Northstar

www.travelweekly-asia.com | 23 GLOBAL WRAP THE BEST OF TRAVEL WEEKLY ASIA'S GLOBAL WRAP e-DAILY Travel Weekly Asia correspondents wrap up the best of the news from Asia and the rest of the world. Accor takes Raffles to Rajasthan AIR NEW ZEALAND SITS PRETT Y WITH SKYCOUCH AWARD Air New Zealand has claimed top international accolade, the Crystal Cabin Award (CCA), for its improvements to inflight arrangements for tiny travellers. The CCA is the only international award for excellence in aircraft interior innovation, with Air New Zealand winning the greener cabin, health, safety and environment category. Enhancements to Air NZ's Economy Skycouch include introducing a dedicated infant harness to allow babies to remain lying down throughout the cruise phase of a flight, a new infant pod and modifications to the Skycouch Cuddle Belt so two children can share the Skycouch side by side. OYO RISES AND SHINES WITH HOTELBEDS Hotelbeds and India's OYO Hotels & Homes - the world's sixth largest hotel chain - have signed a strategic global distribution partnership. Accor is taking the Raffles brand to India with hotel openings in Jaipur and Udaipur in Rajasthan. The two new properties will join 13 Raffles properties across 11 countries. Raffles Udaipur will be set on a 21-acre private island in the middle of Udai Sagar Lake, one of Udaipur's five lakes. Expected to open mid-2020, the hotel will offer 101 lake- facing rooms will hill and temple views. The suites will have private pools. Raffles Jaipur is being built at Kukas in the city of Jaipur as a set of secluded private residences and courtyards adjacent to the larger hotel complex that presently houses the Fairmont Jaipur. Raffles is opening one of two new hotels in Rajasthan in the pink city of Jaipur. PHOTO CREDIT: KATIEKK2/ GETTYIMAGES PHOTO CREDIT: IAN JARRETT. Air New Zealand's Skycouch includes a dedicated infant harness. The agreement represents OYO's first distribution partnership with a bedbank company. It means Hotelbeds' clients will have access to OYO's 18,000-plus franchised and leased hotels and over 10,000 homes and villas, across 10 countries - India, China, Malaysia, Nepal, the UK, UAE, Indonesia, the Philippines, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Japan. SHIP TAKES SHAPE IN BINTAN The highly anticipated floating hotel, Doulos Phos is ready to open in June, the launch just one of Bintan Island's flurry of new plans and developments. million (US$17m), Singaporean businessman Eric Saw purchased the ship in 2010, which hopes to welcome couples, MICE groups, while also making room for the international maritime fraternity. JAPAN ADDS NEW HOTELS In preparation to host the 2020 Summer Olympics and 2019 Rugby World Cup, 11 hotels are slated to open in Japan between now and 2021, with a Park Hyatt, Hyatt Regency and InterContinental among those opening this year and a Ritz-Carlton, JW Marriott and Hyatt Centric next year. A W Hotel is set to open in 2021 in Osaka. Japan's Olympic torch relay will kick off in Fukushima, the area hit by the 2011 tsunami and earthquake, on March 26, 2020. Japan will be the first Asian host of the Rugby World Cup, from September to November this year. ASCOTT NEW LOYALT Y PROGRAMME UP AND AWAY Ascott is launching Star Rewards, the world's first loyalty programme in the serviced residence industry to offer full flexibility to earn and redeem points. The move is part of Ascott's digital ecosystem transformation to support its expanding portfolio. Kevin Goh, Ascott's CEO, said, "To augment the growth of Ascott's lodging brands, which now stands at 13, we have to be smarter about the sales and distribution of these various brands to ensure we deliver the right products for our guests." Ascott Star Rewards offers members no cap to the points that can be earned, no minimum points required for redemption, no blackout dates, and the option to nominate other guests to earn points. The 104-year-old-vessel first set sail in 1914, two years after the Titanic, and still holds the reputation of "World's Oldest Active Ocean Going Passenger Ship" in the Guinness World Records. Doulos Phos once ferried passengers and last served as a floating library for 32 years by Christian ministry, Operation Mobilisation. Pegged at a final cost of S$23 The Doulos Phos will add to Bintan's attractions. SAUDI ARABIA'S RED SEA PROJECT The traditionally closed Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is opening its borders to non-Muslim travellers as construction begins on its ambitious project to turn some of the last pristine islands and landscapes along the Red Sea into a next- generation, ecofriendly luxury haven. Development of the Red Sea Project, an initiative by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to diversify the kingdom's oil-dominated economy, officially began last month with the opening of the first base camp for workers. Plans call for a mix of luxury and premium beach and mountain resorts, wellness centres, homes and marinas capable of hosting up to one million visitors a year. Saudi Arabia is looking to the Red Sea to develop tourism projects

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