The News Review:

- Best Western hotels to bring in 3-star brand
- Friends help Burmese refugee in attempt to see parents
- Carlson Hotels Worldwide Adds 89 Hotels to its Global Portfolio In …
- ELLEN CREAGER Sleep under the stars
- Thailand looks to domestic and GCC markets for tourism growth
- Slowdown begins to bite
- Jumeirah Group’s luxury hotel in Shanghai delayed

Best Western hotels to bring in 3-star brand
๒ดอะ ๒à¸à¸à¸±à¹à¸ Thailand 
Therefore many tourists will choose three-star hotels instead of four- or five-star properties in order to save on tourism costs. He said Best Western would introduce its three-star hotels next year in three countries – Japan South Korea and Indonesia. For Thailand the company will open the new brand after it introduces the Best Western Premier – its premium brand aimed at tapping high-income tourists – in Phuket Hua Hin and Pattaya this year. "We will position our hotels' brands clearly in order to match with tourists' requirements. ur three-star hotels' service standard will be similar to four- and five-star hotels but with prices 25 per cent lower than our premium brands. We expect to penetrate medium and high-level tourists. Best Western is currently considering the name for its three-star hotel brand" de Souza said.

Friends help Burmese refugee in attempt to see parents
Lower Hudson Journal news NY 
Liberty Travel representatives said Friday that they sympathized with his unusual situation and would like to help. So far they haven’t gotten him a refund or rescheduled his trip despite his having paid for Travel Protection. He received $646 for part of his Thailand hotel. Calls to Liberty Travel were not returned this week. Aslam said yesterday that he and his wife had spoken to Liberty Travel staff but there was no resolution. Friends were clearly touched by his travel saga which has been chronicled in The Journal News. While one couple paid for the bulk of the trip co-workers at Friendly’s collected roughly $300.

Carlson Hotels Worldwide Adds 89 Hotels to its Global Portfolio In …
PR Newswire (press release) NY 
The newest properties include the 2008 openings of The Regent Grand Hotel Bordeaux a 150-room hotel with interiors by renowned international designer Jacques Garcia; and The Regent Bal Harbour the first hotel to open in South Florida’s Bal Harbour Village in over 50 years. penings planned for 2009 include The Regent Maldives a 50-villa private island resort on picturesque Maalefushi Island; and The Regent Phuket Cape Panwa a 106-room resort located on the south-eastern tip of Phuket Island Thailand. Additional upcoming global developments include The Regent Manila Bay the Philippines (2010); The Regent Bangkok Thailand (2010); The Regent Emirates Pearl Abu Dhabi UAE (2011); The Regent Dubrovnik Croatia (2010); The Regent Palmas del Mar Puerto Rico (2011); The Regent Kuala Lumpur Malaysia (2011); and The Regent Doha Qatar (2013). Radisson Hotels & ResortsThe newest Radisson hotels to open in December include the Radisson St Martin Resort Marina & Spa on the island of St Martin and the Radisson Ambassador Hotel Paris pera in the center of the city’s pera district. With the addition of these hotels Radisson’s global portfolio currently includes 407 hotels with 89314 guestrooms. Nestled in the picturesque cove of Anse Marcel the Radisson St Martin Resort Marina & Spa features 1600 feet of white-sand beachfront 500 square feet of meeting space and a 150-slip marina. The resort offers 63 suites and 189 guestrooms; a signature beachfront restaurant with al fresco dining; casual market-style restaurant and lobby tapas bar.

ELLEN CREAGER Sleep under the stars
Detroit Free Press United States 
Dear Travel Diva: My son traveled to Chicago’s ‘Hare airport to fly to Phuket Thailand via Seoul on Korean Air. He purchased his ticket through Priceline. He was to return in mid-January and his passport wouldn’t expire until mid-March. However Korean Air would not let him board because his passport was not valid for six months. He had no notice of this restriction.

Thailand looks to domestic and GCC markets for tourism growth
Hotelier Middle East United Arab Emirates 
During what is usually a peak tourist season from Christmas through to Chinese New Year (late January in 2009) the Thais were out in force in easy-to-reach destinations from Bangkok such as Pattaya and Cholburi Province – all locations that are normally swarmed with international visitors at this time of year. In a move that indicates the state of Thailand’s inbound market Pattaya City has allocated a greater part of its 2009 marketing budget to promoting Pattaya and its nearby attractions to the Thai market rather than internationally. According to Thai Hotel Association president and Dusit Resort Pattaya general manager Chatchawal Supachayanont Pattaya will “always survive” because it boasts “a wide-reaching market base”. Story continues below.
Related from 9p2cn: Guangzhou International Travel Fair 2009 To Be Held In March

Slowdown begins to bite
Bangkok Post Thailand 
Then there are other image problems that arise from a lack of forethought communication and common sense. In this case it is inept travel agents in China who seem to think that all Chinese tourists want to go to Pattaya and watch transvestite shows. They do not and Thailand is sinking fast on their list of favoured destinations. Wealthy Chinese tourists are now favouring the United States and Europe although Asia remains the destination of the majority. We are already having to accept the loss of some visitors from the United Kingdom Australia and other countries who find that Thailand is no longer affordable because the global recession has caused their currencies to depreciate against the baht. Regional tourism must not follow suit. Clearly we need to rethink the way in which the country is marketed.

Jumeirah Group’s luxury hotel in Shanghai delayed
Emirates Business 24/7 United Arab Emirates 
innerText); }}catch(ex){} The luxury international hospitality management group Jumeirah has deferred plans for the opening of its first China property in Shanghai amid the global financial downturn. The Jumeirah HanTang Xintiandi Shanghai originally scheduled for launch in August 2008 would now be open for business sometime this year according to its top executive. "We are confident the Shanghai hotel will open during the course of 2009. We remain fully committed to this project and we are in regular contact with the investor" Gerald Lawless Executive Chairman of the Jumeirah Group told Emirates Business. While Lawless did not divulge the exact reasons for the delay hotel industry experts are of the opinion it is due to the tight financial climate and slowdown in travel. The planned 338-room Jumeirah HanTang Xintiandi Hotel in Shanghai is supposed to be the first foray of the group into that country. The plan is to expand to five properties in China over the next few years Lawless had said recently.

You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.