It’s your second week back at the office, yet you’re still out of touch with everything hospitality. So, what do you do? Read Travel Weekly‘s Hotel Wrap, of course.

Crowne Plaza Dubai Marina opens ahead of Expo 2020

InterContinental Hotels Group has announced the opening of Crowne Plaza Dubai Marina, part of the brand’s newly designed flagship properties launching globally.

Offering a new distinctive stay experience, Crowne Plaza Dubai Marina is designed to meet the needs of the modern business traveller, and is within 20-minutes’ drive to the site of the upcoming Expo 2020.

Opening on 20 October, 2020, Expo 2020 is a World Expo being hosted by Dubai, projected to attract tens of millions of international visitors.

The 273-room property is also in close proximity to important business hubs, including Jumeirah Lake Towers, Jebel Ali, Dubai Media City and Dubai Internet City.

Hilton to provide scholarship opportunities for Timor-Leste nationals in New Zealand

Hilton Dili Palm Springs will partner with the New Zealand Embassy based in Dili, Timor-Leste to provide short-term training scholarships to selected Timor-Leste citizens.

The selected participants will be trained in Hilton-managed hotels in New Zealand, under a program that aims to equip six individuals with industry skills and knowledge, Hilton explained.

Funded by the New Zealand government, six team members from Timor-Leste have been given the opportunity to undergo a six-month training program to enhance their English language skills and join a Hilton property in New Zealand to receive on-the-job hospitality skills training.

Each candidate will spend the half year at a Hilton hotel in Queenstown or Taupo, working in departments ranging from front office and kitchen to commercial, housekeeping and engineering.

Wyndham Destinations Asia Pacific donates to bushfire appeal

Mt Hotham – Dinner Plain CFA volunteer firefighters captured by Ramada Resort by Wyndham Dinner Plain Mt Hotham resort manager Jack Hudson during the evacuation of Dinner Plain.

The company has donated $30,000 to the Australian Red Cross bushfire appeal and will also gift free holidays to Mount Hotham Dinner Plain CFA volunteer firefighters, who have been battling dangerous blazes in the Victorian High Country.

“The courage and tenacity shown by the firefighters and emergency services personnel during these fires has been nothing short of heroic,” Barry Robinson, president and managing director, international operations, Wyndham Vacation Clubs, said.

“Many of these volunteers missed Christmas and New Year’s Eve with their families and we hope that a much deserved resort stay … will give the firefighters and their families something special to look forward to, along with a well-deserved break.”

Wyndham Destinations Asia Pacific is a timeshare and resort management company with a portfolio of 26 resorts and hotels across Australia and 70 properties across Asia Pacific.

The company manages the region’s largest timeshare club, Club Wyndham South Pacific, which has close to 60,000 timeshare members.

TAA: Lock out law removals to reinvigorate Syndey CBD

Tourism Accommodation Australia (TAA) NSW has welcomed the removal of the lockout laws across Sydney’s CBD, NSW and national CEO Michael Johnson saying it is a real chance to revitalise the city’s night-life and enhance its global reputation.

The 1:30am lockout across venues in the Sydney CBD and Oxford Street finally ended Tuesday morning, more than five years after they were first introduced.

Johnson said the most important thing now is for everyone to work together to re-invigorate Sydney.

The Anam Spa introduces Vietnamese zodiac spa journeys

One of Vietnam’s most acclaimed resorts, The Anam Cam Ranh, is ushering in 2020 in a state of zen, launching restorative spa packages tailored to guests’ birth years, zodiac signs and zodiac elements.

Inspired by the Vietnamese zodiac elements of wood, fire, earth, metal and water, the Anam’s new spa therapy begins with a consultation with the resort’s ‘elements’ spa specialist, who assesses the guest’s birth year to determine his or her zodiac sign and zodiac element.

The specialist then crafts a customised treatment plan that includes reinvigorating treatments designed to align the mind, body and soul.

To complement the spa treatments, the resort offers yoga and meditation sessions with the resort’s resident yogi, Umesh.

The Anam also affords three swimming pools, four restaurants, three bars and a 300-metre stretch of private beachfront set on what is often cited as Vietnam’s best beach.

Soneva Fushi unveils opulent new private residences

Soneva has unveiled two breath-taking new additions to its portfolio of villas and private hideaways at its Maldives property, Soneva Fushi.

The six-bedroom Villa 43 Sunset Reserve and four-bedroom Villa 38 (pictured above) aim to set a “new standard of desert island luxury”, and are found steps away from the beach, hidden among lush tropical forest.

Both residences have also been designed to exist in perfect harmony with the unspoiled setting and Soneva’s one-of-a-kind ‘no news, no shoes’ philosophy.

Vision Hotels breathes new life into Tasmania’s Scamander Beach Resort

The formerly known Scamander Beach Hotel/Motel is celebrating a new identity this month as new owners Vision Hotels rename the property as Scamander Beach Resort. The rebrand is in line with exciting plans for the property which includes a full refurbishment under new management.

Refurbishment of the property quietly began earlier this month and signals a changing tide for the beach side resort.

The physical upgrade and name change are a mark of things to come under new management of Vision Hotels. Guests visiting Tasmania’s Scamander Beach Resort will be met with a sea of friendly faces who form part of the welcoming community for locals and tourists alike.

ONYX Hospitality Group announces Amari East Bay Hangzhou for 2021 opening

ONYX Hospitality Group has signed a management agreement with Hangzhou East Bay Headquarters Base Construction Co. Ltd., introducing Amari East Bay Hangzhou, a new landmark in the Qiantang New Area of Hangzhou.

This will be ONYX Hospitality Group’s second Amari in China.

Scheduled to open in 2021, Amari East Bay Hangzhou will occupy levels 33 to 47 of the Hangzhou East Bay Headquarters Main Building, the tallest skyscraper in the Qiantang New Area. The lobby will be nestled on the on 47th floor, approximately 200 metres from the ground, embracing a panoramic view of the Qiantang River and the riverbank wetland.

Guests will be able to enjoy an experience amid the clouds, in the tallest hotel in Qiantang New District.

New villa collection marks the completion of The Apurva Kempinski Bali

Singhasari one-bedroom villa

The Apurva Kempinski Bali has launched a collection of 43 appointed private villas, nestled in tropical gardens on the clifftops of Nusa Dua.

The pool villas evoke the tropical characteristics of southern Bali, offering discerning visitors complete privacy, spacious indoor-outdoor living and a delectable flavour of Balinese life.

All of the villas offer private plunge pools and spacious outdoor terraces, while the larger options also feature kitchens and rooftop dining areas.

Wood and stone-clad interiors are finished with rattan bamboo furniture, woven Sumba textiles and handmade woodcarvings from Bali and Java, giving guests a flavour of Bali’s design and creativity.