As part of its continuing marketing efforts and to promote the destinations where its operations are located as well as to market its portfolio of hotels, Dorsett Hospitality International played host to a group of UK press.
Royal Resorts, Asia's leading holiday ownership company owned by Karma Royal Group, is being revamped with a fresh new look after experiencing fast growth in three key destinations: Indonesia, primarily on the holiday island of Bali as well as in India and Thailand. The brand, renowned for its family-friendly, value-driven approach to hospitality, primarily offering tastefully furnished and well-appointed apartments in the world's most popular holiday destinations via an exclusive holiday membership programme, continues to win industry accolades whilst making its maiden foray into Europe recently by introducing the Royal Villea Village on the Greek holiday island of Crete.
TripAdvisor, the world's largest travel site*, in partnership with the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) and E-Tourism Frontiers announced today the launch of a new initiative to improve the way destinations use digital tools and content created by travellers. Known as DATA (Destination Academy with TripAdvisor), these regional events will bring together invited destinations to discuss the growing importance of digital platforms, tools and user-generated content in travel planning. With more and more consumers relying on content from 'fellow travellers' to plan their trips, it is vital for destinations to understand how this can be incorporated into their marketing strategies. DATA events will include training sessions, guided discussions, best digital practices, as well as analysis and trends from TripAdvisor.
In Asia, where consumer trends are continuously shifting the way online travel brands build and market their product offerings, there is everything to play for. With votes now in from a recent EyeforTravel survey, which asked senior travel executives to share what they see as emerging opportunities in APAC, we outline five not-to -be-missed online marketing trends in travel right now.
Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) today announced that its online travel business, Taobao Travel (trip.taobao.com) will become an independent business and brand named "Alitrip" (去啊). Like Taobao Marketplace, Tmall.com and Juhuasuan, "Alitrip" will be another marketplace platform under Alibaba Group with a new independent web domain www.alitrip.com.
Online customer reviews can provide crucial aid to hotel managers in understanding the drivers of customer satisfaction, argue Professor Rob Law of the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and co-authors. In an article published recently, the researchers examine the content of online hotel reviews, identify the hotel features to which customers attach most importance, and highlight those features with which customers are most and least satisfied. The analysis, suggest the researchers, reveals a number of areas that hotel managers may wish to consider in the drive to "improve their hotels and satisfy more customers".
The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) Asia Pacific's 10th Annual AsiaConnect Conference was held in Singapore on September 3, 2014 at the Marina Bay Sands Expo & Conference Center. At the conference, two panels discussed how technology is impacting the role of the Sales Manager, and that of the Revenue Manager in hotels.
HSMAI's 10th Annual AsiaConnect Conference was held in Singapore on September 3, 2014. Ani Bhalekar, mobility solutions expert at Accenture Digital who delivered a keynote on 'Tapping the Growth of the Mobility Marketplace' to help hospitality professionals stay ahead of the curve and be profitable. He walked delegates through the following journey.
Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore has become the first hotel in Singapore to engage with guests in Asia via WeChat, the world's fastest growing social application that changed the way people connect and communicate with each other. To celebrate this new partnership, the hotel has launched a "Share and Win" campaign to encourage users to share the news of this initiative.
Supranational Hotels, one of the world's largest hotel companies and leading provider of hotel distribution technologies, is actively targeting emerging markets to expand its current 700 strong portfolio of 3, 4 and 5 star hotels. The group is looking to build its portfolio of destinations within South America, India and Japan where business and leisure travel continues to grow.
Leading up to the second Digital Innovation Asia Awards, DIA is recognizing the most innovative, creative, and performance-driven e-tourism initiatives in Asia. These awards were created in recognition of the growth and marketing power of Social Media and Mobile, adding a unique spin to the Awards competition as a whole. In addition to showcasing great mobile apps, campaigns, and innovations, as well as social media efforts in China, DIA also awards bloggers for great story-telling with the Blogger Matchup Award. The Digital Aid Award recognizes the most socially responsible digital initiative in an effort to drive sustainable tourism practices by leveraging digital, social, and mobile. For the first time this year, we are honoring the Top 5 Digital Innovators in Asia.
The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) Asia Pacific's 10th Annual AsiaConnect Conference will be held in Singapore on September 3, 2014 at the Marina Bay Sands Expo & Conference Center.
Fresh, friendly and fuss-free. That's the genre of Hotel Jen, the new brand revealed today by Hong Kong-based Shangri-La International Hotel Management Ltd. Catering to a new 'Jeneration' of independently minded business and leisure travellers, the brand will launch quickly with ten Hotel Jens opening in major cities in Asia Pacific by March 2015.
Convention attendees value opportunities for education and social networking more highly than features relating to the convention site itself, according to Dr Jinsoo Lee of the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and a co-author. In a recently published article, the researchers identify the sensitivity of attendees to a multidimensional conceptualisation of value. The ultimate objective, they note, is to provide suggestions for convention planners on how best to cultivate attendees who are sensitive to not only functional value but also emotional and social value, thus generating loyalty and additional profit.
AsiaConnect, HSMAI Asia Pacific's annual learning and networking event for hospitality sales, marketing and revenue management professionals will focus on the dynamics of 'The New Sales Professional', Game Changing Consumer Trends, Real-time Marketing Solutions and Digital Customer Engagement.
Nine families with kids aged between three and nine were invited to join a fun-filled "Treasure Hunt - Family FUN" event organised by Cosmopolitan Hotel Hong Kong on July 20. This exciting yet enlightening 'kids Amazing Race' was held in line with the launch of the hotel's Beyond Thoughtful - Family & Us campaign, in which during the event, parents and kids were able to experience firsthand the incredibly warm service and a series of newly introduced kid-friendly rooms and amenities specially designed with kids' needs in mind.
Purposes for meetings and gatherings are becoming bolder, more defined and necessary than ever as we are all faced with new challenges, new destinations, higher expectations, and greater competition all in all to succeed. Embracing this enduring and dynamic industry and city for the future of business, JW Marriott Hotel Bangkok is ecstatic to announce an exciting transformation of its grand ballroom and function spaces. The new ballroom will introduce a new sophisticated look and dynamic feel aiming to be a compelling venue, for business meetings and social functions to be taken to the next level. A complete radical modification of the ballroom enhances the aspirations of the urban achiever and shape Bangkok's MICE Venue for Thailand's next chapter.
The Priceline Group Inc. (NASDAQ: PCLN) andCtrip.com International, Ltd. (NASDAQ: CTRP) today announced that the two companies have expanded an existing commercial agreement to strengthen their global partnership. In addition,The Priceline Group agreed to invest$500 million through a convertible bond and Ctrip has grantedThe Priceline Group permission to acquire Ctrip shares in the open market over the next twelve months, so that combined with shares convertible under the bond,The Priceline Group may hold up to 10% of Ctrip's outstanding shares. Upon purchase of the convertible bond,The Priceline Group will acquire the right to appoint an observer to the Ctrip board of directors.
The School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) today released a report on the PolyU Tourist Satisfaction Index (PolyU TSI) and the Tourism Service Quality Index (PolyU TSQI), presenting the PolyU TSI for Hong Kong from 2009 to 2013 and the PolyU TSQI from 2012 to 2013.
Virtual worlds are ideal places for co-branding case studies, write Dr Basak Denizci Guillet of the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and a co-author in a published research paper. The researchers chose the popular online space Second Life to investigate the co-branding preferences of a diverse range of participants in a hotel environment, something that would have been prohibitively expensive and time consuming in the real world. Their immersive approach could not only help hotels to gain competitive advantage through determining an optimal co-branding mix, but should also provide a model for future hospitality research.