ahct may 2010
TRANSCRIPT
asian hotel& Catering times
Published since 1976 Vol 35 May 2010
hong Kong sAR hK$50 china RMb50singapore s$15 Malaysia RM30 Thailand bt300 Rest of Asia us$10
REDEFINING THE BOXThe many uses of the in-room TV
KNOWLEDGE ON TAPBeer trends explained
THE EXAMINED LIFEBenefits of hotel school
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 the May issue of Asia’s favourite hospitality read.
While we don’t quite believe that after bankrupting themselves, the people of Iceland deliberately set their island on fire as an insurance scam, we have been following the volcanic ash story with interest. It seems remarkable to us both how fragile and robust the inter-related hospitality and travel industries are. It only took a small-scale natural event to almost close down a continent and paralyze government decision makers. Airlines themselves were quite happy to fly through
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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
the clouds and several chief executives went to the point of actually doing so to prove how confident they were that they could deal with the problem. Yet lack of resolve at government level still led to chaos and the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars.
It has to be said that every crisis brings an opportunity and European airport hotels have been doing well.
Hoteliers in Bali report that the number of European guests cancelling stays has been matched by the number who have extended their stay due to the lack of flights.
MANAgINg EDITorMischa Moselle
DEsIgN byKoon Ming Tang
CoNTrIbuTorsMark Graham Zara HornerElle Kwan
Robin LynamRuth Williams
AssoCIATE PubLIsHErSharon Knowler
ADvErTIsINg sALEs MANAgErClaire Sancelot
CIrCuLATIoN EXECuTIvEBecky Chau
CHAIrMANJS Uberoi
DIrECTorGaurav Kumar
endorseMents
Bad news from Iceland or Thailand shouldn’t distract us from the good news when it comes in. As one major chain announces its 1,000th hotel will be in China, we can see figures that show that country and India seem to be back on the hotel development path at breakneck speed, meaning more investment, jobs and – of course – great places to stay.
E d i t o r ’ s M E s s a g E
May 2010 AHCT �
DEsIgN22 Sugar bar at East, a relaxed
business environment FooD24 Tackling the seafood shortage
DrINK32 Beer – the increasing variety of
available brews
EQuIPMENT42 Stocking the mini bar46 Bathrobes – getting it just right
MANAgEMENT12 Classroom or in-house, training
tomorrow’s staff
TECHNoLogy18 Keeping guests entertained in-room
CuLINAry28 Mother’s Day; The return of luxury;
Chefs on tour
INDusTry 6 The latest from Thailand, China
and India
ProDuCT40 Eco-washers; deco-carpets;
blenders; lighting system
cover photography courtesy of the peninsula shanghai
28Chefs honour mother 6
The pressure of events 18 EvENTs AND EXHIbITIoNs50 Events calendar52 Gulfood 2010 reviewed54 ITE Travel show previewed56 International Hotel Investment Forum
previewed
APPoINTMENTs58 See who is moving where
That’s entertainment
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UpandComing...June• Investment opportunities• Market Report: Shanghai• Networking• Hotel design• Condiments• Flavourings/Syrups• Buffet; Gym
July• Recruitment• Market Report: China • POS• Guest room design• Cheese• Fruit juice• In-room amenities; Knives
CONTENTSV o l u m e 3 5 M a y 2 0 1 0
Alpha International 9 AWSEC, Asia Wine Service & Education Center 33 Bartech 43 Boncafe 38 & 39 Bord Bia 7 DCT, International Hotel & Business Management School University Center Switzerland 15 Global Chef 25 Global Search International 29 HK International Tea Fair 37 HOSFAIR 49 HotelWorld Asia 57 Hyperlux IBC Italian Trade Commission 27 Italian Trade Commission OBC Kerry Ingredients 11 Liquid Assets Limited 35 LRT 21 Manitowoc Foodservice 45 Monin 31 Routin 19 SSTH, Swiss School of Tourism and Hospitality 17 Vinexpo 53 Vini Portugal IFC Wine & Gourmet Asia 55
Advert isers’ index
TheAETASBangkokopens
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Sitting as it does on a cauldron of underground activity, Iceland has been erupting for 55 million years, and mostly unnoticed. But, with today’s dependence on air travel the latest volcanic activity sent the world into a spin, wreaking havoc to air travellers across the globe. Mt Eyjafjallajokull last erupted in 1821. The bad news is, according to vulcanologists it could set off the nearby, and larger Mt Katla, and it could go on sputtering for months.
As a result of the huge dust cloud, which
Thailand hotels still open for businessAs AHCT goes to press the stalemate between red-shirt protestors calling for early elections and the Thai government continues, with protestors still occupying parts of central Bangkok and calling for action elsewhere in the country.
Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has scaled down forecasts for economic growth and tourist arrivals and also appeared on TV with military chief Anupong Paochinda in a show of solidarity.
At the time of writing hotels across the country are putting out the message that they are still very much open for business.
Indeed it’s business as usual at Courtyard by Marriott resorts in Thailand’s beach locations, Patong, Kamala and Surin, which the group reports enjoyed full occupancies throughout the recent Songkran Thai New Year holiday. Courtyard by Marriott Thailand Cluster Sales and Marketing Director, Andreas Kohn, said the figures were, “a very positive sign guests had confidence in the destination.” Until the end of May the three locations are offering rate reduction packages.
In the commercial heart of the city, the 214-room and suite AETAS Bangkok, has opened its doors. Until October 31st 2010 its “Special Opening” promotion includes complementary daily breakfast for one person, complimentary unlimited local calls, discounts on food and laundry services and late check-out.
Just off Mai Khao beach in northern Phuket, The Renaissance Phuket Resort and Spa has opened marking the third Renaissance in Thailand. Located next to Sirinath Marine National Park, the resort features an impressive 17-kilometre stretch of sandy beach. It’s offering a special reduced rate introductory package until the end of May.
W Hotels Worldwide has announced W Retreat-Koh Samui, the first W Retreat in Southeast Asia, will open in summer 2010. The 75 three and five bedroom all-villa beachfront resort will be located adjacent to W Koh Samui and will have access to the hotel’s amenities.
Michael Ayling, Managing Director of Laguna Resorts & Hotels Plc., got a helping trunk from Mena the baby elephant in Laguna Phuket’s Latitude construction launch ceremony. Scheduled for completion mid 2010, the new venue will focus on MICE business.
prompted government agencies to close down air traffic across northern Europe, thousands of travellers were left stranded at airports and hotels. Perhaps not surprisingly then hotel performance at many European airport hotels showed increases in occupancy, and average room rate compared with the same week last year. STR Global, provider of market data to the industry notes Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR) grew in double-digit figures for the week of 11th to 17th April 2010 compared with the same week last year,
which included the Easter holidays. Gatwick (+40 percent), Amsterdam Schiphol (+69 percent), Heathrow (+70 percent), Stockholm Arlanda (+75 percent), Brussels Airport and its surroundings (+137 percent) and Frankfurt Rhein-Main Airport (+369 percent) all reported growth in local currency during the seven-day period.
Four out of the six airport locations achieved occupancy levels of more than 90 percent for Thursday 15th April. But occupancy declined for the following three nights, as people found alternative travel methods or returned home.
Bali boostOn the other side of the world, the Bali Hotels Association is getting in on the action by asking its members to “show empathy in a proactive move towards travellers affected by the disruption”. The Association, which represents more than one hundred hotels on the island, says, “Unlike other destinations”, it “does not wish to take advantage of the unfortunate situation” and has issued a set of guidelines, which include: offering the Best Available Rate when bookings are made direct to the hotel with contracted rates for third party bookings, and for those who didn’t get to Bali for their scheduled holiday - no re-booking charges until the end of the year.
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DualZone
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The first “product” from the EuroCave Professional, Dual Zone, is a 2 temperature zone wine serving cabinet combining a modem design with the latest technology.Two large zones, which are completely independent, allowing your red wines, white wines all to be kept at the right serving temperature.In this way, Dual Zone allows you to easily access bottles when dealing with customers’ wine orders.
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As many nations continue to struggle with the aftermath of the financial meltdown, China, and perhaps in particular, Hong Kong is leading the way to recovery.
According to United Nations World Tourism Organisation forecasts, the tourism industry is set to grow between 3 and 4 percent this year, with China a driving force. With the Shanghai World Expo and Asian Games in Guangzhou occurring this year, and a major hotel group turning the key on its 1000th property are clear indications of an upside. Conversely of course an oversupply of hotel rooms, and concerns the real estate
bubble is about to burst are issues that weigh heavily.
For example, according to the March 2010 STR Global Construction Pipeline Report the Asia Pacific hotel development pipeline includes 976 hotels comprising 248,156 rooms and China is reported as having the largest number of rooms with 131,175. The country also reported the most rooms in the In Construction phase (93,300 rooms). Among key markets, Shanghai ended the month with 14,378 rooms, the most in the total active pipeline (Beijing has 5,775 rooms).
Grand openingFigures such as these are represented on a specific level by hotel groups such as Starwood Hotels & Resorts, which has opened the doors on its 1000th property. Under the Sheraton brand, Starwood’s largest and most global the Sheraton Qiandao Lake Resort marks a milestone in that Sheraton was the first international brand in China in the early 1980s.
“There is no more fertile ground to grow than in China where we plan to double our footprint to 100 hotels by 2012,” affirms Frits van Paasschen,
Starwood is slated to open more than 20
hotels in the nation this year. “Some expect that more than 70 percent of the world’s growth over the next decade will come from emerging – or what we like to call ‘fast-growing’ – markets, which is consistent with Starwood’s global pipeline of new hotels and skews towards development in markets like China and India,” said Simon Turner, President of Global Development for Starwood.
Further signs of the growing luxury and diversity of the country’s hotel portfolio include the iconic Tibet Hotel Chengdu becoming the first hotel in South West China to join Worldhotels as a First Class Collection affiliate.
Adding to its collection of five hotels and six resorts across Asia, Malaysian conglomerate, YTL Hotels has announced plans to expand its current portfolio in Shanghai. The South building of the legendary Peace Hotel is the group’s soon-to-be-unveiled Swatch Art Peace Hotel.
In Macau Steve Wynn opened the boutique-styled 414-suite and villa Encore, also adding two restaurants and a bar to the company’s Macau offering.
The lure of the World ExpoPre-opening test runs for the World Expo (May 1 – October 31st 2010) in China’s
financial capital proved disastrous with punters resorting to climbing fences to gain entry having queued for hours only to be told pavilion quotas had been met. Road traffic was congested, touting rampant and restaurants ran out of food.
It’s the first time a World Expo has been held in what’s being dubbed a “developing” nation and the first time the event has garnered much publicity. With a tag line, “Better City, Better Life” the Shanghai Tourism Administration is expecting to welcome 70 million visitors, just 5 percent of them from overseas. The government’s US$700 million city gentrification project, which has seen hawkers and housing stripped is overshadowed by the US$45 billion upgrade of transport and infrastructure facilities, including doubling the metro system within the past year and constructing a new airport terminal.
According to analysts Top Hotel Projects, the expo has coincided with the construction of 20 upmarket hotels. Eight hotels, with 2,500 guest rooms, are already open and a further 12 with 3,700 rooms are in the construction pipeline. The latter properties are set to open during the expo but the analysts also report a further 14 hotels with 6,400 rooms will open in
Pipeline activity signals China resurgence
Shanghai in the next four years.Most of the 191 countries that have built
pavilions at the expo have invested record sums with national governments taking the lead. A British cabinet minister was flown
[Photos:][1: Sheraton Qiandao; caption:] [2: Tibet Hotel
Chengdu; caption:] [3: China pavilion; caption:]
in recently to put the finishing touches to the UK pavilion, for example. Saudi Arabia’s pavilion costs the most at US$146 million with Australia forking out US$76 million and France US$68 million.
TheopeningoftheSheratonQiandaoLakeResortmarksamilestone
TheTibetHotelChengdu–modelledonthePotalaPalace
Ravifruit - 26140 Anneyron - FranceTel. : +33 4 74 84 19 93 - Fax : +33 4 74 84 14 56 - [email protected] - www.ravifruit.com
Authentic taste
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Service Absolute quality
Asian_Hotel_210x297.indd 1 15/04/10 19:06
HyattRegencyPune
Banyan Tree planted in Marina Bay SandsThe first Banyan Tree Spa on the company’s home soil of Singapore has been announced for mid-2010, and will be at the Marina Bay Sands.
The company was started by Singaporeans Ho Kwon Ping and Claire Chiang as a single resort in Phuket in 1994 before expanding worldwide.
Banyan Tree will design and operate the 1,860-square-metre Spa and Health Club located on the 55th floor of the property. The Spa will consist of 15 uniquely designed rooms with nature-inspired themes. The Health Club will feature a gym and cardio corner, Pilates and yoga and a juice bar.
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India growth focus“India is one of the most promising markets within Asia Pacific, with GDP estimates topping seven percent for the next two years and a consumer market expected to rank as the world’s fifth largest by 2025,” said Miguel Ko, Chairman & President of Starwood’s Asia Pacific Division, confirming the group’s interest in the country. “This relatively underdeveloped hotel market is fertile ground for our high-calibre lifestyle brands and we look forward to further establishing our presence here.”
Starwood was one of three international brands announcing development plans last month with an impact on India.
Accor is planning to grow by 40-45 hotels or some 8,500 rooms in Asia Pacific this year and, according to a company statement, “Expansion drivers continue to be China and India and other organic growth throughout Asia.”
The properties announced include a Pullman hotel in New Delhi. Other properties under that brand will be opening in Bali, Vung Tao, Lijiang, Sanya and Zhangjiajie this year, while five Sofitels will open across the region.
Michael Issenberg, Chairman and Chief Operating Officer for Accor Asia Pacific, said on the growth “Within the scope of this expansion there are several notable milestones including a major push in development in India, formative growth of the Pullman hotel brand with new management contracts, continued expansion of the ibis hotel brand in several major markets throughout the region and an unprecedented number of openings due in the coming twenty months.”
Hyatt Hotels has announced a five-year plan aimed at expanding its presence across India.
This year sees the projected opening of three new properties – Hyatt Regency Pune, Hyatt Regency Chennai and Grand Hyatt Goa – while subsequent years will see growth in 15 new markets, to include Bangalore and Hyderabad as well as Chennai and Pune.
According to Hyatt, the move will create 10,000 jobs.
Starwood announced in early April that it was on track to grow its India portfolio by 15 properties to 41 by 2013, a growth of 60 percent.
Starwood’s President and CEO, Frits van Paasschen said “India is a key focus of our expansion efforts, in large part, because it is a market that today is relatively under-hoteled,” said van Paasschen. “As a point of perspective, consider that India with a population of one billion people has just 100,000 hotel rooms, while New York City alone has roughly 80,000 hotel rooms.”
la residencia hotel in spain has announced the appointment of three new employees. the new members of staff are expected to act as porters accompanying guests on
a mountain trail for picnic lunches.la residencia Mallorcan manor house is set in the tramuntana mountains and the
day on the trail will offer guests a locally sourced lunch as well as stunning views of the Mediterranean.
pancho, Alba and lluna have no previous 4- or 5-star hotel experience or degrees from hospitality school but are expected to respond well to carrots and sugar lumps.
Year after year, Asia’s hotels are rated ‘worlds best’, particularly when it comes to main service components such as efficiency,
instinctive friendliness and genuine willingness to please.
So is there any need for outsiders to teach Asian people the tricks of the trade? What is the point of aspiring Asian hotel professionals being sent to Switzerland, or the United States, to learn skills they can pick up in their own back yard?
High-charging hotel schools readily volunteer the answer is to instill students with the very latest management skills - based on western-style systems - that aim to equip graduates for the 21st century hospitality world, one where the bottom line is so vital.
Although there are good hotel schools in the region, including branches of Cornell and Lausanne schools, many still opt to venture overseas.
Diff ’rent strokesNot every Asian nation has the hospitality gene in its citizens’ veins. China has the fastest hotel-growth rate of any nation in the world and yet hoteliers bemoan the fact it’s hard to find, and train, staff who understand travellers’ needs. Disengaged staff and indifferent service are not uncommon and will generally indicate the Hong Kong, Singaporean or European supervisor is off duty.
The paucity of international-level training schools in China, or funds to send
people overseas, could be one reason the nation lags behind the rest of the region. Elsewhere it is becoming increasingly popular for would-be Asian managers to approach the industry via the classroom, rather than entering the business via the traditional chop-and-peel, or meet-and-greet route.
“I would think most people in mid-management and above would have some kind of hotel or tourism education,” says Tony Tse, Programme Director for the Hong Kong Polytechnic University’s School of Hotel and Tourism Management. “[This] might include formal education or short courses like the Hong Kong PolyU Winter School, which was specially developed for the hospitality industry and hosted for the past eight years.
“Our hotel management [course] has a strong emphasis on application. It is an industry-specific programme … developed with professional relevance. While classroom learning and desk research are important components, we consider gaining first-hand experience in an actual hotel environment crucial and complementary to classroom learning.”
As a result the course requires all undergraduate students to undertake an internship in a hospitality workplace. Tse explains, “During the internship, students get to verify their classroom learning, interact with customers, interact with peers and suppliers, and get a realistic impression of the workplace dynamics.”
Tse believes, education aside, Asia’s dominance of the hospitality industry is a cultural phenomenon. “If you look at the culture in different Asian countries, it is not a coincidence they are very service oriented. Guests are welcome like friends and with care. Hosts take pride in treating guests well.”
At what cost?PolyU’s undergraduate and post-graduate courses are priced according to the topic and
Mark Graham asks how useful
today’s hospitality courses are and if it’s still better to concentrate
on practical daily experience rather
than study
“We consider gaining first-hand experience in an actual hotel environment crucial” Tony Tse
Taking the academic
approach to service
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Asia and sometimes I find astonishing personalities with a passion to serve the customer without having ever attended a day at hospitality school.
“I compare this to some other cultures in the world where one person providing a service to another person places him, or her, in a subordinate position mentally. I have not found that more negative attitude toward service in Asia. I think this is what puts Asian hotels at the top of so many lists. This great Asian hospitality culture combined with a solid education blending theory and practical hands-on experience would probably result in the ‘perfect hotelier’ and be a pure joy for all of us as his/her guests!”
At DCT, she says, students can choose from accredited programmes in hospitality management, and in European culinary arts, ranging from a three-month course through to two-year advanced degrees and MBA qualifications. The cost is around US$11,000
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length of tuition. Its flagship Doctor of Hotel and Tourism Management course costs US$42,000 and covers tourism management, sales and marketing, financials, human resources, operations, food and beverage with specialisation options in areas such as conventions and exhibitions, theme parks, cruising and aviation services.
The Singapore-based Cornell-Nanyang Institute of Hospitality Management (CNI) offers a similar spread of options. One of its prime courses, the year-long Master of Management in Hospitality costs US$86,000, and includes a six-month spell at the main Cornell campus in New York State. The school offers a slew of other courses tailored for specific sections of the industry, with
customised programmes also available. “When they start the master programme
students should already have [a] passion for hospitality, and leadership potential in this industry”, says college Interim Dean, Russell Arthur Smith. “CNI can help them move seamlessly into leadership positions in the hyper-expanding Asian hospitality industry through the well-designed courses and special programmes, world-class faculty, and diversified industry networking and career development opportunities.”
From four specific career tracks offered, each student selects one: real estate finance and investments, operations and revenue management, marketing management, and human resources management. “The Master of Management in Hospitality programme prepares our students to be theory-based, action-oriented leaders of executive management teams and entrepreneurial ventures in the hospitality
industry,” Smith says.There are also executive education
programmes, which offer certification in industry specific areas such as general and strategic management, operations, marketing, financial, human resources management, property asset management and real estate investment. “The General Managers’ programme covers all aspects a hotel general manager will deal with,” asserts Smith. “Both programmes provide the participants professional knowledge and skills, help them to find solutions to their day-to-day work, and put them on a faster career development track.”
Smith believes the regional lack of good hospitality schools, or advanced-level
programmes is a reflection of how relatively new the industry is in Asia. It promises to be a boom area in decades to come – but in the meantime, career-oriented Asians will still head west, to Switzerland in particular, for education. The cost might be high but a Chinese, Malay, Thai or Indonesian with a Swiss hotel school qualification is virtually guaranteed a job.
Going westUrsi Schmidt, Regional Marketing Director for DCT University Centre in Switzerland, acknowledges that Asians tend to have an inbuilt talent for the hospitality industry, without any formal training. But, he argues, institutions such as DCT can hone that talent to an even higher level.
“In most Asian cultures, a clear service orientation is a natural-born talent, or cultural bias, that is unique in the world,” Schmidt says. “I travel a lot all around
“This great Asian hospitality culture combined with a solid education … would probably result in the ‘perfect hotelier’” Ursi Schmidt
per term that includes room, board and other services.
“Besides the academic components, most DCT programmes include six to 24 months of paid Swiss internship, a valuable opportunity for students to gain overseas work experience early in their careers,” says Schmidt. “All of DCT’s programmes are accelerated to meet the expectations of students wanting to complete an internationally recognized, quality education in less time, and at less total cost, than traditional university systems.”
Schmidt goes on to make an interesting observation that it’s important not to underestimate the value of a school’s alumni network. “Even years later graduates can take advantage of contacts, not only from their own working background, but also school contacts and fellow graduates whom they may have never even met, but who can open doors for them in many new directions ... a strong international network is, especially in the hospitality world, simply a must. ”
The renowned Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL) in Switzerland has a similar spread of courses and a qualification from a Swiss hotel school – a nation known for exporting superb hoteliers – is a guaranteed attention grabber in job applications.
Cornell-NanyangInstituteofHospitalityManagementInterimDean,RussellArthurSmith
Theemphasisisoncross-departmentaltraining,relevance,andresponsibilityatSSTH
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An education for lifeStudying overseas at one of the world’s top hotel schools can be a huge help with career prospects. In the short term making it easier to get a job at home and in the long term invaluable international contacts, and friendships are made.
In more developed Asian cities there has long been a tradition of hospitality-industry students heading abroad, but it is a fairly new phenomenon in China.
Graduate student Victoria Ji, who has a Bachelor of Arts honours degree from the International Hotel and Tourism Management school at IMI University Centre in Switzerland, is now back home working for the Beijing Ritz-Carlton hotel.
“I think to study overseas you have got to be strong and independent, and able to deal with all sorts of issues in your daily life,” she says. “You encounter things that are unfamiliar and learn from the experience.
“It gave me more confidence with foreign languages, the chance to speak every day - that might not happen when studying at home. Overall, it gave me a more mature philosophy on life. Studying gave me new ideas, with a broader point of view to judge events you find in the work place. In fact it was eye-opening in every sense of the word.”
Ji is now in the public relations department of the hotel, keen to learn more practical tools of the hotel trade. She adds: “I’m pretty new and everything for me is so fresh. I’m desperately absorbing every new stuff comes to me daily.”
Singaporean Zachary Tan’s family saved hard to help him enlist in an advanced diploma in European gourmet cuisine with DCT University Centre. He went on to complete the required internship in Lucerne, Switzerland at the Art Deco Hotel, Montana.
“Even though I no longer get my hands dirty in the kitchen, with the food knowledge learnt in DCT, it makes my life as a sommelier/manager so much easier,” he says. “What I learned six years ago, still rings true today and I assure you, it’s more than just making sure your julienne and brunoise all look the same.”
Another Alpine alternative is the Swiss School of Tourism and Hospitality, which also combines classroom studies with work experience.
“Graduates are prepared to understand the economic and ecological side of the business and to take responsibility for their actions,” says Jolanda Rechsteiner, the school’s Head of Marketing. “They improve their personal skills to be able to meet changes in values, with a constantly higher demand [for] service quality and specialist knowledge, as well as new communication technologies and global competition. To meet these challenges one must have a solid education, and the awareness of what constitutes excellent service quality.”
The emphasis is on cross-departmental training, relevance, and responsibility in the belief this will enable students to, “affiliate different demands and coordinate within departments. They are trained in operational departments [to] understand operational sequences therefore, they will be able to understand, in their management careers, the needs of the employees and the guests,” Rechsteiner says. “They are also able to react to continuous changes in values, demands and techniques.”
Clearly the main factor in signing up for hotel-school education is cost. The fees charged by top-quality international, and regional schools are high. It is undoubtedly beneficial to learn in a more formal environment, but hospitality is one of the few remaining industries where lack of a paper qualification is not necessarily an insurmountable handicap. For example, the number of hotel general managers, both Asian and European, who began as chefs demonstrates that hard work, determination and cultivation of contacts are still mighty fine assets to have.
There are a number of options, including a course focussing on business concepts suitable for individuals who might, for example, be planning to take over the family hotel.
The Masters’ Programme is based on the school’s philosophy of bringing together the arts and sciences of hospitality, providing sound financial management knowledge and tools, and ensuring graduates have all the analytical and decision-making skills of an
MBA from a top-tier business school.“At the same time it also integrates
a unique intuitive approach that is an essential part of hospitality management,” says Annick Barbezat, Marketing and Communication Manager. “Unlike students from more conventional business schools, EHL Master’s students study the vital role played by creativity and design, art, tradition and ambience in creating and sustaining a successful hospitality venture.”
Benefits at Swiss School> Long tradition in offering hospitality management
programs within a familiar and friendly athmosphere. Our goal is that you will be well prepared to step intothe hospitality and tourism sector.
> Project management, special interest seminars and an important link to the government recognised German speaking division.
> Multi-national environment, with a strong connectionto Swiss tradition, culture and way of living, while studying on the same campus as our Swiss students.
> Wonderful location in the Swiss Alps with top holi-day resorts such as St. Moritz, Davos, Laax or Arosa just around the corner.
> Safe and friendly environment
SSTH Swiss School of Tourism and Hospitality Ltd.Comercialstrasse 19 • P.O. Box • 7007 Chur • Switzerland • Tel +41 81 255 11 11 • [email protected] • www.ssth.ch
The experience of a different culture in Switzerland makes it very valuable to study and to be prepared for a hospitality career. I have learnt a lot at Swiss School, not only because of the high standard of ed-ucation, but also because of the faculty and student colleagues from Switzerland. The school gives you the best experience to be prepared for the future.
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Elle Kwan discovers how providing the right in-room technology can create positive experiences
“Gadgets are the icing on the cake” Terence Ronson
Guest connections
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The Peninsula Shanghai may have opened a little later than planned, but technology enthusiasts staying there may feel one step closer to a perfect experience.
Rooms in the property boast bountiful technological features and gadgets operated by control panels and touch screens. Among them are a ‘portable office’, comprising Brother’s 4-in-one scanner, printer, copier, and fax, and a VoIP phone system developed and manufactured in-house, which utilizes Skype technology. Bathrooms come with a ‘spa experience’ facility, where guests can, at the flick of a switch, dim lights and enjoy peaceful music while resting in the sunken tub. Panels display inside, and outside temperatures and conditions. Of course, the now famous nail dryer, an innovation first introduced in the enormously tech-entrenched Peninsula Tokyo, in 2007, has become a staple.
In days when even texting is seen as too slow, hospitality will increasingly rely on innovation to keep pace. For its nine properties, The Peninsula Hotels group employs 26 people in the technologies division, signalling how vital the group views technological strength. “For us, technology is a major differentiator,” says Ingvar Herland, General Manager of Research and Technology. “The big challenge is making it easy to use. We spend more time customising than developing, that is where the most energy is spent.”
Hotels with insufficient internet access or outdated audio-visual could be left in the dark as visitors demand hotels replicate or better technology now found in the home. Top priority are high-speed internet access or Wi-Fi, and flatscreen TVs. Increasingly, these two capabilities are merging.
New models from leading companies appear with racing speed and have transformed sets into viewing, recording, streaming, multi-use connectivity platforms. Samsung collaborated with The Peninsula for the Shanghai hotel, updating their firmware to comply with the group’s specifications, but Herland estimates three new models have been introduced to the market since theirs was selected. He is now on the lookout for vendors with TVs capable of live streaming.
In recent years Philips has developed its Ultimate HD range,
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Panasonic launched VeiraCast interactive, now Netflix and Skype-enabled and Toshiba’s Regza technology allows multi-channel recording. The company is reported to have 15 new LCD HDTV model launches planned for the Japan market this summer.
Dennis Kwok, Director of Marvel Web Services, wants to push the boundaries for TVs in hotel rooms. The company’s Network TV is a new internet-enabled system with a built-in Firefox browser and offers time-shift viewing and live recording. A 320GB of hard disk space allows for 100 hours of HD video recording and remote controls for the LCD’s contain buttons responsible for different facets of in-room control, including lighting, home entertainment access, room service and web browsing. Already available for home use, hotel-grade models are due in months. Both will be upgradeable through the web.
Screen sizingTVs are an ideal way for older properties to update their facilities. “It is easy for new hotels to open with the latest technology, but it is harder for older hotels to keep up. The internet now is like water, and every guest wants a flatscreen TV,” says Mandy Soh, Marketing Communications Manager for the Harbour Grand Kowloon. The hotel, this year celebrating its 15th anniversary, has begun a programme that will see all televisions in the 554-room property replaced with flatscreen HDTV LCD, the majority of which will be supplied by LG Electronics.
Sets can be further enhanced with slimline speakers to create cinema-like sound, says Ray Lu, Business Director of Armour Asia, who distributes the Acoustic Q range. The Q-AV system has been fitted in rooms at the Crown Towers hotel, in Macau, and incorporates tiny BMR drivers in speakers that attach seamlessly to 37 – 50 inch plasma or LCD screens, making them barely detectable. “People really recognize great sound, but they don’t want wires, they need a stylish, trendy solution,” says Lu.
Bose enjoys an elevated status when it comes to providing audio technology. The company can custom-build to specifications, but also provides other sound solutions, including the SoundDock, which offers optimised audio for use with the iPod.
Kelvin Lee, Business Development Manager at Leader Radio Technologies (LRT), a company that supplies technology solutions and has installed equipment in Macau’s City of Dreams and Swire’s East Hotels as well as Peninsula Shanghai, says other gadgets can be used to upgrade. LRT’s Powermat, for instance, is an inconspicuous device-charging tray that eradicates the need for wires and multiple power sockets. Revo’s fast-forward internet radio and music streaming devices look and sound good. Lee also recommends the Dexim AV dock, a product that “instantly converts a room to iPhone/iPod-compatible at a fraction of the cost of a typical docking station.” Already, says Lee, Four Seasons, Starwood, Hyatt, and IHG feature the gadget in rooms.
Paying its duesBut how should a hotel select its goods? Lee suggests making sure gadgets are targeted for hotels, and can be customised. Each needs to be certified for compatibility, in whichever system is being used. “Overall, the main consideration should be lifetime cost versus the upfront cost. There are many products to choose from mostly targeted for the consumer market, but almost none are optimised for use in the hotel room, or to minimise the hotel’s operational burden,” says Lee.
Gadgets are the “icing on the cake,” says Terence Ronson, Managing Director of Pertlink, which offers IT solutions for the hospitality industry. Ronson outlines gadgetry as part of a three-tier process that hotels must implement to maintain high-functioning technology. Cabling and network forms what Ronson calls the ‘backbone,’ or foundation. “You must not stint when it comes to
this part of the implementation,” he says, because done well the technology will last long into the future.
Next comes running systems and servers, again, says Ronson, an area where it pays to spend. “The hardware for the servers should be the best you can afford since these are responsible for handling all your 1’s and 0’s transactional information,” he advises. Then come gadgets, which, when programmable, are easy to maintain. “A simple user interface refresh with some extra functionality can extend life and help control refresh costs,” says Ronson.
Charging for services becomes blurry as guests carry portable devices and plug in their own content. Both Ronson and The Peninsula’s Herland advocate internet access and other add-ons, like VoIP, as part of a room package. Both believe heightening guest experience translates to repeat stays. “Charging someone for internet access is like charging to look at a painting. How can you do that?” asks Herland, who advises breaking down a budget by room for a total cost, rather than by technological components.
Properties might also consider that by supplying a hotel guide, outlet promotions and room service through the TV, guests are encouraged to try additional services.
On-demandBeing able to order room service or checking in via a screen is a key preference for the next generation of tech-savvy travellers keen to take control of their stay. Philips offers a range of lighting solutions for this purpose, giving guests a remote control to enhance lighting, and offering the choice between LED and standard technology. Soon, much in-room technology will be controlled not by a remote
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but by a guest’s own handheld device, for seamless flow between life at home or away.
Yet, even with people-pleasing, cutting-edge technology in place, devices need to be user-friendly. Samsung research suggests most guests now have a 30-second ‘frustration threshold,’ before they request staff assistance with a device. Perhaps, that’s why at hotels such as Crockfords Tower, Singapore’s Resort World Sentosa’s all-suite hotel, guests are offered complimentary wireless internet and large LCD screens, but are also appointed a butler – a good, old-fashioned service, that so far, technology has not replaced.
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Swire Hotels have rolled out three properties each with distinct characteristics but sharing the ‘DNA’ of the nascent brand.
The Opposite House in Beijing, Upper House in Hong Kong’s Pacific Place and now East in the territory’s commercial and residential Quarry Bay district share an abundant use of wood, are replete with art works but each fits snugly into its own environment.
For East, the latest of the hotel company’s properties, this means taking advantage of the views over the city to the rear of the hotel and – more impressively – the harbour. The hotel looks out over a quieter end of Victoria harbour and also the former airport at Kai Tak, which may or may not eventually become a cruise liner terminal.
The designers at architecture and design studio CL3 Architects were tasked with creating a 345-room and suite business hotel for “for business travellers looking for a relaxed, convenient and contemporary environment.”
In rooms that means plenty of technology and WiFi to cater for working and leisure demands.
The designers used “natural materials such as limestone, wood and bamboo flooring to make guest rooms feel invitingly natural and cosy whilst a sense of space is created by a free-standing vanity counter blurring the boundary between bedrooms and bathrooms.”
Thora Jacobsen looks at the cool design of chilled out Sugar bar
The icing on East’s cake
Sweet spotIn the David Laris concept Sugar bar it means a space that takes full advantage of the views with a stunning terrace.
The wooden floored terrace has its own sunken bar at one end and a raised platform at the other with plenty of large scale seating in between. The seating is positioned to encourage conviviality although smaller sofas can accommodate couples.
The food in Sugar comes in the form of sharing platters, again encouraging a warm, friendly atmosphere.
The raised platform has floor lighting for dramatic effect, a theme continued indoors.
The bar has a capacity of 160 pax seated and 300 with some standing. About 350 people attended the opening night.
Intimacy is enhanced inside by the low, wooden vaulted ceiling.
There is some playfulness with the idea of sugar – square lighting and menu holders that look like stacks of sugar cubes.
The classic and signature cocktails are created in a thin, rectangular bar, which provides the necessary workspace without
creating a significant barrier between drinkers and staff.Overlooking the bar is a bank of three TV screens surrounded
by a wall of bottles. The screens show a video especially created for the bar by film students at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, which receives the backing of Swire.
The video, which shows scenes from Hong Kong life, particularly nightlife, is vibrant and kinetic and powerfully establishes a sense of place, the authentic cultural experience that contemporary travellers seem to be insisting on.
The 32nd floor bar and terrace is also a powerful lure for corporate business from the neighbouring office blocks of Quarry Bay, Taikoo Shing and Swire’s new One Island East development. Weekdays will see the office crowd entertaining clients or relaxing after work while weekends take an even more relaxed turn with DJ sessions.
The aim is the chilled-out vibe of Miami’s Nikki Beach or the top Mediterranean resorts.
“East will be distinguished by its natural vitality and sense of place, creating a neighbourhood vibe for all guests,” said Brian Williams, Managing Director of Swire Hotels at the opening of the hotel. Those distinguishing characteristics are easily identifiable in Sugar.
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These days the fish at Langham Hotel’s Bostonian restaurant all come wrapped in paper.
Executive Chef Mark Bannon hasn’t turned the fine dining restaurant into a chip shop – in this instance the paper is the certification from bodies such as the Marine
Stewardship Council or the WWF that reassure the chef his fish supply is from sources deemed environmentally acceptable.
All the fish on the restaurant’s menu now comes from sustainable sources.
Chef Mark feels the certification is necessary because of dwindling stocks of some of the world’s favourite fish. How severe is the problem?
Rob Lyons is a food writer from Britain who has won a hard-fought reputation by rejecting most of the tenets of environmentalism but even he acknowledges a problem.
“There do appear to be problems with specific species of fish that we like to eat, such as bluefin tuna, which means we either conserve what we have left or we start to change our tastes. But there is no absolute shortage of fish,” Lyons tells AHCT.
Farming todayOne option then to protect supplies of threatened fish would be to encourage diners to eat alternative species, which is fine according to Lyons if the reasons why certain fish stocks have dwindled are investigated.
“It might be that changing when and where we fish might be important, or it might be that falling numbers are not simply to do with overfishing, but other factors are involved,” says Lyons.
Using farmed fish is another obvious route and one that has been taken by Chef Mark.
Mischa Moselle looks at some possible alternatives for chefs worried by dwindling fish stocks
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For example the Shellfish Tango on the new à la carte menu contains:4 oysters2 half shell scallops4 king prawns 6 black mussels 2 cherry stone clams2 razor clams Salmon and kingfish tartarecocktail, mignonette, ginger aioli sauces
The oysters are seasonal varieties from the United States, Australia or France and are sustainable. The half shell scallops are from sustainable wild Canadian sources. However, the king prawns, black mussels, cherry stone clams, razor clams, salmon and kingfish are all farmed and from sources in the United States, New Zealand, the Philippines, the South China Sea and Norway.
Where Chef Mark and Lyons agree is that quality of farmed fish has risen dramatically in the last few years. The switch to sustainable sources has given Chef Mark some of the best produce he has ever worked with. The fish come in with clear eyes and the deepest red gills he has seen.
Yet fish farming still has its critics. Noting that about half the fish currently consumed in the world is farmed, Lyons says “There have undoubtedly been problems with fish farming in the past, but some of these problems have been overcome or reduced - for example, dealing with the waste that fish produce. Some of the other arguments against fish farming are misplaced. For example, there is an old claim that for every kilo of farmed fish produced, you need five kilos of small fish to be fed them as food. That’s not true anymore.”
The seven seasWhile the menu at the Bostonian references countries as far apart as Ireland and New Zealand, it is the latter country and larger neighbour Australia that are gaining reputations as sources of excellent farmed fish.
Chef Mark sources his salmon from Ireland but many of the world’s chefs are turning to New Zealand.
King Salmon is the country’s biggest integrated aquaculture producer and the world’s largest farmer and supplier of King salmon.
CEO Grant Rosewarne reports orders from Dubai are up 100 times, from Bangkok ten times and have doubled from Singapore, Osaka and Tokyo as supplies of the more common Atlantic salmon are proving hard to come by.
There are no native salmon or trout species in New Zealand (farming trout is illegal in the country) and King salmon – also known as Chinook and Quinnat – is the only successfully farmed salmon there after early attempts to produce sockeye and Atlantic breeds failed (As elsewhere in the world. Atlantic salmon have been shown to thrive only in their place of origin).
Today’s farmed New Zealand King salmon originated from a clutch of roe imported from California in the early 1900’s in the hope of establishing rod fishing and canning industries. These never eventuated, but the young fish, or smolt released into New Zealand’s waterways thrived and became self-sustaining in various rivers. The country provides the salmon with well-oxygenated, unpolluted, sheltered water, which has a good flow current and the cooler temperatures King salmon prefer.
Most production now is in sea cage farms and freshwater farms with several unique hydroelectric canal farms in the MacKenzie Basin region.
Australia boasts 11 million square kilometres of fishing zone and catch of 600 marine and freshwater seafood species. The fish were among many prime ingredients that drew Hong Kong celebrity chef Chee Gor (Wong Wing Chee) to make a TV series visiting three states renowned for their produce.
Not surprisingly for a Hong Kong chef, fish and seafood were a priority and he and his two travelling companions ate salmon, oysters and wild abalone in Tasmania, southern rock lobster, king crab, marron (a freshwater crayfish), yellowtail kingfish and mussel in South Australia and spanner crab, mud crab, scallop and coral fish in Queensland.
According to the Australian government, there are more than 60 species farmed in the country, including pearl oysters. Edible oysters, salmonoids, southern bluefin tuna, mussels, prawns, abalone, barramundi, yellowtail kingfish and freshwater finfish.
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worth of white wine to the territory. Italian sparkling wine exports grew by an astonishing 81.2 percent to US$475,000 in the same period.
To help you explore the world of Italian wines even further, the Italian Trade Commission and Veneto Region have organised “a night for VENETO WINE” dinner at Gaia Ristorante* and three seminars to be conducted by Italian and Hong Kong wine experts at Vinexpo.
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The Italian wine industry stretches back 4,000 years and offers over 2,000 grape varieties. The country has a geographical
diversity that stretches from the cool Alps to the balmy Mediterranean that gives its wines a vast number of terroirs and unique characteristics.
Italian wine is made with food in mind and is the perfect meal accompaniment, bringing extra flavour to all kinds of famed Italian delicacies. It is no wonder that Italian wine is gaining in popularity around the world and in Hong Kong too.
As the Italian Trade Commissioner Romano Baruzzi says, “Italian wines are genuine, unique and pleasurable.”
Government measures on tax, logistics and customs clearance have truly made Hong Kong a wine hub for Asia and a gateway for the mainland China market and Italian wine exports are predicted to grow even further from a strong base.
In 2009 Italian red wine exports to Hong Kong were valued at US$11.1
EXPLORE THE HERITAGE OF
ITALIAN WINES AT VINEXPO
ItalianWineSeminarsatVinexpo
TheSangiovese:howmanyvarieties?Date: 25/05/2010 (Tue)Time: 13:30 – 15:00Venue: Room 104/105, Vinexpo AcademySpeaker: Dr. Giuseppe Martelli, General Director of AssoenologiMr. Lau Chi-Sun, Chief Editor of Wine Now Monthly
VenetianNativeGrapeVarieties:fromProseccotoAmaroneDate: 26/05/2010 (Wed)Time: 10:00 – 11:30
million, an increase of 28.3 percent on the previous year. In the same year, Italy exported a record US$1.96 million
Venue: Room 106/107/108, Vinexpo AcademySpeaker: Mr. Giulio Liut – Director of Unione Consorzi Vini Veneti D.O.C.Mr. Lau Chi-Sun, Chief Editor of Wine Now Monthly
Franciacorta-Trento,comparingtwoexcellentsparklingwinesDate: 26/05/2010 (Wed)Time: 13:30 – 15:00Venue: Room 104/105, Vinexpo AcademySpeaker: Dr. Giuseppe Martelli, General Director of AssoenologiMr. Lau Chi-Sun, Chief Editor of Wine Now Monthly
VinexpoAsia-PacificMay 25-27, 2010 (9:30am – 6:30pm)Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre ItalianPavilionItalian Trade Commission Information Centre: Hall 1D, DE78-2Veneto Region Area: Hall 1D, CD77-2 ForenquiriesItalian Trade Commission: 2846 6500
*Dinner by invitation only.
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Honuring Mother
Many countries celebrate Mothering Sunday on May 9th “Upgraded” lunch buffets at Café; gourmet set lunches at Hugo’s which include unlimited Taittinger Champagne; special dim sum menus at The Chinese Restaurant and reduced price champagne at the Chin Chin Bar, will help celebrate Mother’s Day at Hyatt Regency, Hong Kong.
A biscuit making class for Mums and their little ones will be held at InterContinental, Singapore on May 2nd. While the biscuits are baking a special afternoon tea may be enjoyed.
Singapore’s renowned steakhouse The Prime Society is celebrating Mother’s Day with a five-course menu specially prepared by award-winning Head Chef Damon Amos, (who says it’s one of his favourite menus to create all year). This year it will feature the restaurant’s signature gunpowder Wagyu.
A day of “stylish indulgence” is promised for Mums at Langham Place, Hong Kong. Degustation feasts have been prepared, Cantonese style at Ming Court and Japanese at Tokoro – Robatayaki & Bar. For an international flavour there’s a lunch or dinner buffet at The Place. And a contemporary twist on a classic: afternoon tea at Portal features items such as, tomato and watermelon ‘sandwiches’ with licorice sauce.
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong’s restaurants will offer a selection of dining options to celebrate Mother’s day. Refined gourmet treats with live music at Tiffin’s Sunday brunch, afternoon tea or dinner buffet. Italian fare lunch buffet at Grissini includes a glass of complimentary Grissini’s Italian sparkling wine. Kaetsu’s special menu features seasonal produce from Japan, and poolside alfresco dining at The Grill. All mothers receive a special gift while dining in these restaurants.
Chefs on tourOn his first visit to Macau in April, internationally acclaimed, Michelin two star chef, Emile Jung presented a special gala dinner for 80 invited guests at City of Dreams. In collaboration with the Macau chapters of Disciples Escoffier and Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, Chef Jung, of restaurant Au Crocodile fame worked with resort Executive Chef Samuel Wilkes to produce a menu supported by a selection of fine wines, as Chef Jung believes wine “epitomizes the genius of cooking”.
The Master Chef and Sommelier, who has previously visited Bali, also cooked for the Disciples Escoffier in Hong Kong. Officially retired, Jung sold Au Crocodile last year but retains his passion for cooking. Chef Jung told AHCT that he believes food helps people communicate and that his aim was to enhance communication between people.
Legend has it the crocodile, which is prominently showcased in the Strasbourg restaurant, was brought back from Napoleon’s Egyptian campaign by a General’s aide. The passionate hunter overcame the crocodile on the banks of the River Nile and triumphantly returned home with his 3-meter long souvenir. After the war, he refurbished an old farm into a tavern. In 1971, Emile and Monique Jung moved to Strasbourg and bought what was at the time a declining business. Much has changed, but the crocodile is still there.
Francesco Berardinelli, creative owner/chef of noted Florentine restaurant, Beccofino, author, private chef to diplomats and culinary consultant including to the Alain Ducasse Group, is Chef in Residence at Hong Kong’s W52 Restaurant & Bar, 52 Wyndham Street, until the end of this month.
Direct from Four Seasons, San Francisco Pastry Chef, Audrey Yee will indulge her love of baking at the Four Seasons, Singapore this month. American born, Chinese Yee presents her Afternoon Tea experience when guests may look forward to chef’s signature rich chocolate ganache cake, created from premium grade chocolate and enhanced with a twist of sour cream, as well as her all-American chocolate chip cookies also available at One-Ninety’s weekday lunch buffet, Sunday brunch and a la cart
Shouty, British celebrity cook, Gordon Ramsay’s first Australian restaurants, maze and maze Grill, have opened in Melbourne. Both restaurants are at the Crown Metropol. Michelin starred, Josh Emett is Chef de Cuisine of both and is responsible for in-room dining as well as the hotel’s spa cuisine. Modelled on their British namesakes, with menus developed specifically to highlight Australian seasonal ingredients, maze breaks the formal traditions of French cuisine, presented on tasting-sized plates, while maze Grill takes its inspiration from the informal style of New York’s grill restaurants.
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CorrectionIn the April issue of AHCT a photo caption incorrectly stated that Anchor cream is made from sheep’s milk. The product is of course made from cow’s milk. We apologise for the error and are happy to set the record straight.
TITBITSShanghai’s first Restaurant Week is taking place at the beginning of the month. During the seven day culinary extravaganza the metropolis’ top restaurants (including Jean Georges, T8, Laris, New Heights, Whampoa Club, Mr and Mrs Bund and more) will serve special three course lunches for a fixed price 150 RMB (US$22) and dinners for 250 RMB (US$37) Seating is limited with online bookings only (www.shanghairestaurarantweek.com)
In Kuala Lumpur, to celebrate the annual rice dumpling, and dragon boat festivals, Hotel Nikko’s Toh Lee Chinese restaurant’s dim sum Chef, Lo Tian Sion has concocted three dumpling variations: multi grain glutinous rice dumpling; Rendang chicken and shrimp floss and ‘Kwai Far’ dumpling with imo and vanilla ice cream. Plus, Chef Tian Sion will share his secrets in a one-day rice dumpling master class on June 5th.
Cinco de Mayo (Day of the Dead) is celebrated in Spanish speaking countries around the world. And now in Bangkok, too. Radisson Hotel Bangkok Sathorn’s lobby lounge, Zin presents drink of the month, Zinco de Mayo’s Strawberry-Mint Caipiroska – a version of Caipirinha prepared with vodka instead of the usual cachaca and fresh strawberries to get in the sweet festive mood.
Beijing’s Sadler Ristorante’s spring and dessert menus have been updated. Two Michelin star holder, Chef Claudio Sadler and his team has produced a gourmet menu featuring mainly Sicilian ingredients.
Are the big spenders back?Expensive delicacies and high-powered wine dinners seem to be flourishing
Tiffin at Grand Hyatt Hong Kong introduces a seasonal white asparagus menu from 31st May to 12th June. Popular in Europe, white asparagus has a succulent flavour, is less bitter and has a more tender texture in comparison to green asparagus. Low in calories and cholesterol free the delicacy will be served at a designated station during lunch and dinner buffets.
The inaugural Sticks Wine Dinner will take place on 13th May and is presented by Sticks Yarra Valley Chief wine maker Travis Bush, in the art inspired surroundings of the Dome Restaurant at Sydney’s ArtHouse Hotel. In addition to Tim Michels and David Maisey’s four course menu, there will be a pasta making demonstration, and guests will be given paper and pencil with prizes awarded to the best still life drawing of a dinner table setting.
At Hong Kong’s Regal Airport Hotel’s Airport Izakaya, there are unlimited servings of whole baby abalones to accompany a full range of Japanese delicacies, from sushi to sashimi, teppanyaki to tempura, kushiyaki to ramen and more in the ‘Baby Abalone Temptation and Japanese All-you-can-eat Dinner’.
Salmon is the main ingredient at Bistro on the Mile, Holiday Inn Kowloon Hong Kong. Grilled or as sushi, chowder and kebab the multicultural buffet repertoire is being promoted as delicious, and heart healthy.
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You can’t please all of the people all of the time, but bar managers have to try. A new challenge for many is diversifying taste in beer in response to a wider selection of different styles now being promoted in the Asian markets by international brewers.
Increasing numbers of stouts, bitters, wheat beers, fruit beers, organic beers, and ‘lite’ and low alcohol beers have joined the range of locally brewed and imported pilsners and lagers that for many years have dominated the shelves of Asian pubs and bars.
Younger drinkers seem keen to experiment, although older consumers are often more set in their ways.
More than most other drinks beer inspires brand loyalty. Drinkers become accustomed to a brew the way smokers become accustomed to a brand of cigarettes, and people who for decades have been drinking Carlsberg, Guinness, Heineken or Asian competitors such as San Miguel, Singha, Tiger or Anchor tend to stick with them.
The younger generation, however, wants to sample a range of different brews, hence a trend towards ‘beer bars’ – often essentially sports bars but with lengthy international beer lists.
Growing connoisseurshipOne such establishment opened in 2009 in Hong Kong’s Lan Kwai Fong, – in direct competition with the already established Hong Kong Brew House – a little further up the hill. With a similar concept it offering one of the widest choices of beers in town. The Lan Kwai Fong Beer Bar, still under the same management as its predecessor, replaced a Hong Kong landmark – California, the first fashionable restaurant to open in the street back in 1983 – and reflects the growing interest in beer as a connoisseur’s drink.
“We didn’t have many beers in California so this was going to be something different. The idea was to get beers from all around the world, and we find people really want to try the different styles,” says Bar Manager, Jacky Ng.
He adds that the bar is constantly looking for new brews to supplement an already lengthy list of more than 70 by the bottle or
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can, and nine on draught. Reflecting traditional Asian taste the great majority of these are
pilsners and lagers, but Ng says that bitters are also popular with both local and expatriate customers, and that a following is building up among female regulars for beers such as Belgium’s Floris Chocolate and Jacobins’ raspberry flavoured Framboise Max.
His biggest sellers, however, are the draught beers - led by Hoegaarden wheat beer, followed by Lan Kwai Fong beer from the Hong Kong Brewing Company, and Stella Artois.
“You must have a local beer,” stresses Ng. “Overseas visitors always want to try the local beer.”
Full English listOther “must have” beers he identifies are Carlsberg, Heineken and Corona, the latter mostly because many people enjoy drinking it from the bottle with a wedge of lime.
The bar’s choice of stouts and porters includes Guinness, Mackeson and Murphy’s, while bitters range from relatively widely known brands such as Boddington’s and John Smith’s to lesser-known bottlings such as Black Sheep and Deuchars IPA.
Not on the Lan Kwai Fong Beer Bar’s list, but increasingly widely available in Asia, is Fuller’s London Pride. Although Fullers only entered the Asian market as recently as 2006 its beers are currently available in Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia and India.
“There has been a very recent interest in English beers amongst
Asians, as it was previously the preserve of ex-pats,” says Fuller’s Export Controller, Michael Campbell-Lamerton.
“I believe that Asians have drunk their local lagers, but now want to try the other classic beer styles such as Belgian Trappist ales, Czech pils, German weiss beers and English ales of which the Fuller’s range are classic examples.”
London Pride is the most popular Fuller’s product internationally, but Campbell-Lamerton says that Fuller’s ESB, London Porter and Organic Honey Dew are selling in Asia in growing quantities.
“We are still very early in our sales history in Asia, however we have noticed that females like Organic Honey Dew,” he adds.
International selectionFans of English beer often look down on popular American brews such as Budweiser, but they are useful to have in stock for customers who come from the United States or have worked or studied there. Brands such as Samuel Adams and Miller Genuine Draft have a strong following in Asia.
As well as the Miller brews SAB Miller supplies Asian bars with some of the most popular beers from several other countries – among them the Czech Republic’s Pilsner Urquell; Italy’s Peroni Nastro Azzuro; the Netherlands’ Grolsch and South Africa’s Castle Lager, each of which has its devotees.
Warsteiner, Germany’s largest private brewery, originally established itself in Asia with draught beer laboriously slowly poured in German themed pubs, but has now diversified the product range available around the region to include Warsteiner Premium Verum (in bottles as well as kegs), Warsteiner Premium Fresh which is a non-alcoholic version of Warsteiner Premium Verum, König Ludwig Weissbier Hell, and a dark beer, König Ludwig Dunkel.
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“Warsteiner Premium Fresh has no alcohol at all and can be enjoyed at any time, whether after a round of sports or during a business lunch. Friends of wheat beer should try König Ludwig Weissbier Hell which is a classical wheat beer with inimitable taste because of its special yeast as well as the König Ludwig Dunkel, brewed with the best dark barley-malt and tangy aroma hops,” says Warsteiner’s Susanne Wortmann. “In general [now] in Asia milder beers are most enjoyed, which is one of the reasons for the attractiveness of Warsteiner Premium Verum to Asian consumers.”
Increased awareness of health risks associated with alcohol and a decreased social and legal tolerance for drink-driving have undoubtedly helped carve out a market niche for the non alcoholic beers offered by Warsteiner and Beck’s, among others, and also for low alcohol beers such as the top selling light beer in Australia, Cascade Premium Light, which has an alcohol content of 2.7 percent compared to around 5 percent for most of the biggest selling brands. Every bar needs a selection of those by the bottle or can.
Whether mass market extra strength beers such as Carlsberg’s Special Brew which is 9 percent Alcohol By Volume (ABV) have a future in Asia is questionable, but the companies marketing them have generally failed to position them as premium products, and sales in middle to upmarket bars are negligible.
“Regular 5 percent beer is acceptable for locals, but high alcohol beers are mainly drunk by foreign blue collar workers in Singapore,” says Vince Tan, General Manager of MavBev Pte Ltd in Singapore, the importer of Japan’s Asahi beer for the last 40 years. “Asahi Super Dry (ABV 5 percent) is a must
stock item. It’s very popular with expats, local white collar workers and professionals,” he adds.
On the TrappistOn the other hand as understanding of categories such as Belgian craft beers increases, serious beer lovers are likely to find themselves drinking brews with a relatively high ABV, albeit more slowly and in smaller quantities than their mass produced cousins.
“More and more people will enjoy drinking high strength beer,” predicts Vincent Smets, General Manager of Duvel China. “This has been the general trend over the last years in China and in Asia and is just a consequence of people learning more about beer and realizing that besides classic light lagers there are a lot of unique
and sometimes high strength beers.” At 8.5 percent ABV Duvel is certainly a high alcohol beer,
but one which Smets argues should be on the shelves of every bar which is serious about its beer service.
“In Belgium, a beerlover’s country, Duvel is present in more than 95 percent of the bars. There is no other beer in Belgium with such a high penetration rate,” he says.
Although Duvel is the company’s flagship beer it is also pushing several other products in Asia including Vedett Extra White, Liefmans Raspberry, Liefmans Cuvée Brut and Liefmans Fruit.
“The ones with the strongest appeal are Duvel and Vedett Extra White. Vedett Extra White is a light beer which is very accessible in terms of taste and alcohol content - 4.7 percent ABV - while Duvel has a strong taste and a high alcohol content - 8.5 percent ABV. This is the reason why the sales of Vedett Extra White are increasing faster than the ones of Duvel. Duvel is a beer for connoisseurs, and this category of beer drinkers is increasing in China, but it takes time”.
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Carpet completes historic renaissance
After a two-year US$93 million renovation the 85 year old Renaissance Vinoy Resort and Golf Club Hotel, in St Petersburg, Florida has reopened. Regarded as the grand dame of the Gulf Coast, the resort is of such historic and architectural importance it’s listed on the US National Register of Historic Places.
Every design aspect of such a renovation is important but the so-called ‘fifth wall’ is said to be a highlight. The Grand Ballroom features a Desso manufactured Axminster carpet, which took company designers more than 500 hours to perfect the pattern and colourways and to produce a modern carpet theme which echoes the hotel’s past glories and is good enough for today’s equivalent of Marilyn Monroe, James Stewart, Babe Ruth and Calvin Coolidge to walk/dance on (if they exist!)
As an 80 year old carpet manufacturer, Desso’s Axminster and Wilton carpets can be found almost everywhere in the world. The company recently introduced sound-absorbent and dust-trapping carpets, designed to give improved acoustics and interior air quality. In addition, they have adopted a cradle-to-cradle philosophy, which aims to create products that can be entirely recycled.
Desso’s most recent client has opened its doors once more. Originally built for US$3 million in just 10 months by oil tycoon Aymer Vinoy Laughner, the Renaissance Vinoy charged US$20.00 a night, a huge amount, and had a total of 510 guest bedrooms of which 85 “are reserved for servants” – an indication of the wealth of its clientele. Now, the resort has its own marina, 12 tennis courts an 18-hole golf course and a ballroom carpet which took 20 days and nights to achieve.
For more information: www.desso.com
Brushing off other blendersSpecialists in small electrical equipment, Santos is pioneering a new “American style” blender which, the company boasts has “second-to-none features”.
Suitable for making juices, cocktails and iced blends, the titanium nitride coated blender’s brushless motor extends the machine’s lifespan, and increases energy efficiency. Added to which, it’s quiet. Blender no 62 has a scratchproof easy-to-clean control panel with 30 pre programmed recipes just a touch away. A built in USB port enables customised recipes to be downloaded as well. Removable components make for quick easy cleaning.
For more information: [email protected]
Specialist illuminationTraxon Technologies is a leader in LED lighting systems for the architectural and hospitality/retail industries. The company’s latest designs, String and Dot XL allow the replay of effects, create lighting patterns with precise colour effects using over 16.7 million programmed colour schemes, screen video content and even live streams. The multi purpose lighting fixtures are energy efficient – no UV radiation means less heat emission, too – reduce maintenance and costs, and are durable. String consists of 32 individually controlled LED’s mounted on flexible transparent cable. Its compactness allows it to be integrated into any interior or exterior design module. Outdoor rated (IP67) Dot XL meanwhile comes in different sizes to suit the space. Even lighting up the façade of the world’s fourth tallest building (IFC, Hong Kong)
For more information: www.traxontechnologies.com
Washing economicsGerman laundry products manufacturer, Hobart has developed a budget-oriented washing solution it says is “ideal for cost conscious small gastronomes or caterers.” The new ecomax range of machines produced entirely at the company’s Black Forest facility, combines “cost-effectiveness and professional performance with reliability, ease of use, and [is] top quality in the entry level price category,” enthuses Hobart.
The dishwashers and glass washers have double-walled insulated front doors, integrated rinse dosing units, thermostat control, and thermo-stop for the most hygienic results.
Hobart has raised the loading height of the machines to improve ease of use – 301 mm as opposed to the previous 260 mm on ecomax by Hobart 402, and 356 mm as opposed to 345 mm on ecomax by Hobart 502. Closed on all sides the hood reduces power consumption while ensuring a pleasant working environment, and the machine’s stable grips such as moulded nozzles on wash and rinse arms improve wash results and are easy to control. Meanwhile, the ecomax by Hobart 700 utensil washer is ideal for pots, pans, containers, baking trays and other utensils. Again double-walled design with automatic control of the rinse cycle and thermostatic heat control, the machine is said to be, “robust and reliable.” Which also applies to the Hobart 802, with 80 racks for cleaning glasses, plates and cutlery. For greater capacity demands the Hobart 900 can take up to 2270 plates per hour.
For more information: www.ecomaxbyHOBART.com.
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Minibars evoke strong reactions among frequent travellers. Some never touch an item, others appreciate the
convenience of a snack or drink while they work without having to go a bar or restaurant or order room service. Yet others just appreciate the fridge space for storing their own items.
How can minibar manufacturers help hotels tempt guests to an in-room treat or tipple?
Various surveys suggest that while most guests like to find a well-stocked minibar in their hotel room, only about 50 percent actually consume items.
“Often, there’s nothing in there I would eat or drink normally,” said one business executive AHCT spoke to. “I’m really looking for healthy snacks, sparkling water and maybe a miniature bottle of wine – but not just any old plonk. It’s good to see some local food or drink to try, with some kind of explanation of the connection. In Spain recently, I did enjoy finding miniature bottles of Cava, but I’m never going to try Harbin Beer or Tsing Tao, just because I’m there!”
Any business traveller trying to stay healthy would certainly like the Hullett House minibar. Hong Kong’s newly-opened heritage hotel’s collection of individually-designed spacious suites, all feature distinctive art, verandahs and mini-fridges packed with
new technology is allowing hotels to be more imaginative in
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the door on some possibilities
“Very often the small things and the small fun items help create a great and memorable experience” Suky Lo
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Raising the minibaRcomplimentary juices, granola bars, nuts as well as sweets, crisps and soft drinks. Newly-weds in the huge all-white Silvermine Suite, receive a bottle of complimentary Champagne.
Many offerings within the Hullett House minibar are similar to those found at other high-end luxury hotels, however what makes it different, is the fact that it is included as one of the hotel’s bespoke amenities.
Guilty secretsIn the United States Kimpton Hotels is giving members of its In-touch guest loyalty programme special privileges to “raid the minbar”, as an indication of the guilty pleasure that some guests take in treating themselves to a few items anyway.
The hotel urges guests to have two items, up to a value of just US$15 in New York and just US$10 elsewhere, for free, which seems to be enough to make guests feel like they are getting something special.
Starwood’s W Hotels use the minibar to reinforce their brand’s distinctive personality. “Our Munchies box is W’s reinterpretation of the traditional mini-bar,” explains Suky Lo, Public Relations Manager at W Hong Kong. “It is filled with nonperishable fun items, such as gummy bears, jelly belly lollipop chips, and also a travel adapter, W CD and a Wallpaper guide book. W is a fun brand, and the hotels are fitted with
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refrigerator manufacturers offers glass-fronted doors, so guests have a clearer picture of what’s on offer in-room.
The Italian jobSara Bernadi, from Indel B says when she is travelling her first requirement in a minibar refrigerator is a choice of mineral water – with or without gas. The Italian refrigeration company markets a wide range of minibars, varying in size from 20, 30, 40 to 60 litres and says the most popular minibar in hotels everywhere is still the classic 40-litre size.
Indel B produces minibars with three different cooling systems: absorption, compressor and thermoelectric. “Indel B was the first manufacturer in the world to produce a minibar in energy efficiency class A+,” notes Bernadi.
Inside the fridge, Indel B offers hotels a choice of configurations from “brand transparent” balcony shelves for miniatures to modular doors and removable balconies for different configurations. Classic cabinets are available in a variety of finishes.
Indel B’s 40-litre Drinks Plus PV with aluminium shelves features an enticing glass-door, and was launched in 2006. “It has a triple glass door with an exclusive design: it’s completely made of glass, not a plastic frame. Good insulation is guaranteed by the three layers of glass,” explains Bernadi.
She says the design and visibility makes consuming the contents more attractive and makes the minibar refrigerator a better vending argument for hotels.
Among l ead ing manufac ture r s marketing minibar refrigerators to hotels in Asia, Dometic claims the widest range of products.
Its Classic and Design ranges offer hotels a choice of looks combined with energy efficiency, while the new HiPromatic miniBar series features minibar refrigerators utilising independent, wireless technology. This offers hotels an automatic in-room refreshment
system that is as simple as setting up a traditional honour bar. The hotel does not need an existing local wireless infrastructure. Installation is completed without cables or wires so the refreshment centre can be set up easily and without disruption. The only requirement is an AC outlet in the room.
Crown Towers in Macau uses Dometic fridges in most rooms but Smeg in its Villa suites. The in-room offering includes premium bottled water, soft drinks, juices, beer, wine and champagne in the minibar and popular snacks, chips, health bars, cup noodles and red wine outside.
Opportunity knocksDometic now offers new wireless ambient shelves designed for products like red wine, snacks and non-food items, that can be located anywhere in the room to fit with the design. The company is enthusiastic about the merchandising options these shelves offer outside refrigerators.
Cornelia Francesca Maeder suggests when people are travelling they are always interested in trying something different. The founder and Managing Director of specialist chocolate company, Francesca believes offering guests a high quality chocolate in-room can also have a calming effect. “Chocolate can boost energy, productivity and keeps the spirits up,” she enthuses. The Francesca range of high quality chocolates includes the Connoisseur Gallery Dark collection of fresh pralines and truffles and Bari Almonds in grand crû chocolate. Francesca also offers chocolate and liquor pairings to hotel guests looking for more than in-room snacks.
Bartech’s automatic fridges and etrays are ideal for more innovative offerings. Beyond their energy and time-saving features, they also give hotels the ability to offer perishable items — fresh milk, cheese and biscuits, yoghurt drinks, high quality patisseries, whipped cream — as the
a range of gift items as well as food and beverages and that there is a lot of potential for generating extra income by offering gift items to time-pressed business travellers.
Bartech recently supplied all fridges to the 778-room Pan Pacific Singapore and the 963-room Marina Bay Sands.
When i t comes to the minibar
refrigerators, he says Asian hotels in general have a conservative approach to contents. He explains that Bartech’s state-of-the-art web-based technology allows hotels to experiment with different items and monitor their consumption. He suggests that it is a great opportunity for both food and beverage suppliers and hotels to learn what guests like. “We can easily track it and see what the uptake is.
“For example, we know that given the choice of a local brand mineral water or Perrier or Evian, guests will go for the Perrier or Evian,” says Strijker.
Bartech’s reports also reveal information such as the percentage of guests who open the fridge and the percentage that takes something out.
To tempt guests into purchases without opening the door, Bartech like other minibar
technology makes monitoring ‘consume by’ dates possible.
Strijker is full of ideas about leveraging the technology within his company’s product - what about a Minibar Happy Hour? “The PayTV interface allows cross sales. When guests order a movie, they can be alerted to a promotion whereby minibar products are offered at a reduced price,” he suggests.
“When I’m travelling, I like to find something healthy, something fresh, something very high quality in the minibar,” says Maeder. “I appreciate something new, something personalized and I love surprises.”
“When guests order a movie, they can be alerted to a promotion whereby minibar products are offered at a reduced price” Jan Strijker
different whimsical items. We always pay attention [to] the little details, as very often the small things and the small fun items help create a great and memorable experience for our guests.
“The lollipop, Wii Candy dispenser and duck in a box are surely the wink items, and [give] our guests [a] surprise and smile,” she adds.
Naturally Jan Willem Strijker, Managing Director, Bartech is always pleased to find his company’s automatic and upgradeable minibars in his hotel guestroom, but says some of the most interesting items in minibars are not always food and drink. “Cable kits, travel adaptors, even digital cameras are possible offerings,” says Strijker. He says Bartech’s etray is ideal for offering
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When it comes to luxury nothing speaks louder than an indulgent bathrobe. Thick and warm in sumptuous fabrics such as terry velour for a durable robe that’s easy to wash, or the more lightweight silks, cottons
and linens for warmer climates and that luxurious ‘spa feeling’. Plush micro chenilles are becoming a popular choice and are said
to be where “technology meets comfort”. Experiments in bamboo and cashmere have proved successful, too. Monogrammed, embroidered, personalized, waffle, seersucker, kimono, or shawl collared there’s a bathrobe to match just about every need. But, as guests have always come in different sizes and shapes, and many would agree nowadays tend to be bigger - what style of bathrobe will be a hit with those guests sporting a ‘fuller figure’ whilst not swamping those more petite of frame?
“We have definitely seen a trend toward larger sizes,” points out Karen Faul, President of Monarch Bath, Bed & Spa, a leading supplier of hotel bathrobes and linens. “Most of our robes are sized generously to begin with, and we offer a variety of styles in sizes up to 4XL. Most hotels still order one size fits most (OSFM), but for properties that wish to accommodate larger guests, we recommend an 80/20 split, with 20 percent of the order being in XL or larger. It is best to have a few dozen in stock at least, in case of special requests.”
Size does … not matter? But not everyone agrees, Siriphet Casey of Global Hotel Supply says, “People prefer the kimono style robes with or without collars in cotton or silk.” But the Overseas Sales Manager disagrees with the premise the world is expanding, saying in her experience there have been, “No real changes in size requirements over the years” and customers continue “[To] go with standard small, medium, large, xl and xxl only.” Global Hotel Supply clients tend to match their choice of bathrobe to the overall hotel concept, colours and design, Casey says and recommends changing all bathroom accessories, including the robes, when a refurbishment is carried out, going on to agree a menu of different bathrobes would be an ideal solution, “It would be a good idea for the service [but] depends on the value of the room as it will be a cost burden for the hotel itself.”
Interestingly, Grace Solomon, Director of Guest Relations, Andara Resort & Villas Phuket, agrees there’s been “no noticeable difference in sizes over the years,” going on to point out the cut of bathrobes could make all the difference, “The cut of our bathrobes allows all shapes and sizes room to move but not be overwhelmed by the garment. We have found, for example with the Asian market … smaller or petite build … our bathrobes are so comfortable many are so happy with that one simple fact that they rarely realize much else.” The new resort has opted for a cotton/linen combination robe
have body sizes changed to the point that hotels need to consider a bathrobe menu? Zara Horner finds out
fits all
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“The cut of our bathrobes allows all shapes and sizes room to move but not be overwhelmed by the garment” Grace Solomon
but, “very rarely would we change.” Although the resort promotes a pillow menu, Hopgood says a bathrobe menu “is not a requirement … As long as the quality of your robe is of a high standard most people are happy with the one style.”
What the bathrobe is made from seems to be the deciding factor when it comes to providing guests with the ‘right’ bathrobe. Cotton waffle is increasingly popular especially as a spa robe as the material is water absorbent. However, it is known to shrink. The soft texture of terry cotton on the other hand promotes a definite feeling of luxury. But, often made using Egyptian and Turkish fabrics it can be heavy, and needs to be treated prior to washing to prevent shrinkage. For colder climates the velvety feel of cotton velour is popular, whilst many hotels are now opting to spend a little more on the latest micro fiber robes which give a sleek look and soft feel and yet are durable and easy to maintain.
Like his industry colleagues, Pieter van der Hoeven, Director of Sales and Marketing for Outrigger Hotels and Resorts, Asia has noticed no real changes in the demand for sizes, except, “for kids’ robes”, which the resort is now providing together with a selection of “extra large” bathrobes. Shades of white and cream are still the preference, which van der Hoeven says is because of “a perception of cleanliness and lightness” … and, “As we operate in warm environments [the] preference for lighter, ‘waffle robes’ is more prevalent. People also are requesting more not to have the robes changed daily as consideration of the impact laundry has on the environment has really hit home for the consumer.”
in pure white only, which they believe reflects the cool clean look they’re hoping to achieve in the rest of the hotel.
Materially speaking Whether guests are stepping out of the bath or shower, finishing their spa treatment or sauna visit, or simply relaxing in their room or on their balcony fulfilling the ever changing needs of guests by providing just the right robe can make all the difference to guest perception. There are even threads on the internet about hotel bathrobes. The W Lakeshore, Chicago scores big with their doeskin robe, whilst the bathrobes at The Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong are highly recommended, too. “A bathrobe should be thick and very soft on the skin, this is as important a part of the guest experience as the quality of the towels provided,” says Roland Jegge, Vice President Asia Pacific, Worldhotels. He doesn’t believe a bathrobe menu is necessary as, “all bathrobes should be large size or if two bathrobes [are provided] one medium and one XL size. From my
experience it is always more comfortable to have a too large robe than a tight one.”
Some establishments are going one step further and ensuring even the little ones are well catered for. For example, the Anantara Dhigu Resort & Spa on Dhigu Island in the South Malé Atoll has just launched a dedicated ‘Kids’ accessories’ range, which includes small slippers and children’s bathrobes.
Staying in the South Pacific, in Fiji Peter Hopgood, General Manager Outrigger on the Lagoon admits that there, “Bathrobes are usually oversized to meet the demands of the larger person. The challenge that we do have at times is the smaller person, who finds that they are swimming inside their bathrobe. It is really only the petite guest that you need to accommodate. This is usually done by the housekeeping staff. If they identify a smaller person in a robe they will allocate a small size bathrobe.” Again the preference is for white robes – “much easier to launder!” - made from “marbled cotton” which, Hopgood says the resort has reviewed on occasion
Lighter,wafflerobesarepreferredinawarmenvironment
photography courtesy of outrigger on the lagoon, fiji unless otherwise indicated
Jun 30-Jul 2 8th International Hospitality Equipment & Supplies Fair (HOSFAIR Guangzhou 2010)
Sep 7-9 Restaurant & Bar Hong Kong Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre Wanchai, Hong Kong
Sep 7-9 Asian Seafood Exposition Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre Wanchai, Hong Kong
Oct 28-30 Wine & Gourmet Asia 2010 Hall D, CotaiExpo at The Venetian Macao Macau SAR, China
Nov 11-13 FHC China 2010 Shanghai New International Expo Centre, Shanghai, China
Nov 24-26 Hotel Expo 2010 The 6th International Hotel Equipment, Supplies and Food & Beverage Expo The Cotai Strip Convention and Exhibition Center at the Venetian Macao
DATE EvEnT DETAIlS ORGAnIzER
Wine & Gourmet Asia is a trade, networking and culinary platform showcasing the very best of Asia Pacific’s fine wine, gourmet and hospitality industries. The event is for the region’s hospitality industry leaders as well as all gourmands and wine enthusiasts.
Koelnmesse Pte Ltd Tel: +65 6500 6712 Fax: +65 6294 8403 Email: [email protected] www.wineandgourmetasia.com
Guangzhou Huazhan Exhibition Co., Ltd9H, Jinsui Tower, No.900 Guangzhou Ave. Mid, Guangzhou, China.Helen ZhangTel: +86-20-38812619Fax: [email protected] www.hosfair.com
HOSFAIR Guangzhou 2010 will showcase a myriad of Kitchenware and Catering Equipment, Food, Beverage and Equipment, Tableware, Hotel Furniture, Fabrics and Uniforms, Interior and Lobby Supplies, Recreational Facilities, Hotel Intelligence, Cleaning and Laundry Equipment, and will also provide splendid live activities.
Diversified Events Hong Kong LtdTelephone: +852 3105 3970Fax: +852 3105 3974E-mail: [email protected] www.restaurantandbarhk.com
Restaurant & Bar Hong Kong is the fastest growing exhibition for the hospitality sector in Asia Pacific. Currently in the ninth year, it has a growing reputation as the biggest and best niche gourmet hospitality event in the region. Its focus on bringing excellent products and services will inspire and create ideas to help you develop your foodservice and hospitality business.
Diversified Events Hong Kong LtdTelephone: +852 3105 3970Fax: +852 3105 3974E-mail: [email protected] www.asianseafoodexpo.com
Meet face-to-face with seafood buyers from Hong Kong and throughout Asia Pacific with direct purchasing responsibility for live, fresh, frozen and packaged products. The Asian Seafood Exposition is the newest product in Diversified Business Communication’s global seafood portfolio that includes the world’s largest seafood fairs: the European Seafood Exposition and the International Boston Seafood Show.
FHC China is the most International Trade Show for food, wine and hospitality equipment in China. FHC China features Wine and Spirits China 2010, Meat China 2010 and Tea and Coffee 2010 specialist areas, with Olive Oil China, Ultimate Barista Challenge China, Ice Cream University, Wine Seminars, China Sommelier Wine Challenge, FHC international cooking competition and more.
Lily ZhuChina International ExhibitionsRoom A2402-03, Singular Mansion, No.318-322 Xian Xia Road, Shanghai(200336), ChinaDID:(86-21)6209 5209 Fax:(86-21)6209 5210Email: [email protected]
May 12-16 Thaifex - World of Food Asia 2009 Impact Challenger Bangkok, Thailand
May 19-21 SIAL China 2010 Shanghai New International Expo Centre Shanghai China
May 25-27 Vinexpo Asia Pacific Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre Wanchai Hong Kong
Jun 10-13 ITE Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (Hall 1) Wanchai Hong Kong
Jun 10-13 ITE MICE Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (Hall 1) Wanchai Hong Kong
June 14-16 International Hotel Investment Forum Asia Pacific 2010 The Venetian Macao- Resort-Hotel Macau SAR, China
June 17 Hotel Management Asia - Hotel Technology Conference The Venetian Macao-Resort- Hotel Macau SAR, China
June 17-18 Hospitality Architecture + Design Exhibition & Conference (HA+D Expo) The Venetian Macao- Resort-Hotel Macau SAR, China
DATE EvEnT DETAIlS ORGAnIzER
Questex Asia Ltd501 Cambridge House, Taikoo Place, 979 King’s Road, Quarry Bay, Hong KongTel: +852 9860 0169Email: [email protected]
The HA+D Expo is dedicated to actively connecting hotel owners and operators with architects, designers, manufacturers and suppliers through a quality trade show and conference that focus on products and services for hospitality project designers and developers. View concept rooms and hotel suites and be the first to see the latest product launches for mid- to high-end hospitality projects.
After the success of the past 5 editions, The 6th Hotel Expo will be held in The Venetian Macau again. Gathering thousands of hospitality industry decision makers and procurement groups from not only Macau, but also Hong Kong, China and other major Asian countries. Hotel Expo is the largest exhibition in the hotel, catering and hospitality sectors of Macau.
Coastal International Exhibition Co., Ltd.Room 2106, China Resources Building, 26 Harbour Road, Wanchai, Hong KongTel: +852 2827 6766Fax: +852 2827 [email protected]
The 24th international travel expo. TKS Exhibition Services LtdRoom 601, Stanhope House, 734 King’s Road, Quarry Bay, Hong KongTel: +852 3155 0600Fax: +852 3520 1500www.itehk.com
Vinexpo2, Cours du XXX Juillet33074 Bordeaux Cedex, FranceTel: +33 556 560 022Fax: +33 556 560 [email protected]
The international wine and spirits exhibition for Asia-Pacific and the world’s largest wine and spirits trade exhibition.
Koelnmesse Pte Ltd Tel: +65 6500 6712 Fax: +65 6294 8403 Email: [email protected] www.worldoffoodasia.com
Thaifex - World of Food Asia is the leading trade platform for the food and beverage industry in South East Asia. It is a one-stop shop for allin the industry from processing technology and ingredients to end products, hospitality services and franchising.
Exposium ShanghaiRoom 301, Dongyi Building88 Changshu Road, Shanghai 200040 - ChinaTel: +86 (0)21 6249 2028 Fax: +86 (0)21 6249 3414Email: [email protected]
SIAL China is the largest and leading exhibition show for Food, Beverage and Hospitality industries in China mainland. This year, it celebrates its10th anniversary around numerous renowned events like the 6th edition of Trends & Innovation, the Cooking Trends Area and the 2nd edition of the Asian Young Hope Chefs Contest.
The 5th MICE, business and incentive travel expo. TKS Exhibition Services LtdRoom 601, Stanhope House, 734 King’s Road, Quarry Bay, Hong KongTel: +852 3155 0600Fax: +852 3520 1500www.itehkmice.com
The International Hotel Investment Forum Asia Pacific 2010 offers conference sessions, which are designed to reflect a new, innovative and “refreshingly direct” emphasis on generating returns from hotel investments in Asia. It includes interviews with leading hotel owners and operators, with panel discussions on the latest developments, trends and best practices in the hotel industry and the hotel investment arena.
Questex Asia Ltd501 Cambridge House, Taikoo Place, 979 King’s Road, Quarry Bay, Hong KongTel: +65 9626 4424Email: [email protected]
The Hotel Management Asia - Hotel Technology conference brings together CIO’s, CTO’s, General Managers and Operations Managers of hotel properties to discuss how existing and emerging technologies can support new revenue sources, improved operational efficiencies and enhanced customer service standards.
Questex Asia Ltd501 Cambridge House, Taikoo Place, 979 King’s Road, Quarry Bay, Hong KongTel: +65 9626 4424Email: [email protected]
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The numbers speak for themselves. With sales forecasts topping the US$1 billion mark, Gulfood 2010 – the food, drink, foodservice and hospitality exhibition - has to have been the Middle East’s most important industry event of the year.
More than 55,000 trade visitors attended, an increase of 18 percent on the previous year making it the biggest ever in the show’s 15 year history.
The four-day event occupied more than one million square feet of dedicated exhibition space – a 20 percent increase on last year alone - where 3,500 companies from 81 countries could meet, greet and sell.
“Gulfood has delivered tangible business benefits for both exhibitors showcasing their products and services and trade visitors sourcing the same,” said Helal Saeed Almarri, CEO, Dubai World Trade Centre, organizer of the exhibition. At time of going to press, final figures had yet to be collated nevertheless if companies such as FCG Trading Company from the Philippines are anything to go by, it’s looking good. They hit their total show target of United Arab Emirates dirham (AED) 3.7 million (US$1.01 million) on the first day alone.
Country pavilions also did brisk business. At the Malaysian pavilion AED 8.6 million (US$2.34 million) was written up with an additional AED 35 million (US$9.53 million) expected to be generated. Malaysia’s trade commissioner in Dubai, Dzulkifli Mahmud said: “Malaysian food products are widely accepted in this part of the world because of their stringent standards and high quality.”
Running concurrently with Gulfood, Ingredients Middle East grew more than three times this year in terms of space and exhibitors. The halal food market is one of the fastest growing in the industry and Gulfood 2010 welcomed more than 200 exhibitors offering halal products. Global supplier of fragrances, flavourings, raw materials and active ingredients for the food industry, Symrise were delighted to be participating. Claus Boenisch, Regional Sales Director, said: “We have tried to gain a presence here for a number of years, but the space has always been too limited. We are already planning next year’s show.”
As founders of the newly formed Middle East Baking & Pastry Guild, Baking Technology was delighted to have signed up more than 100 new members during the course of the show, while their Baking Demonstration Theatre facilitated some of the most creative and innovative baked creations ever seen at the show.
Also co-located at Gulfood was Restaurant & Café Middle East where high-end hospitality hardware and technology were showcased. Including the finest cut crystal glasses, napery, furnishings and inventory control software.
This year’s Emirates International Salon Culinaire competition attracted a record 1,500 entries from chefs and professionals around the region. And TV chef and chef restaurateur Brian Turner conducted a series of cooking demonstrations.
Knowledge exchange and industry insights were not overlooked, as leading international experts voiced their thoughts and opinions at the first Gulfood Trends Conference, which also hosted the 5th Dubai International Food Safety Conference - a seminar on regulatory and safety issues facing the industry, attended by more than 1,200 delegates.
Gulfood does the business
Coming next
Gulfood 2011February 20-23, 2011Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centerwww.gulfood.comwww.ingredientsme.com
FashionED ExclusivEly For businEss
T h E i n T E r n a T i o n a l W i n E a n D s P i r i T s E x h i b i T i o n F o r a s i a - P a c i F i c
h o n G K o n G - 2 5 / 2 6 / 2 7 M a y 2 0 1 0vinexpo asia-Pacific hong Kong : lilian lao - 21/F, on hing building, 1 on hing Terrace central, hong Kong
Tel : +852 2294 7724 - Fax : +852 2524 1428 E-mail : [email protected]
www.vinexpo.com
In just a few years, Vinexpo Asia-Pacific,has become the reference in Asia.Only Vinexpo Asia-Pacific can create the ideal conditions for trade professionals to form exclusive relations with top-level decision makers through face-to-face exchanges.800 exhibitors from more than 30 countries will display a comprehensive range of products that are perfectly adapted to Asian consumers’ expectations.
Come and find success in 2010 at Vinexpo Asia-Pacific!
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To accommodate an ever-increasing attendance, in the last four years, Hong Kong trade show, ITE and ITE MICE has had to expand exhibition space from two arenas to five. This year with refurbishments at the Hong Kong Convention
and Exhibition Centre complete, the show can take place all on one floor, which is much easier for exhibitors and attendees alike.
Organizers say a key factor to the show’s growth has been the decision by past exhibitors to substantially expand their pavilions year-on-year. Despite the financial crisis, official pavilions such as those from Hong Kong, Japan, Philippines, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey and Yemen are all bigger now. Additionally, this year welcomes a number of new pavilions from Europe, other regional countries and the Pacific. Croatia, Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, Italy, Israel and Prague have all either reserved a space or have expressed interest in doing so. The Czech Republic will in fact have two pavilions: the national tourism authority one and a Prague specific showpiece.
The Taiwan Visitors Association nearly doubles its size to 200 square metres, making it one of the largest at the show. Present also is another Taiwan pavilion on Medical Tourism, which is being organized by the Taipei World Trade Center.
Recently introduced travel themes such as MICE, Cruise, Wellness and Medical Tourism have proved popular with attendees with approximately 30 percent of all exhibitors specifically targeting those areas. Organizers hope the new theme pavilion this year, related to eco-tourism and Geo-parks in Hong Kong will prove equally attractive. The local Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department (AFCD) will host the pavilion, which will also stage some local cultures and tourism facilities.
Though it’s true various economies are yet to fully recover from the global financial crisis, China, and Hong Kong in particular, appear to be spearheading the bounce back. Organizers point to latest figures, which indicate in the first two months of this year China’s and Hong Kong’s outbound tourism numbers grew by double digits with the country’s tourism institute forecasting an increase of 11 percent in 2010. Show organizers hope this good news will bolster what’s already shaping up to be a big summer event.
Travel broadens the show
ITE & MICE June 10 - 13, 2010Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre. www.itehk.com www.itehkmice.com
www.wineandgourmetasia.com
Asia (excl. Hong Kong, Macau)
Ms Lynn How
Tel: +65 6500 6712
Fax: +65 6294 8403
With support from
International Wine & Gourmet Foods, Hotel & Foodservice Equipment,Supplies & Services Exhibition & Conference in Macau, China
An Encounter With Asia’s FinestFood and Beverage Professionals
Wine &Gourmet ASIA 2010
28 – 30 October 2010Hall A, The Cotai Strip® Cotai Expo™ at The Venetian® Macao-Resort-Hotel
Food & Beverage Wine & Spirits Hospitality & Foodservice
Organized by
Contact us for an
Exhibitor Brochure
Hong Kong, Macau
Ms Winky Fung
Tel: +852 2591 6083
Fax: +852 2591 6380
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A host of guest speakers including CEOs and senior decision makers, regional and global owners, operators, investors, developers, lawyers, lenders and financial advisors from all areas of the hotel industry is lined up for this year’s International Hotel Investment Forum Asia (IHIF).
Featuring Michael Leven, President of Las Vegas Sands - whose address topic is the global hotel market since Sands’ arrival ten years ago, and the group’s future plans with a focus on Asian market potential - other speakers include Mark Lankester, CEO Tune Hotels, Peter Henley, CEO Amari Hotels & Resorts, Kevin Wallace, President Centara Hotels, Marc Dardenne, CEO Emaar Hotel & Resorts, Brett Butcher, CEO Langham Hotels International and John Koldowski, Director Strategic Intelligence Centre, PATA.
Travel veteran Tony Wheeler, founder of the Lonely Planet guides will also be speaking.
Promising “refreshingly direct and illuminating information,” Business Director of IHIF Asia, Anne LeBoutillier says the strong list of speakers will shed some light on, “generating returns on hotel investments in Asia Pacific.”
Conference sessions include: ‘Lighting Up the Yellow Brick Road in Asia Pacific’ when Robert McIntosh, Executive Director, CBRE Hotels, Asia Pacific and Morgan Laughlin, Managing Director & Regional Head of Real Estate Advisory - Asia Pacific, Royal Bank of Scotland will focus on development finance; ‘Interpreting the Development Pipeline in Asia’ when Chris Bachran, Bachran & Associates and David Nguyen, CFO, Indochina Hotels & Resorts take a look at trends and directions, how the development pipeline has changed in the last year, and how will it affect business prospects; ‘Is It Still ‘Build It and They Will Come’ or Is There a New Light Shining On 2011?’ is presented by Bruce Ford, Senior Vice President of Sales, Lodging Econometrics. This session will focus on Asia Pacific development figures surpassing those of the US for the first time in history and asks if the region represents the brightest light in global hotel development.
Lastly, ‘Where’s My Guide Book? Who’s My Guide?’ when Marc Dardenne, CEO, Emaar Hospitality Group and Joseph Hickman, Executive Director Asia Pacific, Interval International examine maximizing ROI - every hotelier’s aim, but what are the signals to success?
Conference to explore Asia investment prospects
International Hotel Investment Forum Asia The Venetian, MacauCotai StripMacau
14 - 16 June 2010 www.ihif-asiapacific.com
E x h i b i t i o n s
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Register Today for the only dedicated hospitality Architecture + Design Conferenceand Exhibition Before 31 April 2010to Receive Early Bird Discount
Eric UllmannDesign Principal and PartnerDESIGN Duncan Miller Ullmann
Andrew Chiu Principal, Asia Pacific Regional Director DiLeonardo International
Brenton Mauriello Chief Executive Officer dwp
James LehouillerPresidentDiLeonardo International
Ariane Steinbeck ManagingDirector/PrincipalGettys
Jennifer JohansonPresident and CEO EDG
Duncan Palmer Vice President – Design Langham Hotels & Resorts
Ilija KarlusicPrincipalHBA/ Hirsch Bedner Associates
Conrad SmithManaging DirectorReardon Smith Architects
Federico MasinF&B Design DirectorHBA/ Hirsch Bedner Associates
Filippo Gabbiani Founder and Chief ArchitectKokaistudios
Greg FarrellDirectorAedas Interiors
Steve Kleinschmidt PresidentMarco Polo Hotels
Jeffrey M WilliamsDirectorStudio Aria
The HA+D Expo and Conference covers two days of business-related design seminars, panel discussions and pro-active audience participation sessions to get the most out of doing business in these challenging times.
With 3,000 square metres of exhibition space and themed displays visitors to the conference are offered an allround, one-stop-shop opportunity to network at the conference break outs, get informed and find new products, services and inspiration all under one roof at the Venetian Macau.
Plus exclusive entry to the best VIP Party in Asia where the hospitality industry’s luminaries will gather to relax, make contacts and renew friendships!
INTERNATIONAL SPEAKERS INCLUDE:
Plus a host of industry luminaries speaking at this two-day conference programme
Organizers: Official Media Partners
A Component of:
Official Programme Partner
Asia’s exclusive gathering for hospitality decision makers14-18 June 2010 l Venetian Macao
HotelWorld Asia – 3 top-level conferences a dedicated hospitality design exhibition
wwww.haplusdexpo.com
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ChristopheCaron
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Solutions provider, Pacific Direct Limited has recruited George Allan from Procter & Gamble to the position of CEO. Immediately prior to this appointment, Allan was Managing Director of the Gillette Business for Europe but was previously responsible for P&G’s Duracell batteries and the evolution of the Duracell Bunny.
The new General Manager of Sofitel Dalat Palace is Jon Bourbaud. With a strong background in hospitality, Bourbaud’s most recent position was as General Manager for Novotel Phan Thiet Ocean Dunes & Golf Resort, Vietnam.
Christophe Caron has been appointed Vice President Operations for Sofitel South East Asia, and General Manager at the Sofitel Bangkok Silom. Caron will be hotel based.
Jumeirah Bab Al Shams Desert Resort & Spa has a new General Manager, Andy Curbhert who has been with Jumeirah Group for ten years, working as Executive Assistant Manager in Jumeirah Emirates Towers and Director of Operations for Jumeirah Hospitality.
With more than 30 years’ experience in the industry, Robert J Gerber has been appointed General Manager of Hong Kong’s Regal Riverside Hotel by Regal Hotels International and is also taking the role of Group Director of Projects. Having worked in Seoul and Taipei with a number of international brands, prior to joining Regal, Gerber was General Manager for the pre-opening of the New World Hotel, Dalian, China and has held executive committee positions at the Hong Kong Hotels Association.
After an 18-month gap during which she acted as Chief Operating Officer – City Operations for Dubai International Financial Centre, Doris Greif has returned to Jumeirah Group as General Manager. Greif will lead the pre-opening team of Jumeirah Etihad Towers slated for a 2011 opening.
DenizOmurgonulsen
OrapanHongchintakul
KerstinPoetzsch
Australian Rachael Harman has joined The Westin Kuala Lumpur as Director – Sales and Marketing. With more than 12 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Harman was Director of Sales and Marketing at The Westin Auckland Lighter Quay, New Zealand prior to this appointment, and has held positions at other Starwood properties in Australia.
The Leading Hotels of the World has appointed Deniz Omurgonulsen to the newly created global position of Vice President of Membership. Turkish Omurgonulsen joined the group in 2005 as Strategic Planning Manager from Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, The Pierre Hotel, New York. Since 2006 she has been Director of Membership Development.
Orapan Hongchintakul is now Regional Director of E-Commerce & Communication, Sofitel Asia Pacific. As well as managing electronic marketing and developing new E-Commerce strategies, Orapan will develop online communication strategies.
Kerstin Poetzsch has been appointed Director of Leisure Sales for Europe by Carlson Hotels. Based in Singapore, German national Poetzsch will be responsible for driving sales to the region from various European source markets. With 12 years’ industry experience across three continents Poetzsch has been with Carlson Hotels for two years in Asia Pacific, as Director of Sales at the property level.
Eaton Hotel Hong Kong welcomes Executive Chef Giovanni Pugliano. The native Italian began his culinary training in Sydney and now has 10 years’ experience in many 5-star hotels and restaurant groups. Previously Executive Sous Chef at Langham Place Hong Kong, Pugliano has won several competition medals, has published his own pasta recipes and cooked for celebrities and royalty in Dubai and London.
Sofitel Asia Pacific has announced Sirinate Meenakul as the new Regional Director of Sales & Marketing, Bangkok. Sirinate is a fan of social media such as twitter and facebook.
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Italy at VinexpoAsia Pacific 2010
Seats are limited & for trade only
Booking/Enquiry: Italian Trade Commission Tel: 2846 6500 Email: [email protected]
MAY 25 -27 (TUE -THUR)�Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre Italian Pavilion, Hall 1D
I.C.E. Information Counter: DE78-2; Veneto Region Area: CD77-2
Seminar on Italian Wines and Veneto region will be held as follows:
Seminar 1Date: May 25 (Tue)
Time: 13:30 -15:00
Venue: Room 104 /105, Vinexpo Academy
Subject: The Sangiovese: how many varieties?
Seminar 2Date: May 26 (Wed)
Time: 10:00 -11:30
Venue: Room 106 /107 /108,Vinexpo Academy
Subject: Venetian Native Grape Varieties: from Prosecco to Amarone
Seminar 3Date: May 26 (Wed)
Time: 13:30 -15:00
Venue: Room 104 /105, Vinexpo Academy
Subject: Franciacorta -Trento: comparing two excellent sparkling wines
Supported by:
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