Dominique Berhouet is now general manager of the new Crowne Plaza Macau. The 15-year veteran of InterContinental Hotels Group was last opening general manager of Crowne Plaza Hong Kong Kowloon East and Holiday Inn Express Hong Kong Kowloon East.
Dominique Berhouet
Carlos Monterde
Carlos Monterde, formerly hotel manager of Fairmont Singapore, is now general manager of Fairmont Jakarta.
Becky Ip
Hong Kong Tourism Board has appointed Becky Ip as deputy executive director, replacing Daisy Lui who has retired. Ip joined the bureau in 1999 and has more than 20 years’ experience in business management and marketing in Greater China. She was last regional director of Greater China, heading the marketing for both the mainland and Taiwan offices.
China – Fairmont Hotels & Resorts
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts has appointed three new general managers at its properties in China – Jeff Cheng at Fairmont Yancheng Lake, Graham Hewitt at Fairmont Nanjing and Philip Smith at Fairmont Chengdu. Cheng was last hotel manager at Fairmont Nanjing, while Hewitt has over 25 years of hospitality experience, gained from working with The St. Regis Beijing, Le Meridien Angkor, Royal Orchid Sheraton and Sheraton Wenzhou. Smith joins from Fairmont Yangcheng Lake where he was general manager.
Pieter Van Der Hoeven
Pieter Van Der Hoeven has been promoted to general manager of Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor in Siem Reap and Raffles Hotel Le Royal in Phnom Penh. He has more than 25 years of experience in the industry, spanning brands such as Grand Hyatt, Anantara, The Peninsula and Six Senses.
David Coppens
BCD Travel has appointed David Coppens to the new role of executive vice president, global operations. Coppens, who reports to global COO Mike Janssen, previously served as senior vice president of performance solutions for EMEA.
John Autelitano
The Star in Sydney has appointed experienced hospitality executive, John Autelitano, as general manager of hotels. He will manage the property’s five-star The Darling and Astral Towers and Residences.
Matt Simpson
Staging Connections Western Australia has appointed Matt Simpson creative consultant and multimedia manager to lead a change in creating exceptional event experiences. He brings with him a wealth of experience in digital technologies including his role as creatures effects videographer on set for the Harry Potter movie franchise.
GBTA warns of mismatch in BTMICE rise and infrastructure in Asia
AS Asia-Pacific continues to be a major beacon of growth in global business travel, improvements in infrastructure are vital to keep up with the speed of growth.
According to the Global Business Travel Association’s (GBTA) Business Travel Index outlook report unveiled during the ITB Asia opening press conference yesterday, global business travel spend is expected to reach a record US$1.18 trillion by 2014, a seven per cent growth from last year, with nearly 40 per cent coming from Asia-Pacific.
Infrastructure across Asia, however, is not keeping up with the pace of tourism growth, said Welf Ebeling, GBTA vice president, operations, Asia.
China, which is set to overtake the US as the world’s top business travel market by 2016, is a prime example where infrastructure is still lagging, he said.
“The new 100 airports that are being built (in China) are badly needed in a country that is expected to take delivery of one aircraft per day for the next 19 years,” noted Ebeling in his ITB keynote address.
Likewise for India, Ebeling remarked that the mid-range hotel accommodation is not growing fast enough to match growth. “For example, there are only about 250,000 registered hotel rooms available in India, which has a population of nearly a billion people,” he said.
While these pressing issues are already prevalent in China and India, Ebeling cautioned emerging countries like Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to take heed too.
He said: “The GBTA is expecting that Asia-Pacific will continue to gain another five per cent in the global market share by 2018, and these countries are also showing high growth in terms of business travel spend.”
Client loyalty bodes well for Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre’s Q4 report
MALAYSIA’S Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre is seeing a strong performance during the final stretch of the year, with repeat events making up 76 per cent of the total 21 event count.
These 21 medium to large-size events between October and December are expected to draw 538,000 attendees.
Of the 16 recurring events, 10 have had five editions or more at the venue. They include PIKOM PC Fair, which has held 28 shows at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre since 2005; Malaysia International Jewellery Festival and UK Education which have both supported the venue for a decade; and HOMEDEC Part 1, HOMEDEC Part 2 and Malaysia Institute of Accountants Conference which have been hosted at the centre since 2006.
Other repeat events include International Greentech & Eco Products Exhibition & Conference, International Baby Expo, Starproperty.my Fair and Facon Education Fair.
General manager, Alan Pryor, said: “The loyalty afforded to us by our clients since opening has been second to none.
“And as we prepare to celebrate 10 years in the business come 2015, we look forward to (marking) the milestone with clients and stakeholders who have contributed directly and indirectly to our growth and success.”
Towards this end, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre has plans for several marketing and promotional packages such as discounts on ancillary charges for day conference packages, complimentary mocktails for banquets and Exhibition Loyalty Value-Add Programme tier upgrades to reward clients for their continued patronage.
Reviews
Hyatt Regency Kuala Lumpur at KL Midtown
A polished urban retreat designed for business travellers, Hyatt Regency Kuala Lumpur at KL Midtown combines thoughtful design, seamless service, and exceptional facilities.
A versatile powerhouse
Arena @ Expo, a multipurpose concert hall at the Singapore Expo is a flexible space for high octane concerts and lifestyle events.
Amari Bangkok
The five-star property excels in backing its expansive facilities with seamless service and personalised attention, setting the benchmark for luxury in Bangkok.
