Richard Barnes Editor-in-

Richard Barnes

Editor-in-chief

richard.barnes@cleverdis.com

Tel: +33 (0) 4 42 77 46 00

Hotel & Tourism

SMARTreport #44

2019 Autumn Edition 3

FOREWORD

MARKET SENTIMENT REMAINS HIGH

DESPITE SOME TURBULENCE

As we send this edition of the Hotel & Tourism SMARTreport off to the

printers, the market scenario is evolving quite rapidly, leaving many

wondering what the next months and years have in store.

were thrilled to have had a long chat with

the head of the Raffles group, Jeannette

Ho – our feature interview in this edition.

Those who know Cleverdis – publishers

of this work – will know that we are also

publishers of a number of official trade

show dailies – for events such as ITB

Berlin, ITB China (in Shanghai), ITB Asia

(in Singapore), IFTM Top Resa in Paris.

The two most recent, ITB Asia and IFTM

Top Resa, have taken place in the wake

of several major company failures that

have somewhat rocked the industry. Our

feedback at these events has shown that

while no-one can predict what is going

to happen to the global economy, and

consequently to the travel and tourism

sector, what we have been able to

ascertain is that most players continue to

have a positive outlook. All analysts appear

to agree on the fact that people will

continue travelling, and in particular, the

luxury sector remains bullish.

To this end, we were particularly honoured

to have been invited to the official opening

ceremony of Raffles in Singapore, and

In our Elite Travel Trends, we flashback to

the 2019 Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas,

and our regional spotlight on the Americas

reveals destinations and ideas you may not

have considered in the past. Finally, our

Innovations & Technologies section looks

at how guest facing – and staff-facing

technologies – are revolutionising the

industry.

We hope you can gain some valuable

insights from it all!

4 EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

4 RAFFLES: BUILDING AN ICONIC BRAND

Jeannette Ho,

Vice-President Raffles Brand and Strategic Partnerships

6 EVENTS

6 WTM LONDON 2019

7 TRAVELLING... AND FEELIN’ GOOD

8 EVENTS CALENDAR

9 ELITE TRAVEL TRENDS

9 A MOVEMENT TOWARDS “CARPE DIEM”

TOURISM

10 IN THE FIELD WITH MARY GOSTELOW

FROM AUCKLAND TO PARIS, TRADITIONAL

SPAS ARE TURNING TO A HOLISTIC WELLNESS

APPROACH

11 TAHOLISTIC WELLFEST – A FOUR-DAY

MISSION TO CLEANSE THE MIND AND BODY

11 WELLNESS TRAVEL NEWS

12 BREAKING THE ICE IN THE SHIPBUILDING

BUSINESS

13 SEABOURN ANNOUNCES “2021 WORLD CRUISE:

EXTRAORDINARY OCEANS”

14 THE GRANDE DAME IS BACK!

16 TRAVEL WEEK: INNOVATIONS, HOT

DESTINATIONS AND AWARD WINNERS

CONTENTS

18 ELITE TRAVEL BOOM CONTINUES

19 RECORD-BREAKING YEAR FOR HILTON

LUXURY

20 ACCOR DELVES EVEN DEEPER INTO LUXURY

20 ELITE TRAVEL BOOM CONTINUES

21 AMERICAS & THE CARRIBEAN

21 INTRA-AMERICAN TRAVEL BOOSTS GROWTH

22 FACT & FIGURES

GROWTH OF 2% IN INTERNATIONAL ARRIVALS

FOR THE AMERICAS IN FIRST HALF 2019

23 BRAND USA MAKES CONCERTED PUSH INTO

EUROPE

24 TRANSPORT

TUI OPENS ROUTE FROM DONCASTER

SHEFFIELD TO ORLANDO

24 MORE SOUTHWEST SERVICES TO HAWAII SET

TO BEGIN SOON

24 DELTA MOVES TO NEW TERMINAL AT

SHANGHAI PUDONG

24 UNITED MAKES GETTING AN UPGRADE

EASIER

25 MASSIVE NEW TRANSPORT PROJECT

LAUNCHED IN LOS ANGELES

25 PROJECT SUNRISE OPENS NEW HORIZONS

26 TRENDING DESTINATIONS

ON TURTLES, BOATS AND YOGA WITH GOATS

27 ORLANDO BUILDS ON REPUTATION AS

LEADING MICE DESTINATION

28 NEW YORK’S REIMAGINED MOMA OPENS TO

PUBLIC

29 NANTUCKET IN THE AUTUMN

29 ST. MARTIN + ANGUILLA – THE FLAVOUR OF

THE SEASON

29 MY NAME IS JAMAICA...

30 PARADISE FOR COLUMBUS... AND FOR

TODAY’S TRAVELLERS AS WELL

31 A PRIME DESTINATION FOR NATURE LOVERS

32 TRENDING HOTELS

PLAYA CATIVO LODGE – COSTA RICA

32 TIERRA PATAGONIA HOTEL & SPA – CHILE

33 INNOVATIONS

& TECHNOLOGIES

33 2020 TREND: HOTELS TO FOCUS ON DRIVING

DIRECT BOOKINGS

34 IN THE FIELD WITH DAVID ESSERYK

DIGITAL CONTINUES TO TRANSFORM THE

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

35 SOLVING THE WI-FI HEADACHE

36 NEW LOOK, NEW APPS

38 LEVERAGING TECHNOLOGY & HUMAN

TOUCH ACROSS ALL DEPARTMENTS

Richard Barnes Editor-in-chief richard.barnes@cleverdis.com Tel: +33 (0) 4 42 77 46 00 Hotel & Tourism SMARTreport #44 2019 Autumn Edition 3 3 FOREWORD MARKET SENTIMENT REMAINS HIGH DESPITE SOME TURBULENCE As we send this edition of the Hotel & Tourism SMARTreport off to the printers, the market scenario is evolving quite rapidly, leaving many wondering what the next months and years have in store. were thrilled to have had a long chat with the head of the Raffles group, Jeannette Ho – our feature interview in this edition. Those who know Cleverdis – publishers of this work – will know that we are also publishers of a number of official trade show dailies – for events such as ITB Berlin, ITB China (in Shanghai), ITB Asia (in Singapore), IFTM Top Resa in Paris. The two most recent, ITB Asia and IFTM Top Resa, have taken place in the wake of several major company failures that have somewhat rocked the industry. Our feedback at these events has shown that while no-one can predict what is going to happen to the global economy, and consequently to the travel and tourism sector, what we have been able to ascertain is that most players continue to have a positive outlook. All analysts appear to agree on the fact that people will continue travelling, and in particular, the luxury sector remains bullish. To this end, we were particularly honoured to have been invited to the official opening ceremony of Raffles in Singapore, and In our Elite Travel Trends, we flashback to the 2019 Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas, and our regional spotlight on the Americas reveals destinations and ideas you may not have considered in the past. Finally, our Innovations & Technologies section looks at how guest facing – and staff-facing technologies – are revolutionising the industry. We hope you can gain some valuable insights from it all! 4 EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW 4 RAFFLES: BUILDING AN ICONIC BRAND Jeannette Ho, Vice-President Raffles Brand and Strategic Partnerships 6 EVENTS 6 WTM LONDON 2019 7 TRAVELLING... AND FEELIN’ GOOD 8 EVENTS CALENDAR 9 ELITE TRAVEL TRENDS 9 A MOVEMENT TOWARDS “CARPE DIEM” TOURISM 10 IN THE FIELD WITH MARY GOSTELOW FROM AUCKLAND TO PARIS, TRADITIONAL SPAS ARE TURNING TO A HOLISTIC WELLNESS APPROACH 11 TAHOLISTIC WELLFEST – A FOUR-DAY MISSION TO CLEANSE THE MIND AND BODY 11 WELLNESS TRAVEL NEWS 12 BREAKING THE ICE IN THE SHIPBUILDING BUSINESS 13 SEABOURN ANNOUNCES “2021 WORLD CRUISE: EXTRAORDINARY OCEANS” 14 THE GRANDE DAME IS BACK! 16 TRAVEL WEEK: INNOVATIONS, HOT DESTINATIONS AND AWARD WINNERS CONTENTS 18 ELITE TRAVEL BOOM CONTINUES 19 RECORD-BREAKING YEAR FOR HILTON LUXURY 20 ACCOR DELVES EVEN DEEPER INTO LUXURY 20 ELITE TRAVEL BOOM CONTINUES 21 AMERICAS & THE CARRIBEAN 21 INTRA-AMERICAN TRAVEL BOOSTS GROWTH 22 FACT & FIGURES GROWTH OF 2% IN INTERNATIONAL ARRIVALS FOR THE AMERICAS IN FIRST HALF 2019 23 BRAND USA MAKES CONCERTED PUSH INTO EUROPE 24 TRANSPORT TUI OPENS ROUTE FROM DONCASTER SHEFFIELD TO ORLANDO 24 MORE SOUTHWEST SERVICES TO HAWAII SET TO BEGIN SOON 24 DELTA MOVES TO NEW TERMINAL AT SHANGHAI PUDONG 24 UNITED MAKES GETTING AN UPGRADE EASIER 25 MASSIVE NEW TRANSPORT PROJECT LAUNCHED IN LOS ANGELES 25 PROJECT SUNRISE OPENS NEW HORIZONS 26 TRENDING DESTINATIONS ON TURTLES, BOATS AND YOGA WITH GOATS 27 ORLANDO BUILDS ON REPUTATION AS LEADING MICE DESTINATION 28 NEW YORK’S REIMAGINED MOMA OPENS TO PUBLIC 29 NANTUCKET IN THE AUTUMN 29 ST. MARTIN + ANGUILLA – THE FLAVOUR OF THE SEASON 29 MY NAME IS JAMAICA... 30 PARADISE FOR COLUMBUS... AND FOR TODAY’S TRAVELLERS AS WELL 31 A PRIME DESTINATION FOR NATURE LOVERS 32 TRENDING HOTELS PLAYA CATIVO LODGE – COSTA RICA 32 TIERRA PATAGONIA HOTEL & SPA – CHILE 33 INNOVATIONS & TECHNOLOGIES 33 2020 TREND: HOTELS TO FOCUS ON DRIVING DIRECT BOOKINGS 34 IN THE FIELD WITH DAVID ESSERYK DIGITAL CONTINUES TO TRANSFORM THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE 35 SOLVING THE WI-FI HEADACHE 36 NEW LOOK, NEW APPS 38 LEVERAGING TECHNOLOGY & HUMAN TOUCH ACROSS ALL DEPARTMENTS