Hotel Wrap: Wyndham’s new APAC boss, W Melbourne opening date + MORE
A lot has been happening in the world of hospitality lately, judging by the skyscraper-style wrap we’ve got for you today.
Wyndham reveals new APAC boss
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts has announced the appointment of Joon Aun Ooi (pictured above) as president for the Asia-Pacific region, effective 1 June 2020.
Ooi’s appointment follows the restructuring of the hospitality giant’s Southeast Asia and Pacific Rim and Greater China region to form a new operating region which will be collectively known as Asia Pacific.
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts APAC will continue to operate with regional offices in Singapore and Shanghai, and supported by its satellite offices in Beijing, Hong Kong, Xi’an, Sydney, Melbourne, Gold Coast, Bangkok, Seoul, Jakarta, Manila, and Kuala Lumpur.
Ooi joined Wyndham in 2013 as vice president of openings and operations across Greater China.
In 2018, he was appointed president and managing director for Southeast Asia and Pacific Rim, and led the Wyndham Hotels & Resort’s regional growth and development after its spin-off from Wyndham Worldwide.
Leo Liu, president of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts across Greater China, will be stepping down from the company.
W Melbourne to open in December
W Hotels Worldwide is set to open its second Australian property in December 2020.
Located at 408 Flinders Lane, the new property will be the showpiece of Cbus Property’s $1.25 billion Collins Arch mixed-use precinct.
Some key features and facilities of the hotel include: 294 guest rooms and 29 suites, including four spacious WOW Suites; four restaurants and bars; a state-of-the-art fitness facility; a gold-roof-adorned indoor pool with poolside bar and DJ booth; and 830 square metres of ultra-modern conference, meeting and event space.
IHG introduces new cleanliness measures
InterContinental Hotels (IHG) has announced an overhaul of its cleanliness standards and guidelines in partnership with Cleveland Clinic, Ecolab and Diversey.
The new heightened measures are an extension of the ‘IHG Way of Clean’ program; a commitment to rigorous cleaning procedures to keep guests, visitors and colleagues safe and assured.
IHG’s cleanliness updates are explained in the below video:
https://www.facebook.com/IHGCorporate/videos/954130058354734/
Club Med creates free online tool for agents
Premium, all-inclusive resort player Club Med has developed a new and completely free marketing tool for travel agents.
The ‘Club Med i-frame’ tool has been designed to simply how agents promote and display Club Med resorts, special offers and key information on their websites, with minimal effort required.
The new tool also has the bonus benefit of no out links, which means clients will stay on the agency’s website with access to all the info they need.
Club Med’s i-frame comes in three different versions, so agencies can choose the content that best suits their business needs or, better still, use a combination.
For more information on Club Med’s new tool, click here.
Accor and AXA launch strategic partnership
Accor and insurance player AXA have announced a strategic partnership to provide medical support to guests across the hospitality giant’s 5,000 hotels worldwide.
As soon as July 2020, the partnership will enable Accor guests to benefit from high-level care thanks to the expert medical solutions of AXA Partners, AXA’s international entity specialised in assistance services, travel insurance and credit protection.
Among the benefits for Accor guests will be free access to medical teleconsultations and access to AXA’s extensive medical networks.
The new partnership complements Accor’s overall global recovery plan and is included in the enhanced health and prevention protocols that the company has put in place, notably through its ALLSAFE Cleanliness label in anticipation of the progressive reopening of its hotels across the different regions.
Centara introduces Willy Wonka-inspired kids spa experience
Thai hotel operator Centara Hotels & Resorts is raising the bar for original family experiences by announcing the launch of a dedicated kids spa inspired by the legendary tale of the adventures of young Charlie Bucket in the Roald Dahl classic Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
The unique experience is an elaborate playground catering specifically to children aged 15 years old and under – a space where they can enjoy candy-themed spa treatments, manicures, pedicures, get creative by mixing their own lotions and potions, or even hold parties.
Operated by SPA Cenvaree, the first ‘Spa Candy’ playground will open in 2021 at Centara Mirage Beach Resort in Dubai.
Oaks unveils ‘Together Again’ package
Oaks Hotels, Resorts & Suites has announced its first accommodation package since COVID-19 travel restrictions begin to ease in South Australia.
The ‘Together Again’ package encourages guests to re-unite with family and friends and explore their home state, supporting local businesses and tourism operators across Adelaide and beyond while observing current advice on social distancing.
Guests can save up to 30 per cent on bookings, including flexible booking policies and free cancellation, while MYOAKS members can save a further 10 per cent on bookings. The offer is valid for bookings made before 4 June 2020, for stays until the end of March 2021.
Oaks has implemented hospital-grade cleaning measures across all areas of each of its properties, including guest rooms, common areas and back-of-house. Furthermore, government regulations around social distancing are observed by all staff.
Hospitality tech company delivers contactless check-in solution
Canary Technologies, which provides solutions to some of the world’s largest hotel brands, management companies and ownership groups, has launched Contactless Check-In.
The new tech allows hotels to check guests in with no physical or material contact between the guest and the front-desk agent. Hotels can provide their guests with a mobile link with instructions to check in either prior to arrival or once they have reached the property.
There is no app to download, and the guest can complete the entire process with a few simple taps, including identity verification and form of payment.
Mercure Albury adopts BeyondTV platform
As hotels look for measures to protect guest health while catering to their demands for convenience and service personalisation, Mercure Albury has recently adopted the BeyondTV in-room service and entertainment platform to simultaneously address such needs.
Located in NSW, the property decided to implement BeyondTV as a way to provide guests with a safer alternative to requesting services or locating details on available hotel amenities.
BeyondTV also allows each guest to wirelessly cast personal content such as streaming subscriptions from personal devices onto a larger guest room television screen.
Pan Pacific London offers virtual bridal expertise
With many weddings now postponed due to coronavirus, lots of couples are feeling understandably disappointed.
In this new reality, Pan Pacific London is determined to keep the excitement going, offering virtual personalised consultations, new event formats and rethinking the guest experience.
For weddings in 2021, in-house wedding expert Claire Bishop is available for virtual venue tours and planning meetings, held face to face using online technology, offering advice and guidance helping couples to prepare for their wedding day.
After the first consultation, a more in-depth video meeting is arranged during which couples will be talked through the many options available to them when choosing Pan Pacific London.
Guidance with virtual dance lessons, online hair and make-up tutorials, reviewing DJ sets online, supplier and chef consultations via Zoom are just a few highlights of the preparation services that are available.
Pan Pacific London is also offering a number of different wedding formats for when it opens its doors.
With three large SMART LED screens available, couples can continue with the ceremony knowing that their guests can still join from home.
The hotel can also provide the option for intimate wedding formats such as ‘mini-monies’ and ‘micro-weddings’ amongst its Pan Pacific suite, private dining rooms or exclusive takeover of the of the ‘Meeting Place’ event space on the fifth floor.
A staycation package is also available, offering several activities for couples, including a weekend stay in a suite, brunch in bed and more.
Doors re-open at Wanaka lakeside hotel
After being temporarily closed during New Zealand’s strict lockdown period, Edgewater has welcomed guests and visitors back to the hotel.
General manager Catherine Bone said she and her team have focused on re-opening the hotel in the safest way possible.
“We’ve followed government directives about the way we can safely operate at level two, including spacing tables in the restaurant, contactless contact tracing systems and having single servers in the dining area,” she said.
“It is exciting to be able to once again welcome visitors and guests back to the hotel.”
New Meliá Koh Samui appoints director of sales and marketing
A hospitality professional with two decades of experience in sales and marketing has been named Meliá Koh Samui’s director of sales and marketing.
Phatsalawadee Pimpila’s appointment to the new 159-room and 41-suite luxury resort on Koh Samui’s north-eastern coastline in the Gulf of Thailand comes after she previously worked as director of sales for Kanda Residences, another five-star hotel situated on Koh Samui island.
Pimpila has also worked as the managing and sales director for O-Pa Television, which she co-founded.
She was also previously a senior sales and event manager for media company Travel Daily Asia for six-and-a-half years, and has held senior sales management roles for hotel Unico Sandara Cha-Am in Hua Hin, production company Capital TV and developer Celadon Land Asia Pacific.
COMO Shambhala launches digital wellness companion
COMO Shambhala has launched at-home wellness programs and personal consultations exclusively through its new digital wellness companion, COMO Shambhala By My Side.
For all those in pursuit of greater wellbeing, COMO Shambhala By My Side brings together the holistic expertise honed at both COMO Shambhala Urban Escape in Singapore and COMO Hotels and Resorts wellness locations around the world.
Users have the opportunity to access COMO’s network of international experts through this newly curated digital platform.
COMO Shambhala By My Side is designed to provide a sanctuary for those who seek tranquillity and the inspiration to stay active during these uncertain times and beyond.
Originally conceived for COMO Shambhala’s Urban Escape guests in Singapore, COMO Shambhala By My Side offers a comprehensive range of thoughtfully-created experiences led by a panel of internationally-accredited specialists, in easy-to-follow video tutorials that can be accessed via a smartphone or a laptop from anywhere in the world.
Unlimited access to all COMO Shambhala By My Side video content is available for a monthly subscription fee of approximately $24.
For more in-depth programs or specific needs, users can enjoy exclusive access to private one-on-one consultations with COMO Shambhala’s expert nutritionist, naturopath, physiotherapist, or life coach from around $178 for 45 minutes.
Sessions can be booked for up to 90 minutes and are charged individually.
Turtle Island helps out its local community
To continue supporting local villages, Fiji’s Turtle Island has donated $15,000 worth of fishing and farming equipment and food supplies as part of the island’s Nacula Tikina Food Relief initiative.
Recently, staff at Turtle Island helped to pack and deliver these much-needed supplies to the surrounding villages in the Nacula Tikina.
Turtle Island has committed to retaining all of its employees, and over 60 have remained on the island tending to the gardens and conducting ongoing maintenance in readiness for the return of guests.
Italy’s Grand Hotel Tremezzo to reopen in June
The Grand Hotel Tremezzo will reopen its doors on 26 June, with 30 of its 90 rooms available.
The hotel’s five restaurants and bars, along with its three pools, will all be open, and its ‘T Spa’ will be available for massages and treatments.
The Grand Hotel Tremezzo will also be able to show off its newly renovated T Beach, a unique lido with real sand overlooking Bellagio and the Grigne mountains.
Industry bodies welcome government’s response to ‘King Review’
The Australian Hotels Association (AHA) and Tourism Accommodation Australia (TAA) have welcomed the federal government’s response to the ‘King review’.
The report, chaired by Grant King, included a recommendation that the National Australian Built Environment Rating Scheme (NABERS) and the Commercial Buildings Disclosure (CBD) scheme be expanded to hotels, which the government did not support.
AHA chief executive Stephen Ferguson said in rejecting this recommendation, the government has saved many Australian hotels from yet more red tape.
“This is a common-sense move by the federal government, and we thank Angus Taylor in particular for listening to the concerns outlined by the AHA and TAA,” Ferguson said.
TAA chief executive Michael Johnson said that by avoiding being included in the NABERS and CBD schemes, hotels can continue to concentrate on implementing practical measures to reduce costs and emissions.
“We commend the federal government for refusing to accept a recommendation that would have added unnecessary red tape to hotels, at a time when the industry requires comprehensive assistance from policymakers.”
Beonprice reinvents its RMS
Spanish revenue management system (RMS) provider Beonprice is reinventing its offering to integrate consumer traveller trends and destination demand insights to optimise rates and distribution for bookings once they return post-COVID-19.
The company is now incorporating data that will allow revenue managers to calculate and optimise rates where historical data has become obsolete.
Beonprice will begin incorporating information including flight data, online searches for travel and accommodation, destination demand, and benchmarking data.
Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au
accor australian hotels association AXA Beonprice Canary Technologies centara hotels & resorts club med COMO Shambhala COMO Shambhala By My Side Contactless Check-In Edgewater Grand Hotel Tremezzo hospitality hotel hotel wrap hotels ihg intercontinental hotels Joon Aun Ooi King review Meliá Koh Samui Mercure Albury Pan Pacific London Phatsalawadee Pimpila resorts tourism accommodation australia turtle island W Melbourne Wyndham Hotels & ResortsLatest News
“Dragged to hell and back”: Qantas’ illegal sackings severely impacted workers’ mental health, court told
A court has heard of the extent the illegal sackings had on former employees, including cases of anxiety and depression.
Qantas to increase domestic lounge fees by 17% next month
QF says the hike will recover lost member fees during COVID. TW thinks its absolutely time to leave the big C behind.
17 per cent rise in business volume drives Club Med success in 2023-24 and beyond
What's next for Club Med? We'd guess another all inclusive resort, but what do we know?
South West Sydney Tourism launches Western Sydney Tourism Awards
Penrith's 3 consecutive NRL premierships wasn't enough? The people of Western Sydney could fill the trophy cabinet more!
Scoot’s mega March sale has flights to Athens from $355
With Scoot, travellers can lap up the Parthenon on the cheap! Delving into Ancient Greece has never been so affordable.
Luxury Travel Collection welcomes Ramsgate Travel Services to the group
Ramsgate hopefully to be welcomed to the group with more than just an Eagle Boys party. This is worthy of Domino's!
Hotels vs. Airbnb: Industry leaders at odds over who should pay accommodation levy
There's not as much gore in the Hotels vs. Airbnb saga as there is in Alien vs. Predator, but it's just as thrilling!
Unveiling Austria: The Ultimate Destination for Aussie Adventurers!
Looking for a different country to explore but don't want the name to be all that different? Austria is your saviour!
Kyoto’s cherry blossom guide: The one-stop-shop for exploring the city
It can't top Aussie favourites like the Gum or Banksia tree, but we'll give the Cherry Blossom tree the bronze medal.
Entire Travel Group is giving agents $100 for each Rocky Mountaineer booking
Clients mulling a rail holiday and are set on Europe? Convince them Canada is where it's at with Entire's new incentive.
Mickey Mann relocates to Sydney for expansive sales role at TTC Tour Brands
Mickey's gotten the big promotion while TW has finally fixed its coffee machine! It's all happening in the travel world.
Singapore Airlines revamps premium economy with new menu, amenity kit
Felt Singapore Airlines was lacking "the sauce" (as the kids say). Bolster belief in the carrier's je na sais quoi here.
WEBINAR: Don’t miss the chance to scrub up on England, Scotland and Wales this week
Looking for an excuse to put the feet up for half an hour this working week? Look no further!
Luxury Escapes officially launches its agent hub
Appease your luxury-craving client and score some sweet commission. It's all happening with this new agent portal.
CATO heads to Canberra to discuss the state of travel with Government
Telling someone you're going to Canberra "for work" is a real power move. We've only been for trips to Questacon.
Business Events Adelaide set for 20th Destination SA event
Destination SA turns 20! Hopefully it's not celebrated with vodka cruisers and vapes like most 20th birthdays.
Boeing’s woes delay massive Virgin Australia order
This delay means Virgin staffers will be without that new plane smell, inspiring the TW team to sell it in a can.
Golden Eagle Luxury Trains’ 2024/25 program for Aussies has arrived!
Has this got news got you giddy with glee or feeling a bit 'meh'? Well, it's here for you anyway.
All the winners from the 2023 Qantas Australian Tourism Awards
Somehow missed this news over the weekend? Good thing you're subscribed to our fabulous newsletter!
Qatar Airways CEO unveils ‘Qatar Airways 2.0’
Qatar ushers in '2.0', while TW nurses the Guinness-induced haziness of a Monday after Paddy's Day.
“Airport of the future”: Gold Coast Airport outlines mega plans
What does the airport of the future look like in your mind? If the robots from Wall-E came up then we think alike.
Journey Beyond celebrates 95 years of The Ghan with birthday sale
Do note that today's b'day sale isn't actually The Ghan's b'day. We'd hate for you to get a train's b'day wrong.
Tourism Ireland gets the gang together for Paddy’s Day
'Fill your heart with Ireland' is the campaign name. We prefer fill your stomach with Guiness.
Heritage Expeditions’ new sales manager Australia celebrates appointment with agent famil
He took 11 agents on a trip for his new gig while TW celebrates newbies with a parmi and a pint. Both equal in our eyes.
Uniworld announces S.S. Emilie to sail Europe in 2026
The TW team was once desperate for a river cruise but we ended up at a Uniqlo, not Uniworld. Got a fun shirt though.
INCENTIVE: Double your commission with Inspiring Vacations
Does this news inspire you to flog some Inspiring Vacations trips? Let this article be your inspiration.
Corporate international travel from Brisbane up 30% YOY: Flight Centre
Queenslanders seem keen to go somewhere that actually serves good beer! Sorry, we actually like Great Northern.
44,000 tonnes of sustainable fuel needed to meet decarbonisation targets in EU: CLIA
Much less beans in our diet is what the TW team needs to decarbonise. Though Heinz may shut down if that happens.
Scathing revelations send Boeing’s share price plummeting – Market Check
Poor Boeing. It's just not going. Perhaps soon its brand value will be growing. Until then, it's only faults showing.
The $8 million Government initiative to boost sustainable tourism
Putting $8m into sustainable tourism is a much wiser move than our suggestion of putting it all on black at the casino.
Virtuoso ANZ Forum: Award winners, trends, outlook and more revealed!
The forum was full of Virtuosos! By that we mean travel agents and partners, not Beethoven and Rachmaninov.
“Stressful and humiliating”: Blind disability charity executive abandoned by Jetstar at airport
The poorly treated traveller said this was a failure by the airline to meet its obligation to uphold her human rights.
AmaWaterways opens reservations office for ANZ agents
AmaWaterways has someone for you to yak to! It's meant for reservations but we're sure chit chat is also welcome.
IHG hits 1,000 APAC properties, signals bright future ahead
1000 properties is great for IHG but Travel Weekly just got today's Wordle in two guesses! Who's the real winner, huh?
Melbourne bookings up 52% as Formula 1-fever drives racing fans wild
Does Formula 1 drive you wild, to insanity or round the bend? Regardless, it's driving travellers to Melbourne.
Three-quarters of Aussies plan up to 3 trips this year: AMEX
75% of Aussies are keen on a hat-trick this year! Should make up for never getting one in cricket as a kid.