TTG ASIA TTG Asia luxury | June 2014 for buyers of premium travel and luxury meetings KWEK LENG BENG MY WAY 12 NEW LUXURY HOTEL BRANDS TO WATCH DESTINATIONS Authenticity in the city LONGHAUL Not cold Turkey GASP! The audacity of luxury TTG Luxe-p00 cover +spine jul9.indd 1 9/7/14 9:38 am TTG_Asia_Luxury_PrivateDining_July2014.pdf 1 30/6/14 4:31 pm C M Y CM MY CY CMY K editor’s note his issue, we’re big on authenticity. It’s the overriding theme throughout the maga- zine as, lately, it has been said so often that Tluxury travellers today are not content merely with expensive, quality hardware; they want to touch the intangibles: priceless memories from real sense-of-place encounters. So help us all! I mean the exclamation. There are real chal- lenges in providing ’the real thing‘ to the well- heeled, as our series of Authenticity in the city destination pieces in this issue shows. To begin with, is there much authenticity left in Asian cities that are progressing so rapidly towards modernity? How do DMCs get their well-heeled clients to places of significance, or to meet locals, without these guests being tired and wary even before they start, thanks to being stuck in bad traffic? How do they make the must-see icons of a destination an authentic experience that is above the reach of the masses? Our guide to 12 new luxury hotel brands to watch also shows the birth of groups that put individu- ality and authenticity as the key pillars of success. No doubt about it, our industry is becoming less skin-deep in its customer approach. To me, it’s the best thing since slice bread. 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TTG Asia luxury 1 TTG Luxe-p01 editor's note-2014-my2.indd 1 30/6/14 3:25 pm Raffles Istanbul Raffles 56 KWEK LENG BENG MY WAY FLYING IN PRIVATE 58 12 NEW LUXURY HOTEL BRANDS TO WATCH TTG Luxe-p02-03 content_KYred.indd 2 30/6/14 3:27 pm NOT COLD SO TURKEY SHIOK Raffles Istanbul Raffles 26 53 LOVING June 2014 HERITAGE AGAIN 04 guide accommodation 22 destination japan 26 destination singapore 33 30 destination australia 33 destination hong kong 35 destination indonesia 38 destination malaysia 42 destination vietnam 46 destination philippines 50 destination india 53 longhaul turkey 56 luxury people kwek leng beng 58 focus executive jets gasp! the audacity of luxury 60 GASP! 63 38ANOTHER SIDE TO KL 60HOTEL SUITE IN THE SKY TTG Luxe-p02-03 content_KYred.indd 3 30/6/14 3:27 pm The living area of guide accommodation the Maenam Suite, a room category at The Siam, Bangkok TTG Luxe-p04-19 Guide accom-RHkyredFINALmy.indd 4 30/6/14 3:44 pm 12 NEW LUXURY HOTEL BRANDS RAINI HAMDI TAKES YOU ON A JOURNEY THROUGH 12 EXCITING LUXURY HOTEL BRANDS TO WATCH*. WHO WILL TRUMP IN THE QUEST TO WIN HEARTS – AND DOLLARS – TO OF A NEW GENERATION OF RICH TRAVELLERS? WATCH * Featuring new Asian brands, renewed brands under new ownerships and brands that are new to Asia With Rosa Ocampo reporting on Capella Hotels & Resorts and Nobu Hotels, and Xinyi Liang-Pholsena reporting on The Siam (Sukosol Hotels) TTG Asia luxury | June 2014 5 TTG Luxe-p04-19 Guide accom-RHkyredFINALmy.indd 5 30/6/14 3:44 pm guide accommodation Lounge at Ahn Luh Lanting international travellers. On the other hand, 1 Ahn Luh Resorts local Chinese hotel brands have continued to grow a fair share of the domestic market and Residences but none have truly established themselves as peers with their Western counterparts, Who’s driving it A joint venture pointed out Moreno. comprising three partners: Beijing “Naturally, with more international Tourism Group (BTG), a provincial level, leisure and business travellers wanting to Chinese state-owned tourism enterprise experience more of the local culture, we and one of China’s largest tourism groups; anticipate growth in the demand for a brand General Hotel Management (GHM), the A that will effectively weave and encapsulate luxury hotel management company based M the best of both worlds. This is where we in Singapore that was co-founded by CEO, Ahn see Ahn Luh filling the gap as it balances Adrian Zecha and Hans Jenni; and Great Luh Resorts the two scenarios mentioned above. Ocean Holdings, a Chinese private holding & Residences “The distinctive difference about Ahn Luh company with interests in real estate, lies in how we present the essence of old high-end consumer sectors, arts and e Chinese are world Chinese hospitality in today’s context culture extremely proud of of contemporary elegance. It juxtaposes Brand story According to Akira Moreno, their heritage and East and West, and meaningful traditions Ahn Luh Resorts and Residences’ CEO with modern conveniences. Ahn Luh goes and GHM’s vice president-development & this, coupled with back to the roots of Chinese culture so that pre-opening services, the current luxury the fact that younger guests can experience the intricacies of hotel landscape in China is characterised and more auent the culture in a setting that is unique to the by two common denominators: they Chinese travellers destination.” are primarily situated in the core of the are discerning about In operation None central business district of major cities, accommodations, Under development 99-key Ahn Luh and they are predominantly Western restaurants and Lanting, Shaoxing, Zhejiang province, chain-branded hotels offering a similar other services, opening this fall; 35-villa Ahn Luh Zhujiajiao, service and product proposition. means that Ahn Qingpu District, Shanghai, opening in early Ahn Luh Resorts and Residences aims Luh must go beyond 2015; Dujiangyan, Sichuan province; Xunliao to introduce a “China-centric” brand, the Chinese clichés Bay, Guangdong province which holistically embraces the most Expansion plans In advanced talks with sophisticated essence of the Chinese for a deeper and developers in the following destinations in culture and traditions, while breaking the more meaningful China: Beijing; Dalian, Liaoning province; mold of the existing hotel concept. experience. Fuzhou, Fujian province; Liyang, Jiangsu How Ahn Luh redefines luxury While province; Sanya, Hainan province; Xi’an, China has benefited from the expertise Shaanxi province; Yichun, Heilongjiang in key hospitality competencies that province global hospitality brands have brought, International: Taipei, Taiwan; Bali, this expertise is still generally catered to Indonesia 6 TTG Asia luxury | June 2014 TTG Luxe-p04-19 Guide accom-RHkyredFINALmy.indd 6 30/6/14 3:44 pm TTG Asia Ad 100D100D Sofitel Ad.pdf 1 30/6/14 12:35 pm C M Y CM MY CY CMY K 100 Dollars, 100 Days Be the first to experience our exquisite rooms at Singapore’s only luxury design boutique hotel. Book now and receive a complimentary $100 food and beverage credit for a limited 100-day period. Refer to 100 Dollars, 100 Days when booking on Sofitel.com Validity: 31st May 2014-7th September 2014 Terms & Conditions apply. Sofitel So Singapore • 35 Robinson Road, Singapore 068876 www.fb.com/sofitelsosingapore - www.sofitel.com/8655 JOIN OUR GLOBAL LOYALTY PROGRAM AT ACCORHOTELS.COM ACCOR.indd 1 30/6/14 2:58 pm guide accommodation Capella Singapore individual guest experience through 2 Capella Hotels reliable, genuinely caring and timely service superior to our competition,” said & Resorts Schulze, who is also CEO of the brand.