Edition 26 2016

Q&A with Chef Francesco Balestrieri of Joe’s Bar

HOT | Brief

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Dear Hotelier Indonesia, Wego.com, the leading travel search site in the Asia Pacific and Middle East, reviews the effects of the UK’s separation from the European Union means for travellers. The considerations of the impact of Brexit, read on page 17.

Dont miss this one , an interesting Q&A with Chef Francesco the Cover story on page 20.

Now we also an official media partner for CAFÉ & BRASSERIE INDONESIA (CBI) 2016, you may check them at page 14.

Oh my. You better check yourself. So many thing here and there, Hotels Opening in Bali, New Luxury Hotel in Jakarta, and many events around to visit, to keep learning, and keep smiling :)

Well I tried some art scratch in some pages :), hope you like it. Enjoy reading. More to come

Editor In Chief | Founder Hery Sudrajat

Website : www.hotelier-indonesia.com | Email : info@hotelier-indonesia.com Follow our twitter : @hotelierindo | Facebook : Hotelier.Indonesia

Q&A with Chef Francesco Balestrieri of Joe’s Bar

Bob

Budi Tirtawisata, Group Chief Executive Officer, Panorama Group

David Wray, V P Acquisitions and Business Development - S E Asia and Pacific Rim, Wyndham Hotel Group

Eric Levy, Principal and M D, Tourism Solutions International

Frederic F Simon, Chief Executive Officer - Asia, Commune Hotels + Resorts

Gaurav Bhushan, Global Chief Investment Officer, AccorHotels

Gonzalo Maceda, Vice President Development - A PA C , Meliá Hotels International

Hary Tanoesoedibjo, Founder and C E O, M N C Group

Henky Manurung, Head of Tourism Investment Division, Ministry of Tourism, Republic of Indonesia

Hoe Kit Mak, Chief Investment Officer, Frasers Hospitality Group

Ishak Chandra, Chief Executive Officer Strategic Development and Services, Sinar Mas Land

Jean Gabriel Peres, President and C E O, Mövenpick Hotels and Resorts

John Flood, President and C E O, Archipelago International Hotels, Resorts and Residences

Jonathan Vanica, Head Asian Special Situations Group, Goldman Sachs

Martin Rinck, Executive Vice President and President - A PA C , Hilton Worldwide Michael Moret Lalli, Executive Director Development, Mantra Group

Agustono Effendy, Associate Director, Ciputra International Arief Yahya*, Honourable Minister of Tourism, Republic of Indonesia

Puccini, President and C E O, Puccini Group

K E Y S P E A K E R S

Come THINC Indonesia With

Bali! 31 August - 1 September 2016 | Sofitel Bali Nusa Dua Beach Resort

CAFÉ & BRASSERIE INDONESIA (CBI) CONNECTS BUSINESS PLAYERS IN THE CAFÉ SECTOR

Jakarta, – Indonesia’s cafe sector is currently growing rapidly with vast business develop ments and thus can be highly regarded as one of the most profitable business sectors in this modern era.

Across the country’s major cities, having a meeting at a café has become one of the favorite activities as part of urban societies’ modern lifestyle. This is evident with the pres ence of café in almost every corner of the city, ranging from top to mid-range brands.

With this phenomenon, a new term – “ngafe” has been created amongst teenagers and businessmen which indicates an invitation to engage in other social activities beyond just drinking a cup of coffee or tea at the café.

There are currently over 10,000 cafes in Indonesia and further outlet growth is expect ed to be driven by the leading operators who are competing to create the coziest environ ment and appeal to the consumers’ changing tastes. Between 2013 and 2018, revenues of the Café segment is expected to grow from USD 3.4billion to USD 4.16 billion, a 3.42% CAGR.

Growth in new outlets will also be more diverse as leading players will continue to expand beyond shopping centers to univer sities, hospitals, upscale apartment blocks, office buildings, and standalone stores in residential compounds and areas where Indonesians consumers normally congregate.

This situation is expected to continue with a 30% growth rate over the next few years.

With abundant business opportunities avail able, the café sector will provide fresh busi ness outlook and positive influence to drive further growth for local coffee and tea com modities, which Indonesia is recognized as one of the world’s best producers of Coffee and Tea.

The emergence of this new habit of drinking coffee at modern coffee shops or cafes have caused coffee consumption to increase with a 36% rate between 2010 and 2014, accord ing to the Association of Indonesian Coffee Exporters (AICE). Meanwhile, the Tea Board of Indonesia observed that the domestic market still has a lot of potential to develop consid erably. This is because despite the country’s high total tea production, only 40% of the national output goes towards supplying for domestic intake, while the remaining 60 % are being exported.

Sharing common interest, Reed Panorama Exhibitions ( RPE ) is collaborating with the Association of Coffee Exporters and Industry of Indonesia ( AICE ) , Specialty Coffee Association of Indonesia ( SCAI ) , Indonesia Tea Board, and the Association of Indonesian Hotels and Restaurants ( IHRA ) to proudly present - Cafe & Brasserie Indonesia to be held on 2 - 4 September 2016 in Hall B , Jakarta Convention Center ( JCC ) .

The exhibition will be staged in conjunction with two other exhibitions, the 14th Franchise & License Expo Indonesia and the Retail Solution Expo. James Boey, General Manager of Reed Panorama Exhibitions stated that

"Given robust business development, it is timely for us to introduce a platform such as ‘CAFE & BRASSERIE INDONESIA (CBI)’, one that brings together leading players in the cafe sector, from coffee and tea producers to dis tributors, machine manufacturers and other supporting businesses.

This event has been specifically designed to allow businesses in this sector to exchange information, gain knowledge and be updated on the latest trends. In the effort to foster better cooperation between businesses, CBI will be the right arena to build business network and secure opportunities between entrepreneurs, investors, franchisors and franchisees and other industry-related professionals to establish trade connections and get direct first-hand access to a wide variety of coffee machine and other supporting equipment for their cafe business.

James adds that CAFE & BRASSERIE INDONESIA (CBI)’s presence "is expected to encourage the rise of new café business own ers and investors that will support the growth of tea and coffee consumption in Indonesia.

We are sure that this event would attract the public’s attention and will be visited by more than 10,000 local and foreign visitors com prising cafe owners, investors, baristas, chef and coffee as well as tea lovers.”

FULL SUPPORT FROM THE INDUSTRY

Indonesia’s coffee processing industry holds bright prospects. As recorded by the Ministry of Industry, the average coffee consumption of Indonesian society has currently reached 1.2 kilogram per capita per year. Pranoto Soenarto, Vice Chairman of the Association of Indonesian Coffee Exporters and Industries (AICE), said that "currently, Indonesia is one of the four major coffee producing countries in the world alongside Brazil, Vietnam and Colombia. Compared to 3 other countries, Indonesia has the most variations of coffee. It is recorded that 67 % of coffee production are for export while the remaining 33 % caters to domestic demand." Pranoto also added that, " therefore, AICE welcomes this exhibition as it gives businesses wide opportunities to access the latest innovations in order to meet pro duction needs and market demand. The pres ence of CBI provides positive influence for the sector, and is certainly capable of increasing coffee demand in Indonesia”. In addition, A. Syafrudin, Chairman of the Specialty Coffee Association of Indonesia (SCAI) also expressed support for CBI highlighting that, "Business development in the modern café sector has been highly innovative. Now people no longer think of coffee as a mere commodity,

but also as an art due to its intricate planting, preparation, roasting processes and up to its final packaging or presentation.

As CBI gives spotlight to quality standards of coffee, the value of a cup of coffee will increase and it will be appreciated more by coffee lovers and the wider community".

Support also came from Ratna Somantri, Head of Promotion Indonesia Tea Board (ITB), "I hope events like CBI will continue to be held in order to enhance promotion of tea into the community and boost the level of tea consumption in the country." CBI can further showcase Indonesia’s strength as the sev enth largest tea exporter in the world. Ratna also stated that "With the publicity achieved through CBI, the future role of tea will be augmented to support the tourism industry with the introduction of tea culture, leading also to increase in domestic consumption." In addition, the growth of businesses in the café sector will also bring positive impacts to the development of other related industries such as the restaurant and hospitality industries. This is echoed by Sudradjat, Vice Chairman of Restaurant Development of Association of Hotel & Restaurant Indonesia (IHRA), through their support of CBI. "With the changing lifestyle of people that increasingly conduct meetings at cafes or hotel lounges, this con tributes positively to the sector and opens new opportunities for players in the hotel and restaurant businesses. I am optimistic that CBI will deliver a world-class exhibition that will contribute positively to the development of major industries,

namely in the field of F & B and other related industries ", Sudradjat shared. Held over three days, CBI will be filled with a variety of activities ranging from business forum on café & brasserie , seminars, food and bever age , barista and culinary competitions and the Cafe Owner Club that engages visitors through product presentations and work shops . With its unique concept combining business and educational events, CBI will be the right platform for businesses, those work ing in the F & B industry or any company that wishes to build brand awareness or launch new products.

About Reed Panorama Exhibitions

PT Reed Panorama Exhibitions (RPE) is a joint venture (Joint Venture) between the world's leading event organizer, Reed Exhibitions and Panorama Group, one of Indonesia’s top conglomerate engaged in tourism, transpor tation, hospitality and many other businesses. RPE aims to provide quality professional services and promote multi-industry events through cooperation with relevant govern ment agencies, industry partners, trade asso ciations, venue owners, contractors and cus tomers in Indonesia. Currently, RPE organizes ten international exhibitions in Indonesia serving the industry franchising and licensing, maritime, mining, building materials and con struction, transportation and logistics as well as consumer sectors through Maternity, Baby & Kids Expo and Comic Con Indonesia. Visit our website at www.reedpanorama.com

Cafe and Brasserie Indonesia 2016

Café and Brasserie Indonesia (CBI) 2016 – is the first dedicated event for the café and brasserie industry in Indonesia. Café and Brasserie Indonesia will be the perfect rendezvous for you to connect, display and market directly to your targeted audiences; be it the café & brasserie owners, investors and the industry professionals or to the over 10,000 café lovers who will be attending this 3 days activities-filled event. Whether you are new to the industry or an established company looking to build brand awareness and launch new products, Café and Brasserie Indonesia is the event to include in your marketing plans for 2016!. incorporating: Café / Coffee & Tea / Bakery & Pastry / Bar & Restaurant / Food Services

PT Reed Panorama Exhibitions (RPE) is a joint venture between the world’s leading event organizer Reed Exhibitions and Indonesia’s leading tourism, transportation and hospitality group of companies, the Panorama Group. RPE aims to create professional, quality business to business platforms by working closely with relevant government agencies, industry partners, trade associations, venue owners, contractors and customers so as to deliver events for the industry by the industry. Currently, RPE organizes seven events in Indonesia, serving the franchising and licensing, maritime, min ing, renovation and construction, and the consumer sectors with its biannual Grand Wedding Expo and annual Maternity, Baby & Kids Expo.

WHAT DOES THE UK’S EXIT FROM THE EU MEAN FOR TRAVELLERS?

Considerations

Singapore - Wego.com, the leading travel search site in the Asia Pacific and Middle East, reviews the effects of the UK’s separation from the European Union means for travel lers.

“Regardless of whether you believe that Brexit was a positive or negative move for the UK, there will undoubtedly be repercussions for travellers in light of the decision,” said Ross Veitch, CEO and co-founder of Wego.

“The UK Pound has dropped 9.8 percent, with the value of the pound to the dollar at 1.3415 in early trading since the referendum result has become clear, which means a UK holi day is going to be cheaper for most foreign tourists than it has been for about 20 years,” Veitch continued. “In-destination trip costs such as accommodation, dining, entertain ment and shopping will allow significantly better value for the foreign traveller after exchanging their local currency.”

“The UK’s airline network may also have to review regulations, which as a part of the EU secured single aviation area treaties across Europe, which may increase airfare costs for the UK’s national carriers,” Veitch added.

“Accommodation costs however, could drop,

Britain fights to retain its large inbound

numbers from Europe

“As a long-serving entry hub to Europe, London may now be increasingly challenged by other key EU hub airports such as Paris, Frankfurt and Amsterdam which will offer inbound travellers easier onward movement around EU member countries. Although it will take time, it’s likely the UK government will try to negotiate similar travel agreements to replicate those in place as a member of the EU,” said Veitch.

“High spending Arab travellers from the Gulf nations, where London has retained its num ber one most popular European destination for some time at www.wego.ae, may consider selecting other destinations to take advan tage of shopping and holiday opportunities. Rome is still a popular destination within Europe, and many football events drive visits to Spain and France.”

lon

“As the dust settles, there’s no doubt that we’ll see visible changes in the UK’s travel industry, and the government will have the unenviable task of implementing indepen dent regulations to maintain the country’s position as a global tourism hub and gateway to Europe,” Veitch concluded.

What does the UK’s exit from the EU mean for travellers?

of the impact of Brexit

“You can possibly expect to see a number of changes at arrival points at UK airports, as previously, as a member of the EU, travellers from EU countries were permitted visa free entry so the result could mean busier entry lines at customs as they queue up with other international visitors.”

as

visitor

who will no

ger be able to travel freely into the country.”

SWISS-BELHOTEL INTERNATIONAL ANNOUNCES SKI SEASON START AT CORONET PEAK, QUEENSTOWN

QUEENSTOWN, NEW ZEALAND: Leading global hospitality manage ment company, Swiss-Belhotel International, is welcoming skiers and snowboarders to its Swiss-Belresort Coronet Peak in Queenstown, located in the heart of one of the first areas in New Zealand to open its trails this year.Ski season officially started on the 11th June on Coronet Peak’s legendary trails and will run to the end of September.

As the closest hotel to the mountain, pre-season bookings at SwissBelresort Coronet Peak have been robust prompting the hotel’s General Manager, Grant Gaskin, to advise snow lovers to book their accommodation early in order to avoid disappointment.

“People tend to have a short lead time for bookings on ski trips and naturally their main focus is on great skiing. Experience tells us it’s also important for skiers to make sure their hotel is sorted out well in advance of the trip, especially in popular destinations like Coronet Peak,” said Mr. Gaskin.

Coronet Peak ski area is one of New Zealand's most exhilirating and diverse ski resort destinations with a choice of exciting adventures for everyone from juniors and first timers to experts and adrenaline junkies. The peak itself rises to 1,649 metres and offers 280 skiable acres including two terrain parks.

The longest run extends an impressive 2.4 kms and the slopes can be accessed using one of four learner conveyor lifts, two high speed quad chairs, one siz-seater express chair, or a T-Bar.

Guests that stay at Swiss-Belresort Coronet Peak enjoy an appealing combination of comforts and benefits. The 3-star resort offers 75 guest rooms with private bathrooms and is located just 20 minutes from the Coronet Peak Ski fields. A regular complimentary shuttle bus is provided to and from the mountain on a planned daily sched ule.

“Coronet Peak is a seven-days-a-week destination with machine groomed ski runs and a whole host of adventures, including night skiing in Fridays and Saturdays. Thanks to our superb location and facilities, SwissBelresort Coronet Peak is a natural first choice for snow seekers looking to make the most of the area’s exceptional recreational opportunities,” added Mr Gaskin.

As a ski season opening special offer the Swiss-Belresort Coronet Peak is offering a special rate of NZ$135 per room, including com plimentary shuttle bus to and from Coronet Peak Ski Fields and 1,000 Air Asia points per night. Valid for stays between 18 July to 31 August. For bookings go to http://www.swiss-belhotel.com/en-gb/ swiss-belresort-coronet-peak/

Q&A with Chef Francesco

Balestrieri of Joe’s Bar

How do traditional Italian food culture and cooking styles feature in your menu? How do you see your Italian influences merging with the food culture and cooking styles in Australia?

Everything about my country is represented in my menu – passion, colour and love. My menu is very authentically Italian with fresh ingredients prepared traditionally. Australians travel a lot these days and many have experienced authentic Italian cooking, so they know what to expect and Italian cooking is very accessible for Australians. I am a traditionalist though, so everything I cook is just how it is back in Italy.

Many people have an established idea about what traditional Italian food is. Do you feel that modern Italian cuisine is heading in new and exciting directions?

New technology in cooking sure helps, especially cutting prepara tion time but I believe in honouring tradition, with slow cooking, love and patience. I think that Italian cooking is more about doing the old things well rather than trying to make things new and different.

Where do you source your produce? How much of it is sourced locally in the Canberra region?

My mortadella and salami is from the Canberra region and the truffles are the best from around here, but I have a lot shipped from Sydney, where there are fantastic suppliers. The prosciuttos and the 24 month oldparmagianaregana are coming from Italy but these days such great produce comes from Australia and Italy has some problems with reg ulation and food safety standards that we do not have here.

What is your view on the local food scene in Canberra, its evolution, direction and produce? What is unique to this region?

In the last five years, Canberra has exploded with food concepts. Canberrans now understand and appreciate great food and the bar has been lifted much higher. Five years ago this was like a small town but now is on a par with Melbourne or Sydney for food. It’s amazing the change.

How are you influenced by global food trends? What do you feel are the leading trends at the moment?

I try to keep away from food trends as I feel they stifle my creativity –why do what the others are doing? For me food is my art, so I want to create beautiful dishes that people will love and will know comes from my heart. I prefer old-school, technical methods with my own twist, rather than new trendy ones!

Can you tell me about yourself, your personality, and what inspires your cooking? Also about what you are interested in right now, what is inspiring you outside of the kitchen?

My true love is food and my inspiration is my family. I am really pas sionate about fresh produce and I’m constantly thinking of new and exciting ways to create. When I have time to myself I love to simplify – mow the grass, do little things around the house. My personality is fun and relaxed and I hope this comes through into my cooking. I try to keep my life simple and not too complicated and this is also true of my cooking.

Chef Francesco Balestrieri of Joe’s Bar

Q&A with Chef Francesco Balestrieri of Joe’s Bar

How do traditional Italian food culture and cooking styles feature in your menu? How do you see your Italian influences merging with the food culture and cook ing styles in Australia?

Everything about my country is repre sented in my menu – passion, colour and love. My menu is very authentically Italian with fresh ingredients prepared tradition ally. Australians travel a lot these days and many have experienced authentic Italian cooking, so they know what to expect and Italian cooking is very accessible for Australians. I am a traditionalist though, so everything I cook is just how it is back in Italy.

Many people have an established idea about what traditional Italian food is. Do you feel that modern Italian cuisine is heading in new and exciting directions?

New technology in cooking sure helps, especially cutting preparation time but I believe in honouring tradition, with slow cooking, love and patience. I think that Italian cooking is more about doing the old things well rather than trying to make things new and different.

Where do you source your produce? How much of it is sourced locally in the Canberra region?

My mortadella and salami is from the Canberra region and the truffles are the best from around here, but I have a lot shipped from Sydney, where there are fan tastic suppliers. The prosciuttos and the 24 month oldparmagianaregana are coming from Italy but these days such great pro duce comes from Australia and Italy has some problems with regulation and food safety standards that we do not have here.

What is your view on the local food scene in Canberra, its evolution, direction and produce? What is unique to this region?

In the last five years, Canberra has explod ed with food concepts. Canberrans now understand and appreciate great food and the bar has been lifted much higher. Five years ago this was like a small town but now is on a par with Melbourne or Sydney for food. It’s amazing the change.

How are you influenced by global food trends? What do you feel are the leading trends at the moment?

I try to keep away from food trends as I feel they stifle my creativity – why do what the others are doing? For me food is my art, so I want to create beautiful dishes that people will love and will know comes from my heart. I prefer old-school, tech nical methods with my own twist, rather than new trendy ones!

Can you tell me about yourself, your per sonality, and what inspires your cooking? Also about what you are interested in right now, what is inspiring you outside of the kitchen?

My true love is food and my inspiration is my family. I am really passionate about fresh produce and I’m constantly thinking of new and exciting ways to create. When I have time to myself I love to simplify –mow the grass, do little things around the house. My personality is fun and relaxed and I hope this comes through into my cooking. I try to keep my life simple and not too complicated and this is also true of my cooking.

What is your all time favourite Italian dish?

I love cannelloni baked in the oven with ricotta and spinach inside and gnocchi with a beautiful fresh tomato and

basil sauce, or a slow cooked oxtail sauce–beautiful fresh pasta with great cheese grated over the top. The smell is incred ible.

When I was a boy, my mother would open the oven and the smell of the cannelloni would fill the house. Amazing. I think that smell made me want to be a chef.

Is there a region of Italy whose cuisine you most love?

I love Bologna. It’s the fresh pasta capi tal of the world and where I started my apprenticeship. I also love Tuscany, for the red wine and simple but complex food. Some of the best soups I have tasted are from Tuscany.

There is growing health and awareness in the general population and this is trans lating to the choices we make in terms of what we eat and drink. How have you observed this evolution and how do you create healthy menus and options? What is your philosophy on this?

I have halved my portion sizes from when I had my restaurant back in Italy. I also try to use lean meat and only cook in extra virgin olive oil – no butter. My menu is as light as possible without sacrificing fla vour. Italian food is obviously quite rich and has a lot of carbohydrates but the key is to just not eat too much!

What do you feel are some of the more popular menu items that are returned to time and again by guests?

Meatballs, slow cooked and served with tomato sauce. Customers LOVE them. They are perfect for sharing with a glass of wine. The lasagna is amazingly popular too – it is a lighter style, traditional Italian rather than the heavier, American influ enced recipe.

The pasta is very thin and it has less béchamel so you enjoy the flavour but don’t get too full. People love the cannoli too – with spinach and ricotta.

How do you cater to younger guests? We often see younger children being offered French fries etc..as options but you seem to have a more European sensibility that encourages children to eat the same food as adults, whilst still ensuring there are options on the menu that will be more appealing to younger diners?

Generally in Italy we don’t have a separate menu for the kids. They eat what the adults eat, just a smaller serve. The lasagna and meatballs for example are light and healthy and the kids love them. Why should kids be made to eat fries and frozen stuff? Kids learn about good food from trying it and enjoying it. In a restaurant back in Italy often the mum will just give her kids some of what she is having – with lots of vegetables!

The European dining model is quite different to Australia, with more people dining alone in restaurants, bars and cafés regularly. This is also true for business travellers who are often dining solo. How do you feel the style, design and ambi ance of Joe’s caters to this guest and provides a comfortable environment for solo dining?

I like to think that each guest is being invited into my home. It’s very relaxed and comfortable and for business travellers or politicians or just people having a quick dinner and some wine, we try to make it very easy and welcoming. Good food, good wine a nice grappa afterwards and relax! People who travel a lot love food that is like home cooking after all the food they have to eat on the run.

Also true of European dining, you see more large family groups dining together across generations. How do you cater to this dining style? What are the options at Joe’s for groups and what do you recommend for this kind of gathering?

For big families or groups I created the FesteMenu which is lots of shared dishes, with large antipasto and many dishes to taste. Almost like tapas, Italian style!

How does your menu influence your wine list? What are some of your favourite wines, regions etc.?

Food and wine dance together. That’s for sure. But I have to say I love the Barolo from Piemonte, it’s perfume is wonderful and when you couple that with steak and a fresh salsa verde, they dance together very well. With pasta I love the chilled Coffele Soave ClassicoCa'Visco. Just perfection. With fried things such as polenta chips or the fried olives I love a Negroni for balance and the Martinez Passito di Pantelleria from Sicily is a fantastic wine with the dessert.

What is the process of cooking for you and what are you like in the kitchen?

The key is putting taste and ‘flower’ or aroma into everything. I love slow cooking – taking time to bring out the hidden flavour. This is like me – I am not fiery and stressed. I love cooking so I am happy.

I have built a great team – when you don’t have the team, you don’t have the kitchen. Preparation is the key to everything and we are very well organised.

What are some of your favourite drinks/cocktails and why? What are some of the favourites for your clients?

I have a great love for the Negroni, both bitter and sweet, with the orange overtones. To me it is quintessentially Italian.

It seems Joe’s has built a vibrant and loyal following where business leaders, politicians, creatives, interstate and inter national guests and locals all gather seamlessly together to create a very authentic environment. Would you agree and how would you describe the Joe’s experience?

I love meeting people and we have such a variety of guests –of all ages and from all backgrounds. Some are guests of the Hotel and others walk in from the street, but everyone gets a nice greeting and can relax. If you are a politician finishing at 10pm and you want a relaxing drink and snack or a travel ler just checked in, everyone feels comfortable. The lighting is very important – it’s not too bright. We have beautiful lamps and candles and it is warm, relaxing atmosphere. Joe’s has two lives – day and night. And it is all about the light – it sets the mood. Great food, great drinks, great atmosphere.

Please describe your journey as a chef, from the beginning until now? How did it happen that you transitioned from Italy to Canberra, Australia?

I started out a long time ago as a 16 year old apprentice in a small, underground kitchen in Rome. A lot of kitchens are underground in Rome– hot and dark, not beautiful and open like in Australia! Then I moved to an Italian restaurant in London.

After that I worked on a private yacht in the US for 9 months, again for Italian people – all my life I have worked for Italians, no matter where! So then, as a 21 year old, I went back to Italy and I told my mother I wanted to visit Australia after I met an Aussie guy who told me how amazing it was– my plan was for a 7 day visit but I stayed 2 years.

I came straight to Canberra – I thought it was going to be a seaside city but when I saw the small plane and the tiny airport as it was 7 years ago, I thought, where the heck am I? I worked at L’Unico in Kingston, which is where I met my wife, who is also an executive chef. After 2 years we went back to Italy and I started my own restaurant near Rome.

After 4 years, my wife thought we should come back to Canberra for a bit, so we did and I worked at QT. Then one day I saw the ad for Joe’s Bar and I thought, ‘Why not !’ Canberra has changed so much since I first came here as a young man and now I am turning 30 and I just love it.

What music is on your playlist ?

I’m a huge Madonna fan! She is amazing to me. But I also like to have Oasis and Vasco from Italy. I like the old school pop music.

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Tourism, Hotel Investment & Networking Conference (THINC) Indonesia 2016

Explore the latest trends, identify new opportunities, exchange ideas, share best practices and foster new partnerships at the Tourism, Hotel Investment & Networking Conference (THINC) Indonesia – where all industry stakeholders come together for two exciting days of networking opportunities and a captivating line-up of seminars and panels by industry experts.

Hosted by HVS and co-hosted by Ministry of Tourism, Republic of Indonesia and Indonesia Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM), THINC Indonesia provides a unique platform to deliberate on the development and direction of the hotel and tourism industry in the region.

Having already established its reputation of being a one-of-a-kind hospitality event in Indonesia, the two-day conference creates immense value for all participants and delegates, who stand to gain vast knowledge in the areas of experiential learning and productivity enhancement from their regional and international counterparts.In addition to offering all delegates and partici pants, immense opportunities to network, learn, and share knowledge and best practices with their regional and interna tional counterparts, the event is widely acknowledged as break ing the stereotype owing to its exotic island location of Bali and a relaxed ambience.

THINC Indonesia 2015 which took place on 2 and 3 September at the Sofitel Bali Nusa Dua Beach Resort,concluded on a high note. The two-day conference lived up to its reputation of being a one-of-a-kind hospitality event in Indonesia, once again creat ing a unique platform to deliberate on the development and direction of the hotel and tourism industry in the region. The conference brought together close to 250 industry stakehold ers, business leaders and key decision-makers from across 15 nations.

This year we already have confirmations from notable speak ers, includingAriefYahya*, Honorable Minister of Tourism, Republic of Indonesia; Budi Tirtawisata, Group CEO, Panorama Group; Frederic Flageat-Simon, CEO - Asia, Commune Hotels+Resorts;Gaurav Bhushan,Global Chief Investment Officer, AccorHotels; HaryTanoesoedibjo, Founder and CEO, MNC Group; Jean Gabriel Peres, President and CEO, Mövenpick Hotels and Resorts; John Flood, President and CEO, Archipelago International Hotels, Resorts and Residences; Jonathan Vanica, Head Asian Special Situations Group, Goldman Sachs; Martin Rinck, EVP and President - APAC, Hilton Worldwide, and Rajeev Menon, COO - APAC (ex. Greater China), Marriott International, among others.

The THINC Indonesia Organizing Committee expresses its heart felt gratitude to all sponsors, partners, speakers and delegates for their continued support, and looks forward to welcoming everyone at the conference this year.

August 31 - September 1, 2016 | Sofitel Bali Nusa Dua Beach Resort Bali, Indonesia

Iran Hotel Expansion & Development Summit

8th - 9th November 2016 | Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran

Noppen Group is a leading international company facilitating business across Asia, Europe, Africa and Latin America. Driven by the desire for excellence and supported by an unparalleled understanding of the Asian, European, African and Latin American markets, Noppen Group has delivered exceptional events, assisted new market entries and established government relations since 1998. Our top-level business connections paired with our close relations to the many levels of government have given Lnoppen an edge on the marketplace our competitors just cannot match. With offices in China, Belgium, India, Philippines and Colombia; Noppen Group offers reputable, reliable services and a large range of deliverables to help your company successfully meet its goals. To learn more about our activities and events.

Iran, the second-largest nation in the Middle East, has hammered out an investment package worth $25 billion to revitalize its tourism which has been under the shadow of its sprawling petroleum industry. The future opportunities within Iran’s hotel and tourism industry are substantial, however with a limited supply of hotels operating in key cities, particularly Tehran, the lifting of sanctions is expected to set off a modern day ‘Gold Rush’ as developers and operators race to secure their position in one of the world’s largest untapped markets.

Tourism currently only accounts for around 2% of Iran’s GDP. However, with a population of approximately 80 million people, there is huge po tential for growth in both domestic and international travel to Iran.

The Iran Hotel Expansion & Development Summit will bring together local and international hotel stakeholders; hotel chains, investors, develop ers, architects and construction companies as well as hospitality institutions, government officials, finance institutes, consultants and technology providers to discuss new developments and ways to realize the potential hotel projects in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

AFRICA

• Foli Cocker, Hon Commissioner for Tourism, Art and Culture, Lagos State

• Sally Mbanefo, Director General, Nigerian Tourism Council Development Corporation

• Lasse Ristolainen, Development Director, Subsaharan Africa, Hilton Worldwide

• Tejas Shah, Developmet Director, Subsaharan Africa, Hyatt International

• Trevor Ward, Managing Director W Hospitality Group

Exclusive Opportunities Available:

• Meet pre- qualified industrial leaders

• Create new partnerships and Alliances

HOSPITALITY SERIES SPEAKERS

TURKEY & MIDDLE EAST

• Ozan Balaban, Regional CEO Emaar Properties

• Romain Avril, Vice President Business Development, The Rezidor Hotel Group

• Frida Hansen, Director Business Development, Steigenberger Hotels AG

• Murat Yılmaz, Senior Director, Acquisition & Development, CEE, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

• Roland Paar, Vice President Development Europe & Middle East, Capella Hotel Group

• Increase your brand recognition within the marketplace

RUSSIA & CIS

• Sergey Shpilko, First Deputy Of The Head Of Moscow Department Of National Policy & Tourism, Moscow City Government

• Michael Johnston, Chief Executive Officer Regional Hotel Chain (RHC)

• Alexis Delaroff, COO, Hotel Services Russia, Georgia, Ukraine and the CIS, Accor

• Arild Hovland, Senior VP, Business Dev. Russia & CIS, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group

• Bastien Blanc, VP Business Dev. – Russia & CIS, Interstate Europe Hotels & Resorts

• Discover the current investment climate and opportunities

• Develop relationships through new networking opportunities

SERIES TESTIMONIALS OF 3RD ANNUAL AFRICA HOTEL EXPANSION SUMMIT, LAGOS, NIGERIA

• On behalf of all of us at ORWOOD, I would like to express our sincere gratitude and appreciation for all the efforts you and all your colleagues have put into accomplishing such a successful event. In the hopes of doing more work with you in the future, we wish you all the success in all your upcoming events. – ORWOOD

• A BIG THANK YOU goes to all the great people that contributed in making this event a success. We appreciate every effort gone in making Avaya’s name shine during this event and for giving us the speedy support to make it happen. This is a great team work in action and we appreciate each one of you dearly. - Avaya

SERIES TESTIMONIALS OF 4th ANNUAL TURKEY HOTEL EXPANSION SUMMIT, ISTANBUL, TURKEY

• “I would like to thank you for successful organization and event. See you next year.” Accor

• “The event’s scale and intimacy allows us to better network and create stronger relationships with industry professionals. The program offered new topics that are not always addressed by other large events, and it brought different insights into hospitality. I wish you all the best for next year’s event.” Shaza Hotels

SERIES TESTIMONIALS OF 3rd ANNUAL RUSSIA

HOTEL EXPANSION SUMMIT, MOSCOW, RUSSIA

• ”Thank you for the interesting event! We were glad to be there” Regional Hotel Chain - RHG • “I would like to say thank you very, very much for inviting us for 3rd Annual Russia Hotel Expansion Summit. It was very useful and I enjoy Summit very much. Great job!!!”, Wyndham Hotel Group

For more details you can contact Bora Erel, Project Director

Tel:+32 14 22 40 07, Fax: +32 14 85 90 04, Email: borae@lnoppen.be

4th Annual Africa Hotel Expansion Summit

8th - 9th September 2016 | Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania

Noppen Group is a leading international company facilitating business across Asia, Europe, Africa and Latin America. Driven by the desire for excellence and supported by an unparalleled understanding of the Asian, European, African and Latin American markets, Noppen Group has delivered exceptional events, assisted new market entries and established government relations since 1998. Our top-level business connec tions paired with our close relations to the many levels of government have given Lnoppen an edge on the marketplace our competitors just cannot match. With offices in China, Belgium, India, Philippines and Colombia; Noppen Group offers reputable, reliable services and a large range of deliverables to help your company successfully meet its goals. To learn more about our activities and events.

The hospitality sector in Africa has been enjoying steady growth rates for several years, investments have poured in and are still attracted. 50.000 rooms are in the pipeline of 33 different chains*. But the Africa hotel sector is looking for the best way forward. How to turn the invest ments into returns, how to assure sustainability? And how to perform better RevPAR growth rates?

Initiatives are needed to improve cross-industry cooperation that will enhance the tourism and MICE travel markets, local input needs to be focused on to guarantee long-term hospitality market growth. Guest experience plays a vital role in the sector, how to better connect with your guest experience and how to anticipate and respond to it?

At the 4th Annual Africa Hotel Expansion Summit Noppen brings in the key players to discuss the pressing topics aiming at how the sector can work on sustained ROIs.

Some of the confirmed speakers are:

Mr. Meelis Kuuskler, Founder & CEO, Hospitality Design Partnership

Mr. Trevor Ward, Managing Director, W Hospitality, Nigeria

Robert Hornman Managing Director Hornman Hospitality

Exclusive Opportunities Available:

• Meet pre- qualified industrial leaders

• Create new partnerships and Alliances

• Increase your brand recognition within the marketplace

Hotel Series Testimonials

Mr. Lasse Ristolainen, Development Director, Sub-Saharan Africa, Hilton Worldwide

Mr. Andrew Linwood, Head of Design, Areen Hospitality

Paulo Rosso Vice President Plan Hotels

Stuart Cook Managing Director Protea Hotels

• Discover the current investment climate and opportunities

• Develop relationships through new networking opportunities

• Very timely, educative, informative and thought provoking. A wake up call to current trends and events. - Benue State Ministry of Arts, Culture And Tourism

• On behalf of all of us at ORWOOD, I would like to express our sincere gratitude and appreciation for all the efforts you and all your colleagues have put into accomplishing such a successful event. In the hopes of doing more work with you in the future, we wish you all the success in all your upcoming events. - ORWOOD

• I am really blessed with this program, I learnt how to proper plan before execute the project. - Churchgate Group

• A BIG THANK YOU goes to all the great people that contributed in making this event a success. We appreciate every effort gone in making Avaya’s name shine during this event and for giving us the speedy support to make it happen. This is a great team work in action and we ap preciate each one of you dearly. - Avaya

• The summit was very resourceful and an eye opener about the direction the industry is taking in Africa. - Alisa Hotel

• I enjoyed the general eagerness to network. The conference topics covered important area within the industry. - The Nordic Villa Abuja

• I am glad I attended this summit, thanks to Lnoppen. Highly educative. - Heights Hotels

• The conference was satisfactory It was worth the investment. – Porcelanosa Group

• It was an eye opener and fantastic summit. I learnt a lot and I exchanged ideas with amazing people. Job well done! – NIHOTOUR , National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism

• I have learnt a lot about the challenges of the expansion of hospitality and tourism sectors, a way to move forward.

– Welcome Center Hotel

For more details you can contact

Thomas Verbruggen, Conference Director

Tel:+ 32 14 22 00 1400 | Email: thomasv@lnoppen.be

Media Partners

AMAN ANNOUNCES ITS FOURTH DESTINATION IN CHINA

A GLIMPSE OF THE FUTURE ENTWINED WITH THE PAST

Set to launch in 2017, Aman's fourth property in China, its most ambitious to date, will comprise a village of historic dwellings surrounded by a sacred camphor forest. Its peaceful introspec tive setting belies its proximity to vibrant downtown Shanghai and both forest and village tell an incredible story that involves a millennia of history, daring engineering feats and a philanthropic endeavour spanning hundreds of kilometers along the country’s eastern reaches.

The story begins in Jiangxi, the mountainous, cultural heartland of eastern China, approximately 800 kilometres southwest of Shanghai. The construction of a reservoir in the province in the early 2000s threatened the area’s historical villages and ancient camphor trees which had stood for more than a millennium.

In responseand in a bid to preserve the region’s vanishing past, this project spanning over a decade, entailed the disassembling, relocation and restoration of more than 30 villages, comprising 50 Ming and Qing dynasty houses chosen for preservation, and 10,000 ancient camphor trees. A rescue team of botanists, engineers, architects and master craftsmen, the latter of which documented fine architectural details for their later reconstruc tion, together confronted this epochal challenge.

The houses were painstakingly disassembled piece by piece, not only revealing their history, but also the ancient building techniques used in their construction. Ornate carvings and elaborate stone reliefs, which would have taken up to ten years to carve, depicted family histories dating back more than 2,000 years.

These, and other architectural elements, joined the rescued camphor trees on a long journey, via a fleet of flat-bed trucks, to Shanghai where they would later be resurrected.

The task was not without danger. Some of these majestic trees weighed up to 50 tonnes and were 100 feet in height, and the area destined for the reservoir was mountainous. Flash floods overturned trucks and shattered the temporary bridges con structed to access remote villages. But the team persevered in a race against time to Shanghai, in order for each tree to have the best of chance of survival.

Once in situ, trees were planted in native soil, facing the same direction as they had previously. After three years of careful nursing, almost 80 percent of the trees survived. An old factory was used to safely store and catalogue the disassembled hous es before they were restored by craftsmen, the few remaining in China with knowledge and skills to reassemble the ancient pieces. Contemporary structures were built alongside the reas sembled ancient houses, creating a peaceful sanctuary that is now a living reminder of Jiangxi’s past and an Aman with time less appeal.

Within easy reach of Shanghai and set on just over 100 acres filled with the rescued millenarian trees and ornamental lakes, the resort comprises an Aman Spa with two pools; six dining venues; and Nan Shu Fang, a serene garden centred by one of the Antique Villas, curated as a space for contemplation, learn ing and discussion. The resort’s New Suites and Villas comple ment the 24 restored Antique Villas, complete with contempo rary interiors and private pools.

The architecture, led by Kerry Hill, embodies the essence of Chinese traditional culture, carefully blending the old with the new. This sensitive restoration has not only secured the future of these historic houses, but has enabled the forest to flourish in its new home.

Vladislav Doronin, Chairman of Aman, said ‘Every Aman has a story to tell and this one is no exception. This project and the many challenges it presented were unimaginable, but we over came them not only to defy the test of time, but to push the boundaries of traditional hospitality. This resort, a legacy to the past, stands proud as an archive for future generations. I am especially grateful to MaDadong, the mastermind behind this unique restoration project and whose foresight and determina tion has made it possible to preserve the magnificent history of China for generations to come.’

Ma Dadong, the lionhearted entrepreneur behind this ambitious rescue and restoration project, and a native of Jiangxi, said, ‘We human beings with our short lifespan are nothing but a fleet ing traveller at a moment in time. Asa guardian of the past, I realised the only way to protect and celebrate our history was by instilling a new life and purpose into these ancient homes, and to allow the sacred trees that surround them, to be ani mated with renewed spirit. Much like the ornate stone carvings and the stories they hold, this ambitious project will continue to recount and nourish the next generation with hopes and expec tations for the future’.

Aman’s first property in Shanghai, its fourth in China, will pres ent guests with a continued insightful journey through the country. It follows Aman Summer Palace in Beijing, a selection of heritage imbued dwellings a few steps from the Summer Palace grounds, Amanfayun in Hangzhou, a restored Tang dynasty village set amongst former tea plantations and bamboo groves and located adjacent to seven Buddhist temples, and Amandayan which embraces Nakhi culture and which lies on a hillside above the UNESCO - protected Old Town of Lijiang.

Opening in 2017, this tranquil resort, and all that it stands for, many years from now will keep on recounting this incredible story.

aman.com/shanghai

Hotel Management Thailand Summit 2016

HOT | Opening

SOFT OPENING of ROYAL TULIP VISESA UBUD

The soft opening of Royal Tulip Visesa Ubud on 1st July 2016 is set to bring an exciting new hospitality concept to the island of Bali. Managed by Louvre Group, the property covers 6.5 hectares of prime rural land scape. It has been designed to recreate the harmony of a traditional Balinese village in a conscious effort to respect the surrounding environ ment.

Accommodation at Royal Tulip Visesa Ubud is a collection of 66 Pool Villas and 40 Suites scattered across the resort and connected by a series of winding pathways. All suites are located in a separate threestorey wing with refreshing jungle or rice field views. Elegantly-appointed one and two bedroom villas are also available promising privacy and well-deserved relaxation,

A number of supporting facilities are set to open over the com ing months to further anticipate the needs of in-house guests. Padi Restaurant will offer Indonesian fine dining experiences in an uplifting setting over looking the valley. It will feature a menu driven entirely by fresh ingredients that have been grown with integrity onsite at Royal Tulip Visesa Ubud.

The resort’s spa facility will be founded on Bali’s traditional healing legacy that has been passed down through many generations. A nurturing menu of holistic spa services will use natural products to promote body, mind and spirit rejuvenation. The spa will also be complemented by a range of wellness practices including yoga, meditation and a local style of tai chi.

The launch of Royal Tulip Visesa Ubud involves a pioneering hospitality concept known as Desa Visesa, which means Visesa Village. This is an ini tiative created to offer guests a comprehensive array of cultural, wellness and farming experiences that are based on Bali’s traditional heritage and ceremonial way of life.

At the resort, Desa Visesa will provide uplifting activities to take curious guests on a journey that explores the island’s culture, nature and spiri tual nuance through respectful interactions with the local community. Engaging pastimes such as making offerings, dance lessons and water blessing ceremonies will enable guests to experience Bali’s traditions on a more personal level. There’s also a choice of insightful activities like rice field treks and cycling excursions as well as guided tours to local sites of interest.

Essentially, Royal Tulip Visesa Ubud aims to become an iconic place to stay as well as a centre of Balinese learning and healing. It will teach guests and members of the local community to live as one with nature and preserve cultural traditions that are under threat from the modern world. A unique Royal Tulip Visesa Ubud membership card will enable visitors to become a part of this movement and participate in activities that they would not typically get to experience at other hotels on the island of Bali.

HOT

events

Investigating Overseas and Navigating Risks in ASEAN Markets Highlighted at Recent Hotel Investment Conference

Bangkok, Thailand, Hotel investors and developers, experts and specialists within Asia Pacific gathered at the 8th annual Asia Pacific Hotel Investment Conference 2016. Held at the DusitThani Bangkok for the fourth year in a row, the conference welcomed more than 200 delegates to discuss various top ics that affect the hotel industry in Asia Pacific including global investment opportunities, strategies, and partnerships.

Aileen Clemente, President, ASEAN Tourism Association opened the conference where she describes today's tourism as a fire: it can cook the meal or burn the house in her welcome address. With compressing yield in Asia, private investors and family offic es are searching overseas for opportunities.

Assets in China’s domestic market are expensive,said Stephen Chi Hsu Chen, partner and managing director of Infinity Global Real Estate Advisors in a global opportunity panel. France had a yield of 5-6% and we thought that was quite good. The US and Europe markets are more stabilized and are prime for money preservation for the next three to five years. They then come back to China after the market has consolidated and cooled down.

Meanwhile, JuayHiang Tan, CEO of Ascendas Hospitality Trust mentioned that yield is not the only concern. It can be difficult when borrowing onshore emerging markets like Indonesia and India. For one, in India, the yield is 9% and that the borrowing cost is around 11-13%, which leads to negative carry.

But for Sanjay Singh, managing director of Fico Corporation, he prefers not having any leverage. As a long term holder, we want to be in assets that we think will be good in the long run, he said. Hunting for foreign opportunistic deals does not exempt anyone from risks. And within the past few years, political risk, inflation risk, currency risk and other hazards and disruptions have affected tourism everywhere. Hotel investors today are finding new ways to mitigate the impacts of various risks.

According to Greg Lapham, managing director, CIO, real estate APAC of BlackRock, China is stable because of the Five-Year plan. People to know where to go and they deliver. Chan Chee Kian, CIO of Ireka Development Management went further in address ing other risks. Getting the right location and de-risking from the start are essential. The biggest risk is to be stuck in the wrong cycle because construction cycle could take up to five years.

In addition, lending situation is slowing down, according to Faez Jumabhoy, managing director and head of real estate of CIMB Investment Bank. Bankers are now “linking capital to developers to increase liquidity.

Other topics covered in the conference included “ Innovations and Developments in Hospitality Education to Sustain Regional Hotel Industry;

Do Large Hotel Groups Really Offer Premium Brand Value to Hotel Owners and Investors,and Deriving Matching Brand Positioning, Design and Amenities that Attract the Core Targeted Customers.

To have a world-class conference like this one in Bangkok is a real benefit for the industry. Having this conference and this stature is good for the market and for our companies as well,said Simon Landy, executive chairman of Colliers International Thailand.

APHIC will return to Bangkok in May 2017. For more information, visit http://ihif.questexevents.net

About Questex Hospitality + Travel

The Questex Hospitality + Travel Group of Questex LLC serves the worldwide hospitality, travel and related industries that together contribute over $6 trillion to the global gross domestic product.

Through an innovative platform of targeted solutions, the group serves the sector’s entire ecosystem, from tourism and hotel development and investment to hotel design, purchasing, man agement and operations.

The Questex Hospitality + Travel Group supports every B2B segment of the industry, from investment and development to management operations, sales and marketing of hospitality and travel products to destination development and marketing, via proven demand generation, learning, loyalty and rewards solu tions as well as a network of live events. This division of Questex is aligned around three broad market segments – hospitality, travel and meetings – and supported by its digital media staff.

Test driving revenue management solutions: What can you expect& how it will benefit your hotel

By Rachel Grier, Asia-Pacific managing director, IDeaS Revenue Solutions

The sleek silhouette of a vehicle effortlessly manoeuvres through a winding mountain pass. It accelerates into the distance - leav ing a spray of mist from the dewy road. In the background, there’san advertising voiceover talking through the car’s key fea tures and encouraging you to test drive it today. It’s tempting, but will the car live up to its hype? Will it counter the myths you’ve already heard from others?

Many Indonesian hoteliers wonder the same thing about investing in some of the technology systems they know about. Will a PMS operate as effectively as an industry article said it would? Do you really need to be in the cloud? Will revenue management actually pay for itself and how can the sys tem actually help generate profits?

To better understand a key operational technologysuch as revenue manage ment, it is the perfect opportunity for Indonesianhoteliers to takea virtual test drive and put some of the myths to the test:

Myth:We don’t have any issues manually setting our rates, so we don’t need a revenue management system. Many hoteliers operate with a heavy reliance on online travel agents (OTAs) and tacti cal “flash” sales.

With constantly changing booking patterns, it’s nearlyimpossible to manually identify trends from hotel’s booking history. This makes it difficult for hotels to recognise changes in demand and react in time to make higher profits. In such a high-speed environment, manually collecting, evaluat ing and calculating data via Excel spread sheets is not only a tedious process,

but it’s also time consuming and highly sus ceptible to errors. It’s simply not possible to compile all of the data points required to provide meaningful forecasts and pricing decisions across a manageable time frame. By the time the data is aggregated and analysed,any identified opportunity will have likely passed. This is where revenue management software and automation can make a huge difference. Through algo rithms, calculations and machine learning, revenue management systems automati cally assess hotel performance on a daily, weekly, monthly and annual basis. Revenue managers can use highly visual dashboards and reports to quickly compare rooms sold and revenue against data at the market segment and total hotel level for the next year.

The system provides regular, updated reports; some systems extracting data up to four times a day. This gives revenue managers and hoteliers a clear vision of their data, bringing more accuracy and consistency—versus gut instinct—to the forecasting and reporting process. The increased business intelligence and accu rate granular forecasting makes it easier for revenue managers to determine cor rect pricing, optimise demand and increase revenue across their property or portfolio.

Myth: I need a dedicated onsite revenue manager to use a revenue management system.

The rise of the mobile consumer isn't the only trend impacting a hotel’s opera tions today. Hotel staffare also becoming more mobile. Revenue managers can be responsible for multiple properties across multiple time zones - including those who regularly travel for work and are away from their office environment for extended peri ods. There is a critical need to access their pricing systems at any time of the day and from any environment.

Where past hoteliers and revenue manag ers needed to make pricing decisions at their desks in the beginning of the day, it is now possible to make decisions on the go through mobile applications. Revenue management apps help enhance pro ductivity for hotel personnel by providing critical demand forecasts and rate analysis including historical behaviours, seasonal patterns and recent trends that can all be acted upon.

Based in the cloud, with online syncing to any mobile device, mobile revenue man agement apps ensure that hotel personnel responsible for pricing decisions are never offline. Mobile access to key metrics and rates also presents an opportunity to capi talise on time-sensitive opportunities, as well as involve a wider management team in accessing KPIs. Revenue management mobile apps mean that revenue managers are empowered to make informed pricing decisions anytime, anywhere.

Myth: A revenue management system is too expensive and only used by large global hotel chains.

It’s important for any hotelier to operate prudently and not spend beyond their means. As revenue management solutions have been widely adopted by larger hotel chains and properties for success, this can sometimes lead smaller or independent operators to maintain a misconception around the real cost of the technology and the ROI they can expect. Many leading revenue management providers work with budget and midscale hotels in both city and resort locations all over the world.

Additionally, there are also entry level tech nology platforms for hotels looking to start their revenue management journey, such as pricing system technology that focuses setting and distributing the right rates to the right guest at the right time.

Myth: My hotel is still under construction; I can’t consider revenue management until I have been operating for at least one year.

Many new hotels struggle to reach their opti mal revenue potential due to poor pre-opening preparation and a lack of clarity around in-depth pricing strategies to address varying and often fluctuating market demand and conditions. It is no longer enough to build a great property, ensure the rooms are nicely decorated and have staff in place to service potential guests.

An integral component to the pre-opening pro cess should be considering the optimisation of room type configuration, as well as the imple mentation and integration of revenue manage ment technologies with the hotel’s IT infrastruc ture and platforms from the very start.

There are many areas of revenue management that must be considered throughout the preopening phase of a hotel - ranging from estab lishing market segment revenue and sales strat egies, undertaking comprehensive competitor evaluation, pricing research, pricing processing and forward planning of market demand cycles. It is also important that properties follow a structured, standardised approach to pre-open ing to ensure consistent and effective results from day one.

To ensure that hotel revenues are maximised, hotels under development should conduct a strategic hotel analysis that includes a study of the micro market and overall economic factors that could affect the hotel’s performance. They should alsofinalise a competitor analysis, includ ing competitor value and benefits positioning. Hotelpricing structures should be based on market conditions, hotel positioning and should include established channel strategies according to product positioning and market environment in order to cement “product positioning” (i.e. hotel descriptions, room type descriptions, etc.) through all channels.

Over the years, a vast amount has been dis cussed in the hotel industry regarding revenue management. To help increase awareness and foster better understanding of the benefitsa revenue management system can bring to your property, there is only one way to determineif this leading technology is the right fit for your hotel. So go ahead, take it out for a test drive and see for yourself.

HOT

luxury BRAND

Jakarta, Indonesia – While today’s travellers are more likely to arrive in Jakarta by commercial aircraft or private jet, the city has long welcomed the world as one of history’s most storied marine ports. Now, the start of a new era in Indonesian hospital ity begins with the much-anticipated opening of the all-new Four Seasons Hotel Jakarta. Ideally situated on Jalan Gatot Subroto within the city’s Central Business District, the all-new Capital Place, an award-winning architectural landmark by César Pelli,is home to leading businesses, and now, the stunning new Four Seasons Hotel Jakarta. With its excellent dining options, sumptuously appointed spa and handsome event spaces, it promises to be the preferred address of the city’s elite, as well as business and lei sure travellers from around the world.

• Exclusive, all-suites hotel in prestigious Capital Place, with easy access to Jakarta’s business and commercial areas

• An array of all-new food and beverage concepts

• Luxurious spa complex with resort-style outdoor pool

• State-of-the-art meeting and event spaces

• Signature Four Seasons service with warm Indonesian hospi tality

“Jakarta is a very big, very busy city that simply never stops – and Four Seasons feeds on that energy, optimism and uniquely Indonesian friendliness and flair,” says General Manager Christian Poda, who leads a team of 250 carefully selected local and international staff. “We’ve created this beautiful new hotel with every possible luxury, and now we are thrilled to finally welcome our first guests and really bring it to life.”

Be among the first to experience the new Four Seasons Hotel Jakarta:The Hotelis extending its Introductory Offer featuring a daily credit of IDR 1 million through July 31, and IDR 500,000 from August 1 to September 30, 2016. Guests may also choose the popular Bed and Breakfast package, which includes daily break fast for two in the Palm Court, or the privacy of one’s suite.

The Look of Four Seasons Hotel Jakarta

Internationally-renowned interior designer Alexandra Champalimaud was inspired by Jakarta’s longestablished position on the global stage, and by its commercial trading history and the influence of many cultures on its character, in particular Indonesia’s Dutch colonial period. From the moment one enters the soaring lobby with its grand staircase lit by a magnificent crystal chandelier, a classical European aes thetic is reflected in the colour palettes, materials and finishes, fine furnishings and sophisticated lighting. With its complete commitment to showcasing the art of Indonesia, Four Seasons presents throughout its public and private spaces a carefully-curated collection of works by contemporary and historic artists. The city itself is the theme connecting the diverse collection, creatively depicting and interpreting its land marks, history and culture. Although strategically placed amid the city’s financial and business hubs, Four Seasons Hotel Jakarta has an element of urban resort style as brought to life by the landscape design of Bill Bensley. Known for his expertise in creating lush outdoor spaces with exotic flora, water features and resort-like terraces and open-air rooms, Bensley’s signature style is particularly well known to travellers who have visited Four Seasons resorts in Thailand.

One’s OwnPied-à-Terre in Jakarta

Intimately scaled with just 125 accommodations, the all-suites Four Seasons Hotel Jakarta feels as much a luxurious residence as a modern hotel. With sliding pocket doors separating sleeping areas from living areas, guests are free to settle in and make each suite their own – whether setting up a workspace and hosting impromptu meetings with colleagues, booking an adjacent suite so the whole family can enjoy a weekend in the city, or closing the doors on a long day of sightseeing, shopping or working and simply falling into quiet slumber. Champalimaud’srefineddesign details and rich furnishings are punctuated with discreet, at-one’s–fingertips technologies and thoughtful considerations for which Four Seasons is known, including well-placed task lighting, a personal refreshment bar and a spa-like bathroom. Coming soon:The lavishly appointed 19th floor Presidential Suite featuring views from every room, plus the glamorous Ambassador Suitewill complete the city’s finest accommodations selection later this year.

HOT | luxury BRAND

Meet Me at Four Seasons: Dining and Drinking Options

Four Seasons introduces a selection of all-new food and beverage concepts in Jakarta to welcome in-house guests and local clientele. Located just off the grand lobby, Palm Court is a glorious space. A glittering chande lier, custom made by world-renowned Lasvit, is suspended from a rotunda ceiling 13 metres (43 feet) above, illuminating a grand yet inviting space for breakfast, lunch, cocktails and dinner, with tall windows opening to a garden terrace. While the menus are international in flavour, tradition reigns supreme in the daily Palm Court High Tea, with exquisite sweets by Executive Pastry Chef Lorenzo Sollecito,and savouries accompanied by a choice of TWG Teas. The inspiration for Nautilus Bar comes from the sea, and the cargo-laden ships that have traded the world’s treasures for Indonesia’s riches since the 7th century. Choosing from a signature cocktail selection rooted in the country’s most famous exports – nutmeg, galangal, clove and lemongrass – guests may contemplate their place in Jakarta’s living history as they study the panoramic mural of the old port of SundaKelapa behind the bar.

Temptation is around the corner at La Patisserie, where Chef Lorenzo’s expertise is on full display in cases of confections from gâteaux and macarons to éclairs, financiers and madeleines. In an elegant, robin’s egg blue salon that would have made Marie Antoinette herself feel at home, La Patisserie offers the finest hand made sweets to take away in beautiful gift boxes and signature bags, or for those who simply can’t wait, to be devoured at one of its café tables. No time to savour? Dolcetto is a grab-and-go venue for barista-prepared cof fees and beverages, as well as light fare including gourmet sandwiches and salads. Dolcetto also offers catering options for local businesses or informal meetings held at Capital Place.

Coming soon: This fall, Executive Chef Marco Riva will introduce a new authentic Italian dining concept in a daz zling space atop the Hotel. At Alto Restaurant and Bar, large windows frame sparkling skyline views, while plush interiors invite leisurely enjoyment of fabulous cuisine with friends and colleagues. An outdoor terrace literally puts the city at one’s feet.

Relax and Rejuvenate: The Spa at Four Seasons

Like the Hotel itself, the Spa at Four Seasons Hotel Jakarta takes its inspiration from Southeast Asian cultures woven with global influences and updated with the most advanced therapies. In this opulent sanctuary, discerning guests can choose from traditional Balinese massage, Ayurvedic journeys and high performance European skincare from phyto-aromatic French brand Yon-Ka.

Spa Director Arie Sunia recommends signature treatments such as the Royal Body Boreh (a boreh is a tradition al Balinese body mask of fresh herbs and warming spices), and the Luxury of Lulur, based on ancient Javanese beauty rituals. A special Soak & Sip menu pairs a choice of soothing baths with jamu – a traditional Indonesian herbal elixir made with locally-sourced spices. For today’s time-strapped traveller and local businesspeople, the innovative Express menu offers a 30 minute treatment followed by either a light poolside lunch, or a chill-down cocktail at the end of the workday.

Extensive facilities include eight treatment rooms with two couple’s suites and a hammam, a relaxation lounge, men’s and women’s locker facilities, a spa shop and 24/7 fitness centre.A secluded outdoor pool on the fifth floor rooftop is surrounded by tropical landscaping.

Getting Together, for Business or Pleasure

With more than 1,800 square metres (close to 20,000 square feet) of flexible function space, Four Seasons Hotel Jakarta is set to become the city’s preferred address for business meetings, conferences, social galas and weddings. In partnership with Four Seasons’ expert event team led by Director of Catering and Conference Services IkaPranato, meeting planners and hosts can relax and enjoy themselves, assured that every detail is anticipated and executed to perfection. The Grand Ballroom with its own pre-function area and adjacent Garden Terrace is easily split in two for multi-space events or smaller invitation lists. Up to 700 square metres (7,500 square feet) accommodate 350 people for a sit down meal and as many as 1,250 for a traditional Indonesian wedding celebration.Additional function spaces include two salons on the second level, accessed via the lobby’s grand staircase, that are ideal for product launches. Three additional meetings rooms are on the third floor, and the Pool Terrace offers a sunbathed garden landscape by day, or an exotic setting by night.

Coming soon: A women’s beauty salon as well as a dedicated nail bar and a gentlemen’s barbershop.

luxury BRAND

Four Seasons in Indonesia

The opening of Four Seasons Hotel Jakarta begins the latest chapter in the company’s story in Indonesia. Starting with its first Balinese resort on the shores of Jimbaran Bay in 1993, Four Seasons opened the original Jakarta location two years later. A second resort in Bali in the Ayung River valley followed in 1998 and soon the pair became a mainstay on the lists of the world’s best resorts. Today, Four Seasons Hotel Jakarta continues the tradition of hospitality first established in the city more than 20 years ago, welcoming back both international travellers and local clientele with an all-new hotel in a new location on JalanGatotSubroto.

About Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts

Founded in 1960, Four Seasons continues to define the future of luxury hospitality with extraordinary imagination, unwavering com mitment to the highest standards of quality, and the most genuine and customised service. Currently operating 98 hotels, resorts and residences in major city centres and resort destinations in 41 countries, and with more than 50 projects in development, Four Seasons consistently ranks among the world’s best hotels and most prestigious brands in reader polls, traveller reviews and industry awards. For more information and reservations, visit fourseasons.com.

HOT | report

SOUTHEAST ASIA’S EXPANDING RESORT AIRPORTS REDEFINING TOURISM

yachting and a far broader economic footprint. Land prices naturally escalate at a higher tra jectory along with completed properties and this pushes highest and best use development towards more internationally branded hotels and real estate projects.”

happened

MANILA, PHILIPPINES: One of the best adages about successful tourism growth is the basic requirement for sustainable airlift or in a nut shell best summed up as “you can’t stay there, if you can’t get there. Southeast Asia is currently seeing a game changing development path of new or re-expanded resort airport’s, which looks to contribute sizeable volume for domes tic and international tourism numbers.

One leading example is Boracay in the Philippines which has managed to evolve despite limitations at the nearby Caticlan air port, while relying on the distant larger Kalibo International Airport as amainstream point of access. This is about to change with the a mas sive upgrade of Catliclan’s Godofredo P. Ramos Airport which will see a runway extension to 1800 meters and the ability to accommodate Airbus and Boeing single-aisle passenger jets. In the past service has been restricted to turboprop planes only.

While the new extended runway will be bought into service a broader expansion plan will see a larger passenger terminal added within the next two years. One key feature of the enhanced run away is the ability to land planes at night which will be a strong boost to airlift. Driving the project is an affiliate of San Miguel Corporation who are planning a larger tourism footprint in Caticlan which looks to boost the vision of a Greater Boracay link between the two very much how Phuket and Phang Nga trade off each other in Thailand.

Commenting on the trend leading Asian based hospitality and property consulting firm C9 Hotelworks Bill Barnett says “raising airlift capac ity can broadly stimulate not only tourism and hotels but had a halo effect for real estate,

Looking around Southeast Asia at locations that look to connect the dots between resort airlift and tourism making recent news in Vietnam is the Sun Group, who are reportedly participat ing in the development of a new airport at Ha Long Bay on a BOT (build operate-transfer) basis with a 2017 opening expected. While in Indonesia, Labuan Bajo in Flores is becoming a tourism hub as the gateway to the Komodo National Park, and has seeing an influx of new resort, marina and property projects on the move including the new Sudamala Resort and Le Pirate Beach Club.

Getting back to the Philippines who are experi encing a second breath in their tourism devel opment one of the country’s largest conglomer ate Ayala Land are focusing on airlift into their El Nido integrated destination resort in Palawan. A recent announcement has been made on that a subsidiary AirSWIFT had acquired another 42-600 ATR airliner to increase capacity to the destination. Late last year expansion of gate way airports added Cebu service to El Nido to complement the existing Manila flights.

Another developing storyline resort and proper ty developers are closely watching is in Palawan as well, at San Vicente. As Puerto Princesa’s legacy airport undergoing a large-scale conver sion to an international gateway, in San Vicente a new airport has been developed in coopera tion with the Philippine government’s TIEZA (Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority). Discussions are currently underway with various operators to determine a private sector approach to service commercial opera tions and as such remains a work in progress. There is little doubt what an impact airlift can have on local tourism based economies.

a few years ago. Broad resort area land prices over a four year period grew in the range from US$2-5 a square meter and now have risen in resort areas to US$60-80. One notable project is Selong Selo in the south, which has been successfully into tapping international property buyers from Singapore and Hong Kong.

came into

Comparing the rise to the popular nearby icon Bali, Lombok has been strong yet quiet success store with a higher appreciation of land prices over the same period. Going back to the subject of Boracay C9’s Bill Barnett adds “the Caticlan expansion is poised to take development to the next level, not only with new products, but also it will put pressure on land values that will have existing resort owners under pressure to upgrade, re-develop or to create a transaction market that has seen limited trading in the past. The new Greater Boracay catchment is one worth keeping track of given it’s predominance as the Philippines best known resort area.

We are seeing a new wave of leisure propertydriven projects in the country such as the Sheraton in Cebu, Anya Resort and Residences Tagaytay and Bicol’s ultra- luxury Ugen Island starting to attract broader global attention and this bodes well for destinations that have airlift fundamentals.”

Photo caption – “International hotel group Movenpick are betting on new airlift as they prepare to open the new Movenpick Boracay by mid-year 2016”

Bill Barnett

Managing Director C9 Hotelworks

Email: bill@c9hotelworks.com Tel: +66 (0)8 1956 1802 www.c9hotelworks.com

Airport expansion in resort destinations such as Boracay, Lombok, Phu Quoc and Labuan Bajo is the key catalyst of growth for hotel and prop erty developers who are now driving into the tourism mainstream

Looking at what

in Indonesia’s Bandar Udara Internasional Lombok with the relocation and expansion of the international airport that

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EAST FOOD INDONESIA 2016 THE FOCUSED PLATFORM FOR

INDONESIA

11 - 14 AUGUST 2016

FEATURING :

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Food & Beverage

Bakery & Confectionery

Food & Hospitality

Food Ingredients

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Herbal & Health Food

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THE REALITY OF VIRTUAL REALITY FOR INDONESIA’S HOTELS

BY : DAVID TOPOLEWSKI IS CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF QOOCO

WHAT EXACTLY IS VIRTUAL REALITY?

The literal meaning of Virtual reality (VR) is to ‘recreate sensory experiences, which include virtual taste, sight, smell, sound, and touch’. So essentially recreating reality. Growing up, VR always seemed a technology of the future, always around the corner but not a technol ogy that would ever come to fruition – at least on a mass scale – in my lifetime. Today though, VR is becoming more sophisticated and, more importantly, more accessible.

Users are now able to view highly realistic VR worlds via their smartphone, and the help of a customised headset such as the Google cardboard viewer. As smartphones develop more, their capabilities will become even more developed.

This will affect numerous industries. Take sport, for example, the NBA has 300 million fans in China, of which the vast majority will likely never get to watch a live NBA game in the US. If they could somehow create a VR programme that allowed sports fans in China to don the required headset (this could be at home or on the train) and watch the match in real time as if they were sitting in the sta dium. The hotel industry is no different, there are so many ways in which VR will helps guests choose where they travel and stay, and how hotels train their staff.

HOW DEVELOPED IS THIS TECHNOLOGY?

The first VR experience I can remember is the ViewMaster, literally a small box with eyeholes which you peered in to view different images and scenes. As VR progressed, hype started to build and this inevitably lead to disappointment. There were instances of VR programmes making people feel nauseous, they seemed unrealistic or simply too expen sive and unwieldy. Then in 2014, Facebook brought a little-known company called Oculus for about US$2billion. This signalled to the investment community that VR was a technology worth investing in, it had poten tially technology-wise and most importantly, there was money to be made.

Nowadays, there are roughly three iterations of VR. There is Augmented Reality (AR), in which information is screened onto a surface (such as a pair of glasses), allowing the user to see something that is invisible. There is Mixed Reality (MR) in which a holographic image is viewable through a special set of glasses. Finally, there is Virtual Reality (VR), in which users are transported to somewhere they are not via the use of a headset, or a smartphone that has been placed in a special headset (such as a Google cardboard viewer).

HOW DOES VR APPLY TO THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY?

There are so many applications of VR to the hospitality industry. Already some real estate companies are using VR to allow potential buyers to view their next home and even redecorate or reposition furniture and other items – from afar.In the future, guests will be able to enter into their hotel room and pos sibly even reposition the room to how they would like it to be, perhaps with the bed in the other corner, an extra lamp, more water in the mini-bar.

McDonald’s in the UK is allowing custom ers to don VR headsets and visit one of their farms from which they source their protein and beef. Future F&B promotions at hotels and restaurants could come with VR head sets which allows the customer to view the source of their fish or vegetables that they are eating, providing a first-person viewpoint and ensuring the quality of the produce they are eating.

It is in the area of employee training that really excites me. Lockheed Martin has devel oped VR training facilities for soldiers that have actually been in use for some time now. Soldiers are trained to deal with different battlefield scenarios at much less cost and just as effectively. VR is able to replicate the stress and tension of various scenarios, and train the user’s decision-making skills. The same can be applied to employee train ing in the hotel industry. As every Front

Office Manager will tell you, a hotel will pres ent employees with hundreds of different scenarios a week, of which no two are the same. These could be angry guests demand ing an earlier check-in time, a strange din ner request, a burst pipe in the VIP suite, an inability to speak the guests’ language and many more. The ability for employees to deal with these scenarios can be the difference between a satisfied guest and one that will never return.

Not only can VR replicate such scenarios, but multiple users can use the programme together, creating multiplayer scenarios in which the employees need to work as a team to overcome the challenge. Additionally, VR is available via mobile as we can see with Oculus’s Gear VR, which is compatible with the Samsung GALAXY smartphones. This means that VR training is cheaper and more effective than any classroom-based training could ever be.

Mobile learning is already proven to be high ly effective in training hotel staff in every thing from languages to upselling. While the technology is not quite ready yet, within a decade VR could firmly position mobile as the future of learning.

David Topolewski is Chief Executive Officer of Qooco, which provides mobile language learning and vocational training solutions for employees in the hospitality and service industries. Through advanced neurolinguistic techniques and pedago gies and powerful speech recognition technology, Qooco allows associates to learn languages and service skills anywhere, anytime, more efficiently and cost-effectively than ever before - improving customer service and increasing revenues. Qooco's holistic solution promotes greater workforce engagement, allows accurate performance mea surement and real-time feedback. Qooco's suite of products include: Qooco Voice, Qooco Upsell, Qooco Link, Qooco Core and Qooco Pro. For more informa tion, visit: www.qooco.com

Finns Beach Club Its Now Open

Finns Beach Club Canggu Opens its Doors!

Absolute beachfront at the famous Berawa Beach surf break, yet only 15 minutes from Seminyak, Finns Canggu bring everything you love about Finns plus more!

Visitors to Finns can laze away the day in the sun from the comfort of single and double day beds on a white sand beach or swim in a stun ning 30 metre infinity edge pool with swim up pool bar (and underwater speakers)

The striking bamboo structure was specifically designed to allow every guest to have a guaranteed ocean view. Check out the surfing action during the day and into the night when the specially designed flood lights allow surfers to continue carving up the waves into the night. DJ’s play from 4pm daily setting the scene to experience a Bali sunset like no other !

Tick classy cocktails, great food, Daily DJ sessions and a sunset view to die for. Finns Canggu promotes accessibility and affordability for every one. Commencing with soft opening hours from 9am until midnight it is a fabulous venue to “wow” your guests for your next party or celebration, corporate dinner and pre or post wedding event.

HOT | events

HICAP ANNOUNCES LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD RECIPIENT

Hong Kong - Burba Hotel Network (BHN), Horwath HTL, and Stiles Capital Events, cohosts and organizers of the annual Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific (HICAP), are pleased to announce that William E. Heinecke, Founder & Chairman of the Minor Group, will be awarded the HICAP Lifetime Achievement Award. Mr. Heinecke will be presented with the award at HICAP being held 19-21 October 2016, at the InterContinental Hong Kong.

The HICAP Lifetime Achievement Award honors exceptional individuals who have dis tinguished themselves through their accom plishments and contributions to expanding, enhancing and advancing the hotel industry in the Asia Pacific region and the world.

Mr Heinecke came to the Kingdom of Thailand in 1963 and founded the Minor Group in 1967. Five decades later, Minor Group (or Minor International Plc.) is ranked among the top 50 stocks listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand, with market capitaliza tion close to $5.0 billion. It is now a global company with the presence in 32 countries, stretching from Australia to Europe and South America.

Its business portfolio includes close to 150 world-class hotels and serviced suites, over 1,900 food service outlets and over 300 points of sales for many leading fashion brands. The group currently employs more than 55,000 employees.

Now 67, Mr. Heinecke has received many awards, including Asia's Best CEO in 2015 - 2016 by Corporate Governance Asia and Thailand Real Estate Personality of the Decade Award in 2015.

He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Minor International Plc., Indorama Ventures Pcl., the largest PET production company in the World, and Pacific Cross Insurance Co., Ltd. He is also the author of "The Entrepreneur - 25 Golden Rules for the Global Business Manager." Mr. Heinecke became a naturalized Thai citizen in 1991.

"We are pleased to be able to present the Lifetime Achievement Award to Mr. Heinecke," said Jim Burba, president of BHN and co-host of HICAP.

"His entrepreneurial spirit and significant business accomplishments have greatly influ enced the growth of tourism throughout the region. Over the past five decades he has built one of the most prominent hospitality and leisure companies in the Asia Pacific region, now reaching far beyond its original roots in Thailand," Burba added.

Adding to its special nature, the Award is not given out every year. Prior recipients of the HICAP Lifetime Achievement Award include: 2015, Kwek Leng Beng, Executive Chairman, Hong Leong Group of Companies; 2011, Marilyn Carlson Nelson, Chairman, Carlson; 2009, The Honorable Sir Michael Kadoorie, Chairman, The Hongkong & Shanghai Hotels, Limited; 2007, Stephen F. Bollenbach, Co-Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Hilton Hotels Corporation; 2006, Kurt J. Wachtveitl, General Manager, Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok, Thailand; 2005, P.R.S. Oberoi, Chairman & CEO, Oberoi Hotels & Resorts; and 2003, Paul Dubrule, Co-Chairman and Founder, Accor.

For additional information on HICAP or the Lifetime Achievement Award, visit the HICAP website.

HOT

MANILA, Philippines and MCLEAN, Va. – Today, the inspired luxury of Conrad Hotels & Resorts makes its debut in the Philippines with the opening of Conrad Manila. Owned by SM Hotels and Conventions Corporation, a subsid iary of SM Investment Corporation and man aged by Hilton Worldwide (NYSE: HLT), the 347 room Conrad Manila is located at the forefront of the Mall of Asia complex, in the heart of the 42 hectare Bay City development, a destination earmarked as a shopping, leisure, and business hub.

“We are delighted to establish Conrad Hotels & Resorts in this vibrant capital of Manila. The award-winning Conrad Manila, which enhances our portfolio, underscores our com mitment to delivering best-in-class hotels in key gateway locations that meet the growing needs of global luxury travelers. An inspiring destination, Conrad Manila will delight guests with intuitive and customized service, as well as provide them access to a world of connec tions and inspired experiences," said John T. A. Vanderslice, global head, Conrad Hotels & Resorts.

"The stunning Conrad Manila is an exceptional addition to the Conrad Hotels & Resorts port folio and we are delighted to be partnering with SM hotels on this exciting project, who share our passion for excellence. Its opening underscores the growth of our portfolio across Asia Pacific and our continued commitment to the dynamic market of the Philippines. This landmark property perfectly complements the vibrancy of this amazing capital city and will set the benchmark for luxury accommodation in Manila," Martin Rinck, president, Hilton

“We are pleased to work with Hilton Worldwide in bringing the esteemed Conrad brand to Manila. Amidst the robust tourism outlook, the most anticipated opening of Conrad Manila will definitely be a game changer in the already exciting Philippine hotel scene,” says SM Hotels and Conventions Corp. President Elizabeth T. Sy. “We look forward to a fruitful partnership with Hilton Worldwide in further elevating the hotel industry in the country,” adds Ms. Sy

Recently awarded the Best in Hotel Development, Best Hotel Architectural Design and Best in Hotel Interior Design at the fourth annual Philippines Property Awards, Conrad Manila’s distinctive architecture is inspired by the shipping vessels that ply the bay.

The hotel sits atop the two-level S Maison, a high-end retail complex, and has direct connections via walking bridges to SMX Convention Center, the country’s largest con vention space, and is adjacent to SM Mall of Asia, one of the country’s largest malls, as well as Mall of Asia Arena, a 16,000- seater indoor stadium where international shows, concerts and major sporting events are held.

Poised to be the venue of choice for business, social events, and weddings, Conrad Manila offers four contemporary event halls and two sophisticated ballrooms, spanning more than 4,000 square meters, which are fitted with state-of-the-art audio-visual technology. For intimate al fresco parties, guests can also opt for The Veranda, an outdoor garden space over looking the city scape.

Conrad Hotels & Resorts Debuts Smart Luxury in the Philippines with Opening of Conrad Manila

At Conrad Manila, all 347 guest rooms and suites are specially designed with an intuitive technology. Upon sensing motion in the room, the air conditioning switches from energysaving mode to cool, the curtains in the room will automatically open with ambient lighting set to match the time of the day.

Guests can instantly feel at home with a 42-inch flat screen HDTV with an IPTV menu, Wi-Fi and wired Internet access, Nespresso machine, Bluetooth-enabled entertainment technology and hydrotherapy rain showers. Suites and executive rooms offer picturesque bay or city views, with access to the Executive Lounge, and bathrooms that feature in-mir rored TV for an uninterrupted entertainment experience.

Located on the third level of the hotel is the infinity swimming pool, inspired by the pristine coastal seas of the Philippines with its coral shape. Guests may also slip to the 24-hour Fitness Center or the Conrad Spa, which offers a variety of locally inspired treatments using organic ingredients. The spa has six treatment rooms with soaking tubs, a private sauna, and steam facilities. The hotel has six restaurants and lounges, including a coffee bar, pool bar, and in-room dining prepared by the culinary team led by Executive Chef Thomas Jakobi.

The restaurants and bar at Conrad Manila fea ture:

• Brasserie on 3 offers an eclectic mix of sus tainable and organic dishes ranging from hearty to healthy dishes. The restaurant also features al fresco dining overlooking the bay, private dining rooms for intimate celebrations, and an exclusive chef’s table, where diners can enjoy a special tasting menu with a curated selection of organic wines.

• China Blue by Jeremy Leung presents a modern interpretation of the tradi tional Chinese cuisine, artfully curated by Chinese celebrity master chef, Jereme Leung. A first for a Chinese restaurant in the Philippines to partner with a celebrity chef, China Blue by Jereme Leung takes Chinese dining experience to a new high with its authentic cuisine, modern inte riors, and floor-to-ceiling glass windows that offer panoramic bay views.

• C Lounge is inspired by the city’s distinc tive culture and lifestyle, where guests can enjoy a wide selection of beers, liquors, and locally-inspired cocktails. With a laid back vibe during the day, it transforms into a sophisticated destination bar at night. Its al fresco area offers guests an awe-inspiring visual of the Manila sunset.

Conrad Manila offers the popular Conrad Concierge mobile app, which gives global luxury travelers the ability to customize details of their hotel stay before, during, and after visit via a smartphone or tablet. Whether it’s preselecting bath amenities or checking-in while in-transit from the airport, guests can access a variety of features by using the app.

Conrad Manila participates in the Hilton HHonors®, the only guest loyalty program where guests who book directly through www. conradhotels.com have access to benefits including an exclusive member rate that can’t be found anywhere else, free standard Wi-Fi and popular digital tools available exclusively through the industry-leading Hilton HHonors mobile app, where HHonors members can check-in and choose their room at over 20 Conrad hotels worldwide.

Please visit www.conradhotels.com/manila or call +632 8339999 to learn more about or to connect with Conrad Manila.

THE PENINSULA HONG KONG, SHANGHAI AND BEIJING PRESENT ‘LEGENDARY ARTISANS’, A CELEBRATION OF THE TIMELESS ART OF LUXURY AND GLAMOUR AT THE PENINSULA ARCADE

A season of bespoke luxury presents exclusive showcases of elite design and craftsmanship, plus creative dining and shopping experiences in partnership with the brands that enchant the world

This June, guests and shoppers at The Peninsula Hong Kong, The Peninsula Shanghai and The Peninsula Beijing can immerse themselves in the art of luxury as each hotel presents a celebration of Legendary Artisans. From 1-30 June, The Peninsula Hotels’ Arcade is the sole destination in each city to showcase exclusive collection launches, in-store anima tions, culinary collaborations and thought leadership with talks by leading style influenc ers. Guests will also enjoy curated shopping experiences and live demonstrations by the revered artisans that preserve the noble art of luxury.

For one month only, The Peninsula Arcade takes shoppers on an ornamented jour ney into the iconic world of the Legendary Artisans. Customers will gain privileged insights into the enduring passion for excel lence that sets apart the world’s most enchant ing fashion, jewellery, watch and leather brands. Special showcases go behind the scenes to unveil fascinating stories of the heri tage design and peerless craftsmanship of pre eminent brands, together with limited-edition premiers - Ralph Lauren will launch a limitededition “Ricky Bag Capsule Collection” and ladies’ watch collection across all three hotels, while Goyard will début an exclusive, highly collectable “Peninsula Edition” luggage col lection exclusively available at the Peninsula Arcade in Hong Kong.

On the 24-25 June, all three hotels will host a series of thought-provoking talks on modern luxury by China-based style editors who are charting the rise of artisanship in their respec tive titles. In Hong Kong, these will be hosted by the Assistant Publisher and Chief Editor of Robb Report China,

Ms Helen Xing, whose China Lifestyle Report has become a barometer of the latest trends in China; and fashion veteran and Fashion Style Chief Planner of Harper’s Bazaar China and General Manager of the Creative Fashion Commerce Department, Ms Shi Yan. In Shanghai, veteran Haute

Horlogerie expert and Editor-in-Chief of Trends Time China, Mr Pan Jian will be giving an over view of the latest watch trends; with Deputy Chief Lifestyle Director of Esquire China, Mr Kong Liang, weighing in on the latest time piece and beauty trends. In Beijing, veteran Publisher and Editor of specialist title Bazaar Jewelry China will be lending her expertise on the latest trends in the dynamic high jewellery space.

French couture house Chanel – which opened its very first international store outside the Rue Cambon in Paris at The Peninsula Hong Kong Arcade - will invite guests to discover the brand's creativity and uniquely specialist craftsmanship through the “Paris in Rome” Métiers d'Art ready-to-wear collection, with the latest timepieces demonstrating its watch making expertise. An exhibition of the beauti ful Graff Butterfly collection will also adorn the hotels throughout June.

Fine gastronomy and high fashion also come together in a sumptuous celebration of life’s most refined pleasures. The Peninsula’s own talented artisans, including pastry chefs, maître chocolatiers and dim sum chefs, will prepare special co-branded Afternoon Teas in partnership with Tiffany & Co. Creatively themed gourmet menus with brands includ ing luxury jeweller Harry Winston add fashion able allure to the quintessential pleasure of dining at The Peninsula.

The Legendary Artisans programme show cases the diverse luxury experiences offered at The Peninsula Hotels.

Unique to The Peninsula hotels, the Peninsula Arcades are prestigious shopping destinations offering discerning guests and local residents a curated collection of the world’s timeless fashion and lifestyle brands in a refined ambi ence of glamour and exclusivity.

Several revered global marques with fabled histories of exquisite craftsmanship and glam our, including Davidoff, Louis Vuitton, Harry Winston, Graff and Tiffany & Co., opened their first Asian flagship stores at The Peninsula in Hong Kong.

Guests also enjoy bespoke concierge services, such as personalised gift-wrapping, hands-free shopping and the delivery of purchases to a guest room or home to enhance the allure of shopping at The Peninsula Arcade.

Highlights of the Legendary Artisans cam paign in June across all The Peninsula hotels in Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai, include:

• Graff – exquisite craftsmanship dem onstrated through the jeweller’s iconic Butterfly Collection, handcrafted at Graff’s high jewellery workshop in London, and complemented by a spectacular butterflythemed window animation

• Ralph Lauren – launching a new limited edition embroidered “Ricky Bag Capsule Collection”, specially created for The Peninsula, together with a new “RL888” ladies’ watch collection (with China exclu sives for Shanghai and Beijing)

• Chanel – launch of the “Paris in Rome” Métiers d'Art collection, with its intricate, artisanal embellishments, and the latest timepieces demonstrating the Maison’s watchmaking expertise

In addition, each hotel is presenting specific local programmes in collaboration with major brands from their respective arcades.

Highlights at The Peninsula Hong Kong include:

• Goyard - Launch of the exclusive “Special Edition Peninsula Travel Set” of the Maison’s emblematic Bourget trolley suit cases and new “Jouvence” toiletry bag in a brand new “Peninsula Green” leather hue, with a Marquage personalisation demon stration from 7-13 June

• Tiffany – Exclusive “New York Spirit” Afternoon Tea in The Lobby from 1-30 June

• Van Cleef & Arpels – “The Poetry of Time” timepiece exhibition at The China Clipper from 1-7 June

• Bvlgari - In a tribute to the new Bvlgari Serpenti jewellery collection, The Peninsula Hong Kong’s expert pastry chefs demonstrate culinary craftsmanship in the reinterpretation of the line, featuring a special Serpenti dessert in an exclusive set lunch menu at Gaddi’s, with a fascinat ing exhibition of vintage Bvlgari jewellery drawings also on display from 1-30 June

• Piaget – exhibition of the Rose collection

At The Peninsula Shanghai:

• Franck Muller – Will showcase ten limited edition Peninsula Franck Muller watches, to be exclusively launched and sold at The Peninsula Shanghai

• Breguet – Special VIP Afternoon Tea work shops, in-store animations and demon strations, with a clock collection displayed in The Lobby

• La Perla - Haute Couture Showcase, featur ing an exquisite gold thread masterpiece and handcrafted crystal pieces

• Harry Winston – Co-branded afternoon tea with exhibits showcasing exclusive Métiers d’Arts jewellery, including the making of the “Feather Collection” – a refined heritage craft revived by the brand, plus an exclusive preview of the 2016 Basel timepiece novelties

• Brioni - “The Art of Tailoring” - in-store photo exhibition and historic Brioni piec es, plus in-store custom tailor

At The Peninsula Beijing:

• Tiffany & Co. – “New York Spirit” Afternoon Tea in The Lobby

• Brioni - “The Art of Tailoring” - in-store photo exhibition and historic Brioni piec es, plus in-store custom tailor

• Piaget – launch of the Rose pendant col lection

For guests wishing to stay a little longer to experience the noble pleasures of elite artisan ship, the Legendary Artisans stay promotion makes for the ultimate short break.Guests of The Peninsula Hong Kong will enjoy a suite stay, starting from HK$ 8,980 per night with a collection of exceptional benefits including:

• One night’s accommodation in a suite

• Daily breakfast for two at The Lobby, The Verandah or through in-room dining

• A 15-minute “flight-seeing” helicopter ride

• One-way limousine transfer

• A special gift and a 20% off shopping priv ilege at The Peninsula Boutique For two

nights’ stay or above, additional benefits will be offered, including:

• Roundtrip limousine transfers

• A set dinner for two at Spring Moon or Felix

• A Tiffany-branded afternoon tea set for two people at The Lobby (available in June only)

• A HKD300 spa voucher per person up to two person per room per stay (which cannot be used in conjunction with any promotional offer)

• A special gift and a 20% off shopping privilege in The Peninsula Boutique at The Peninsula Hong Kong

The Peninsula Shanghai also offers a suite stay experience from RMB 6,150 per night, with additional privileges including:

• Complimentary daily breakfast for two at The Lobby

• A Peninsula Afternoon Tea for two at The Lobby

• Round-trip airport transfers

• A welcome drink for two at The Compass Bar

• 80-minute spa treatment for two

• Special 20% off shopping privilege on select merchandise at The Peninsula Boutique

• A host of privileges extended by par ticipating brands during the Arcade Promotion in June

All benefits are once per stay unless otherwise indicated, and terms and conditions apply.

www.peninsula.com

HOT | events

HOT DEBATE ON HOW HOTEL GROUP CONSOLIDATIONS ARE BENEFICIAL FOR HEALTHY GROWTH AT RECENT HOTEL MANAGEMENT THAILAND SUMMIT

Bangkok, Thailand – Organized by internation al conference producer Questex Hospitality Group, the Hotel Management Thailand Summit (HMT) welcomed over 30 internation al speakers and 150 delegates at the Banyan Tree Bangkok. High caliber senior hoteliers gathered for the executive discussion on “Hotel Group Consolidations are Beneficial to Healthy Growth of the Industry” moderated by Bruno Huber, vice president operations Asia of Mövenpick Hotels and Resorts.

On the challenge of whether hoteliers are los ing in the distribution game, Jonathan Wigley, founder and CEO of Absolute Hotel Services said, “If brand.com is going to battle against the OTAs, then we are going to lose. I would not advocate anyone to invest in or purchase distribution systems. Use licensed ones,” he continued.

Dillip Rajakarier, CEO of Minor Hotel Group concurred: “You can buy technology, built it or partner with someone. Buying is expensive. Building is risky and a never-ending process,” he said to the attentive audience. But for Nicholas Clayton, hospitality advisor of Pontiac Land Group, the core business of hotels is managing channels rather distribution.” It’s about managing the profit,” he claimed.

Huber raised the issue of the mergers between Marriott and Starwood as well as between Accor and Fairmont Raffles. According to Huber, 35% of the hotel room inventory in Bangkok will be under the management of the combined Marriott and Starwood, for instance, which could provide significant pricing power. But for Rajakarier, deals are all about profit and return on assets of the hotel groups. “The room inventory is owned by different owners who will pressure the combined Marriott-Starwood. It will be a brand stretch and giving owners the facetime and making everyone happy will be the issue.”

But for Clayton, it’s a wait-and-see moment. “We shall see what value will be created. Success depends on the team at the hotel. The corporate helps group companies, flags, loca tions and building brands.”

The issue at heart, according to Symon Bridle, Roosewood Hotel Group’s chief operating offi cer is on how much a fair deal customers will get out of the mergers because pricing will work itself out. “Guests will get a much more genuine perception from smaller hotel groups because of the perception of big hotel groups being together [when pricing hotel rooms],” he declared.

“More mergers; better for small hotel groups,”agreed Wigley. “Mergers were done as business decisions for shareholders, not for customers or staff. Look at what big com panies don’t do well and make that your strength.”

Other topics covered in the conference included “Seeking Business Growth to Boost Operational Performance,” “Boosting Revenue Streams Amidst Shifting Demographics and Disruptions,” and “Successfully Managing Yields Under the New Norm of Rate Imparity.” “Spending time at the conference gives you ideas and different thinking so you can open your mind to possibilities that you might not see every day,” said Wayne Buckingham, senior vice president, Asia Pacific of FRHI Hotels and Resorts.

The next Hotel Management Asia Summit Series conference will be on 8 September 2016. The Hotel Management Asia Summit will be co-located with the Hotel Technology Conference, serving a total of 300 senior hote liers covering topics from productivity to value proposition, from finance to food and bever ages, and from existing technologies to pio neering systems. For more information, please visit: http:www.questevents.net/hmassummit

LAUNCHES

Double-Six Luxury Hotel Seminyak announces the launch of its Sunday Italian Family Lunch Feast and invites all lovers of superb Italian cuisine to gather with family and friends for a wonderful Sunday dining experience.

Robert Marchetti, the renowned restaurateur behind the food and beverage venues of Double-Six Luxury Hotel Seminyak, has designed a sumptuous menu with a mouth-watering array of Italian specialties. Savor everything, dish after dish that will be served directly to you on the table from Seminyak’s best lasagna; toyour favorite protein served with creamy mash andchoices of fresh sal ads. No Italian feast would be complete without dessert and guests will have everything on their table on delights such as Italian choco late donuts, gelato and the ‘Kick Ass Trifle’.

The Sunday Italian Family Lunch Feast commences Sunday, 10 July at Seminyak Italian Food and is available each Sunday for IDR 460,000 ++/person.

Seminyak Italian Food is a modern trattoriathat marries Italian clas sics with the best seasonal produce. Located at mezzanine level of Double-Six Luxury Hotel, overlooking Double-Six Beach. One of renowned artist Stephen Ormandy’s murals is emblazoned on a wall within the restaurant and on the roof a Justine Missen graphic plots Robert Marchetti’s journey from his home town in Italy to Double-Six Beach. The restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

HOT

offer

“ I DO “ AT HARPER KUTA

Kuta, For as many ways to say “ I do ” on the romantic island of Bali, Harper Kuta offers a wedding venue with a stunning Kuta sunsets view at thesix thfloor rooftop. Wheter for just the couple or for a group of family and friends, the venue is designed for memorable weddings of up to 40 guests.

From your intimate ceremony to an extraordinary weddingreception din nerwill be adornedwith a tropical flower arrangement completed with a fresh flower confetti, flower path walk, center piece flower decoration. The English-speaking Celebrant – a minister of your chosen religion – will then conduct your wedding ceremony, accompanied by the live “ Rindik ” Balinese traditional music instrument.

“Your wedding day is something you’ve dreamed about and will never forget. Share your love story at Harper Kuta. Our experienced, professional planners will be there to help you from start to finish and address every detail of your special day. Furthermore, our Executive Chef and team will prepare mouth-water ing dishes in stunning presentations that are sure to impress your guests.“saidI NyomanBandisaSastika, General Manager of Harper Kuta Bali Hotel.

For wedding package inquries, please contact +623618469869, KutaInfo@HarperHotels.com or visit www.harperhotels.com

global

THE LAUNCH OF AMAN WELLNESS HOT

From the fresh medicinal herbs of Montenegro to the hot springs of Japan, Aman has always delivered a transporting and authentic spa experience, one made all the more profound by the exquisite meditative surroundings and remote locations of its hotels and resorts. Now, Aman Wellness, a new concept to be introduced across the collection in 2016, promises to reach further and deeper with the dual introduction of its Individual Wellness Immersions, together with a parallel series of date-led Group Retreat Experiences, headed by globally celebrated health specialists, and held at a range of Aman’s most outstanding spa destinations.

Drawing on the ancient healing modalities forwhich Aman spas have become renowned, boththe Individual Wellness Immersions and the Group Retreat Experiences seek to take guests through an invigorating process of renewal, designed to ground, purify and deeply nourish. Whatever intentionsguests set, whether their goal be a physical objective or the desire for a more spiritual internal shift, Aman Wellness delivers deep transformation, effective results and a meaningful sense of peace and happiness.

Vladislav Doronin, Chairman of Aman, has spearheaded the development of Aman Wellness and says “Wellness is not only related to the physical, but also to the strength of the connection between body and mind. Aman Wellness is designed to achieve a deep level of transformation from the out side in and is inspired and enhanced by the natural and peaceful settings of our resorts. Aman Wellness is about change and seeks to empower guests with the guidance and con fidence needed to adopt an all-encompassing holistic lifestyle.”

The first Individual Wellness Immersions will launch at Amanpuri and Amanbagh from 1 August 2016, complemented by an ongoing calendar of Group Retreat Experiences taking place throughout the year.

INDIVIDUAL WELLNESS IMMERSIONS

Amanbagh in Rajasthan and Amanpuri in Phuket, Aman’s flagship holistic hideaways, provide powerful environments for change with carefully calibrated programmes which balance every aspect of health and wellness. The new Individual Wellness Immersions are based on a personalised routine which includes daily spa treatments, a considered diet or cleanse, suggested exercise and expert advice. Sensitively curated, programmes range from three to 14-nights at Amanpuri and four to 21-night life turnarounds at Amanbagh. Bespoke to each individual, Amanpuri will offer four different immersions to choose from, depending on participants’ desired results; fitness, weight loss, cleanse and awareness. Amanbagh will offer the chance to explore Ayurveda in its homeland, with three different programmes based on India’s ancient healing system.

Amanpuri – Fitness, Weight Loss, Cleanse, and Awareness

In one of the most peaceful pockets of Phuket, the tropical realm of Amanpuri offers the ideal natural setting for an immersive retreat, offer ing a distinct path back to wellness. As well as initial assessments and regular consultations, every day of an Individual Wellness Immersion is personalised to include two to three move ment and specialist therapy sessions, a 60/90-minute spa treatment and group move ment classes. Meals reflect the nutritional needs of each guest and aim to stabilise blood sugar levels, reduce inflammation, balance gut flora and support the digestive system. Whether raw, liquid or cooked, allergies and intolerances are catered for and deep cleanses include a regular intake of herbal elixirs, fresh juices and alkalising broth. Detailed lifestyle recommendations ensure the journey contin ues once guests leave the resort.

Amanpuri’s Immersions are based on four different principles. They include the Fitness Immersion, designed by movement and exer cise therapists and nutrition experts for those who want to improve their fitness levels, and incorporating a wide variety of movement workouts from Muay Thai boxing to beach boot camp classes, circuit training, Pilates and yoga. Meanwhile the Weight Loss Immersion aims to remove the emotional barriers faced in managing and shifting weight; it includes water-based movement sessions to assist in the reduction of stress and inflammation in the body. The Cleanse Immersion is ideal for those who want to reduce stress levels and promote self-healing through a pronounced return to internal homeostasis. Finally, the meditative Awareness Immersion is designed for those wishing to tap into their inner realm, heightening awareness and daily mindfulness. Meditation, yoga and silent reflection combine with grounding modalities such as craniosacral therapy, reconnective healing and Reiki to encourage inner stillness.

AMANBAGH – AYURVEDA

Escape to the whisper-quiet retreat that is Amanbagh, a secret garden oasis set amongst India’s rugged Aravalli Hills, to embrace the ancient wisdom and powerful long-term benefits of Ayurveda. Drawing on the ancient healing system of India, Amanbagh’s four to 21-night Ayurvedic Immersions offer a unique opportunity to experience what is believed to be the longest surviving complete system of knowledge in the world. Amanbagh’s in-house Ayurvedic physician oversees every detail. Named after the Sanskrit word for ‘life’, the four day Ayur Immersion programme serves as an introduction to the concepts of Ayurveda with a complete treatment schedule and a dosha-specific Ayurvedic nutritional plan. The more in-depth Purify Immersion helps prevent illness and eliminates toxins for an improved immunity.

Meanwhile the purifying Rejuvenate Immersion harnesses every aspect of Ayurveda’s pre ventative power to improve memory, strengthen the Ayurvedic sense organs (skin/ eyes/tongue/nose) and boost physical endurance.

Ayurveda is a spiritual cleansing discipline, providing a gateway to a personal journey of reawak ening and the reconnection between the body and mind. Experiencing it in the authen tic and sacred atmosphere of Amanbagh and its peaceful gar dens only makes it all the more profound. Options for cultural experiences include a sunset ‘cow dust’ tour of the picturesque villages near Amanbagh, while yoga and meditation will be offered daily in the resort’s magnificent gardens.

GROUP RETREAT EXPERIENCES

A calendar of devoted date-led retreats range from three to ten days in length and take place in an atmosphere of active healing at Aman’s key spa des tinations. Each is unique, yet all have been designed to help bring guests back to balance, into a state of natural equilibrium from which each individual can feel the very best they can be. Showcasing the skills of globally renowned specialists who work in synergy towards the realisation of the guests’ personal goals, the retreats exclusively bring togeth er handpicked contemporary masters of their field, from tai chi masters and spiritual mentors, to sports scientists and nutritionists. Their combined talents deliver a fully comprehensive mental, spiritual and physical overhaul with long-lasting results. Each retreat integrates a cohesive mix of carefully curated workshops, effective and relaxing treatments, movement and body work,

health-giving foods and cultural adventures which draw on the most authentic elements of each location, whether monastery vis its or cooking classes.

Amongst the variety of the Group Retreat Experiences will be ‘Spiritual Immersion’, which will take place at Amankora in Bhutan between 13-21 September. Led by Dr Karma Phuntsho, a Buddhist scholar who will guide a journey both literally and spiri tually between the five lodges of Amankora, the retreat will combine cultural adventures with yoga, meditation, spa treatments, and lectures amidst the dramatic landscape of Bhutan.

Aman’s three resorts in Bali, Amandari, Amankila and Amanusa will host retreats in August, September and October respectively, all of which will concentrate on Alignment & Awareness, with a focus on mind ful living. Further Group Retreat Experiences include a five day retreat between 1 and 9 October, combining yoga and bodywork to address issues such as low energy and sleep disorders at Amanemu, Aman’s onsen-only resort in Shima which launched in March 2016. Later in the year between 1 and 15 November in Hangzhou, China, Amanfayun will also host a five day retreat focussing on balancing body and mind, reducing stress and chronic pain and achieving over all increased wellbeing.

All Aman Wellness experiences have been designed to encour age a process of release, allow ing participants to leave behind negative holding patterns and embrace a strong newness of spirit, whilst taking what they have learnt to give them fresh intentions and the knowledge to adopt a more meaningful and reflective way of living.

VIRTUAL REALITIES, ROBOT BUTLERS AND DIGITAL THIEVES: HOW TECHNOLOGY IS SET TO IMPACT THE FUTURE OF HOTELS

BY : DAVID TOPOLEWSKI | CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF QOOCO

Hotels have always been interesting places to test and use the latest technology. Some work, some don’t, some hotels decide to incorporate technology almost for the sake of it (the iPad on the Front Desk is one example), others take a more nuanced approach. There are three areas of technology that we could see much more of in the hotel industry in the years to come. Virtual Reality has finally begun to hit the mainstream, after years of promise, Artificial Intelligence is still in its infancy, but we can begin to see its applications for the hotel industry. Lastly, while not a ‘technology’ in itself, cyber security will become more of a priority for hotels, as they start to realize that the detailed information they have on their guests is vulnerable to attack.

THE MANY REALITIES OF VIRTUAL REALITY

The latest technology to start making waves in the media and around the world is Virtual Reality (VR). VR essentially recreates sensory experiences, such as sight, sound and even

smell and taste – virtually. It is finally becom ing more advanced, and thanks to mobile technology is becoming accessible on a mass scale. Users are able to experience VR using nothing but a Google cardboard viewer and a Samsung smartphone. Major news organi zations such as The Guardian and New York Times have rolled out VR stories and invited their readers to experience the news first hand.

VR will continue to develop, simply because there is a huge amount of money to be made. The last study conducted by Manchester United football club (competed in 2013) put

the number of worldwide fans at 659 million adults. With a stadium seating capacity of 75,769, there will be a significant number of fans who will never step foot at a live match, despite a deep emotional desire to see their team perform. If Manchester United could develop a VR experience which allowed their fans around the world to watch every match

live via pitch-side seat, not only this but have the option of walking onto the pitch with the players, or hovering above, then their weekly match attendance would shoot from 75,769, to potentially 659 million.

While a hotel brand may not have as many fans as Manchester United, there are still mas sive opportunities to integrate VR into the overall customer experience, as well as appli cations for staff training.

As more and more customers are becoming concerned about where their food comes from, VR can transport the guest back to the farm, allowing them to see the source of their steak or fish filet. Hotels can provide VR tours of their hotels, allowing potential guests to experience their rooms as they were there, seeing the view from the window and the room setup. Perhaps they could even choose how they want their room laid out before they book, by moving the furniture around in their VR mode.

Staff training potentially holds the most promise for VR. Training facilities already exist, developed by Lockheed Martin, that allow US soldiers to train under highly realis tic battlefield scenarios, testing their leader ship and decision making skills in stressful and kinetic environments. Not only does this provide relevant and realistic training, but comes as a fraction of the cost of more tradi tional training programs.

The same can be applied to employee train ing in the hotel industry. Hotels are busy and at times stressful places to work. No two days are the same and one minute you can be dealing with an angry customer demand ing a different room, the next minute you can be dealing with a burst pipe, or singing happy birthday to a special guest. VR lends itself perfectly to recreating these types of scenarios, and training employees and lead ers on how to deal with them.

The most promising aspect is the multi player capability of VR. Today, gamers can play games with thousands of other par ticipants, they can communicate via voiceover-protocol and work as a team to defeat their virtual opponents. The same principle can be applied to hospitality training, with restaurant managers working with their teams to overcome a particular problem, Front Office Managers working with multiple departments to deal with two, three or four different problems.

Not only will this training result in better, more intelligent and confident employees, but it will also come at a fraction of the cost of traditional training. VR is available via mobile, all you need is a smartphone and the appropriate VR casing (such as Google cardboard viewer), and you are able to train an entire workforce.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE – BETTER UNSEEN

Think of Artificial Intelligence and hotels and, inevitably, robot butlers come to mind. In July 2015, the Henn-na Hotel in Nagasaki opened its doors, but on arrival, guests were welcomed by robots, instead of the usual Front Office ‘human’ staff. The robots are able to make eye contact and have face-recog nition technology embedded within them allowing them to recognize repeat guests, as well as detect their temperatures.

In August 2015 Aloft South Beach, USA, debuted a robot butler that delivered room service, called Botlr.

The robot is able to deliver basic room ser vice amenities such as bottled water, food and towels. Located at the Front Desk, the robot is able to deliver goods to the guest in his or her room, or by the pool, in an average of three minutes, as compared to 30 minutes it would take a human. At $20,000, this piece of equipment could potentially pay itself back many times over in the course of its lifetime.

While robot butlers and Front Office staff certainly capture the public’s imagination, they are unlikely to evolve into anything more than a gimmick, and actually replace staff, at least not on a mass scale. Research has shown that we still prefer human inter action, and robots have a long way to go before they are able to hold a proper con versation – as anyone who has listened to a bank’s automated answering machine will attest.

The real value of AI will emerge behind the scenes, in the back-of-house area. For instance, AI could be used to forecast staff skills sets, and match them directly to the relevant job in real-time. For example, it would know that a group of Japanese tourists are due to check in in three days, it would identify the best, most qualified group of employees to deal with these guests and automatically assign them to work on those days the guests will be in house. It could also initiate a short term Japan-specific training program, where staff are given refreshers on Japanese language, habits and potential pitfalls etc. The data gained through mobile and online learning would feed directly into the system, allowing it to identify and assign the most suitable employees for the most suitable tasks.

AI can also be used to forecast stock and supplies. Knowing that during the next three weeks the hotel occupancy will be particularly high, thanks to a group of US delegates visiting for a major conference, the system will ensure extra food is brought in, including extra burger patties and fries. It would know when the major city events will take place throughout the year, and what number and demographic of delegate will attend, as well as stay at the hotel. Based on this data it will be able to make the neces sary orders.

THE DAMAGING DANGERS OF DATA

While data will enable the hotel to provide a higher level of service for less, there are also huge dangers that come from the shift

towards technology. Cybersecurity is not something that is necessarily a priority for many hotels, despite a slew of attacks over the past year aimed mostly at credit card data. Hilton reported in September 2015 that it was investigating a credit card breach in several of its US-based properties, The Trump Hotel Collection also suffered from an attack at many of its properties, as did Starwood following the announcement of its acquisition by Marriott. It is only a matter of time before one or two major hotels suffer from a high-profile cyber-attack that targets actual customer data – including informa tion on what they purchased and habits, and they will soon have to incorporate cyberse curity training into their learning programs.

Hotels possess a huge amount of often very personal data on their guests, some of whom are very high profile, including politicians, celebrities and businesspersons. A cybersecurity breach could expose some seriously sensitive information, significantly damaging the hotel brand. If high pro file guests believe that their data will be exposed if they stay at a particular hotel, there is no way they would stay. This would have a trickle-down effect to regular guests as well.

Here is a fictitious, but ultimately plausible, scenario. Hollywood couple Mr. and Mrs. Celebrity check in to a top hotel in Kuala Lumpur. They are in Malaysia on their last leg of their world tour and a due to launch their latest album the next month. Their brand is built on the fact that they are sweet and well-meaning, they eschew alcohol and par tying, and promote a healthy, wholesome lifestyle.

During their stay, however, hackers eas ily circumvent the weak to non-existent hotel online security features. Through the WiFi system, they gain access to all of their e-mails, including some sent from the cou ple which are particularly disparaging about fellow celebrities and even their Malaysian hosts – perhaps normal in Hollywood, but completely at odds with the image they want to portray. Even more damaging, hackers gain access to the hotel CMS, and are able to view every single item that they ordered during their stay. This, of course, includes large amounts of alcohol, and room service notes on the large end-of-tour party they held, including invoices for TVs and vases that were broken.

The hackers quickly sold this information to major US tabloids, who took no time in spreading the news across their front pages. Suddenly, their album launch was cancelled, and their legions of young fans left them in droves. This is not an unre alistic scenario, and the celebrities could easily be replaced by heads of state, potentially exposing sensitive security secrets, business leaders exposing company strategies and other secrets, or human rights activists who are targeted by corrupt or venal governments.

The damage to the hotel brand would be just as significant, even existential. Experian, T-Mobile, Sony Pictures and others are now tainted by the hacking scandals that affected them, but for a high profile hotel chain whose Unique Selling Point (USP) is the ability to look after their guests in privacy and safety, a cyber breach would undermine their greatest selling point, leading to a flight of high-paying guests and potentially irrepa rable damage to the brand.

Alongside more investment in cybersecurity measures such as software and the hiring of experts, staff training will play a significant role in reducing the risk of a high-profile cyberattack. Hotels will need to start with ‘cyber basics’ – simple things like changing passwords regularly, and implementing two-step veri fication – and instilling these habits among their staff. This may sound like common sense, but in one major attack that made headline news, a company kept all of their passwords in a folder labeled “passwords.” And the password required for access? “Password.”

Cyberattack scenarios will have to be incorporated into their training programs, employees will need to know what to do should the hotel be affected by a cyberattack, this could include SOPs such as the immediate shutdown of the hotel’s CMS sys tem until the breach has been plugged, or simply knowing who to contact in the event of a suspected attack. When a high-pro file guest comes to stay and the risk of an attack is highest, staff will need to be aware, and the hotel’s IT team will have to be on alert. All these scenarios require practice.

While it is impossible to predict the future with complete accu racy, we can already see the potential applications that tomor row’s tech will have on the hotel industry, and hotels need to embrace these developments now rather than wait and get left behind. For many years hotels stuck with traditional classroombased learning as a way to teach their staff the requisite lan guage skills to serve their guests, or train them in upselling. Only recently has mobile learning taken hold, despite having proven to be more effective, more affordable and most impor tantly, more relevant to the tech-savvy, younger employees of the hospitality industry.

It is tempting to dismiss VR, AI and cybersecurity as technology, or technological issues, which will only be relevant in the future. Most hotel General Managers and owners will adopt a waitand-see approach, and are loath to make the necessary upfront investments. This approach is just delaying the inevitable, and in the case of cybersecurity, is potentially dangerous for the brand. The current and next generation of traveller is and will be incredibly tech savvy, and may well choose their next stay based on the technological applications available at the hotel. For those who are playing catch up, the results could be empty rooms, poorer service, or a hackers paradise.

Authorized

JOURNEYS BY ALILA IN PURSUIT OF THE NAGA - A JOURNEY THROUGH THE LENSES

Alila Villas Soori recently hosted “Naga’s Diaries” a photogra phy exhibition by Spanish artist Lorena Martínez Acha, which was inspired by the artist’s journey through Bali in search of the legendary NAGA, the mythical dragon, symbolic of eternal love, prosperity and protection for the Balinese. Following the success of the exhibition and the fascinating inspiration behind it, Alila Villas Soori now brings Lorena’s photographic story to life in a new Journey by Alila.

Lorena’s photographic journey took her on a discovery of the heart and soul of Bali, to its sacred mountains at dawn, its fer tile rice paddies, and to the slopes of majestic Mount Agung, observing the island as though through the Naga’s protective gaze. Armed with their cameras and accompanied by one of the resort’s Leisure Concierge team, guests of Alila Villas Soori will be able to follow in Lorena’s adventurous footsteps, tracing the extraordinary route of Naga’s Diaries through the lens to discov er exotic and lesser-visited sites across the island.

Guests can choose from a one-day experience, setting out before dawn to capture the sunrise, or a three-day experience that explores three different routes through the most breathtak ing and hidden landscapes of Bali. The different locations along the routes will be specially signposted with terracotta tiles that are designed to replicate the dragon’s footprint and its fire breath. The tiles are aptly crafted in Pejaten, a hub of Bali’s ter racotta industry located about 10 minutes’ drive from the resort. Designed to provide an interactive journey, each tile will feature a QR code that is linked to a video of the photography journey and the resort’s social media, where guests can post their pictures instantly.

Those who manage to scan all QR codes and complete the jour ney can indulge in a well-earned reward such as a culinary expe rience at Ombak restaurant or a pampering treatment at Spa Alila. In addition, participants will have the opportunity to engage directly with Lorena in Spain in an elearning workshop conducted via skype or email from the resort. They will be able to share their photos with her and receive technical advice and guidance on capturing incredible landscapes with greater depth and dimen sion.

Designed for small groups of up to 10 or 12 guests, this fascinat ing journey following the trail of the Naga’s Diaries embraces the joy of discovery and the beauty of photography, while offering an unforgettable way to uncover the real essence of Bali.

ST REGIST BAR & DECANTER

The world’s most rare and exclusive wines can now be en joyed whilst overlooking a sparkling white-sand beach, swaying palm trees, and the glistening turquoise Andaman Sea at The St. Regis Langkawi.

Sophisticated in design and inviting in ambience, The St. Re gis Bar at The St. Regis Langkawi boasts an expertly curated collection of wines and spirits. Guests are invited to partake from a fine selection of over 190 premium spirits, 200 wines and Cuban cigars. Decanter is housed within The St. Regis Bar; a vision in marble graced by crystal globe fixtures il luminating a traditional bar as well as a resplendent tiered chandelier crowning a separate lounge with plush seating

and a team of sommeliers who can make recommendations from the extensive assemblage of traditional and exclusive vintages.

Head Sommelier Jan Kuebler is a graduate of the prestigious Court of Master Sommeliers, where he achieved his Profes sional Sommelier Diploma and brings to The St. Regis Lang kawi his enormous knowledge of all aspects of the industry, which includes cigars, spirits and beer, as well as wine and winemaking. Jan also earned his SAL Diploma in Lichtenstein, which has provided him with a deep, holistic knowledge of the wine industry from curating a cellar and pairing through to the complexities of international wine markets and trade.

The St. Regis Bar and Decanter at The St. Regis Langkawi

As a holder of one of the highest qualifications in the wine in dustry, Jan has a deep love and understanding of the Burgundy and Bordeaux regions and the exclusive selection at Decanter reflects this with over 1000 bottles of traditional and exclusive vintages in the wine cellar, including some of the rarest Bur gundies in the world. The wine list is constantly adapting to the tastes of customers, global wine trends and availability of the world’s finest bottles. Jan is particularly sensitive to the require ments of the extremely sophisticated and knowledgeable wine lovers who typically stay at The St. Regis Langkawi, where the most premium requests can usually be met.

The extensive winelist includes a selection of superb cham pagnes from Dom Perignon, Salon and Louis Roederer, includ ing a 1996 Cristal. Guests can enjoy the ceremony of cham pagne sabering as their favourite vintage is opened in the most extravagant way.

The St. Regis Bar’s tantalizing array of cocktails—including the Lang Mary, the signature interpretation of The St. Regis Bloody Mary tradition—is certain to please both connoisseurs and ec lectic tastes. Each evening a mobile bar station presents guests with the opportunity to create their own bespoke version of a gin and tonic, crafted to order from a selection of 10 botanical gins, rare infused bitters and dried fruits.

“ Jan has selected some of the great

are among the world’s most sought after and expensive bottles.”

HOT | trips

Belmond announces the launch of South America’s first luxury sleep er train, Belmond Andean Explorer in Peru. The new train, expected to launch May 2017, is set to travel along one of the highest rail routes on earth traversing the Peruvian Andes from Cusco to Lake Titicaca and Arequipa, exploring natural wonders and ancient king doms on one and two night journeys.

Travelling through some of the most breathtaking scenery in the world, Belmond Andean Explorer is designed to connect guests with the abundant nature of the Peruvian Andes. Interior designs, by Inge Moore of The Gallery HBA, are inspired by the texture of Peru’s hand-woven fabrics and the soft tones of the Alpaca wool blended with Andean slate greys create a sense of calm enabling guests to unplug, relax and enjoy the journey.

A selection of four journeys include ‘Peruvian Highlands’, a two night, three day journey departing from Cusco, the capital of the ancient Inca Empire travelling across the highest plains of the Andes reaching 4800 metres in altitude, to Puno where guests can visit the remote villages and floating islands on Lake Titicaca and then onwards to the city centre of Arequipa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site – highlights of this journey include a chance to explore the vast Colca Canyon, the dramatic realm of the condor. Or, the ‘Spirit of the Andes’ journey traverses the Altiplano from Lake Titicaca to Cusco, for an overnight escape. Belmond Andean Explorer accommodates 68 guests in refined, en-suite cabins including two double cabins, 20 twin cabins and 12, bunk bed cabins for two people.

BELMOND ANNOUNCES SOUTH AMERICA’S FIRST LUXURY SLEEPER TRAIN – BELMOND ANDEAN EXPLORER ONE OF THE HIGHEST TRAIN JOURNEYS ON EARTH

Fresh, seasonal menus, using local ingredients are created by the chefs at Belmond Hotel Monasterio in Cusco and served in the two Dining Cars. The Observation Car with an open-air deck is the place to enjoy the dramatic views and a refreshing drink whilst the Lounge Car provides a comfortable setting to relax and reflect on the day’s adventures.

Prices start from $462 per person for the one night, ‘Spirit of the Andes’ journey, fully inclusive including all meals, an open bar and scheduled excursions.

Belmond Andean Explorer will be Belmond’s 8th luxury train, joining Belmond Hiram Bingham in Peru, Venice Simplon-OrientExpress, Europe, Belmond Royal Scotsman, UK and Belmond Grand Hibernian which is expected to launch in Ireland in summer 2016. The new train further strengthens Belmond’s presence in Peru add ing to the portfolio of trains and hotels in inspiring locations includ ing Belmond Hotel Miraflores Park, and Belmond Palacio Nazarenas, Lima, Belmond Hotel Monasterio, Cusco, Belmond Sanctuary Lodge, Machu Picchu and Belmond Hotel Rio Sagrado in the Sacred Valley of the Incas.

Belmond Andean Explorer is a 50% joint venture with Peruvian Investors and will be operated by Belmond. For further information please visit www.belmond.com/belmond-andean-explorer

HOT | team

Liza Indira Appointed

As General Manager Of HARRIS-POP! Hotels & Conventions Denpasar Bali

Jakarta,– TAUZIA Hotel Management is pleased to announce the appointment of Liza Indira as General Manager of HARRIS-POP! Hotels & Conventions Denpasar Bali. Strategically located at the heart of Denpasar area, the hotel is only 20 minutes away from Ngurah Rai International Airport, and 10 minutes away from Ubung Bus Station, Kumbasari Market and Cineplex.

Indira received German Literature undergraduate degree from Universitas Indonesia and started off as Guest Relations Officer at Shangri-La Jakarta in 1994 and two decades later, she finally took on the role as General Manager of HARRIS Hotel Raya Kuta Bali in 2014.

Having been part of TAUZIA Hotel Management since 2011 –this is the first time for Indira to lead a double-branded hotel.

“HARRIS-POP! Hotels & Conventions Denpasar offers service to both midscale and budget segments. As one of the latest additions by TAUZIA in Bali, the hotel, which just opened last year, offers a great escape for city travelers, and of course the latest and most advanced meeting and conventions venue for both corporate and government activities,” said Indira.

HARRIS-POP! Hotels & Conventions Denpasar features 209 comfortable guestrooms collectively, as well as complimenta ry WiFi connection throughout premises, six meeting rooms, a convention center which can accommodate for up to 500 per sons, HARRIS Juice Bar, H’Spa, Dino Kid’s Club and Internet corners on each hotel.

Discover more about HARRIS-POP! Hotels & Conventions Denpasar only at www.harrishotels.com & @harrisdenpasar @pophotels on social media!

Meliá Hotels International, 30 Years of Persistent Growth in Indonesia

Jakarta ,The globalization of Melia Hotels International is strongly linked to Indonesia. It was in Nusa Dua in Bali, still an emerging destination at the time, where the Company opened its first international hotel after becoming the lead ing hotel company in its home country, Spain.

Melia Hotels International had the pleasure to be part of Bali development from the 80s and being the first International hotel company with a hotel in the Island of Gods; With this experience and after 30 years in the country it has reached a high level of brand awareness for its key brands such Gran Melia and Melia but also as a hotel management company.

At the moment the Company has presence with four of its brands in Indonesia with Gran Melia, Melia, Innside by Melia and Sol by Melia, (with its con cepts Sol House & Sol Beach House) and the Company is confident that Paradisus and ME by Melia will have presence soon in strategic markets like Bali or Jakarta.

The keys to this early globaliza tion lie in the visionary nature of the Company founder and Chairman, Gabriel Escarrer Julià, and the expertise the Company had already acquired in resort hotels,

where Spain was and still remains one of the leading des tinations worldwide.

The opportunity to open a hotel in Bali, which was clearly destined to become a major travel destination, laid the foun dations for future globalization of the Company (now in 44 countries) and demonstrated its strong social commitment.

The Company learned a great deal from Indonesia and its cultural diversity, respect for its traditions and customs, and absorbed the spirit of the des tination, assuming respect for diversity and the importance of social and environmental com mitment as a basic premise for the business ever since.

The Melia Bali project was a success, and Bali went on to become one of the top destina tions in Asia-Pacific, a region which has excellent prospects for the travel industry accord ing to estimates by the World Tourism Organization: AsiaPacific recorded the highest growth in visitors in 2015, 7%, and will remain the fastest growing region until at least 2030, with annual growth expected to average 4.9%. In 2030, 30% of all international travellers will visit Asia-Pacific destination.

Melia Hotels International still considers the region a prior ity focus for strategy, and is extending its presence in coun tries such as Malaysia, Vietnam, China, Myanmar and Thailand. But it is in Indonesia where the Company has the largest num ber of hotels, with five in opera tion (Gran Melia Jakarta, Melia Bali, Melia Purosani, Sol Beach House Bali and Sol House Bali Legian) with a total of 1,394 rooms and 2,000 employees.

Expansion in Indonesia is unrelenting, and Melia Hotels International now has 10 hotels in the pipeline that will add 2,021 more rooms over the next two years: Melia Surabaya, Innside Yogyakarta, Melia Makassar, Gran Melia Bintan, Melia Ubud, Sol House Jimbaran, Innside Bandung, Melia Lombok Tangkong, and Melia Pekanbaru.

The market potential and spectacular growth in demand (both inbound and outbound), together with the beauty of the destinations and the quality of the hotels, mean that 30 years after the Melia Bali, Indonesia remains a priority destination and market for the growth of Melia Hotels International.

As our founder and Group Chairman, Gabriel Escarrer Julia, always says,

We are proud to have been part of the transformation of Indonesia into a leading des tination in Asia, and after 30 years of growing together, we are more committed than ever to the country, and our respon sible and long-term growth in the destination.

Gabriel Escarrer Juli explained, “As a family owned company our development strategy is based in long term partner ships. A prove of this is our good and close relationship with some of our Indonesian partners, with whom we have been together for more than 30 years and manage hotels in Indonesia and in Malaysia. As a company we are very proud of our good relation with our partners and always aim to reach such a successful partnership with our new partners.”