TODAY: Alipay rolls out in four more Southeast Asian countries, low cost and private accommodation changing travel and January passenger demand growth slows on temporary factors.

Alipay rolls out in four more Southeast Asian countries
Wednesday, 14th March 2018

Alipay has further grown its cross-border business in Southeast Asia, adding four new countries to its network and this takes the total number of countries where Alipay services are available to Chinese visitors and local merchants in this region to eight.

With the expansion, merchants in Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and the Philippines are now connected to 520 million active users in China via Alipay’s in-app marketing platform >>

Autograph Collection slated to debut in Belize
14 Mar 2018 : Autograph Collection Hotels, in partnership with owner and developer Andrew Ashcroft, announced the brand is expected to debut in Belize with the 2020 opening of Alaia – a one-of-a-kind boutique resort, set amidst the beautiful and culturally rich southern part of Ambergris Caye island >>

Low cost and private accommodation changing travel
14 Mar 2018 : Low cost airlines, private accommodation and the dispersal of tourism beyond the main hot spots will take the spotlight at the seventh edition of WIT Japan & North Asia which returns to Tokyo on June 28-29 >>

January passenger demand growth slows on temporary factors
14 Mar 2018 : The International Air Transport Association announced global passenger traffic results for January 2018 showing traffic (revenue passenger kilometers or RPKs) rose 4.6% compared to January 2017. This was the slowest year-over-year increase in nearly four years >>

News from around the Asia Pacific region
14 Mar 2018 : Hotel industry and travel news from around the Asia Pacific region: Singha Estate to acquire six hotels from Outrigger Hotels, Marriott International debuts on Belitung Island, Hotel Culture sells 84-key Porcelain Hotel property and more >>

HIGHLIGHT ARTICLE

How Restaurants are Serving Up Entertainment Like Never Before
Wednesday, 14th March 2018

From the jazz quartet belting out crowd-pleasing covers to cabaret performers high-kicking their way across the stage, food and entertainment have long gone hand-in-hand to make for a memorable meal out. Now a new generation of eating establishments is adding its own twists to the concept of ‘dinertainment’ to stand out from the crowd and pull in diners who want more than just music and cocktails alongside their main course. And they’re expanding quickly in big cities >>

Why I STILL Pick Up Trash In Hotel Lobbies
I have worked in the hotel industry for 35 years (27 of them at Marriott International) where my mentors indoctrinated me to the philosophy of taking ownership of the physical hotel product, it became intuitive to me to be keenly aware of the smallest details such as spotting the one burned out light bulb in the chandelier, a paperclip on the floor, or a gum wrapper in a potted plant and most importantly, I was trained to spot and then clean-up litter in the lobby and public areas.

Guests may not overtly notice when the lobby is clean and well lit, but they surely will notice when it is spotted with litter and dim, so take pride in your properties and pick up the trash and report those out of order/safety issues when you notice them >>