Hotel industry and travel news from around the Asia Pacific region; this week: a Le Meridein for Bali, Tune debuts in India, Rosewood and more....
Le Méridien opens in Bali
Starwood Hotels & Resorts has opened its latest Le Méridien property in Asia Pacific with the Le Méridien Bali Jimbaran. Overlooking the Indian Ocean, the upscale property features 118 rooms and suites, with ground floor units opening directly onto a 1,300 square metre saltwater lagoon-style swimming pool. Le Méridien Bali Jimbaran also features four F&B outlets and 600 square metres of multi-purpose space. Starwood has another nine Le Méridien properties in the pipeline over the next 12 months, in locations such as China, India, Vietnam and Bangladesh.
Increase in Singapore Connections to Indonesia Singapore's air connections to Indonesia will be receiving a boost as Singapore Airlines (SIA), Silkair and Tiger Airways are ramping up their flights to the world's largest archipelago. SIA will be launching a new route to Surabaya in addition to increasing the frequencies of its Bali and Jakarta flights. Silkair will also be boosting its accessibility to Indonesia by adding two more cities to its network. The airline will launch flights to Semarang and Makassar from July and August, respectively, increasing its network to 11 destinations. Tiger Airways has also announced the launch of its services to Jogjakarta and Bandung, which will commence from July and August, respectively. This will bring the low-cost carrier's total Indonesian network to seven destinations.
Tune Hotels Debuts Indian Property Budget brand Tune Hotels has opened its first property in India with the 100-room Tune Hotel Ahmedabad. Connected to the new 4D Square Mall in Motera, the new property marks the introduction of family rooms to the brand's inventory, to cater to the wedding market in India. Tune Hotel Ahmedabad features family rooms which can accommodate four to six people, in addition to the standard single and double rooms. Tune Hotels has partnered with Apodis Hospitality to develop and manage at least 20 properties across India, in major destinations, Tier II and Tier III cities.
Costa Doubles Asian Capacity with Costa AtlanticaCosta Cruises has increased its presence in Asia with the 2,680-capacity Costa Atlantica. This brings Costa's total offering to 125 cruises in the region and a capacity of over 220,000 guests. This is in line with its parent company, Carnival Corporation's aim of achieving a 50 per cent share of the Asian cruise market in 2017. Additionally, Carnival intends to focus on Southeast Asia and to establish the region as the Caribbean of the East, making Singapore as its hub. The Asian cruise market is projected to grow from the current 1.5 million passengers to 3.7 million passengers by 2017.
Rosewood to Open Four Properties by 2017 Rosewood Hotels & Resorts will open four properties across three countries in Asia by 2017. The company will open its first property in China with the 279-room Rosewood Beijing, which is set to open in autumn 2013. The Rosewood Phuket will open in end 2014 and will be the Rosewood's first resort in Asia. Situated in Emerald Bay, the property will feature 87 villas, 20 residences and five hideaway homes. The company will also partner with Jakarta-based Ciputra Group to manage Rosewood Tanah Lot Bali and Rosewood Jakarta. Rosewood Tanah Lot Bali will have 80 suites, 40 villas and 20 residences and will be located on 12 hectares near to the Tanah Lot temple. The Rosewood Jakarta will be part of the Ciputra World Jakarta, a mixed-use development and will offer 200 rooms and 160 residences. Both properties in Indonesia will open by 2017.
Inaugural Indonesia Hospitality & Tourism Investment Conference Proves a Success The inaugural Indonesia Hospitality & Tourism Investment Conference (IHT) organised by HVS has "established itself as the most influential and largest hotel investment conference in Indonesia."
Co-hosted by the Ministry of Tourism & Creative Economy and the Indonesia Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM), and themed "Invest in the World's Largest Archipelago: Indonesia," the Conference was held May 7 and 8, 2013 at the Ritz-Carlton Pacific Place, Jakarta and brought together more than 370 delegates, high-profile speakers and leaders of the hotel and tourism industry from over 14 countries.
Her Excellency Dr. Mari Elka Pangestu, Minister for Tourism and Creative Economy of the Republic of Indonesia, delivered the keynote address on the Ministry's national master plan which included initiatives for promoting tourism throughout the country.
The IHT Organising Committee expresses its gratitude to all partners, sponsors, delegates and participants for their tremendous support, and wishes everyone a successful year ahead. The Committee looks forward to welcoming all industry leaders at the next IHT in 2014.
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