NEWS
SO/ Maldives: The Promise vs The Delivery
So/ Maldives sashayed into the archipelago with every intention of making “a fashion statement”, the gist of the brand SO/ in three words. Is the hotel a model for the brand SO/, part of Accor’s Ennismore?
CapitaLand Investment Acquires SC Capital Partners
A huge pull factor for CapitaLand is SC Capital Partners’ Japan Hotel REIT
The Fairytale Story of Kurt Rufli
How a young Swiss general manager created the largest hotel chain in the early years of Thailand tourism
Expanding Capella Hotel Group Appoints Four new GMs
Good GMs are hard to find these days. An expanding Capella spots and retains them
APAC Travel Still Below 2019 but 2025 is Promising – Mastercard
Uptick expected in consumer discretionary spend but there could be potential disruptions
Deepak Ohri is Back With World’s First Louis Roederer Cristal Room
Since leaving Lebua Hotels & Resorts, Deepak Ohri is busy cooking up new plans. The first is opening on December 1. It’s plucky of course
Hotels Ripe for Innovation in so Many Ways, Says Disruptor Banyan Tree
Raised in a family that is no stranger to innovations, Ho Ren Yung, senior vice president of brand and commercial, Banyan Tree Group, urges the industry to see constraints such as manpower shortage, and new wellness and sustainability demands, as opportunities to innovate. Take a leaf from the Banyan Tree
How Travel + Leisure Will Supercharge its new buy Accor Vacation Club
Travel + Leisure’s acquisition of Accor Vacation Club is probably the first time that a ‘pure’ vacation ownership company has bought a global chain’s club. But can multi-brands work in vacation ownership? Hotels-Asia asks Barry Robinson, the man in charge of the club when the deal is done in 1Q24
Asset Managers Rise in Asia as Chains Hobble to Support Owners
Asset management is relatively new to Asia but that is set to change as downsized chains hobble to support owners
Asian Elephant Tourism Needs New Optics, This Thai Resort Shows a Way
For observation-only elephant tourism to take off, it has to look appealing. Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort in Thailand shows a way with its Jungle Bubble idea. It’s jumbo good and important as the kingdom reopens
After Buying Comes Hard Selling as Hyatt Works to Deploy Acquired Brands in Asia
Hyatt Hotels’ shopping bag is stuffed with new brands, with more to come when its acquisition of Dream Hotel Group is completed. After the buying comes the hard selling to get Asian owners to embrace its acquired flags such as Thompson Hotels
Do’s and Don’t’s of Running a Family Business
More owners in Asia are passing the baton to the next generation. Success is no guarantee. New Zealander Gavin Faull, founder of Hong Kong-based Swiss-Belhotel International, tells Hotels-Asia how he got all his three sons up-and-running at the chain
Grand Hyatt Singapore’s New Wellness Strategy
Major renovation adds a strong wellness slant and positions an old favorite as the new urban resort in Singapore’s famous shopping belt Orchard Road
Why it’s Time to Reinvent the Club Lounge
The industry has successfully de-personalized the very facility it created to pamper its highest paying guests. Some brands are trying to change that
All Exclusive is the new All-Inclusive and it’s Coming to Asia
The all-inclusive rage in the US and Europe is coming to Asia. Accor has already signed two Rixos resorts in Vietnam. But hold your horses — after four decades, Club Med has only nine resorts in operation in Asia, excluding China. Yet may be more competitors is what it takes to turbo-charge all-inclusive in the region
Mega Events and Conscious Travel Will Cement Asia’s Recovery
Rockin’ RevPAR and eco-thriving movement will keep Asia’s hotel investment lively, says Nihat Ercan, CEO Asia-Pacific, Hotels & Hospitality at JLL, in this Expert View column
Singapore’s Swift Move to Tailor Attractions to Future Travelers 2040
Singapore continues to move “swiftly” – tourism authorities are already tailoring the destination to the needs of future customers
How to Keep a Brand Alive and Kicking
Too many brands, too little differentiation. Veteran hotel CEO Stephan Vanden Auweele writes about it and offers his views on how brands could stay current despite ever-changing needs of customers