is such a stylish venue, and the vintage vans lend many Instagrammable moments. Spanning 322m2, The Garage Bar is split into the 134m2 Upper deck and 188m2 Lower deck.
It is ideal for welcome or closing cocktail receptions with 50 to 150 guests.
Music plays in the bar, but event planners can bring in a live DJ for an additional fee.
The only downside to The Garage Bar is its open-air nature, which makes it susceptible to weather elements. As a wet weather back-up, event planners are offered another bar, Alibi, or a private function room.
Organisations that have used The Garage Bar for their events include Wine Luxe, Mothercare, IATA and Columbia University.
Service Top marks for attentive service. Despite it being a large venue, staff came by frequently to check on diners’ needs and to tidy tables. I also like how knowledgeable the staff are about the different beers available and are willing to share tips on how to pick from over 40 craft beer brands.
Opened in 1989, Grand Hyatt Hong Kong has always been a hot favourite among top-tier business and social events. Last summer, the hotel completed an extensive refurbishment that benefitted guestrooms, Grand Ballroom, Grand Club Lounge and Grand Café.
Rooms I had the pleasure of spending a night at the Ambassador Harbour View Suite on the 36th floor. At 110m2, this is the second largest room type in the hotel’s inventory. Like most quality hotels on the waterfront, Grand Hyatt Hong Kong brought views of Victoria Harbour as well as the cityscape of Central and Kowloon into the room with floor-to-ceiling windows.
I found my suite to be suitable for business travellers hoping to conduct meetings in their room. The living and dining area can be separated from the bedroom with sliding doors. The living space also comes with a bar, pantry and washroom, and can accommodate up to 10 people.
The new four-seat marble-top work desk was a pleasure to use, as it came with more electric and communication sockets than the previous round table option. Thank goodness too, that all sockets in the suite are placed at accessible heights on walls, and not along the floor.
Another feature I enjoy about the hotel is the separate set of elevators that serve club floor guests between club levels and the Grand Club Lounge.
MICE facilities There are 21 venues for different types and sizes of events. For gatherings requiring a less conventional space, the hotel is amenable to converting corner suites into breakout rooms.
The refurbished Presidential Suites are also a hit with organisers of small-scale events such as fashion shows and social functions.
Elsewhere, the three meeting rooms in the Grand Club Lounge have been revamped along with the rest of the exclusive facility, with each room showcasing a new look with provision of a coffee station.
Other facilities Bellies are never bored with the hotel’s selection of 10 restaurants and bars. Private dining rooms in some outlets can be turned into event spaces. For example, the Grand Hyatt Steakhouse has three private rooms for eight to 30 people.
Other facilities include Plateau Spa, an outdoor heated swimming pool, a sauna and two tennis courts.
Motag Living Museum is a unique break from Boracay’s usual sun, sand and sea combination, allowing business event delegates to explore local culture and traditions while bonding over creative activities.
Concept Located in the town of Motag, a 
ferry ride away from the main island of Boracay, the Museum is a real farming community that showcases the basic and simple lifestyle of the people before the advent of tourism.
The daily ablution before toilet tissue, soap and shampoo reached the town isn’t for the squeamish. The house, with basic furniture, a separate makeshift bathroom, deep well for sourcing water, areas for weaving, gathering firewood and the ricefields, among other things, are testament to the hard life.
The “actors’ – children, men, women and the elderly employed from the local community – are not acting; they’re being themselves and doing what they do in real life. We love the old lady nonchalantly chewing and smoking tobacco, the smiling lady skilled in harvesting rice, and the friendly carabao.
MICE application A visit to the Museum can incorporate teambuilding activities which can be mounted in the ricefields, plowing the field with the carabao, fishing, climbing trees for coconuts, playing native games, building huts using coconut leaves and native materials, cooking and eating using utensils made of coconut shells, weaving mats and baskets and toys, etc.
Entrance fee is 700 pesos (US$14) per person including refreshments and tour guides, but corporate rates are negotiable.
Lunch in the Nabaoy River with cool water flowing around the feet can be arranged.
Service Everyone’s sincerity is palpable. They’re always on hand to guide us to the rice paddies and going up the house, and always polite in answering our questions.
Solicitous to the extent that after the farm trip, they will wash your feet with their own hands. One can refuse, though. Plus, they don’t hound you for service charge or tip.
Hailing from Moscow, CulinaryOn is a culinary entertainment studio which provides a culinary experience that goes beyond a typical cooking class. Similarly, at its Singapore outpost, the venue cooks up an exuberant party atmosphere while offering participants the taste of international cuisines, whipped up through fun methods of cooking.
Concept Before participants begin the three-hour cooking class, they first get to tuck into a fine selection of canapes prepared by the studio’s chefs. It is also a time for them to meet and socialise with their fellow participants.
There are various types of cooking activities on offer, for example, the Power Pasta challenge. Teams have to compete against each other to create and cook the longest pasta from scratch. They will also be tasked to whip up a dessert, where the most creative design will win; extra points will be given for personalisation and originality.
MICE application Sprawled across 650m2, this venue comes with a conference room, four separate spaces with 16 cooking stations, four chef tables and well-equipped bars. The event areas can also be combined to accommodate up to 200 guests.
CulinaryOn also provides a professional photographer to capture teambuilding memories, the option to print aprons with customised logos, as well as a disco with their in-house DJ to further hype up the atmosphere.
Service It was refreshing to see how their menu of active cooking games truly challenged a team to fully explore our creative ability. It also “forces” everyone to work together, instead of having the participants come together for just another normal cooking exercise.
The gregarious chefs who accompanied us on the challenge were professional and ever so encouraging which was enough to get everyone – experienced or not – excited and competitive to fight for the winning chef hat.
Dining is a vibrant and homely affair at The Peranakan, which has aimed to make Straits Chinese cuisine more accessible – including to uninitiated business events delegates – since it opened its doors in June 2016.
Concept Although the kitchen is already in the trusty hands of renowned chef Raymond Khoo, Peranakan mothers connected to the business still pop in to supervise cooking from time to time, enthused Ho Ken Meng, director at The Pernakan.
Whether in its traditional approach to food or unabashed displays of Pernakan elements (e.g. colourful wall motifs, kebayas, tiffin containers, crockery), the restaurant brings to mind a candour and honesty that stands out amid the glut of trendy, “understated” restaurant concepts along Singapore’s Orchard Road.
Home-style classics such as ayam buah keluak (chicken with nuts from a mangrove tree native to South-east Asia) and sup bakwan kepiting (crab meatball soup) feature on both its Tok Panjang feast and ala carte menu.
On the Tok Panjang experience, Ho said: “Traditionally, it is a lavish spread prepared for dignitaries, but here we want to create a little bit of fanfare (for the masses), such as through its presentation.”
MICE application For work-weary foreign delegates, a homely setting where they can loosen their ties, indulge in comfort food, while getting close to the local culture can be an attractive proposition.
Since its opening, the restaurant has already hosted several association and business events, such as a jewellery talk by the local Peranakan association attended by about 90 participants.
Ho further shared that a smaller group of Chinese physicians in town for a medical conference in 2016 opted for the Tok Panjang experience.
The communal-style dining options could do wonders to break the ice for business gatherings, but those with preference for modern European plating can still choose from the restaurant’s customisable eight-course degustation menu.
The Peranakan has capacity for about 130 pax. Round tables are available for groups, and private dining setups can be arranged.
Service Attentive and friendly.
