Work starts on Changi T4

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7 Nov 2013
▶ P1
OLYMPIC GAINS
JOHN SPENCE
APPOINTMENTS
Tokyo's hotels can expect to see
rising revPAR in the lead up to
the Olympics...
Travel Daily chats with the
chairman of Karma Resorts
about his life and business...
The latest industry movers,
including a new North Asian
head for Oakwood...
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7
7
Your guide to the
latest technologies
making business
travel better
Work starts on Changi T4
New terminal to handle 16 million passengers a year when it
opens in 2017...
C
onstruction has
commenced on the new
Terminal 4 at Singapore's
Changi Airport.
To be built on the site of the
former budget terminal, T4 will be a
two-storey, 25-metre-high building
capable of handling 16 million
passengers per year. The terminal’s
showpiece will be a 300-metre-long
'Central Galleria', which separates
the public and restricted areas of the
terminal.
The T4 transit area will
incorporate traditional local design
elements, including shops with
facades resembling old Peranakan
shop houses, while there will also be
a walk-through retail area. In total,
T4 will feature more than 15,000m²
of shopping and dining space.
The new terminal will also offer a
range of self-service technologies,
including self-service check-in
kiosks and baggage drop areas.
Expanding the capacity of the
old budget terminal, T4 will feature
17 stands for narrow-body and four
for wide-body aircraft, serving both
low-cost and full-service carriers. All
gates will come with aerobridges.
A further 17 narrow-body and
nine wide-body aircraft stands are
being built on a plot of land south
of Terminal 3, in preparation for an
increase in capacity.
“Terminal 4 is set to challenge
and redefine the way we travel. We
have conceptualised and designed
the terminal for passengers who
view the time spent at the airport as
very much part of their travel and
holiday. Hence, we are introducing
new breakthroughs that will
enhance their travel experience and
excite them at the same time," said
Lee Seow Hiang, CEO of Changi
Airport Group.
“Despite its relatively small
size, our vision is for T4 to be
an iconic terminal, setting new
benchmarks – for passenger
experience, operational efficiency
and manpower productivity for
our airport partners. We look
Philippine hotel group holds IPO
M
anila-based Travellers
International Hotel Group has
held an initial public offering (IPO),
floating its shares on the Philippine
Stock Exchange. The company is
a joint venture between Genting
Hong Kong and Alliance Global
Group, and acts as the developer
and operator of Resorts World
Manila. The IPO consisted of 1.57
billion shares priced at PHP11.28
each (approx. 26 US cents). This
generated a total of PHP20.4 billion
(US$470.8 million).
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forward to welcoming passengers
to T4 in 2017 with a new Changi
experience.”
Changi will expand even
further in future years, with the
redevelopment of Terminal 1 as
part of the 'Project Jewel', which
will eventually raise the airport’s
capacity to 85m passengers per
year. Click here for full story 
Bangkok Airways adds Chiang Mai
flights
B
angkok Airways
will add more
flights to Chiang
Mai next month.
Commencing on 1
December 2013, the
airline will increase
the frequency of its
Chiang Mai–Bangkok route from
five to six flights per day, as well as
commencing a new direct service
between Chiang Mai and Koh
Samui. The new Samui-Chiang
Mai route will operate daily, leaving
the Thai resort island at 1020 and
arriving in the northern city at 1210.
Managing Editor: Gary Marshall * | Editor-in-Chief: Mark Elliott *
101A Upper Cross Street, #11-16 People’s Park Centre, Singapore, 058358
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7 Nov 2013
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Vacation Fun for Everyone.
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M O N T I G O R E S O RTS . CO M
Tokyo hotels can expect Olympic
boost – report
Jones Lang LaSalle study predicts annual revPAR growth in
the years leading up to Games...
T
okyo's hotels can expect
an increase in revPAR
(revenue per available
rooms) in the years leading up to the
2020 Olympics, a new report has
revealed.
The 'Tokyo 2020: The Olympic
Games Effect' report, produced by
Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) with data
from STR Global, said that Beijing
and London both experienced
revPAR growth in the years leading
up to their Olympics, and the
Japanese capital can expect a
similar boost.
“Both Beijing and London
experienced revPAR growth during
the seven years following the
announcement, up to the Olympic
year, and we expect this to also be
the case in Tokyo. This will have
a number of positive effects on
the market and, given that Tokyo
is a more mature accommodation
market than previous hosts like
Beijing, there will be limited postGames decline in revPAR,” said
Frank Sorgiovanni, vice president
of research for JLL Hotels in Asia.
The Japanese government has
said it expects 8.5 million people
to visit Tokyo during the Games,
and while the city has already
met the IOC's standards in terms
of hotel capacity, JLL said an
We make
business
travel
better.
increase in Tokyo's inventory can
be expected in the coming years.
And despite this rise in supply,
STR Global's past data shows
that Olympic host cities generally
see "long-term positive effects on
revPAR".
The IOC report on Tokyo's
Olympic bid revealed that there
were approximately 140,000
internationally-branded hotel
rooms within a 50km radius of the
city. These hotels can now expect
increasing returns in the coming
years. According to STR Global's
data, Beijing's revPAR increased
Venice to limit cruise ships
T
he number of cruise ships
docking in Venice will be
limited from next year, in an effort to
preserve the ancient city's marine
environment.
According to a report by BBC
News, the Italian government is
planning measures to reduce the
number of large liners visiting
Venice, with the number of ships
being cut by 20% from January
2014. Then from November next
year, ships weighing more than
96,000 tonnes will be banned from
the centre of the city. Large liners
currently operating in the Italian
city include P&O's 116,000 tonne
MV Ventura, the 122,000 tonne
Celebrity Equinox and the 139,000
tonne MSC Preziosa.
The cruise industry is valuable
to the Venetian economy, but
environmental concerns have been
heightened since the capsizing of
the Costa Concordia liner in 2012.
Click here for full story 
Preferred partners Etihad FFP
P
referred Hotel Group has
formed a new partnership
with Etihad Guest, Etihad Airways’
frequent flyer programme. The
alliance will allow members of the
Etihad Guest to earn miles when
staying at any of Preferred Hotel
Group’s 650 member hotels, 149
of which are located in 43 cities to
which Etihad operates. Members
can earn 500 miles for eligible
stays and 1,000 at more than 120
participating hotels by presenting
their Etihad Guest card at check-in.
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advertising@traveldailymedia.com
4.2% per year in the seven years
prior to the 2008 Olympics, while
London’s revPAR climbed 6.4%
annually in the lead up to 2012.
It added however, that a fall in
occupancy "seems to be a common
occurrence" in the months prior
to the Games, although this tends
to be offset by higher rates. Click
here for full story 
Discover our
unrivalled travel
management
solutions.
VietJet Air receives Pepsisponsored A320
V
ietJet Air has
Le Quoc Viet of Pepsi Vietnam celebrates the A320's arrival with
VietJet Air's Florian Preuss
taken delivery
of another Airbus
A320 aircraft. The
new single-aisle
jet touched down
at Ho Chi Minh
City's Tan Son Nhat
International Airport
last week, becoming
the 10th aircraft in
the low-cost carrier's
fleet and the first to
be adorned with the
Pepsi logo. The drinks
company partnering VietJet for its
Tet time with their families and
'Tet till the last minute' programme,
beloved people. At Pepsi Vietnam,
we understand that and thus our
which will offer a series of
promotional fares aimed at helping
programme... is to help bring
poor students and workers return
needed people to their homes on
time during Tet Festival,” said Le
home for the Tet New Year holidays.
“After a busy and hardworking
Quoc Viet, marketing director of
year, everyone wants to spend
Pepsi Vietnam said.
Vietnam builds major cable car
A
major new cable car system is
being developed in northern
Vietnam.
According to a report by
the state-run CPV newspaper,
construction of the FansipanSapa cable car got underway on
2 November 2013 in Vietnam's
northern province of Lao Cai.
Once operational, the three-wire
system will stretch 7km from the
town of Sapa to the top of Fansipan
Mountain. This will make it one of
the longest cable car systems in the
world. Each car will hold up to 35
passengers, carrying up to 2,000
people to the top of the mountain
every hour. It will cut the current twoday trek to the peak down to a ride
of just 15 minutes.
Developed by the Sun Group, the
Fansipan-Sapa cable car will form
part of a major new tourism complex
also set to include luxury hotels,
entertainment facilities, restaurants
and a golf course. The total project
is expected to cost around VND4.4
trillion (US$208 million).
Managing Editor: Gary Marshall * | Editor-in-Chief: Mark Elliott *
101A Upper Cross Street, #11-16 People’s Park Centre, Singapore, 058358
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CRUISE NEWS UK
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7 Nov 2013
▶ P3
Far East opens Peranakaninspired hotel
Aeromexico flies Dreamliner to Paris
Aeromexico has commenced its first ever
Boeing 787 Dreamliner flights to Paris.
The new fuel-efficient twin-aisle aircraft
offers 243 seats - 32 in first class and 211
in economy, and will fly direct to Paris from
Mexico City. Flights depart the Mexican
capital at 0005, arriving at Paris Charles de
Gaulle Airport at 1810. The return service
will leave Paris at 2330, getting back into
Mexico City at 0520 the following morning. Paris is one of three initial
routes for Aeromexico's B787s, along with New York and Tokyo.
Biggest Angry Birds park developed
in Spain
A club room at the new Village Hotel Katong
F
ar East Hospitality has launched
a new Peranakan-inspired hotel
in Singapore - Village Hotel Katong.
The upscale property, which
launched yesterday, is a 229-room
hotel designed in a style that reflects
the heritage of eastern Singapore's
Katong and Joo Chiat districts.
The property was formerly
known as the Paramount Hotel
and Shopping Centre, but recently
completed a SG$30 million
(US$24.1m) refurbishment before
being relaunched under the Village
brand.
“The Peranakan culture is unique
to the Southeast Asia region and
synonymous with the Katong
precinct,” said Arthur Kiong, CEO
of Far East Hospitality. “With the
cornerstone of the Village brand
being our delivery of authentic, local
experiences through harnessing the
strengths of the locales, the infusion
of Peranakan influences in Village
Hotel Katong makes for a perfect fit.”
The hotel features a series of
local cultural aspects, including
pieces of Peranakan-inspired
artwork and a restaurant serving
a range of Asian culinary styles,
including Nonya, Macanese and
local Chinese. Other hotel amenities
include a swimming pool, gym and
meeting rooms, plus free Wi-Fi and
airport shuttle services.
Village Hotel Katong becomes
the fourth Village-branded hotel
in Singapore, following the Village
Hotel Albert Court, Village Hotel
Changi and Village Hotel Bugis.
Click here for full story 
oneworld success for MAS
M
alaysia Airlines
(MAS) has
hailed its oneworld
membership a success
after significantly turning
around its passenger
numbers in the last year.
David Dacko,
senior vice president
of marketing at MAS,
told Travel Daily the
airline has seen a 42%
increase in passengers compared
to last year and has also signed up
200 more corporate accounts since
joining the alliance earlier this year.
“Malaysia Airlines was just not
on the radar before with some
corporates so now we are more
relevant to them,” explained Dacko.
“Our share of passengers has
increased where we have taken
DID YOU
KNOW??
Hong Kong was
one of Jetstar Asia’s
opening routes when
it started operating
in 2004, along with
Taipei and Pattaya
Rovio Entertainment, the company behind
the Angry Birds computer game, has
opened its largest outdoor park in Spain.
Following a tie-up with Holiday Club
Resorts, the company opened the new
5,000m² Angry Birds Activity Park Gran
Canaria on 31 October. Located in the
Puerto Rico resort area of the island, the
new park will offer a range of indoor and
outdoor activities and attractions for younger visitors. Holiday Club Resorts
CEO said the park would complement its accommodation offerings.
Loews Hotels eyes
European development
Loews Hotels & Resorts is looking to build
hotels in Europe, as the US hotel chain
continues to invest in new and renovated hotels. The company has already
acquired three hotels in the last year with
openings in Boston, Washington DC
and Hollywood, but is looking for further
growth in Europe. The group’s management has already been scouting locations
for a London hotel, with other key European cities also being targeted. In
total, the company plans to boost its portfolio to 30-50 properties.
Air Europa welcomes 25th Boeing 737
them from other carriers, and the
oneworld alliance has allowed us to
be more recognised and broaden
the horizons.”
The airline has also seen
success in the UK with its Airbus
A380 services, which Denko
described as a “huge gamble, but
received an amazing reaction”.
Click here for full story 
Egencia
launches new
iPhone app
E
xpedia's corporate travel
arm, Egencia, has launched
a new iPhone app. The 'Egencia
TripNavigator' app is aimed at
helping business travellers by
offering a trip timeline backed
up with series of real-time alerts.
These include flight reminders and
hotel booking options, along with
interactive maps and the option
to connect with Egencia travel
consultants. Egencia plans to rollout an Android version of the app in
early 2014.
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Air Europa has taken delivery of its 25th
Boeing 737 aircraft. The new single-aisle
jet touched down at the Spanish carrier's base at Palma de Mallorca Airport
this week. Air Europa serves more than
40 destinations across Europe and the
Americas, with approximately half of its
fleet made up of 737-800s. It also operates B757s and Embraer regional jets,
plus B767s and Airbus A330s for its long-haul operations. It also has
outstanding orders for a further 17 B737-800s and B787 Dreamliners.
Big Bus Tours launches global brand
The UK's Big Bus Tours Ltd has created a
single global brand, Big Bus Tours, following
its merger with Les Cars Rouges. The new
brand roll-out is expected to be fully complete by the first quarter of 2014 and will see
the company expand its open-top sightseeing bus tours to more markets. In the last
two months, the company has launched in
Vienna and Istanbul, and said it now plans
to boost its travel trade business with the expansion of its global sales and
marketing teams. The company now has a fleet of 300 buses.
UK operator adds responsible
Vietnam responsible tours
T
our operator Luxury Travel
has launched a new range of
responsible tours in Vietnam. The
company is promoting the new
breaks at WTM this week, after
quadrupling sales in the UK in the
first nine months of 2013 yearon-year, primarily due to Vietnam
Airlines’ new flights to London and a
favourable exchange rate. The tour
operator’s founder Pham Ha said
British tourists are visiting lesserknown areas such as Con Dao and
Phu Quoc and also opting for multicentre trips that also visit Cambodia,
Laos or Myanmar.
Managing Editor: Gary Marshall * | Editor-in-Chief: Mark Elliott *
101A Upper Cross Street, #11-16 People’s Park Centre, Singapore, 058358
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7 Nov 2013
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▶ P4
I N S P I R E D B Y PA S S I O N
Profile: John Spence
Travel Daily chats with the chairman & CEO of Karma Resorts
and chairman of the Royal Karma Group
• What new development are Karma
currently undertaking?
We have a whole plethora of new projects
coming up. We're currently renovating
a chateau in the South of France, just
outside St Tropez, and recently opened a
beach club on Fiji's Denarau Island. Next
will be a beach club in the Gili Islands, off
the coast of Lombok, and we're developing
a new resort behind Karma Kandara in
Bali.
Also, we've received approval to build 80
new units at Rottnest Island in Australia,
and we're in the final stages of closing a
new hotel in the UK. We’re also planning
a new rugby bar at Twickenham and a spa
in Norway.
• You appear to have a wide range
of products and concepts - what ties
them together?
Essentially we're real estate developers.
As an hotelier we're owner-operators, so
we're masters of our own destiny. But we
also want to expand horizontally into spas,
concerts, beach clubs and other areas. We
want to be more than just a place to sleep
- our job is to entertain!
• What type of guest is attracted to a
Karma property?
We like to think of our resorts as offering
a 'five-star hippie' experience! We
attract people who are well-travelled and
appreciate laid back luxury. Our hotels are
boosted by a significant number of repeat
visitors, and we generate a lot of organic
growth through referrals. In our business
we talk to a huge amount of people, and
this also generates a lot of business. The
real estate and hotel businesses feed off
each other.
• You have three different hotel
brands - Royal, Karma and Chakra.
How do you differentiate them?
We started with Royal Resorts, which was
intended to be a four-star, price-driven
brand, then created the five-star Karma
Resorts. But we saw a big demand for
something in the middle. Chakra was
launched to provide a 4.5-star brand,
offering upscale products at a lower price,
and it is now becoming our most popular
brand.
The European recession has hit demand
for the Karma brand, but we are seeing
growing demand from Asian markets. We
now have a lot of guests from Singapore,
India and Australia. In fact the roles are
now reversing. In the past, European
visitors used to fuel demand for our Asian
hotels, but now we're seeing strong Asian
demand for Europe.
But we remain fairly opportunistic. We
don't limit ourselves to one area. People
come to me with proposals all the
time, and I always like to consider new
opportunities.
• You are a guest lecturer on
architecture at Yale University. How
big a part does architecture and
design play in your hotels?
I'm not an architect, but I do like working
with our teams to design new concepts. I
approach it as a consumer, thinking about
what I want out of a hotel. It has to be
comfortable, striking a balance between
formality and informality. I think some hotel
architects now are sacrificing comfort for
the sake of design. But you have to create
customer satisfaction in whatever you do.
At Karma we try to use natural, sustainable
materials and make all our resorts relevant
to their location.
• Which areas of Asia do you believe
off the most potential for future
development?
Bali is still a strong prospect. There are a
lot of new hotels coming into the market,
but it's still a fantastic destination and
Australia is such as strong natural source
market. In Thailand we sold the Karma
Samui, but we're still looking at new
sites in the country. If we were to return
to Thailand it will be in Phuket, and I'm
currently looking for a suitable site.
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I also think that Australia has been
enormously overlooked. Western Australia
is really an extension of Southeast Asia,
and holds huge potential. We have a piece
of land in Palawan, in the Philippines,
we're keen to explore Vietnam, and India
holds astronomical potential.
• Away from work, what do you do
to relax?
Business is my hobby! I always enjoy
my work, and it has led to other related
things, like lecturing at Yale, addressing
the 'Entrepreneur of the Year' awards
and working on philanthropic projects,
including a school in Bangalore. I live on
planes, which fortunately gives me time to
read. But my big passion is wine.
• And when you travel, do you stay
at Karma resorts?
I find it too difficult to switch off when I
stay at my own resorts. That's partly the
reason we've never developed anything in
the Maldives, which I love! In the summer I
spend a lot of time in the Mediterranean, in
Italy, Greece and the south of France. I'm
50 now, and still enjoy what I do. If I didn’t
enjoy it, I'd stop. Maybe I'll review the
situation in 10 years, when I turn 60!
Managing Editor: Gary Marshall * | Editor-in-Chief: Mark Elliott *
101A Upper Cross Street, #11-16 People’s Park Centre, Singapore, 058358
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CRUISE NEWS UK
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7 Nov 2013
Royal visit for THAI at WTM
▶ P5
APPOINTMENTS
MARTIN FLUCK has been named as
Oakwood Worldwide's new director of
operations for North Asia. With more than 30
years’ experience in the hospitality industry,
Fluck moves into the new role following a
stint as Oakwood's country manager for
Japan and GM of the Oakwood Premier
Tokyo Midtown.
MARIEKE CHATAIGNER has been
appointed director of business development
for Hilton Hotels & Resorts South Pacific.
A French national, Ms Chataigner brings
10 years of hotel experience to the new
role, most recently as director of sales &
marketing for Sofitel in New Zealand.
HRH Ubolratana Mahidol (centre) is greeted at the THAI booth by Danuj Bunnag, executive Vice
president of product & customer services (third right); Krittaphon Chantalitanon, vice president of
product & services (second left, front row) and Suvadhana Sibunruang (second left, second row),
director of brand management & commercial communications
T
hailand's Princess Ubolratana
Mahidol visited the World
Travel Market (WTM) in London this
week. In her capacity as Thailand’s
tourism ambassador, Princess
MAY ZHOU has been announced as SITA's
new vice president and general manager for
China. An experienced aviation professional,
Ms Zhou brings considerable experience to
the company. She previously spent six years
as SITA’s commercial director, managing the
sales team for SITA China.
Ubolratana visited the Thai Airways
International (THAI) booth at
the event, as the national carrier
celebrates the 40th anniversary of
its UK operations.
RUDOLF VAN DIJK has become the new
general manager of the Four Seasons Hotel
Sydney. He joins the hotel from the Four
Seasons Hotel Hangzhou in China, and has
also worked at the luxury hotelier's properties
in Singapore, Tokyo, Bangkok, Shanghai and
New York.
Virgin Australia expands
Indonesian codeshare
TIN MOE MOE KHINE has been appointed
as Myanmar Airways International's (MAI)
new country manager for Thailand and
Cambodia. Ms Saw, as she is better known,
transferred to Bangkok in September
having spent the last four years in based in
Kuala Lumpur.
JEFFREY LIM has been named as Etihad
Airways' new general manager for Singapore.
A Singaporean national, Lim previously spent
three years as the Abu Dhabi-based carrier's
general manager for Malaysia. He moves
back to his home country following the
retirement of Michael Tan.
V
irgin Australia has added a
further five destinations in
Indonesia following the expansion
of its codeshare agreement with
SilkAir.
The arrangement will enable
Virgin Australia to place its 'VA' code
on SilkAir's Airbus A320 services
from Singapore to Bandung,
Balikpapan, Lombok, Palembang
and Solo. These add to existing
codeshare agreement, which
DAVID WALSH has been announced as
Etihad Airways' new general manager for
Malaysia. He moves to the Kuala Lumpurbased role from Dublin, where he spent the
past year as Etihad’s general manager for
Ireland. He takes over the Malaysian role
from Jeffrey Lim, who moves to Singapore.
includes flights to Jakarta and Bali.
“We now have Virgin Australia
marketing code on 10 destinations
across Indonesia that can be
accessed on one ticket from all
Virgin Australia serviced airports
across Australia and New Zealand.”
Virgin Australia's Velocity
frequent flyer members are also
able to earn and redeem points
across the SilkAir network. Click
here for full story 
STEPHANE MASSE has been appointed
general manager of Le Meridien Cyberport,
Hong Kong. Masse brings 30 years of
experience to the role, having worked in
nine countries. Most recently, he spent three
years as general manager of the Sheraton
Guilin Hotel in southern China.
Ctrip profits surge in Q3
C
hinese travel company Ctrip
International has reported a
strong rise in profits for the third
quarter of the year. In the three
months to 30 September 2013,
the Shanghai-based company
generated net profits of CNY373
million (US$61m), up 92%
compared to the same period last
year. This was achieved following a
31% jump in revenues, to CNY1.5
billion.
"We are excited to report great
results in the third quarter of 2013,"
said James Liang, Ctrip's chairman
& CEO. "We achieved strong growth
in our major businesses and just
recently saw the daily transaction
value from Ctrip's mobile channels
reach a record of CNY100 million.
We expect mobile to become Ctrip's
most important booking platform in
the near future, and we will continue
to extend our leadership in the online
and mobile travel markets in China."
The company's hotel reservation
revenues increased 34% to CNY611
million (US$100 million) in Q3 2013,
while air ticketing revenues climbed
26% to CNY604m. Package tour
revenue jumped 43% to CNY320m
and corporate travel turnover was up
33% to CNY72m.
Ctrip's expenses also continued
to rise however, with product
development, sales and marketing
and administration costs up 38%,
17% and 14% respectively.
For the fourth quarter of 2013,
Ctrip said it revenue is expected to
increase "at a rate of approximately
20-25%".
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ROBERTO VISAGGIO has been named
as outlet manager for the Hilton Sukhumvit
Bangkok's Italian restaurants, Scalini and
Mondo. Originally from Italy, Visaggio has
been operating restaurants for 30 years, and
spent the last three years in Thailand, running
restaurants in Pattaya, Bangkok and Khao Yai.
Emirates adds fifth port in Pakistan
E
mirates has expanded its
operations in Pakistan with the
launch of flights to Sialkot - its fifth
destination in the country. Services
commenced this week and will
now operate four times a week
(Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays
and Sundays) using a two-class,
237-seat Airbus A330-200 aircraft.
Sialkot, which is located in the
northeast of the Pakistan's Punjab
province, joins Islamabad, Karachi,
Lahore and Peshawar on Emirates
Pakistani route map, and takes
the airline’s total operations in the
country to 66 weekly flights.
Managing Editor: Gary Marshall * | Editor-in-Chief: Mark Elliott *
101A Upper Cross Street, #11-16 People’s Park Centre, Singapore, 058358
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THE DAY
IN NUMBERS
7 Nov 2013
Centara adds club lounges to four
Thai hotels
▶ P6
Hotel renovation
firm sets up in
Vietnam
A
US-based company that
specialises in hotel renovations
has opened a new office in Vietnam.
Nova HRC has created a new base
Ho Chi Minh City from which it will
provide construction and sourcing
services to the hospitality industry.
Nova has worked with several
international hotel brands, including
Radisson, Hilton and Marriott.
2
Bangkok Airways is
adding two more daily
flights to Chiang Mai
7
A 7km cable car is
being developed
in Sapa, northern
Vietnam
229
Far East Hospitality
has opened the 229room Village Hotel
Katong
96,000
Venice will ban cruise
ships weighing more
than 96,000 tonnes
from November 2014
61,000,000
Ctrip’s net profit, in
US dollars, in the third
quarter of 2013
The premium club lounge at the
Centara Karon Resort Phuket
C
entara Hotels & Resorts has
added new club lounges to four
of its hotels in Thailand. The Centara
Karon Resort Phuket, Centara
Seaview Resort Khao Lak, Centara
Koh Chang Tropicana Resort and
Centara Hotel & Convention Centre
Khon Kaen all now feature the
lounges, which offer extra services
for guests paying a supplemental
room charge. The amenities include
private check-in and check-out,
continental breakfast, afternoon tea,
evening drinks and canapés, plus all
day tea, coffee, mineral water and
fruit.
All club guests also receive a
10% discount at hotel restaurants,
complimentary Wi-Fi and two pieces
of laundry per day.
China's Sichuan province mulls
Czech flights
A
delegation from the
Czech Republic arrived
in western China's Sichuan
province recently, to discuss
the possibility of direct flights.
At the West China International
Fair, Czech government officials
met with representatives of
Sichuan government to talk about
launching direct flights between
Chengdu and Prague, as well as
visa facilitation.
"Once the airline operator has
been found, we will immediately
start the necessary process
so that the consulate is up and
running before the first direct flight
to or from Prague is realised," said
Petr Hyl, an advisor to the Czech
minister of foreign affairs.
QUOTE
OF THE DAY
“Both Beijing and
London experienced
revPAR growth
during the seven
years following the
announcement, up to
the Olympic year, and
we expect this to also
be the case in Tokyo.”
Frank Sorgiovanni, vice
president of research for
JLL Hotels in Asia.
Jetstar welcomes two millionth HK passenger
J
etstar Asia has carried its two
millionth passenger on the
Singapore–Hong Kong route. The
route, which launched in 2004, is
now operated twice a day, and on
Wednesday the low-cost carrier
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celebrated carrying two million
passengers between the two cities.
The lucky landmark passenger, Irene
Si, was presented with HK$10,000
(US$1,290) of travel vouchers by
Jetstar Asia's CEO, Bara Pasupathi.
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