Northstar

TRAVEL WEEKLY ASIA O F F I C I A L D A I L I E S www.travelweekly-asia.com 12 27 October 2017 S outh Korea's largest hotel chain, Lotte Hotels & Resorts, has been steadily expanding its footprint beyond its home country with the launch of its first properties in Myanmar and Japan, as well as the opening of a second hotel in Russia. In September, Lotte Hotel Yangon opened with 343 guest rooms and 315 serviced apartments, making it the largest while the upcoming Lotte Arai Resort in Niigata is a ski resort on the slopes of Mount Ohgenashi with 250 rooms, extensive spa and onsen facilities, and a variety of restaurants and retail stores. The group opened its first overseas property, the Lotte Hotel Moscow, in 2010, and followed with the Lotte Hotel St. Petersburg in July this year. To date, it has nine hotels overseas, including a Lotte New York Palace in North America, and 18 hotels in South Korea. In April, the company launched its first luxury property, the 235-room Signiel Seoul, at Lotte World Tower. Another new property in Gangnam under the lifestyle-oriented L7 brand is set to open in December 2017, taking the company closer to its goal to operate 40 chain hotels by 2018. LOTTE HOTELS & RESORTS GROWS ITS GLOBAL PRESENCE Marriott Manila wants MICE Technology continues to change the hotel industry landscape, and for Marriott Hotel Manila, this means adapting quickly. "We are now in the millennial generation. Travellers are more tech- savvy, looking for quick and easy services," said Michelle Garcia, cluster director for marketing communications, Marriott Hotel Manila & Courtyard by Marriott Hotel Iloilo. "We quickly adapted to the digital trend," she said, coming up with e-services such as mobile check-in, an online meeting planning guide; utilising social media; and creating web portals for dining, meetings or weddings. "Our constant expansion is also a response to the changes. We now have 10 dining outlets, 40 meeting spaces, personalised packages, and multiple room categories including three presidential suites," she said. Garcia added that the hotel sees growth from local and foreign markets, with local weddings and social events increasing every year. Marriott Hotel Manila is also positioning itself to be a MICE leader. "Looking ahead, we are pursuing global leadership in the MICE and business hotel category because of the huge potential out there," said Garcia. With its prime location just across the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3, the hotel enjoys a key advantage. Demand for upper upscale and luxury hotel segments in Thailand remains strong, with Marriott Hotels & Resorts, Thailand seeing a shift in repeat visitors moving towards higher classes of hotels as a result of maturing societies, according to Gerd Kotlorz, area director of sales & distribution Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia. "Thailand, and particularly Bangkok, is well known as a destination providing affordable luxury in all facets. We expect a consistent demand for the luxury hotel segment which strongly ties into Tourism Authority of Thailand's marketing activities," added Kotlorz. With Bangkok taking the no. 1 spot in the Mastercard Asia Pacific Destinations Index 2017, Thailand is on track to attract the targeted quality visitors. Arrivals of 20.41 million in the first seven months this year generated a 4.5% increase over the same period last year, according Gerd Kotlorz, area director of sales & distribution Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia. THAILAND VISITORS GO FOR LUXURY to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. "Chinese tourists are also expected to continue to boost Thai tourism receipts, so Thailand continues to be a key market for us. We've also been increasing our presence in the luxury brand space in the country – we have opened properties across the brands of JW Marriott, Ritz-Carlton and W Hotels. The opening of the first luxury boutique EDITION is also scheduled for 2018," shared Kotlorz. Domestic Philippine travel fills hotel inventory Millennial spending and the popularity of staycations are sustaining hotel occupancy in Philippines – the Metro Manila in particular – according to a quarterly report by global real estate services firm Colliers International. This applies particularly to three- and four- star hotels. This demand, in turn, is fueling hotel development in key urban areas. Brands like Seda Hotels of Ayala Land Hotels and Resorts and Hotel 101 of Double Dragon Properties are in the midst of a building spree: Seda opened two new hotels this year with three more to follow next year while Hotel 101 will start construction on the biggest hotel in Mindanao in Southern Philippines. Colliers also noted that some hotel developers are addressing this increasing demand by building properties in strategic locations across Metro Manila. It cited Ayala Land, for instance, opening Seda hotels within its integrated townships. Erawan Group PLC also reported that it would build up to 15 budget hotels in the Philippines in the next five years. The group said it is targeting the growing domestic market in the country. The Department of Tourism (DOT) reported that the volume of domestic travellers hit 67.81 million in 2015. The agency is projecting 73.3 million domestic travellers this year. Lotte Hotel St Petersburg A bullish economy is fuelling the drive of Seda Hotels to be the biggest local hotel chain in the Philippines. With 1,255 rooms in its portfolio, and another 2,245 rooms to open from this year until 2019, the chain shows no signs of slowing down. "As long as the Philippines continues to be a viable option, outlook for inbound business travel is positive. And domestic tourism also increases with a strong economy," says Melissa Carlos, group director of sales and marketing. High demand and a positive market response to the brand —owned by the 183-year-old conglomerate Ayala Corp — has put Seda Hotels front and centre of the Philippines' hotel industry. It has Melissa Carlos, Group DOSM, Seda Hotels SEDA LEADS CHARGE TO MEET HIGH DEMAND already ventured into large-format hotels with the 438-room Seda Vertis North, and into resorts with its Seda Lio in El Nido, Palawan. But what will sustain growth will still be issues that have weighed down on the Philippines for the past years: "Good infrastructure helps ease the conduct of business. Then there is this perennial unfavourable impression about the Philippines as an unsafe destination, simply because of lack of information. We have to make a more conscious effort to counter this way of thinking," Carlos says. NEWS BY BING J JALECO, ESTHER FAITH LEW AND BROOKE THIO

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