The Siam gets even more personal with Go Portier
How does a small urban luxury resort of just 28 suites and 11 pool villas, already known for its personal servide and top-notch butlers, get even more personal with its customers?
Well, The Siam Bangkok has deployed an in-room technology called Go Portier which will allow guests to explore the ci [...]
Letter from Delhi: Inflection is nigh, disruption is here, let the games begin
My first thought on arriving at Delhi airport was how different things are today for a visitor. Firstly, the visa application process was a breeze compared to two years ago when I last visited. Secondly, immigration was smooth with separate counters for those with e-visas.
My impression of the ch [...]
AirAsia Foundation plans Destination Good marketplace through its support of social enterprises
It all started with her involvement in the rebuilding of Banda Aceh after the devastating tsunami of December 26, 2004 which killed 167,000 people and destroyed most of the Indonesian coastal city.
Yap Mun Ching, then holding the role of strategic planner at AirAsia, said that the airline had bee [...]
HARDTalk with Stephen Sackur on role of media, the craft of interviews and succession
It was an invitation hard to resist – an opportunity to listen to Stephen Sackur of BBC HARDTalk share his knowledge and experience with the Foreign Correspondents Association of Singapore.
After all, how often does one get a chance to turn the tables on the man who’s grilled politicians, cel [...]
First non-air loyalty redemption in China on offer
Loyalty programme specialist Kaligo Travel Solutions has partnered with Hainan Airlines’ loyalty programme Fortune Wings Club to launch China’s first non-air redemption programme on its travel booking platform.
This enables 18 million Fortune Wings Club members to redeem Fortune Wings Club Po [...]
With new funds, Tink Labs moves fast towards goals
Hong Kong’s Tink Labs, a success story that begun five years ago, is now in an even better position to expedite its goals since pocketing another US$125 million last year from investors.
“We aim to be in 101 cities by the end of this year. We are now at 30 plus and are on track to meet our goal [...]
Alexa, more A than I right now but I know she’ll get smarter than me
I’m always intrigued by new technology and given how Amazon’s Echo Dot was all the rage at last year’s CES trade show in Las Vegas, I simply had to get my hands on one.
As it turned out, I ended up with two – long story – and now I have Alexa 1 and Alexa 2 as my new friends at home. [...]
How 30,000 pieces of bamboo came together to create the private island of Cempedak
When we first saw Cempedak Island, I believe our little group uttered a collective “Wow” and then we were stunned into silence. Rising from the white sand was a bamboo structure with a spiral roof that resembled an ocean wave.
That, we later learnt, was the boathouse, the building that would [...]
WIT Hospitality Reimagines – focuses on change and disruption
WIT Hospitality, in its second edition, will face change and disruption squarely, with head honchos of top hospitality companies in Asia.
Some issues it will address include the future of distribution and marketing; digital marketing; new hotel models; consolidation; new technologies like Voice, [...]
Letter from Kuala Lumpur: A day in the life of AirAsia’s RedQ
Sometime in 2026, if I am still around, I’ll be able to travel from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur by high speed train and I will be able to do it in 90 minutes as opposed to four hours by car.
For now, though, while the ambitious rail link project conceived in 2013 and formally signed last Decemb [...]
