In the news: New international theme park for Genting Highlands, The Miele Guide closes, Xtreme Booking in Japan, HotelQuickly launches in New Zealand
World’s first Twentieth Century Fox theme park in Genting Highlands
Genting Malaysia Bhd, which owns and operates Resorts World Genting (RWG) in Genting Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia, is giving a new lease of life to the 35-year-old theme park, which opened in 1978, with the world’s first Twentieth Century Fox theme park and the first of its kind in Asia.
The company will invest RM400 million (US$123 million) to set up the theme park in collaboration with US-based Twentieth Century Fox. It will feature rides and attractions based on Fox’s 25 to 30 intellectual property rights for blockbuster movies like Ice Age, Rio, Life of Pi, Alien, Predator andNight at the Museum.
The rejuvenation plan, estimated at a cost of RM3 billion over five years, starts with extensive renovations of its outdoor theme park, which will be closed from September 1. The soft opening of the new theme park is scheduled for 2016.
This upgrade and expansion of the casino and theme park is seen as widening the appeal of the resort’s attractions and non-gaming assets to a younger market. .
Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay , Genting Malaysia chairman, said the partnership with Twentieth Century Fox would enhance RWG as a top holiday destination proving wholesome family entertainment, making Genting Highlands one of the world’s top holiday destinations.
Genting Malaysia will also add 1,300 rooms at the resort with attractions to include a “Dream Parade”, a one-of-a-kind animatronics parade based on all the characters featured at the theme park.
Last year RWG received 20.5 million visitors, while its five hilltop hotels enjoyed a healthy occupancy rate of 95%.
The Miele Guide closes, plans to launch a new one in more accessible format
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Singapore based integrated communications company, The Ate Group and Miele, the naming sponsor and German manufacturer of premium home appliances, is closing The Miele Guide, Asia’s first authoritative and independent guide to the region’s best restaurants.
The guide was launched in Singapore in 2008, and was the first to take a regional perspective in recognising the excellence of Asia’s dining scene. It provides both useful guidelines to foodies on where to eat, as well as plays a major role in raising international awareness of the best dining establishments in Asia.
Each of the 500 restaurants in the guide is selected after a rigorous voting process involving input from food and beverage professionals, food writers, restaurant critics and most importantly, the public.
Vetri Mayandi, managing director of The Ate Group, said despite the guide’s achievement over the past five years it was the right time to assess where to take the guide in the future
“Awareness of Asia’s vibrant culinary scene has grown significantly over the last five years, as have the methods used by diners to gather information on their favourite restaurants. As the publishing world becomes increasingly digitised, it’s important that we recognise this shift and look to embrace this new technology to perhaps produce a guide which is more accessible and has a higher level of direct engagement with diners.”
The Ate Group has plans to create a new guide, possibly across digital platforms, which will better reflect the ever-evolving culinary scene in Asia. It will announce details at a later date.
Hotels.com takes Xtreme Booking to Japan
Online accommodation booking website, Hotels.com, launches its third Xtreme Booking video in Japan that features the country’s shock jock comedians, The Tokyo Shock Boys, known for their wacky and extreme stunts.
The video shows the Tokyo Shock Boys booking a room at the Matsunoi Hotel in Minakam using the website’s mobile booking app while racing down ice-cold mountain rapids, and free-falling down a seven-metre waterfall.(Watch video here).
Johan Svanstrom, vice president and managing director of Hotels.com, Asia Pacific, said the latest installment of the video series demonstrated that even in the most extreme situations the app could help customers find the perfect last-minute deal.
The 2011 Xtreme Booking video – Hotel Booked in Freefall – featured a skydiver reserving a room in Lake Tahoe while free falling in the air. (Watch video here)
The 2012 video – Running with the Bulls – was shot in Pamplona, Spain with a bull fighter booking a room while “fighting” the bull. (Watch video here)
The app, which was launched in 2011 for the iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows Phone 7 and 8, has been downloaded more than 15 million times.
HotelQuickly launches in New Zealand
Same-day hotel deals booking app, HotelQuickly, expands to New Zealand, starting in Auckland and Rotorua with more cities to be added over the next few weeks.
The company said it believes in the potential of the domestic New Zealand market, as the travel pattern in the recent past shifted more towards last-minute, spontaneous bookings.
The app is tailored to domestic travellers, especially for those who are in spontaneous need of a hotel room.
“HotelQuickly takes the hassle out of hotel booking. No more filtering for over and over the same criteria, trying to find a decent place to stay over; all the most popular filters are pre-applied, and then presented in a format that is made for smartphones”, said New Zealand Country Manager Sam O’Connor.
Four months ago HotelQuickly launched its mobile-only hotel booking service in six countries across Asia to popularise same day hotel booking from the smartphone, as this practice is not widely accepted in the region unlike in the US and Europe.
HotelQuickly has been downloaded more than 120,000 times since its inception. Hotels in 11 countries, including Australia, have joined the app. It said bookings are increasing in all its markets, and is popular especially among the 20-30 year olds in the higher income segment.
