Northstar

Feature Hotels 22 JUL-AUG 2018 MEETINGS & CONVENTIONS MCMAG-ASIA.COM According to Ben George, SVP and commercial director, APAC, Hilton, "There is a growing focus on attendee well-being and sustainability. The momentum for sustainability has resulted in an increase in demand for responsibly sourced F&B options, and attendees are looking to minimise the environmental impact of their events." Hilton launched the Meet with Purpose programme across APAC to provide these options at no additional cost for loyalty members. "Meetings planners can now make meetings more mindful, memorable and meaningful through adopting eco-friendly practices, oering balanced choices to attendees, and encouraging their wellbeing," said George. The ecacy of the enhancements of the Hilton Honors programme is undisputed, as the hotel brand added 800,000 new members in Asia Pacic in the rst quarter of 2018 alone. "Hilton Honors members now contribute 40% occupancy in Asia Pacic, and a signicant portion of them are corporate travellers." Along similar lines, Melia Hotels International implemented EcoTouch Meetings by Melia – a programme that aims to minimise any event's environmental impact through sustainable practices. According to Ruben Casas, senior director of business development, APAC, Melia Hotels International, EcoTouch prioritises the use of products with lower environmental impact, like cooking with seasonal ingredients or using recycled materials for conference stationary. The carbon footprint of each event is also calculated, making planners conscious of their impact so they can then act to reduce it. "All this can also be complemented with EcoTouch VIP, oer[ing] attendees giveaways of recycled materials (USBs, seed-planting kits, for example) that help promote healthier habits for our planet and society." GETTING PERSONAL The perks of personalisation are not new to travel but developing intelligent technology that can better predict and tailor oers to customers will do wonders in building stronger long-term relationships. Said Stanley Ng, director of Sales – MICE International Sales Oce, AccorHotels, "We have a new customer relationship management platform that is helping us get to know our loyalty members' preferences, likes and dislikes when they travel… we need to ensure we are oering our loyalty members rewards that are specic and attractive to them personally." Hilton is addressing this through its dedicated Hilton Honors members app, which will be rolling out new features in the coming months, designed to tailor stays to guests' individual tastes. For example, it is introducing "Pin My Room", which lets members select, save and stay in their preferred rooms within the hotel. The app also connects members to front desk sta from one day before check in, where they can chat in real time. "The carbon "The carbon "The carbon footprint of each event is also calculated, making planners conscious of their impact so they can then act to reduce it..." RUBEN CASAS, SENIOR DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, APAC, MELIA HOTELS INTERNATIONAL INTERNATIONAL "The momentum for sustainability has resulted in an increase in demand for responsibly sourced F&B options, and attendees are looking to minimise the environmental impact of their events." BEN GEORGE, SVP AND COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR, APAC, HILTON

• Cover