External Articles

Hanoi's best boutique hotels | cnn.com

Hanoi might be famous for its impenetrable walls of Vespas, but the city isn't quite as chaotic as it's chalked up to be. Wandering about the capital of Vietnam, travelers expecting a wild urban adventure might be pleasantly surprised to also find quiet, leafy streets and hidden coffee shops. One of the most charming aspects of the city is the plethora of restored neoclassical and Gothic architecture -- a holdover from the city's stint as a French colony from 1883 to 1954. It's easy to romanticize the era, given the beautiful remains, but it's worth remembering that this was a difficult time for Hanoi, afflicted with opium addictions and oppression. Despite the turbulent history, the resulting architecture is worth admiring. One way to experience it is with a stay at one of the city's many boutique hotels. Located in Hanoi's Old Quarter -- a network of 36 streets, organized by trade -- these quaint addresses combine modern amenities with historic atmosphere for an authentic homebase while exploring the city. Here are eight of the best:

Chinese Tourists Are Hot Topic In Southeast Asia | tourism-review.com

Chinese tourists travel all over the world in massive numbers. In the first half of 2017, they were ranked number one for most outbound trips, with 62 million trips. This was reported by the China National Tourism Administration and it is one of the reasons, why so many countries are fighting for recognition by the Chinese. Southeast Asian countries are also looking to attract Chinese tourists. In 2016, more than 30 million trips were made between China and Southeast Asian countries. During this year’s National Day holiday, approximately 700 million trips were made. According to the China Tourism Academy, Southeast Asian countries were top destinations during the holiday.

Could North Korea's 'Hotel of Doom' finally be about to open? | telegraph.co.uk

It could be yet another false dawn, but it appears that - after 30 years of gathering dust - North Korea’s so-called "Hotel of Doom" might be nearing completion.

The imposing pyramid structure has loomed over the nation’s capital, Pyongyang, for three decades, but construction has stalled time and time again, leaving the building merely an expensive shell.

However, new satellite images appear to show work has restarted on the 3,000-room, 105-storey establishment officially known as the Ryugyong Hotel, with cranes and building trucks milling around its base.

Australian hotel group Mantra rolls out the carpet for Accor's $920 million bid | reuters.com

Mantra Group Ltd (MTR.AX) on Thursday agreed to a A$1.18 billion ($920 million) buyout from French hotel company Accor SA (ACCP.PA), a deal which will create the biggest hotel group in Australia where tourism is rising sharply.

Accor in $920 million Mantra bid as Australia tourist boom stokes hotel demand - reuters.com

rance’s Accor SA has bid A$1.18 billion ($920 million) for Mantra Group Ltd - a deal that would combine the two biggest hotel owners in Australia and seek to capitalize on surging tourism in the country.

Accor, already the biggest hotelier in Australia, offered A$3.96 a share, or a 23 percent premium to Mantra’s closing price on Friday. The total offer is worth A$4.02 per share if a six-cent final dividend paid in 2017 is included, Mantra said in a statement.

Chinese Tourists Expected To Help EU Economy | tourism-review.com

HOME Weekly Travel News CHINESE TOURISTS EXPECTED TO HELP EU ECONOMY CHINESE TOURISTS EXPECTED TO HELP EU ECONOMY Cecilia Garland - Oct 2, 2017 0 Asia & Pacific - China - Travel & Tourism Industry News Tourism statistic, travel statistic news CHINESE TOURISTS EXPECTED TO HELP EU ECONOMY Europe as a continent relies greatly on tourism. It is estimated that 10 percent of the economy of the EU accounts to this industry. EU leaders are now looking to improve the situation by bringing in more Chinese tourists to the continent. According to the President of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani, the Asian market is set to be the driving force of European tourism in the coming years. The Italian politician also stated that tourism outflow and inflow will increase to 700 million by the year 2020. This would be a big increase, considering the fact that last year the figures reached 500 million.

Introducing AURA, the room service robot | cnn.com

What's your favorite hotel perk: Is it the swanky gym, the fluffy pillows, the opulent spa? Or maybe it's the simple but luxurious treat that is room service. After all, once you've ordered an indulgent breakfast in bed, it's hard to go back to making it yourself. One hotel in Singapore is taking room service to a new level thanks to AURA, the room service robot. AURA works in the M Social Hotel in Singapore -- a lifestyle hotel designed with the business-traveling millennial in mind.

Tokyo To Turn Cruise Ships Into Hotels During 2020 Olympics | tourism-review.com

Japan authorities reported on their plans to use their cruise ships as hotels during the much-awaited 2020 Summer Olympics. According to governmental sources cited by Japan News, the Japanese government is currently progressing well in their goal to make cruise ships function as hotels. This innovation is planned for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo. As of now, Japanese laws do not allow cruise ships to moor for more than 15 days. The only exception was the Queen Elizabeth 2 liner, which could accommodate more than 1,500 people. It stayed for 65 days during the Exotic Showcase in Yokohama in 1989.

Hotel Jen , Beijing, China - wallpaper.com

The Shangri-La group’s diffusion arm, Hotel Jen, continues its expansion with the opening of its tenth property in the Guomao neighbourhood of Beijing’s central business district. Occupying the first 22 floors of China World’s Tower B, the hotel has, perhaps, the strongest Millennial footprint of the bunch, featuring a host of desirable perks such as a dedicated co-working space and a gastropub with its own brewery – the only such restaurant in the area.

Airbnb is doubling down on China | techcrunch.com

Uber may have become the latest in a long line of Western tech firms to have failed in China, but fellow gig economy darling Airbnb is determined to succeed in the Middle Kingdom.

Today, the company announced a new brand for its China-based business and the local launch of Trips, its travel services feature. Beyond those launches, the firm pledged to increase its local presence via plans to triple its headcount in China and double its investment in the country.

AccorHotels appoints first Indigenous General Manager in Australia | hotelmanagement.com.au

Coinciding with International Women’s Day (8 March), AccorHotels has announced it has appointed its first ever Indigenous General Manager, Kristy Stanton, who has become GM of ibis Budget Sydney Olympic Park. Officially announced at a special Elders breakfast at Harbour Rocks Hotel, MGallery by Sofitel, the appointment of Kristy also marks a milestone for AccorHotels Indigenous Employment Program, which reached over 500 employees nationally at the end of 2016.

Chinese New Year: Travel Trends To Look Out For In 2017 | forbes.com

While bookings to Europe are on the rise, Asian destinations are still getting the biggest share when it comes to Chinese New Year travel.

Leading Chinese online travel portal Ctrip reports that all but one of the top 10 overseas destinations for Chinese tourists are in Asia-Pacific with Thailand being most popular and Japan coming second. The U.S. lands the third spot followed by Singapore, Australia, Malaysia, South Korea, Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam.

Boutique Hotels Bet on China Even as Nation’s Glut of Rooms Worsens | wsj.com

Companies wager on demand for flashier lodgings that offer distinctive experiences. The boutique-hotel trend, which took the lodging industry by storm in the U.S. and Europe starting in the late 1990s, is beginning to gain traction in China.

Top 5 Marketing Strategies To Win Over Chinese Travelers | tourism-review.com

Tourists from China are becoming a group increasingly targeted by tourism organizations and travel companies all around the world. The truth is that a lot of them are traveling and they spend a lot. Moreover, the potential is perhaps even much bigger. European and American companies have been analyzing strategies to reveal the full potential of China and who knows, perhaps soon the majority of worldwide tourists will be Chinese. Tourism-Review.com introduces TOP 5 Marketing Strategies to Win Over Chinese Travelers.

Karl Lagerfeld to open hotel chain | theguardian.com

Karl Lagerfeld announced on Monday that he plans to launch his own branded hotel chain, with the first to open in the Chinese gambling hub of Macau in 2018.

Karl Lagerfeld announces plans for Macau hotel Read more His first hotel is being built with a local partner in the luxury Lisboa Palace Complex in Macau but the Lagerfeld group is “in the process of studying other opportunities to open other properties around the world,” it said in a statement.

An Exclusive Look At Airbnb's First Foray Into Urban Planning | fastcompany.com

Airbnb announces a brand-new innovation lab called Samara, whose first project is a novel community center in Japan. Two years ago, the founders of Airbnb were asking themselves what the company could become, now that its vision of becoming the world's largest home-share community had come true beyond their wildest expectations. That’s when they happened across a list of the top 10 tech companies of the 1990s. They were stunned—and scared. Nine of those once-hot companies were now floundering or dead, and they had all done everything right. But by simply focusing on their core businesses, each of those startups had allowed competitors to copy them. Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia, and Nathan Blecharczyk realized that if they weren’t thinking of what else their business might become, Airbnb would eventually become a dowdy has-been.

Lone China Hotel Stock Seeing Gains Ducks Extravagance Purge | bloomberg.com

President Xi Jinping’s crackdown on fancy feasts and penthouse suites has decimated China’s hospitality industry, with a notable exception. China Lodging Group Ltd. is the only Chinese hotelier to have gained in 2016. The Shanghai-based hotel operator has risen 23 percent to $38.43 so far this year, making it the fifth-strongest performer within the Bloomberg-China Index, which tracks Chinese stocks traded in the U.S. After taking leadership of the Communist Party at the end of 2012, Xi banned official extravagance as part of an effort to stamp out widespread corruption. Lavish spending on anything from showy cars to luxury hotel rooms was out, with far-reaching consequences to caterers, entertainment and lodging businesses not to mention alcohol giant Remy Cointreau SA. Intensifying that effect has been slowing economic growth, which hovered at a seven-year low in the first half of 2016.