ahct sept 09

asian hotel& Catering times

Published since 1976 Vol 34 september 2009

hong Kong sAR hK$50 china RMb50singapore s$15 Malaysia RM30 Thailand bt300 Rest of Asia us$10

GLOBAL REACHExpanding Asian brands

RESORTING TO REVENUEMacau properties balance

gambling declines

LOCKING IN DATAKeycard security solutions

SHY MALAYSIA INVESTORSPenang, Klang keep positive outlook

Mischa Moselle

AsiAn Hotel & CAtering tiMes is publisHed MontHly by tHoMson press Hong Kong ltd (tpHK)

The opinions expressed in Asian Hotel & Catering Times do not necessarily represent the views of the publisher or the publication. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information contained in this publication, no responsibility can be accepted by the publisher, editors and staff, agents and contributors for omissions, typographical or printers errors, inaccuracies or changes howsoever caused. The editors reserve the right to edit any material submitted at their discretion. All materials published remain the property of TPHK. Reproduction without permission by any means is strictly prohibited. Correspondence should be addressed to The Editor, Asian Hotel & Catering Times, Room 1205-6, 12/F, Hollywood Centre, 233 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong. Tel: (852) 2815 9111 Fax: (852) 2851 1933. Fantasy Print, Unit B 8/F, Tin Fung Industial Mansion, 63 Wong Chuk Hang Road, Hong Kong

All rights reserved (c) 2009Thomson Press Hong Kong Ltd

Welcome to September’s insightful issue of the hospitality industry’s favourite read.

At a time when few of the markets across the globe are thriving, the idea that Asian brands need to transform themselves into global chains might seem a little ambitious. Yet one industry veteran tells us that if Asian brands do not do just that they will never truly become global players.

Giovanni Angelini has given 48 years of his life to hospitality and can speak with a certain authority on the subject. His advice is to think globally and act regionally. Angelini

Hong Kong Hotels AssociAtion

Hong Kong cHefs AssociAtion

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tHe federAtion of Hong Kong Hotel owners

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AssociAtion of internAtionAl

Hoteliers sHAngHAi

singAporecHefs AssociAtion

Hong Kong BAKery & confectionery

AssociAtion

singAporeHotel AssociAtion

Hong Kong BArtenders AssociAtion

Hong Kong MAitre d’Hotel AssociAtion

sHAngHAi cHefs AssociAtion

MyAnMAr cHefsAssociAtion

MAlAysiAn AssociAtionof Hotels

MAcAu HotelAssociAtion

cluB MAnAgers AssociAtionHong Kong

HONG KONGThomson Press Hong Kong Limited/Media Transasia LimitedRoom 1205-6, 12/F, Hollywood Centre,233 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan, Hong KongTel: +(852) 2851 7068, 2815 9111 Fax: +(852) 2851 1933, 2581 9531Email: [email protected]: Mr Mischa Moselle

AUSTRALIAMass Media PublicitasLevel 9, 215-217 Clarence Street Sydney NSW 2000 Australia Tel: + 61 2 9252 3476 Fax: +61 2 9251 3726 Email: [email protected]: Mr Charlton D’Silva

INDIAMedia Transasia (India) LtdK-35 Green Park, New Delhi-110016Tel: +91 (0) 11 26862687 / 6868775 Fax: +91 (0) 11 26867641Email: [email protected]: Mr. Xavier Collaco

Media Transasia (India) Ltd1, A & B, Diamond House, 35th Road,Linking Road, Bandra West, Mumbai - 400 050 Tel: 91 22 26053702-06 Fax: 91 22 26053702-06Email: [email protected]: Mr. Xavier Collaco

THAILANDMedia Transasia Thailand Ltd14/F, Ocean Tower II, 75/10 Soi Wattana,Sukhumvit Soi 21, Asoke Road, Klongtoey,Prakanong, Bangkok 10110, ThailandTel: +66 2 204 2370 Fax: +66 2 204 2391Email: [email protected]: Mr Gaurav Kumar

UNITED KINGDOMThe Powers Turner GroupGordon House, Greencoat PlaceLondon SW1P 1PH, United KingdomTel: +44 (0) 20 7592 8300 Fax: +44 (0) 20 7592 8301Contact: Mr Chris Morgan

USARiverside Media159 Main Street, 2nd Floor, Lake Placid,NY 12946, USATel: +1 518 523 4794 Fax: +1 518 523 4708Email: [email protected]: Ms Christina Eccleston

Marston Webb International60 Madison Avenue, Suite 1011,New York, NY 10010, USATel: +1 212 684 6601 Fax: +1 212 725 4708Telex: (023) 420773 BRANINTContact: Ms Madlene Olson

ITALYEdiconsult Internazionale s.r.l.Piazza Fontane Marose, 3-16123 GenovaTel: +39 010 583684 Fax: +39 010 566578Email: [email protected]: Mr Vittorio Negrone

JAPANEcho Japan CorporationGrande Maison Rm 303, 2-2 Kudan-kita 1-chome, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0073Tel: +81 3 3234 2064 Fax: +81 3 3263 5065Email: [email protected]: Mr Ted Asoshina

MALAYSIAPublicitas International Sdn Bhd.S 105, 2nd Floor, CentrepointLebuh Bandar Utama, Bandar Utama47800 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.Tel : 603 7729 6923Fax : 603 7729 7115 Email: [email protected]: Ms Shallie Cheng

gives our readers a 14-point action plan for making the leap from regional respect to global visibility.

If that seems like a gamble, perhaps it is less of a one than the investment in Integrated Resorts of the past few years. As properties find their revenue from gambling diminishing, they are having to up their game with the rest of their product to ensure their offering remains competitive.

Some hotels in Malaysia are taking advantage of a quiet year to upgrade their facilities. At a time of disappointing tourist arrival numbers (some of which are disputed),

MANAGING EDITORMischa Moselle

[email protected]

DESIGN BYKoon Ming Tang

[email protected]

CONTRIBUTORSZara Horner

Muuniandy JegathesanChristina Kautzky

Anneliese O’YoungDebbie Reyes-Coloma

Glen WatsonRuth Williams

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHERSharon Knowler

[email protected]

ADVERTISING SALES MANAGERClaire Sancelot

clair [email protected]

CIRCULATION ExECUTIVEBecky Chau

[email protected]

CHAIRMANJS Uberoi

DIRECTORGaurav Kumar

endorseMents

investment in the industry has also been dropping. A pick-up is expected for next year though.

If resurgent growth in China and the end of technical recessions in some major European countries as well as Japan and Hong Kong has any meaning, let’s hope that it is a pick-up that is generalised across Asia.

La San Marco S.p.A. Via Padre e Figlio Venuti, 10 • 34072 Gradisca d’Isonzo (GO) Italy • Tel. +39 0481 967111 • Fax +39 0481 960166 • www.lasanmarco.com • [email protected]

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E d i t o r ’ s M E s s a g E

september 2009 AHCT �

MANAGEMENT12 Globalising Asian brands14 Making up for gambling losses

MARKET REPORT18 Pinpointing Malaysia’s successes

TECHNOLOGY22 Intelligent keycards safeguard data

DESIGN26 Lobbying for the right look

FOOD32 Clawing at the crab top table

NEWS CULINARY28 Escoffier training; New menus and

promotions; Mid-Autumn festival; Guest chefs

INDUSTRY6 Doing it tough in Thailand; So far so

Sofitel; Amazing email & Online accuracy

PRODUCT38 Light curves; Intuitive interfaces;

Recharge; Wi-Fi

DRINK36 Water – sales and ethics seem to clash

EQUIPMENT40 Bakery ovens that work for you 44 Laundering possibilities

48 EVENTS CALENDAR 49 Food & Hotel Vietnam previewed50 Hotel Expo Macau previewed51 Texcare Asia previewed52 Wine & Gourmet Asia previewed

APPOINTMENTS56 See who is moving where

18cover photography courtesy of shangri-la’s rasa sayang resort & spa, penang

Savvy brands

Malaysia on the rocks?

Bread basket case

� AHCT september 2009 september 2009 AHCT �

UpandComing...October• Spas• Market Report: Macau• Revenue/Yield Management• Spa design• Halal; Meat• Wine• Spa amenities; Tea & Coffee

November• Loyalty programmes• Market Report Hong Kong• In-room entertainment• Bar design• Banqueting• Whisky• Tea & Coffee; Room safes

Alpha International 53 Boncafe 34 & 35 Electrolux Professional OBC FHC Shanghai 17 Friedr.Dick 23 Global Search International 15 HICAP 54 HIFI 57 HK Wine and Spirits 31 IHM&RS 55 Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies 19 IPSO 45 La San Marco IFC LRT 9 Lutron IBC Manitowoc Foodservice 7 Monin 29 Mundial 33 Pacific Valley Foods 11 Saflok/ Illco 25 Salva 43

Advert isers’ index

CONTENTSVolume 34 september 2009

12

40

Only connectHotel internet marketing company, Vizergy has introduced an interface that allows independent hoteliers to connect from their central reservation system (CRS) directly to online travel company, Expedia. Whereas hoteliers had previously to log into different systems to cover such things as distribution of inventory, rates and restrictions, and last room availability, now the process falls into one grouping. Vizergy says clients are always looking for new ways to automate and simplify the distribution of inventory, and this tool offers just that, “giving them a competitive edge in

today’s ever-changing market place.” Experian CheetahMail, a global provider

of email marketing and customer intelligence technologies, has been selected by Sands Macao and The Venetian Macao-Resort-Hotel to increase the relevancy and success of their permission-based email marketing campaigns. The programme helps to manage credit risk, prevent fraud, target marketing offers and automate decision-making. Designed to achieve the highest return from each email campaign and to increase customer loyalty, Experian CheetahMail is a “robust” marketing and analysis tool, which both establishments hope will optimise email programmes in terms of open and click-through rates.

Sofitel highlightsThe renowned SofitelMetropoleHanoi, Vietnam is the first in the French hotel group’s portfolio to be branded under the new signature brand “Legend”.

The 108-year-old, multi award-winning French colonial-style hotel is one of the few remaining hotels of its era in the region. Six more hotels have been earmarked as ‘Legends’, denoting “living heritage” and palace hotels and will be re-branded once extensive renovation programmes are complete.

Elsewhere on the Sofitel radar, the first MICE resort hotel under the new Sofitel Luxury Brand concept, the SofitelShanghaiSheshanHuanghe has been awarded “Shanghai’s Presidential Suite with the Best Luxury Bathroom” and “Shanghai’s Best Executive Club Lounges 2009” by the Hurun Presidential Awards. Opened in March this year, the hotel reached 100 percent occupancy on total inventory of 368 rooms continually for two days in July and is located in Sheshan National Tourism Resort.

Hong Island has long been recognized

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as one of the Andaman Sea’s hidden gems. The award-winning beach is surrounded by limestone cliffs offering a secluded desert island experience. Access to this rarity just got easier as the SofitelKrabiPhokeethraGolfandSpaResortnow whisks people there in just seven minutes by speedboat. The property’s complimentary shuttle boat departs daily at 8:30 and returns at 15:00 with drinking water, beach towels, beach mats, snorkelling equipment and a kayak and butler included. Picnic baskets are available for 500 baht (US$14.65) per person.

SofitelferriesgueststoHongisland

Phuket outlook positive despite

slowdown

They’re doing it tough in Thailand’s largest and most well-known holiday island, Phuket where up to 48 percent of all new hotel developments are experiencing major construction delays, according to hospitality consulting firm C9’s ‘Phuket Hotel Market Update Mid Year’ report.

The hold ups, they say, have been triggered by the global economic downturn, and concerns over Thailand’s political stability. However, plans for new developments continue with 38 properties offering 6,231 rooms at various stages of the process, and ‘non-traditional’ product such as hotel managed villas and condos now representing 34 percent of the upcoming inventory.

According to the research, first half trading for 2009 shows tourist arrivals down 14 percent. However, the report also noted branded hotels’ rates outperformed non-branded properties by 33.7 percent, although

the non-brand sector outperformed the brands on occupancy by 12.4 percent.

“Looking forward, short-term trading will focus on occupancy at the expense of long-term rate strategies,” Phuket-based C9 Managing Director, Bill Barnett noted, adding: “Cash flow is a key underlying consideration in this market with most hospitality assets largely carrying low debt ratios. Defying the trends are the luxury high-end tier properties which operate in a favourable supply and demand segment and budget tier hotels who have captured changing demographics and are experiencing business from price conscious travellers.”

The report concluded that Phuket’s long-term outlook remained positive with brand concentration, growing airlift and infrastructure improvements, though recovery in 2009 has effectively been written off with prospects pushed into 2010.

In the meantime, what’s being hailed as the country’s first world-class luxury marina

community, Thailand’s Royal Phuket Marina has completed its latest development phase. And, bucking the aforementioned trend 12 of the 15 luxury properties have already been sold. Launched in 2007, the new concept in marina living, the triplex ‘Aquaminium’ condominiums, are distinguished by their three-storeys and private drive-in boat berths. Located on Phuket’s eastern seaboard overlooking scenic Phang Na Bay, developed by tycoon Gulu Lalvani, founder of Binatone, the world’s second largest manufacturer of digital cordless phones and designed by Palmer and Turner Hong Kong – the group behind many of Hong Kong’s most distinctive structures, including CITIC Tower, Exchange Square, and the Harbourside, Aquaminium condos are setting record prices for condominium sales in Phuket. The development also features five waterfront luxury villas, a health club and spa, exhibition and conference centre, trendy restaurants, bars and designer shops.

LVSpropertiesinMacauhavechosenExperianCheetahMail

C9Managing

DirectorBillBarnett

AquaminiumcondosarebuckingthePhukettrend

Award-winningSofitelShanghaiSheshanHuanghe

i n d u s t r y n E w s

� AHCT september 2009


september 2009 AHCT �

Asian hotel operators continue to offer innovative packages to boost occupancy levels. Until December 31st 2009 TheKowloonHotel is including a meeting venue from 9am to 5pm as part of its single occupancy superior room accommodation price of HK$888 (US$115). As well as breakfast and discounts on laundry and at the business centre, standard meeting stationery, equipment and refreshment breaks are also part of the deal with a booking minimum of 8 rooms.

Taking advantage of a Saturday mid Autumn festival this year, the RoyalPlazaHotelHongKong is running a special offer between September 28th and October 4th which includes daily non accumulative F&B credit, department store vouchers, complimentary use of fitness facilities, shuttle bus services, and a welcome mooncake (or

One of the worst natural disasters to ever hit the island of Taiwan, Typhoon Morakot, which struck in August, devastated whole southern regions. In response to the catastrophe the GrandFormosaRegent, Taipei has launched ‘A Trinity for Charity’.

A three-pronged donation platform the charity drive has already had an overwhelmingly positive response. The hotel itself says it’s, “Determined to play a role and to fulfil [our] adherence to corporate social responsibility.”

Putting its money where its mouth is, the hotel has pledged one day of revenue, while staff are donating one day of salary, and a day of volunteer work to help re-build destroyed communities.

In response to the shortage of blood supply, the Grand Formosa Regent Taipei has authorized a blood bank vehicle outside the premises.

All proceeds from the charity drive will be given to Taipei’s Typhoon Morakot Disaster Relief Fund, the Red Cross, World Vision, and other social welfare groups.

To commemorate the opening of the first luxury resort in the Gaafu Alifu Atoll, Southern Maldives, The AlilaVillas has introduced its ‘Gift to Share’ Programme in which accommodation charges for every second night of a stay have been waived. However, guests may choose to share the good fortune by donating an amount to any of the three local charity projects the resort has initiated. These include building up reference and research libraries in local schools; re-introducing Maldivian traditional crafts into primary schools; and community farming projects.

Guests at the InterContinentalBali are being encouraged to participate in an environmental programme, which releases turtles back into the wild. Every Thursday and Saturday at 5pm the precious marine animals are re-introduced to their habitat at Jimbaran Bay with paying participating guests receiving souvenirs for their contribution.

The MarcoPoloHongkongHotel, GatewayHotel, and Prince Hotel have participated in the Hong Kong Red Cross’ ‘Fun in Red’ fundraising campaign in commemoration of the Geneva Conventions which conferred neutrality on the charity. Staff have been encouraged to donate, and dress up in red and wear limited edition commemorative stickers while red décor days meant workplaces were decorated in red and staff cafeterias served red-themed food and beverages. It’ll be interesting to see if any of the “candid and quirky” ‘red’ moments captured by a “roving photographer” ever see the light of day, but winning photos will bag staff exciting prizes.

Packaging it up

chocolate). There’s more for Executive Club floor guests such as complimentary breakfast and suit pressing.

From now until December 31st 2009, one night’s accommodation in a Main House suite; Sunday brunch for 2 at Oyster & Wine Bar (valued at HK$1,176/US$152), with free flow of champagne; late checkout at 4pm (subject to availability) is available at TheSheratonHotel&TowersHongKong for HK$2680 (US$346) +10 percent.

VVillas,HuaHin is offering a V Business Residential Meeting package for 10 persons in the Pool Villa Suites. A booking for 10 or more will receive one complimentary Pool Villa Suite for one night. Monday to Thursday only the package includes breakfast, refreshment breaks, amenities, and butler service. Extras include golf, spa and fitness packages, vineyard tours, cooking classes and team building exercises.

Available worldwide, the FourSeasons

‘Meetings with More’ package is for new meetings booked before October 30th, 2009, and includes breakfast, 10 percent savings on banquet menus, internet access, no penalty for up to 25 percent attrition and 10 percent credit on the next booking.

Between September 30th and December 31st this year, the Ritz-CarltonHotelCompany is ‘reaching out’ with the message: “It’s not extravagant, if it produces results”. For groups of ten or more the hotel’s ‘Meetings Within Reach’ package, therefore, includes suite upgrades, 20 percent savings on audio-visual equipment, internet access and breakfast.

Charity begins at hotels

ThebeachattheInterContinentalBali

MarcoPolostaffgivetheRedCrossaboost

HarbourviewfromtheSheratonHotel&TowersinHongKong

RoyalPlazaHotelinHongKonghasaweekofspecialoffers

ApoolvillasuiteatVVillainHuaHin,Thailand

ClarificationThe appointment announcement of Adriano Vences in the August issue was confusingly worded. Vences is the Hotel Manager of the Marco Polo Hongkong Hotel.


� AHCT september 2009

IN BRIEFA good night’s sleep trumps great sex, according to more than half of the Asian respondents to a new global survey of sleeping habits conducted by WestinHotels&Resorts. In celebration of a decade if its Heavenly bed the group discovered 53 percent of survey participants would rather have a sleeping pill on their hotel pillow than the ubiquitous chocolate, and more than half of them take a relaxant, sleep or stress medication when travelling overnight. More than 50 percent of frequent travellers in Asia prefer a great night’s sleep to great sex, compared to 31 percent who chose sleep over sex 10 years ago.

The secrets of Thailand’s traditional, famed martial art Muay Thai boxing are being revealed at AnantaraKohSamuiResort&Spa, Thailand. One hour introductory classes up to full week courses are offered with special classes for children over the age of 12.

South Korea’s TheShillaSeoul, already known for its impressive outdoor ‘Sculpture Garden’ the first of its kind in Korea, has extended its gallery indoors, where around 2,000 paintings, drawings, pottery and sculptures are on display.

Cathy Hsu, Associate Director and Professor of the SchoolofHotelandTourismManagement at The Hong

Kong Polytechnic University, was recently honoured by the International Council on

Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education (I-CHRIE) with the John Wiley & Sons

Lifetime Research Achievement Award for her significant contribution to the industry

through scholarly research.

ThistleJohorBahru, Malaysia is the second Thistle hotel to be opened in Asia. With 34 hotels across Britain, the opening of Thistle Johor Bahru marks Thistle’s aggressive plans for expansion across the region in the group’s first foray out of Britain.

LanghamHotelsInternational (LHI) has doubled its footprint in Thailand to four properties following the signing of a deal with Bangkok Mass Transit System Public Company Limited (BTSC) to manage two new five-star properties in the country’s capital.

Luxury boutique hotel operator, AlilaHotelsandResorts, has unveiled Alila Villas Uluwatu in Bali’s Bukit. Also this year: Alila Villas Hadahaa in Gaafu Alifu Atoll, southern Maldives and Alila Villas Soori West Bali. Alila Villas properties are designed, constructed and managed in accordance with Green Globe’s environmental and social responsibility benchmarks and certification programme. Developments of further properties are underway in China, India, Indochina, Oman and the Gulf region.

The former Mandarin Oriental hotel in Macau has been re-named the GrandLapaHotel. This follows the recent sale by Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group of its 50 percent interest in the property to Sociedade de Turismo e Diversoes de Macau S. A. (“STDM”).

HeavenlysleepattheWestinMacau

LHIownerDrKSLoswapscontractswithBTSCExecutiveChairmanandChiefExecutiveOfficer,KeereeKanjanapas

ApieceintheShillaSeoul’ssculpturegarden

HonouringProfessorCathyHsu

ThistleJohorBahru

GetakickoutofstayingatAnantaraKohSamui

TheMandarinOrientalMacaubecomesGrandLapaHotel


10 AHCT september 2009

million. This is a fraction of what can eventually be expected from the China market and while Chinese travellers are currently short-stay guests unwilling to pay European or North American rates, Angelini believes this will change. However, Asian guests will want to stay with brands they are already familiar with and thus Asian brands must go global to remain competitive.

The basics are very clear – grow or be left behind.The big question though is what the Chinese brands will do. Will

they go after the many distressed properties around the world that are on the market now? If so, how will they operate them without repeating the mistakes the Japanese made in the 1980s? Japanese brands wanted to become global players but tried to impose their own way of operating and controlling hotels around the world and failed. A global industry must be globally operated.

The 14-step programmeThe commitment and full support of the shareholders and board of directors is essential to grow and expand. Both must be willing to see where the industry will be in 15-20 years time, and be ready to expand by moving out of their comfort zone and region.

Hand-in-hand with that commitment, must come the appointment of a qualified and expert leader, a CEO who is tasked with building a strong team of committed and focussed professionals.

There must also be a clear delegation of authority from the owners to the CEO and his team. The chairmanship should remain with the owners.

Angelini has worked for 30 years in Asia and has found some owners in this part of the world difficult. However, many have also been in a prime position to assess the situation and see tremendous possibilities if things are done correctly.

Angelini finds the owner-operator formula too idealistic and recommends that any company seeking to expand should form two companies: one holding the assets and another with the management team. The estimated cost of forming a management company with systems in place, programmes, standards, people and offices is around US$50 million.

“From a quick overview of the present Asian hotel brands, one will notice that in most cases, behind those brands there is a strong local family/owner who is very hands-on and for good or bad directly drives the fate of the company.

“Let the professionals do what they are good at and run the management company with consistency and profit,” says Angelini. A professional management team is the cornerstone of Angelini’s plan and without them all that follows is “a waste of time.”

The next step is for the board to define its direction, whether that means owning, leasing, managing or franchising properties, and what the required ROI is. Angelini is a big fan of management agreements in Asia, firmly believing that brands can use them to expand with only a small equity participation and that they give a better ROI.

Companies have to develop their culture, vision, mission, values and guiding principles and convey them to every employee. “Many Asian companies failed because they had not developed a company culture. Knowing what you want to do and who you are is critical.”

Closely related is the need to define the brand category and the product and market positioning. It’s vital not to confuse consumers with a mix of physical products. Stick to 5-star, 4-star or 3-star but make clear your strengths against the competition. A follow-on to this is the creation and implementation of a strategic plan detailing steps to achieve that personality. The board has to be aligned with this plan and whatever it takes be it short or long term incentives and success fees to market the brand to developers and investors. There also need to be incentives for the employees assigned the role of expanding the brand.

Consistency is vital and must be a prime consideration when developing the design and layout standards of the agreed brand position and the physical properties, particularly when passing on briefs to architects and designers. Differentiation from the competition is one of the key points here. For new hotels the ideal situation is to develop mixed-use complexes with offices, retail and residential units as well as the hotel itself.

Angelini is a proponent of technology and says hoteliers have to invest in systems that make them more efficient.

“We are a people business and a computer will never cook you a meal or make up your bed, but a proper system will make operations efficient and facilitate the bookings,” he says.

Along with efficiency comes standards, both for service to guests and for administration. Each of a hotel’s many divisions must have proper quality and service benchmarks and there must be accountability. Angelini warns that while this sounds basic he knows of companies that have failed simply by not having the proper structures in place.

Marketing is the next crucial phase and it must be in place before properties open; the sales network must be operating in the right markets. Marketing programmes, the r ight

image, the market position and loyalty programmes are all crucial, as is making it easy for customers to book by having the right technology and a global presence.

What about the workers?Employees make a great hotel even better, and must work in a culture of continuous learning and improvement based on the company’s guiding principles. Staff also need to be well-rewarded with competitive compensation packages and abundant career growth opportunities. Angelini points out that much work in a hotel is labour-intensive and done by the unskilled, for whom income is a very important incentive.

Suppliers should be seen as partners and should be selected on the basis of quality and consistency. For Angelini a hotel is “like a small town” that needs everything from engineering equipment to laundry facilities to kitchen supplies. These are heavy investments and are only worth making with partners who can be relied upon, and who can be flexible when times are tough.

Lastly Angelini thinks that hotels should implement both customer and employee satisfaction programmes to ensure that both are satisfied in their relationship with the hotel. Employees who are happy will stay with the company and help to make a lasting impression on each and every guest.

An industry veteran tells Mischa Moselle that Asian

hotel brands have to expand to become truly

global players, and gives a 14-point expansion plan

Can Asian brands go global?

Giovanni Angelini has been in the hotel industry for 48 years, “working in every position from the front door to CEO,” as he tells AHCT. His career has taken him from summer internships as a teenager to a stint at London’s

Savoy where he was paid £6 a week when it cost him £9 to live, through to senior positions in Asia, Europe and North America.

Angelini has worked for many different hotels and 15 different ownership structures. For 18 years he was with Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, moving up the ladder from General Manager of the Kowloon Shangri-La to CEO. He stepped down in 2008 after close to 10 years in this post to become an Executive Director, finally retiring in May of this year to become an independent consultant.

This is a man who can speak with authority on the future of the hotel industry.

Angelini believes that for hotel chains to realise all their potential, they have to be global. He couches this theory in the context of the continued growth of the global travel industry, the second largest employer in the world after government. For a hotel company to be truly global it needs to have at least 120-150 hotels across the key cities and resorts of the five continents.

Angelini remembers the huge impact that Japanese tourists had on the hospitality industry when they started to travel yet, he points out, that outbound Japanese traveller numbers never exceeded 19

AngelinibecameGeneralManageroftheiconichotelin19�� TheSavoyinLondon,notapayingpropositionbutgreatexperience

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As visitor arrivals everywhere drop leading integrated resort (IR) facilities have realized the need to sing to another tune in order to maximize revenue.

Lackluster gambling revenues recorded over the last few quarters by the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau indicate the Macau casino sector’s gross receipts from games of chance fell 12.4 percent year-on-year to 51.42 billion patacas (US$ 6.427 billion) in the first half of this year.

Tightening of travel visa procedures for mainland Chinese, and the introduction of cross-strait flights between China and Taiwan had already taken a toll on Macau’s visitor arrivals. The H1N1 scare further dampened the desire to travel and according to government statistics, visitor arrivals continue to drop with the first six months of 2009 recording 10.4 million visitors, down 11.4 per cent compared to the same period last year.

A large portion of Macau IR income comes, of course from mainland Chinese gamblers, or it did, so can these hotels operate at a loss now that gambling revenues are down?

Taking a puntThe opening of Las Vegas-style Wynn Macau in 2006 breathed life and even some sophistication into Macau’s gambling scene. But with the downturn in 2008, the resorts’ former emphasis on gambling facilities came up short and survival is now the name of the game.

The IR business model moves the industry focus from casino revenue to multiple ancillary revenue outlets like F&B, retail, spa treatments and entertainments that diversify risk. Macau IR operators appear to be putting this theory into practice with vigour in their need to increase profits.

MGM Grand Paradise Limited President, Grant Bowie is adamant this is the wave of the future: “When business is down, all areas come under scrutiny. The way I look at it is – we should endeavor to have the non-gaming operations run at a profit all the time. While there is some support from gaming, it is translated by way of the pricing of the services that are used in the hotel.

“I think that the days when most organizations operate at a loss are over. We are all now focussed on making all components of our business profitable.”

This may explain why the property is running different themed property-wide campaigns to facilitate visits and attractions. The current “Panda Carnival at MGM Grand Macau” celebrates the 60th anniversary of the PRC in tandem with the 10th anniversary establishment of Macau SAR. The campaign will run until February 2010.

Likewise, Wynn Macau claims the IR is carefully designed to create a balance between all of its elements, from hotel and gaming to fine dining and entertainment. The ‘blended resort’ underwent an expansion in late 2007 and now has 380 tables, 1,240 slot machines, and 600 hotel rooms plus other non-gaming facilities such as seven F&B outlets and 46,000 square feet (4,270 square metres) of retail space.

A hotel spokesperson said: “We don’t break out numbers for individual business segments, however, in the second quarter of

With casino revenues so low how are integrated resorts

adjusting their product? Anneliese O’Young finds out

“We are all now focussed on making all components of our business profitable” Grant Bowie

Gambling on new business

models

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Cards on the tableNewcomer, City of Dreams (COD) rolled out the red carpet on June 1st this year. The city’s newest leisure and entertainment resort boasts a 420,000-square-foot (39,000 square metre) casino with approximately 520 gaming tables and 1,350 gaming machines as well as over 20 dining outlets and entertainment facilities such as The Bubble, an audio visual multimedia experience, and four hotels with a total of 2,200 rooms.

Two of the hotels are open so far – the roughly 300-room, 5-star Crown Towers and the 300-room, 4-star Hard Rock Hotel. A great deal of thought has been put into the F&B offering, which ranges from a food court to fine dining in several different cuisines and an archetypal loud Cantonese restaurant. A ‘dream team’ of chefs specializing in differing cuisines has been assembled by the exuberant Swedish chef and Director of Culinary Operations Kristoffer Luczak.

A spokesman said: “The concept is Lawrence Ho’s vision to cultivate a contemporary integrated approach that provides a multitude of diverse experience under one roof. Diversity is a key element in leisure and entertainment positioning.”

In order to build up market share and rapport, COD is offering Hard Rock Hotel packages, spa summer promotions, chef summer specials, special Sunday brunches and various shopping promotions.

As the largest single-structure hotel in Asia, Venetian Macao brands itself as a “destination” saying its presence helps Macau realize its future as a multi-day stay leisure and business destination for millions of people across the region.

“The concept of an integrated resort is that it provides everything under one roof, so that our guests can enjoy the many different offerings without having to go to different places,” said a hotel spokesman. “For example, a guest who comes to The Venetian Macao might first be attracted to a concert. Then he or she will also dine at our F&B outlets, may stay at The Venetian for one night and then also shop and play at the casino.”

Local operators like the Hotel Royal have borne witness to the rise of the IR sector. Deputy General Manager, Kevin Chan said: “We will wait to see if IRs on the Strip become a major attraction compared to the existing cluster of [established] casinos on the Macau peninsula.

“The entire IR concept is great for tourists as long as they can keep the standards up. With more IRs coming onto the Strip, [such as Galaxy and Studio City] it is going to be ultra competitive. Gaming revenues drive developers to build fancy hotels, restaurants and entertainments. Developers need extra features to attract customers, but it will take a lot longer for the IR to find other revenue, which will overtake the [lost] gaming revenue. We need the business, entertainment, MICE, and family resorts to be well developed in order to achieve that.”

2009, net revenues were US$410.4 million compared to US$529.9 million in the second quarter of 2008. Wynn Macau generated adjusted property ‘earnings before interest taxes, depreciation and amortization’ of US$117.2 million, compared to US$155.2 million in the second quarter of 2008.

“Our occupancy continues to remain over 80 per cent for 2008 and the first two quarters of this year. With the challenging market conditions, we are very pleased with our strong performance.”

Further expansion is underway and the new ‘Encore’ at Wynn Macau is expected to open in the first half of 2010, adding approximately 400 luxury suites and four villas, along with additional gaming spaces, food and beverage and retail amenities.

The spokesperson continued: “We do not consider our offerings in terms of being loss leaders. Rather, Wynn Macau is designed to be a truly integrated resort with each of our elements working in concert. When one element does well, we find that the others do, too.”

Versatile marketing strategies have been adopted to play down the impact of lost gambling revenue. For example, F&B promotions like the Wynn Chef ’s series bring the resort’s star chefs into the spotlight. Over the next 6 months Wynn Chef ’s Series will offer guests and gourmet foodies a range of exciting culinary opportunities.

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There’s no doubt hotel performance has been ‘sluggish’ in 2009 but some operators in Malaysia say the industry has in fact held up better than expected with steady and even improved arrivals of regional and local tourists, plus

stimulated travel through fare reductions courtesy of low cost carriers AirAsia and Australia’s Jetstar.

Analysts concede there has been a slump in hospitality investments. However, they remain optimistic amid signs year-end figures will indicate investments and occupancy numbers are picking up.

Malaysia’s hotel industry is weathering the economic meltdown by forging ahead with planned extensive renovations, not letting go of its experienced staff and even launching recruitment drives.

One such operator is Marco Battistotti, General Manager of the luxury G Hotel in Penang, a state that has been growing as a local powerhouse of industry and technology development for the past 15 years. Battistotti says the latest lean economic period is being used to prepare the hotel for when things pick up: “The economic slowdown period will allow us to refocus our business strategy and prepare our staff to be ready when business returns.”

Battistotti believes the current economic dark clouds will soon pass as two new brand hotels are scheduled to open in September: Hard Rock and Flamingo by the Beach will replace the Casuarina Hotel and the Crown Jewel respectively.

In addition, Battistotti, who also heads the Penang chapter of the Malaysian Association of Hotels, said G Hotel would construct a new hotel in Penang in the next two to three years.

“So far there is no serious implication from the swine flu. We are forecasting a strong second-half for Penang,” he says. “All hotels in Penang are looking for staff.”

As well as locals, tourists from the Middle East, Singapore, and

MALAYSIA TO BEAT THE ECONOMIC STORM AND

SWINE FLU While new hotel investments have declined, parts of Malaysia are shining blips on investors’ radar. Muuniandy Jegathesan has more

photography courtesy of the Mandarin oriental, Kuala lumpur

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1� AHCT september 2009

corporate guest arrival numbers continue to be strong despite the swine flu outbreak.

“Forty percent of our hotel guests are from the corporate sector. The numbers have stayed stable despite the slowdown,” Battistotti notes.

Styling itself as the “Silicon Valley” of Southeast Asia, Penang houses hundreds of companies such as Intel, Motorola, Dell, Sony and Agilent Technologies.

Ten new hotels have been earmarked for construction on the island resort in the next four to five years with an expected combined investment of 1.0 billion ringgit (US$286 million dollars).

On average, occupancy rates in Penang are at about 60 percent, down from 65 percent last year.

“There is no slowdown in Penang as compared to the Kuala Lumpur market,” Battistotti says. “We (in Penang) are happy with the numbers. More direct flights into Penang by budget carrier AirAsia are bringing in regional tourists [and] this is stimulating demand for rooms,” he added.

Down but not outThere is not so much optimism in the rest of Malaysia where hospitality investments have plunged and occupancy rates are down. In the capital Kuala Lumpur, for example they are down by about 25 percent.

Tourism Minister, Ng Yen Yen admits this year’s countrywide target of 20 million tourist arrivals might not be achieved due to the global economic crisis and swine flu and that the projection figures have been revised to 15 million tourists.

Previndran Singhe, Chief Executive Officer, Zerin Properties agrees there has been a sharp decline in hotel investments in 2009 compared to 2005 but predicts this will pick up and hit 450 million ringgit by year end.

“For 2009, there has already been an investment of 156 million ringgit by Novotel. We expect by year end, there should be hotel investments of about 450 million ringgit.”

Singhe attributes the steep decline in investments to hotel owners holding back from selling in 2007 and 2008 when they enjoyed high occupancies but says investments will pick-up next year as new economic growth corridors emerge and the boom in air travel into

But, Shaharuddin confirms resort hotels in Penang and in the historical city Malacca are still enjoying good occupancy levels.

There are about 2,286 hotels in Malaysia and of that 83 are 5-star and mostly located in the capital Kuala Lumpur.

With the country having recorded swine flu deaths, Shaharuddin says it’s difficult to predict how long it will take for the industry to recover.

“Things are not going to be easy,” he says, adding tourist arrivals from the United States, Europe and Japan have all declined.

According to Shaharuddin, operators are expected to build in new growth areas such as the southern Johor state on the east coast and in Sabah on Borneo island and said another phenomenon in the hospitality business in Malaysia was the “mushrooming” of serviced apartments especially around Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur’s business district.

“Around the iconic Petronas Twin Towers there are at least 10 serviced apartments. Middle East tourists with big families are staying there. This is hurting the hotel business,” he laments.

Meanwhile, Suleiman Tunku Abdul Rahman, Director of Communications for both the Shangri-La’s Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa and the Golden Sands Resort in Penang says 33 million ringgit has been earmarked to renovate the latter resort.

“We are speeding up work. We have 2,500 people (from Amway India) coming in November. We are buoyant about the outlook.”

Suleiman said with the redevelopment, there will be a total of 387 rooms, 218 of which will face the ocean with average room rates at 500 ringgit.

“I think we made the right decision to redevelop this property at this point of time when some people are avoiding Penang.

“We are still enjoying stable occupancy levels as Malaysia is considered a safe destination with greater accessibility due to better air connectivity.”

Malaysia is further fuelled by budget carriers.“Yes, investments will pick up in 2010 as more investors are

looking at Malaysia’s fantastic tourism arrivals and attractions as a tourism destination.

“Malaysia is hot on investors’ radar but assets are hard to come by,” he added.

Data provided by Real Estate Mergers and Acquisitions company Zerin Properties shows that in 2008 investors poured 205 million ringgit into purchasing hotels. In 2007 it was 756 million, in 2006 it was 1.03 billion and in 2005 it was 1.10 billion ringgit.

This year, business hotel Goldis Tower with 190 rooms, Regency Hotel (170 rooms) and two other as yet unnamed hotels with a total of 170 rooms are expected to begin operating in the Klang Valley.

And after 2011, at least eight new hotels including Four Seasons and Raffles Hotel will contribute to a total of about 2,323 rooms.

City breaksShaharuddin Saaid, Executive Director with the Malaysian Association of Hotel Owners notes the hotel industry started the year “a bit slow”, going on to point out, “Compared to last year occupancy rates are down by 20 to 25 percent nationwide ... mostly affecting city hotels. The fall is drastic.”

“We are forecasting

a strong second half for Penang”

Marco Battistotti

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september 2009 AHCT 21

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The tired myth that keycards hold on them a host of personal information rife with potential for theft has – hopefully – long been proven wrong. But hotel operators still need to link individual staff and guest cards with personal

information, varying levels of access to the property’s facilities, as well as the ability to track who is going where, and when.

Keycard technology companies have devised systems that separate the functions of the card, the lock and a hotel’s property management system, revealing personal information and the tracking of staff and guest access only to those who need to know.

The cardToday, at the most basic level magstripe cards, smart cards and other types of access keys are programmed with information that allows or denies a staff member or guest entry into a particular area. The card therefore has room number and zone information on it, but beyond that, says David Rees of Salto Systems, “Almost no information pertaining to the hotel guest is kept on the card … it’s just operational cues.”

Adds Robert Krause, Vice President of Business Development, Asia Pacific for Saflok and ILCO under the Kaba Lodging Systems banner, “The amount of information that a keycard stores depends on the size and type of the keycard. For example, magstripe keycards only have the ability to store access control information, while more advanced types contain chips with both reading and writing capabilities that report back to the main system.”

Says Arne Engel of Onity, “Our keycards store encrypted algorithms that specify pre-defined user groups. For example, “guest” or “staff ”, authorization levels, audit trails and the like.”

Companies like Onity and Salto System use smart chips which track activity on staff cards differently than guest cards for more advanced data reading purposes. Most hotels choose not to track guests as closely as they do their staff (guests are constantly attempting to enter the wrong room, making false alarms a common problem and not a real cause for concern).

Confirms Ivan Aramayo, Director of Marketing and Communications for VingCard, the cards for guests are generally just access cards, whereby “the hotel can authorize entry for particular locks by particular keycards at particular times” during the day.

While this might all seem logical, separating the roles of keycards, locks and readers serves two key purposes, especially if a keycard is lost: the information cannot be picked up by a third party that finds the card, and all the activities of the person who originally held the card are kept safe on the centralized system.

The lockIt is in fact the components of the lock itself and the way the reader installed inside it is wired that is at the heart of the operation. Whether the information is kept at the door, or connected to a PMS system, the lock itself does the reading and the reporting, each with a unique identifier that can be searched and monitored at all times. This, says Krause, provides the hotel with an audit trail if any unusual activity or theft is reported. “This audit trail would contain information such as door entry with time and date, and whether the keycard used was granted access to a room. Interrogations into a lock also reveal any lock error codes, such as low battery indication.”

The lock also helps report problems, like a door being left ajar or the status of the room. While a keycard itself can’t tell a hotel

Keycard technology providers are developing sophisticated systems to keep properties informed about entry and exit, while keeping information secure, finds Christina Kautzky

KEyCaRdS and ROOM

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whether people are in the room, Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies’ Celia Feng explains, “We can judge

the status [of the room] through information read from the lock. For example, if the deadbolt is screwed from inside, we can see that the door is locked and that there are people in the room.”

Because the lock itself carries and relays so much information, most are encrypted to prevent the download of information by unauthorized staff or any would-be hackers.

How the PMS ties it all togetherKrause summarizes the technology supplier’s role, saying, “As lock providers our encoders and systems are only used to ‘relay’ or record the information to the keycards,” not to handle the information itself. “That is left to the PMS technology,” he says.

Onity’s Engel says the only way to “associate the data from locks and cards back to individual users and guests” is through the PMS.

In addition to the safeguarding of information, says Saflok system’s Rees, it helps the hotel to have more control over the security of the property. “System operators can choose which doors they want information about, note which staff they want to have more information collected on, etc.” And, with varying levels of access to the information, unlike old magstripe card systems he explains, not everyone is able to see all of a guest’s details. Only staff with the appropriate log-ins are able to view any or all guest information.

Aramayo notes that as a result of this, “Front-desk operators are limited to the basic operations of issuing guest cards, while security managers and IT managers have superior access levels to manage the system information and other operations.”

It is therefore important for hotels to understand the entire process and how the system works, as it is their responsibility to track and monitor information and access. Rees, again, “We try to make certain the hotels are self-sufficient. It’s our job to tell them how to use the system as they see fit.”

Typically, says Engel, “these include representatives from IT to front office to security,” all at differing access levels.

Day-to-day operations will in general require very few red flags in the security department, but when they do arise, a sophisticated, data-oriented, auditable keycard system is essential for staff and guest safety. And for everyone’s peace of mind, knowing that the summer intern at the front desk does not have access to credit card information, and that cards left in the gym cannot be used for illicit purposes is one more step toward engendering customer loyalty and trust.

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InterContinental Hotel Group’s (IHG) 158-property-strong InterContinental brand has started making a more creative use of its lobby space.

In tandem with a web-based concierge initiative to provide guests with the kind of detailed local information only a concierge can have, the chain is converting lobby space in selected hotels into what it terms concierge lounges.

The brand has 40 properties in Asia Pacific, with 36 in the pipeline but not all are intended to have the facility.

The InterContinental Bangkok recently acquired a concierge lounge as part of a Baht 890 million (US$25.9 million) refurbishment. Aimed at creating “sophisticated new facilities”, the renovation also had the goal of providing, “the kind of subtle elegance and functional luxury favoured by frequent international travellers attuned to authentic

understated service.Panasporn tells AHCT that the Concierge

Lounge at InterContinental Bangkok, “is where we connect our well-travelled guests to what’s special about Bangkok, by sharing our knowledge so they enjoy authentic experiences that will enrich their lives and broaden their outlook.

“Our desire is to help guests make the most of their time, whether it is learning about Buddhist culture at the 150-year old Pathum Wanaram temple near the hotel or receiving our shopping tips.”

Another brand rethinking the use of its lobby space is Sheraton by Starwood. The latest initiative, Link@Sheraton, turns the lobby into a useful area for guests by adding computers. The recently opened Sheraton Incheon in South Korea is typical. Starwood describes the aim of the programme: “The Link – at the heart of the hotel lobby – is

Hotel lobbies can be more

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experience,” according to Panasporn Pam Nopasri, the hotel’s Director of Marketing Communications.

“The changes become evident upon arrival, with the reconfigured entrance driveway and the glass-covered walk-in entry at pavement level. Inside, guests take in a completely transformed hotel. In the lobby, clean lines and subtle textures are carried throughout, anchored by a contemporary crystal chandelier, pleated sculptural columns and rich wall features inspired by traditional Thai motifs,” Panasporn says.

Local knowledgeTo one side of the lobby is an elegant glassed area that serves as the concierge lounge. Here guests meet the Chief Concierge and his team in an atmosphere of understated elegance that is supposed to chime with the brand philosophy of also providing

designed as a communal space where guests can socialize for business or leisure, work or simply relax. As well as being a social environment, The Link also allows guests to check their email, research local attractions and even print boarding passes.”

The concept has been taken up by all properties in the brand. It can be wider than hooking guests up to the internet. Sheraton on the Park in Sydney, Australia has a link area that is open 24 hours and features a communal lounge area, board games and international newspapers and magazines.

On the tilesLobbies of course have always also been about first impression. If the Harbour Plaza Hotels & Resorts’ Harbour Plaza 8 Degrees in Hong Kong wants to shout its uniqueness to the world, then the lobby is certainly a good starting point.

The lobby is based around a visual illusion that the floor slopes by eight degrees.

No, “the floor is not actually sloping, rather it is the marble floor pattern, walls, features and ceiling that are inclined,” designer Patrick Leung of PAL Design Consultant Ltd tells AHCT.

Where the emphas i s o f much contemporary hotel design is to give the guest an authentic local experience, the latest Harbour Plaza lobby is different in aiming to make guests feel as though they are “inside Italy’s Leaning Tower of Pisa.”

Rather than being a space that disorientates guests, Leung defines it as fun and a ‘stunner’ as “seldom can such a unique and playful lobby be found.”

The 702-keys new-build property, located near Hong Kong’s for mer Kai Tak airport will open in mid-October this year.

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Advert Asia H&C-Passion Fruit.pdf 1 8/19/09 2:04 PM

Have pan, will travelThis autumn a series of outstanding gourmet events is set to tickle the taste buds of even the most sophisticated palate as luxury travel company, The Leading Hotels of the World organizes regional visits by several of the world’s top chefs. At the Sukhothai,Bangkok Swedish Chef Jonas Lundgren will be in the kitchen from September 3-5. The 30 year-old Stockholm native is a Bocuse D’Or 2009 silver medalist.

At the hob in Taipei’sTheSherwood, Tokyo’s legendary 3-Star Michelin Chef Hiroyuki Kanda takes on the guest chef role from September 20-26.

HukaLodge in Taupo, New Zealand will host a “Mt Difficulty Winemakers Dinner” on September 5th. A five-course meal will be paired with wines strictly sourced from vineyards situated in a very specific area of Bannockburn.

This will be followed by a gala ‘Champagne Bollinger Dinner’ on 19 September, a celebration of the new partnership between Champagne Bollinger and Huka Lodge.

with fresh figs; hand-tossed Caesar salad with smoked salmon; and freshly shucked oysters from America, Europe and Tasmania while Pastry Chef Thomas Lui showcases delectable dessert favourites including Earl Grey Tea Chocolate Mousse.

CaféKool restaurant at Kowloon Shangri-La, Hong Kong presents a wine buffet, dinner on weekdays and lunch and dinner every Saturday, Sunday and public holiday where guests may enjoy an endless flow of over 20 varieties of red and white

wines from Australia, Chile, New Zealand, South Africa, France and Italy to complement the buffets of authentic global cuisine with an emphasis on home-style cooking.

Regal Hongkong Hotel is presenting its “Lobster Supper Buffet”, offering a series of lobster delicacies prepared by Executive Chef Ray Yau, including lobster congee, lobster pizza, stir fried lobster and even lobster cheesecake.

Executive Chef Tam Shek Lun of the DynastyRestaurant at the Renaissance Harbour View Hotel Hong Kong presents a new menu with an emphasis on seafood and

Plating up autumnLeSoleil, The Royal Garden’s exotic Vietnamese restaurant - listed in the current Michelin Guide to Hong Kong Macau with BIB Gourmand choice, has a new autumn menu. Signature items include stir-fried escargots with mushroom in black pepper sauce, Vietnamese duck curry with pumpkins and ox-tail glass noodles in curry soup – made by Chef Dennis Wong using a secret family recipe.

Japan’s sweetest delicacy, the Botan Ebi prawn, debuts at Hong Kong’s The Mira restaurant Yamm’s all-you-can-eat dinner buffet. An array of dishes will include Himi Amaebi Sashimi with Saffron Oil; Botan Ebi Sushi and Wasabi Crab Roe; Karuma Prawn and Ohba Dumpling. As a sidebar, guests may feast on Spanish Jamon Serrano paired

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LobstercongeefromtheRegalHongKongHotel

When Chef Philippe Jourdin last did a guest chef stint at the two-Michelin-starred Caprice at the Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong his own restaurant had one Michelin star.

The French chef is now set to return for five days in late October and he will be bringing a coveted extra star with him, awarded in the meantime to his restaurant Faventia at the Four Seasons Resort Provence at Terre Blanche. The five-year-old restaurant is noted for its location between the mountains and the sea and is in a region famed for its ingredients and Mediterranean cooking.

The menu is to include warm duck foie gras des Landes with lemon macaroon, candied citrus peel Badian anise and Sisteron lamb aux herbes de Provence with confit shoulder, olives, courgettes and piquillos farci. All the dishes are supposed

fruit as well as vegetables like winter melon, which suits warmer months as it helps to cool the body by quenching thirst, and bitter melon which is said to relieve heat and detoxify the body.

FairmontSingapore has caught the F1 bug and is shifting to sixth gear as it revs up a head-spinning collection of exciting F1-inspired promotions. Inagiku’s F1 offering is an exclusive food and wine-pairing extravaganza featuring Japanese delicacies, wines and saké. Paying homage to the 61

laps of the Singapore F1 Grand Prix circuit, the hotel will also offer four lucky diners a unique opportunity to experience 61 courses at Szechuan Court. 61 specially created dishes will be presented and diners who are able to finish all of them in one sitting will be eligible to win two tickets to the 2010 Singapore F1 Grand Prix.

In September Aurora at Altira Macau’s four course set dinner pairing with wine will feature foie gras with basil orange compote and garden herbs, senatore cappelli spaghetti with black ink and pink prawns and rum baba.

to bring to mind Provence’s famous summer days and hence the menu is called Cuisine of the Sun.

With 30 years of experience in the kitchen, the chef has developed an outlook on cooking that he summarises as “Focus

on what’s essential, respect your products, and enjoy the pleasure of cooking and sharing with others.”

Chef Philippe will be cooking a three-course lunch and, with two-Michelin-starred Caprice Chef Vincent Thierry, a seven-course dinner.

Star power of Caprice and Jourdin

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A slice of traditionIn celebration of the important Mid Autumn Festival, the restyled ManHoChinese Restaurant at the JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong is offering mooncake gift sets until October 2, 2009. Mini egg yolk in white lotus seed paste mooncakes are presented in a nine-drawer chest.

SkyCityMarriott has a full mid-autumn festival programme to celebrate this important time of year. Traditional mooncakes come with a one-time free delivery to one location within the airport area for the purchase of 10 boxes ore more. Special menus have been devised for the festive days at SkyCity Bistro and Man Ho Chinese restaurant.

Escoffier launches training programme

In response to what it says is a “deficiency of experienced and trained chefs” the Escoffier Delegation Greater China in cooperation with Metro, Sopexa and Silliker, has introduced the 4 SeasonTrainingEducationProgram or STEP. This year long professional culinary training programme is targeted at young chefs below 28 years of age.

A maximum 15 candidates will attend two-day lesson cycles conducted in the first week of each of the four seasons and a variety of seasonal topics and cooking techniques including sanitation and safety, understanding and preparing poultry, seafood, dairy, French cuisine and meat, will be covered.

Candidates must be recommended and have worked in the industry for at least two years. All programmes must be successfully completed and an exam taken after which candidates may be awarded the 4Step Culinary Diploma; Escoffier Apprentice Diploma and/or Silliker Hygiene Diploma while the best candidates have the possibility to become a Junior Member of Escoffier Delegation Greater China. Course fee: RMB 2000(US$293).

By popular demand Bitan Piaoxue mooncakes are back at the ParkroyalonBeach Road, Singapore’s Tian Fu Teahouse and Si Chuan Dou Hua Restaurant. Using specially harvested tea leaves from Sichuan, which have been blended with jasmine for extra flavour, taste and, supposedly, nutritional value the resulting mooncakes are said to be best paired with wu yi da hong pao tea, a famous Oolong grown at UNESCO world heritage site Mt Wuyi.

Continuing an annual tradition, SheratonHongKongHotel&Towers’ Chef Chan Sui Kei has prepared various kinds of extraordinary mooncakes. Packaged with premium jade-decorated gift boxes orders on or before 15 September receive 5 percent early bird discount. More discounts will also be offered for bulk orders.

FreedeliveryforMarriottSkyCitymooncakes

MooncakefromtheSheraton

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For enquiries email [email protected] or [email protected]

c u l i n a r y n E w s

�0 AHCT september 2009

Alaskan king crab has captured the taste buds of a growing number of Singapore’s diners who are often seen queuing at seafood buffets in top hotels or ordering it à la carte in prime restaurants all over the city.

Zyron Schoniwitz, General Manager of the world-famous steak house Morton’s branch in Singapore, says its Alaskan king crab legs, served chilled or steamed in appetizer and entrée portions, is one of its top sellers.

“Our diners love it because of its quality. It is very sweet. And it’s not messy. You can pull out the meat and juicy chunks will come out.”

According to Neil Bailey, Executive Chef & Acting Director of F&B at the exclusive members-only ONE°15 Marina Club on Sentosa island, “Alaskan crab meat is considered sweet to an Asian taste. Due to the extreme cold water the crabs dwell within it offers a taste not found in any of the warm waters of the region. They are the best. Meat to shell ratio is extremely high, with the finest texture.”

Bailey says Alaskan crabs are best served on the buffet line as a cold dish, just the way they are presented at the Latitude Bistro, one of the club’s F&B outlets. “Diners can easily cut the shell with scissors as opposed to needing large metal hammers.”

Anatomy classWeighing an average of ten pounds or 4.5 kilogrammes, with a leg that could span up to six feet (1.8 metres) from tip to tip, the

Alaskan king crab is North America’s most famous variety for its exceptionally rich leg meat. Most crabs have ten legs, but

king crabs have six walking legs, one larger crusher claw, and one smaller pincher claw. Three different species are commercially sold under the name king crab: the red, the

blue and the golden. The red king crab is the most coveted of the three for its meat.

Dungeness and snow crabs are also harvested from North America.

“Asian diners find North American crab appealing due to its size, appearance and texture,” says Lynn Tan, Director of Marketing Communications of Royal Plaza on Scotts, Singapore. The hotel’s restaurant, Carousel, poaches snow crabs and serves them with lemon or mayonnaise, a dish well received among diners. Tan adds: “It has a delicate flavour, tender texture and [is an] excellent source of high-quality protein, and low in fat and calories.”

Dungeness crab is known for its succulent meaty claws, legs and body. Averaging six to nine inches wide (15-23 centimetres), it is said to be the most flavoursome with a sweeter flesh than many crabs. It’s also the most versatile crab, commonly used in salads, chowders and stuffed inside mushrooms.

“With its one-of-a-kind sweet, almost nutty flavour and tender, flaky white meat, Alaska Dungeness crab is developing a reputation as the best kept secret in crab, distinctive yet versatile and exceptional value due to its ease of preparation,” says Jane Yao, SMH International, the China In-Market Representative of Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI).

Fresh flavourASMI reports that in 2007 Alaska’s seafood harvest was 2.49 million metric tonnes commanding a first wholesale value of US$3.6 billion. The agency is a public-private partnership between the state of Alaska and the Alaska seafood industry that was created 20 years ago to foster economic development of a renewable resource.

The Uni ted States and Japan are the primary importers of

Singapore is famous for its chilli crab, but a rival

crustacean dish is fast becoming a favourite in the

Asian food paradise, Debbie Reyes-

Coloma reports

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Alaskan king crab. Alaskan producers typically export about 80 percent of their production, a majority of which ends up in Japan. Of its 8.5 million tonnes of annual seafood consumption, Japan’s crab consumption is about 200,000 tonnes.

Alaskan king crab is highly prized, something the culinary world considers equal to caviar or vintage French wine.

No other shellfish in the world makes quite an impression as Alaska king crab. Unmatched for its sweet flavour and rich, yet tender texture, the largest of Alaska’s three crab species is a luxury with wide consumer appeal, according to Yao.

“North American crabs are considered one of the premium crabs in the market. They are larger compared to Sri Lankan and Australian crabs and are sweet and have a silky richness that is comparable to lobster meat,” Tan of Royal Plaza on Scotts, says.

“It’s a delicacy. It’s hard to get. Our jumbo Alaskan crab legs come directly from our [Chicago] headquarters,” adds Morton’s Schoniwitz.

Bailey, who worked onboard cruise ships including an Alaska-based liner before joining ONE°15 Marina Club, believes that the difference between Alaskan crabs and other species available in Asia lies in their unique flavour because they are harvested from unpolluted waters.

“Most crabs in Asia Pacific region are farmed to yield maximum returns. Alaskan crabs are not farmed, but harvested from the depths of the harshest environments known to man. No chemicals, just natural taste and quality,” says Bailey, adding that Alaska has the highest anti-pollution regulations in the world.

As for Singapore’s unofficial national dish, many still favour using mud crabs and Sri Lankan crabs.

“I would not offer a chili or pepper cooking style for Alaskan crabs. It does not lend itself to the taste,” remarks Bailey.

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Water is vital to our survival. In order of importance, we need to consume air, then water and, finally, food. It’s curious, then, that even where we’re fortunate to be provided with clean drinking water from municipal

sources, each year millions of people choose to often pay a higher price per litre for bottled water than for petrol.

Of course the provision of clean tap water is far from universal in Asia and even clean tap water will not necessarily be trusted by hotel guests. Those guests may also have more than one environmental concern – rather than the issue of whether tap water is a more sustainable, eco-friendly source of water, there may be worries over the container the stuff comes in. There is the issue of using recyclable glass over plastics made from hydrocarbons.

The InterContinental Bali provides complimentary bottled water rather than tap water in guest rooms (two bottles in the room, two in the bathroom) and in its restaurants. The hotel recently changed from plastic to glass bottles, as these were considered more environmentally friendly, the resort’s Public Relations Director Dewi Anggraini told AHCT. Plastic has been retained for poolside and garden use as it is considered safer.

The hotel’s newsletter explained to guests that “A major step in environmental conservation for the resort was changing from plastic to glass bottles. This simple initiative has dramatically reduced waste levels. You will notice that the complimentary mineral water in your guest room comes in reusable glass bottles that are a visually appealing and more sensible alternative.”

Many of us have long assumed that bottled water is cleaner and better for us than what comes out of the tap, thus we’re willing to pay a premium for it. However, this simply is not the case. In the United States and elsewhere, it turns out there is little regulation of bottled water – certainly not as much as municipal water systems.

Trouble in paradiseThat’s not the only issue in the bottled v tap debate, which has recently gone very public with Mother Jones magazine writer Anna Lenzer taking direct aim at Fiji Water. “Even though it’s shipped from the opposite end of the globe, even though it retails for nearly three times as much as your basic supermarket water, Fiji is now America’s leading imported water, beating out Evian. It has spent millions pushing not only the seemingly life-changing properties of the product itself, but also the company’s green cred and its charity work,” Lenzer wrote after her trip to Fiji.

Lenzer goes on to criticise such things as the island’s faulty public drinking water supplies, which can result in health problems, and Fiji Water’s signature plastic bottles that are made in China and shipped around the world.

Fiji Water’s rebuttals in direct reply to Lenzer’s article (such as: “We are the only bottled water company in the industry to publicly report its entire life cycle carbon emissions. We are independently audited and report to the Carbon Disclosure Project. And we are offsetting these emissions by 120 percent.”) can be found in the blog section at www.fijigreen.com and its community improvement programmes are outlined at www.fijiwaterfoundation.org.

Gas-guzzlersThe bottled water industry seems to be defending attacks from all sides. Several towns, cities and even states have banned spending taxpayer money on bottled water, or just banned them completely as is the case in the rural town of Bundanoon, Australia. The New South Wales state premier also banned all state departments and agencies from buying bottled water, calling it a waste of money and natural resources. Decisions like these are being made around the world, right now.

Studies by the Pacific Institute and Government Accountability Office indicate that 44 percent of “purified” bottled water sold in the United States originated as municipal (or mains) water; the energy required to bring a one-litre plastic bottle of water from France to Los Angeles is 5.8 to 10.2 mega joules, or 1,100 to 2,000 times more than the energy cost of producing tap water; and the energy equivalent in oil required to produce enough polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles to satisfy global bottled water demand each year is 50 million barrels. Another recent issue was the presence of Bisphenol A (BPA) in certain now-banned plastics used for baby bottles, water bottles, etc. BPA is known to cause serious health problems, such as heart disease, breast cancer and diabetes.

In August Nestlé published half-yearly results showing a decline of almost three percent in sales by value in its bottled water division (which includes S. Pellegrino, Poland Spring, Perrier and Deer Park).

Bottled water sales are taking a dive

globally due to the recession and

green concerns. Glen Watson

asks if these issue affect Asia

Message in a

The company’s bottled water sales fell 3.7 percent by volume. The company’s financial statement noted that “The organic growth reflects the current environment in the bottled water industry as a whole, particularly in Western Europe and North America. The emerging market businesses achieved double-digit organic growth.”

The future for the industry as a whole may not be any more buoyant. High-spending corporations such as Britain’s national broadcaster the BBC, under a legal duty to supply employees with drinking water, have come under media pressure to switch to tap water – in the name of creating less CO2, using less plastic derived from oil and saving money.

Yet the environmental argument may not be the key factor in any change in drinking habits in hotels and restaurants across Asia. The sales figures also seem less gloomy.

Several Hong Kong companies, including two 5-star hotels and a Michelin-rated restaurant, say their customers tend to prefer bottled water and they haven’t noticed any appreciable drop in orders, although the overall number of customers is somewhat lower this year due to the recession.

According to a May 2009 survey by pollsters Synovate, 54 percent of Hong Kong consumers surveyed are still spending money on luxuries and 75 percent are still buying the same brand of bottled water as before the financial market meltdown.

bottle

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�� AHCT september 2009

d r i n k


SpanishcompanyArturoAlvarezpresentsitsNevorangeoflights.

Nameofthecollection: NevoModel: Table lamp

Firstmadein: 2009Manufacturedby: Arturo Alvarez

Designer: Arturo AlvarezFinish: White, black, orange or blue silicone.

Family: This collection comprises two sizes of table lamp, floor lamp, three sizes of suspended lamp and two sizes of wall lamp.

Philosophy: A vibrant shape that seems to be constantly changing. A cloud of suggestive curves, of impossible volumes where the future

intersects with the present in a subtle way. A self-confident shape made of cutting-edge materials.

Dimensions: 28x22x28cm.Bulbs: Incandescent E14-Max 2x60W

or Compact fluorescent E14-Max 2x11W

For more information:Arturo Alvarez

San Miguel de Sarandón, 9,15886 Vedra A Coruña, Spain.

Tel: +34 981 81 4600 Fax: +34 981 50 2000

Email: [email protected]

Osram company e-cue lighting control brings the world of theatrical Digital Multiplexing (DMX) to your fingertips with its ‘light-drive elite’ control system.

The system allows you to control lighting intensity, colour and speed as well as setup your favourite colour-changing effects through a glass interface with touch-sensitive keys and touch wheel.

Specifically designed for the end-user, this innovative DMX controller features a high-end sleek design and an intuitive interface that allows anyone to create static and dynamic lighting scenes.

The glassy interface features an LED ring around the touch wheel to guide users in selecting and adjusting colours, intensity, and speed as well as select four colours for graceful colour-changing lighting scenes.

The package also includes a power and data merger to simplify the connection to the light-drive elite.

The product is designed for wall-mounting, which happens easily using the bracket included in the package. The sleek design without push-buttons is designed for preservation and easy cleaning. Light-drive elite features a cleaning mode, by holding the on/off key for five seconds, allowing easy cleaning of the glassy interface without affecting the touch keys or the touch wheel.

An optional remote control device is available for use with the device’s IR receiver.

Curves in all the light places

Dynamic lighting at your fingertips

For more information:[email protected]

www.ecue.de/light-drives

Recharge your batteries!Bluelounge, whose exclusive agent in China, Hong Kong and Macau is Leader Radio Technologies, is introducing a new compact version of its The Sanctuary multi-device charger. The Refresh charging hub has some strategic advantages:- compact form- it’s focussed on iPod/iPhone and all devices with micro, mini

and standard USB connectors- compatibility with all other major phone brands via additional

connectors.

There are six built-in connections – two for iPod/iPhones, one each for a micro USB and mini USB and two USB sockets. The mini and micro USB connectors are fast becoming the standard for most major phone brands, so the compatibility of the Apple certified Refresh will be ever expanding and never obsolete. Refresh’s simultaneous device charging versatility means the product is suitable for a couple or small family sharing a guestroom.

Additional compatibility is ensured via the extra connections. The connectors plug into the USB sockets in Refresh to enable 1,500 other phone models and game consoles not currently supported by mini or micro-USB to charge.

Three colours are available – black, white or pink. Refresh ships with an AC adapter with 4 interchangeable plugs, make it suitable for any market worldwide.

Creating Wi-Fi hotspotsNow all places where there is a need for Wi-Fi - whether they be hotels, or cafes around the world - can benefit from a new hotspot firmware (a type of software), whether they want to allow free internet access to their guests or charge money for

the service.With HotspotWRT, a new firmware by HotspotSystem.com, people can

have their own hotspot up and running within a few minutes. No need to buy expensive hardware, no additional computers required - the system can

run on low-cost routers, like Linksys WRT54GL.“Wi-Fi access is now a must have service that busy locations need

to provide.” said Oliver Faludi, Managing Director of HotspotSystem.com. “Even if they would like to provide the internet for free, they still need a Wi-Fi management software allowing them to control their

users.”Using the HotspotWRT Firmware and the services of

HotspotSystem.com, operators can give unique vouchers to their customers that allow them to use the internet for a limited time. They can also request that users register before they are able to use the service. It is also possible to charge a fee for access, using the built-in revenue stream that comes with the

service. Operators can create access packages and create their own pricing using their local currency.

“Since people might not have enough technical knowledge to setup a hotspot service, they need a system which is very easy to set up. They can buy

the equipment for themselves, then register on our website. After that, installation only takes about 10 minutes,” Oliver Faludi says. Big companies have stopped their services for smaller operators, but there is still a big demand. “We receive 10-20 registrations daily from all around the world,” Faludi adds.

For more information:Oliver [email protected]

AsuitablerouterfromLinksys

For more information:Leader Radio Technologies LtdHotline: +852 2395 3913Email: [email protected]

p r o d u c t n E w s


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september 2009 AHCT �9

compact dimensions and fit in almost every area. Furthermore, they are very easy to operate and guaranty perfectly even baking results,” she adds.

Eloma supplies hotels in Japan, China and throughout Asia. Eloma’s clients include Hyatt Regency Hong Kong, Bread Papa China, Atlantis Hotel Dubai and Muffinaris in Japan.

On-site, on time Good European-style bread was relatively hard to find in China when the Hilton Shanghai opened in 1988. The first international 5-star hotel in newly reopened China, the Hilton also had one of the first modern European bakeries in the country. Today the hotel’s delicatessen and bakery Gourmet Corner occupies a prime position in the French Concession area selling a range of homemade specialties and is still one of the best places in Shanghai for freshly baked bread. Its European breads, including classic baguettes, dinkel gruenkern, multi-seed, Bavarian rye, country bread and muffins have legions of fans.

Chef Christian Rast leads a team of 23 people that operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. A glance at the bakery timetable reveals that most of the many types of breads sold are baked twice a day so regular customers know what time to pick up their favourites. Croissants have to be baked three times a day on Fridays and Saturdays just to keep up with the demand.

The property has been using a German Winkler Wachtel oven.

Having sourced the best ingredients, mixed, kneaded and experimented

with recipes, bakers and pastry chefs need reliable ovens that bake to

perfection. Ruth Williams finds out what choices are made

“A passion is reignited when

you begin producing

bread from scratch” Antony

McNeill

Rack and RollsHow good can it get?Today European-style bread can be found all over China, but some locations present unique challenges for bakers. Far away from Shanghai on Hainan Island, Antony McNeill, The Ritz Carlton Sanya’s Executive Chef is passionate about producing fresh bread from scratch. “Sanya is still a developing resort location; we have limited access to major producers for pastry and bread product. We have a Chief Baker with several support chefs led by our Executive Pastry Chef, Chris Busschaert,” explains McNeill as he warms to his theme: “A passion is reignited when you begin producing bread from scratch, it opens the mind to endless combinations and the challenge to make the perfect baguette or croissant is endless.”

What makes on-site baking even better for hotel guests, McNeill says, is the freshness. “The product produced in-house does not need to be frozen and reheated or transported great distances. It is literally from the oven to the table. Fresh is best. You can’t take that quality away! Guests understand this and they comment regularly on the quality and flavour.”

Many manufacturers of bakery ovens, most of who are based in Europe, share the passion that bakers and pastry chefs

bring to the art and science of bread and pastry making.

For instance, Germany’s Eloma has been manufacturing ovens for over 35 years and earlier this year introduced another baking technology. Anita Mair from the company’s marketing department explains that Eloma’s small Backmaster EB 30 and EB 30 XL (three trays) as well as the larger EB 50 (five trays) and EB 80 (eight trays) are now available with either a T or B control panel and also have the preferred autoclean system as an option.

“For all the new Backmaster models we also provide the multi-eco-hood. And, thanks to the Eloma Modular Solutions, a combination of two baking ovens or a mix of one baking oven and one combi steamer is now possible,” says Mair.

The multi-eco hood is a condensation hood that replaces venlitation systems. “The small models – EB 30 and EB 30 XL – have

GermancompanyElomahavebeenmanufacturingovensforover��years

Miwe’sCondooven

HiltonShanghai’sbread

TheRoll-infromMiwe

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standard demanded for European bread and pastries.

The company says the Miwe Roll-in is especially successful because it combines the efficiencies of a rack oven with solutions devised from decades of practical experience. The spacious oven has a powerful circulation fan that can be controlled exactly in every baking phase for perfect even baking for every type of baking product. Its air control system also saves energy, up to 20 percent compared to their oven systems, due in part to the door, which stays steam-proof because of an adjustable sealing ring.

Miwe says its oven technology is designed so that even those unskilled in the baking arts may produce high quality goods without mistakes.

A matter of choiceFor a hotel the final choice of bakery oven may be determined by the cuisine they offer. At the Kowloon Shangri-La, Hong Kong Chef Hung Chi-yin oversees a team of 16 and a pastry kitchen that produces bakery items for seven deluxe F&B outlets. The chefs use a rack oven for hard and soft rolls and grissini and a deck oven for Italian traditional breads and other bread loaves.

The Grand Hyatt Hong Kong has one dedicated oven within its Italian restaurant Grissini that bakes nothing but grissini. The bread sticks are freshly prepared on a daily basis and baked in the restaurant as the meal period starts so they can be served fresh and warm.

Meanwhile, Gregoire Michaud is the Pastry Chef at the Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong and the author of Artisan Bread. He uses an electric bakery oven with a stone base to bake all the breads and pastries at the Four Seasons.

Michaud out l ines how an oven contributes to successful bread: “Firstly, the temperature calibration of the oven must be accurate. Then, the oven must have a steam system where the baker can put more or less steam in the oven. Also, the insulation of the doors must be good enough to keep the steam and the heat constant while baking.”

In Michaud’s opinion: “The bottom of the oven must be stone, or stone composite in order to bake any bread properly, indeed the direct heat transfer makes better bread than

simply baking on trays. Finally, the intensity of the heat must be controllable in order to produce the crust the baker needs.”

Michaud says that making bread on-site enhances a hotel’s individuality, suggesting that while frozen bread may seem convenient, the result is many hotels in the same city end up serving bread that tastes the same. Baking their own allows chefs to, “produce ‘signature’ items that won’t be found anywhere else,” as well as producing “100 per cent natural breads - the opposite of some frozen bread brands [which] use countless chemical bread improvers. Finally, it perpetuates the art of bread making - a trade that is slowly disappearing with the emergence of products of convenience.”

Rising to the occasionAlso based in Germany, Miwe produces baking ovens and bakery refrigeration equipment. It has been working with Japanese distributor Aicohsha for 20 years and while Japan remains its most important market, it sells ovens all over Asia. Hong Kong distribution is by long-standing partner Kolb.

Its equipment can be found in 20 or so hotels in Hong Kong including the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel as well as the Park Royal InterContinental in New Delhi, the Taj Mahal Hotel in Bombay and the Taj Bengal Hotel in Calcutta.

Miwe’s bestselling ovens in Asia are the Miwe Condo, Miwe Gusto and the Miwe Roll-in, which are able to produce the

ElomasupplieshotelsacrossAsia

Startingpoint–theHiltonShanghai’sGourmetCorner

GrandHyattHongKong’sGrissinirestauranthasanovendedicatedtomakingitsfamedgrissini

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UniMac is part of Alliance Laundry Systems, a world leader in manufacturing commercial laundry equipment. Since its start, more than 50 years ago, the UniMac brand has become renowned for building some of the most durable on-premises laundry products available. As part of Alliance Laundry Systems, UniMac employs a ‘Customer One’ approach to business. This means UniMac clients are provided with services targeted to their specifi c needs, including superior technical support, laundry design and layout services and industry-leading after sales parts support in their market.

Alliance International

Nieuwstraat 146

B-8560 Wevelgem - Belgium

Tel +32 56 41 20 54

www.unimac.com/intl

Get further information on

www.unimac.com/intl or contact Kitty

Zhang (Area Sales Manager China).

tel.: (86)-21 52060475

tel.: (86)-138 1833 3540

e-mail: kit [email protected]

Crisp clean sheets and fluffy towels and robes have the most contact with hotel guests during any stay so it makes sense to ensure they are well-cared for and an excellent laundry service is of course essential to do so.

For hotels that have made the decision to have laundry services on-site taking the time to investigate the efficiency of that laundry system and equipment could reveal new savings.

Jason P. Gerling, Director of Hong Kong Operations, Castic-SMP Machinery Corp recently commented on the current economic situation ahead of trade fair Texcare Asia. “The global economic downturn has given us and our United States partner Pellerin Milnor the opportunity to develop new models and new technologies that will serve to assist our customers in terms of lowering operating costs and offering significant savings in capital investment expenditure.”

Pellerin Milnor is a New Orleans-based manufacturer in operation since 1947. The Milnor range includes washer-dryers, batch washers, dryers and extraction systems. Castic-SMP Machinery is Milnor’s manufacturing licensee in China.

“We manufacture a full range of Milnor washer-extractors ranging from 9kg to 125kg in our Shenzhen manufacturing facility. By manufacturing such models in China, we are able to offer our valued customers located throughout the world significant savings on capital investment expenditures.

“The China-made Milnor washer-extractors are held to the same stringent quality standards utilized at Milnor’s United States manufacturing facility. The China-made Milnor product line has been well received in the Greater China market and is currently being exported to the United State, Europe and various other international markets,” Gerling adds.

With many hotels experiencing lower occupancy at present budgets are tight and most hoteliers are not keen to incur additional expenses. Andrew Kan, Senior Regional Sales Manager, Asia of Alliance Laundry Services acknowledges that while it may appear counter to conventional wisdom to consider increasing capital expenses during an economic downturn any investment in efficiency will reap rewards.

“As the world economy slowly turns the corner and has begun to pull out of the recession, now is the time for hotels to look very closely at improving the efficiency of operations, particularly in the laundry.

“Too often management only thinks about the laundry when it is forced to replace a piece of broken down equipment. Taking a hard look at not only the efficiency of washers and dryers, but also processes and staffing can actually save money over the long term,” says Kan.

Antonella Favaro, who works in product management and marketing for manufacturer Electrolux adds a further argument in favour of change – now is a good time for hotels to replace laundry equipment so that they can take advantage of advances in technology.

Intelligent control systems allow the user “to handle everything from terry towels to complete mastering of the laundry process, including the control of stocked items and consumption.”

Kan’s first advice for hotels that want a review of laundry operations and equipment is to enlist the help of a factory-authorized, full-service laundry equipment distributor.

Kan says improved efficiency and a streamlined laundry process “will leave your property better positioned to handle the increased

Ruth Williams discovers that investing in the right laundry equipment might not be cheap, but the financial and efficiency rewards can make it worthwhile

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or 140 G-force spin speeds. “With high speed extraction, often linens can go directly to the finisher with little or no conditioning [drying] necessary,” Kan notes.

What to chooseSo which laundry equipment is best to ensure an efficient laundry?

Jindi Hu, Dry-Cleaning & Laundry Finishing Equipment General Manager of Shanghai Weishi, comments that, “China’s laundry and dry-cleaning industry is still relatively new, the techniques currently adopted are not the most efficient in terms of cost, time and energy. Recognising this, we will be launching our entire wet and dry pressing line of products including our first wet-pressing machine, which returns suits to their original shape after washing.”

Electrolux is also hitting the market with a wet-pressing machine. The company’s Lagoon wet-cleaning system is being positioned as the only alternative to dry-cleaning and as environmentally friendly.

“While each hotel has unique needs, a five-star property places a premium on the finest quality finished results. This requires great flexibility in the laundry, especially on the washing side,” says Kan. In his opinion: “Only UniMac’s UniLinc control and IPSO’s Cygnus Professional control can deliver the versatility such a property requires.”

According to company information, as well as a 300 G-Force extractor, UniMac’s UniLinc control machines’ many money saving features include a real-time clock that enables laundry managers to monitor exactly when the machine is in use, and can be pre-programmed when necessary to utilse labour more efficiently. Water usage can be controlled by choosing one of 30 different

water levels and a rapid jetspray rinse setting will also reduce water consumption.

Another option with a high G-force is to be launched at Texcare Asia. Chinese manufacturer Sailstar is to launch its Global Premier line of tilting and non-tilting machines. The company’s Marketing Director Wendy Chi tells AHCT that the tilting line of machinery is an improved version of a previous model.

The machine has been strengthened and made more convenient to service. Some previously optional settings have become standard, for instance the double drain function. “This not only saves ‘non-productive’ draining time, but also saves up to 40 percent of total water used. This is a good response to increasing water costs in China,” says Chi.

The aesthetics of the machine have also been improved with a new finish.

The non-tilting Global Premier model is based on a 5-year-old machine built for export to Japan and which has, the company says, been critically acclaimed there.

“It offers 350 G-force, which, as far as we are concerned, is the highest G-force among all local washer extractors. The higher the G-force, the lower the moisture retention, so that more drying energy can be saved,” Chi explains.

The machine is also designed to be speedy, saving 15 percent on time compared to other Sailstar models. High quality stainless steel has been used to prevent corrosion and the door structure is completely new to protect linen from nipping.

loads when occupancy rates return to normal. The savings will add up quickly to offset the cost of the upgrade.”

Favaro advises that Electrolux has a Singapore-based Professional Laundry division tasked with meeting customer demands.

When to changeKan suggests that upgrading laundry equipment should also be considered when a hotel is renovating or re-branding a property. “Re-branding of a property almost always includes a move to higher quality linens both bed linens and towels. Such a transition to higher thread count linens places a heavy demand on the laundry operation.”

Kan advises hotels to review the age of their equipment as well as capacity during a re-branding process. Before the renovation starts it is worth considering how well the laundry is coping with the existing linens. “If the laundry is currently experiencing significant overtime hours or has already had to add additional staff, the new linens and re-branding will only add to those problems.

“Likewise, if drying and finishing areas have a difficult time keeping up with the washers, again, things will get worse with high thread count linens,”

When considering new equipment to cope with high thread count linens, Kan says the most important thing to consider is the washer extractor speed, saying, “Anything less than 300 G-force will severely handicap the operation.”

High G-force extraction is required because the high thread count linens hold much more water during washing than other blends. The high G-force removes significantly more water from the load than 86

The higher the G-force, the lower the moisture retention, so that more drying energy can be saved” Wendy Chi

Electroluxoffersadvancesinlaundrytechnology

Asignificantinvestmentbutonethatcanpayoffwithlowerrunningcosts

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Alliance International bvba | Nieuwstraat 146 | B-8560 WEVELGEM (BELGIUM)Tel. +32 56/41 20 54 | Fax +32 56/41 86 74 | [email protected] | www.ipso.be

Sept 1 – 3 Restaurant & Bar Hong Kong 2009 Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre Wanchai, Hong Kong

Sept 24 – 26 Viethotel 09 Expo National Convention Centre Hanoi, Vietnam

Oct 1 – 3 Food&HotelVietnam 2009 Incorporating FranchisingVietnam 2009, Saigon Exhibition & Convention Center

Oct 14-16 Hotel Investment Conference Asia-Pacific (HICAP) InterContinental Hong Kong Tsim Sha Tsui Hong Kong

Oct 14-16 Hotel Investment Forum India (HIFI) Renaissance Mumbai Hotel & Conference Centre Mumbai India

Oct 22 – 24 Wine & Gourmet Asia Hall C, The Cotai Strip Cotai Expo at The Venetian Macao-Resort-Hotel

Nov 4 – 6 Hong Kong International Wine & Spirits Fair Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre

Nov 7-10 International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show Jacob K. Javits Convention Center New York City USA

Nov 11 – 13 HI DESIGN ASIA 2009 Shangri-La Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa, Penang, Malaysia

Nov 12 – 14 Hotel Expo Macau Hall C, The Cotai Strip Cotai Expo at The Venetian Macao- Resort-Hotel

DATe evenT DeTAiLS ORGAnizeR

Vietnam’s premier food and hospitality sourcing and networking trade event returns for the 5th year. Running concurrently with Vietnam’s major franchising trade event, and introducing the inaugural ‘Vietnam Barista Competition’ to promote the expertise, creativity and talent of top local coffee baristas. Co-organised by Singapore Exhibition Services and Kerry Ingredients.

Singapore Exhibition ServicesNo 1 Jalan Kilang Timor#09-02 Pacific Tech CentreSingapore 159303Tel: +65 6233 6638 Fax: +65 6233 6633Website: www.foodnhotelvietnam.comwww.franchisingvietnam.com

Wine and spirits companies introduce their wares to the new regional wine hub.

Exhibitions DepartmentHong Kong Trade Development Council Unit 13, Expo GalleriaHong Kong Convention and Exhibition CentreWan Chai, Hong KongTel: +852 2824 0026Email: [email protected]/abouttdc

Restaurant & Bar Hong Kong is the fastest growing exhibition for the hospitality sector in Asia Pacific. In addition to presenting hundreds of excellent product and service offerings from around the world, it also attracts visitors with educational demonstrations, tastings, seminars and competitions.

Diversified Events Hong Kong LtdTel: +852 3105 3970Fax: +852 3105 3974Email: [email protected]

Viethotel 09 is the first major international expo & conference in Hanoi for the hotel, restaurant, catering and foodservices industry and will be where decision makers meet to do business.

AMB Exhibitions Sdn BhdTel: +603 40454993Fax: +603 40454989Email: [email protected]

Wine & Gourmet Asia is a trade, networking and culinary platform showcasing the very best of Asia-Pacific’s fine wine, gourmet and hospitality industry.

Koelnmesse Pte Ltd152 Beach Road, #25-05 Gateway EastSingapore 189721Tel : +65 6500 6700 Fax: +65 6294 8403Email: [email protected]

The first HI DESIGN for Asia will provide key specifiers, buyers and suppliers of the hospitality design industry with one-to-one meetings, first-class networking, a supplier showcase and crucial, industry specific seminars.

Atticus Events Ltd11 Windsor End, Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, HP9 2JJ, UKTel: +44 1494 678766 Email: [email protected]

International Hotel Equipment & Supplies Expo incorporating Foodservice Equipment, Food & Beverage Expo is the largest gathering of the hotel, hospitality and tourism industries in Macau.

Coastal International Exhibition Co., Ltd.Room 2106, China Resources Building, 26 Harbour Road, Wanchai, Hong KongTel: +852 2827 6766Fax: +852 2827 6870Email: [email protected]

Asia’s longest running hotel investment conference, HICAP brings strategic insights to investors, financiers, developers and leading industry professionals about developments, changes and opportunities in the region.

BHN and Horwath HTLTel: +1 714 540 9300Fax: +1 714 540 9306 Email: [email protected] www.hicapconference.com

Bringing hotel executives, investors, lenders, developers and the professional advisory community together, HIFI presents a forum dedicated to hospitality investment in India.

BHN and Horwath HTLTel: +1 714 540 9300Fax: +1 714 540 9306 Email: [email protected] www.hicapconference.com

The world’s largest showcase and exchange of industry products, trends and developments continues to attract every segment and facet of the hospitality and restaurant industry.

GLM ShowsLynn White, Show ManagerTel: +1 914 421 3263Email: [email protected]

According to the organizers, over 280 companies from 19 countries and regions will be exhibiting their wares at this year’s edition of the biennial Food & Hotel Vietnam show.

Vietnam’s market for food and hotel related equipment is growing with the increase in tourism in the country, which earned revenues of about US$941 million in the first six months of 2009. During the same period the country recorded about 1.8 million foreign travellers and 11.7 million domestic travellers with targets to achieve 4.3 million for the year 2009, 4.5 million in 2010, 4.8 million in 2011 and 5.2 million in 2012, according to Vietnam’s General Statistics Office.

Travel and hospitality companies are not blind to the opportunities and have been investing in the market.

Several significant hospitality projects are slated for launch between 2009 – 2011, including the Hyatt Regency Danang Resort and Spa, the JW Marriott Danang Resort, the Novotel Hanoi On The Park, the Novotel Phu Quoc, the MGM Ho Tram, the Pullman Vung Tau, the Sheraton Nha Trang Hotel & Spa, the Westin Resort & Spa in Cam Ranh and many more.

Jetstar, the budget carrier of Australia’s Qantas airline, has teamed up with Vietnam’s Pacific Airlines to launch Jetstar Pacific, Vietnam’s first low-cost value-based airline. Panama’s Jupiter Cruises launched its sea travel service in Vietnam, becoming the first foreign operator to provide cruise services for tourists in coastal areas like Hai Phong, Da Nang, Nha Trang, and Ho Chi Minh City.

Local operators are also keen to cash in.Marking its first appearance alongside Food&HotelVietnam2009,

FranchisingVietnam2009, Vietnam’s premier franchising trade event, will serve as a timely platform for international and regional brands to meet with the business community, to network, gather market intelligence and develop franchising opportunities in Vietnam. The event aims to introduce players from the hospitality and retail sectors to fast food chains, accounting, cleaning services, convenience stores, delivery services, health & fitness, hotel and motels, laundry and spa services.

Visitors to the 9,000-square-metre show will also be able to meet with leading international and local companies including Chinatown Food, Del Monte, EuroChef, Flanders Investment & Trade, Grand Place Chocolate, Herman Laue, Hosen, Illy Coffee, Lamb Weston, Libbey, Meat & Livestock Australia, Pasabahce, Qson, Q Industries, Simplex, Tai Hua Sauces, Tong Garden, USA Poultry & Egg Export Council, US Meat, Unilever, WUSATA and many more.

Local Vietnam exhibitors include Andy Mannhart, Annam Fine Food, BT Corporation, Charles Wembley, Hoan Cau, MHS, Minh Long, New Viet Dairy, Tan Uc Viet and VietSolutions.

Food & Hotel Vietnam 2009Saigon Convention &

Exhibition CenterHo Chi Minh City

VietnamOctober 1-3, 2009

www.foodnhotelvietnam.com

Opportunity knocks for Vietnam

E v E n t s


E x h i b i t i o n s


Construction may be delayed and the tourism arrival numbers for the first half of 2009 may be down but Macau has still seen the opening of some major projects this year – City of Dreams and the Lan Kwai

Fong Hotel to name but two.In the next one-three years, if plans go according to schedule, a

plethora of projects will complete and Macau will witness the openings of L’Arc, Macao Studio City, Oceanus, Wynn Encore, Jumeirah Hotel, Sheraton Hotel, Fairmont Cotai Strip, Conrad, Galaxy Cotai Mega Resorts, Hilton Hotel, St. Regis and the extension of Fisherman’s Wharf.

Despite the downturn, Macau still has an economic potential.Hotel Expo 2009, the fifth edition of the niche International Hotel

Equipment & Supplies Expo, hopes to provide industry operators and vendors with an ideal platform to meet, network and do business.

This year’s Hotel Expo is adding a Foodservice Equipment, Food & Beverage Expo as a special feature, showcasing not only foodservice equipment and supplies but also many F&B products including wine, coffee and tea.

Some 300 senior hotel managers from across Asia (general managers, senior executives and procurement directors and managers) will gather for the Asian Hotel General Managers Forum for a third time. The forum allows vendors to meet their target buyers.

The Hosted Buyer Program is also intended to attract a high quality and quantity of visitors.

The show will also host its regular activities – a Spa & Wellness Forum, Business Matching Program, Cooking Demonstrations; other highlights include the Barista & Bartender Performance, Coffee Culture Day, Hotel Furniture Design Competition, and a Cooking Competition.

Hotel Expo 2009The 5th International Hotel Equipment & Supplies Expo

Cotai Expo, Venetian MacaoNovember 12-14, 2009.

[email protected] www.coastal.com.hk

Macau show looks to the future

The Chinese government’s economic stimulus package that includes tax cuts, rebates and exemptions is resulting in an estimated benefit of US$75 billion in 2009 for small and medium sized enterprises, including laundry industry

distributors, sales agents and laundry service proprietors. Hotels are also likely to be among the beneficiaries of a US$3 billion government

allocation of subsidies for emission and energy consumption reducing technologies.One impact of these two factors is the healthy bookings for Texcare Asia. As early

as three months before the October show some 90 leading brands had signed up as exhibitors at the fifth edition of the biennial fair.

Brands represented come from Belgium, China, Germany, Italy, Japan, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the United States.

Indeed Germany and Italy have their own country pavilions, occupying some of the available 10,000-square-meter exhibition space.

One company featured in the German pavilion is heavy-duty laundry equipment manufacturer Kannegiesser, appearing at Texcare Asia for the fourth time.

Kannegiesser has found as a result of newly enacted environmental legislation and the ongoing development of large-scale central laundries in China, “more and more of our complete turnkey solutions are being installed in laundries across China to achieve greater levels of efficiency. We will therefore be showcasing our entire range of low water, chemical and steam washing systems, energy saving extracting and fast drying systems, high speed ironer and finishing lines as well as logistical equipment for hotel and health care laundries at the fair this year,” said company General Manager Mr. Heinz.

Of course it is not just the German brands that are represented.Shanghai Sailstar Machinery (Group) Co Ltd will be showcasing their latest product

range of laundry, dry-cleaning and folding equipment, “which has yet to be launched in China”, noted Marketing Manager Wendy Chi. “These products include the immensely popular re-use rinsing water system, which generates water savings of up to 50 percent.”

Jean-Marc Vandoorne, Senior Vice-President International Sales, Alliance International revealed, “Given the internationalism and professionalism of Texcare Asia, we will be introducing our top brands and products at this show.”

Concurrently, there will be a Texcare Forum Asia, focussing on the latest developments in the global professional textile care industry.

Texcare AsiaInternational Trade fair for Modern Textile Care

China International Exhibition CenterBeijing, ChinaOctober 28-30, 2009

www.texcare.com

Fair to highlight industry trends


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Wine & Gourmet Asia mark three, a dedicated trade fair featuring ‘high-end’ food and beverage producers, will open its doors at The Venetian Macao Resort Hotel on Macau’s Cotai Strip on

October 22nd this year.Showcasing major wine producers from around the world and

introducing several innovative wine programmes, show organizers say the five country pavilions from return nations Australia, Portugal and Singapore and new comers South Korea and Spain, represented by the region of Aragon where climatic and soil conditions are known to produce quality wines, will be a highlight.

New features include a silent bid auction of rare vintages with proceeds going to charity; wine tasting seminars and wine buyers and investment programmes. While the Asian Cocktail Championship, sponsored by Seapower the biggest spirits and wine distributor in Macau, attracts more than 100 competitors and, together with the newly established Association of Bartenders and Sommeliers Macau, helps to “highlight the importance of the cocktail culture”, say organizers.

Running until October 24th, for the first time the show will be held in partnership with the largest international trade fair in Macau, the Macau International Trade and Investment Fair.

Wine & Gourmet Asia 2009The Venetian Macao Resort

HotelThe Cotai Strip

MacauOctober 22-24, 2009

www.wineandgourmetasia.com

VINTAGE MACAU

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Made in France

For a free brochure containing full detail,please contact:

Alpha International Food Services909, Chai Wan Industrial City, Phase 2,70 Wing Tai Road, Chai Wan, Hong Kong.Tel: (852) 2889 2123 Fax: (852) 2889 1757http://www.eurocave-alpha.comEmail: [email protected]

World leader in Wine Cellars

Mail or Fax to: THOMSON PRESS (HK) LIMITED Rm 1205-6, 12/F., Hollywood Centre, 233 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong.

Tel: (852) 2851 7068/2815 9111 Fax: (852) 2851 1933/2581 9531 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.thomsonpress.com.hk

Subscribe Today!Asian Hotel & Catering Times (AHCT) has been serving the Asian-Pacific region as a familiar and trusted industry publication for three decades, and is widely acknowledged to be the only magazine that covers all aspects of the hospitality industry.

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�2 AHCTseptember 2009

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CarlArtmann

KennethChan

ChaowalitThinsuku

Sofitel Shanghai Hyland has announced the appointment of Carl Artmann as Resident Manager, moving from Swissotel Beijing. He has more than 19 years’ experience in hospitality operation and management. Artmann has worked for various luxury hotel brands including Swissotel, Ritz-Carlton and Mandarin Oriental in Germany, the United States and China.

Pan Pacific Hotels Group has announced the appointment of Kenneth Chan as Vice President, Strategy and Planning. A black belt qualified Lean/Six-Sigma practitioner, Chan, in his new appointment, will design, implement and maintain Pan Pacific Hotel Group’s strategic blueprint in line with corporate objectives.

Banyan Tree Phuket has announced the appointment of local Chaowalit Thinsuku as Director of F&B. Chaowalit has over 18 years’ experience in F&B at a variety of prestigious locations including the Blue Elephant London, the Grand Hyatt Erawan and Four Seasons in Bangkok and the Four Seasons, Maldives, Landaa Giraavaru, his last posting.

Harbour Plaza Hotels and Resorts has announced the appointment of Christina Cheng as General Manager of Harbour Plaza 8 Degrees, scheduled to open in October 2009. With hotel experience spanning more than 20 years, Cheng has worked at various chains, including Mandarin Oriental, Ritz- Carlton, The Peninsula and Harbour Plaza Hotels & Resorts.

Pan Pacific Hotels Group has announced the appointment of Chua Chi Min as Vice President, Openings and Rebranding. With 15 years of experience in hospitality and property development, Chua will lead a combined team from operations, brands, revenue, people, technical services, finance, quality and information technology to work on hotel openings and rebranding.

Waldorf Astoria has appointed Dirk De Cuyper as General Manager of Waldorf Astoria Shanghai on the Bund, scheduled to open in 2010. With a career spanning over 15 years at Hilton Hotels Corporation, De Cuyper has worked in Brussels, New York, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and China. His last post was Pre-opening General Manager of Conrad Shanghai.

CoetzerDeysel

StephaneDuvacher

IanEkers

Starwood Hotels & Resorts has announced the appointment of Coetzer Deysel as General Manager of the soon to open W Retreat Koh Samui. Prior to his appointment, he was Resort Manager for the W Retreat & Spa – Maldives.

Indigo Pearl has announced the appointment of Stephane Duvacher as F&B Director. Trained chef Duvacher has worked in many prestigious restaurants including the one-Michelin-starred Restaurant Hotel L’Aigle Noir. Hotel experience includes work in the Middle East, Asia and the Caribbean.

Pan Pacific Hotels Group has announced the appointment of Ian Ekers as General Manager of Parkroyal on Kitchener, Singapore. A highly experienced hotelier whose previous experience spans terms at Raffles the Plaza (now Fairmont Singapore), Ritz-Carlton, and Shangri-La, Ekers returns to Singapore after a stint at Sunway Resort Hotel and Spa in Malaysia.

The Opposite House has announced the appointment of Michael Faulkner as Director of Sales and Marketing. The Englishman’s experience includes five years with well-known and international luxury hotels in China and Australia, as well as several years at the Metropolitan in London where he also had a DOSM role.

Westin Hotels & Resorts’ first foray into Thailand will have Greg Findlay as General Manager. Findlay comes to The Westin Siray Bay Resort, Phuket having opened the award winning The Westin Auckland Lighter Quay.

Taking the helm as General Manager of the 133-year-old Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok, Jan D. Goessing is a 26-year hotel industry veteran having held senior positions throughout Asia, The Americas and Europe. Most recently, Goessing was General Manager of Mandarin Oriental, Washington DC and has worked for groups Regent-Beverly Wilshire, InterContinental and Kempinski Hotels.

ChristinaCheng

ChuaChiMin

DirkDeCuyper JanD.Goessing

GregFindlay

MichaelFaulkner

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WilliamGumport

MartinB.Jones

BenjaminLee

Ayana resort Bali has announced the appointment of William Gumport as Chef de Cuisine in its Dava restaurant. Gumport comes fresh from Las Vegas, where he worked as Executive Sous Chef at Michael Mina at Bellagio, and before that Chef de Partie, Sous Chef, at Joel Robuchon at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino. Prior to this, Gumport worked with many well-known chefs and restaurateurs throughout the United States.

Martin B. Jones is now Vice President, Food & Beverage, for Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Asia Pacific Division. With 25 years’ experience in the hospitality industry Jones joined Sharwood in 1999 and is a recipient of the Starwood Business Excellence Award for “Most Creative Innovator”. Jones was General Manager of the Westin Kuala Lumpur.

With over 20 years’ experience in the hotel industry, Benjamin Lee has joined the pre-opening team of Harbour Plaza 8 Degrees as Rooms Division Manager. Having worked throughout Asia, for the past three years, Lee has been Director of Operations at New World Hotel, Wuhan.

Doris Li has moved from Director of Sales – Travel Trade to Director of Sales and Marketing of Harbour Plaza, Hong Kong. Li joined the group 12 years ago in 1997 and has worked in several departments including corporate sales, MICE, catering and events.

Pan Pacific Hotels Group has announced the appointment of Fabien Linsay as General Manager of Parkroyal Serviced Suites and Pan Pacific Serviced Suites in Singapore. Linsay has worked for the Ascott Group and Millennium & Copthorne. His last position was General Manager at the Changi Village Hotel, Singapore.

Pan Pacific Hotels Group has appointed Mark Losi General Manager of Pan Pacific Orchard, Singapore. Losi has spent the last six years as General Manager of Parkroyal Penang.

LouisSailer

FrançoisSigrist

NicolasA.Vienne

Louis Sailer has been appointed Chief Executive Officer, Fullerton Hotels & Resorts adding to his role as Chief Executive Officer of The Fullerton Heritage, and General Manager of the Fullerton Hotel Singapore. A 25-year industry veteran, Sailer has worked in a number of properties across the United States and Asia, including those of Ritz Carlton, Hilton & Conrad International and Raffles International.

François Sigrist has been appointed General Manager of Parkroyal Penang in Malaysia by Pan Pacific Hotels Group. Having worked throughout the world for Four Seasons, Shangri-La and InterContinental, the Swiss national’s last position was at Meritus Pelangi Beach Resort & Spa in Langkawi, Malaysia.

Frenchman Nicolas A. Vienne, has been appointed Executive Chef at Sofitel Shanghai Hyland. With more than 10 years’ experience in kitchens throughout the United States, Lebanon and South Pacific Islands, award winning Vienne created Sofitel’s first organic restaurant at the group’s Bora Bora Motu Private Island.

Regina Wilson joins the Westin Siray Bay Resort from Le Meridien Nirwana Golf & Spa Resort, Bali as the Director of Sales & Marketing.

The new Director of Revenue Strategy at the Renaissance Harbour View Hotel Hong Kong is Dwight Yang. Prior to this appointment, Hong Kong native Yang was Director of Revenue Strategy for the JW Marriott Hotel Seoul.

Travelport GDS has announced the appointment of Michael Yates as Marketing Director, Asia Pacific. A former journalist, Yates brings more than 20 years of experience in strategic marketing and communications almost exclusively in travel and tourism roles. He spent eight years with PATA and worked for the Australian Tourist Commission for 14 years.

DorisLi

FabienLinsay

MarkLosi

DwightYang

ReginaWilson

MichaelYates

GRAFIK Eye® QS total light and shade controlLutron introduces the first solution that simplifies control of both lights and shades, providing your clients with comfort and flexibility while complementing your design. And, like other Lutron solutions, it can save 60% or more in lighting energy.

Experience the power of GRAFIK Eye QS at www.lutron.com/hctgqs, or contact Lutron at +852-2104-7008 (Hong Kong), +86-10-5877-1823 (Beijing), +86-21-6103-8462 (Shanghai), +65-6220-3662 (Singapore), 001-800-120-665853 (Thailand), +91-11-4051-4300 (India) and +81-3-5575-8411 (Japan) or email to [email protected]

It controls the lights. It adjusts the shades.It saves energy beautifully.

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CLIENT: LutronCOPY DATE: 4 May

PUBLICATION: Asian Hotel & Catering Times

SIZE: Full page bleedISSUE: June 2009

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ahct sept 09

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