Hotels & Culinary ASIA, January-February 2015 issue

January-February 2015

The B-2-B Magazine on Hotels, Food, Travel & Lifestyle

Featuring!

ITALY Tower Club

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Bangkok's Luxury

Executive All-Suite

All-Club Hotel

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Front Desk Training Can Help Secure More Direct Bookings

By Doug Kennedy, Columnist, HCA

Annual Subscription: India: Rs.2000 | Overseas: US$250 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.

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.

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

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 11 12 14 19 28 35 1 43 46 50 51

A ower lub at lebua angkok s uxury xecutive All-Suite & All-Club Hotel Personality at Heights! Mr Deepak Ohri, CEO lebua Hotels & esorts Messe Frankfurt announces the Partner Country of Ambiente 2016 Cutting Edge Catering & Hospitality Equipment Showcase @ HOFEX 2015 Britain’s most loved attractions given new Mandarin spin otel eature A , A O A A A A A O A, hailand Final report: Frankfurt Consumer-goods fairs Chinese head abroad for annual Spring Festival partners with ernod icard to celebrate 150 years of cocktail mixology Tourism Australia and China Southern continue partnership in 2015 How to Engage with India’s Booming Tech-Savvy Travel Population TAT unveils “015 Discover Thainess” at Italian travel fair in Milan 015, impressive figures for the relaunch of the tourism offering

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s hotel managers look to reduce the costs of customer acquisition by focusing on direct bookings, one often overlooked resource is the front desk team working in your lobby right now. he frontline colleagues staffing the reception desk are interacting with guests every day and have numerous opportunities to help lock-in more direct bookings. Here are some suggestions and training techniques.

As a starting place, make sure the frontline colleagues understand the costs of various distribution channels. Those I talk to in my workshops tend to grossly underestimate the distribution costs their hotel is paying via OTA commissions and other third party booking fees. Most do not realize how much revenue can be captured by encouraging guests to book directly. Marketing and revenue managers should take the time to attend monthly departmental meetings and/or pre-shift line-up huddles to explain these costs.

Another important step is to make sure your hotel’s direct phone number is posted prominently at your hotel’s website with a call-out button indicating: “Contact us directly for the lowest available rates.” Too many hotels have their phone number buried at the bottom of a “contact us” button.

Next, train your front desk reception team to: onvert those who want to speak with someone directly at the hotel into confirmed bookings. Although many guests do book online these days, plenty of others still call directly to the hotel. Many of those ask directly to speak with “an on-site agent for assistance. his might be because they have a specific uestion that only an on-site colleague can answer, but it also might be because they perceive they will get the best deal by calling directly. (Many travel writers are suggesting this these days.)

All too often the front desk team automatically ips these calls to central reservations, especially if they are part of a brand, or to an after-hours reservations service if their in-house reservations department is closed. Based on my experiences, brand call centers are not aggressive enough at converting calls from those who say they are also online shopping while on the phone. Encourage your front desk team to capture these bookings directly. (Consider a contest or incentive for capturing direct bookings.)

Implement a “repeat guest direct booking program.” Train your team to identify guest who have booked via OTAs and provide them with a business card listing a special “repeat guest discount code” to provide to an on-site agent when booking directly next time. This will help them channel-convert repeat guests.

Encourage repeat bookings at departure. Although many guests do use express check-out, plenty of others stop by the desk for a zero-balance receipt. Encourage colleagues to offer to make return reservations. (This can also be done at registration when colleagues are checking in regular guests.)

Aside from channel conversion, train your front desk team to take advantage of other revenue-generating opportunities they have every day to: apture walk-ins. psell at check-in. aintain rate fences at check-in, such as when group rates are past the cut-off date or when corporate rates are closed out.

By training your front desk reception colleagues in these concepts your hotel can not only decrease distribution costs but also capture more bookings than you would have captured by just being another name on the list of available properties on an availability search at an OTA.

EDITORIAL: Reny, Sarvjit, Vishwapreet & Amrita (India), Anna (Sweden), Mike (UK), Liza (Singapore), Upi (Indonesia), Ying & Adrian (China), Arvi (Australia). Columnist: Carolyn Childs, (MyTravelResearch.com); Doug Kennedy (Kennedy Network Training) 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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lebua TO

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Tower Club at lebua

Bangkok’s Luxury Executive All-Suite & All-Club Hotel Offering breathtaking views of Bangkok and the Chao Phraya River, Tower Club at lebua is the only luxury executive all-suite and all-club hotel in Thailand’s capital city. Located on the 51st to 59th floors all 221 suites offer balconies, Finesse mattresses, 330 thread count linen, down feather pillows, and more. At Tower Club Lounge, the hotel’s private executive lounge on 52nd floor, guests receive unlimited privileges, from complimentary continental breakfast, light lunch buffet and afternoon high-tea to complimentary canapes and alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks from 6:00-18:00.

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Wireless internet access is also included in the lounge. At the heart of Bangkok’s business and shopping areas, Tower Club at lebua is located on the corner of Charoen Krung and Silom roads, within minutes from booming nightlife, just a short stroll from the venerable Chao Phraya River and less than 40-minutes from both Suvarnabhumi International Airport and Don Muang Airport.

Luxury Sky High Suite Accommodations One, two and three-bedroom well-appointed suites, ranging from 710 sq. ft. to 2,850 sq. ft., offer warm and contemporary decor accented by hardwood floors and honey beige and light brown furnishings. Suite balconies provide breathtaking panoramic views overlooking Bangkok city’s River of Kings. Complimentary mini bar, internet access, luxurious bath amenities, kitchenette, 24hour room service, washer and dryer (select units) and a Nespresso Coffee Machine are available in the suites. Valet Parking and a complimentary shuttle bus to Bangkok’s Sky Train are also included in the nightly rate.

The hotel’s signature Hangover Suite, which hosted the cast of The Hangover Part lion the day while they were filming at the hotel, offers a modern and stylish design comprised of three spacious bedrooms, two full size bathrooms, one guest bathroom, a fully equipped kitchen, separate dining and living spaces, and four separate

balconies with views of the Bangkok skyline and Chao Phraya River.

Gourmet Innovative Cuisine A collection of restaurants and bars atop Tower Club at Iebua, The Dome offers an exquisite selection of restaurants and bars from Mediterranean and Innovative European to Modern Asian cuisine.

as well as fresh sushi and sashimi from Japan and Iranian Caviar. A highlight of Bangkok’s nightlife scene, Sky Bar’s inspired cocktails, striking atmosphere and spectacular views from the 63rd have caused it to be named lithe most stunning rooftop bar you’ll ever see” by The New York Times.

Dining options include: Sirocco, the world’s highest open air restaurant, offering refined Mediterranean cuisine; Breeze, highlighted by USA Today as one of the world’s “10 most cutting edge restaurants,” showcasing authentic Asian cuisine, progressively presented; and Mezzaluna, lebua’s signature fine dining restaurant, serving modern innovative cuisine. Room service from The Dome Restaurants and private meals’ cooked in suite by The Dome Chef are offered for Tower Club guests.

Additional food and beverage outlets include lebua Lounge; Ocean 52, a sophisticated lounge of imported wines and unusual Asian blends, ideal for business meetings; and, the poolside Cafe Mozu, an all-day dining area featuring a wide variety of more than 120 international items for the breakfast.

A modern lounge serving innovative cocktails and premium liquor, Distil also features resident DJs, a specialty Cigar Terrace and unique Oyster Bar, where fresh oysters are flown in twice weekly from the USA and France

Meetings & Events Tower Club at lebua offers the most obvious choices in events excellence with a wide range of

fully-serviced conference rooms for groups up to 800. Sweeping views, outstanding technological infrastructure and gourmet cuisine catered from premium restaurants at The Dome at lebua, ensure that events, be it wedding, meetings, gala dinners, press conferences or product launches, will be unmatched elsewhere. In addition, a Business Center is fully-equipped with office facilities, broadband Internet connectivity, message, mail, postal services, and meeting rooms of varying sizes.

Crowning Tower Club at lebua on the 67th floor, The State Room boasts an unbroken chain of floorto ceiling windows and provides stunning 360 degree panoramic views of the city and the majestic River. The total area of 650 square meters can be adaptable to 7

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function styles including cocktail, sit-down set menu, sitdown buffet, classroom, theatre, U-shape and boardroom.

With the capacity to accommodate up to 800 guests, The Pundarika Grand Ballroom comprises of three spacious function rooms - Angarika Ballroom, Padmini Ballroom and Pushkara Ballroom, each of which range from 2,600 sq. ft. to 11,000 sq. ft. Designs merge classic elements with traditional details and contemporary furniture. A blend of light and warm color schemes with accents in champagne gold, deep purple and crystal whites lend grace and sophistication. A gigantic crystal chandelier takes center-stage at the atrium while winding staircases mirror the imperial grandeur of European palaces.

Spa & Wellness Four massage rooms offer a range of massage treatments, such as the traditional Thai massage, Oriental foot massage, relaxation massage, back and shoulder deep massage, Thai foot massage, Recovery Express massage and lebua Signature massage to ease away the tension of stressful life. In addition, Tower Club at lebua offers insuite spa with relaxed and cozy setup for guests who prefer privacy and convenience.

The open-air swimming pool winding around the far corner of the M floor promises privacy and deep relaxation 8 | January-February 2015 | Hotels & Culinary ASIA

with Jacuzzi jet nozzles around the edges that lightly ease the pressure points.

A separate sauna and steam room adds to the oasis of tranquility that our guests aspire at the end of the day or even throughout the day. Overlooking the pool at the M Floor, the fitness center offers a broad range of up-to-date fitness gear, from cardiovascular and resistance machines to free weights and dumbbells.

About Iebua Hotels & Resorts lebua Hotels and Resorts is a growing international luxury brand that operates distinctive hotels, fine restaurants and bars. Led by visionary CEO Deepak Ohri, Bangkok-based lebua takes a unique approach to hospitality that aspires to tap into a deeper level of exchange with guests to create emotional connections. lebua’s award-wining lodging collection includes Bangkok’s best-performing luxury hotels (Tower Club at lebua and lebua at State Tower), and three boutique hotels in India (Devi Garh by lebua, Udaipur; lebua Resort, Jaipur; and lebua Lodge at Amer, Jaipur). The Dome at lebua, the group’s collection of restaurants and bars atop its Bangkok hotels, include Sirocco, the world’s highest open air restaurant, designated ‘2011-2013: HAPA Restaurant of the Year’ by the Hospitality Asia Platinum Awards; Sky Bar, named “the most stunning rooftop bar you’ll ever see” by The New York Times in 2013; Breeze, highlighted by USA Today as one of the world’s “10 most cutting-edge restaurants” in 2014; and Mezzaluna, honored as a ‘Foodie Top 100’ fine-dining mecca in 2013. lebua is expanding its dining concepts to Europe through a strategic partnership with Steigenberger Hotel Group, starting with the 2015 opening of Breeze in Frankfurt, Germany, and is exploring hotel management contracts in city and resort destinations worldwide.

For more information, visit www.lebua.com or www.facebookcomllebua, or follow @lebuahotels on Twitter or @lebuaHotelsResorts on Instagram.

State Tower, 1055 Silom Road, Bangrak, Bangkok 10500 Thailand, T: +66 (0) 26249999 F: +66 (0) 26249998 resvn@lebua.com www.lebua.com

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! s t h g i e H t a y t i l a rson

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Mr. Deepak Ohri, Chief Executive Officer

lebua Hotels & Resorts

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eepak Ohri, a name that has become synonymous with the ‘luxury experience’, joined lebua at its inception in 2003 and has not only brought the vision of the brand to reality but expanded this vision across continents with several of the world’s finest five-star hotels, restaurants and bars.

Mr. Ohri introduced The Dome at lebua, Bangkok’s preeminent culinary destination, which includes Sirocco (the world’s highest open air restaurant), Sky Bar (named “the most stunning rooftop bar you’ll ever see” by The New York Times in 2013), Breeze (highlighted by USA Today as one of the world’s “10 most cutting-edge restaurants” in 2014); and Mezzaluna (honored as a ‘Foodie Top 100’ fine-dining mecca in 2013).

In 2006, Mr. Ohri rechristened the Meritus Hotel as the all-suite lebua at State Tower, launching lebua Hotels and Resorts. Today, lebua’s award-wining lodging collection includes Bangkok’s best-performing luxury hotels (Tower Club at lebua and lebua at State Tower), three magnificent properties in India (Devi Garh by lebua, Udaipur; lebua Resort, Jaipur: and lebua Lodge at Amer, Jaipur), and an exclusive property in New Zealand (Lake Okareka Lodge by lebua).

Recently, Mr. Ohri announced the expansion of lebua’s dining concepts to Europe through a strategic partnership with Steigenberger Hotel Group, starting with the 2015 launch of the restaurant Breeze in Frankfurt, Germany.

Drawing on a unique vision of hospitality that aspires to tap into a deeper level of exchange with guests and create lasting emotional connections, and supported by a career that includes operational and executive roles with companies such as Kempinski Hotels and Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces, Mr. Ohri is recognized as an innovative industry leader, making him a soughtafter speaker on luxury and strategy at international conferences and lecturer at leading business schools such as the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, the Indian School of Business Hyderabad, INSEAD, the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, and Harvard Business School.

Mr. Ohri was invited to speak at the prestigious Forbes Global CEO Conference in Singapore (2008) and in Kuala Lumpur (2009), and has spoken at other notable events including the Financial Times Business of Luxury Summit in Los Angeles (2010) and in Lausanne (2011); the Real Estate Funds and Emerging Markets Conference in New York (2011); the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTCC) Global Summit in Abu Dhabi (2013); the Asia Pacific Hotel Development Conference in Bangkok (2013); the WTCC Asia Summit in Seoul (2013); the Resort Development and Hospitality Conference in Dubai (2014); and the Luxury Hospitality Conference in Athens (2014).

Mr. Ohri is a three-time recipient of both the Most Enterprising

Entrepreneur Award (2008 to 2010) by the Hospitality Asia Platinum Awards and The Best in Asia: Entrepreneur of the Year Award (2011 to 2013). Mr. Ohri’s contribution to the hospitality industry was recognized with the Achiever and Leaders Award by the Indira Group of Institutes endorsed

by CMO Asia and the Asian Confederation of Business (2012) and most recently with the Thought Leaders Award for Innovation in Hospitality from the Stars of the Industry Group (2013).

Mr. Ohri is a member of the World Travel and Tourism Council and also serves on the advisory board of Singapore’s CornellNanyang Institute of Hospitality Management.

Under Mr. Ohri’s leadership, lebua has garnered countless international awards, most recently the World’s Leading All-Suite Hotel Award by the World Travel Awards (2013); Top 10 Hotel in Thailand by the Conde Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards (2013); One of the World’s 500 Best Hotels by Travel + Leisure (2013); the Travelers’ Choice Award

by TripAdvisor (2013); Restaurant of the Year by the Hospitality Asia Platinum Awards (2011 to 2013); and Thailand’s Best Restaurants by Thailand Totler (2011 to 2014).

Mr. Ohri continues to explore hotel management contracts and dining expansion opportunities for lebua in exceptional city and resort destinations worldwide.

Awards Achieved 2008-2010 MOST ENTERPRISING ENTREPRENEUR AWARD from the Hospitality Asia Platinum Awards, Malaysia 2011-2013 THE BEST IN ASIA: ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR AWARD from the Hospitality Asia Platinum Awards, Singapore 2012 THE ACHIEVERS AND LEADERS AWARD from the Indira Group of Institutes, India, endorsed by CMO Asia & the Asian Confederation of Business 2013 THOUGHT LEADERS AWARD for Innovation in Hospitality from the Stars of the Industry Group

For reservatons, please contact: State Tower, 1055 Silom Road, Bangrak, Bangkok 10500 Thailand T: +66 (0) 26249999 F: +66 (0) 26249998 resvn@lebua.com www.lebua.com Hotels & Culinary ASIA | January-February 2015 | 11

Messe Frankfurt announces the Partner Country of Ambiente 2016 Italy accepts the Partner Country Globe from the USA world and Italian exhibitors are a traditional and very important part of the fair. I am particularly pleased that Italy’s unique achievements in terms of design and high-quality manufacturing will be emphasised even more than usual by the Partner Country presentation at Ambiente 2016.”

A total of 4,811 exhibitors from 94 countries are showing their latest products on 328,500 square metres (gross) at this year’s Ambiente. With 386 exhibitors in 2015, Italy is the fourth-biggest exhibitor nation at the world’s leading consumer-goods fair.

On the visitor side, Italy was second only to Germany in 2014. Ambiente 2016 will be held at Frankfurt Fair and Exhibition Centre from 12 to 16 February 2016.

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esse Frankfurt announced that Italy is to be the next Ambiente Partner Country. During the Partner Country Reception for this year’s Partner Country, the USA, Detlef Braun, Member of the Executive Board of Messe Frankfurt GmbH, said, “We are delighted that Italy is to be the Partner Country of Ambiente, the world’s leading trade fair for the consumer-goods sector.

As hosts, we want do everything possible to provide the perfect platform for a successful presentation of outstanding Italian design by new and long-standing exhibitors from our South European neighbour.”

After Denmark, France, Japan and the USA, Italy is the fifth Ambiente Partner Country. The Partner Country presentations are

always a magnet for visitors, and this year’s presentation by the USA was no exception. Now, exhibitors and visitors can look forward to an impressive display by the new Partner Country.

The official handover of the Partner Country Globe by Kevin C. Milas, Consul General of the United States of America, to Italy’s Consul General, Cristiano Cottafavi, was attended by numerous guests from business, politics and society, including American actress and Oscar winner Helen Hunt and Scott Henderson, the designer and curator of this year’s Partner Country presentation.

During the ceremony, Cristiano Cottafavi said, “The phrase ‘La dolce vita’ describes the relaxed Italian

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way of life perfectly and will have a special influence on Ambiente in 2016. Every year, Italy is one of the most important nations at the world’s most important trade fair for consumer goods, represented by numerous exhibitors and trade visitors. This is also an expression of the very close cultural, economic and social ties between Germany and Italy. I am very pleased about all initiatives to further develop this solid foundation of friendship and, therefore, very pleased that Italy has been chosen as the Ambiente Partner Country for 2016.”

Donald Wich, Managing Director of Messe Frankfurt Italy, is also delighted with the choice of Italy as the new Partner Country: “Ambiente is the fair for designoriented companies from all over the

Ambiente, the leading international trade fair Ambiente is the leading international trade fair for products for the table, kitchen and household, gift articles, jewellery, wellness and fashion requisites, as well as decorative products, interior design concepts and furnishing accessories. Ambiente is ‘The Show’ for the entire sector and, thanks to its unique horizontal and vertical range of products, unrivalled worldwide. For five days at the beginning of the business year, 2014, more than 4,700 exhibitors showed their new products and innovations for the coming season to 144,000 trade visitors from over 160 countries. The world’s leading consumer-goods fair is also distinguished by a wide variety of events, promotional programmes for young people, trend presentations and awards ceremonies.

Cutting Edge Catering & Hospitality Equipment Showcase @ HOFEX 2015 Stretching across 14 Halls in an area of 65,000m2, HOFEX 2015 – the 16th edition of the leading food & hospitality tradeshow in Asia – will be held at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre during 6 – 9 May 2015, showcasing all kinds of products ranging from food & beverage to food equipment and hospitality technology from over 2,400 exhibiting companies from around the globe. As food services and hospitality equipment & supplies are gaining popularity in the region, a specialised sector will be put up at Hall 1A to D, bringing in the most innovative kitchen equipment, tableware and hotel amenities.

Visitor review: “HOFEX is always the most prestigious food and hospitality in Asia. This event was beneficial, a good platform for networking. It was a fruitful and enjoyable experience, and served to introduce us to new business contacts and strengthen existing relationships.”

Ms. Lorna Azarias Purchasing Manager, The Bellevue Manila, Philippines State-of-the-art Kitchen Equipment Facing the limited kitchen area available for the large range of equipment, such as stove, oven, steamer, grill and etc., there is an increasing demand for space-saving equipment with maximum application flexibility and high efficiency.

Catering to the needs, manufacturers of kitchen equipment like Catering Depot Inc, Century Equipment Co Ltd, Fujimak Hong Kong Co Ltd, Hatco Corporation and JetCool Equipment Engineering Ltd are going to showcase the latest products that can help you maximise table rotation and boost up your profit!

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Past Exhibitor review: “HOFEX is a great platform to meet existing clients and new contacts not only from Hong Kong and Mainland China, but also from Asia. Visitors are indeed professional, we expect to have an expansion to showcase more of our cuttingedge kitchen equipment and custom-made wine cellars to the industry.”

Mr Matthew Wong, Founder & Managing Director, Jetcool Equipment Engineering Ltd

An Eye-catching Range of Tableware A good table setting can increase the appetite of customers as well as enhancing the overall dining experience. Quality remains a key criterion for tableware selection while consumers are increasingly looking for products that have a strong design to meet the various culinary and serving challenges.

Luzerne Pte Ltd, Narumi Corporation, Noritake Co Ltd, Ocean Glass Public Co Ltd, Wilmax Ltd and many more tableware experts will surprise you with a fantastic range of tableware products on the exhibition floor!

Past Exhibitor review: “We had busy days throughout the show meeting old & new clients, exchanging ideas & concepts in a very relaxing atmosphere which is totally different from a traditional trade show. I am looking forward to another exciting HOFEX in 2015!”

Mr Raymond Tam, Director – Asia, Athena Tableware

Mesmerising Selection of Hotel Amenities While branded amenities are still a major draw card for many Asian hotel guests, organic and green products with individual approach are gradually making their presence felt in the region.

Companies like Far East Hotel Supplies Co Ltd - Frette S.R.L. and Shenzhen A-main Industrial Corporation Ltd are going to present some of the high quality hotel amenities in the market, including luxury beddings, fine linen, towel, bath robe, bathing soup and so on.

Past Exhibitor review: “The promotion of our Tableware, Kitchenware and Furniture was very successful. Our principals were all happy to meet with the great amount of Hospitality professionals and key decisionmakers from the Asia Pacific region. We can’t wait to return in 2015.”

Mr Umesh Bhasin, Director of Sales, Global Hotelware Limited

Online Visitor’s Pre-registration Is Open!

To be the biggest ever, HOFEX 2015 is expected to attract over 40,000 regional trade buyers including importers, distributors, hotel general managers, supermarket purchasing managers, restaurant owners and executive chefs coming from Hong Kong, China, Macau, Taiwan, Philippines, Australia etc. to source, network and gain market updates. To beat the crowd, please pre-register at www.hofex.com/register now!

Should you have any enquiries, please contact the organiser, Hong Kong Exhibition Services Limited, at +852 2804 1500 /visit@hofex.com

The First Asian Catering Equipment Awards Aiming to recognise manufacturers and designers of foodservice equipment who have innovatively improved impact on efficiency and success of restaurant kitchens, and reduced negative impact on the planet, the first Asian Catering Equipment Awards will be presented at HOFEX 2015, and the award-winning products will be showcased on-site. It is a high industry accolade with strong judging panels comprised of internationally recognised food facilities consultants, renowned chefs, F&B Directors of hotels and restaurant chains, and design experts.

Award categories include Water / Energy Saving Award, Labour Saving Award, Sustainable Equipment Award and Overall Design & Innovation Award for light equipment and heavy equipment respectively. You would be able to find some inspirations to enhance your kitchen equipment and sharpen your competitive edge!

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Sneak Peek at HOFEX 2015 Exhibits!

Adventys Induction Cooking Equipment Company: Pure Support Sdn Bhd Adventys Professional Induction Cooking Equipment is 100% manufactured in France.

Electronics and sheet metal parts are made locally in order to perfectly control quality

InAlto UNO Company: Bormioli Rocco Asia Pacific Ltd InAlto UNO is a complete collection composed by 4 wine stems, 1 champagne flute and 1 tumbler.

InAlto UNO is a project by the world renowned Italian designer, Aldo Cibic.

and reliability of our products.

JETCOOL Display Refrigerated Showcase Company: JetCool Equipment Engineering Ltd JETCOOL Display Showcase as market leader in Hong Kong and Macau market. Years 2014, JETCOOL had sold over 1500 sets in HK and Macau.

Feature: custom made all size and finishing, modern and durable.

Live Cooking Table

KOMA H-Type Blast Freezer Company: Hong Kong Food Machinery Co Ltd KOMA offers you an installation with which you can freeze your products at a temperature of -38C and simultaneously store products at a temperature of for instance -20C.

Mobile Buffet Station “Cyber” Design Company: Andy Mannhart AG Modular and portable live cooking furniture.

Sleek design, high quality finishes, unique patterns. What looks like a luxury domestic kitchen furniture, is actually a new solution for professional catering.

Rational Self Cooking Center R 5 Senses

Company: Sico Asia Pte Ltd “Cyber” design is a series of smart Buffet product which provide endless new concepts.

Vertical display rack, action station, bar and service trolley of this design give a fantastic effect.

RoboQ Rotisserie Oven

Company: C.E.C. Catering

Company: The Barbecue Specialist

Equipment Co Ltd

(Greater China) Co Ltd

RATIONAL - the inventor

RoboQ is the World’s Only

of combi-steamer technology.

Intelligent Barbecue Robot. The

SelfCookingCenterR5Senses, a unit

one and only automatic smoke-free

with sense, recognizes, thinks ahead,

barbecue equipment with simple

learns from you and communicate

one-touch operation and delivers

with you, which offer the most

consistent high quality skewered

beneficial solution in cooking.

food.

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Britain’s most loved attractions given new Mandarin spin Glorious armoured giant horses (homophonic with Kelpies) Cerne Abbas Giant - Bai Se Da Luo Ben - Big white streaker Hadrian’s Wall - Yong Heng Zhi Ji Wall of eternity Brighton Pavilion - Qiao Zhi He Yue Han De Yin Du Gong - George and John’s Indian palace Stoke-on-Trent - Wan Bo Tao Ci Diverse ceramics Brimham Rocks - Bo Han Qi Yan – A lot of rocks in different shapes

For the last ten weeks, famous places, tourist attractions and locations nationwide have been waiting with bated breath for the results of Britain’s largest ever tourism campaign in China. Ahead of Chinese New Year, VisitBritain has today released all 101 new names along with other popular suggestions - provided by the Chinese public, for some of the most famous points of interest across Britain.

China is now the world’s largest outbound market, with visitors to Britain already spending £500 million annually. VisitBritain has ambitious plans to double the value of that market by 2020 and to ensure this growth is spread across the nations and regions. VisitBritain’s £1.6m ‘GREAT names for GREAT Britain’ campaign taps into the existing trend amongst the Chinese to give literal names to favourite celebrities, places and foods.

Since its launch, the campaign has reached nearly 300 million potential Chinese tourists via the national tourism agency’s influential Weibo and WeChat social media platforms in China. Over 2 million people visited the campaign pages and nearly 30 million Chinese watched the launch video, with 13,000 new names suggested throughout the ten weeks.

One die-hard Beatles fan even travelled to Britain in an attempt to be the first to name famous landmarks associated with the band – watch how he got on in our new short campaign video.

All 101 points of interest have now been given their three most popular Chinese names. Over the coming days, VisitBritain will be working together with all of these attractions to decide which name to go for and how they might use these results.

Here are some naming highlights: Here are some naming highlights: The Shard - Zhai Xing Ta - A tower allowing us to pluck stars from the sky or London cone Savile Row - Gao Fu Shuai Zhi Lu - Tall, rich, handsome street (refers to popular “meme” in China to describe the perfect man) or Custom made rich people street Blackpool – Le You Yuan - A place that is happy to visit or Deep pool carnival - ‘Shen Chi Jia Nian Hua’ Llanfair-pwllgwyn-gyllgo-gerychwyrn-drobwll-llanty-silio-gogogoch – Jian Fei Cun- Healthy-lung village Loch Ness Monster - Ni Si Hu An Ying - - The Loch Ness shadow The Kelpies - Kai Po Ju Ma -

Sally Balcombe, Chief Executive at VisitBritain said: “Chinese visitors already stay longer in Britain than in our European competitor destinations and are high spenders – every 22 additional Chinese visitors we attract supports an additional job in tourism. We want to ensure that we continue to compete effectively in this, the world’s biggest outbound market and ensure that we deliver growth and jobs across the nations and regions of Britain.

“Digital engagement is one of our strengths and this campaign has been hugely effective at driving this with our potential Chinese visitors. We’re working closely with the industry and hope to see some of Britain’s most popular points of interest use these new Chinese names on their social media channels and websites to amplify that engagement.”

Minister for Sport Helen Grant said: “Overseas visitors are coming to Britain in record numbers and spending more money than ever before. But we are working hard to encourage more visitors from key markets such as China to come and experience the best of Britain. The

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have captured the imagination of the Chinese audience.”

The Shard

Cllr Graham Cain, Blackpool Council’s cabinet member for tourism and leisure, said: “Blackpool is known as a town that has a really positive and fun atmosphere so ‘Shen Chi Jia Nian Hua’, or ‘Deep Pool Carnival’, is a very suitable description.

“We have growing cultural links with China having had our famous Comedy Carpet seafront artwork exhibited at the Shanghai Power Station of Art and we know Chinese visitors just love The Blackpool Tower and the famous Blackpool Tower Ballroom, the home of ballroom dancing. We hope the new name will really strike a chord and encourage our friends from China to come and visit us.”

response to this campaign in China has been fantastic, championing some of our best attractions across the country.”

Marino Zanti, General Manager, The Needles commented: “As the most visited landmark and attraction on the Isle of Wight, we’re thrilled to have been featured in this high profile campaign. We’ve seen the Chinese market grow dramatically over the past two years and we hope to welcome many more Chinese visitors to the Needles in coming seasons. ‘Poseidon’s Trident’ is a fitting alternative name for the Needles rocks as an association with the ‘God of the Sea’ befits a national coastal landmark of our stature.”

Jude Leitch, general manager at Northumberland Tourism said: “We are delighted that Hadrian’s Wall was chosen to feature in VisitBritain’s

‘GREAT Chinese name’ campaign.

The 73 miles of Hadrian’s Wall is a World Heritage Site that stretches from one side of England to the other, and the name chosen, ‘Wall of Eternity’ perfectly describes its importance to Britain’s history, and how its story is key to ensuring that future generations understand our often turbulent past. As they can also proudly boast a world-famous wall, we hope Chinese visitors will be inspired to visit and explore Hadrian’s Wall country to experience the mystic beauty of the Eternal Wall for themselves. We look forward to welcoming them when they do.”

Stephanie Hinchcliffe, Visitor Services Manager at Brimham Rocks said: “Many of the names of the rocks date back to Victorian times and visitors are still having fun coming up with new names even today. We are very excited that Brimham Rocks

20 | January-February 2015 | Hotels & Culinary ASIA

Kelpie artist, Andy Scott said: “I am delighted that the Kelpies have reached out to a new audience and that they have been recognised with such an evocative and dynamic Mandarin name. It is a real accolade for me as the artist and the whole team involved in The Kelpies that they have been adopted for the VisitBritain campaign and been so Brighton Pavilion

well received in China. I hope the campaign brings even more visitors to our ‘glorious giants’ in Falkirk.”

Anglesey’s Principal Tourism and Marketing Officer, Iwan Huws, said: “It’s great news that Llanfairpwll and Anglesey - have been included in such an exciting and prominent tourism campaign and clearly shows that our Island can compete on a world stage. Anglesey has so much to offer - its stunning landscapes and coastline; award winning beaches; and rich culture and heritage.

“The Chinese names suggested are certainly very different from the traditional Welsh meaning of Llanfairpwll, and I hope that they will help attract many more Chinese visitors to Anglesey in the months and years to come. We’ll make sure they receive a warm Welsh welcome when they arrive!”

VisitBritain announced that 2014 was a record year for both inbound visits and spend. Overseas visitors spent £21.7 billion in Britain last year, 3% and a new record. The number of inbound visits reached a record 34.8 million, up by nearly 2 million - 6% - on 2013.

DUSIT THANI BANGKOK – A Deluxe Five Star Hotel in the Heart of Bangkok

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deally located in the heart of the ‘City of Angels’, it sits opposite historic Lumpini Park with its broad boulevards and expanse of lakes. The hotel is adjacent to both sky train (BTS) and subway (MRT) systems within easy proximity to major business, shopping and entertainment centres.

Dusit Thani’s 517 rooms and suites are sumptuously appointed with distinctive Thai inspiration and well-designed facilities. The ‘Dusit Room’ offer 60 square metres with a separate bedroom, living area and larger bathroom, the ‘Thai Heritage Suites’ are each inspired by the characters and touches of ancient Thai cities.

Complementing the excellent accommodation is an unrivalled choice of six signature dining experiences, whilst the Devarana Spa and DFiT offer state-of-perfection facilities ready to help you wind down or wind up.

Just 24 km Bangkok Survarnabhumi International Airport and 3 km from the Hualamphong Railway Station, the hotel offer 517 guestrooms and suites with décor and furnishing in an elegant Thai design with full use of traditional materials made of silk and teakwood.

The hotel offers following facilities in room: • Air-conditioning • Alarm clock • Cable television with free in-house movies/world news • Direct dial telephone with voice mail • Full sprinkler system and heat detectors in each room and throughout the hotel • High speed and mobile internet • Hairdryer (Electricity 220 V.) • Mini bar • Private safe • Pay

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TV / movies / radio • Tea/Coffee making facility Following are other facilities and services that the hotel offers: • Butler service on call for club benefits • 24-hour Room service • Barber shop and beauty salon • Baby-sitting service • Conference and banqueting rooms (2 Ballrooms, 10 Meeting Rooms) • Concierge • Currency exchange • Daily newspapers and magazines (both local &

international) • Dusit Club - Executive Business Centre with private board room (10 –14 persons) • Gift shop • In-house shopping arcade • Laundry & valet service • Limousine & Transportation Services • Private office for rent • Round trip daily transportation services with Dusit Sprinter from Dusit Thani Bangkok to Dusit Thani Hua Hin or Dusit Thani Pattaya • Safety box at Front Desk • Tour counter • Wireless internet connection in hotel public area Further, Dusit Thani, Bangkok offers cuisines in its various restaurants and bars, like Pacific Coastal Cuisine, Modern Contemporary Thai, American Steak House, Cantonese, International, Vietnamese, Pastries & Cakes, Drinks & Snacks, Drinks & Snacks, Japanese in its restaurants and bars viz: - 22 Kitchen & Bar, Benjarong, Hamilton’s Steak House, The Mayflower, The Pavilion, Thien Duong, Dusit Gourmet, Benjarong Terrace, Lobby Lounge, Shogun (Concessionaire) The hotel also offers the following recreation facilities: • Outdoor swimming pool with sun deck • DFiT Fitness Studio with complete state-of-the art fitness equipments, aerobic studio, steam room, sauna and yoga • Devarana Spa • Library 1918 The hotel is also capable to hold corporate meetings and conventions, get togethers, marriage funuctions etc. in its various halls ranging from 24 sqm upto 978 sqm.

For reservations, please contact: Dusit Thani Bangkok, 946 Rama IV Road, Bangkok 10500, Thailand, Tel: +66 (0) 2200 9000; Fax: +66 (0) 2236 6400; E-mail: dtbk@dusit.com, Web Site: www.dusit.com/ dtbk Hotels & Culinary ASIA | January-February 2015 | 23

ANANTARA HUA HIN RESORT & SPA, Thailand Indulge in a luxury Thailand holiday directly on the beachfront of the sleepy royal seaside town of Hua Hin with Anantara Hua Hin Resort & Spa. Tee off at sunrise on one of the area’s many great golf courses. Take an age old Thai massage surrounded by beautiful gardens at Anantara Spa. Explore the nearby open-air palaces before retreating to the stylish Thai interior of your private suite.

Anantara Hua Hin Resort & Spa is among the most luxurious Hua Hin hotels, designed in the style of an ancient Thai village right beside the beach.

Lush tropical gardens surround the hotel, inviting you to spend your hours outdoors, while in the rooms and suites you’ll find all the amenities you need for an idyllic romantic vacation.

The resort offers a range of superior facilities including a beachside swimming pool, tennis courts, cookery school and a choice of glorious dining options of various world cuisines to create the perfect romantic vacation. Embrace the spirit of seaside luxury in this ancient royal playground at Anantara Hua Hin. Anantara Privileges for Club Lagoon Rooms and Anantara Suites Designed with unrivalled luxury and choice in mind, a stay in one of our Club Lagoon Rooms or Anantara Suites is a truly indulgent experience.

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• Exclusive Access to Private Lagoon Pool & Bar* • Private Appointment with Chief Experience Guru • Anantara Spa - The More You Go The More You Save • ‘Good Night’ Surprise • Complimentary Internet Access • International Breakfast News • Breakfast Wherever You Wish • Complimentary Afternoon Tea / Drinks at Lagoon Bar • Daily Morning Yoga • Personalised In-room Check-in • Complimentary shuttle to town • Late check-out of 4:00 pm * As the Lagoon Pool & Bar is a quiet relaxation zone, we politely request that all guests are considerate of noise disturbance to others.

Anantara Hua Hin key features: • 187 rooms and suites • Anantara Spa • Bill Bensley designed landscape gardens • Private lagoon pool for Lagoon Room and Anantara Suite guests Spice Spoons – Anantara cooking school • Baan Thalia (Italian cuisine) Sai Thong (fresh seafood, barbeque, Thai favourites) • Rim Nam (traditional Thai and Thai fusion cuisine) • Golf at a choice of world-class courses • Elephant trekking • Mountain biking Anantara Hua Hin implements its commitment to protecting the environment and preserving local culture through education, innovation and empowerment in our adherence to the requirements of Green Globe standards. The hotel doesn’t allow pets in its premises.

For more details, please contact: Anantara Hua Hin Resort & Spa, 43/1 Phetkasem Beach Road Hua Hin 77110, Thailand, Tel: +66 32 520 250; Fax: +66 32 520 259 Email: huahin@anantara.com

Anantara Hua Hin Resort

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Actress and director Helen Hunt guest of honour at USA Day

Hollywood in Frankfurt: Oscar-winner Helen Hunt at Ambiente, Frankfurt

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xhibitors and visitors from all over the world come to Frankfurt for Ambiente.

This year, however, one visitor in particular ensured that special touch of glamour at the fair: Helen Hunt!

The actress, director and Oscarwinner is the USA Day guest of honour and she visited Ambiente during the theme day for the USA, this year’s Ambiente Partner Country, on 16 February. During a tour of the fair, she was introduced to selected American and German exhibitors, such as Lenox, Kitchen Aid, Fissler and Zwiesel. “Ambiente was for me an amazing and eyeopening experience. I learned so much about modern design and discovered such an amazing variety of great designs, trends, companies and products from all over the world. Ambiente is really the meeting place for the design industry

just as Hollywood is for the film industry,” said Helen Hunt.

Helen Hunt began her acting career at the age of nine. Since then, she has appeared in innumerable television, theatre and movie productions and received no less than 47 renowned awards. In 1998, she won the Oscar as Best Actress for her outstanding performance as a waitress alongside Jack Nicholson in the movie ‘As Good as It Gets’.

During her tour of Ambiente, Helen Hunt also visited the Partner Country presentation, ‘Seashore Galore’, by American designer Scott Henderson. To round off her visit to the fair, she will attend this evening’s ‘Partner Country Reception’, an event dedicated to this year’s Partner Country and the venue for the announcement of the next Partner Country at Ambiente in 2016.

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This year, the USA was honoured as the Partner Country of the world’s foremost consumer-goods fair. Around 100 US exhibitors, including companies such as Big Green Egg, Kikkerland, Nambé, Oxo International, Vitamix and Zuko, have enriched Ambiente with their latest products and innovations.

The traditional highlight of the Partner Country programme is the theme day on the Monday of the fair with numerous events organised by exhibitors from the Partner Country.

Ambiente, the leading international trade fair Ambiente is the leading international trade fair for products for the table, kitchen and household, gift articles, jewellery, wellness and fashion requisites, as well as decorative products, interior design concepts and furnishing accessories. Ambiente

is ‘The Show’ for the entire sector and, thanks to its unique horizontal and vertical range of products, unrivalled worldwide. For five days at the beginning of the business year, 2014, more than 4,700 exhibitors showed their new products and innovations for the coming season to 144,000 trade visitors from over 160 countries. The world’s leading consumer-goods fair is also distinguished by a wide variety of events, promotional programmes for young people, trend presentations and awards ceremonies.

You can also follow Ambiente on the internet on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram: http://ambiente-blog.com www.facebook.com/ambientefair www.twitter.com/ambiente www.pinterest.com/ambientefair www.instagram.com/ambientefair

Background information on Messe Frankfurt

Messe Frankfurt is one of the world’s leading trade fair organisers, generating around € 550* million in sales and employing more than 2,200* people worldwide. The Messe Frankfurt Group has a global network of 28 subsidiaries and around 50 international Sales Partners, allowing it to serve its customers on location in more than 160 countries. Messe Frankfurt events take place at more than 30 locations around the globe. In 2014, Messe Frankfurt organised 120* trade fairs, of which more than half took place outside Germany.

Comprising an area of 578,000 square metres, Messe Frankfurt’s exhibition grounds are home to ten exhibition halls. The company also operates two congress centres. The company is publicly owned, with the City of Frankfurt holding 60 percent and the State of Hesse 40 percent.

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Final report: Consumer-goods fairs in Frankfurt close their doors with an increase in visitor numbers and a good propensity to order • •

Christmasworld 2015 begins the new festive season with more German and international participants Time is honey! Emotionally-charged presentations invigorate the bricksand-mortar trade

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he trade placed lots of orders and thus ensured a positive result at the Christmasworld, Paperworld and Creativeworld trade fairs. Apart from the outstanding propensity to order, the 2,855 exhibitors (2014[1]: 2,883) taking part in the three consumergoods fairs were particularly pleased with the large number of visitors and the high standard of decision makers. Altogether, almost 84,000 trade visitors from

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156 countries made their way to Frankfurt am Main – an increase of one percent compared to last year (2014: 83,174). “All parameters for a successful international trade fair have shown an upward trend since Friday. The intensive collaboration with our partners from trade and

industry has borne fruit and this is a solid foundation for strengthening the position of the consumer-goods fairs in Frankfurt as the world’s leading platforms for their sectors”, says Detlef Braun, Member of the Executive Board of Messe Frankfurt.

In addition to the significant increase in the number of visitors from outside Germany – they now account for 61 percent of all visitors – the organisers, Messe Frankfurt, are very pleased with the role played by the German trade.

Christmasworld growing with ‘Seasonal Decoration at its best’ Around 33,300 visitors from 106 countries (14,346 from Germany and 19.016 from abroad[2]:) made their way to Frankfurt am Main for Christmasworld, to discover the new products being shown by 924 exhibitors from 42 countries and to discuss their orders (2014: 917 exhibitors from 39 countries). “With more exhibitors and an increase in the number of visitors, Christmasworld once again underscored its position as the unrivalled leading trade fair for festive decorations for all market participants and gave the starting shot for a highly promising new festive season”, said Messe Frankfurt manager Detlef Braun.

The share of visitors from outside Germany rose by 0.4 percent, that from Germany by 3 percent. “It wasn’t just that more German buyers came to the fair, they also placed numerous orders”, added Detlef Braun after discussions with representatives of the associations and exhibitors.

Ralf Hömerlein, CEO, Oberfränkische Glas & Design, confirmed, “There were significantly more visitors than last year. Moreover, it was noticeable that buyers are once again making faster decisions and placing more orders.”

Klaus Müller-Blech, Inge´s Christmas Decor, added, “High quality and extraordinary products are very popular. In other words, price and quantity are no longer key selling

factors. The mood among customers was good and they ordered accordingly.”

The exhibitors were extremely pleased with both the large number of German and international visitors.

“From the point of view of the European Lifestyle Association, Christmasworld 2015 was extremely international. We encountered numerous Italian buyers who also placed orders. We are very pleased with the number of visitors”, said Heike Tscherwinka, Director General, European Lifestyle Association (Europäischer Verband Lifestyle – EVL). Thomas Tykesson, CEO of Gnosjö Konstsmide, added, “This was our best fair ever – and the years before were always good.

In Frankfurt, we meet the most important decision makers from all of our customer target groups – from the retail to the wholesale trade, all come to the fair.”

A successful launch for the new business season with a mood of

optimism The visitors were characterised by a much more positive mood, the main reason for which is the improvement in the climate of consumption in the retail trade at the end of last year. This was confirmed by Hamid Yazdtschi, CEO, Gilde Gruppe: “There is a certain degree of scepticism in the sector with regard to the economic situation and people are always surprised when business is good. It was the same again this year: we are fully satisfied with Christmasworld 2015. Business at the fair was remarkably good – so good that it is a hard competitor for Maison & Object. We welcomed visitors from all over Europe and even customers from as far away as Brazil.”

Particularly significant increases in visitor numbers were registered from the Scandinavian countries, Italy, the USA, Hungary, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Luxemburg, Turkey, Canada and Brazil. Unfortunately, the

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current political situation meant there were fewer visitors from Russia and the Ukraine.

For the German arts & crafts sector, too, Christmasworld 2015 was the best edition of the fair for many, many years.

“This was due, on the one hand, to growth in the export sector (especially to the USA) and, on the other hand, to an increase in domestic business. Compared to previous years, we were able to gain many more new customers from the German retail trade. The German Christmas Crafts initiative is also a unique selling point for our business. Christmasworld is particularly well attended by international visitors, and this is reflected by our sales. The weak euro is also an important factor here. Price increases caused by the introduction of the minimum wage were also accepted by our customers and had no impact on order behaviour”, said Dieter Uhlmann, Director General of the Association of Craftspeople and Toy Manufacturers from the Ore Mountains (Verband Erzgebirgischer Kunsthandwerker und Spielzeughersteller e.V.) The Association of German Garden Centres is also optimistic about the outlook for the new business year.

“Fairs such as Christmasworld are increasingly important for garden centres because they can ensure continuous business and sales by adding seasonal products to their assortments. And this was one of the reasons that our members were able to boost their sales by six percent in 30 | January-February 2015 | Hotels & Culinary ASIA

2014”, said Peter Botz, Director General of the Association of German Garden Centres (Verband Deutscher Garten-Center e.V.). This positive statement was seconded

by John Herbert, John W. Herbert, General Secretary, European DIY Retail Association (EDRA), who said, “The three fairs, Paperworld, Creativeworld and Christmasworld, have grown in significance for the DIY sector over recent years.

This year, for example, important buyers from the USA came here to Frankfurt and placed large orders.”

Exhibitors and visitors give top marks for all parameters The role of Christmasworld as a highly influential new-products show and networking venue was also confirmed by the results of the exhibitor poll. 79 percent of exhibitors said they were satisfied to extremely satisfied with their results at the fair. Moreover, all respondents gave good to very good marks for visitor standard, the number of new

contacts made, the degree to which they reached the various visitor target groups and orders placed during the fair.

On the visitor side, the fair was once again given a very good rating.

95 percent of respondents said they had achieved their goals for the fair. The increased standard of visitors to the fair is reflected by the larger proportion of executives and top managers with complete decision-making authority. “We are very pleased with the entire course of business at the fair because the standard of visitors in Frankfurt has proved to be consistently high”, said Dirk Petermann, CEO, Brauns Heitmann. Arnold Maier, proprietor, AM Design, concurred saying, “High value orders, professional visitors – at Christmasworld everyone gives full throttle. Professional customers expect professionalism and we catered for this demand.” As well, Michael Scheithauer, Managing Partner, Barthelmess Group, was

satisfied with the standard of Christmasworld visitors: “After a break of seven years, we are very pleased to be back here again. The focus on shopping centres is perfect for us because it means the right people for us come here looking for interesting suppliers. In other words, the networking and presence for shopping-centre people are good. The level of internationality is high, as is the degree of decisionmaking authority.”

This year, too, the greatest interest of trade visitors from all over the world was shown in Christmas and Advent decorations (63 percent) followed by seasonal decorations and gifts (44 percent), florists’ requisites & garden decorations (26 percent) and visual merchandising & lighting (25 percent). ”The lighting segment is growing and customers are attaching ever greater importance to quality. Hall 11 has proven its worth and been noted by buyers – as shown by the significantly larger number of visitors”, added Thomas Tykesson, CEO, Gnosjö Konstsmide.

Value added and powerful impulse generated by an attractive programme of events A wide-ranging event and conference programme with numerous highlights and theme-specific lectures reveals new approaches in the trade, aimed at keeping sales up and retaining customers. Emotionality at the point-of-sale also helps boost sales. “In the retail trade, it is increasingly important to present experiential worlds that convey

lightness. After all, decorations are ‘emotional products’ that people tend to buy spontaneously. Hence, we have to sell feelings and emotions that make them happy. It’s a pleasure to come to Christmasworld because the standard of trade visitors there is very good, as is their taste and eye for detail”, says Christborn CEO Helmut Schmidt.

Under the motto ‘Stories to be told’, the Christmasworld Trend Show presented retailers with a trendoriented and atmospheric selection of new colours and materials for the coming festive season. The trend lectures and guided tours given by the design experts of Stilbüro bora. herke.palmisano were very well attended on all five days of the fair.

The ‘Ice Hotel’ presentation by the designer duo of 2Dezign also emphasised the significance and opportunities for greater emotionality in the bricks-andmortar trade. Both visitors and exhibitors were inspired by the

decorated world of 18,000 fresh flowers, more than 500 plants, silk flowers, Christmas decorations, accessories, lighting and movable animals all in white and ice blue.

“From the florists’ point of view, ‘The Ice Hotel’ special show is a particular highlight with important inspiration for our profession”, confirmed Ulrike Linn, Director of the Hessian section of the Association of German Florists (Fachverband Deutscher Floristen).

‘The Ice Hotel’ offered ideas for striking, astonishing and stylish shop and display decorations in the bricks-and-mortar trade and, therefore, represented a counterpoint to the digital shopping experience.

Confirming this, Heike Tscherwinka of the European Lifestyle Association (EVL) said, “We found ‘The Ice Hotel’ special presentation to be particularly impressive. Moreover, the numerous target-group specific awards show that Christmasworld is very much on the right track.”

The Christmasworld Forum offered

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numerous lectures on subjects of topical interest to the sector, e.g., story-telling at the point of sale and setting-up an online business via the Webchance Academy. On all five days of the fair, experienced speakers gave practical tips on active selling, marketing and e-commerce. Speaker Gabriela Kaiser, Trendagentur, ended her well-attended lecture saying, “Create experiential areas – but do so in thematic worlds. Think along unconventional lines to attract customer attention.” Another speaker, Ulrike Hug, Freudenkind, also made the case for banking on the mega consumer-experience trend: “Influencing customers’ sense of well-being and, at the same time, awakening their desire to buy things is a great opportunity for the bricks-and-mortar trade.”

Thrilling awards A variety of awards for outstanding decorative ideas and concepts rounded off the programme of events at the fair. The Decoration Star Innovation Award presented new ideas for promoting sales in the retail trade. Lumix Highlights – Mystic Green & Cosmic Blue by Krinner GmbH was the winner of the Christmas Star while the Seasonal Star went to the nutcracker by designimdorf Stefan Spitz GmbH & Co. KG. The Promotion Star is Pack & Give by Koen Pack BV. The two online competitions during Advent – Best Christmas City (new in 2015) and the Christmas 32 | January-February 2015 | Hotels & Culinary ASIA

Garden Market for Germany, Austria and Switzerland – helped attract even more customers to the cities and markets. “We consider the Christmas Garden Market to be a very good initiative by Messe Frankfurt. It promotes competition and the development of the sector”, says Peter Botz, Director General of the Association of German Garden Centres (Verband Deutscher GartenCenter e.V.). The overall winner was Eisen Knorr with the most online and jury votes. The winners of the jury awards are Wörner Pflanzenparadies, Grönfingers Rostock, BBM Baumarkt Syke and J+S Bethge. In Austria and Switzerland, BayWa Vorarlberg and Garten-Center Meier respectively gathered the most votes.

The most attractive Christmas decorations in a German city were honoured during the New Year Reception given by the German City and Urban Marketing Association (Bundesvereinigung City- und Stadtmarketing Deutschland e.V. – bcsd). In his speech, bcsd Chairman

Michael Gerber was full of praise for the working relationship with Messe Frankfurt. In his opinion, “The Best Christmas City competition should be continued in the future.”

Chemnitz won the online voting.

Abensberg, Bocholt and Dresden won the jury awards. In particular, added the bcsd Chairman, the online voting demonstrated the popularity of Christmas decorations in towns and cities. “With individual Christmas lighting, it is possible to achieve very good results – even with only a small budget”, said Robert Karrer, CEO of Blachere Illumination, Austria.

Premium Business Programme with star guest Emotionalisation and presentations were also buzz words at the third Premium Business Programme organised by Christmasworld and the German Council of Shopping Centres (GCSC). On 30 January 2015, over 250 shopping-centre managers and operators, commercial and property entrepreneurs, urbanmarketing strategists, designers and

representatives of decoration agencies took part in this exclusive lecture and networking programme. The star guest was Bernhard Paul, charismatic master of presentation, founder and director of Circus Roncalli. Together with Stephan Jung (business speaker and Chairman of ICSC European Retail Innovation Committee, London) and Karl-Heinz Land (founder of neuland GmbH & Co. KG digital vision & transformation), he took part in a panel discussion about perfecting presentations. “We must make people want to look – and this means the presentation must be perfect”, said Bernhard Paul and illustrated his point with numerous references to point-ofsale presentations, not all of them good. “I want to feel welcome in a shop, which means it must have a pleasant ambience”, added the circus entrepreneur. For the bricks-and-

mortar trade, it is essential to give customers a feel-good moment, during which they like to shop, especially at Christmas time. And perfect decorations, matching lighting and well-chosen music go a long way to generating such feelings.

“The customer should be the focus of our attention, not the goods”, said Stephan Jung. Today, products are no longer sold but purchased. And, he said in his key-note address, this is a big difference. To put it in the master’s words: “Time is not money, time is honey”. In the long run, this unhurried approach is the key to greater success in the bricks-andmortar trade.

Next event: As always, Christmasworld will be held around the last Saturday in January and thus open its doors from 29 January to 2 February 2016.

[1] Figures for 2014 certified by the Society for the Voluntary Control of Fair and Exhibition Statistics (Gesellschaft zur freiwilligen Kontrolle von Messe- und Ausstellungszahlen – FKM), Berlin) [2] FKM figures, 2014: 32,864 visitors from 112 countries: 13,922 from Germany and 18,942 from abroad

Hotels & Culinary ASIA | January-February 2015 | 33

European hotel investment hit €16.8 billion in 2014

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urope map1Hotel investment volumes across Europe and the Middle East reached €16.8 billion for 2014, according to the latest data from CBRE Hotels.

2014 saw a 30% uplift on 2013 and reflects the strength in hotels as a growing commercial property asset class.

Investment activity in nearly all European countries was significantly higher in 2014 than in 2013.

Scandinavia, Germany and Southern Europe presented the regionís strongest growth with volumes increasing by 89%, 74% and 50% respectively year-on-year.

In line with tradition the three major markets in Europe, the UK, Germany and France, accounted

for the majority (62%) of reported volumes.

In 2014 the UK continued to attract the highest levels of hotel investment activity taking 36% share of investment volumes. This was supported by large portfolio deals including the QMH portfolio bought by Marathon in August and the LRG portfolio purchased by Kew Green; a trend that is likely to continue in 2015.

Germany secured the second highest share of European investment activity in 2014, changing position with France. Investment levels surged throughout 2014, reaching Ä3 billion of transactions despite a slight slowdown in trading growth across some gateway cities.

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International buyers were the most active and despite a quiet first half of the year, investment activity heightened significantly in the closing two quarters initiated by the sale of the 342 Hilton Frankfurt.

Investment volumes in France declined in 2014 compared to the previous year, largely due to a notably strong 2013 where a number of high price tag assets were acquired. 2014 also raised some concerns over declining revenue per available room (RevPAR) particularly in the capital, Paris, largely due to austerity measures implemented in France and the related impact on corporate and consumer demand, however, Paris does remain the highest RevPAR performing market in Europe.

Joe Stather, Information and Intelligence Manager EMEA, CBRE Hotels, commented: “The European hotel market has reflected a trend visible in the wider commercial real estate landscape which is benefiting from low interest rates and cyclical upturns. More specifically, hotels as an asset class, are currently presenting yield premiums significantly above traditional real estate segments such as office and retail, even across prime locations.

More investors are becoming aware of the opportunity for strong returns in the sector and increasing transparency is aiding confidence.

As a result we are expecting to see heightened investor appetite to deploy capital into the hotel arena throughout 2015.

Whilst demand will further intensify from typical sources of capital, we are also likely to see increased interest from Asian investors following a relaxation of cross-border investment restrictions and their preference for purchasing quality hotel stock in Europe.”

Chinese head abroad for annual Spring Festival

Marriott selects Bittel’s Jacob Jensen Designer Series phones for AC Hotels

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ittel’s new JACOB JENSEN™ HT series trimline guestroom phone has been chosen as a standard for the U.S. launch of the urban lifestyle brand AC Hotels by Marriott.

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hinese tourists are expected to make 2.8 billion trips during the annual Spring Festival which follows the New Year celebrations from 19 February and they are increasingly opting for international destinations, with 60% of Chinese tourists intending to go abroad.

According to China’s Ministry of Transport, a total of 2.8 billion trips are expected to be made by Chinese people during the Spring Festival travel rush this year, 3.4 percent higher than the previous year. The China Tourism Academy estimates that about 60% of Chinese tourists intend to go abroad this year.

Thousands of Chinese travel in groups and Kuoni Group Travel Experts are helping them explore Europe for Spring Festival this year. France is their top destination, followed closely by Italy. Switzerland, Germany and Spain complete the top five most popular destinations for China’s group travellers this year.

GTA, a brand serving fully independent travel (FIT) businesses, reports that Thailand is the number one choice for Chinese tourists heading abroad for Spring Festival this year, helped by pent up demand after a tumultuous year for the destination. Independent travellers are booking closer to home this year with Hong Kong and Singapore following Thailand. Italy is the only European destination to make it into the top five, after Australia.

The first AC Hotels by Marriott opened in New Orleans last year, at the Cotton Exchange Building and features the Bittel HT20 phone. The AC Hotels by Marriott Kansas City (Mo.) Westport will follow suit when it opens next month, and installations will continue at properties in Miami and Chicago early this year. More than 30 AC Hotels by Marriott are scheduled to open within the next three years throughout the U.S. and Latin America, and each will feature the Bittel JACOB JENSEN™ HT series phone.

With an emphasis on style and a small footprint at the bedside, the JACOB JENSENô by Bittel series is everything that designers of AC Hotels by Marriott wanted and more.

“When a lifestyle brand such as AC Hotels by Marriott selects a product based on its design merit, it speaks volumes,” said Joe Zhang, Bittel CEO. “The JACOB JENSENô by Bittel series is ideal for design-conscious hotel brands. AC Hotels by Marriott was created by Spanish Hotelier Antonio Catalan and inspired by the runways and fashion houses of Milan. Each guestroom features simple, clean and crisp lines, sophisticated European style and a distinctly urban feel. Likewise the HT20 guestroom phone, which was created by a Danish design powerhouse, features a simple, clean design with crisp lines. This modern unit is so streamlined, that it contains the keypad within the handset.”

Designed specifically for the hotel space, JACOB JENSEN™ HT20 was originally developed in Denmark through a close partnership between Bell Xpress A/S and the Jacob Jensen Design Studio. As of May, Bittel has been named the exclusive manufacturer for the hospitality market.

Hotels & Culinary ASIA | January-February 2015 | 35

ITE & MICE Hong Kong 2015 ravel air facilitates exhibitors eeting

ITE & MICE, Hong Kong’s only international travel fair, is attended in the two trade days by 2588 visitors from MICE & Corporate Travel and 6522 from travel agents. In all, it draws some 12000 buyers and trade visitors, with 74% from Hong Kong and 19% from China mainly its southern provinces like Guangdong!

Its next edition, ITE & MICE 2015, co-locates the 29th ITE (leisure) and the 10th ITE MICE for synergy, as MICE trips often include leisure components and a significant number of travel agents engage in both types of travel.

Online survey held last November by the organizer found 83% of the MICE and corporate travel trade visitors seek destination information in ITE & MICE. Also, these buyers / visitors seek info and suppliers of hotel and accommodations (52%), travel agents / DMC (44%), and Tourism Boards / Convention & Meeting Bureau (38%). And they travel frequently for business, with 31% made two to four business trips and another 17% five times or more in past year.

The combined ITE & MICE features nearly 700 international exhibitors (85% from abroad) from around 50 countries and regions all over the world, and therefore offers more destinations, products and suppliers thus more attractive to visitors!

The annual ITE & MICE will next be held from June 11 to 14, 2015 at Halls 1A to 1E of the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition centre. Its first two days open only to trade, and the second trade day designated MICE / Corporate Travel Day. In trade days of ITE & MICE are Business Matching and around 20 seminars, some of which by exhibitors while others by the organizer in co-operation with trade associations such as the Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) on Corporate Travel, and the Wedding Management Association on Overseas Wedding. Also, the organizer helps promoting exhibitor seminars by sending invitations for online pre-registration.

The Expo highlighted various travel themes and survey held at ITE & MICE 2014 found their popularity with both trade and public visitors.

(Table 1) 36 | January-February 2015 | Hotels & Culinary ASIA

rade uyers Af uent

Table 1: Themes popularity among Trade & Public Visitors THEMES

HOW

Wellness & Medical

Sport

Cruise

Travel & Medical

Trade Visitors Public Visitors

24% 14%

14% 12%

22% 30%

29% 34%

21% 54%

ITE & MICE 2015 is supported by China National Tourism Administration, Hong Kong Tourism Board, Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong, Macau Government Tourist Office etc. In addition, ITE MICE 2015 is supported by MICE industry associations in the region, and several chambers of commerce / professional bodies help distributing invitations to members etc.

Reflecting a worldwide trend that FIT (traveling individually instead of package tour), especially among the affluent and the enthusiast, now contribute more travel business, 83% of the 75000 public visitors of ITE & MICE prefer travelling in FIT / private groups. That over 45% of them had university education underlines their high quality.

Survey in ITE & MICE 2014 found they like travel, 59% two to four times and 19% five times or more in past year. Nearly 25% of them had country in Europe, Americas, Africa or Oceania etc as destination of their longest holiday in past year. The percentage under-estimates the actual visit frequencies as those been to Europe twice would have only been counted once.

For more details of the Expo or trade visitor registration, please visit trade website of www.itehk.com. For exhibiting or general enquiry, please email to travel@tkshk.com or contact the Organizer, TKS Exhibition Services Ltd by phone: (852) 31550600.

Hilton to open first Hilton Garden Inn in Namibia

H

ilton Worldwide has signed a management agreement with Out of Africa Hospitality to open a mid-market Hilton Garden Inn hotel in Windhoek, Namibia.

Expected to begin welcoming guests in early 2017, the 180-guestroom hotel will open adjacent to the existing Hilton Windhoek and form part of the Freedom Plaza development, adding significant additional meeting space across the two properties. Guests will also benefit from new technology such as pre-arrival room selection - one of a raft of recent innovations from the global hospitality company.

“A young, tech savvy population is driving mobile use across Africa and in-turn transforming travel; whilst investors are increasingly looking towards innovation to achieve faster and more efficient hotel development,” said Patrick Fitzgibbon, senior vice president of development, Europe and Africa, for Hilton Worldwide. “As Hilton Worldwide expands its portfolio in Africa, with this latest Hilton Garden Inn signing, we see our innovations in guest technology and hotel development resonating strongly.”

Located in the business and government heartland of the Namibian Capital, Hilton Windhoek opened in 2011 welcoming guests from across the globe with renowned upscale Hilton hospitality. The newly agreed Hilton Garden Inn Windhoek will bring hallmark brand characteristics such as complimentary WiFi and the 24 hour Pavilion Pantry. The upscale, yet affordable brand has more than 600 hotels globally, and has rapidly gained development momentum in Africa with locations confirmed in Abuja, Lagos, Accra, Owerri, Lusaka,

38 | January-February 2015 | Hotels & Culinary ASIA

Uyo, Nairobi and Kampala.

Hilton Windhoek and the site of the new Hilton Garden Inn Windhoek are approximately 42 kilometers from Hosea Kutako International Airport and five kilometers from Eros Domestic Airport, allowing for easy connection to and from the hotel. Notable local landmarks within close proximity include the Namibian Supreme Court, Namibia Independence Museum, Christus Kirche, Government Embassies; as well as Zoo Park.

Haddis Tilahun for United Africa Group, said: “We are delighted to have signed an agreement with Hilton Worldwide to open a Hilton Garden Inn in Windhoek. The new hotel will complement the existing Hilton Windhoek and enhance the hospitality offering in the city, which is fast becoming a hub for corporate and leisure travel in Sub-Saharan Africa.”

Hilton Garden Inn Windhoek will feature two food and beverage outlets, including an all-day dining

restaurant, as well as a garden lounge and bar. For events, the hotel will feature two individual meeting rooms totaling 175 square metres, including pre-function space. Event organizers will benefit from existing and new, additional meeting space at the neighboring Hilton Windhoek.

Adrian Kurre, global head, Hilton Garden Inn, said: “We are delighted to be expanding our presence across Africa, with nine Hilton Garden Inn hotels now under development.

Hilton Garden Inn Windhoek will provide travelers with superb hospitality - opening up a new affordable market segment for Hilton Worldwide in Namibia.”

Hilton Worldwide currently has 37 hotels operating across Africa, with a further 29 hotels under development. Last year, the company announced the signing of agreements to open two Hilton Garden Inns in Nigeria and the company’s most recent opening was DoubleTree

by Hilton Zanzibar Stone Town, Tanzania.

Shangri-La Hotel, Paris introduces Executive Chef Christophe Moret find in Bali, or authentic Tandoori Chicken Wings,” Chef Moret said of the experience.

For five years, he practised an innovative blend of ethnic cuisine at Spoon. Wok dishes required precisely cut, carefully seasoned ingredients lightly cooked to perfection. In 2003, he took charge of the Alain Ducasse Restaurant at the Plaza Athénée.

Ever since his childhood in the Loiret, Christophe Moret has had a deep attachment to freshly grown produce.

“My passion for vegetables comes from my grandparents, who were market gardeners. I have wonderful memories of fresh spring vegetables bursting with life! Eating raw, crunchy beans and peas straight from the vegetable garden,” Chef Moret said.

Appreciative of such culinary delights, he quickly learned how to cook. Wednesdays spent making clafoutis, cakes and pies progressed naturally to the secondary catering school in Blois, followed by an apprenticeship in starred establishments in Gien and the Haut-Rhin. In 1988, his discovery of the South of France was a revelation.

“I had the good fortune to work with three amazing chefs: Bruno Cirino, Jacques Maximin and, of course, Alain Ducasse. At the Grand Hotel in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Bruno Cirino would go the market every day in the Spanish Basque country and bring back live fish. Sometimes, we would have a sea bass swimming among the lobsters in the restaurant’s tank,” the chef said.

Having been made chef de partie at Château Eza, Chef Moret joined another genius at the stove, Jacques Maximin, the following year.

“It was there that I learned about organisation and presentation within a brigade of 25 chefs,” Chef Moret said.

“This was a great honour, like being made the guardian of a temple, and I had to make sure that I kept the three stars.”

His dream came true in 1990, when he went to work at Le Louis XV, which had just won its third Michelin star.

Chef Moret now proposes his inspired cuisine at Shangri-La Hotel, Paris as executive chef. Behind the valour of the former flanker for Orléans Rugby Club is a desire to express himself through a very carefully prepared elegant cuisine.

“Alain Ducasse has the ability to soak up different cultures from all over the world. And he passed this insatiable curiosity on to me,” the chef said.

Convinced that Paris represented an essential stage in his career, Chef Moret rejoined Bruno Cirino at the Royal Monceau, where he was responsible for banquets. Having added this extra string to his bow, he then went to 59 Poincaré and had “a very formative experience”, before taking on a new challenge, now with the title of head chef: the opening of Spoon, Food & Wine and offering Parisians a multi-ethnic cuisine.

“This represented a huge challenge: we had to be capable of producing a perfect Satay, just as you would

The desire to cook under his own name led him to Lasserre, a true Parisian institution, in 2010.

“A total commitment, giving a large

part of myself to my cooking every day, is the path I have chosen. I am here to offer every customer a unique experience in our restaurants,” the chef said.

In addition to L’Abeille, a one-star French restaurant offering gourmet cuisine, Shang Palace, the only Cantonese restaurant in France to have been awarded a star, and La Bauhinia serving both French and Asian cuisines, Chef Moret orchestrates all of the hotel’s culinary offerings, from the menus for the meeting rooms (850 m²) to the room service menu.

“This exceptional chef won me over with his strong culinary personality, his formidable technical skill and his open-minded attitude. He shares the values of Shangri-La Hotel, Paris, namely, respect, courtesy, sincerity and humility. With Christophe Moret, a new chapter begins in the history of this hotel that is destined to shine in the world of French gourmet cuisine,” said Stefan Bollhalder, the hotel’s general manager.

Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts currently owns and/or manages nearly 90 hotels under the Shangri-La brand with a room inventory of over 37,000. Shangri-La hotels are five-star deluxe properties featuring extensive luxury facilities and services. Shangri-La hotels are located in Australia, Canada, mainland China, Fiji, France, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Sultanate of Oman, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. The group has a substantial development pipeline with upcoming projects in Mainland China, Hong Kong, India, Mongolia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Qatar and Sri Lanka. For more information and reservations, please contact a travel professional or access the website at www.shangri-la.com.

Hotels & Culinary ASIA | January-February 2015 | 39

Hyatt launches

Simon Soo new Resident Manager at Shangri-La Hotel, Surabaya

to all guests worldwide Surabaya has announced the appointment of Simon Soo as its new resident manager.

All Hyatt hotels and resorts worldwide are now providing free Wi-Fi to guests independent of booking method or loyalty program participation. This offer will be available to guests on an unlimited number of mobile devices or laptops in guest rooms and social spaces at Hyatt-branded hotels.

Simon brings his extensive experience in hotel operations to Surabaya after exploring the Asian continent, including such cities as Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Dubai, Shenzhen, Qingdao, Manila, Ningbo and, lastly, Fuzhou.

Prior to his assignment in Surabaya, he was with Shangri-La Fuzhou, China for two years.

Simon, a Malaysian-born Chinese, has been with Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts since 1989, when he started as a front office manager at Shangri-La Hotel, Kuala Lumpur.

“We continue to evolve our offerings by listening to our guests, and for Hyatt, it didnít feel natural to put barriers around something travelers view as an essential part of their hotel stay,î said Kristine Rose, vice president of brands, Hyatt. “More than 500 Hyatt-branded hotels and resorts worldwide are excited to now provide Wi-Fi free of charge in guestrooms and social spaces, no strings attached.”

Throughout his career with the group, he has been involved in several hotel opening projects and has successfully delivered every time.

Platinum and Diamond Hyatt Gold Passport members will receive a free upgrade to premium Wi-Fi service in those spaces wherever available, and guests will have the option to purchase premium service in those locations.

Nearly 90 percent of Hyatt hotels around the world have made investments in their networks in the past three years.

He looks forward to implementing the knowledge he has gained from his vast experience in hotel operations at Shangri-La Hotel, Surabaya to improve its services for the guests.

“Staying connected through technology is a critical part of productivity and keeping in touch with loved ones, especially while away traveling,” Rose said. “With free Wi-Fi for all guests at all Hyatt hotels and resorts, guests can worry less about their Internet connections and focus on the things that matter most.”

The sign-on process to access free Wi-Fi will vary by property. While free Wi-Fi is available in guest rooms and social spaces such as lobbies and Hyattoperated restaurants, it does not extend to meeting rooms, where bandwidth demand varies by the number of event attendees. Hotels will continue to work with organizers individually to procure appropriate support for an optimal experience.

40 | January-February 2015 | Hotels & Culinary ASIA

A Malaysian who speaks fluent English, Malay and Mandarin with Cantonese and Fujian dialects, Simon enjoys travelling and sports on his leisure time.

Hong Kongbased ShangriLa Hotels and Resorts currently owns and/or manages nearly 90 hotels under the Shangri-La brand with a room inventory of over 37,000. The group has a substantial development pipeline with upcoming projects in Mainland China, Hong Kong, India, Mongolia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Qatar and Sri Lanka.

IHG partners with Pernod Ricard to celebrate 150 years of cocktail mixology with InterContinental, Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn hotels and resorts offering up their own unique dishes, created by top chefs from across IHG hotels in AMEA. The new menus have been designed to showcase some of the best flavours from across the region and will complement the new cocktails on offer, giving guests a heightened bar experience.

IHG is one of the largest restaurant and bar operators in the Asia, Middle East and Africa region with more than 800 restaurants and bars across 37 countries, and another 200 restaurants and bars to be unveiled as IHG opens the 137 hotels in their pipeline.

H

oliday Inn Resort Phi Phi IslandIHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) has partnered with Pernod Ricard to launch its BAR150 programme, celebrating 150 years of mixology, which sees its hotel bars serve up a new menu of signature cocktails, complemented by a range of appetising bar snacks.

The programme has launched across IHG’s managed InterContinental, Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn hotels and resorts throughout its Asia, Middle East and Africa (AMEA) region. Under the partnership, Pernod Ricard has designed a series of popular cocktails for IHG hotels based on its rich brand portfolio, which includes Aperitif, Whisky, Scotch Whisky, Cognac, Gin, Vodka, Rum and other liqueurs. The French wine and spirits group also sets a high standard for bartenders at IHG hotels in making and serving cocktails to ensure its originality.

Phil Broad, Vice President, Food & Beverage, AMEA, IHG, said:

“Around 150 years ago the first cocktail recipe appeared in print, kick-starting a mixology movement that continues to go from strength to strength. Thereís so much history and heritage behind the region’s most loved cocktails so we are celebrating the best of these with BAR150 - from the Mint Julep which was popularised at what is now InterContinental The Willard Washington DC, to the Mojito, which can trace its history back to the explorer, Sir Francis Drake.

“Partnering with Pernod Ricard has given us the opportunity to provide our guests with exceptional cocktail options, made with renowned spirits and liqueur brands, across more than 200 bars in our hotels in the region.”

Pernod Ricard is the worldís co-leader in wine and spirits, representing top brands, including ABSOLUT vodka, Chivas Regal whisky, Beefeater gin, Martell cognac, The Glenlivet single malt whisky, Royal Salute Scotch whisky, The Ballantineís blended Scotch whisky, Perrier-JouÎt champagne,

Malibu and Havana Club rum, among many others.

Quentin Job, Vice President, Innovation and Commercial Development, Pernod Ricard Asia said: “Pernod Ricard is thrilled to have worked with IHG on enhancing cocktail experiences for its guests across AMEA hotels based on our famous brands, such as Havana Club for Maitai and Beefeater for Negroni; and many more for basic mixed drinks and sophisticated cocktails. This collaboration has contributed to the development of mixology, which is reviving the cocktail culture in Asia.”

“We also treasure the opportunity of exchanging professional cocktail mixing skills with IHG colleagues to deliver consistency across IHG hotels. There is a lot more creation and innovation to come for IHG guests and I look forward to taking this art form to the next level.”

The refreshed cocktail menus are accompanied by a wider revamp of the hotel’s bar snack menus. The menus are tailored by hotel brand,

The company’s team of food and beverage experts are working on a number of new programmes to improve and enhance guestsí culinary experiences across the company’s portfolio of more than 240 hotels in the region. Over the last year, IHG has: Launched the IHG Culinary Panel, which features five celebrated chefs who have developed a repertoire of signature dishes which will be available at selected restaurants across IHG hotels in AMEA. Launched the InterContinental Planet Trekkers Children’s Menu globally, a menu designed to take young explorers on an exciting journey of food discovery, and which was developed by celebrity chef Theo Randall and leading childrenís food expert book author, Annabel Karmel MBE. Announced a partnership with Nutrition Australia to develop a fun and nutritionally-balanced kids’ menu for Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts across AMEA, which will be available later this year. v

Hotels & Culinary ASIA | January-February 2015 | 41

Meliá Paris La Défense to open in March ‘Bright Trees’ installation, with an authentic menu which is a delicate fusion of Spanish tradition and international cuisines.

Set on the ground floor, The Place lobby bar & lounge is an everyday restaurant and deli with an outdoor terrace, where guests and local business people can eat in or takeaway.

“The Level” Meliá Paris La Défense offers an exclusive ‘THE LEVEL’ service, with a private lounge, which includes quick check-in. As part of the membership, guests can enjoy a full buffet breakfast, afternoon tea and cocktails in the evening.

Business meetings The hotel also caters for meetings and business events, offering 850 square metres of flexible event space and eight conference rooms, which can accommodate up to 400 people. Each meeting room offers Wi-Fi and hightech audio-visual equipment in a luxurious setting.

Fitness Centre It has a 24 hour onsite fitness centre located on the 19th floor allowing guests to work out and enjoy spectacular views of the city.

Meliá Hotels International is set to open its latest lifestyle hotel, in March 2015, located in the heart of Paris’ vibrant business district. With panoramic views of the city and its key landmarks, Meliá Paris La Défense is the French capital’s largest four star hotel to open in ten years.

Created by Vasconi Architects in partnership with French interior designer Jean-Phillipe Nuel, Meliá Paris La Défense has been uniquely designed in the shape of the sail of a boat. Jean-Phillipe Nuel was the brainchild behind the high-profile revamp of Paris’ iconic Molitor Swimming Pool.

The new built property boasts 369 guest rooms, including 29 suites, which are distributed across 18 floors. Each room has superior-quality linen, an en-suite bathroom with a rain shower and premium amenities, as well as a flat-screen satellite TV. Restaurants & bars Located on the 19th floor and set against the city’s magnificent backdrop, the Skyline Paris Lounge & Bar provides an extensive cocktail list, tapas and appetizers, as well as live music and DJs. The hotel has two restaurants: Le Miroir restaurant has an impressive view of the Esplanade water mirror fountain and Greek artist Takis’ 42 | January-February 2015 | Hotels & Culinary ASIA

Out and about this Chinese New Year 2015 February 19 marked the start of Chinese New Year, a day for friends and family to celebrate together and a season to strive for increased prosperity in the forthcoming year. It is the most important festival of the year and is filled with cultural meaning and social significance for the Chinese that equals the importance Thais place on the Songkran festival.

This year, stay at Chatrium Hotels & Residences in Bangkok and capture the experience of a lifetime by exploring the spirit of Chinese New Year. The hotel has prepared attractive and exhilarating experiences for all families to enjoy the Chinese New Year season hallmarked by renowned cultural activities and authentic seasonal dining places in Town.

Where to Go Spend a day exploring Chinatown and get into the spirit of Chinese New Year by wearing a red shirt. You will notice almost every shop and home owners of Chinese descent decorate their places with a red paper lantern, Chinese handwriting banners, and posters; making Chinatown turn red literally from beginning to end. Here, you can observe events such as dragon parades and acrobatic dances amid popping firecrackers. It is the time of year that will allow you to see Bangkok’s Chinatown at its best.

Tip: Do not forget to visit “Lengnoeiyi Temple” on Charoen Krung Street and pay respect to the gods and goddesses and ask for their patronage for better days.

Where to Dine Ring in the New Year with a traditional Chinese feast at the very best in Town by dropping by Silver Waves Chinese Restaurant, 36th Floors, Chatrium Hotel Riverside Bangkok. The restaurant will be serving authentic Chinese cuisine, and offers Chinese set menus allowing you to enjoy a family feast of traditional Chinese fare said to bring good luck, health, and prosperity in the coming zodiac year of the Goat.

Tourism Australia and China Southern continue partnership in 2015 Mr O’Sullivan said support from China Southern Airlines for the long running, successful ‘There’s nothing like Australia’ campaign will help deliver substantial results for Australian tourism.

“China Southern is the largest airline in China and its Guangzhou base will be very important as Australia targets the ‘Tier 1’ cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, plus the ‘Tier 2’ cities of Nanjing, Hangzhou, Qingdao, Chengdu and Chongqing.

“The return of the A380 aircraft to the Guangzhou-Sydney route from December to February is also another vote of confidence in the market and will help meet demand for travel into Australia from China over summer.

T

ourism Australia and China Southern Airlines will extend their existing strategic partnership agreement, committing a further A$4.2 million for cooperative marketing in 2015.

This extended agreement was signed today in Parliament House, Canberra by Tourism Australia Managing Director John O’Sullivan and China Southern Airlines President Mr Tan Wangeng in the presence of President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Abbott.

The agreement will jointly fund a range of tourism campaigns and promotional activities in Australia’s fastest growing and most valuable inbound market, China.

Tourism Australia and China Southern Airlines, together with State and Territory tourism partners, will work to build demand on existing services under the ‘There’s nothing like Australia’ banner.

Mr Tan said that Australia is the most important strategic market for China Southern Airlines.

“In recent years, China Southern has continued to consolidate its position as the largest air carrier in the China-Australia marketplace, with ever-growing brand influence.

“We are very satisfied with what we have achieved and have full confidence in the future prospects of the China-Australia marketplace.

“We will continue to increase capacity in this market, enhance route profitability and hub support as well as in-flight and ground services, in a bid to increase the influence of our Guangzhou hub and the Canton Route throughout the Australian marketplace, thus making greater contributions to the bilateral cooperation and exchanges between China and Australia.”

“China Southern is the leading carrier on the China-Australia route, carrying 20 per cent of all Chinese tourists into Australia in the year ended September 2014. In the past five years, the airline has increased its capacity by more than five hundred per cent to Australia opening up direct access between China and Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth.

“Asia continues to be a powerhouse for Australian tourism. As the leading carrier out of China, China Southern Airlines is a critical airline partner for us as we seek to drive further growth in our international arrivals,” he said.

There were 789 300 visitors from China in the 12 months to 30 September 2014, an annual increase of 10.5 per cent. Figures recently released by Tourism Australia suggest that annual spending by Chinese visitors to Australia could rise to A$13 billion annually by 2020.

Hotels & Culinary ASIA | January-February 2015 | 43

The Whitsundays to host Tourism Australia’s second Greater China Corroboree Tourism Australia recently appointed an elite group of 31 China-based travel agencies and distribution partners to spearhead a new distribution network focused on selling high quality Australian holiday packages to China’s rapidly growing middle classes. Each partner will have a number of their front-line ‘Aussie Specialist’ agents attending the event.

M

ore than 200 leading travel agents from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan - all ‘Aussie Specialists’ with experience in selling Australian holidays - will visit the Whitsundays next year as part of Tourism Australia’s annual Corroboree Greater China event.

The event will be hosted on Hamilton Island from 12 to 15 May 2015 and will involve a three-day workshop, followed by a day exploring the Great Barrier Reef and tourism attractions of the Whitsundays. The agents will then spend five days on familiarisation visits, between them visiting every state and territory.

Tourism Australia Managing Director John O’Sullivan said that the majority of international travel out of China was still booked through travel agencies and that the event was therefore a key part of its strategy to attract more independent, higher spending Asian visitors.

“Free and independent travel out of this region is growing strongly and to tap into this market it’s critical that we are working with agents who are familiar with what our country has to offer and are trained how best to put together and sell high quality holiday packages,” Mr O’Sullivan said.

Mr O’Sullivan said that Corroboree Greater China offered Australian tourism operators a fantastic opportunity to meet faceto-face with ‘Aussie Specialist’ travel agents from one of Australia’s most important regions.

“These agents are all frontline retail travel agents, already actively selling Australia as a preferred long-haul destination to Chinese travellers. This event provides a professional forum for our industry to train these agents and further strengthen their product knowledge,” Mr O’Sullivan said.

44 | January-February 2015 | Hotels & Culinary ASIA

Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ) Chief Executive Leanne Coddington welcomed the return of Corroboree Greater China to Queensland in 2015.

“Corroboree Greater China 2015 is a fantastic opportunity for tourism businesses to engage with travel agents from Queensland’s largest international market by visitor expenditure,” said Ms Coddington.

“With a presence in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, TEQ is continually looking for opportunities to promote Queensland as a premier leisure destination to the Chinese visitor and we are proud to support Corroboree in 2015.

“In addition, TEQ will lead a trade mission to Wuhan and Guangzhou in March 2015, enabling Queensland tourism businesses to connect with travel wholesalers, retail agents, and airline and media representatives in the Greater China region,” Ms Coddington said.

Whitsundays Marketing and Development Limited (WMDL) Executive Director Jeff Aquilina said, “Corroboree Greater China presents a significant opportunity for the Whitsundays to showcase

the exceptional tourism experiences on offer throughout the region to leading travel agents from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

“The Whitsundays is renowned for its 74 island wonders, offering iconic landscapes in the heart of the Great Barrier Reef surrounded by rainforest and a vibrant coastal atmosphere. Visiting delegates will be spoilt for choice when exploring the Whitsundays,” Mr Aquilina said.

Hamilton Island CEO Glenn Bourke said, “The Chinese market is increasingly important to our business and we’re delighted to have the opportunity to host Corroboree Greater China and showcase the best our region has to offer”.

The 2015 Corroboree Greater China event is being organised by Tourism Australia, Hamilton Island and WMDL, with support from the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland.

It represents one of the largest annual international trade events staged in Australia and, all up, will see in excess of 400 people attending, including Greater China’s top travel agents, Australian tourism operators and media.

There were 1.1 million visitors to Australia from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan during the 12 months ending September 2014, an increase of 11 per cent compared to the same period in 2013.

Together, these visitors generated A$7 billion in total expenditure in the 12 months ending September 2014, up 15 per cent.

JW Marriott opens in Austin, Texas Corner and Burger Bar. Osteria Pronto is a regional Italian restaurant that is driven by a thoughtful approach to cooking from scratch and a sincere commitment to fresh, local ingredients. Osteria Prontoís menu is designed to offer a twist on classic Italian dishes with simple, distinctive flavors such as burrata campagna, paglia e fieno and bistecca fiorentina.

Corner is a lively dining destination that will feature Texas-inspired cuisine using fresh local ingredients and uniquely crafted Tequila cocktails. The menu features a selection of grilled meats and fish, a variety of local craft beers on tap, as well as several Texas wines and spirits.

JW

Marriott Hotels & Resorts opened its first property in Austin recently, approximately two and a half years after the hotel first broke ground. The 34-story JW Marriott Austin is not only the largest hotel in Austin, but also the largest JW Marriott in North America and the second-largest JW Marriott in the world.

The JW Marriott Austin employs approximately 800 associates and has achieved a LEED Silver certification and a two-star Austin Energy Green Building rating.

“Not only will this hotel change the meeting and convention landscape in Austin, but it will also serve as a huge addition to the city’s hospitality and dining scene,” said Scott Blalock, general manager of the JW Marriott Austin. “We are thrilled to bring the JW Marriott brand to Austin and to open our highly anticipated hotel and restaurants to visitors and Austinites alike.”

The hotel boasts a spectacular fifth-floor pool deck and bar, some of the largest guest rooms in the city with stellar views, a full-service Starbucks and more. A highly anticipated player in Austin’s burgeoning culinary scene, the hotel will also feature three restaurants- Osteria Pronto,

For those seeking a quick indulgent bite, JW Marriott Austinís Burger Bar on Congress, has a walk-up food truck-style window on Congress Ave. Burger Bar serves freshly ground flattop burgers, french fries and shakes at lunchtime and the early evening.

The JW Marriott Austin has a distinct local feel. Key interior design elements were incorporated to celebrate the spirit of Austin and the state of Texas. Unique design features include large columns throughout the hotel and lobby built from Texas limestone; a topographical map of Austin illustrated in the lobby ceiling and floor; illuminated artwork behind the check-in area that resembles a magnified cactus graphic; and a large outline of the state of Texas etched into the bottom of the fifth-floor pool.

The JW Marriott Austin is designed to host large conventions and meetings, with more than 112,000 square feet of event space, 42 meeting rooms and 1,012 guest

rooms. More than 520,000 room nights have already been contracted through 2021, with the first guests arriving the day the hotel opens. Several large meetings and conventions have already chosen to host their events at the JW Marriott Austin. Some of the first groups include South by Southwest Festival, 4C Environmental Conference and Abila, among others.

“The new JW Marriott Austin has already enabled us to make advances in both the size and quality of groups that we are now able to attract with the additional inventory and 1,012-room convention-style hotel,” said Bob Lander, president and CEO of the Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau. “While visitor attendance at marquee events and festivals definitely help our entire community, meetings and conventions travel remains the strongest economic backbone for our industry in terms of generating positive economic impact to the city.”

The hotel is located on the square block bounded by Second and Third Streets and Brazos Street and Congress Avenue in downtown Austin and is within walking distance to major attractions, including the Austin Convention Center, the Texas State Capitol, the Ann & Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail on Lady Bird Lake, and more.

The hotel includes 1,012 guest rooms, three presidential suites, three hospitality suites and 24 executive suites. All guest rooms and suites will feature 48î HD LED Smart TVs, high-speed Internet access and Texasinspired dÈcor. Guests will also be able to access 24-hour room service, a state-of-the-art fitness center and the 24-hour full-service business center, among other amenities.

Hotels & Culinary ASIA | January-February 2015 | 45

T R A V E L | R E P O R T

How to Engage with India’s Booming Tech-Savvy Travel Population

- By Carolyn Childs, , MyTravelResearch.com

of Indian mobile phone users are using mobile phones.

As we reported in our initial post about the potential of the Indian Inbound Market, the recommendations of friends and family are of utmost importance to Indian travellers when planning an international trip. However, hot on the heels of personal recommendations as a source of inspiration for Indian outbound travellers is travel-specific information on the Internet.

One of the great side benefits of participating in Australia Business Week in India earlier this month was the chance for some ‘ethnographic’ observation of this exciting source market. One of the most noticeable observations we have made has been around the Indian market’s tech-savviness.

Online information plays a significant role in both the ‘dreaming’ and ‘planning’ stages of the traveller’s path to purchase.

Amadeus estimates that 17% of Indian leisure travellers used their smartphones for travel-related arrangements, whilst a whopping 42% of Indian business travellers did so.

And this trend is not confined to only the young, but also the young at heart. 7-8% of over 65 year old

A

jointly-published report from the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and IMRB (Indian Market Research Bureau) International stated that India was expected to surpass the US as the second largest internet user base globally, behind China, in December 2014.

This same report indicated that India had shown a year on year growth in Internet usage, from 2013, to 2014, of 32%.

Much of this increase can be attributed to the decrease in hardware costs and the resulting increase in mobile penetration. A mobile handset that used to cost $200 in 2012 can now be bought for just $50. This is reflected in the penetration of smartphones: according to Nielsen 36% 46 | January-February 2015 | Hotels & Culinary ASIA

James Horan; Destination NSW

Indians use smartphones to make travel bookings, whilst 28% of 18-30 year olds do the same.

Australian smartphone usage for travel planning pales in comparison, with no over 65 year olds using smartphones for this purpose whatsoever, and only 15% of 18-30 year olds doing so.

Aside from travel planning and research, Amadeus also indicated that Indian travellers love to use social media, during and after their travels. The report stated that approximately 47% of Indians used social media frequently during their travels – a figure that was forecast to increase to almost 60% by 2030.

Their assertions have since been backed up by research undertaken by several National Tourism Organisations (NTOs), including the Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) and our own Tourism Australia (TA).

The CTC, in their Global Tourism Watch study, established that a large

percentage of Indian travellers share experiences both during and after their trip, with social media, blogging and online review sites being among the most popular forums.

The CTC study noted that: • 52% used a computer during their trip to help determine what they wanted to see or do and to share photos or messages to their social networks; • 41% used a mobile phone to share on social media; • 31% used a mobile app to help decide what activities they wanted to do; and • 27% submitted reviews and opinions about specific attractions, restaurants and hotels to review sites.

Furthermore, once safely back on Indian home soil: • 70% talked to friends and family about their trip; • 63% shared photos with friends and family either in person or via email; • 56% shared photos, messages and information about their trip on their social networks; and • 31% submitted reviews about the attractions, hotels and restaurants they had patronised TA discovered that about 74% of all active internet users in urban India used social media, with its usage ranking only behind email (80%) in terms of online activities. The most accessed social website in India is Facebook, followed by Google + and LinkedIn. My experience on the ground is that WhatsApp and Instagram are also widely used. In 2013, China’s WeChat app launched in English and India was one of the markets that took it up fastest – this is an app to watch.

TA also found that the use of social media in India for pretrip research was slightly higher than average, compared to Australia’s other inbound markets. As in the Canadian research, the IVS shows that around half of Indians access the Internet on their visit to Australia. But most do so via a laptop – perhaps reflecting the absence of wifi coverage compared to Canada (something I have experienced for myself ).

But, before you move your entire marketing spend to online distribution channels to attract the lucrative Indian inbound market, note that travel agents remain extremely influential in India, with 80% of travellers at least consulting with an agent at the planning stage (according to the CTC). So it is vital to make sure that you have both a sound digital strategy and good relationships with the trade.

And, whilst approximately 50% of Indian internet traffic for travel-related purposes now goes to online travel agencies, many of these agencies have recently established bricks-and-mortar agencies or call centres, as additional distribution channels. In India more than most markets there is convergence between the online and offline worlds.

So how can the Australian travel trade leverage India’s tech-savviness?

Secondly, it is important that your content is mobile friendly. Indian travellers are comfortable with browsing on the Internet and with receiving and responding to mobile ads.

The good news is that there are two strategies – either keep it very simple (a straightforward text) or make it VERY engaging.

In each case, around half of Indian smartphone users say they are happy to engage with ads that meet these needs. Commute times in India are often long and many middle income families enjoy the presence of a driver.

So placing ads in front of people at commute times can be a great approach.

Like everyone else, Indians judge brands by the speed with which their sites download. So make sure you know that your content can reach them quickly. This is true everywhere, but in a country of 1 billion people where most of your key users are in crowded locations it becomes even more important.

Similarly make sure your users can find their way back to where they were when they found you. More than half the Indians surveyed in the Nielsen study said that they were less likely to use or be influenced by sites that took them away from their original start point.

Finally, once they are in destination (or close to a travel agent in India) use geo-location well. Indian travellers are very open to ads or promotions that are relevant to the location they are in. v

About Carolyn Childs Carolyn has spent more than 25 years’ helping businesses achieve their goals by using research and other evidence to guide strategy and planning – mainly in the aviation, travel and tourism fields. She has worked in more than 35 countries on every inhabited continent and brings a detailed understanding of customers and how to connect with them. As well as running her own businesses, she has worked for organisations such as the International Air Transport Association, TNS (the world’s largest custom research company) and the Travel Research Centre.

Hotels & Culinary ASIA | January-February 2015 | 47

iRates announces new Last-Minute module iRates LLC introduced a new Last-Minute Market feature, which gives limited service and middle tier hotels an ability to manage rates for lastminute business more efficiently. The new upgraded version of the iRates Revenue Management System is now capable of reviewing and automatically updating prices and availability for the next number of days as often as every 15 minutes. All other functionality is still kept in the new iRates where the rest of the year can be reviewed and updated on an hourly or daily basis.

The share of mobile and same-day bookings has been steadily increasing in the travel industry over the last few years. Proliferation of smart phones, tablets and various last-minute booking apps is transforming the way customers reserve their accommodations. With this in mind, hotels must consider being more proactive in managing their same-day rates and availability.

“We wanted to help our current and potential customers take advantage of the growing last-minute segment and offered an ability to recalculate and update prices as often as every 15 minutes,” - said Ira Vouk, Vice President of Business Development at iRates, LLC – “They no longer need to worry about constantly checking their availability and rates for the same-day reservations throughout the day – iRates will switch to the Last-Minute mode automatically and will make all necessary changes in order to maximize revenue for the property”.

All the users need to do is turn on the new feature in the iRates GUI, everything else is done automatically by the system: necessary data will automatically flow into iRates from the Property Management System, the program will analyze the incoming data and make a decision whether any changes need to be made for the upcoming days. Updates will then be pushed back into the PMS and distributed to all corresponding channels.

“Increasing number of travelers are now booking same-day reservations via their mobile apps, while driving by the hotel” – added Vadim Asadov, CEO of iRates. – “So hotel properties need to react quicker on all aspects, including price and inventory management. They just have to be always ready with real-time optimal pricing!”

About iRates iRates is a new-generation software-as-a-solution Revenue Management system that was developed specifically for limited service and middle-tier hotel properties. The tool was designed with these types of properties in mind. It addresses unique characteristics and requirements of this segment, based on years of experience in this segment.

The extremely user friendly interface along with complete automation of the most important revenue management decisions allow even a junior level employee with no experience to drastically increase production and improve RevPAR. iRates employs the newest adaptive algorithm based on the theory of reinforcement learning that automatically adapts to each hotel’s local market conditions and re-adjusts the strategy according to the demand fluctuations, with the goal to maximize the bottom line profits.The algorithm has been successfully applied to other industries but is unprecedented in hospitality.

Amanda Michael has been appointed General Manager at Home2 Suites by Hilton St. Louis - MO, USA Atlanta-based Hotel Equities (www.hotelequities.com) announced the hiring of Amanda Michael as the General Manager of the Home2 Suites by Hilton Forest Park, the hotel nearing completion in St. Louis, Missouri. Hotel Equities is managing the 107-room hotel for Above All Development, LLC of St. Louis. Ms. Michael came to Hotel Equities from Choice Hotels International where she served as the Area Director, Franchise Services. Previous management positions include Director of Operations for Hawkeye Hotels and Regional Director of Operations for Royco Hotels. Ms. Michael holds the Certified Hotel Administrator and the Certified Hotel Sales Professional certifications from the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute.

An award-winning General Manager, she earned the Rising Star award from Royco Hotels in recognition of her accomplishments, including her ability to recruit, hire, train, and develop associates into management positions with the company. An active volunteer, Ms. Michael has assisted local job seekers with unemployment programs, including teaching a class on how to complete applications and improve interview skills. She and her son live in the Brentwood area of St. Louis. Her hobbies include hiking, boating, swimming, snorkeling and wakeboarding. She is also a member of the St. Louis Transplants.

Junya Ono has been appointed Director of Sales and Marketing at Regent Phuket Cape Panwa, Thailand A veteran of the hospitality industry, Mr. Ono brings to his new role at the Regent Phuket Cape Panwa more than twenty eight years of luxury hotels sales and marketing experience. He will be responsible for all aspects of leisure sales and marketing, international and domestic group business as well as overseeing marketing, and generating revenue for the resort. Mr. Ono enjoys discovering new countries and cultures. He has developed his career through a series of appointments with upscale hotels in the region including The Ritz Carlton Osaka, The Strings by InterContinental Tokyo and The Mandarin Oriental Bangkok and most recently Hotel Okura Prestige Bangkok, where he was the Director of Sales & Marketing, oversaw the opening of the first Okura Hotel in Thailand, which proved to be one of the most successful, launches for the brand.

48 | January-February 2015 | Hotels & Culinary ASIA

MGTO rolls out Macau promotions during India’s main travel show

M

acau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) is promoting the city as a leisure and business tourism destination at India’s main travel show, South Asia’s Travel and Tourism

Exchange (SATTE) 2015. On the eve of the opening of SATTE, MGTO also held an inauguration of its office at the Indian capital with a new representative.

This year, MGTO is SATTE ’s solo “Feature Destination Partner”, with MGTO Deputy Director Cecilia Tse addressing attendees at both the opening ceremony and welcome dinner of the leading travel show. At the opening ceremony held this morning, while introducing the city’s appeal as a tourism destination, Cecilia Tse noted that “India is an important international visitor source-market for Macau and we are very glad to inform you that MGTO is stepping up its promotional efforts in the country and has appointed a new representative for the Indian market.” SATTE’s welcome dinner, co-hosted by MGTO, is taking place this evening with 700-travel trade, media and other guests expected to attend the event.

Running on its twenty-second edition, SATTE, considered as South

Macau promoted at India’s main travel trade show, Macau is this year’s SATTE “Feature Destination Partner”

Asia’s leading travel trade show, welcomed this year over 650 exhibitors from around 50 countries and territories. During the three day-long travel show, closing January 31, MGTO is promoting Macau at SATTE, with a booth inviting visitors to “Experience Macau”, its cultural and historical heritage, new tourism infrastructures, festivities and events.

MGTO held an inauguration of its new representative office on Wednesday, in New Delhi, to announce to Indian travel trade and media its opening and promotional plans for the country. A new representative office in Mumbai will also start operations soon. MGTO first opened a representative office in India in 2002. Following a new representative recruitment held in 2014, MGTO selected VFS Global to promote Macau in India.

India is one of the most important potential international source markets for Macau. Following double-digit growth in previous years, the number of visitor arrivals from India has kept a good performance

MGTO Deputy Director Cecilia Tse at SATTE 2015 opening ceremony headed by guest of honor Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism of India Girish Shankar (centre)

in 2014, totaling more than 167 thousand for the whole year, up by 4.5 per cent year-on-year, among which 80.1 per cent of visitors stayed overnight in Macau, 3.1 per cent more compare to the previous year.

Hotels & Culinary ASIA | January-February 2015 | 49

TAT unveils “015 Discover Thainess” at Italian travel fair in Milan Tourism Authority of Thailand Governor Thawatchai Arunyik said, “In spite of the economic challenges in Europe, TAT sees Italy as a stable and productive market.

We will continue to invest strongly in maintaining our competitive position there with a focus on celebrity marketing, weddings and honeymoons, and niche markets.”

Between 23-29 January, 2015, the TAT Rome Office invited two Italian celebrities, Mr. Federico Zampaglione and Ms. Claudia Gerini, a superstar actress and singer to visit Thailand.

Both enjoyed the opportunity to experience our impressive tourism products and services.

Italy is an important source market from Europe. In 2014, Italian visitor arrivals to Thailand totalled 220,017, up 6.19% over 207,192 in 2013. This year, TAT is projecting 228,818 Italian visitors. In 2013, Italian visitors had an average length of stay of 16 days and daily expenditure per person of 3,841 Baht (about 104.06 Euros).

T

he new national tourism promotion campaign “2015 Discover Thainess” has been unveiled in Italy with the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s participation in the Borsa Internazionale del Tourismo (BIT), the largest Italian travel fair, between 12-14 February, 2015, in Milan.

The “2015 Discover Thainess” campaign will emphasise the priceless treasures of Thailand, which gives Thainess its charm, makes the Thais unique as a people, society and culture, and underpins the kingdom’s tourism competitive advantage. The marketing messages will highlight the concept of Creative Tourism under which tourists can experience the Thai

way of life, Thai culture and handson Thai activities; such as, Muay Thai boxing, Thai massage, Thai cooking, and Thai classical dance.

This year, as part of the “2015 Discover Thainess” campaign, TAT is recommending 12 hidden gems – emerging new provincial destinations that Italian visitors should not miss, especially repeat travellers. All these places are renowned for their unique history, culture and lifestyle.

TAT has allocated specific “Happiness” activity themes for each month of 2015; such as, the Golden Kinship Celebration in February and the Muay Thai Festival in March.

50 | January-February 2015 | Hotels & Culinary ASIA

Italy is an important source market from Europe. In 2014, Italian visitor arrivals to Thailand totalled 220,017, up 6.19% over 207,192 in 2013. This year, TAT is projecting 228,818 Italian visitors. In 2013, Italian visitors had an average length of stay of 16 days and daily expenditure per person of 3,841 Baht (about 104.06 Euros).

This is the 17th year of TAT’s participation in the BIT. The Italian trade show is marking the 35th anniversary of its founding in 1980.

TAT has numerous activities for visitors to the Thai Pavilion; such as, demonstration of umbrella painting, fruit and vegetable carving, as well as a mini-football goal scoring competition to win a prize of visiting Thailand.

TAT is also launching the “Taste of Thailand” magazine, which offers comprehensive information about tourism activities and products under the “2015 Discover Thainess” campaign.

Also this year, the TAT Rome Office will partner with the famous bookstore Feltrinelli and Cathay Pacific to provide a lucky draw for cardholder members of the Feltrinelli bookstore to win a trip to Thailand.

Mr. Thawatchai added, “Thailand will also have a prominent presence in the EXPO 2015 Universal Exhibition to be held between 1 May and 31 October, 2015, in Milan. HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn will preside over the opening of “Days of Thailand” on 24 August, 2015, to strengthen the relationship between Thailand and Italy. The Royal Thai Embassy in Rome will also take advantage of the millions of visitors to promote Thai products, culture, travel and tourism.”

Thai Airways International is operating a total of seven weekly direct flights to Bangkok from Rome and Milan.

BIT (Borsa Internazionale del Turismo) is an international travel fair that brings together tour operators from all over the world, a large audience of visitors, travel lovers, television and press.

BIT2015, impressive figures for the relaunch of the tourism offering The 35th Bit – as the International Travel Fair is known - closed on Saturday 14th February at the Fieramilano fairground in Rho, as the last great travel show before EXPO 2015, hosting 61,781 visitors (60% of whom were professionals from the sector) in three days.

All the Italian regions were represented, as well as 100 countries from all over the world. The approximately 2,000 exhibitors attending the fair met up with 1,500 very high-profile hosted buyers in more than 40,000 matched meetings (+96% compared to the previous show). 83% of the buyers were from 70 foreign countries while 17% of them were from Italy. In addition, there were more than 1,000 other buyers who registered spontaneously.

A resonance that was emphasized online: more than 100 top travel bloggers took part, encountering a selection of more than 150 bloggerfriendly exhibitors. On the Bit.NOW business blog, 35.000 people on average read the posts giving in-depth info about the exhibitors, with peaks of more than 60.000. All Bit’s online and social parameters recorded a rise, with increases of up to four figures in some cases.

The traveling public showed great interest in Destination Sport, the new area organized jointly with Decathlon, focusing on the most original proposals for active and sport-oriented holidays.

Among the many events in the densely-packed schedule, the first Annual International Tourism Congress was greatly appreciated by the business community. Its protagonists were Gianni Riotta (La Stampa), Chris Fair (Resonance Consultancy), William Ridgers (The Economist), Sylvain Querne (Facebook) and many others.

We are wating for you at next year’s show, Bit2016, from Thursday 11th to Saturday 13th February 2016!

Hotels & Culinary ASIA | January-February 2015 | 51

Macau Government Tourist Office redesigns and presents eight walking tour routes

M

acau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) announces the

In addition, there is a mobile App (Android & iOS versions to be

launch of four new walking tour routes under the theme

launched soon) for “Step Out, Experience Macau’s Communities”

“Step Out, Experience Macau’s Communities”, available starting

walking tour routes. In terms of promotion, the Office is advertising

from16 February. Together with the four existing routes which have

the routes on WeChat, light-box advertisements and through short

been redesigned, a total of eight walking tour routes are presented

TV promotional videos, among others.

for visitors’ choice. Encouraging visitors to explore different neighborhoods, the routes are expected to balance visitor trends

MGTO has arranged different performances at certain sightseeing

around Macau and foster community tourism.

points along the tour routes during weekend, further enhancing livelihood to their specific neighborhoods. Moreover, the Office

Suggest parish-oriented routes

joins hands with local organizations to present community tourism

Taking the poll result and community development into

activities and boost the charm of the communities. With the variety

consideration, MGTO redesigned and proposed eight parish-

of activities offered, visitors can enjoy a more fantastic stroll along

oriented walking tour routes which cover different parishes on

these routes and explore different local quarters for hidden gems and

Macau Peninsula, Taipa and Coloane. The parishes include

a glimpse of the city’s aroma.

Cathedral Parish, St. Lazarus Parish, St. Lawrence Parish, Our Lady of Fatima Parish and St. Anthony Parish on Macau Peninsula as

Listen to opinions and keep improving

well as Our Lady of Carmel Parish on Taipa and St. Francis Xavier

Back on 27 September 2013, MGTO launched the first four

Parish on Coloane.

walking tour routes under the theme “Step Out, Experience Macau’s Communities” with the purpose to highlight the attractions in

The eight suggested routes are as follow: Footsteps into the Historic

different local districts for visitors to explore. Since the project was

Centre; An Experiment of Creativity; Crossroads of China and

launched, different social sectors have offered many valuable opinions

Portugal; A Legacy of Arts and Culture; Enchanting Stories of

concerning community tourism development. MGTO therefore

Our Lady of Fatima Parish; The Marriage of East and West in St.

also carried out a poll to collect public opinions regarding the new

Anthony’s Parish; Bygone Days of Taipa Village and Nostalgia in

walking tour routes last year. Based on an analysis and summary

Coloane.

of these suggestions collected from different sectors, the Office has optimized the existing routes together with new routes designed. As a

Promotion for the routes

result, a total of eight walking tour routes are now launched based on

A themed guidebook (in Traditional and Simplified Chinese

the idea of parish.

language) about “Step Out, Experience Macau’s Communities” walking tour routes will be made available starting from tomorrow

As an important subproject in the “Community Tourism

(16 February). The guidebook presents the eight routes and

Development Plan”, the “Step Out, Experience Macau’s

relevant information including sightseeing attractions, dining

Communities” walking tour route project aims to promote

options, transportation, shopping, performance activities and

community tourism, industry development in different

public facilities. Visitors can obtain the printed guidebook for

neighborhoods as well as moderate diversification of economic

free from local hotels or MGTO’s Tourist Information counters

development. In the future, MGTO will make continuous efforts to

while the electronic version is available for download on MGTO’s

optimize the tourism signage system and local tourism environment

website: http://www.macautourism.gov.mo. They can also

through inter-departmental work force for the welfare of both locals

check out the routes and relevant information on the website.

and visitors.

52 | January-February 2015 | Hotels & Culinary ASIA

Hotels & Culinary ASIA | January-February 2015 | 53

Shortcuts that Kill Revenue: Using the “DIY” or “Build It Quick and Cheap” Approach for Hotel Websites

By Max Starkov, President & CEO at HEBS Digital

R

ecently, a major player in the industry announced the launch of their new $399/ month service for “DIY” hotel websites. In the past, there have been many attempts to help hoteliers create a quick and cheap website presence, dating back to 1997 and GoDaddy. The main premise of this approach is that all hoteliers need is a website, and that any website would do: choose from a few design templates, slap some photos, add thin, unappetizing descriptions and textual content with no SEO value, add a booking engine widget, and voila! There you have it! This is exactly what $399/month buys these days.

within a year.

The property website should do more than just look nice, feature the property logo, photos, and a few pages with descriptions of services and amenities. It has to provide the right balance of excellent design and state-of-the-art technology enabling a robust merchandising strategy to convert lookers into bookers and help shift share from the OTAs. It has to be user-friendly, searchengine-friendly, multi-device friendly and customer engagement-friendly.

This website has to be customized to best reflect the hotel brand, describe the hotel product and properly address the hotel’s customer segments.

Unfortunately, in this multichannel, multi-device world we live in, a property website built using the “DIY” or “quick and cheap” approach cannot possibly serve as the “heart” of the property’s direct online channel efforts, as the main hub of the property’s multi-channel marketing campaigns across the three screens, or as the property’s main engagement platform with the uber-connected online travel consumer.

This is why the difference between a DYI or cheap template website and a comprehensive website with complete merchandising and customer engagement capabilities that accommodates the features below could be measured in hundreds of thousands and even millions of dollars in lost website revenue per year.

Over the years, here at HeBS Digital we have had a number of hotel clients who have been damaged “beyond repair” by previous DYI or “quick and cheap” website vendors.

The lack of any digital marketing and direct online channel strategy, a non-existent merchandising strategy, thin content, abundant anti-SEO best practices, and the absence of robust analytics to track revenue sources and ROAS of digital campaigns has all added up to a sad story repeated with each such new client. The good news is that with almost all of these cases, we were able to double their website revenues

At minimum, the property website should include the following capabilities and features: • Either Full Responsive or Adaptive Design for the three screens (desktop, mobile, tablet) Complete content control of the property website (visual, promotional, textual) via cutting edge content management system (CMS) • Comprehensive Dynamic Content Personalization to serve personalized promotional, visual and textual content to users based on feeder markets, purchase intent and demographics •One-to-One marketing capabilities to target valuable users and past

54 | January-February 2015 | Hotels & Culinary ASIA

guests with unique offerings • Advanced Merchandising Module to convert lookers into bookers Deep and relevant content that complies with latest SEO best practices • Reservation Recovery Module to win back abandoned bookings Custom Design Themes Module to update the look-and-feel (design) of the hotel website with the click of a button • Multi-Language Module, enabling foreign language content across the entire site • Full integration with the property’s CRM, CRS or PMS to make use of the property’s big data • Full integration with the property’s social media profiles to push hotel promotions, packages, events and happenings to enhance the property’s social media presence • Feature comprehensive web analytics like Adobe Analytics to give the property the complete picture in terms of purchase behavior and website revenue sources All of the above, complemented by a robust multi-channel marketing strategy and cutting-edge digital technology, is the essential mix needed to boost direct online channel revenues and shift share from the OTAs to the hotel website.

There is very simple litmus test as to which property may be a good candidate for a “DIY” or “quick and cheap” website service: If the property is OK with furnishing its rooms with closeout-sale furniture, mattresses, sheets and linens, or buying carpeting from Carpet Liquidators, then perhaps a $399/ month website service is a good choice.

Hoteliers are managing multimillion dollar properties. They have

fiduciary responsibility to maximize the property’s direct online channel presence, boost direct revenues, and lower the costs of online distribution. They simply cannot do that with a DIY or “quick and cheap” website.

MAX STARKOV, PRESIDENT & CEO AT HEBS DIGITAL Max Starkov is President & CEO at HeBS Digital. Max is a recognized “thought leader” in Internet marketing strategies in hospitality and is a frequent guest speaker and presenter at industry events and conferences. His eBusiness expertise is sought after by a diverse client portfolio of top tier hotel brands, luxury and boutique hotel chains, hotel management companies, resort and casino companies, franchisees and independents, as well as major Wall Street investment banks and financial institutions. Max has spent his entire professional career in hospitality and travel. He has an extensive Internet marketing and online distribution experience. He co-founded and served as CEO of three eBusiness companies: Travelbreak.com 19952000 (Innovative direct supplier-toconsumer online travel marketplace, ranked 3rd in traffic after Priceline.com), WhaleMedia.com 2000-2001(Winner of the coveted Microsoft RAD Award for hotel online booking systems), and HeBS Digital (since 2001). Under Max’s leadership, HeBS Digital has pioneered many of the “best practices” in hotel Internet marketing and direct online channel distribution, and has won many prestigious awards for its groundbreaking website design and Internet marketing campaigns.