Northstar

NEWS www.travelweeklyweb.com Accor's 500th hotel Accor Pullman Gurgaon Central Park's furnishings: • Divisible ballroom with a dramatic 26-feet ceiling height and area of 4,207 square feet opening into well landscaped lawns with an exclusive wedding paviliion • Complimentary Wi-Fi internet access with speed up to eight MBPS for all meeting delegates • Two deluxe boardrooms for 14 persons each with 62-inch LCD TV and tele- conferencing facility • Three boardrooms for ten persons each with 46-inch LCD TV INDIA – The opening of the Pullman Gurgaon Central Park marks Accor's 500th hotel in the region. Ideally located in the corporate satellite city of New Delhi, the Pullman Gurgaon Central Park features 285 rooms with innovative services that are in line with the group's objectives; calm convivial and connectivity. Also suitable for MICE incentives, Pullman Gurgaon Central Park has nine conference rooms across three levels, with over 17,000 square feet of meeting spaces and connectivity solutions throughout its property. Given a choice of indoor or outdoor venues, meetings and conferences can be done differently at one's preferred location. "The Asia-Pacific region today is one of Accor's strongest areas of focus, as is evidenced by our rapid pace of expansion in recent years," says Michael Issenberg, chief operating offi cer, Accor Asia Pacifi c. "Since we commenced operations in the region in 1982, Accor's network has grown from one hotel in Singapore to 500 hotels in 16 countries today. Two years ago we celebrated our 400th hotel in the region and the rate of expansion since has accelerated signifi cantly as we are on track to open 100 hotels within 2012 in Asia Pacifi c alone," he added. With almost 95,000 rooms in 16 countries, Accor is the market leader in Australia, Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam. The Group has embarked on an ambitious programme of Abacus and Scoot ink the deal SINGAPORE – Abacus Interna- tional signs a multi-year deal with Scoot, Singapore's latest no-frills, low cost subsidiary airline for me- dium and long-haul routes. This means that all Abacus- connected travel agents across Asia Pacifi c will have full access to Scoot's fares and inventory come July 2012 onwards. The carrier launched its maiden flight from Singapore to Sydney on June 4, 2012. "We are confi dent in offering Scoot a distribution solution that will cater to its requirement in meeting the increasing demand for low-fare travel and honoured to provide the most effective plat- www.travelweeklyweb.com form to support Scoot's growth during this very exciting time. Our highly productive agency net- work across Asia Pacifi c is looking forward to drive sales on Scoot," said Ho Hoong Mau, division head of airline distribution at Abacus International. "Scoot is pleased to enter this partnership with Abacus," said Campbell Wilson, chief execu- tive officer, Scoot. "With their strength and expertise in the Asian market, we believe that Ab- acus will provide us with the nec- essary tools, reach and impetus to drive growth and penetration throughout Asia Pacific," added Wilson. • All boardrooms equipped with ergonomic chairs, integrated media hub, Nespresso coffee machine, large storage spaces mostly with natural light • Innovative chill out lounge and connectivity lounge • Large pre-function spaces with an exclusive glass partition called the "Privilege Lounge" – an ideal area to give personalised attention to VIP delegates • Unique open air deck of 2,225 square feet with an exclusive external glass lift access offering expansive Gurgaon views expansion in Asia Pacifi c, and aims to operate over 700 hotels by 2015, with a focus on emerging markets and mature markets where the group is already a leader. In India alone, Accor expects to operate 23 hotels by year's end, with a goal of 90 hotels by 2015. Ho Hoong Mau, division head, airline distribution, Abacus International with Campbell Wilson, chief executive offi cer, Scoot Scoot will operate a fleet of four Boeing 777-200 aircraft and plans to expand operations to other Asian countries. It joins over 17 other low cost carriers / hybrid carriers in the region that are using Abacus as a distribution channel. Singapore-based Abacus, services more than 20,000 travel agency locations in 29 markets. 05 JUNE 2012 | TRAVELWEEKLY ASIA ■ | 3

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