Northstar

www.travelweekly-asia.com 2 | ITB ASIA Official Dailies Published by noRThsTaR TRaVel MeDia singaPoRe PTe lTD singaPoRe 61 Ubi Avenue 1, #05-17 UB Point, Singapore 408941 • TEL: +65-6521 9742 | FAX: +65-6521 9788 BeiJing Room 024, Building 8, Qijiayuan Diplomatic Compound, No.9 Jianguomenwai Street, Chaoyang District 100600, China • TEL: +8610-8532 3611 | FAX: +8610-8532 5293 shanghai Room 2553, The Headquarters Building, No.168 Central XiZhang Road, Shanghai 200001, China • TEL: +8621-5179 8360 | FAX: +8621-5179 8360 Travel Weekly Asia is published on a monthly basis by Northstar Travel Media Singapore Pte Ltd, located at 61 Ubi Avenue 1, #05-17 UB Point, Singapore 408941. All rights reserved. Please address all subscription mail to the above address, Fax +852 3020 5794, or email travelweeklyasia@asia-ad.net. Online Subscription: www.travelweekly-asia.com/subscribe ITB Asia Show Dailies is printer by TiMes PRinTeRs PRiVaTe liMiTeD noRThsTaR TRaVel MeDia (asia) GROUP PUBLISHER irene Chua Tel: (65) 6521 9786 | ichua@travelweekly.com eDiToRial EDITORIAL DIRECTOR yeoh siew hoon Tel: (65) 6521 9736 | syeoh@ntmllc.com EDITOR-AT-LARGE ian Jarrett Tel: (618) 9433 6455 | ian.jarrett@travelweekly.com EDITOR natalie Chen Tel: (65) 6521 9736 | natalie.chen@travelweekly.com TECHNOLOGY EDITOR Corinne wan Tel: (603) 2201 1979 | corinne.wan@travelweekly.com INDIA CORRESPONDENT neelam Mathews | neelam.mathews@gmail.com HONG KONG CORRESPONDENT Catharine nicol | cn@monsterpix.hk INDONESIA CORRESPONDENT James Read | jim_s_read59@hotmail.com Design ART DIRECTOR lim Bee Bee Tel: (65) 67767660 | bb.bbcreative@gmail.com sales & MaRkeTing REGIONAL SALES DIRECTOR katherine ng Tel: (65) 6521 9742 | katherine.ng@travelweekly.com DIGITAL MEDIA MANAGER alex Chen Tel: (65) 6521 9784 | achen@ntmllc.com China oFFiCe GROUP PUBLISHER (China) Rebecca Zhang Tel: (8610) 8532 3611 | rebecca.zhang@ntmllc.com BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR SHANGHAI Jane Zhang Tel: (8621) 5179 8360 | jane.zhang@travelweekly.com BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR BEIJING shawn li Tel: (8610) 8532 3611 | shawn.li@travelweekly.com EDITORIAL DIRECTOR susan li Tel: (8610) 8532 3611 | susan.li@travelweekly.com EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Cindy Cui Tel: (8610) 8532 3611 | cindy.cui@travelweekly.com MeDia RePResenTaTiVes hong kong / MaCaU ZAM International - Manna Ma Tel: (852) 9650 0518 | manna.ma@zamintl.com.hk koRea Young Media Inc - keon Chang Tel: (822) 2273 4833 | ymedia@chol.com inDia MHI Communications - smriti khanna Tel: (9198) 1040 7483 | skhanna@mhi.com.hk MiDDleeasT The MediaVantage - lenora Bennis Tel: (971) 4425 3300 | lenora@themediavantage.com aUDienCe DeVeloPMenT AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR - ASIA Patti Mo | patti.mo@travelweekly.com DATABASE & FULFILLMENT MANAGER Zoe Chu | zoe.chu@travelweekly.com FinanCe ASIA FINANCE MANAGER nicole yong | nyong@ntmllc.com CHAIRMAN AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Thomas l. kemp CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER lisa Cohen PRESIDENT, TRAVEL GROUP Robert g. sullivan EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, DIGITAL MEDIA Thomas Cintorino SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, EDITORIAL DIRECTOR arnie weissmann SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, HUMAN RESOURCES Janine l. Bavoso VICE PRESIDENT, MARKETING SOLUTIONS Michelle Rosenberg VICE PRESIDENT, PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT AND PRODUCTION Roberta Muller VICE PRESIDENT, CONTENT LICENSING sheila Rice VICE PRESIDENT, IT INFRASTRUCTURE AND OPERATIONS Rich Mastropietro VICE PRESIDENT, DATABASE PRODUCTS elizabeth koesser I was having lunch with a hotelier recently when our conversation turned to social media and tools such as Local Measure which allows businesses like hotels to pick up location-based chatter among guests. The idea is then to surprise customers with something unexpected or to pre-empt complaints. "Why would I need that?" he said. "I am out in the lobby watching guests and I can see what they're doing." He's one of those old- fashioned general managers who believe in standing in lobbies and greeting guests personally. And no, he's not in his dotage, he's in his early 40s. He's young enough to get technology and old enough to remember why he became a hotelier. Of course, he doesn't dismiss the whole notion of customer reviews and he knows how important they are now in influencing customer decisions and the rates they pay. He worries that tools that pick up instant, local conversations will give "unreasonable" customers another outlet to complain with the expectation of getting something in return. "Whether we like it or not, there are unreasonable customers. I have a friend who complains about everything because he knows he will always get something in return because businesses just want him off their backs." Anyway, back to hotels – sorry had to let off steam there – I went to check out the new Hotel Jen Orchard Gateway and I like the little touches this new brand under the Shangri-La Hotels group has introduced to appeal to a new "jeneration" of guests. In the lobby is a giant iPad-like screen called Monscierge which allows you to post photos of the hotel directly on your social networks. It also acts as a local concierge giving you information on where to eat and what to do. For those in a hurry, there's a To-Go breakfast counter for those grab items. There are "Power Me Up" charging stations for those devices that constantly need powering up. No mini-bar in rooms, there's a vending machine on every floor. For $40 more, all guests can have access to the Club Lounge. The swimming pools (there are three) on the roof are the best selling point of the 502- room hotel though. Let's just say it has "Brag Plus Factor" and I predict it will become the most Instagrammed location in Singapore. And if the hotel implements Local Measure, well, then the general manager will be very busy "surprising" guests at the rooftop bar because you know what, the kind of customers Jen is going for, you can bet they will be highly social and they will all want to brag about being there. Quick, let me take a selfie with a martini in hand … maybe I'll get a free lychee-infused vodka martini if I tell them that's my favourite drink. SOCIAL MEDIA AS WHINGE OUTLETS AND THE POOL WITH BRAG PLUS FACTOR talking point Pool with a view yeoh siew hoon is a traveller who loves to write and a writer who loves to travel. She's combined her two loves into a career in travel journalism that has seen her launch several travel industry titles and conferences, including WIT. She loves the change and discovery that comes with travel and the business.

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