Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Asia travel news

Asia travel news

Hyatt unveils plans for grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur

Posted: 05 Jul 2011 02:51 AM PDT

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CHICAGO–Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) announced that a Hyatt affiliate has entered into an agreement with Bahagia Investment Corporation (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd to manage Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur. The hotel is under construction and is expected to open in 2012.

Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur will be part of an iconic, mixed use complex. The hotel, occupying floors 17 through 39 of the property, will feature 412 guest rooms, including 42 suites and will offer over 33,000 square feet of meeting and event space, a 228-seat café, a 298-seat specialty restaurant with multiple cuisines, a 74-seat Sky Lobby Lounge, a 102-seat poolside restaurant and bar, a spa with 11 treatment rooms, and a swimming pool.

There are currently 51 Hyatt-branded hotels in Asia Pacific and Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur will join the two existing Hyatt-branded hotels in Malaysia: Hyatt Regency Kinabalu and Hyatt Regency Kuantan Resort.  There are 16 other Grand Hyatt hotels in the region’s key gateway cities and destination resorts, including Bali, Bangkok, Beijing, Jakarta, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, and Tokyo.

Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur will be located in the Golden Triangle area of Kuala Lumpur, in a prime location on Jalan Pinang road close to the Kuala Lumpur City Centre (“KLCC”) and the iconic Petronas Towers.

Kuala Lumpur is an internationally recognized tourist and business destination.  With a metropolitan population of approximately 7.2 million, it is the largest city in Malaysia and a key leisure location. Many of Malaysia’s major commercial banks and financial institutions are headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, as are many Malaysian companies, making it an international gateway city.

“In 2010, Malaysia attracted over 24.5 million tourists – rivaling that of countries such as Mexico, Germany and Turkey,” said Willi Martin, area vice president, Southeast Asia, Hyatt Hotels and Resorts. “We see Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur as a remarkable opportunity to expand the presence of the Hyatt brand into a principal city in the rapidly emerging Southeast Asia market.”

Given its central location, Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur will serve visitors to nearby offices and leisure attractions. Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur will be located in close proximity to fashion hubs and business centers, museums, memorials and galleries, and within driving distance of natural preserves. Kuala Lumpur boasts the best of many cultures and an immersive experience for travelers from all corners of the world.

In addition to Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur, twelve other Grand Hyatt properties are currently under development around the world. Grand Hyatt hotels feature spectacular, distinctive properties in mixed-use developments or stand alone buildings in major gateway cities and resort locales around the world.  Signature elements include dramatic lobbies, innovative dining options, state of the art technology, distinctive spa and fitness centers, and comprehensive business and meeting facilities. Across all Hyatt brands, more than 30 new properties opened in 2010, and 140 contracts for new properties were executed.
 

Garuda Indonesia adds new A330-300s to fleet

Posted: 05 Jul 2011 02:07 AM PDT

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INDONESIA-Garuda Indonesia, the national carrier of Indonesia, has signed a new firm order for four A330-300s. The airline has chosen the latest 235 tonne maximum take-off weight variant for long-haul services to all destinations to the Middle East, Asia and Pacific from its hubs in Jakarta and Denpasar. The airline will furthermore convert three previously ordered A330-200s into -300 versions. The agreement was signed in the presence of French Prime Minister François Fillon and His Excellency Hatta Rajasa, Coordinating Minister for Economy of Indonesia.

The new aircraft will join a fleet of seven leased A330-200s and six A330-300s already in service with the airline. This purchase agreement follows an order for six A330-200s signed in July 2010 and will increase the total A330 fleet of Garuda to 23 aircraft. The airline has recently committed to 25 A320s both standard and NEO for its low cost subsidiary Citilink.

“Over the last 15 year, thanks to our A330 Family aircraft, we have benefited from the lowest seat mile cost, true long range capability and proven reliability while our passenger enjoyed very high level of comfort. It is a natural choice for us to continue our successful operations with the A330 Family of Airbus,” said Emirsyah Satar, President & CEO, Garuda Indonesia.

“We are delighted that our relationship with our long-lasting customer, Garuda Indonesia, has been reinforced so strongly in recent weeks. The airline has chosen to become a new operator of our benchmark single aisle A320 Family and will expand its operations with the world's most efficient widebody aircraft in service today, the A330. These new and repeated orders are a clear vote of confidence,” explained John Leahy, Chief Operating Officer, Customers, Airbus.

The twin engine A330 is one of the most widely used widebody aircraft in service today. To date, Airbus has won more than 1,100 orders for the various versions of the aircraft and more than 780 A330s are currently flying with close to 120 customers and operators worldwide. The fleet has accumulated over 17 million flight hours in over 4 million flights and shows a dispatch reliability of 99.6 percent.

 

Centara Hotels and Resorts offers travel discount

Posted: 04 Jul 2011 09:07 PM PDT

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Centara Hotels & Resorts is offering members of the travel industry a further 20 percent discount on the special industry rates for stays on any of its 6 Samui properties during August 1-31, 2011.

The special rates are part of the Centara Celebrates 6 at Samui campaign, designed to promote the 5 resorts on the island of Samui together with 1 resort on the neighboring island of Pha Ngan, a brief boat ride away.

The accommodation style ranges from grand hotel through to beachside hideaway and boutique resort.

The resorts are Centara Grand Beach Resort Samui, Centara Villas Samui, Bhundhari Spa Resort & Villas Samui, X2 Samui Villas by Design, The Sea Samui Vacation Residences, and Centara Pariya Resort & Villas Koh Pha Ngan.

Centara Hotels & Resorts is Thailand’s largest operator of hotels, with 37 deluxe and first-class properties covering all the major tourist destinations in the kingdom. A further 11 resorts in the Maldives, Indian Himalayas, Philippines, Vietnam, Bali Indonesia, Mauritius Indian Ocean, brings the present total to 48 properties. Brands and properties within Centara ensure that specific categories such as couples, families, individuals, and meetings and incentives groups will all find a hotel or resort that is appropriate to their needs. Centara operates 19 branches of Spa Cenvaree, one of Thailand’s most luxurious and innovative spa brands, and the company’s Kids’ Club is available at all the family-friendly resorts to ensure that the youngsters and teens are taken care of. Centara Hotels & Resorts also operates 2 state-of-the-art convention centers in Bangkok, and 1 in Udon Thani in northeastern Thailand.
at 1:40 AM