In the news: TripAdvisor and MasterCard, HRS and AirPlus, Suntec Singapore, Marriott International

Get a curated holiday experience with MasterCard Travel Hub

TripAdvisor and MasterCard have launched the new MasterCard Travel Hub, the first time the two companies are working together to provide their users in Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa with curated destination guides and experiences based on their travel destination.

MasterCard’s promotions for travel, dining, shopping and entertainment are currently available in five key destinations – Beijing, Honolulu, London, New York and Singapore. The offers will extend to Hong Kong, South Africa, Thailand and Vietnam by end October.

When TripAdvisor users search for travel information on any of the five destinations they can click on customised MasterCard banners, which then take them to the MasterCard Travel Hub.

The hub also includes TripAdvisor traveller reviews and ratings for hotels, attractions and restaurants for the five destinations. There are also recommended itineraries for each destination.

Robin Ingle, TripAdvisor’s senior vice president of gobal sales, said the partnership with MasterCard would provide more travel offers and experiences to its users to plan their next trip,

Belina Lee, MasterCard’s head of consumer & digital marketing, Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa, added the company  . would “help make every journey a little more priceless at iconic destinations around the world.” through presenting TripAdvisor users with offers and experiences that MasterCard cardholders enjoy in conjunction with its Global Priceless Cities programme, .

New solution from HRS for centralised hotel payment

Hotel Reservation Service (HRS), one of Europe’s leading online hotel booking portals, in cooperation with AirPlus, the international credit card provider, has integrated its Global Payment service to 35,000 corporate customers around the world, including Asia, as an alternative to direct payments at hotels.

HRS will also offer a Paperless Travel solution, which gives support to corporate customers in the billing process with invoices, including their examination, made via the hotel portal. In this way companies may identify ways to save on their future hotel expenses and optimise their acquisition strategy.

Processes inside finance departments will also become more efficient, travellers will profit from a simplified travel expense report and not have to pay in advance, and companies may omit travel advances for hotel stays.

‘‘Paperless Travel provides a valuable contribution to the further optimisation of the travel expense management”, said HRS’ CEO Tobias Ragge.

Other benefits of the Global Payment service include more transparency with booking costs by improved data quality, and more efficient finance processes through automation.

Addtionanaly, when a customer opts for the solution a virtual MasterCard number is generated and sent to each hotel booking made through the individual HRS corporate customer portal. The card ensures better control of the travel guidelines and give corporate travel management teams active control in the company. At the same time, it acts as a payment guarantee for the hotel, for example in case of a late arrival.

Christian Lukey, HRS’ commercial director for APAC, said, “The enhanced Global Payment service will make the life of business travellers more convenient while at the same time allowing corporate travel management to have more control and transparency through simplified reporting and billing options.”

Guinness World Record for Suntec’s Big Picture

Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre (Suntec Singapore) has clinched a new Guinness World Records for the “Largest High Definition Video Wall”, also.known as the Big Picture.

The wall forms an integral part of Suntec;s new facade, consisting of 664 full HD LED screens and covers an area of 556.1 square metres. Standing over 15 metres tall and 60 meters wide, the Big Picture greets delegates and visitors as they arrive at the Centre and offers mesmerising multi-media content.

The Big Picture compliments Suntec Singapore’s technology offering which includes free Wifi, digital signage and an interactive online customer portal.

WIT Conference 2013 will be held at Suntec. Look out for The Asia Factor to fly up the wall.

Marriott introduces Fairfield brand to Asia with India’s property

Marriott International opened its first Fairfield by Marriott hotel in Bengaluru, India – the148-room Fairfield Bengaluru Rajajinager – on October 9 in association with SAMHI Hotels Pvt. Ltd.

The hotel group sees the Fairfield brand as a growth engine for its expansion in Asia, with 12 hotels signed in India with additional properties in Nepal and Indonesia.

Don Cleary, Marriott International’s COO, Asia, said, “The timing is right and the market is primed for a brand like Fairfield. The brand has a long history in service and offers innovative design at an affordable price, which combined gives us a huge strategic advantage in many markets across the region.”

Introduced in 1987, the Fairfield brand caters to both business and leisure travellers.