Hotels & Culinary ASIA (May-June 2014)

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Resiliency in Sales Is Best Built During Up Market Conditions - By Doug Kennedy, Columnist HCA & President of Kennedy Training Network, USA

They say the first bite is taken with the eye, and here’s an appetizer of what’s in store. Hotels & Culinary Asia (HCA) is a B2B magazine for the ever-growing Hotel, Food, Travel and Lifestyle Industries.

Resiliency. What a terrific word for our industry. Just about every ‘average’ day working in a hotel requires some degree of resiliency. When you look up the word ‘resiliency’ in various online dictionaries, the most common definitions center around the ability for a physical object to spring back to its original form, such as a rubber band after it has been stretched or the elastic waistbands on gym shorts. My favorite definitions of resiliency are the psychological definitions, focusing on the character trait of having the ability to cope with adversarial conditions and stressful circumstances; to bounce right back to a normal mental state without experiencing long term negative effects. As a minister I had years ago used to say, ‘It’s not what happens to us, but what happens in us, that makes the difference for us...’ Resilient leaders seem to know this well, as adversity only makes them grow stronger.

HCA, through print and online magazine is real time information network that connects you with latest information of the above industries, at the forefront of all the action and as the key media partner to the major industry events around the world, you can trust HCA to serve you with what you need.

Although resiliency is essential in all daily hotel operations, it is especially important to have the personal charter trait of resiliency actualized in sales leaders. As the old saying goes, “Nothing happens in operations until a sale is made.” It is during unexpected periods of low demand and during hard times that we most recognize the character trait of resiliency.

Yet construction on the foundation of the character trait of resiliency is best started during good economic times.

A quick glance through our pages will lead you into the world of the now in-demand technologies, services and events and much more.

Even without resiliency, it is easy to be successful in hotel sales during good times in an up market. The phones are always ringing, or these days it would be more appropriate to say the email in-box is always pinging with electronic inquiries.

Vol.1 No. 3 | May-June 2014 | New Delhi, India

ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION: US$100

Our aim is to update you with the most happenings in the world of hotel, food, travel and lifestyle industries. Dive in, read, explore through our pages and we shall serve you to the best of our abilities and honour our commitment towards excellence.

I n T h e P a g e s

But when the market shifts and leads are not coming in on pace, resilient leaders know what to do. It is in their instinct, their DNA. They have disciplined themselves in diligently focusing on excellence at every step in the sales process excellence every day, regardless of market conditions. They know how to be “hunters” during hard times because they continue to hunt for new business in good times when other hotel sales leaders ease-up and coast by being “gatherers,” to use an analogy from anthropology.

Resiliency in sales begins with discipline in sales excellence throughout the sales process.

4 A “MUST Visit” Event of the Industry: FHT2014: 8 HITEC Offers Numerous Conference Technology Features 11 The ‘Smart’ Trend in Hotels 14 Dine in luxury and beauty at underwater restaurant 18 New Range of Towels Introduced 20 Healthy Summer Smoothie Secrets 28 A Tour through Madame Tussauds Hong Kong 32 Make Festivals A Summer Holiday Must 37 Show Report: Food&HotelAsia2014 40 Spa Trends 2014 42 JOHNNY ROCKETS Burgers in India 45 KW Conferences – India’s First Accredited Professional Conference Organiser – Partners IT&CM India!

• Resilient sales leaders have a lead tracking and response process that is in place for all inquiries. They understand that sometimes the hottest lead is disguised as just another inquiry, lost in generalsales@yourhotelname.com inbox.

They know how to sort and prioritize leads, and still follow-up on every lead, even when dates are sold out.

• Resilient sales leaders report a little early, prepared for their day and looking the part of a well-organized and put together mentor.

• Resilient sales leaders know the best time to make a cold call to a new sales suspect is right after you just closed your biggest recent sale. They are never fully satisfied with the sales goals they have achieved in the past, no matter how much they beat budget, and are only focused on the next month, quarter and year.

• Resilient leaders mentor others. They take time to teach others their processes and philosophies.

These sales leaders know that eternal optimism is a necessary and required ingredient of resiliency. They understand that it is difficult to prospect for business if you don’t believe people are interested in your product. When overall demand is down, they know they don’t have to fill all the hotels in the comp-set, only their own. They look for business in new places.

• Resilient leaders are also realistic in the best moments that there will be challenges ahead. They prepare for the proverbial “rainy day” and do not over-react to unexpected periods of low demand or the loss of a single large account. Instead they have been working for months ahead to replace current business before it moves on for whatever reason. They know that plants close, operations move, new initiatives end, and construction projects are completed. Yet they are confident that the systems they have in place will yield new opportunities.

Right now most hotel salespeople are enjoying above average demand in the face of limited supply; the proverbial “seller’s market.” If sales leaders only focus on beating the previous year’s revenues, they will never fully actualize their potential for the current year. They will never realize just how much money they left on the table. They will also be ill prepared when markets shift.

Meanwhile, resilient sales leaders are currently busy focusing on excellence at every phase of the sales process with the same degree of discipline they had during the “Great Recession.” When the next downturn approaches, as it inevitably will, they will already be replacing the business that has yet to be lost.

EDITORIAL: Reny, Sarvjit, Vishwapreet & Amrita (India), Anna (Sweden), Mike (UK), Liza (Singapore), Upi (Indonesia), Ying & Adrian (China), Arvi (Australia). Columnist: Doug Kennedy Public Relations Director: Winnie. Advisor: Rajiv Sanghavi. Design, Art & Web Development: Diamond Infomedia. Publisher: Milinia Inc. Founded by: Late Mr N.S. Kanwar. B-2-B Group Publications: PRINTING REVIEW, Medical Device ASIA, autoASIA, Plastics & Rubber Review, Electronics & Electrical ASIA, Beauty & Fashion World. Contacts: To advertise: advertise@ hotelsandculinaryasia.com, to submit a press release: editorial@hotelsandculinaryasia.com, to subscribe: subscribe@hotelsandculinaryasia.com.

Published, printed, & owned by Vishwapreet Kaur on behalf of Milinia Inc. at , D-182, PR House, Anand Vihar, 110092, New Delhi, India and printed by her at Technical Press, D-182/C, Anand Vihar, 110092, New Delhi, India.

Views expressed in this magazine are of the contributors, authors and companies and not necessarily of the publisher and/or editors’ and they do not take any responsibility for the errors and/or accuracy of the information published in this publication. No part or design of this magazine can be reproduced without prior permission of the publisher, who reserves the right to use the information published in this magazine in any manner whatsoever.

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A “MUST Visit” Event of the Industry: FHT2014: Get Fresh Ideas for Business!

- Asia’s 5-Star Food & Hospitality Event Food & Hotel Thailand (FHT) 2014 is the leading international trade exhibition in Thailand for food and hospitality business.

FHT has a proven track record over 21 years of presenting fresh ideas for business through new products, services and trends from the world’s best companies.

FHT gets strong support from Thailand and the region’s leading industry associations.

Working with these associations, together with FHT’s marketing and press activities, ensures industry focused trade buyers consistently attend FHT in high numbers and quality. FHT delivers trade buyers from hotels, restaurants, importers, distributors, retailers, manufacturers, chefs, sommeliers, baristas and many more.

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Incorporating:

In-conjunction with:

u p c o m i n g | e v e n t

Food & Hotel Myanmar 2014 – Serving Up Business

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ood & Hotel Myanmar 2014, is the First-Ever Premium International Food & Hospitality Trade Event to take place in Myanmar. The International Exhibition for Food & Drink, Hotel, Restaurant, Bakery & Foodservice Equipment, Supplies & Services will take place from 18th to 20th June 2014 at Myanmar Convention Centre (MCC Hall), Yangon, Myanmar.

Food & Hotel Myanmar 2014 is organised by Bangkok Exhibition Services (BES) Ltd, An Allworld Exhibitions Member.

Allworld Exhibitions is the leading international Food & Hospitality Trade Event organiser in Asia.

Myanmar has rapidly emerged as one of Asia’s newest and brightest frontier markets with economic growth estimated at an annual rate of 7.8% for the next two years. It was voted the “World Best Tourist Destination Award for 2014” from the European Council on Tourism and Trade, one of the highest accolades in the global travel and tourism industry. And across Myanmar there is a burst of new hotel and restaurant openings providing much needed extra rooms and hospitality for Myanmar’s rapidly increasing business and leisure travellers.

“Food & Hotel Myanmar 2014 is truly the first-ever international trade event taking place in Myanmar for Myanmar. It will cover both inside and outside space at MCC Hall. It will be the largest and first-of-its-kind event for Myanmar. Presenting a huge range of food & hospitality products, services and events never seen in Myanmar before. The proof will be in the pudding, and I ask all food and hospitality related professionals to come and see the show for themselves”. Said Mr. Justin Pau, General Manager, Bangkok Exhibition Services (BES) Ltd Food & Hotel Myanmar 2014 will present over 250 exhibitors from 29 countries, showcasing over 1,000 different brands, and 6 International Pavilions from Germany, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and the USA. “International companies want to enter Myanmar to learn more about the local market, add value and develop business.

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The local market, companies and people can also benefit greatly and develop business and skills from international expertise, experience, products & services.” Added Mr. Pau

and BES will see 15 baristas battle to win the prestigious title of Myanmar’s first-ever Barista champion. The 2 day competition takes place 18th to 19th June at Food & Hotel Myanmar.

The line-up of exhibitors includes; Aalst Chocolate, Aroma Gourmet Concepts Ltd, Berjaya Steel Product Sdn. Bhd., Ehrmann AG, Fabbri, Fonterra, Grand Cherry Xeno Trading Company Limited, Grand Twin Brothers Ltd., Gruppo Cimbali Spa, Gryphon Tea, Hobart (Thailand), Lavazza, Leone King Hotel & Restaurant Supplies Co., Ltd., Manitowoc Foodservice Asia Pacific, Natron Industries Pte Ltd, Nestle Professional, Peerapat Technology Public Company Limited, Premium Distribution Co., Ltd., Puratos, Quarto Products Pte Ltd, RATIONAL International AG, Schott-Zwiesel, Somerville (Siam) Ltd., Wega Macchine Per Caffe’ S.r.l and many many more.

AHRA-ASEAN Bartenders’ Competition 2014 The AHRA-ASEAN Bartenders’ Competition 2014 co-organised

by Myanmar Restaurants Association (MRA) and BES will see competitors from Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand compete to win the champions spot. The 1 day competition takes place 20th June at Food & Hotel Myanmar.

Food & Hotel Myanmar 2014 will also include 4 industry events: Myanmar Culinary Arts Competition (MCAC) 2014 The first-ever Myanmar Culinary Arts Competition (MCAC) 2014 coorganised by the Myanmar Chefs Association (MCA) and BES will see 150 chefs testing their skills and experience to new international levels never seen in Myanmar before. The 3 day competition takes place 18th to 20th June at Food & Hotel Myanmar.

Myanmar National Barista Championship (MNBC) 2014 The first-ever Myanmar National Barista Championship (MNBC) 2014 co-organised by Element Coffee Consulting & Machine Supplies

Food Safety Seminar presented

by Food Science & Technology Association (Myanmar) 2014 The Food Science & Technology Association (Myanmar) will present a half-day food safety seminar taking place 9am to 1pm, 19 June at Food & Hotel Myanmar.

Food & Hotel Myanmar 2014 is a “MUST-VISIT” event for all food, hospitality and foodservice related professionals because at the show they can meet local and international suppliers, find new products and services, see the latest industry trends, learn from leading industry events and network with other industry professionals.

For more information, please contact: Bangkok Exhibition Services (BES) Ltd Contact PR Executive: Ms. Wantita Porntanawong (Bow) Tel.: +662 615-1255 ext. 123 Email: wantita@besallworld.com

Food & Hotel Myanmar 2014

18-20 June | Myanmar Convention Centre,Yangon

HITEC Offers Numerous Conference Technology Features for Attendees for cyber-tourism for the hospitality industry. After playing with the popular tech tool, attendees will have the option to contribute to the research by completing a short online survey. Those interested can also attend the Tech Talk regarding Google Glass on Tuesday, June 24 at 11:00 a.m in the HFTP Booth.

Official HITEC Guest Bloggers — Returning for 2014, HFTP has recruited three guest bloggers with multiple industry perspectives to write about their HITEC experiences. From the opening party, to the informative education sessions and innovative technology coming from the show floor, these individuals will offer an inside look at all things HITEC. These blog posts will be featured on the official HFTP Connect blog.

TodaysMeet — Interact with HITEC education live never before. HITEC education participants will be able to network with their fellow attendees or even the speaker of a session with TodaysMeet. Each individual session will have its own specific “chat room” where attendees and speakers can interact within the session. With Wi-Fi provided by CISCO available in the education rooms, all attendees will need is internet access through their smart device.

Industry professionals attending the Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC®) June 23 -26, 2014 in Los Angeles, Calif., will be pleased to find several new and returning technology features.

These features are meant to help attendees participate and navigate their way through the event filled week.

New HITEC 2014 Mobile Site — A new mobile site will soon be available to coincide with HITEC 2014. This site will feature the conference schedule, schedule personalization tools, exhibitor information, maps with way finding capability and customizable convention content for attendees. No download is necessary, making it easily accessible on any mobile device. More details will be available to attendees before arriving in Los Angeles.

Virtual Trade Show — HFTP has partnered with XplorIt Multimedia Technologies to create a virtual trade show that will allow visitors to walk the exhibit hall and see HITEC as its happening. Attendees will be able to watch as the Los Angeles Convention Center’s West Hall is transformed from an empty space through a time-lapse of the set-up to the final reveal of the big show. Attendees can visit the XplorIt counter at the HFTP Booth #455 virtually see their experience on exhibit floor.

Google Glass Demonstration — In addition to participating in a virtual tour, attendees will have the opportunity to experience and learn about Google Glass. Chosen as a Google Explorer, Ajay Aluri, Ph.D., assistant professor with the College of Business and Economics at West Virginia University, will allow interested attendees a chance to experience Google Glass as part of a research study of the use of Google Glass 8 | May-June 2014 | Hotels & Culinary ASIA

Social Media Conversation — To find the most up-to-date information and news on HITEC, attendees can join the conversation on LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. Search for HITEC/HFTP in each of these outlets and follow along during the week. Those active on Twitter are encouraged to use the HITEC hashtag (#HITEC) so comments about the event can be featured on the prominent Twitter walls throughout the conference.

Wi-Fi — HITEC makes it easy for attendees to stay connected during the week by offering complimentary Wi-Fi in the HITEC areas at the Los Angeles Convention Center, including in the West Hall Lobby, Digital Den, HFTP Membership Lounge and in the education rooms. The Wi-Fi will be provided by Cisco, and there will be a Cisco-staffed Wi-Fi Help Desk in the Digital Den to assist attendees with any Wi-Fi questions.

For more information about HITEC and all that the four day event has to offer the hospitality technology professional, visit www.hitec.org.

About HFTP HFTP, Austin, Texas, USA and Maastricht,The Netherlands, founded in 1952, is the global professional association for financial and technology personnel working in hotels, clubs and other hospitality-related businesses. HFTP provides first class educational opportunities, research, and publications to members around the globe including, the premiere hospitality technology conference HITEC--founded in 1972. HFTP also awards the only hospitality specific certifications for accounting and technology --the Certified Hospitality Accountant Executive (CHAE) and the Certified Hospitality Technology Professional (CHTP) designations. HFTP was founded in the USA as the National Association of Hotel Accountants. For more information, visit the HFTP web site.

The ‘Smart’ Trend in Hotels

By JULIE WEED

At the InterContinental Miami hotel, guests in the lobby can call up the drink menu and flag down a server to order using a touch screen on the coffee tables. The Park Hyatt Tokyo and Park Hyatt Seoul give guests free access to over 2,300 international newspapers on their smartphones or tablets using the hotel’s Wi-Fi network and an app called PressReader.

Hotels

around the world are using technology in new ways, with the goal of speeding up or personalizing more services for guests.

David-Michel Davies, president of the Webby Media Group, said he visited Internet companies around the world each year for the Webby Awards, which honor excellence on the Internet. He said he had found that hotels were using technology as a substitute for human hospitality.

Instead of the staff at the front desk offering advice on where to go for dinner, guests may be lent an iPad loaded with maps and suggestions for local restaurants and sightseeing. A hand-held device in the room might control the television, blinds and temperature, replacing the role of the bellman who would describe how the features in the room work when he dropped off a guest’s luggage. “Hotels are transforming service into a digital concept,” Mr. Davies said.

Barbara Kahn, who studies consumer decision-making as director of the Jay H. Baker Retailing Center at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, said most guests, especially younger ones who are used to having information at their fingertips, were comfortable with the transition to digital. Some hotels, especially luxury brands, are more likely to keep both the staff interaction and the technology offerings, she said.

Hotels are also using technology to save money and manage inventory. Workers used to have to count sheets, towels, robes and table linens by hand on the

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way out of the hotel to the laundry and on the way back in, to try to avoid theft. Some hotels now stitch in small radio frequency ID tags, which transmit radio waves, so that when a cart of laundry passes by a sensor, the number of items inside is displayed. The method saves time in counting items and has decreased theft, said Sanjay Sarma, a professor of mechanical engineering at M.I.T.

Foursquare to share where she was by “checking in” at that location.

She was recently surprised to discover as she was checking in at a Starwood hotel that she qualified for a Foursquare promotion and received 250 points for her Starwood loyalty program account.

A Foursquare check-in at the hotel bar offered her a second drink free, and a check-in at the spa offered a 15 percent discount.

Some technology offerings extend beyond the hotel’s walls. The Park Hyatt Tokyo rents guests a pocketsize mobile Wi-Fi connector to use with an iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry or laptop to make international calls and get Internet access wherever they go during their stay.

“It’s a clever way for hotels to get guests to explore the hotel,” Ms. O’Reilly said. Starwood varies its promotions at different hotels and spaces in the hotel, and periodically runs propertywide promotions for overnight guests.

The cost for the connector is 2,500 yen a day (about $25), and it can be used by up to 10 devices for people who are traveling together.

Along with the convenience of 24-hour Web access, the device offers a break from the expense of international cellphone calls.

Ana Silva O’Reilly, a travel blogger and marketing consultant based in London, said she had found that hotels were moving beyond Facebook to other forms of social media. When she recently posted on Twitter that she would be checking into the Four Seasons Hotel in Milan, the hotel responded, saying it was looking forward to her arrival. “I know hotels do it all for my loyalty and my money, but it does feel welcoming when they contact me,” she said.

Ms. O’Reilly said she also used

Personalization might include letting guests choose from different morning newspapers, lines of bath products, or individually decorated and designed rooms.

Staff members are trained to learn and use the guest’s name and preferences.

Personalization also continues to mean attending to each guest’s requests. Many hotels will lend guests electronic chargers or curling irons to replace those left at home. Some hotels lend workout clothes. The Berkeley hotel in London will even lend guests a mink stole, vintage Chanel earrings or other items for a night on the town, delivered in an elegant custom-made trunk.

Hotels have also started to individualize a stay by giving guests a more flexible check-in and checkout time. Guests at Four Points by Sheraton Los Angeles

The Hotel Triton in San Francisco has themed suites for its guests and a whimsical touch in the lobby.

Hotel Triton: The Story of Our Independent Spirit Hotel Triton embodies the independent spirit San Francisco is known for.

International Airport can check in any time and stay for 24 hours if they provide their arrival time in advance and are paying $119 or more for their reservation. This option adds convenience for international travelers arriving or departing at unusual hours.

Some hotels take a quirkier route to personalization. The Hotel Triton in San Francisco offers pet sitters for guests in all-day meetings who need their furry companions attended to. Chalkboards above the desks in its guest rooms let staff members welcome travelers individually. Grateful Dead fans can stay in a Jerry Garcia-inspired suite, and sweets lovers can book a stay that includes unlimited HäagenDazs ice cream.

The Triton also has rubber ducks, sometimes personalized, that it leaves for guests in their bathrooms. Antonio Flores, the hotel’s general manager, said that Google, which has its headquarters nearby, sends many of its potential recruits to stay at the Triton when they come to town for an

interview. “We created a Google rubber duck to give each one,” he said.

Personal health and wellness at hotels have been evolving beyond allergy-free pillows, concierge-lead runs and gluten-free menu items.

The MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas offers 42 “Stay Well” rooms, which include antimicrobial coatings on television remotes, bathrooms and other areas that are often touched, as well as a dawn simulator alarm clock and filtered air flow systems.

The shower water is infused with vitamin C. Despite all the new bells and whistles, sometimes the most basic of the modern services is what counts the most. Guests’ No. 1 choice of a hotel amenity is free Wi-Fi, according to a survey. Holly Isdale, a financial consultant for high-net-worth families, based in Bryn Mawr, Pa., wrote in an e-mail: “I won’t pay for Wi-Fi and won’t stay at a hotel twice if it charges for Wi-Fi. Given the prices of business hotels, it seems ridiculous to charge for Wi-Fi.”

Each Kimpton hotel has a distinct personality and a soul of its own - a story. The stories are varied and colorful -- wine, art, literature, food and architecture, to name a few. Each unique story promises you adventure and delightful surprises while offering the familiarity and style of the Kimpton Hotels brand.

The story of Hotel Triton is The Independent Spirit.

From North Beach to the Mission to Haight-Ashbury, San Francisco is a city built upon individuality, creativity, inclusion and inspiration, all of which come alive at Hotel Triton.

A hip hotel in the hippest of towns ...

Keeping with this tradition of individuality, all of the hotel’s guest rooms have been redesigned with a fresh and playful take on San Francisco iconography, both classic and contemporary.

Loyal guests who are impressed by the hotel’s amenities, fantastic location and genuine friendly service have formed a cult-like following since the hotel’s inception.

In the 1950’s, San Francisco’s independent spirit gave rise to the Beatnik era, the first wave of pop culture not for the masses but for the open minded. Contrasting with elitist culture, pop culture has evolved through the decades, with San Francisco always an epicenter of expression. In the ‘60s, Haight-Ashbury or “The Haight” became a hotbed of psychedelic output, from music to poetry to political unrest. In the ‘70s, local music heavily reflected the country’s conflict with the Vietnam War. During the tech boom, the Mission emerged as a vibrant neighborhood for local cuisine and music venues catering to the influx of young residents to the city.

As the tech core has surged and receded in the city and surrounding Bay, these independent and freethinking neighborhoods have continued the spirit of open-mindedness and creativity that San Francisco is known for.

At Hotel Triton we aim to be a colorful playground for your inspiration. We are ardent supporters of the local arts community by serving as a showcase for emerging artists. When you visit, check out our rotating gallery of art on the Mezzanine Level. You can also sleep with a celebrity here, as we were the first hotel to let celebrities such as Jerry Garcia and Kathy Griffin design suites with personal touches such as artwork, quotes, concert memorabilia, photographs and personally selected amenities. At our complimentary evening wine hour, we aim to inspire and immerse you in the independent spirit of San Francisco with engaging activities such as poetry readings, live music, and tarot card readings.

True to the Independent Spirit, we are ever-evolving and changing. Although you’ll always experience the same friendly and efficient service each time you stay, no two visits are alike.

We hope you visit soon to see what new surprises we have in store.

More information at: http://www.hoteltriton.com

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Dine in luxury and beauty at the Conrad Maldives Ithaa underwater restaurant

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he Maldives is one of the most beautiful and stunning parts of the world, so there is no better place for the world’s first underwater restaruant at one of the most luxurious of hotels, the Conrad Maldives Hotel. The Ithaa underwater restaurant allows diners to eat in luxury and beauty, five metres below the Indian Ocean.

The restaurant was designed to give an unparalleled view of the ocean and everything in it while you enjoy your meal.

This is courtesy of the all glass windows that rise from the floor and encase diners in a tunnel of sorts. The restaurant at the Conrad Maldives Hotel features stunning views out in the ocean of turtles, stingrays and sharks. Diners get to see a true under water experience without them even having to get their toes wet.

As the restaurant is set under the crystal clear blue waters of the Indian Ocean, it is bright, so bright in fact that you need to wear sunglasses while dining on five star cuisine.

The Ithaa underwater restaurant, with the name meaning “Mother of Pearl” in Dhivehi, is situated at the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island in the Dhall Atoll of the Republic of Maldives. It is 16 feet wide by 30 feet in length with the majority of the structure being designed in tough acrylic. The restaurant can seat a total of 14 diners at any one time and offers beautiful 180 degree panoramic views out into the ocean and everything in it. The Ithaa restaurant was designed by a company from New Zealand, M.J. Murphy and opened its doors to its first guests on 15 April 2005.

Entrance to the underwater hotel is by a spiral staircase, housed under a thatched pavilion, situated at the very end of the jetty that winds down 16 feet to the ocean bottom.

In April of 2010 in order to celebrate the 5th anniversary of the restaurant, residents at the hotel could choose to sleep in Ithaa for the night, providing that there were no bookings for 14 | May-June 2014 | Hotels & Culinary ASIA

dinner.

The underwater restaurant has been voted by the New York Daily News as being “the most beautiful restaurant in the world” and a dining experience in it comes in with a price tag of $190.

A spokesperson said on behalf of the luxury resort, “Using aquariuminspired architecture, Ithaa was built to allow guests to enjoy the colour, clarity and beauty of the Indian Ocean without getting their feet wet.”

Trends - Wooden Flooring!

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New Range of Towels Introduced

NEXT FIVE YEARS SEES SAUDI’S HOSPITALITY MARKET VALUED AT $93BN The Hotel Show Saudi 2014 anticipates business growth across core industry sectors

With “Big is Beautiful” as a motto, the latest range of bath towels from Tradelinens has been launched to target the luxury, hotel spa setting.

The new range features a Jumbo Bath Sheet, which offers a luxurious feel and is highly absorbent, as well as offering the ability to cover a treatment bed in one go. All of these carefully considered factors make it ideal for hotel spa settings.

Manufactured and designed to a high specification, the towels can stand the test of rigorous laundering, as well as offering maximum comfort and ease of use. Along with featuring one of the largest bath sheets on the market, the Jumbo Bath Sheet range also offers bathmats.

Led by two champions in the bed linen sector, Tradelinens Ltd. offers experience working with both independent and group luxury lifestyle hotels and interior designers. Describing themselves as modest, but with an extensive list of clients including one of Royal appointment, the company launched sub-brand Best Bed Linen five years ago.

Making luxury 5-star hotel linen, Best Bed Linen has been a successful move for the company. “We work with interior designers and private individuals who are looking for high spec quality, know-how and a bespoke service for their projects, no matter what size of requirement,” concluded Managing Director Robert Lancaster-Gaye.

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Accommodation and tourist attractions will drive the hospitality market in Saudi Arabia over the coming five years.

Travel accommodation will grow most significantly from now until 2017; with increased project spend of 24 percent over that time. The tourist attraction market follows closely behind, set to grow 23 percent within the same period.

With such opportunity, companies from across the region are looking for ways of getting closer to the market. Christine Davidson, event director for The Hotel Show Saudi 2014, has seen increasing diversification from companies looking to capitalise on sector growth, she said: “The hospitality sector in Saudi Arabia has significant potential, at present and for the foreseeable future.

“We see companies looking for a platform where they can find out more about the latest products and services available to them in order to drive this growth forward. The Hotel Show Saudi brings global products and brands to a local audience, providing a unique opportunity for business and information mining.”

Other core sectors expected to present opportunities in the Kingdom include travel retail and transportation, anticipated to see 22 and 21 percent growth respectively 2014 - 2017. Both Riyadh and Jeddah are currently in the top 10 cities for new hotel projects in the Middle East, representing 60 percent of the total number of projects in the Kingdom.

This year’s edition will also include the participation of Samsung Electronics, which will showcase its full suite of hospitality products designed to enhance the hotel experience.

“Saudi Arabia is an exciting market, and offers significant growth potential across all facets of its hospitality sector,” said Mr. JaeCheon Park, general manager, Samsung Electronics, Saudi Arabia. “We are very pleased to feature our innovative hospitality solutions, which can significantly enhance guests’ stay. At The Hotel Show Saudi, we will offer visitors a chance to experience Samsung’s full range of hospitality products, from stunning visual display technology and smooth, cloud-based operations systems that elevate industry standards and usher in the future of the sector.”

The Hotel Show Saudi Arabia, taking place at Jeddah Centre for Forums & Events from 22-24 April, is supported by the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities and MICE. Knowledge Partners include Euromonitor International, Ventures Middle East and Top Hotel Projects.

DJ Vallauri

Greg Dogan Mr. Dogan is president and chief

DJ Vallauri is the founder and president of Lodging Interactive.

Headquartered in Parsippany, NJ, Lodging Interactive is a full-service digital marketing agency exclusively servicing the hospitality industry for more than a decade. The company provides a portfolio of effective hotel Internet marketing services to hundreds of hotels, resorts, ownership properties, spas and restaurants.

Clients include branded hotels from nearly every major brand as well as prestigious, landmark independent hotels.

Through its CoMMingle Social Media Marketing Agency operating division, the company offers hospitality focused and fully managed outsourced hotel social media marketing customized solutions. Lodging Interactive has been recognized as a leader by the International Academy of Visual Arts, Interactive Media Awards, Web Marketing Association and Travel Weekly’s Magellan Awards. It is a proud supporter of the Hotel Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) and is a Preferred Vendor for Best Western International.

For more information please visit www.LodgingInteractive.com.

executive officer of Shangri-La International Hotel Management Limited. He brings to these roles over 25 years of experience in the hospitality industry. During his time with the group, Mr. Dogan has held senior corporate executive positions, including chief operating officer of Shangri-La International Hotel Management Limited and regional vice president in charge of Shangri-La’s China operations. He has also held senior property management positions, including vice president and general manager of Makati Shangri-La, Manila. Mr. Dogan’s hospitality career has spanned Asia, Europe and the Middle East with Shangri-La postings in Hong Kong, China, the Philippines, and Indonesia, and positions with other hotel companies in the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and Spain.

IHG Announces Strategic Relationship On Technology

Rapidly evolving consumer technology shaping how guests plan and experience travel

I

HG (InterContinental Hotels Group) is building on its long track record of industry-leading insight and innovation with the announcement of a strategic relationship with Amadeus, the leading provider of advanced technology solutions for the global travel industry.

Consumer technology has become an increasingly important part of being able to anticipate and meet changing consumer needs and IHG is committed to maintaining

its industry-leading position in this area.

The combination of IHG’s industry insight and expertise with Amadeus’ technology capabilities and broad travel experience will ensure IHG continues to offer the most innovative and efficient technological solutions at all stages of the Guest Journey (Dream, Plan, Book, Travel and Share) to enhance guest experience.

The first phase of the strategic relationship between IHG and Amadeus will be focused on

planning and development. This will involve scoping out and creating a roadmap for potential technologies and solutions that will drive innovation in the industry.

Eric Pearson, Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer of IHG commented: “IHG is a brand and consumer driven company. We use insight to anticipate consumer trends and behaviour. We also have a long track record of investing in relevant technologies to support our brand promise and build a closer relationship with our guests.

Partnering with Amadeus will help us continue to do just that. We look forward to working with them.”

Jeff Edwards, Head of Hotel Business of Amadeus commented: “IHG has a deep understanding of guests and how technology can enhance their experience and adapt to their changing needs and could not be a better partner for us. The marriage of IHG’s unique insight and world class guest care with Amadeus’ technology vision and infrastructure capabilities has the potential to deliver a step change in hotel solutions”.

Hotels & Culinary ASIA | May-June 2014 | 19

Healthy Summer Smoothie Secrets

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Make your summer more healthy Hotels & Culinary ASIA | May-June 2014 | 21

Behold, the smoothie: Done right, smoothies can be a great meal or a snack in a glass, since they’re packed with fiber and vitamins. Done poorly, they can add to your waistline—fast.

Some smoothies, especially those you purchase rather than make, contain 500 to 800 calories, making them a hefty meal.

But when you control the ingredients, smoothies are a fantastic way to get a no-cook, nutritious meal or snack that you can take on the run.

Consider these five interesting ingredients to shake up the typical “fruit, yogurt, ice” smoothie recipe: 1. Cinnamon. One challenge of the perfect smoothie is achieving the right sweetness, without overloading on sugar. Enter cinnamon—it adds a layer of sweetness, with no calories at all. Plus, studies show that cinnamon may be helpful at managing your cholesterol and blood sugar levels.

Try it! Banana-Cinnamon-Oatmeal Smoothie: Blend one banana; ¼ cup regular uncooked oats; 1 cup plain low-fat yogurt; 1 to 2 teaspoons brown sugar; ½ cup skim milk; and 1 tsp. of cinnamon. Garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon. Calorie count: about 400, though you could also opt for two servings at 200 calories each.

2. Fresh herbs. For a taste of summer, toss in some fresh herbs from your garden—after all, what says “summertime” better than a strawberry-basil smoothie? Or, how about a mint-lime-raspberry concoction? Other herbs to consider: lemongrass, lavender, and cilantro. Fresh herbs contain antioxidants and are very low in calories, to boot.

Try it! Summer Strawberry-Basil Smoothie: Blend 1 cup fresh strawberries; ¾ cup vanilla flavored low-fat Greek yogurt; 5 to 6 basil leaves; 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice; and 1 tsp. agave syrup. Garnish with a sprig of fresh basil. It checks in around 175 calories.

3. Cottage cheese. Protein is important because it helps smoothies “stick with you” longer. Since protein takes longer to digest, it keeps you from getting hungry too soon. Sure, you can reach for the protein powder,

but that’s often expensive and can give your drink a gritty taste. Cottage cheese contains 15 grams of protein in half a cup, and it adds a creamy texture that you can’t get from plain yogurt, milk, or soy milk.

Try it! Creamy Peach Smoothie: Blend ½ cup cottage cheese; 1 cup fresh or frozen peach slices; ½ cup ice; ½ cup apple or pear juice; and a drizzle of honey. Calorie count: around 240.

4. Avocado. It’s hard to beat the creamy texture of an avocado. Plus, it adds a dose of healthy fats, fiber, and potassium. In Brazil, avocado is commonly added to ice cream; why not make your smoothie a Brazilian ice cream treat?

Try it! Velvety Melon Smoothie: Blend the pulp of 1 ripe avocado with 1 cup honeydew melon chunks; 1 cup soy milk; ½ cup apple juice; and 1 tsp. honey (more to taste). Split it into two servings; each is 240 calories.

5. White beans. An unusual smoothie ingredient, to be sure, but beans are arguably one of the most nutritious foods out there. Many Americans rarely eat them, which is a shame, since beans are the only food that count as both a vegetable and a meat substitute because of their diverse nutrients.

They’ll add fiber, protein, iron, and potassium to your smoothie. White beans are easiest to “hide” in a light-colored smoothie, while darker beans work best in dark drinks.

Try it! Ultra-Vanilla Bean Smoothie: Blend ¼ cup white beans with 1 cup vanilla low-fat Greek yogurt; 1 cup vanilla almond milk; ½ cup ice; 1 tsp. vanilla extract; and 2 tsp. maple syrup. Calorie count: 340.

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Courtyard by Marriott Hotel Opens in Cologne Germany and restaurants nearby. Its spacious guest rooms include multiple, accessible power outlets making plugging in easy whilst the design of the hotel is fresh and contemporary with locally inspired furnishings.

The dynamic lobby space features free Wi-Fi, flexible seating for working, meeting or socialising and an interactive GoBoard® screen with the latest news, weather and local information. A 24-hour market and “Eat.Drink.Connect” Bistro offer a range of meals, snacks and drinks.

Marriott International’s respected Courtyard by Marriott brand is opening its second new-look hotel in Cologne, Germany, on 31 March 2014, taking the brand to 45 hotels throughout Europe.

M

arriott International’s respected Courtyard by Marriott brand is opening its second new-look hotel in Cologne, Germany, on 31 March 2014, taking the brand to 45 hotels throughout Europe. Delivering a whole new hotel experience for business travellers, Courtyard’s new

European design, introduced at Courtyard Aberdeen Airport Hotel in 2013, is designed to enhance productivity with a greater focus on technology and style.

The opening of the 236-room Courtyard Cologne takes the brand one step closer to reaching its 1000th hotel worldwide this year.

In the past few years, the brand has embarked on a journey to refresh business travel, with a lobby transformation in the United States and a customised product for four different regions including Europe, which has exceeded performance expectations since launching in Aberdeen.

The Courtyard Cologne is prominently located in the heart of the Kunibertsviertel neighbourhood on the former Afri-Cola® grounds, with Cologne Cathedral, the RhineRiver and a range of shops

“We are excited to introduce a new Courtyard hotel to Cologne, demonstrating our commitment to offering guests a relevant and refreshed hotel experience,” said Amy McPherson, President and Managing Director, Marriott International, Europe. “We have a strong pipeline for the brand with openings planned forPoland, The Netherlands and Russia in the next couple of years.”

Mr Alexander Flach, Owner and Director of Blumhoffer Hotelbesitz Dagobertstrasse GmbH & Co KG added: “The Courtyard Cologne is our first hotel investment and our pride and joy, situated at this historic location right at the heart of Cologne. We are excited to be working with such an experienced and well-established company as Marriott International and are looking forward to a successful future together.”

After recently celebrating its 30th anniversary and now with almost 1000 hotels, Courtyard by Marriott is the 12th largest global hotel brand*. This year saw the high profile and much acclaimed launch of Courtyard and Residence Inn by Marriott New York Manhattan/Central Park - the tallest hotel in North America.

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H o t e l | F e a t u r e

W Guangzhou Hotel & Residences

W

Hotels Worldwide has unveiled the innovative design concept for the highly anticipated W Guangzhou Hotel & Residences. Slated to open in early 2013, the first W Hotel in mainland China will introduce Guangzhou to a new style of modern luxury, featuring cuttingedge architectural and interior designs by an eclectic assemblage of international designers. With a striking exterior by renowned architect Rocco Yim, W Guangzhou will feature dynamic interiors

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by New York’s Yabu Pushelberg, Glyph of Toronto, Hong Kong’s AFSO, A.N.D. of Tokyo, and Kuala Lumpur’s DesignWilkes. Providing a rich mosaic of architectural design elements, W Guangzhou will stylishly depict Guangzhou’s unique juxtaposition of an ancient city in the midst of a modern industrial and economic explosion.

Owned and developed by KWG Property Holdings and managed

by Starwood Hotels & Resorts, W

Guangzhou will join the ranks of a fast growing portfolio of W Hotels in vibrant destinations and exotic locations throughout Asia Pacific, including Seoul, Hong Kong, Singapore, Maldives, Koh Samui, Bali – Seminyak, Taipei, and just recently Bangkok.

A Mosaic of Design – Embracing the Past, Present & Future As a global design powerhouse, W Hotels Worldwide pushes the boundaries with each new

city to new style of modern luxury with a range of 320 contemporary guestrooms and suites designed

by Yabu Pushelberg. The hotel’s destination bar, sure to become a new hotspot in Guangzhou, will feature a stunning, bold design that is literally out of the box. Architect and designer Kosaka of A.N.D. has created a four-story lit glass loft suspended from the side of the hotel with optical fiber strings of light cascading down the inside of the glass, creating a pulsating effect of light and energy that can seen from both the inside and outside the hotel.

Yan Yu, W Guangzhou’s signature Chinese restaurant, will feature a modern design by DesignWilkes inspired by the orchid, a flower treasured throughout Asia and valued for its multiple color varieties. With a creamy white palette to anchor the interior, each private dining room will reflect a different color on the orchid spectrum, while servers will move around in colorful silk uniforms of mandarin, fuchsia, lemon, lime and plum – a prism of color to be reflected on the white background. hotel to create innovative, yet locally relevant design stories. In partnership with KWG Property Holdings, W Guangzhou has assembled a team of cutting-edge regional and international designers to develop the hotel’s design narrative, which brings to life Guangzhou’s ancient culture and promising future.

W Guangzhou boasts a striking exterior by architect Rocco Yim of Rocco Design Architects Limited, who has developed some of China’s most recognizable and iconic projects, including Hong Kong’s International Finance Centre and Hong Kong Station as well as the Guangdong Museum in Guangzhou. The building’s exterior has an asymmetrical shape with a sleek sheath of black glass punctuated by architectural cut-outs and bright glass

highlights. Layer upon layer of color, light and texture weave a vibrant, modern palate that is exciting, stylish and provocative.

The hotel’s major interior spaces each feature unique design concepts that work together to create a rich medley of experiences that capture Guangzhou’s position as an ancient city in the midst of a modern evolution. Inspired by the intricate Kesi tapestries of the region and Guangzhou’s storied history as a center of commerce and culture, the spaces utilize multiple colors, innovative installations, bold lighting and dynamic textures to dramatically transition from one to another.

W Guangzhou will introduce the

Innovative installations will be found throughout W Guangzhou, including the stunning threestory “Luminous WaterWall” in the entrance of the hotel. Developed

by WETDesign, the piece has been inspired by impressionist paintings and is a liquid mosaic of light, lines and color that evolve, entwine and collide to create a vibrant, dynamic entry. Other installations will be cleverly functional, including a piece by Yabu Pushelberg that will frame one WOOBAR’s lounge areas, a suspended modern nest, supported by an elevated walkway and tethered above and below by thing metal strips to create an intimate and provocative space with views of the hotel’s Living Room (the W brand’s twist on the traditional hotel lobby).

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THAIFEX-World of Food Asia 2014 Celebrates an Outstanding Year!

With much success, THAIFEX-World of Food Asia celebrates its 10th anniversary in partnership with DITP and TCC!

This outstanding year is marked by a record-breaking number of international participation. With more than 20% increase in overseas exhibitor numbers, THAIFEX-World of Food Asia once again reinforces its position as one of the most important food and hospitality trade fairs in Asia.

Since it was officially launched in 2004, THAIFEX–World of Food Asia has reached many milestones in the past decade. One of the major achievements is the increased scale of the show. This year, the number of exhibitors continued to increase by almost 10% and trade visitor numbers by 11%. In total, the show welcomed 1,463 exhibitors and 30,479 trade visitors, with 24,138 local visitors and 6,341 coming from overseas.

Michael Dreyer, Vice President, Asia Pacific, Koelnmesse said, “The 10th anniversary of THAIFEX–World of Food Asia, marks a milestone. It is a bigger, better and ever more international edition. We believe the next decade will bring a more outstanding growth not just in the scale of our show, but also in quantitative and qualitative volume. The 11% increase in our trade visitor attendance has proven our stance as a business-driven trade show, despite the challenging political situation right from the start of our show until the closing day.”

Another record-breaking trade visitor attendance!

The 3-day trade event has garnered a thumbs-up rating from exhibitors for another year of record-breaking trade visitor attendance. More than 30,000 international and domestic trade buyers and visitors attended this year’s THAIFEX-World of Food Asia. They were able to meet up with top quality exhibitors ranging from food and beverage producers through to seafood, coffee & tea manufacturers as well as equipment and food service providers.

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nities to identify their potential business partners across 16 different food and hospitality segments, with similar robust performance in World of Seafood, World of Coffee & Tea and World of FoodService.

Says Chris Ooi, Head of Sales & Marketing from Everbest Soya Bean Products Sdn Bhd, “We see an improvement in the quality of the visitors to our booth, with buyers coming from Southeast Asia and Europe. Sales leads and deals were made at THAIFEX-World of Food Asia and this, to us, is what made the show a success.”

Matt Rutter, General Manager of Geraldton Fishermen’s Co-operative explains, “This may be the first time we have participated at World of Seafood, but the display of live lobster in a tank has certainly been a crowdpuller. We are very pleased with the business potential generated through this show, with enquiries from Japan, Korea, the Middle East, Norway and of course, Thailand. We will be making every effort to return for the next edition in 2015.”

Charles Kutner of Boncafe Thailand, who participated in the World of Coffee & Tea highlights, “The environment was very conducive, as there were many experts in the coffee and tea business who shared their insights through our Boncafe Workshops. We were able to network with the best from the industry, and made many good contacts.”

Roberto Da Pra of IARP Asia Co., Ltd., who exhibited in the World of FoodService adds, “We have been with THAIFEX-World of Food Asia for more than a decade and the introduction of World of FoodService does take a while to get accustomed to but it has certainly given us leverage.”

Japan - official partner country - presents “The Best of Japan”

With Japan as the partner country, THAIFEX–World of Food Asia featured an impressive presentation of Japanese products both on the show floor and at THAIFEX-World of Food Asia‘s 10-Year Anniversary Welcome Reception. The Japan Pavilion, led by JETRO, presented a total of 55 companies. This included companies led by the Kyushu Trade Promotion Board, as well as companies from Kagoshima Prefecture and other independent companies from various prefectures in Japan.

Mr Toshiharu Uki, Director, Trade Promotion Department of JETRO Bangkok says, “As the partner country this year, THAIFEX-World of Food Asia brought much attention on Japan and our specialty products. Many of our companies had successful business meetings with potential buyers from Thailand and overseas, and they were satisfied with their outcome. Overall, the returns-on-investment from THAIFEX-World of Food Asia has exceeded our expectations. Next year, we hope to return with more companies.”

ASEAN food industry leaders convening at World of Food Safety Conference Parallel to THAIFEX-World of Food Asia, the ASEAN Food Industry Thought Leaders Panel brought together global opinion leaders and food industry experts sharing their views on building capabilities to overcome food safety and security challenges, both domestically and internationally. The speakers comprised of top industry leaders, including Poj Aramwattananont, President of Sea Value Company

Ltd and Hester Chew, Group CEO of McDonalds. They were joined

by Yves Rey, Chairman, Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) and Corporate Quality General Manager, Danone Group, France, as well as Pisan Pongsapitch, Deputy Secretary General of The National Bureau of Agricultural Commodity and Food Standards, and moderator John Spink, Director, Food Fraud Initiative (USA). Attendees to the ASEAN Food Industry Thought Leaders Panel included many C-level executives from the Thai as well as the wider Asian food & beverage industry.

In addition, the 2nd World of Food Safety Conference presented a strong panel of speakers over 2 days, presenting their research and case studies, as well as exchanging valuable insights with overseas delegates. In addition to the local specialists, the conference featured 15 senior international experts who covered an extensive range of Food Safety related topics including: - AEC 2015 impact on global and regional food scenario, Supplier Management, Food Safety and Recalls - Achieving GFSI certification in developing countries - Microbial contamination control and Product Counterfeiting as a logistics disruption threat to a supply chain - Balancing Sustainable Practices and Profitability and many more industry relevant topics.

The conference once again set high standards for in-depth interactions and high level know-how sharing

among leading food safety specialists and practitioners.

Competitions Galore The 3rd Thailand Ultimate Chef Challenge proved to be another outstanding success at this year’s THAIFEX-World of Food Asia! The competition, which has grown from strength to strength, boasted the highest number of competitors to date. With more than 500 chefs, the ratio of international to local participants was a close 30:70 ratio this year. This included 153 overseas competitors from Australia, Cambodia, China, Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Taiwan, Slovakia, Vietnam and 356 Thai participants from 20 provinces.

Thailand Ultimate Chef Challenge 2014 Results – See APPENDIX A Says Willment Leong, Organising Chairman, “This competition has become one of the most important culinary competitions in Thailand. The chefs are looking forward to joining this competition not just to win, but also to learn. With world-class judges with us, this has created a very positive atmosphere.”

At the 2nd Roasters’ Choice Award, 56 entries of beans were submitted by coffee producers from Asia. The panel of coffee specialists included, Michael De Renovard, Tuti Hahanah Mochtar, Hide Nishimura, Felix Wong and Chen Chia-Sheng, were in search for the best coffee beans in Asia.

Head Judge Michael De Renovard explains, “This year’s submissions go to show the diversity and potential of the coffee bean growing industry in Asia. Each has its own distinctive characteristics, and will make an interesting cup of coffee.”

THAIFEX – World of Food Asia 2015 will return to IMPACT from 20 to 24 May 2015.

For more information on THAIFEX – World of Food Asia 2015, please visit www.worldoffoodasia.com About Koelnmesse

Founded in 1922 and headquartered in Cologne, Germany, Koelnmesse is one of the world’s largest trade fair organisers, whose international trade fairs are widely acknowledged as global leaders in their fields. Koelnmesse in Singapore functions as the regional headquarter for the group in Asia Pacific, organising trade fairs throughout Asia and offering multiple services to support companies from the Asia Pacific region to successfully participate in Koelnmesse business-to-business trade fairs in Europe and around the world. Visit www.koelnmesse.com.sg Hotels & Culinary ASIA | May-June 2014 | 27

A Tour through Madame Tussauds Hong Kong

- by Mr Reny

Guests can even experience the glitz and glamour on the red carpet with Australia’s Oscar beauty Nicole Kidman or award-winning actress Li Bingbing, play a tune with Lang Lang, or impress their friends and family by doing some dance moves on stage with heart throb Aaron Kwok.

Madame Tussauds Hong Kong houses over 100 celebrity wax figures, offering guests the opportunity to experience the famous home of the famous and enjoy an intimate and interactive encounter with their favourite artists.

Girls can play the role of “Twilight’s” Bella Swan and “tie the knot” with heartthrob Robert Pattinson in a romantic wedding-themed interactive area “Marry Me”, or learn from Best Actor Ethan Juan on how to act.

Before entering the museum, be careful to touch the martial art star Bruce Lee in the aisle?

Lavish Oscar-style Red Carpet Experience

The incredible Madame Tussauds Hong Kong experience begins on Level P1 of The Peak Tower.

Inside, international martial arts star Jackie Chan waits to be photographed with guests. Guests will have their best shot taken with a professional camera.

A lavish Oscar-style red carpet leads guests down a staircase into the next themed area where guests become movie stars themselves, and be greeted by a frenzy of camera flashes as the “Hong Kong Glamour” zone comes to life.

Hong Kong Glamour Hollywood A-list stars meet Asian VIPs at the hottest celebrity party in town and guests are invited to mingle amongst them.

Meanwhile Taiwanese supermodel Chiling Lin awaits guests in her elegant evening gown, looking ever radiant. Huang Xiao Ming is all dressed up in his suits, ready to charm his fans.

Historical and National Heroes “Historical and National Heroes” is a contemporary yet classic room where guests can meet some of the world’s most famous historical and political leaders and icons from the world of Science and the Arts.

Guests can become a part of the British Royal Family and meet with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke of Edinburgh and Princess Diana.

The lifelike new figure of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is dressed in a re-creation of the Swarovski crystal covered dress that was worn for her official Diamond Jubilee Portrait.

Guests can also conduct an interview with Barack Obama in his oval shape office at the White House, or meet President Xi Jinping up close to see what it would be like to have a meeting with a political leader.

In addition, Guests can also be photographed with one of the world’s foremost physicists, Albert Einstein.

TV Studio

The setting of the new TV Studio area is a replica of the TV talk show “Sparkling Club”, with a control panel, a video camera and a live video monitor all in place.

Guests can rest on Andy Lau’s chest and feel his heartbeat, or meet with the world’s most famous celebrity couple Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.

Guest can try hosting a show with Sandra Ng and earn a standing ovation from the audience with their sense of humor and sharp questions.

Don’t forget to get a few acting tips from the most wanted bachelor in town Louis Koo and Korean actor Bae Yong Joon.

Another A-list host Eric Tsang welcomes guests with his signature “Super Trio” pose to get the set warmed-up. Guests can get a taste of live broadcast through appreciating epic scenes from the “Super Trio Series”.

World Premiere

“World Premiere” features a range of movie stars from the early black and white Hollywood era through to the who’s who in the contemporary animation and Asian film industry.

Enjoy an elegant breakfast date with legendary movie star, fashion icon and humanitarian Audrey Hepburn in her iconic “Little Black Dress”, or snap pictures with Johnny Depp, who has been named twice as the “Sexiest Man Alive” by People magazine.

Legendary Indian movie star Amitabh Bachchan, dressed in an Indian-style black suit and white trousers, delights guests with a theater-style lighting show as they walk closer to him.

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Leon Lai from the romantic movie “Almost a Love Story” greets guests with a heart-warming smile.

SCREAM – Escape the Asylum

who giggles while they chat with her.

Fancy dressing yourself like the ever flamboyant

The deadly scare zone, SCREAM, set against a chilling backdrop of an abandoned asylum, promises to stir up guests’ deepest and darkest fears using a mix of live performers and wax monsters.

Lady Gaga? Try on the extravagant hair accessories inspired by the pop diva and rock the stage! Or it’ll be just as fun moonwalking with the King of Pop – Michael Jackson, or simply admiring this extremely talented music legend!

When journeying through the dark corridors, intense gore and rampaging psychopaths, guests will have to use all their mental and physical abilities to escape the asylum, before they become permanent residents themselves.

Be inspired by the musical talents of The Beatles as they greet guests with their favourite musical instruments. Known as King of Rock ‘n’ Roll and the best selling solo artist in the history of pop music, Elvis Presley is definitely in the house.

The Champions

Guests can also sing along with acclaimed Hong Kong singing sensations – Anita Mui in her glamorous concert outfit.

The roar of the crowd greets guests as they enter “The Champions” area, where they can meet their sporting heroes face to face.

Guests can shoot hoops with the brilliant Yao Ming while they try to outscore China’s most famous basketball player, learn how to master the forehand swing of the Russian tennis legend Maria Sharapova or share the joy of Liu Xiang as he is awarded Olympic gold medal for the 110m hurdles.

Guests can also be photographed with David Beckham in the penalty area, try on a padded sumo suit, and square up to Chiyonofuji before taking on the greatest boxer of all time - Mohammed Ali. Authentic History In the new Authentic History zone, guests will find themselves travelling through the making of journey of Donnie Yen’s wax figure and see the step by step production process of his figure. Through an interactive way, guests will be able to discover the studio secrets behind the art of wax figure making – from the very beginning of measuring size, sculpting, moulding to the final stage of colouring. Guests can also fight against Donnie Yen in a martial arts battle.

Guest will be able to meet the founder of Madame Tussauds and the creator of the first figure ever, Madame Tussaud and discover the secret in wax figure making as she reveals the art she started.

Guests can also tailor-make their own hand figure and bring home their own unique art pieces.

Music Icons

The “Music Icons” zone takes guests on a musical tour through the decades: featuring past and future legends from almost every continent. As the journey begins, guests will be drawn to the perfume of Miriam Yeung

The star-studded journey will not be complete without a love song or two from everyone’s favourite singers Jay Chou and Joey Yung.

Fantasy Kingdom

The newly expanded Fantasy Kingdom allows guests to go all out with their creativity and immerse themselves in a world full of virtual characters.

Different superheroes and characters await guests to create an unforgettable experience together.

Marvel Superheroes Iron Man and Wolverine are making a special appearance in Madame Tussauds Hong Kong. Wolverine’s razor sharp claws and Iron Man’s signature red and gold armor are every comic fan’s favorite.

Don’t miss this rare opportunity to take a photo with these superheroes before they run off to save the world!

Enjoy colloquial afternoon tea with the lovable McDull and his mom Madame Mak at a Hong Kong style cafeteria, combat the evil forces with superhero Spider-Man climbing up a spectacular Hong Kong cityscape backdrop and feel the adrenaline rush as he swings from building to building.

Doraemon travels through time and arrives at Madame Tussauds through the Dokodemo door. Be prepared for the surprises Doraemon has in store for us in his fourth dimensional pocket!

Inside Monkey Kingdom, Monkey King leaps into mid-air holding his golden cudgel. This is the only flying wax figure in the attraction and guests can duel with Monkey King to see who is stronger. Guests can also closely examine the craftsmanship of the double-edged axe of the Buffalo Demon King. Be prepared to guard the volcanic mountain and rule the demon world with the “King of Power”.

Retail Experience

Complete the interactive, star-studded journey at the Madame Tussauds Hong Kong souvenir shop featuring an eclectic range of specially made exquisite gifts, where I bought a couple of souvenirs to present it to my friends.

Guests can even fantasize in a fairytale-like world through the snow globes, immerse in an amazing wax figure-making adventure by molding their very own wax hands, customize their 3D picture-perfect crystal photo frame, and create their own mini lookalike figurines.

For more information, please visit www.madametussauds.com/hongkong/ and official Facebook page www.facebook.com/MadameTussaudsHongKong.

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Make Festivals A Summer Holiday Must Hilton Hotels & Resorts Puts Travellers at the Heart of Some of the Top Global Festivals

From music to culture and art, festivals are becoming regular summer holidays for those looking to experience something different. With Europe offering a plethora of entertainment to suit all tastes, Hilton Hotels & Resorts highlights the following festivals:

Hilton Budapest provides an historic city location at the heart the Royal Castle District, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Offering stunning views of Danube from a selection of guest rooms, visitors can book the Soak in Budapest, The City of Spas package for a relaxing two-night minibreak, including two tickets to Gellert Bath. Priced from €129 per room per night. Budapest.hilton.com.

ROSKILDE, DENMARK, HILTON COPENHAGEN AIRPORT Denmark hosts the largest north European cultural and music festival, Roskilde, held between 29 June - 6 July 2014. Held just outside of Copenhagen, Hilton Copenhagen Airport provides a great base for travellers arriving at or departing Rosklide. The hotel offers a Deep Sea Package combining an overnight stay in one of its stylish guest rooms, with a luxurious foot and body massage for tired festival goers in the second floor Ni’mat Spa, tickets to Copenhagen Aquarium and late check out; priced from £327. Copenhagen.hilton.com.

T IN THE PARK, SCOTLAND, HILTON GLASGOW Global superstars will come together from 11 - 13 July 2014 to entertain music fans for a weekend of fun at T in the Park. Closest to the action is Hilton Glasgow, which provides a bustling Glasgow city centre location.

Guests can take a break from festival food and enjoy the finest Scottish seafood and grill at Morblas Restaurant or refresh in Livingwell Health Club. Travellers who book ahead of time can save up to 20 per cent off the Best Available Rate with Advance Purchase*; rooms priced from £95. Glasgow.hilton.com.

SIZGET FESTIVAL, HUNGARY, HILTON BUDAPEST From 11 - 18 August, Hungary hosts one of the biggest multicultural events in Europe with Sizget attracting visitors from over 70 countries. Bringing people together to celebrate all types of music, performing arts, culture and cuisine, the festival takes place on the banks of the Danube. For those wanting to extend the celebrations,

OPEN’ER FESTIVAL, POLAND, HILTON GDANSK For festival goers who enjoy rock, Indie and alternative music, Open’er Festival in Gydia, Poland, has some of the best bands from around Europe playing from 2 - 5 July 2014. Travellers looking for a change of pace after the festivities can visit Hilton Gdansk, located just 30 minutes down the coast. Situated in the picturesque Old

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Town, overlooking Motlawa River, guests can explore a number of local attractions or unwind at the hotel’s contemporary urban pool and beach terrace. Booking in advance with the Bed and Breakfast package guests will enjoy an overnight stay followed by either a healthy or decadent breakfast the next day; priced from £101.

Gdansk.hilton.com.

Sample daily rates featured are subject to availability.

The Best Available Rate is a specific rate type that varies depending on the time of purchase. Each hotel has its own policy regarding cancellations and/ or blackout dates that may apply. Unless otherwise stated, quoted rates are per room per night, based on double occupancy and do not include taxes, gratuities, incidental charges or resort fees (where applicable). *Full non-refundable prepayment is required at time of booking. Your credit card will be charged immediately for the total amount quoted for the entire stay as refunds and credits will not be issued, unless subject to local laws. Charges cannot be applied to other stays, services or merchandise. Booking cannot be changed. Must book in advance of arrival.

The global leader of hospitality.

One of the most recognized names in the industry, Hilton Hotels & Resorts offers travelers a world of authentic experiences.

The brand continues to be the innovative, forward-thinking global leader of hospitality. With products and services that meet the needs of tomorrow’s savvy global travelers, we shape experiences in which every guest feels cared for, valued, and respected.

Hotels & Culinary ASIA | May-June 2014 | 33

Bakshish Dean, CEO, Johnny Rockets India An alumni of Institute of Hotel Management, Ahmedabad, Bakshish kick-started his journey as an assistant chef at the Taj Mahal Hotel, Mumbai. Further celebrity Chef Antony Worrall Thompson of restaurant Ménage à Trois, which is famous for its lunch menu of starters and puddings, confirmed him where he managed the operations independently.

In1994, Bakshish joined Taj Palace Hotel, New Delhi for their most prestigious restaurant The Orient Express. In 1991 the restaurant was ranked among the top 10 Continental restaurants of the world. In the year 1999 he left the organization for better prospects from this outlet as the Chef In-Charge.

Year of 1999 saw him at the post of Principal and Chef at the newly opened Indus Cruising Culinary Institute. His three-year stint allowed him to put all his knowledge into assisting other restaurateurs. He went into freelance consulting for restaurants in 2001. It was while working at the Lodi Garden Restaurant that he was offered a position of Executive Chef at The Park, New Delhi in March 2002 and was later promoted as Director Food Production. At this stunning contemporary design hotel, he took care of the complete food production operation.

As a Corporate Chef with Litebite foods, Bakshish was involved with exciting new ethnic and international concepts such as: Casual Dining Restaurants: Asia7 (Pan Asian); Punjab Grill (Designer Indian Cuisine); Fresc Co (Italian and Mediterranean); Bakers Street (Bakery Café) and the newly launched “Zambar”.

Bakshish has been conferred with a “chef of the Year” award by the Indian culinary Forum & PhD Chamber of Commerce. Dean has been given the title of “Molecular Magician” in the January 2008 edition of Spice Route.

He was chosen for a Scholarship organized by “Southern United States Trade Association” at the chef John Folse Culinary Institute in Thibodaux (near New Orleans) in 2009. Bakshish was rated as the “Top 5 Chefs in the country” in the National edition of Business Standard in July 2009 and just recently has been rated as one of the “Top 10 chefs of the country”, in the may issue of Food and Night Life.

Bakshish has a lot of interest in wild life especially reptiles and is very fond of studying them in their natural habitat. He loves styling food and photography, clay, margarine or salt dough sculptures, indulges in carpentry and sports as well.

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GOURMET & WINE Travel to become highlight at OTDYKH LUXURY, International Luxury Travel Show in Moscow, Russia OTDYKH International Russian Travel Market celebrates its 20th edition and invites tourism professionals to become part of the most effective and comprehensive travel trade event in Russia and the CIS from 16 to 19 September 2014 in Moscow!

Fully supported by both Russian and International Tourism Authorities, OTDYKH will be again a place to find new business, to sign contracts with Russian tour operators for the profitable winter season and to promote new exotic, long haul and winter travel destinations.

Focused on most demanded destinations and segments on a booming outbound travel market of Russian Travellers, OTDYKH offers best business opportunities for international exhibitors within specialized sectors LUXURY, MICE, SPA & Health, IT Technology.

In 2014 OTDYKH LUXURY, International trade fair for Luxury Travel, held within OTDYKH will highlight one of the most exciting and rapidly developing sectors in outbound travel among wealthy Russian travellers – Gourmet and Wine Travel. Willing to spend money to experience unusual and outstanding food moments, Russian tourists choose more and more tailor made gourmet trips in Europe, Asia, America. At Gourmet & Wine travel sector of OTDYKH LUXURY exhibition, suppliers from around the world can present their best offers and programs to Russian travel trade, join master classes, show cooking and presentations.

With a recently rebranded look and its new advertising campaign “We love travel” OTDYKH 2014 promises to break all records in number of exhibitors, coming especially from long haul , exotic and winter travel destinations which are so demanded by Russian travel trade at the show in September.

In 2013 OTDYKH (previously known as MATIW) welcomed 1480 exhibiting companies from over 100 countries and regions of the world, as well as 62 000 visitors.

Become part of Russia’s leading tourism event! Join OTDYKH 2014!

Can you pronounce OTDYKH correctly? See how our exhibitors do it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KVD4Ks71pw For more information please visit www.weloveotdykh.com

Pre-fabricated homes!

In days gone by prefab used to be a thing that was hated, considered to be mass produced in factories, so the modular home was often considered to be a cheap and nasty solution. However today times have changed and designers and architects have made prefab the in-thing and led to some stylish designs along with the unusual. So here are some of the world’s most amazing prefab homes.

Easy Dome The Easy Dome is a tiny house in the shape of a hexagon that can be expanded by fitting more of the hexagon shapes together. The design of these small prefab homes comes from Kari Thomsen, a Danish architect, alongside Ole Vanggaard, an engineer. Together they created the Easy Dome, a two story cottage made entirely from sustainable and recycled materials, with grass roofs. The small homes take just one day to complete and they come with two bedrooms, living room, solar panels and a kitchen complete with brick stove.

Glass and Wood made Drop house Anyone who is looking for the ultimate in portability will love the Drop House. The whole house can be collapsed for shipping into a cargo container. However when it is erected it turns into a roomy home with a warm layout that feels just like a house that has been made on site.

The Zenkaya all in one hom The Zenkaya all in one prefab home has a design that is cutting edge, offering a process that is ‘headache free’. The company will ship your new prefab home to the location of your choice on a truck and almost all of the work is done at the factory beforehand, so the home is ready once it’s delivered. The prefab homes are available in different sizes, studio, one and two bedrooms and thanks to floor to ceiling glass windows the homes allow plenty of light in and offer superb views, bringing the outside in. <Metal clad box home The metal clad prefab box home is a modern home on exterior, but it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. This is a home with a design that is tall and thin and it leaves just a tiny footprint, however at the same time it comes with several rooms, which includes loft spaces with platforms for beds built in.

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The LoftCube modern rooftop prefab Some of the most amazing views in any city are found from the rooftop of tall buildings, scattered around the city. However for the majority of time the roofs go unused. The LoftCube was designed to make the most of this as they can be lifted via a crane onto the top of a building whole.

The LoftCube can be partitioned to make separate rooms, for instance bedroom and living areas and to make the most of the stunning views it comes with plenty of windows.

Prefab log cabin home When you see the prefab log cabin home from the back you could mistake the home for being two piles of logs, side by side. However around the front it is all glass. The log cabin home was designed by Olgga Architects, who said “The flake house, a nomadic, road-gauged dwelling, has been conceived to clad the places wherever it lands, as to transpose them in an unusual vision. A poetic shelter, a “folie”, that merges low-tech and hi-tech. The interior finish is smooth and stripped down as to contrast with the traditional look of the external log cladding.”

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The Hemeroscopium House by Anton Garcia The Hemeroscopium House by Anton Garcia is a large prefab home that you would have thought would have taken many years to build. In fact this concrete and glass prefab was put together in one week. In order for the weight of the home to be balanced just right, some of the major structural elements had to be constructed off-site and then assembled.

Food&HotelAsia2014 and Wine&SpiritsAsia2014 Conclude with Sealed Deals and New Business Leads for Industry Participants

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ood&HotelAsia2014 (FHA2014), Asia’s largest and much-anticipated mega biennial food and hospitality tradeshow, closed today on a high. Attendees to the show had an exhilarating week closing deals, forging new partnerships, making new business contacts and learning about the latest trends in the industry. The trade event, co-located with Wine&SpiritsAsia2014 (WSA2014) at the Singapore Expo, also echoed the sentiments at FHA. Said Mr Stephen Tan, Chief Executive of Singapore Exhibition Services (SES): “We are pleased to see the show flourishing over the years, and is now a renowned platform that brings tremendous value to our exhibitors and visitors. With the show growing with each edition, our team will continuously innovate in order to meet with rising and evolving expectations from all participants.”

Organised by SES, the event showcased an impressive spread which ranged from the finest and most unique food ingredients and products, food service equipment and technology, hotel amenities, hospitality technology to wines and liquors from a mix of old and new regions.

The 19th edition of the show started off by setting new

records. Spanning an immense area of 102,000sqm, it was the first event to fully occupy Singapore’s biggest exhibition venue. The show had 3,213 exhibitors, the largest assembly to date, and 63 group pavilions. It attracted 64,826 attendees, 43.1 per cent of them from overseas. This astronomical congregation included trade visitors, exhibiting staff, conference speakers and delegates, and judges and competitors.

Deals struck on the show floor with many more still under negotiation Exhibitors in the Singapore Pavilion are very pleased, said Mr Sunny Koh, Chairman of the Membership & Industry Groups Function Committee of the Singapore Manufacturing Federation (SMF), which co-ordinated the pavilion jointly with International Enterprise (IE) Singapore and hosted 142 buyers

from all over the world.

“The event was very successful for the exhibitors. They met good buyers, especially the hosted buyers, and this translated into sales,” he added. Encouraged by the result, SMF has booked a space of 1,500sqm for FHA2016 – a 24 per cent increase from this year.

German company SYS Systemfiltration, the producers of the Vito Oil Filter System and oil tester reported that it had closed a deal worth €100,000 with an Australian company, and another worth €33,000 with a Singapore seafood chain. A €70,000 deal with a China company is pending.

“We have sold more than 100 units in the first three days of the exhibition, an average of 30 per day,” said Mr Michael Theiss, sales director of SYS Systemfiltration, a

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third-time exhibitor at FHA. “People are now not looking for basic technology but innovation and a touch of green for their business. So they come to us. FHA is the most important event in Asia for our company. It has helped us to touch base with our potential buyers and to meet our partners from all over Asia.”

Keng Sheng Engineering sold two process cookers for S$450,000 and S$325,000 respectively yesterday (April 10). Earlier, within minutes of the official opening of the show, Dutch hotel room products manufacturer Bentley Europe concluded a deal with Tritunggal Adyabuana, an Indonesian hotel and restaurant supplies company, for 1,000 Sirocco hair dryers.

Malaysian exhibitor Unox (Asia), which supplies Unox Italian ovens and took part in FHA for the third time, said it was “selling out almost everything”. “FHA2014 has exceeded our expectations,” said its regional manager, Ms Kuah Soo Shang. “We have customers who want to do upfront cash payments. The price range is approximately between S$1,000 – S$15,000 per transaction. We have a lot of Singapore buyers.”

Quality buyers from Asia-Pacific There were many positive remarks over quality buyers at the show and exhibitors wanting to come back for FHA2016.

Said Mr Christopher Rees, Senior Trade Commissioner of the Australian Trade Commission, representing exhibitors at the Australian Pavilion: “We had a good mixture of Australian companies which have an established 38 | May-June 2014 | Hotels & Culinary ASIA

presence in the market and companies that are trying to break into the market,” he added.

“They are happy with the show.

The established companies had a chance to meet their distributors while the others met good visitors from many countries including China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. They were serious buyers, who knew what they want. Clearly, the show has a regional presence which many exhibitors are happy about.”

The sentiment about quality buyers at the show was also shared by others.

Mr Gregory Chantereau, export manager of Clovis Wines, a firsttime exhibitor at WSA2014, said: “We came to the show to look for new importers to develop our range and network. We met about 15 good buyers from the region each day. We have selected two distributors, one from Singapore and the other from Malaysia.”

Ms Mimi Murphy, Vice-President of Scheidigger Trading Company

from the United States, said the show was “very good”. “It is an opportunity to meet our many customers from Southeast Asia and show them our latest products.

At the same time, we meet new buyers. We met about 60 buyers here. It would be great if we get about 10 new customers from among them.”

Mr Tan said: “We welcome these positive sentiments from the trade.

We will endeavour to continue to raise the level of the show, and to bring quality buyers with strong purchasing power.”

Satisfied visitors were all praises for the tradeshow Franco Ho Swee Fook, Honoraryadvisor and Life Member of the Chef Association of Malaysia sourced for inspirations for his kitchen at the show with his entourage of younger chefs to learn about different equipment available in the market. “FHA has always been professionally organised, with a wide variety of new kitchen technologies available.

The show offers a great learning experience for all. I will definitely

encourage my colleagues to come to FHA2016,” said Ho. A regular visitor to FHA, Chris Glaessel, Managing Director of CIR | VIS (Food & Beverage | Hospitality Consulting) visits the show to be kept updated with the new products and technologies available in the marketplace.

“FHA has proved to be an effective platform to reconnect with industry professionals from around the world. The various competitions held alongside also added excitement to the exhibition.”

“This is the third time I am visiting FHA because it gives me the opportunity to meet existing suppliers, and source for new ones. FHA has a fine selection of food and beverage supplies, and that makes coming down to this show very worthwhile,” said Deza P. Onesa, Category Manager of Puregold Duty Free, Inc., who notices that the show is bigger compared to previous years.

FHA International Conference a platform of knowledge sharing The exhibition was accompanied by an International Conference with speakers focusing on key topics and issues faced by the F&B and hospitality industries, including new ways to deal with the manpower shortage, managing hotel operations and revenue

optimisation strategies; managing F&B operations and food concepts; and latest technologies for the hotel and F&B sectors.

Delegates were pleased with the selection of topics and speakers.

HJH Rohani Bte HK AWG Salleh, Restaurants Service Manager of Orchid Garden Hotel enjoyed all the seminars and workshops. “All the sessions are extremely useful.

The speakers are very experienced and could deliver in details how to develop and improve our business.

I hope that FHA international conference will not only be held in Singapore but also in other ASEAN country.”

“Being in the hotel industry for several years has taught me that constant update and innovation is the only way to be sustainable in the market. This conference has given me the insights and trends that I am looking for. Good line-up of topics and speakers. Keep

up the good work!” said Libby Federico, Director of Sales and Marketing of The Pearl Manila Hotel.

Renowned competitions for the culinary profession There were world-class competitions, such as the FHA Culinary Challenge (FCC) which saw more than 800 chefs from all over the world battle in the Individual Challenge, Dream Team Challenge and Gourmet Team Challenge.

The National Team Challenge held every four years, also returned to the FCC this year. In addition, there were the Asian Pastry Cup held in conjunction with Bakery&Pastry, the FHA Barista Challenge and firstever FHA Latte Art Challenge. The RIPE-WSA Cocktail Challenge and the WSA Wine Challenge were also held alongside the event.

FHA2016 and WSA2016 will return to Singapore Expo on 12 – 15 April 2016.

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Spa Trends 2014 - Healthy Hotels 2.0 Look for hotels to move from healthy as a marketing differentiator to deeper, more multi-faceted, inspired and comprehensive programming.

Spafinder Wellness 365™, the world’s leading resource for feeling good and living well all year round, today released its 11th annual trends report of the top 10 spa and wellness trends spanning the globe, focusing on where, why and how people will spa, exercise and “get their wellness on” in the year ahead.

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ellness 365 provides an in-depth look at forecasting the most significant global trends that will impact the hospitality, spa and wellness industry, as well as consumers in 2014. Developed by a team of research analysts, editors and industry experts, the report is based on ongoing surveys of the 20,000-plus spa, wellness and beauty providers in the Spafinder Wellness 365 network. Additionally, the company’s research and editorial teams—joined this year by industry veteran, Mia Kyricos, the company’s new chief brand officer—conducted extensive analysis of current market research, interviewed thousands of travel agents, surveyed hundreds of thousands of consumers, plus, visited spa and wellness locations across the globe.

“This is a landmark year for consumers and the industry, as wellness takes on new dimensions and becomes a key ingredient in travel and technology; spas help people face life challenges; and new fitness and beauty trends help us all be healthier,” shares Susie Ellis, president of Spafinder Wellness, Inc.® “This year’s trends report encompasses our brand mission, inspiring people to lead their best life 365 days a year.”

The top 10 global spa and wellness trends for 2014 are: 40 | May-June 2014 | Hotels & Culinary ASIA

HEALTHY HOTELS 2.0

In 2013, we explored how many hotels were on a health kick re-branding around wellness. In 2014 “Healthy Hotels” becomes a megatrend fulfilling the profound human need for restorative travel and helping people stay well on the road. Look for hotels to move from healthy as a marketing differentiator to deeper, more multi-faceted, inspired and comprehensive programming.

Check out Wyndham’s TRYP Hotels (Europe and Latin America), which offer everything one needs to workout.

WIRED WELLNESS

For some, connecting the words “wired and wellness” is counterintuitive, especially as we are tethered to mobile phones, computers and tablets every waking minute. It turns out we can actually turn our wired lives into a wellness tool. Today there are hundreds of fitness apps out there to help you get in shape, get healthy and keep your fitness goals on track.

Check out apps like Protogeo’s Move and Strava Run to help make your New Year resolutions a reality.

HOT SPRINGS HEAT UP Bathing in hot springs may be the oldest “spa” experience in the world,

the generically pleasant treatments and working in tandem with botanists and digital technology to improve effectiveness.

Check out the Body Bliss Intentional Aromatherapy app, which allows spa directors to deliver personalized and intentional experiences to clients.

WELLNESS RETREATS RISE…& URBANIZE

even predating Roman times, but it is also incredibly on trend in 2014.

There has never been a hotter moment for thermal springs, with more and more people seeking out this affordable, social, beneficial and natural therapeutic spa experience. With hot springs existing in virtually every corner of the world, governments and developers alike have taken notice and are funding hundreds of new, exciting projects around the globe.

Check out China’s Mission Hills Resort, located within the volcanic region of exotic Hainan Island; it boasts the biggest spa in the world and features an impressive 168 pools.

SUSPENDING GRAVITY

A distinct “suspending gravity” or “floating” trend is rising as people have an increased psychological and physical desire to disconnect from our hyper-connected society. We are seeing more weightless stress—and mind-melting flotation tanks, chambers and pools at spas. On the fitness front, there is a global craze for aerial and anti-gravity classes and yoga, along with new equipment like anti-gravity treadmills.

Check out Amangiri’s Aman Spa in Utah, which has a vast flotation chamber, built into a canyon cave, packed with Dead Sea salts and combining color therapy.

FEROCIOUS FITNESS

Ferocious fitness is on the rise, led by people who seriously train for competitions or want to establish their own personal best, often with highintensity interval training with shorter timeframes. Fitness has also become a major ingredient in peoples’ social lives, and a key factor is fun. Discovery of the pure pleasure of finishing a marathon or the happiness-high of a spin class are helping to fuel ferocious fitness in the year ahead.

Look for exciting movement on the destination spa front, where personalized, immersive wellness programming is the DNA, and life transformations are the goal. A distinct sub-trend is also emerging: the urban-close wellness retreat. More destination spas will be reachable by car and train, which is a positive development given the unprecedented urbanization of the world’s population.

Check out the spectacular, newly opened VANA in India’s Himalayan foothills and further expansion from destination spa Miraval in the dense northeast urban corridor of the U.S.

DEATH & SPAS: THRIVING DURING LIFE’S TRANSITIONS

When we think of spas, getting healthier, being pampered and looking our best comes to mind. As baby boomers, the group that has been the largest spa-going demographic for decades, start thinking seriously about aging and death, we are seeing spas of all kinds help clients tackle the changes, challenges and choices that come with dying. Spas are also helping people address other life challenges like divorce, illness, job loss and more.

Check out Sarana, a new healthcare textiles collection created by renowned spa designer, Clodagh, designed to support healing environments in hospitals, spas and residences.

TOP 10 SURPRISING SPA & WELLNESS DESTINATIONS

When one thinks spa or wellness vacation, Italy, Thailand and Turks and Caicos are popular locations. Now savvy spa-goers and wellness seekers are searching for more exotic destinations and indigenous experiences to stamp on their spa passports. In 2014, look for an emergence of new travel destinations in countries like Bhutan, Ghana and Nicaragua.

Check out LA’s GROOV3’s ferociously fun dance workouts featuring a live DJ in every class, and for high-intensity training, check out Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat in Australia. Boxing anyone?

“NATURAL” BEAUTY MEETS SOCIAL MEDIA

With the growing popularity of social media and “selfies,” people are expected to look their best 24/7, without the benefit of makeup and blowouts—which means we may finally be leaving the era of faux beauty.

In 2014, a new clean-beauty era takes shape focusing on the natural and introducing a high-tech, low-risk beauty. Spas will remain the torchbearers with organic products, science and technology intersecting to deliver minimal downtime results that are seemingly produced by nature.

Check out Bastien Gonzalez’s Pedi:Mani:Cure studios in places like France, Singapore, Turkey and India.

AROMATHERAPY: SCENT WITH INTENT

As aromatherapy plays a greater role in the treatment of physical and mental issues, spas have been motivated to reimagine their approach to craft aromatherapies with intended effects. Spas are now moving away from Hotels & Culinary ASIA | May-June 2014 | 41

EXPANSION INTO INDIA CONTINUES FOR JOHNNY ROCKETS

Gurgaon Restaurant Marks Second Opening This Year in One of the World’s Fastest Growing Economies

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ranchise group, Prime Gourmet Private Limited, is proud to announce the opening of their second Johnny Rockets in India, just over a month after the launch of the country’s first restaurant of its kind in New Delhi. Located on the NH-8 highway at the Delhi-Gurgaon border, India’s newest Johnny Rockets is situated in the heart of the burgeoning Ambience Mall. Prime Gourmet Private Limited founded by Sachin Goel, Vishal Chaudhry, Bakshish Dean and Gaurav Sharma will be managing the Johnny Rockets franchise in India. Bakshish Dean is a professional chef with 23 years of culinary expertise in hotels and restaurants. Awarded as the chef of the year by The Indian Culinary Forum, Bakshish Dean is the CEO, Johnny Rockets, India. As the latest addition to the Mall’s expansive retail and food offering, Johnny Rockets joins the ranks of Chili’s, Delhi Heights, Pizza Hut, among others.

The Ambience Mall opening continues the all-American international franchise’s planned expansion into the country, bringing along its winning recipe of modern Americana and cravable menu items that have achieved tremendous success in twenty-five additional countries around the world. The expansion into India is the result of a franchise agreement with Prime Gourmet Private Limited, a new restaurant company founded by hospitality and finance industry veterans Sachin Goel, Vishal Chaudhry and Gaurav Sharma. With decades of experience between them, the team has paved the way for the eventual roll out of at least twenty additional Johnny Rockets in India throughout the next several years.

By opening in Gurgaon, the leading financial and industrial center of India, Johnny Rockets is poised to benefit from guests traveling in and out of a city that boasts the third highest per capita income in the country. Once a small agricultural village, Gurgaon is now home to approximately 250 Fortune 500 companies and has consequently become the epicenter for economic growth in the state of Haryana.

“With a mall location conveniently located just off the busiest highway on the subcontinent, Vishal Chaudhry and his Prime Gourmet Private Limited restaurant group have targeted a high-traffic area with an insatiable hunger for the type of food and vibrant atmosphere that Johnny Rockets provides,” said Johnny Rockets CEO John Fuller.

“Coming off the recent successful opening of the nearby Select Citywalk location, we have already seen how receptive this country is to our internationally recognized brand.”

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“We are equally excited with the opening of the second outlet of Johnny Rockets, and I am looking at a fabulous response from the customers.

Johnny Rockets in a short time have gained immense popularity with the Indian audience,” says Bakshish Dean, CEO Johnny Rockets India.

The Ambience Mall location delivers its signature all-American fare, with localized options and a focus on chicken breast sandwiches and buffalo tenderloin burgers, to a large swath of dining consumers. With its energetic music, friendly service, dancing servers and twirled straws, the restaurant provides an engaging, interactive dining experience that appeals to both local residents and area visitors.

Much like its Select Citywalk counterpart, the Ambience Mall menu brings the iconic brand’s classic American favorites to India in addition to a handful of custom menu items that cater specifically to the local and regional palates. Items unique to the Ambience Mall and Select Citywalk locations include Masala Fries, a Tandoori Spiced Chicken Wrap, Paneer Philly Cheesesteak and the Divine Delhi, the restaurants’ salute to the robust flavors of the region.

Future properties slated to open in India include: Noida, Gurgaon, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Pune, Hyderabad and Kolkata.

About Johnny Rockets: Ronn Teitelbaum, an award-winning men’s fashion retailer, launched the first Johnny Rockets on June 6, 1986, on Melrose Avenue, in Los Angeles, California. He founded the concept on the belief that everyone deserves a place where they can escape from today’s complicated world and experience the uncomplicated goodness of classic Americana. Johnny Rockets has about 300 corporate and franchise-owned restaurants in 30 states and 16 countries, including 17 Six Flags amusement park locations and 11 Royal Caribbean cruise ships.

The brand’s positioning is not confined to any decade or era, Johnny Rockets combines the best elements from a century of American dining history to create an experience and menu that are relevant today…and will be, for decades to come.

For more information about Johnny Rockets and its franchising opportunities, go to www.johnnyrockets.com.

IT&CM China 2014 Delegates First To

Experience Special Events Venue – The River Mall

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T&CM China 2014 delegates experienced official Opening Ceremony and Welcome Dinner for the first time at a special venue - The River Mall, sited within the Shanghai Expo arena. Touted as Shanghai’s spanking new property, the River Mall has been primed to host a mammoth variety of events in the months and years to come. The evening’s unique entertainment line-up featured the spectacular Yang Drum Dance Clan – a traditional high tempo performance favoured for its auspicious symbolism that invokes high spirits and morale.

Other highlights include a mesmerising sand art display portraying the story of IT&CM China and performances by international artistes.

Li Yu Lin, General Manager of Shanghai Expo and Bailian Commercial Co., Ltd said, “Hosting the IT&CM China official Opening Ceremony serves as an exciting soft launch of The River Mall, which officially opens only next week on 23 April. We are truly fortunate to have such a fantastic opportunity to create awareness among the

MICE industry players on a global as well as nationwide scale. Through this evening’s showcase of the venue, we anticipate and look forward to future cooperation with this evening’s delegates. I believe IT&CM China has been the ideal platform for us to make our debut in this arena.”

On the motivation behind the choice of a special venue, co-organiser of the evening’s Opening Ceremony, MP International Singapore’s Executive Director, Jason Ng said “As an industry trendsetter, we wanted to inspire our delegates to consider alternative venues for their meetings and events. The River Mall, being a brand new venue, enabled us to

transform the grounds to achieve a refreshing Opening Ceremony format that also promotes the Shanghai Expo cityscape and Chinese culture.”

Other highlights of the first day of IT&CM China included the “Association Professionals Competencies Briefing” by Australasian Society of Association Executives (AuSAE) and Canadian Society of Association Executives (CSAE) for Association Executives that saw some 20 Chinese participants gain best association management practices. Media activities also kicked off with the Media Appreciation Coffee Break and the Official Press Conference,

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while pre-event city tours of Shanghai continued. This media appreciation event recognises the successful implementation of IT&CM China new media affiliate programme which saw our media partners successfully recommending more than 50 new buyers from their markets who have been accepted into IT&CM China’s hosting programme. The Event Magazine Africa’s Publishing Editor, Lance Gibbons said “Inviting my clients to be a part of IT&CM China’s buyer hosting programme gave me the opportunity to expose them to broader source markets and new, unexplored destinations of interest.”. Over 12,000 on-site business appointments and more than 70 business, education and networking sessions will take place over the next two days, with the 2nd installment of the Association Day programme helming tomorrow’s focus for Association buyers.

For more information on IT&CM China, visit www.itcmchina.com.

ABOUT IT&CM CHINA 2014 IT&CM China 2014 will be held from April 15 to 17 at Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center. This is the 8th instalment of the international MICE event that seeks to “Promote China to the World and the World to China”. This year’s event will see an attendance of 3,000 MICE professionals from sectors including DMCs, PCOs, corporate travel and associations, some 400 hosted delegates, over 10,000 business appointments as well as over 60 business, education and networking sessions.

The event is organised by TTG Events, a business group of TTG Asia Media, CITS International M.I.C.E – a whollyowned subsidiary of CITS (China International Travel Service) and MP International. It has the support of the Shanghai Municipal Tourism Administration (SMTA), Shanghai Convention & Exhibition Industries Association (SCEIA), Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE), Australasian Society of Association Executives (AuSAE) and Canadian Society of Association Executives (CSAE), International Association of Professional Congress Organisers (IAPCO), International Congress & Convention Association (ICCA), MICE Committee of China Association of Travel Services (CATS), Meeting Professionals International (MPI), Outbound Tour Operators Association of India (OTOAI), Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) and Society of Incentive Travel Executives (Site) China chapter.

IT&CM China is proud to be the anchor event of the Shanghai Business Events Week 2014 for the 4th year running.

More information is available at www.itcmchina.com.

IT&CM CHINA EVENT DESCRIPTION The Leading International MICE Event In China Since 2007, IT&CM China has established itself as China’s leading international Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) business, education and networking event, dedicated to “Promoting China to the World and the World to China”. Bringing together Chinese and International MICE exhibitors and buyers in one dynamic marketplace, IT&CM China is the platform for international and leading Chinese players in the MICE industry to explore business opportunities on all fronts – inbound, outbound and domestic. Delegates to the 3-day event receive the best return on their investment in business, education and networking through structured business appointments, exhibition showcase, seminar sessions, official networking functions and tours.

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KW Conferences – India’s First Accredited Professional Conference Organiser – Partners IT&CM India!

KW to front the debut of 2014 event’s Association Day and Corporate Performance Forums KW Conferences, India’s first accredited Professional Conference Organiser (PCO) has joined hands with IT&CM India to lend its over 20 years of expertise to develop and deliver the show’s inaugural Association Day and Corporate Performance forums. Slated on 20 and 21 August 2014, expert speakers from various industries will present on topics catered specifically for attending association buyers and corporate travel professionals from India or with operations based in India.

Educational topics such as “The Importance of Professionalising Association Management”, “Best Practices – Developing Middle Level Association Professionals” and “Benefits of Attracting International Meetings to India” aim to provide attendees with an in-depth understanding of association management in India.

Ooi Peng Ee, General Manager of TTG Events said, “With the success garnered at IT&CM China and IT&CMA and CTW Asia-Pacific’s Association Day and Corporate Travel forums, we are sure that we will be able to replicate the proven and tested format at IT&CM India. The unique valuable proposition of IT&CM India’s educational tracks will be absolutely tailored for the Indian market.”

He went on to add, “Participants will be able to benefit immensely from expert speakers well-versed with the unique landscape of the India association and corporate performance market segments. Topics will cover key issues important for Indian corporations, as well as expert advice on tackling the challenges of the Indian market.”

Monimita Sarkar, Managing Director of KW Conferences expressed, “KW Conferences is extremely delighted to announce this strategic partnership with IT&CM India. This is an excellent opportunity to engage India’s Association Executives and Corporate Performance professionals on a deeper level and further enhance their growth and relevance both locally and globally.”

“With KW Conferences’ two decades of experience in the meetings management industry and in-depth knowledge of the Indian market, coupled with IT&CM Events’ conference and exhibition platforms, we are certain that the Association and Corporate Performance market segments can reach new horizons,” she continued.

In addition, KW Conferences will also be leading a delegation of 50 Indian buyers from across the MICE, Luxury, Corporate and Association market segments. Sarkar believes that IT&CM India is an important platform for their Indian buyers to get in touch with top notch international and domestic suppliers.

IT&CM India will take place from 19 to 21 August 2014. For more information on IT&CM India, visit www.itcmindia.com

ABOUT IT&CM INDIA 2014 The Leading International MICE Event In India IT&CM India is an international MICE business, education and networking event that advances opportunities of “Promoting India to the World and the World to India”. The event delivers both international and Indian delegates across exhibitors, buyers and media categories, thus promoting business opportunities on all fronts – inbound, outbound and domestic.

Launched in 2012, the 3-day event embodies the proven IT&CM programme formula comprising of structured business appointments, exhibition showcase, seminar sessions, official networking functions and tours. The show has been incorporating Luxury Travel since its inauguration. IT&CM India is part of the IT&CM Events series organized by TTG Events, a business group of TTG Asia Media.

Hotels & Culinary ASIA | May-June 2014 | 45

IHG Appoints Matthew Tripolone as Head of Development, Australasia InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) today announces the appointment of Matthew Tripolone to the role of Head of Development, Australasia. Effective from early June 2014, Matthew will be based at the company’s Australia head office at Bond Street in Sydney.

Matthew will lead IHG’s strategic growth and development across its Australasia region, including Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.

He joins IHG from Accor Hotels where he held the role of General Manager, Development Pacific, since 2008. Prior to that Matthew has worked for a number of leading companies specialising in development, planning and acquisition including Scanna Developments and Urbis.

Paul Logan, Senior Vice President, Development, Asia, Middle East & Africa, IHG said: “We are thrilled to welcome Matthew to the IHG family.

Matthew is extremely well known in hotel development and real estate across the region, having overseen the completion of a number of major deals and transactions during his previous role. Having Matthew at the helm of our ongoing IHG development at this exciting time is certainly a win for us.”

“It will be a big 12 months for IHG in this market, with exciting openings such as InterContinental Sydney Double Bay as well as the first Holiday Inn Express in Sydney’s North Ryde, and we are confident that this expansion will continue. Matthew has demonstrated great ability in his previous roles, and his appointment represents our continued commitment to our burgeoning community of owners, developers and partners across Australasia and the globe.”

Upon his appointment, Matthew commented, “IHG is one of the leading hotel companies in the world with a market-leading portfolio of established brands. There are a number of exciting developments coming up in the region and the opportunity to work with such iconic and well respected brands, and to be a part of the company’s long-term growth strategy, represented a wonderful opportunity. I look forward to working with the team to grow IHG’s portfolio throughout the region.”

The Head of Development role was previously held by Phil Kasselis, who has moved to take on the new position of Managing Director at Pro Invest, an international investment company which has partnered with IHG and established a $150 million fund to develop a portfolio of 15 Holiday Inn Express hotels across Australia.

IHG currently operates its InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn brands in the market and will be introducing Holiday Inn Express which will launch in the next 12 months. IHG has 41 properties open across six countries and territories in Australasia, with another four due to open in the next three to five years.

46 | May-June 2014 | Hotels & Culinary ASIA

John Fuller - President & CEO, Johnny Rockets John Fuller is currently the Chief Executive Officer and President of the Johnny Rockets Group.

Originally Fuller was hired as the CFO of Johnny Rockets, in April 2008, and he lead its widespread expansion effort, including domestic and international franchise growth and the implementation of newly designed store concepts.

He previously managed business finances for restaurant companies that include Rubio’s Restaurant Inc, Del Taco and CKE Restaurants.

His vision is to embrace their Guest-focused model that recognizes and addresses every level of customer within the organization, from the top down, and to bring greater market penetration by delivering the right Johnny Rockets concepts in the right locations. Fuller received a BA in Economics from University of California, Los Angeles, was a CPA with the worldwide firm of KPMG for nine years. Assuming the role of President and CEO, in January 2010, he was featured in the international CBS hit series, “Undercover Boss,” in December of that year.

Scott Chorna — Senior Vice President, International Development, Johnny Rockets Scott Chorna is currently the Senior Vice President of International Development of Johnny Rockets Group. Chorna provides overall leadership and strategic direction in the expansion of the brand’s international footprint, including development, franchise sales and construction.

Before joining Johnny Rockets Chorna served as Director of International New Business Development for FOCUS Brands, a multi-brand fast food franchisor with over 4000 units globally. While at FOCUS Brands, Chorna established over 25 new international markets for high-profile brands including Cinnabon, Carvel Ice Cream, Schlotsky’s, Moe’s Southwest Grill, and Auntie Annie’s Pretzels. An international business management expert who has also worked for brands such as Absolute Vodka, Subway, Baskin-Robbins, and Dunkin’ Donuts throughout his accomplished career.