AHCT May 2012 Web-size

Published since 1976 Vol 37 May 2012

hong Kong sAR hK$50 china RMb50singapore s$15 Malaysia RM30Thailand bt300Rest of Asia us$10

UNIFORM APPROACHTrends in hospitality work wear

TRIPLE WHAMMYJapan’s hotels bounce back from

earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster

FISHING FOR THE FUTURESustainable seafood on the menu in Asia

AsiAn Hotel & CAtering times is publisHed montHly by tHomson press Hong Kong ltd (tpHK)

The opinions expressed in Asian Hotel & Catering Times do not necessarily represent the views of the publisher or the publication. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information contained in this publication, no responsibility can be accepted by the publisher, editors and staff, agents and contributors for omissions, typographical or printers errors, inaccuracies or changes howsoever caused. The editors reserve the right to edit any material submitted at their discretion. All materials published remain the property of TPHK. Reproduction without permission by any means is strictly prohibited. Correspondence should be addressed to The Editor, Asian Hotel & Catering Times, Room 1205-6, 12/F, Hollywood Centre, 233 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong. Tel: (852) 2815 9111 Fax: (852) 2851 1933. Fantasy Printing Ltd. 1/F, Tin Fung Industial Mansion, 63 Wong Chuk Hang Road, Hong Kong.

All rights reserved (c) 2012Thomson Press Hong Kong Ltd

Welcome to the May issue of AHCT, the most comprehensive source of information on the Asian

hospitality industry.In a still uncertain global economy it is

reassuring to see indications that the industry in our region is looking healthy. Nowhere was this clearer than at the very successful FHA show in Singapore last month. With around 2,600 exhibitors and an estimated 60,000 trade visitors from more than 90 countries, this

hong Kong hoTels AssociATion

hong Kong chefs AssociATion

fedeRATion of hong Kong ResTAuRAnT owneRs

The fedeRATion of hong Kong hoTel owneRs

AssociATionof ThAilAnd

bAKing indusTRy TRAining cenTRe

AssociATion of inTeRnATionAl

hoTelieRs shAnghAi

singAPoRechefs AssociATion

hong Kong bAKeRy & confecTioneRy

AssociATion

singAPoRehoTel AssociATion

hong Kong bARTendeRs AssociATion

hong Kong MAiTRe d’hoTel AssociATion

shAnghAi chefs AssociATion

MyAnMAR chefsAssociATion

MAlAysiAn AssociATionof hoTels

MAcAu hoTelAssociATion

club MAnAgeRs AssociATionhong Kong

HONG KONGThomson Press Hong Kong Limited/Media Transasia LimitedRoom 1205-6, 12/F, Hollywood Centre,233 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan, Hong KongTel: +(852) 2851 7068, 2815 9111 Fax: +(852) 2851 1933, 2581 9531Email: [email protected]: Mr Daniel Creffield

AUSTRALIAMass Media PublicitasLevel 9, 215-217 Clarence Street Sydney NSW 2000 Australia Tel: + 61 2 9252 3476 Fax: +61 2 9251 3726 Email: [email protected]: Mr Charlton D’Silva

INDIAMedia Transasia (India) Ltd323 Phase IV, Udyog Vihar, Gurgaon - 122016 (Haryana)Tel: +91 (0) 124 4759500 Fax: +91 (0) 11 26867641Email: [email protected]: Mr Xavier Collaco

Media Transasia (India) Ltd1, A & B, Diamond House, 35th Road,Linking Road, Bandra West, Mumbai - 400 050 Tel: 91 22 26053702-06 Fax: 91 22 26053702-06Email: [email protected]: Mr. Xavier Collaco

THAILANDMedia Transasia Thailand Ltd14/F, Ocean Tower II, 75/10 Soi Wattana,Sukhumvit Soi 21, Asoke Road, Klongtoey,Prakanong, Bangkok 10110, ThailandTel: +66 2 204 2370 Fax: +66 2 204 2391Email: [email protected]: Mr Gaurav Kumar

UNITED KINGDOMThe Powers Turner GroupGordon House, Greencoat PlaceLondon SW1P 1PH, United KingdomTel: +44 (0) 20 7592 8300 Fax: +44 (0) 20 7592 8301Contact: Mr Chris Morgan

USARiverside Media159 Main Street, 2nd Floor, Lake Placid,NY 12946, USATel: +1 518 523 4794 Fax: +1 518 523 4708Email: [email protected]: Ms Christina Eccleston

Marston Webb International60 Madison Avenue, Suite 1011,New York, NY 10010, USATel: +1 212 684 6601 Fax: +1 212 725 4708Telex: (023) 420773 BRANINTContact: Ms Madlene Olson

ITALYEdiconsult Internazionale s.r.l.Piazza Fontane Marose, 3-16123 GenovaTel: +39 010 583684 Fax: +39 010 566578Email: [email protected]: Mr Vittorio Negrone

JAPANEcho Japan CorporationGrande Maison Rm 303, 2-2 Kudan-kita 1-chome, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0073Tel: +81 3 3234 2064 Fax: +81 3 3263 5065Email: [email protected]: Mr Ted Asoshina

MALAYSIAPublicitas International Sdn Bhd.S 105, 2nd Floor, CentrepointLebuh Bandar Utama, Bandar Utama47800 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.Tel : 603 7729 6923Fax : 603 7729 7115 Email: [email protected]: Ms Shallie Cheng

was a succinct message that the Asian market is robustly moving forwards.

This positive sentiment is echoed in Michael Taylor’s feature on Japan’s recovering hospitality industry on page 16 of this issue. Many groups are being resourceful in turning tragedy into opportunity, he reports.

Elsewhere in the magazine we offer insights into the growing popularity of white wine and developments in housekeeping, customer relationship management, sustainable

EDITORDaniel Creffield

DESIGN bYKoon Ming Tang

[email protected]

CONTRIbUTORSLiana Cafolla

Donald GasperZara HornerRebecca Lo

Michael TaylorJessica Lam Hill Young

ASSOCIATE PUbLISHERSharon Knowler

[email protected]

CIRCULATION ExECUTIvEBecky Chau

[email protected]

CHAIRMANJS Uberoi

DIRECTORGaurav Kumar

endoRseMenTs

seafood and more.We would like to hear from hospitality

professionals about issues and developments in the industry, good or bad. Please send your comments and suggestions to: [email protected]

The 15th International Exhibition of Food & Drink, Hotel, Restaurant & Food Service Equipment, Supplies & Services

Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre

7-10 MAY 2013

Showing You More...

Hong Kong Exhibition Services LtdTel: + 852 2804 1500

Email: [email protected] Fax: + 852 2528 3103

Overseas Exhibition Services Ltd Tel.: +44 (0)20 7840 2146

Email: [email protected] Fax: +44 (0)20 7840 2111

International Expo Management Pte LtdTel: + 65 6233 6777Fax: + 65 6233 6768Email: [email protected]

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

Hofex_ad_210x297mm.pdf 1 12年1月26日上午12:29

E d i t o r ’ s M E s s a g E

AHCT May 2012 3

MANAGEMENT14 Housekeeping – what’s changed, what needs to

MARKET REPORT16 Japan bouncing back

NEWS INDUSTRY6 Let’s spartie; regional expansion and contraction; take-overs; luxury cinema

PRODUCT38 Outdoor furniture; instant decanters; refrigeration; sprinklers

CULINARY42 Grand cru coffee; cherries on top; innovation award winners

JUNE• Investment opportunities• India• POS• Condiments• Flavourings and syrups

JULY• Integrated resorts• The Philippines• Cloud computing• Swimming pools• Cheese• Fruit juices• In-room amenities• Knives

CONTENTSV o l u m e 3 7 M a y 2 0 1 2

Advertisers’ Index

TECHNOLOGY18 Managing the customer relationship

DESIGN20 Wonderful wine bars

FOOD24 Sustainable seafood

30

20 ADA 21Alpha International 27Bartech 35Build4Asia 47Canadian Mineral Water 25Chef Works China Ltd 33Global Chef 31Global Search International 9Greenfield OBCHK International Tea Fair IBCHOFEX IFCHosfair 41M.Schaerer 29Pevonia 12 & 13Shanghai Laundry Expo 45UniMac 37Zieher 23

DRINK26 Rise of the white

EQUIPMENT30 What makes a uniform great

34 A big approach to minibars

EvENTS AND ExHIbITIONS46 Events calendar

47 Build4Asia previewed

48 Horeca 2012 reviewed

49 Laundry Expo previewed

APPOINTMENTS50 Who’s moving where

Dress to impressDesigns on wine

4 AHCT May 2012 AHCT May 2012 5

NowoniPadAvailable on App store

cover: swisstouches hotel Xian

Spa parties, also known as ‘sparties’, are quickly becoming a fashionable choice for ladies looking to indulge themselves and relax in the company of their girlfriends. This trend has also opened up a fast-growing market for luxury hotel resorts such as the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort.

“Sparties are all the rage among Hong Kongers, whether it’s for a special celebration like a birthday party or just a weekend getaway, we are seeing a healthy, steady increase in recent months,” says Fannie Tsang, front office manager, hotel operations at Hong Kong Disneyland.

While Disneyland’s theme park is undoubtedly its main attraction, the resort is also seeing an increase in Hong Kong visitors, especially families, looking to spend a long weekend or short holiday close to home.

Tsang says about 60-70% of their resort guests during weekends are locals. “It’s ideal for families who want to take a break from the city, but at the same time do not want to travel overseas,” she explains.

For many mums, as well as dads, part of the appeal such as in the chance to unwind in a plush spa like Victorian Spa at Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel. There’s a wide range of treatments and body therapies to choose from and face painting, nail art and hair braiding for children.

The resort is now hoping to further

Koh Samui upscale hotel demand drove market-wide average room rates up 16%, spiked occupancy 6%, and the series of high profile internationally branded hotels which have rolled out on the island are now having a profound impact on traditional trading patterns, according to the latest C9 Hotelworks’ Hotel Market Update.

According to the hospitality consultancy’s managing director, Bill Barnett, new direct overseas flights from key regional hubs in Singapore, Malaysia and China have helped, with total international passenger arrivals from 2007-2011 up a compound annual growth rate of 7%.

“Growth in luxury and upscale

expand and develop the spa market among local guests. “We don’t have spa packages per se but we see a huge potential in this market. Hence we hope to be able to provide even more matching facilities and services to encourage growth in the near future,” Tsang says.

Corresponding services now available include offering playroom buddies to babysit the children so mum and dad can enjoy spa services together, or to enable mum to spend time with girlfriends getting a full-body massage in one of the 10 themed spa rooms.

Other options include transforming girls into princesses with the special ‘My Little Princess’ services, or allowing boys to play tennis, soccer, basketball or volleyball on the resort’s multi- purpose court.

‘Sparties’ a revenue generator for local resorts

China growthXiamen, Xian, Chongqing and Chengdu, the four top markets in China, posted revenue growth of over 30% in 2011, according to hospitality consultancy Horwath HTL. Chengdu had the highest growth at 37% while Chongqing recorded 34%. The next six hotel markets all recorded between 20 to 30% growth in room revenue in 2011, with Sanya, Guangzhou and Tianjin at the top of this group recording around 28%. Beijing is at the lowest end with 22% growth. Shanghai was the only market to record a decline in room revenues in 2011, with zero demand growth and the loss of premium Expo room rates blamed. The next four lowest performing markets, Howarth says, were Shenzhen, Nanjing, Hangzhou and Dalian, which all recorded in excess of 10% growth in room revenue volume, with Shenzhen and Nanjing recording very close to 20% growth.

Damien Little, director of Horwath HTL China said “The growth numbers are impressive, however, as many of us are aware, this has not necessarily translated into improved performance at the individual hotel level. The issues of wage inflation, and supply concerns are significant challenges to overcome, but having a strong top line performance will give confidence that these can be addressed.”

properties is spurring the cyclical pattern of volume and average rates forward,” Barnett says. “Be it induced demand or a reaction to overcrowding in Asia’s key leisure destinations, the storyboard is etching a niche into the market.”

The report further outlines a changing profile of visitors with China, Korea and Japan accounting for 63% of total Asian hotel guests. Germany remained the top overall source with 14%, from a list that includes the UK with 8%, followed by Australia at 7%.

Analysing the tourism demographics, Barnett said the five-year trend comparison magnified the island’s reliance on international travellers. Occupancy and RevPAR metrics in

the budget and economy sector — favoured by the domestic sector —show downward performance.

“Looking inside the numbers, the lack of a low-cost airline service to Koh Samui has restrained local demand, unlike other Thailand destinations such as Phuket. This can be seen as a hindrance in terms of volume but in terms of attracting travellers with high disposable income and limiting the impact of the island’s strained infrastructure it is a positive development.”

C9’s market research shows that at the end of last year there were 448 hotels with 17,204 rooms on Samui with only a 3% rise in supply (513 new rooms) coming into inventory in the next few years.

“Samui has escaped the lollapalooza of domesticated hospitality investment running rampant in other parts of the country,” Barnett says. “Its incoming pipeline is flattening. There are danger signs of an ageing supply of midscale hotels and the budget sector, which are sensitive to a numbers game.”

Affluent travellers drive Koh Samui industry, report reveals

IN BRIEF

Hospitality solutions provider FCSComputerSystems is expanding its operations in India by opening an office in New Delhi. FCS already runs offices in Bangalore and Mumbai and says the move reflects “the growing demands of India’s hospitality industry.”

AbsoluteHotelServicesGroup has announced a new management contract with PT Graha Albros to manage their existing resort in Bali. It’s the second such agreement for the group in the destination and means the Le Grande Bali will go through a rebranding to relaunch as UAgathisPecatu by August 2012.

HKPolyUSchoolofHotelandTourismManagement is to launch an Executive Masters in Global Hospitality Leadership certification for ‘mature’ executives with more than 10 years of management experience in the hospitality industry. The programme will be part-time in block release mode over two weekends. It will have an international focus, but it will also recognise the importance of hospitality in the Asia-Pacific region.

Source:STRGlobal

i n d u s t r y n E w s

6 AHCT May 2012


AHCT May 2012 7

IN BRIEF

Described as “opulent and exclusive” Galaxy Macau’s ChinaRouge VIP bar has opened with a two-night star-studded event. The members-only performance lounge features interiors by Hong Kong-born designer Alan Chan who drew inspiration from the Parisian cabarets of the 1800s and 1930s Shanghai. China Rouge plans to host a variety of special showroom performances by world-class stars and the opening celebration featured Dutch diva, Blues singer Laura Fygi.

Specialist hospitality design firm Gettys has completed the interior design of the 269-room SheratonSeoulD-CubeCityHotel. No two guestrooms on any floor are alike due to the shape of the building and Gettys alluded to traditional Korean homes when considering the theme and styling for the hotel rooms and suites. Rooms exclusively for female guests, called ‘Her Rooms’ were also created with carefully orchestrated views from the bedroom [and] low proportioned furniture, because “traditionally there were no chairs or raised beds as in Western cultures,” explains the company’s Duk J. Kim.

Design firm Bilkey Llinas Design has completed the fit-out of the WestinNanjing, China. Operator Starwood wanted “a clean, fresh palette” for the predominantly business traveller-focused property. The result is almost spa-like, placing importance on “the selections of natural finishes and generally creating a light and airy feeling about the whole place.” The architecture of the building, geometry of the floor spaces and encroaching internal structural elements made designing the 234 guestrooms and suites especially challenging, with most of the rooms differing in shape and size. In the case of the 23rd floor lobby, keeping a light and airy ambience was difficult because there were no windows.

DorsettRegencyKualaLumpur’s demi chef Gerard Jerome Selvaraj has won two main awards at the second Glittering Stars of Kuala Lumpur Hotels Awards 2011.

Initiated by the Malaysian Association of Hotels, the event is aimed at recognising the service and contribution of employees working in KL-based hotels, particularly those who demonstrated outstanding services and displayed exemplary standards, as well as contributed to the community. Chef Gerard took home the CSR Star Award – for his outstanding contribution to community services and for the wellness of others – as well as the Superstar Award – bestowed upon a hotelier who has single-handedly influenced the entire industry and displayed exemplary standards in major aspects of the profession.

A hotel suite former Philippine first couple Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos reserved for wealthy friends and the famous few has been recreated. The 6,200 square feet Imperial Residence is on the 11th floor of the SofitelPhilippine Plaza. The space is made up of five separate suites, which guests can book as a whole or individually, converting rooms into special-purpose areas, such as a gym, office, spa, yoga studio, or video game den. Mother of pearl inlaid doors, capiz lighting fixtures, custom leather wall panelling and grand sculptures crafted by local artists “provide supplementary layers of character”. The US$10,000 a night suite also has helicopter landing access.

Staff from the three hotels at Macau’s SandsCotaistrip — the Sheraton, Conrad and Holiday Inn — rallied recently to celebrate the opening of the strip. Activities at the Cotai Arena event included team members holding up close to 1,000 placards to form mosaic logos for Sands Cotai Central, Conrad Macao and Holiday Inn Macao; the passing around of supersized hotel logo beach balls and Conrad Macao’s signature Lucky Ducky; and the autographing of a large signing board by members of the opening team.

Miramar Group’s second hotel development project in Hong Kong will be named MiraMoon. With the 90-guestroom building nearing completion, the hotel is scheduled to open in early December 2012. The name Mira Moon is in recognition of the significant annual Moon Festival fairytale.

The group recently opened its second Cuisine Cuisine restaurant in Wuhan International Plaza Shopping Centre, Wuhan.

TripAdvisor has announced its 2012 Travellers’ Choice award-winning hotels for families. This year, 504 top family-friendly properties were recognised in 25 markets around the globe including Asia, Australia, the South Pacific, Africa, Caribbean, Europe and the US. Club Med Sahoro, Japan, is the top Asia hotel, Club Mahindra Kodagu Valley in Madikeri, India, took the second place. Chava Resort, Phuket, is the top Thailand hotel. Club Med Ria Bintan, Bintan, is the top Indonesia hotel. Casa del Rio Melaka, Melaka, is top Malaysia hotel. Phuket laid claim to six out of the 10 top hotels in Thailand while Hua Hin, Bangkok, Koh Samui and Mae Ai had one winner each. Bali secured six out of the 10 top winning hotels. Award winners were determined based on the hotels most highly rated by those who travelled with family. Other regional winners included Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel, Radhika Beach Resort, Diu, India, Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Vaishno Devi, Katra, India, The White Hotels, Katra, India, Lee Garden Service Apartment Beijing, and Shervani Hilltop, Nainital, India.

BUTLER DEVELOPMENTFOR LUXURY HOTELS

LUXURY HOTEL SERVICE TRAINING

ESSENTIAL PRACTICAL SKILLS & STANDARDS TO ENHANCE YOUR VIP SERVICES SKILLS

Assessing Your Luxury Operational Standards

Ice Breakers & Modern Service Concept

The Art Of Perfect Communication

The Art Of Cultural Care

Etiquette And Protocol

Creating Guest Relations Through Guest Care

The Professional Valet

Pre-Arrival And Arrival Procedures

Services Whilst Guests Are In Stay

Fundamental Housekeeping Techniques

Departure Procedures and Follow Up

Food And Beverage Service Techniques

Inspirational Leadership & Manager Skills

Solving and Managing Operational Problems

Developing Team Relationships

How To Manage Your Destiny

Conclusion ,Tests and Graduation

Student Assessments

WWW.BRITISHBUTLERSCHOOL.COM

OFFICE : ++ 44 (0) 2077 0 33 666

PART OF GLOBAL HOSPITALITY INTERNATIONAL

WWW.GLOBALSEARCHINT.COM

[email protected]

[email protected]

Travelport, the business services provider to the global travel industry, and TravelSky Technology, provider of information technology and commercial service for China’s travel and tourism industry, have announced an extension of their partnership to include hotels. The companies have been working together on e-ticketing and airline content.


8 AHCT May 2012


AHCT May 2012 9

The Asia Pacific Hotel Awards 2012 have announced HansarBangkok as Best Hotel Thailand. Later this year, top scoring regional award winners will compete against other winning companies from Europe, Africa, the US and Middle East to find ‘world’s best’ in each category.

After four years of affiliation with the eco-guardian EarthCheck programme, 10 Dusit properties in Thailand and two of its international locations have achieved silver certification. Dusit International now aims to have all its properties at silver and some with gold certifications by 2017, and with all silver, some gold, and platinum certifications by 2021.

FromLtoR:DusitInternational’sJuergenE.Seidel,corporatedirectorofengineering;JiriKobos,VP–operations;ChaninDonavanikMDandCEO;AndreRuss,VPsales,EarthCheck;AloysiusMichael,corporatedirectorofrooms,DusitInternational;andAlexWillats,GMDusitThaniBangkok

Aston International has opened its seventh favehotel, the 120-room FavehotelPremierCihampelas in Bandung. Aston International VP sales and marketing, Norbert Vas, said: “favehotels wants to be present in destinations that are somewhat hip and usually not associated with budget hotels.”

Hong Kong’s K.O.Dining Group has soft opened its Italian restaurant, Messina, at TheHarbourfrontLandmark, Hung Hom, Hong Kong.

Pan Pacific Hotels Group has announced it will open the 330-room PanPacificTianjin in 2013.

PullmanBangkokHotelG and PullmanPattayaHotelG have opened. The two newly branded properties are operated under a franchise agreement with Accor’s Pullman Hotels & Resorts.

The Spring 2012 Auction, held by SpectrumWineAuctions at Hong Kong’s Grand Hyatt put the strength of the Hong Kong wine market on display with a sales total of US$4,495,664. On offer were some of the world’s finest Bordeaux, Burgundies and other rarities. In-room bids were accompanied by a large number of phone and online bidders. Château Latour, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti assortment cases and Screaming Eagle, 1982 Château Lafite Rothschild, 1996 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Echezeau and 1989 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Riserva Santo Stefano were available. Five global wine sales records were broken at the auction, including 12 bottles of 1996 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Richebourg at US$19,120; six magnums (1.5L) of 2001 Château d’Yquem at US$10,755; 12 bottles of 2005 Rousseau Chambertin at US$23,900; 12 bottles of 2005 J.F. Mugnier Musigny at US$41,825; and a 1997 Antinori Solaia setting a new world record per bottle at US$458.

Swissôtel Hotels & Resorts has added its first property in Phuket to its portfolio. The group has been appointed manager of the Courtyard by Marriott at Kamala Beach, which has been rebranded as SwissôtelResortPhuket. This is the group’s third property in Thailand and its first resort in Southeast Asia.

Located in the lobby of Hong Kong’s RegalKowloonHotel, Regala Café & Dessert Bar has been renovated and reopened as V bar & lounge. Specialising in vodka, the bar offers over 100 types from around the world. The restaurant also uses vodka as an ingredient for dishes served at the bar.

SixSensesYaoNoi’s inaugural Film on the Rocks festival has called it a wrap. Four days and three nights of artiste talks and workshops and outdoor film screenings were co-curated by local celebrity Apichatpong Weerasethakul and British actress, Tilda Swinton. Under the banner ‘Primordial’, the festival had a distinctly natural theme. Guests suggested a film or book that inspired them, and these were included in the programme, “to create a mix of personal, experimental and narrative film selections”. The festival also screened the premiere of In The Rice Paddies. Local boys and girls of Yao Noi who acted in the film attended. The film is about fantasy creatures born out of rubber trees commonly found on the island. Other workshops were hosted by actor and jewellery designer Waris Ahluwalia and artist Tom Sachs and collaborations extended to the food with Chefs Bo and Dylan of Bo.lan and Chef Anthony of Six Senses working together on menus and conducting cooking classes.

Pegasus Capital Advisors, the US-based private equity fund manager, through one or more of its affiliates, will acquire the Bangkok-based ultra-luxury resort and spa business SixSensesResorts &Spas for an undisclosed sum. Under the terms of the deal, Pegasus will acquire all of the Six Senses and Evason branded resort and spa management contracts and related intellectual property rights and operate them under a new company managed by Pegasus and its affiliates. Bernhard Bohnenberger, (pictured) will continue as president of Six Senses. The Soneva brand and resorts, as well as the company’s real estate assets and holdings, are not included in the transaction, and will continue to be led by Sonu Shivdasani, the former founder and CEO of Six Senses, who will serve as chairman and CEO and principal shareholder of The Soneva Group. The transaction is expected to close within the next three months.

TheExcelsior,HongKong has unveiled the newly-renovated Dickens Bar. Designed by Hirsch Bedner Associates, the all-new Dickens Bar features dark brown panels, leather chairs in copper and brown hues, wooden floors, large blackboards, and communal tables. A collection of old Hong Kong black and white photographs are a backdrop to the seven large TV screens showing live sports broadcasts. On the upper level, there is a semi-private room for up to 16 guests. The menu is made up of traditional British fare.

TheWestinXian is the brand’s first hotel in the Shaanxi Province of China. The hotel is the first in the world to have its own museum with a collection of over 2,000 artefacts.

Amadeus, a leading travel technology partner and transaction processor for the global travel and tourism industry, has signed a five-year agreement with UniglobeTravel, the world’s largest single-brand travel franchise, to provide content distribution services and IT solutions worldwide.

Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group has agreed a partnership with real estate business Bestech in India. The two companies are joining forces “to address the very promising mid-scale hotel market in India”, investing US$42 million in a joint venture to develop two hotels first, ParkInnbyRadissonGurgaonSector88and ParkInnbyRadissonChandigarh,Mohali.


10 AHCT May 2012


AHCT May 2012 11

pevonia.com

salon & spa at aria

dreams cancun resort and spa

balboa bay club & resort

• Pevonia International, LLC,+1.386.254.1967, [email protected] • Australia - Universal Aesthetics Pty Ltd., +61.2.994.81667,

[email protected] • Bali - PT Universal Aesthetics Asia Pacific, +62.21.526.0930, [email protected] • China, Taiwan -

Pevonia Asia Ltd., +852.2755.7182, [email protected] • Fiji - Universal Aesthetics Pty Ltd., +61.2.994.81667, info@

pevonia.com.au • China, Hong Kong & Macau - Pevonia Asia Ltd., +852.2755.7182, [email protected] • Indonesia - PT

Universal Aesthetics Asia Pacific, +62.21.526.0930, [email protected] • Korea - Medipost, +82.2.3465.6677 • Maldives - Uni-

versal Aesthetics Pty Ltd., +61.2.994.81667, [email protected] • Malaysia - Lifestyles Health & Fitness Sdn Bhd, +603.2283.1485,

[email protected] • Mauritius & Seychelles - Universal Aesthetics Pty Ltd., +61.2.994.81667, [email protected] •

Philippines - Universal Aesthetics Philippines, Inc., +63.2.634.8201, [email protected] • Singapore - Lifestyles Health & Fitness

(S) Pte Ltd., +65.6733.1561, [email protected] • Thailand - Pevonia (Thailand) Co., LTD +662-496-1301-3, nung@

pevoniathailand.com • Vietnam - Fourseasons Co., Ltd., +84.8.399.79918, info @fourseasons.com.vn

aphrodite hills resort and spa

kanuhura resort and spa

the heritage golf & spa resort

The Experience WorldwidePevonia-certified skin care specialists can be found at the most prestigious spas around the world, ensuring remarkable results for an unforgettable experience.

9,000 minutes (150 hours) of cleaning time. To this day, these cleaning time differences are ignored by most

in the hotel industry. Yet when the key variable – the guest – is introduced into the equation, efficiency improvements become obvious. By including the guest factor, a hotel is able to accurately forecast individual cleaning times and consequently produce very specific, individual work plans that can be optimised for efficiency and guest arrival times. Progress against these work plans can be measured in real time and problems addressed before they occur.

The end result is an improvement in both productivity and the guest arrival experience that is otherwise impossible to replicate with the credit system and traditional, manual housekeeping processes.

As commercial enterprises subjected to the profit pressures of the 21st century, we cannot continue to operate on 1950s standards or ignore advancements in housekeeping labour management. At the core of hotel operations, housekeeping is too vital to be relegated to the ‘too hard’ basket!

Significantly, a time-based work plan is also fairer for room attendants, as it means they know how many hours they will spend at work on a given day in order to complete their allocated credits.

Paying per roomSo, what if we make changes to the management of labour resources or enable further efficiencies through updated tools, cleaning procedures, etc.? Unfortunately, for the majority of hotels, this does not mean an automatic saving on the bottom-line.

Most hotels pay their room attendants for each room cleaned. When considering that all other hotel personnel are paid for the amount of time spent at work – we do not pay porters by suitcase carried or waiters by covers served – this at first appears unfair.

When digging deeper though, it also becomes clear that this payment methodology prevents hotel managers from reaping the

profits from the improvements they have implemented, potentially at considerable cost. Paying per room results in a fixed cleaning cost: a 300-room hotel will pay US$3,000 per day at 100% occupancy (at $10/room), no matter whether the department cleans the hotel in eight hours or six hours as a result of the management’s initiatives. The end result is that the room attendants simply get to go home earlier and management does not see a cost reduction.

Initially, this method was developed as an incentive to clean rooms quickly and has since been adopted as a standard by many unions and in enterprise agreements. However, with a reduction in cleaning quality and room attendants cleaning only to meet fixed credit expectations, rather than as many rooms as possible, the methodology is now widely contested.

ImplementationSimilar to the implementation of yield management practices in the early 1990s, the above changes are difficult to implement without a supporting software solution. The sophistication of the credit system is sufficient for managers to process in their heads, however, the addition of a third dimension is beyond human capacity and

Two different takes on current trends in rooms operations

Unsung heroes

Today’s executive housekeeper must be able to wear many hats. They require expertise in the three ‘Ps’ – profit, people and product. In

terms of profit they must be financially savvy and understand the requirements of running a department, which often operates in terms of millions of dollars.

People skills include being a strong leader and a great manager of a multicultural team. And finally product – they must have a keen eye for detail, understand all the technical aspects of their operation including linen, uniforms, carpets, flowers, plants, interior design, hard floors ... the list goes on and on!

Housekeeping operations seem to have the same challenges no matter where you are on the globe; motivating a team which is doing mundane and repetitive work; controlling costs; and always delivering perfect quality for rooms and public areas. With the introduction of outsourcing and contracting, there are challenges in maintaining quality.

Often executive housekeeper salaries may not be appropriate for their level of responsibility. This may be because most GMs don’t come from a housekeeping background and have little understanding of what the role really involves – “it’s just cleaning, right?”

In fact, the role also includes responsibility for all the fixed assets in the operation, such as flooring, upholstery and expensive items such as linen, uniforms and operating equipment. In this sense, an executive housekeeper can make or break some hotel operations.

If the rooms are not clean or well maintained guests will not return and if you are unlucky they won’t tell you why, either. The

For decades, the management of housekeeping labour has been reliant upon two pillars: the credit system and paying room attendants by the room. Now, with ever-increasing demands for operational efficiencies, is it time to review

the basics of our management methodology? ‘Housekeeping’ covers a range of responsibilities, but one thing

takes up 90% of staff time: cleaning rooms. This is the primary activity of a department whose payroll makes up the largest single line item in the hotel budget and is charged with looking after the core product of the hotel.

While over the last two decades most hotel departments have seen considerable changes, generally for the better, the cleaning of rooms, and more importantly the management methodology behind it has not changed at all. As hoteliers, we still expect to make considerable gains without actually changing anything.

The credit systemThe introduction of property management systems (PMS) in the early 1980s saw these software solutions incorporate the prevailing housekeeping methodology, which in turn relied on the credit system. Since then it has become a global standard. During this time, PMS have also greatly evolved on many levels, yet the sophistication of housekeeping modules has remained stagnant and the credit system is still used globally.

The credit system, however, has one fundamental flaw: it is grossly inaccurate.

Picture this: two identical rooms side-by-side – both are allocated two credits on check-out. One is occupied by a conference guest for one night, the other by two adults with a child who are in town for the theatre. On departure, room one might take 20 minutes to clean and room two 50 minutes. This is a 30-minute difference in cleaning time! When scaled over a 300-room hotel, this results in

needs the support of a solution capable of determining intelligent and dynamic work plans.

Unlike revenue management systems, changes in housekeeping need to take into account the human factor. Changes to processes and standards need to be explained carefully to staff and implemented in a sensibly designed and structured manner with the complete support of management.

The above changes present a highly lucrative opportunity to effectively manage even the largest payroll in line with 21st century business requirements, while at the same time being fairer to staff and delivering quality and service benefits. With an expected productivity improvement of 8-15% as a result of an evolved methodology, hotel owners and operators need to consider carefully whether they can continue to ignore it.

Soenke Weiss is a housekeeping ‘evangelist’ and founder of Optii Solutions. A passion for housekeeping management combined with a revenue management background has driven Weiss to create the world’s first housekeeping software solution focused on management of labour resources to drive profitability and guest experience.

role has also diminished in some areas where a rooms division manager may have authority over the executive housekeeper. With the introduction of outsourcing agencies, the housekeeper’s role may have less emphasis on staffing.

However, the responsibilities in delivering clean and well-maintained rooms and public areas in a cost effective way will never change. Environmental challenges, including training of staff in best practice, recycling and keeping energy, water and chemical usage to a minimum are key.

Exceptional executive housekeepers are a special breed; they have housekeeping coursing through their veins. Successful housekeepers never stop learning; they are keen to find out about latest technologies to make their team’s lives easier and improve on productivity and efficiency. They are not afraid to admit being wrong and would benefit from getting the recognition they deserve.

Lycette & Associates (L&A) specialises in all aspects of housekeeping management including on-site consulting, training and development workshops and assistance with initial set-up of housekeeping operations at pre-opening. The company also undertakes customised operational reviews of existing housekeeping operations identifying and further improving the effectiveness and efficiency of current departmental procedures.

For many years L&A has been at the forefront of new technology in housekeeping and has successfully delivered many different training programmes around the world. These workshops, courses and programmes have always been in a face-to-face environment, but now the first course ‘Finance for Housekeeping Managers’ is available online.

21st century housekeepingBy Soenke Weiss

Credit where it’s dueBy Liz Lycette

M a n a g E M E n t

14 AHCT May 2012

M a n a g E M E n t

AHCT May 2012 15

Japan’s international arrivals dropped 31% during the first 10 months of 2011 because of the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown that rocked the country in March. There were 296,000 foreign arrivals in Japan in April, the

Japan Tourism Agency reports, adding that only 358,000 foreign travellers visited the country in May, approximately one half the number visiting the Land of the Rising Sun during the same month the year before.

According to the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), arrivals from the US plummeted 24.9%. Arrivals from Taiwan dropped 24.4%. Arrivals from India were down a more moderate 13.5%. While inbound arrivals dipped following the disaster, international airline seat capacity into and out of the country was down by only 10%.

“This is much smaller than the overall decrease in passenger demand including the huge drop in the number of foreign arrivals,” the Japan Travel Bureau Foundation said in a press release issued on April 26, 2011. “This is quite different from the situation following SARS as well as 9/11. Furthermore, business travel appears to have already recovered.”

Boosting demandOne of the reasons that the drop in inbound arrivals wasn’t more significant is that the parts of the country worst hit are not really popular with foreign tourists. Another is that aggressive steps were taken to boost demand. For example, effective July 2011, Japan shortened its visa approval process for Chinese travellers. Effective the same date, Chinese tourists were also able to visit Okinawa, Japan’s southernmost island, on multiple entry visas.

Hu Zhihui, marketing director of hotel business development of Shanghai-based ctrip.com, China’s leading travel service company,

told Xinhua.net that hotel prices in Japan dropped by 45% following the quake.

“More than 40 hotels in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, and Fukuoka [were] offering significant discounts,” Hu says.

But figures released by Hotels.com tell a different story. According to the group’s Hotel Price Index 2011 report, room rates dropped only 5% nationwide, and some areas were harder hit than others. If Sapporo’s room rates were down by 11%, the average room rate in Tokyo remained unchanged at roughly US$140 per night.

Inbound arrivals grew month-by-month. By October, the year on year decline had fallen to just 15.3%, and a few markets were actually experiencing an increase in travellers. Fuelled by attractive discounts, inbound arrivals from Hong Kong were up 16.7% in October from the same month in 2010. Arrivals from Taiwan, meanwhile, were up by 2%. There were a total of 616,000 inbound arrivals in Japan in October, PATA says.

Hoshinoya has Japanese style hot spring resorts, known as ryokan, in Kyoto and Karuizawa, and plans to open a third in Okinawa in June. The group has been hard hit, and it has still not fully recovered.

“The crisis from the disaster was huge,” says Kyoko Tanzawa, public relations manager for the Hoshinoya brand. “We’ve lost almost all of our international reservations. We experienced a pretty good year in 2010, and until February in 2011 things went pretty well, too, which, I guess, was the same for everyone. But we’re still recovering from this, and the recovery hasn’t yet been [fully] accomplished.”

Swissôtel Hotels & Resorts has a property in Osaka, Japan’s second largest city after Tokyo. Located 850 kilometres southwest of the earthquake’s epicentre, the hotel experienced no damage and there were no casualties. Still, business was affected – especially from

One year after an earthquake, tsunami and nuclear catastrophe hit Japan, the island nation’s hospitality industry is slowly getting back to normal, Michael Taylor writes

Palace Hotel reopens for businessThe Palace hotel Tokyo will reopen May 17, 2012, following an investment of (us$1.2 billion).

located in front of the imperial Palace in the Japanese capital, the 290-room property follows in the footsteps of two earlier hotels at the site: the hotel Teito, which opened in 1947, and the Palace hotel, which opened in 1961.

“This hotel is Japanese through and through, from its ownership and management, to its service protocols and its picture-perfect location by the imperial Palace gardens and moats,” says Palace hotel Tokyo president, Takashi Kobayashi. “for domestic and international travellers alike, whether they’re with us for business or leisure, we hope they will walk away saying, ‘To have stayed at Palace hotel Tokyo is to have experienced the very essence of Japanese hospitality’.”

The hotel will have a spa, shops, and 10 f&b outlets, including a french restaurant, which will be operated in collaboration with a Michelin two-starred chef.

Triple whammy

the US and Europe, and demand from these two markets has still not fully recovered.

“Our strategy was to first focus on the domestic leisure market, which was more price sensitive,” reveals Aiden McAuley, regional vice president, Asia Pacific, Swissôtel Hotels & Resorts. “We then followed up with promotions through third-party websites as well as cross-selling through our Swissôtel network to promote our business in Osaka.”

Tragedy into opportunityIn a textbook example of turning a tragedy into an opportunity, the group took advantage of the drop in business to systematically refurbish the hotel’s guest rooms without having to turn away paying customers.

“By the end of 2012, we would have completed renovations on more than half of our guest rooms,” McAuley says. “The new rooms are contemporary, uncluttered yet cozy and feature both traditional Japanese elements and Swiss-themed silhouettes. We are about to start renovating public areas such as the lobby and lobby lounge.”

Hotels in some parts of the country actually benefited from the tragedy as multinationals in Tokyo sent their executives out of town as a precautionary measure. The Kansai region, which encompasses Osaka and Kobe, is a case in point.

“In our area, which is the western part of Japan, the number of guests increased in March 2011,” says Atsuko Kato, director of planning and public relations at Hotel La Suite Kobe Harborland in Kobe. “Those people were not tourists, but residents in Tokyo, who wanted to escape.”

Japan can expect 9.4 million international visitor arrivals this year against a projected 8.6 million in 2011, PATA says.

The crisis from the disaster was huge ... we’ve lost almost all of our international reservationsKyoko Tanzawa, Hoshinoya

SwissotelNankaiOsaka

SwissotelNankaiOsaka

PalaceHotelTokyo

AidenMcAuley,regionalvicepresident,AsiaPacific,SwissôtelHotels&Resorts

HoshinoyaKyoto–recoverynotyetfullyaccomplished

M a r k E t r E p o r t

16 AHCT May 2012

M a r k E t r E p o r t

AHCT May 2012 17

t E c h n o l o g y

18 AHCT May 2012

t E c h n o l o g y

AHCT May 2012 19

360° solution“Sure – everybody knows what CRM is, but from our expertise and our close cooperation with international hotel groups we know that the strategic approach to CRM and its use is varied and that

expectations of it differ,” says Richard Wiegmann, managing director of Trust International, a supplier of software to the industry.

For some, he says, it is a separate system offering, such as LibraOnDemand, Serenata or Green4, with a property management system (PMS) link to filter and organise guest records. Trust International, on the other hand, offers a 360° solution. This integrates systems like PMS, revenue management, CRM, internet booking engines and central reservation into one single offering and supplies personalised solutions to end

consumers via the company’s call centre, booking engine and global distribution system services.

Companies such as Rotana, Taj Hotels or Worldhotels are some of the customers making use of Trust’s integrated solution, which enables them to connect to any CRM system.

“Talking to international hotel groups, most of them use their

own in-house solution and we are not really seeing consolidation in the market,” says Wiegmann. “If anything, a number of small solutions are appearing. PMS-based solutions are also popular.”

Heinrich Kessler, Trust International’s VP global sales, highlights the multilingual applications available for the company’s CRS system: “Trust International is providing – as part of our one-stop solution – the booking functionality for mobile applications (called Trust|Mobile) in the languages chosen by the hotel group and with the same information, rates and availability as provided by the hotel for other distribution channels. The design of the app can be decided by the hotel group.”

Kartikeya Tripathi, regional director of hotel distribution for Amadeus Asia-Pacific, another major player, says that for most hotel groups the priority is how to deliver growth by expanding into new territories, attracting new customers and improving service offerings.

“I think many hotels are realising that gaps between technology, marketing and operations can prove a major inhibitor to global expansion. They are beginning to understand that through aligning their technology platform across business they can break down these segregations and streamline their core strategic priorities.”

Bridge that gapUnderpinning growth strategies with the right technology infrastructure and systems requires a new approach, Tripathi argues. Amadeus’ experience of the marketplace has shown it that flexible, open IT platforms are favoured by hoteliers because they help break down the barriers to success. Using technology which offers a single and real-time view of the entire business enables them to deliver new, innovative guest services, generate additional revenues and also quickly react to market changes as new trends, patterns of behaviour and demands emerge.

Amadeus Hotel Platform, introduced in 2010, is a centralised ‘above-property’ solution which is built around one comprehensive database. It combines central reservation, distribution, property, content, global distribution and revenue management systems into one fully integrated platform with a single and real-time view of a hotel’s entire activity. The platform helps hotels to deliver innovative guest services, generate new revenue streams, and react to market changes with greater speed and agility.

Software as a ServiceAmadeus Hotel Platform is available as a ‘Software as a Service model’ (SaaS), which allows customers to reduce hardware and IT costs and have secured access to all data from their hotel remotely, plus the comfort of remote backup. The Amadeus rental based SaaS model includes licences, data backups and maintenance, as well as software application updates.

In the current economic climate particularly, being able to offer businesses ways to cut costs is essential. In addition, the SaaS model gives businesses the flexibility to increase or decrease the number of licences they hold on a monthly or quarterly basis as cash flow and condit ions warrant. While cutting back on the number of licences in the short term is nearly impossible with traditional on-premise software, the Amadeus SaaS pay-as-you-go model provides firms with the option of buying

any number of licences as needed.“In Asia-Pacific, we are seeing steady

growth in the corporate travel market, which will be a key business driver in 2012,” says Tripathi. “Our goal is to offer our customers a single view across multiple hotel channels and address the needs of the price-sensitive traveller with more options in all price ranges.”

In today’s market, he says, it is vital that hotels’ IT infrastructure can support global business growth and expansion, as well as guaranteeing operational efficiencies on a global scale.

Amadeus holds real-time availability and rates for over 110, 000 hotels globally, ranging from multinational chains to independent boutique hotels. It has agreements with the Accor group of hotels, Ibis, Intercontinental, Best Western, Hyatt, Holiday Inn, Park Plaza, Motel 6 and more.

Fragmentation among different distribution channels complicates the booking process and can lead to an increase

in operational challenges and costs as well as a lack of fare parity. Travel agents want a one-stop solution where they can book relevant hotel content for customers.

In the world of hospitality, fast-changing requirements and evolving technical capabilities have led to growing demand for flexible, scalable solutions that push business operations forward. Hence systems that easily expand and contract with the business and integrate across the entire technical portfolio to deliver an innovative solution and offer a sustainable, competitive advantage are a must in today’s marketplace.

Constantly evolving technology and an

increasingly competitive hospitality industry is seeing

growing demand for flexible, scalable solutions that push

business operations forward, writes Donald Gasper

Personal services

Customer relationship management (CRM) is a widely implemented strategy for managing a company’s interactions with clients and sales prospects. Consolidation of data, knowing your customers and

finding the right distribution and marketing strategies are crucial in today’s competitive world and best achieved through modern software solutions.

CRM is about providing personalised services to customers. The problem is that while technology has helped hotels broaden their customer base and channels of communications, it also has resulted in an increasing workload, along with a demand for quicker turnaround.

So, to solve this dilemma, hotels should make sure that they utilise technology which helps them manage their interactions with their customers. They need to be able to maintain relevant data about the customers in a way that is easily accessible so that, whenever they interact with customers, they can show they know who they are and what they need.

Over recent years, there has been a lot of interest in the consolidation and synergy of different software solutions used by hotels, with the ultimate aim of improving the guest experience.

MobileapplicationfromTrustInternational

KartikeyaTripathisaysthatformosthotelgroupsthepriorityistodelivergrowthbyexpandingintonewterritoriesandattractingnewcustomers

RichardWiegmann,Trust

International–notreallyseeingconsolidationin

themarket

HeinrichKessler,TrustInternational’sVPglobalsales

Everybody knows what CRM is, but from our expertise and our close cooperation with international hotel groups we know that the

strategic approach to CRM and its use is varied and that expectations of it differ, says

Richard Wiegmann, Trust International

d E s i g n

20 AHCT May 2012

Numbers don’t lie. According to Robert Beynat, Vinexpo’s chief executive at a press conference to kick off the return of Vinexpo to the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre from May 29 to 31,

Hong Kong is the Asian wine champion. The city boasts an adult consumption average of five litres per year, twice the average of the Japanese and Singaporeans, according to an annual survey conducted by the International Wine and Spirit Research for Vinexpo 2012.

Even by volume, Hong Kong ranks third in Asia at 3.12 million cases per year, well ahead of South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand – and those are countries, not cities, with a comparatively smaller population of adult consumers. Hong Kong also believes in quality. While the rest of the world is consuming wine under US$5 per bottle, the typical Hong Kong wine drinker will invest in bottles priced at over US$5. And French wine is still the most popular, accounting for 28% of sales, followed by Australia at 20% and the US at 11%.

“Every producer is restructuring its vineyard, as the world is predicted to drink more and better wine in the next five years,” says Beynat.

“Exhibitors have adapted to Asian markets,” says Dominique Heriard Dubreuil, chairman of Vinexpo Asia-Pacific. “This year will be our biggest show, with 20% more exhibition space; 1,000 exhibitors, merchants and producers; and an expected 15,000 buyers from across 25 Asia-Pacific countries.”

Hong Kong wine bar proprietors already feel the heat. Since it opened in January 2011, California Vintage has struck liquid gold with its winning formula of fresh West Coast light bites to complement its 94 bottles from 22 boutique wineries. The 32-seat wine bar benefits from its enviable location in Hong Kong’s buzzy Central district on a chic junction sometimes referred to (in a somewhat tongue-in-cheek way by locals) as cougar alley.

As Asia’s wine hub, it is no wonder that Hong Kong’s wine bars boast swanky digs to match boutique vintages and designer menus, says Rebecca Lo

Designs on wine

CaliforniaVintageoffersiPadsateverytableforcustomerstoresearchtheirwinechoices,andlocalstaffwhospeakChineseandEnglishformateamoffriendly,attentivesommeliers

CaliforniaVintageusesNapaTechnologywinedispensersfromCalifornia

„Flow“

www.zieher.com

„Fingerfood Tree“„Fingerfood Tree“

www.facebook.com/ZieherGermany

Zieher SENSEations 2012!Please order your copy:

„Sphere“

G E R M A N Y

d E s i g n

22 AHCT May 2012

d E s i g n

On any given night, the bar turns over three shifts: the after work crowd, dinner crowd and late night bite after events crowd. Wine is available by tastes – what is known as a flight – as well as half and full glasses. Not surprisingly, 70% of California Vintage’s clientele are women, according to Jeff Ronan, its partner and general manager.

“That ratio increases as the evening wears on,” the American continues. “A group of friends

will come in shopping for wine – they taste three or four flights, decide which one they like best and then buy a bottle. They want to be educated about what they are consuming and know enough about wine to ask lots of sensible questions.”

California Vintage employs the latest technology to help facilitate accurate tracking of wine drinking trends. iPads are parked at every table for customers to research their choices, and local staff who speak Chinese and English form a team of friendly, attentive sommeliers.

Every customer who wants to sample can purchase a card – this lets them check out the wines currently available and pour their own glasses. The card contains valuable customer information such as whether the user is male or female, and which type of wine they are likely to go for.

“This helps us track sales,” acknowledges Ronan. As the bar prides itself on being Californian, the wine dispensers are Napa Technology from California. Ronan explains that the difference between what he uses and the more commonly found Enomatic wine dispensers is that the head that seals each bottle can be removed and cleaned with Napa Tech.

“Large glasses are good for oxidisation,” says Ronan. With 1,000 wine glasses used every night, it is inevitable that some will

founder of California Fitness in Hong Kong is originally from San Diego, and he sees the Chinese market becoming exponentially more knowledgeable.

“California wine is good value for the money,” he believes. “We offer handcrafted wine from family-owned wineries who take a lot of care. The reception has been terrific. I see a lot of opportunity throughout Southeast Asia and our mandate is to expand Asia-wide. Hong Kong is a window to that market.”

“We see the wines that people are most comfortable with moving most,” says Kavita Devi Faiella, The Press Room Group’s wine director. “Bordeaux, Burgundy, New Zealand whites and Australian reds – but there is strong interest and curiosity for all of the less mainstream wines, which is very exciting and the best bit about my job.”

The Australian native is on her way to becoming a master sommelier, and oversees the wine selection and concepts of the group’s restaurants. Outlets such as the smart News Room and more mass market SML offer wine by the glass via Enomatic dispensers, while casual eatery Classified on Hollywood Road has a wine room akin to a cellar for private functions and tastings.

“While the dining scene in Hong Kong is quite sophisticated, the drinks scene still has some way to go before it rivals the other leading global cities,” Faiella believes. “We are in a period of experimentation. The city has had an influx of wine since the removal of taxes and is now just beginning to calibrate and make the most of what is available today. Wine bars give people the opportunity to experiment with wine without having to know a lot or invest a serious amount of money.”

get broken. “We started out using Riedel glasses and customers complained that they were too small. The glasses we use now are not as expensive but they are bigger – wine won’t end up on people’s shirts when they are swishing. And since we break about a glass each night, I don’t want them breaking in the dishwasher as well!”

Adjustable height bar stools are perfect for petite ladies and towering gentlemen to comfortably be seated eye-to-eye, while discrete hooks under every table keep bags safely stowed away. “The industrial look of the bar stools fits the design of the restaurant,” adds Ronan. “They are also locally made and stackable, which is great for any restaurant.”

“We have signed a franchise agreement for the California Vintage concept to expand to five other locations in Hong Kong and five across Guangdong province,” says Michael Sadak, California Vintage’s chief executive and financial officer. The

The industrial look of the bar stools fits the design of the restaurant ... they are also locally made and stackable, which is great for any restaurant Jeff Ronan, California Vintage

ClassifiedTaiHangprivatediningroom

PressRoomGroupwinedirectorKavitaDeviFaiellabelievesthereisstronginterestandcuriosityforlessmainstreamwines

Vinexpo’schairmanAsia-PacificDominiqueHeriardDubreuilandchiefexecutiveRobertBeynat

The gold-fi ltered mineral water from Canada is the epitome of luxury and pleasure in their purest form. As a non-alcoholic counterpart to beverages such as champagne, fi ne wines, aperitifs and cocktails, Gize is the ideal drink for people interested in luxury who like to celebrate life’s special moments without alcohol. This luxury water is available as Still and Sparkling, as well as in four sophisticated fl avours.

Only in the fi nest hotels, restaurants & bars.

To become a Gize client go to www.gize.com or contact: Canadian Mineral Water S.A. · [email protected]

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations 447,441 tonnes of seafood was consumed in Hong Kong in 2007, which averages 64.4 kg of seafood per person in that year alone. This was

almost four times higher than the global average (17.1kg per capita) and double the per capita consumption in mainland China. Hong Kong is now the second largest per capita consumer of seafood in Asia, and the 11th largest in the world.

In other words, Hong Kong eats a lot of fish.At a time where overfishing and illegal fishing in many parts of

Asia are seeing some species threatened with extinction this is not considered a major problem in the Special Administrative Region itself, where extensive public education programmes have succeeded in putting the message across that sustainability is essential if a wide range of quality seafood is to be available in the future.

The Peninsula Hotel banned shark fin soup at all its food outlets from the beginning of this year and many hotels and restaurants have since followed suit, or declared their intention to. While this may activate the ‘so what?’ switch in the West, it is actually quite a big deal in the region, where shark fin has been a permanent and prestigious fixture on the wedding banquet menu since time immemorial.

The problem lies more in other countries in the region, including China, where fishing methods, both wild and farmed – and prevailing attitudes – are not so enlightened. For example, the Southeast Asian leopard coral trout is overfished, but Australian leopard coral trout populations are relatively healthy.

Part of the reason for Hong Kong’s success has been due to the efforts of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), which produced Hong Kong’s first seafood guide specifically to encourage seafood lovers in the city to consume sustainably harvested produce.

Sourcing sustainablyThe Seafood Choice Initiative – Business Engagement Programme is designed to provide assistance in sourcing sustainable seafood, while the Ocean-Friendly Menu programme enables restaurants to

develop a menu featuring WWF’s sustainable seafood. “We work with chefs to identify sustainable seafood and then

establish a menu which contains only [this] ... and highlight this to customers,” says Dr Allen To of WWF Hong Kong. “In doing that, WWF tries to give advice on the sustainability of the restaurant or hotel’s existing seafood choices.

“If the seafood is yet to be classified as sustainable, we will try to suggest alternative seafood choices, so that the restaurant or hotel can then communicate with their suppliers to source alternative sustainable seafood. WWF Hong Kong can even provide contact details of suppliers which carry sustainable seafood to facilitate the transition.”

The WWF in Singapore and Malaysia also provide this service.Merlinda Ng, sales director with Worldwide Seafood

Ltd in Hong Kong, says her company is mainly selling live, chilled and frozen seafood. She believes that as wild fish stocks continue to dwindle, farmed fish is being increasingly used in the hospitality industry.

“Customers prefer to use sustainable fish and farmed products – they are becoming increasingly popular due to their stable supply, prices and consistent size,” she suggests. “If you tell the client ‘I can offer you this consistent price and supply for the next six months’ they are very happy. That’s what they want, they don’t want volatility ... and using sustainable seafood helps in this way.”

Ng, whose company owns facilities in Hong Kong, Macau, Canada and US, including processing plants, cold storage, retail outlets and a fleet of fishing vessels, and sells around 400 seafood items, also makes the point that while some think sustainable seafood means farmed, it can also be wild, depending on the way it is caught.

“We make sure the fishing methods used are sustainable – for example, in the case of Canadian lobsters, the government divides its seas into zones, depending on the time of the year, with some zones not permitted to be fished. Also lobsters caught must be above 450 grams and there are also quota limitations. We follow all these rules.

“It’s actually not difficult to make money under these conditions, it’s better actually, and means prices are stable, and there will be

a supply for the future. People used to think farmed seafood was inferior, but this is not the case ... farming ensures size and quality through consistent feeding, using clean water, safeguarding against pollution and disease ... it actually ensures superior quality.”

Ng stresses, however, that other areas of Asia do not share this enlightened attitude.

“In other areas of Southeast Asia there is no such concept as sustainability, they continue in the way they always have done, not considering the consequences.” She particularly highlights China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Burma, Vietnam and the Philippines.

“There’s no regulation regarding size, fishing methods etc, so prices depend on the market and supply and demand, therefore it’s volatile. Things are set to improve, but it will take a while.”

Grow your ownOceanEthix has developed an innovative modular recirculating system, which allows the farming, warehousing and distribution of sustainable live seafood from around the world to customers wherever they are located. The ‘Atoll’ system recycles water and creates a disease and chemical-free environment for all types of sustainable live seafood, ranging from fish, lobster, abalone, prawns to oysters, clams and mussels.

OceanEthix managing director Lloyd Moskalik says the largest applications for the Atoll system is aquaculture, which is now one of the fastest-growing industries in the world.

“Production of farmed seafood is up to around to 40–50%,” he says. “Ten years ago it was only around 5-10%. And 80% of that growth comes from China – it is by far the largest aquaculture nation by many times.”

Unfortunately some of the methods used in aquaculture in China is not always environmentally sound, Moskalik suggests. He lists polluting environments in which producers are operating and high levels of antibiotics, growth hormones, heavy metals and toxins as examples of this.

“The result is that the majority of farmed fish from China is banned by many countries, and subsequently China is targeting the low end of the market,” Moskalik explains. OceanEthix, which has a showroom in Hong Kong and builds facilities for customers and target audience mostly in mainland China, focuses on the high end of the sector.

There is big market in China and Hong Kong for reef fish such as red coral trout and mouse grouper, which can command as much as US$100 per kilo wholesale, he adds.

What this means, however, is that the Chinese demand for these valuable reef fish – which need to be caught and transported live – has seen significant damage done to the ‘Coral Triangle’, an area of tropical marine waters taking in Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Solomon Islands.

Moskalik agrees with Worldwide Seafood’s Ng that as well as helping avoid this kind of threat to the environment, farmed product offers definite benefits to clients.

“OceanEthix’ Atoll system allows us to offer customers sustainably sourced product from across the world of consistent volume, size, quality and price. This is not possible in the current live seafood market where availability and price can vary widely depending on the time of year and the weather.

“Being able to grow out or warehouse product close to market ensures that OceanEthix live seafood is always healthy and not stressed or damaged from long distance transportation.”

While seafood is more popular than ever

across Asia, a lack of fishing and farming

regulation in many countries is putting

increasing pressure on delicate ecosystems

and future supply, says Daniel Creffield

off the menu?LiveDungenesscrab(WorldwideSeafood)

OceanEthix’innovativemodular

recirculatingsystemallowsthefarming,warehousinganddistributionoflive

seafoodMoulesmarinierefromBeechOvens

F o o d

24 AHCT May 2012

d r i n k

26 AHCT May 2012

d r i n k

AHCT May 2012 27

year, and a further 70% growth expected by 2015, the Chinese, especially women, are warming to white wines. In brand-conscious China, the leading French chateaux still dominate the market, but increasingly, New Zealand and Australian producers are gaining a foothold.

In Hong Kong, while French whites may beat those of the New World by value, far more New World than French wine is consumed in terms of volume. French whites have a 36% leading market share in value, but only a 19% market share in volume, after Australia and New Zealand, according to Ubifrance, the French Agency for International Business Development.

“Most of the French white wines consumed in Hong Kong come from Bordeaux, especially from Sauternes and Barsac (sweet wines),” says Antoine Meunier, senior trade adviser at Ubifrance.

So why are people willing to shell out more money for French white wine despite the New World’s better value? “In the Chinese market, everything works in reverse. For example, although new markets usually start with cheap, sweet white wines, the Chinese market jumped straight onto top-end Bordeaux red,” adds Meunier.

Prestige valueFor the Chinese, the more expensive a wine is, the more popular it is,” says Chung. “In Hong Kong, because it is a former British colony, there are a lot of British expatriates who were French wine brokers, so we are influenced to buy Bordeaux.” He says that popular wines from France, other than Bordeaux, include Sancerre, Pouilly-Fume, and Burgundy white.

A range combining design and technology!

Made in France

For a free brochure containing full detail,please contact:

Alpha International Food Services909, Chai Wan Industrial City, Phase 2,70 Wing Tai Road, Chai Wan, Hong Kong.Tel: (852) 2889 2123 Fax: (852) 2889 1757http://www.eurocave-alpha.comEmail: [email protected]

The 5000 Series offers 9 types of wine cabinet with the capacity to store 38 - 182 bottles. It combines design and technology for serving and displaying your wines.

The numerous equipment combinations offered by the 5000 Series help you to serve your wines as efficiently as possible!

Asia’s wine industry has been buzzing with the latest figures released by Vinexpo, a global wine and spirits group, revealing that China, including Hong Kong, is now one of the world’s top five wine consumers, ahead of

the UK. The region is forecast to become the world’s second biggest wine consumer by value within three years, topped only by the US. In just one year, from 2009–2010, wine consumption jumped by 33.4% in the region. Among these notable trends, China’s traditional preference for red is being slowly but surely accompanied by a growing taste for white wines.

Despite the fact most sommeliers believe white wine pairs better with Chinese cuisine, red has always been the colour of choice and more popular than white by far, accounting for 91% of total consumption in mainland China. In the more sophisticated Hong Kong market too, red wine accounts for more than 80% of all consumption while white wine represents 16%. This is partly because many Chinese believe cold drinks are unhealthy and red is favoured as an auspicious colour.

“At our Shangri-La hotels in the China region, red wine outsells white wine by nine to one,” says Benny Chung, a project manager-sommelier at the hotel group. “And it is almost impossible to sell dessert wine, because many people do not like to drink cold and bubbly things! Red wine is always viewed as a joyful beverage for banquets and celebration, even though white wine, with its sugar and acidity levels, may be better suited and more versatile for Asian cuisine.”

Stop whiningBut this is about to change as Chinese consumers become more wine-savvy. With a 19% increase in white wine consumption last

In spite of red wine’s domination of the market in the Greater

China region, white – both French and New World – is

slowly gaining a foothold, writes Jessica Lam Hill Young

New world of white

Pic:

Rie

del

WhitewineisgrowinginpopularityacrossGreaterChina

d r i n k

28 AHCT May 2012

d r i n k

Experience the Premiere: www.schaerer-coffee-prime.com

Schaerer AG, Allmendweg 8, 4528 Zuchwil, Switzerland, t: 032 681 62 00, [email protected]

Schaerer Coffee Prime

The first choice for Connoisseurs and calculators

Gourmet beverages at the press of a button – simply prepared in perfect quality.

Disposable concept for fresh milk: no cleaning, no chemicals.

Perfect for self-service thanks to the "TouchIT" touch screen user panel.

Cost-saving and environmentally friendly to operate and clean.

Schaerer Coffee Prime

Ideal for restaurants, vending, offices, cafes, universities, bistros, hospitals, bars, sports centres, cultural events, workshops, filling stations, car dealerships ...

At ASC Fine Wines, one of Hong Kong’s leading suppliers to the four and five-star international hotels and restaurants, New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is the bestseller. Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay are both popular grape varieties, with the latter accounting for over 60% of total white wine sales in Hong Kong, according to the Global Trade Information Services.

Brand loyalty“French wines may dominate the market, but many consumers appreciate good value white wines. New World whites are generally good with Cantonese food, but customers buy French because of brand issues and buying habits,” says Jordi Chan, education and training manager at ASC Fine Wines. Chan also believes the white wine preference tends toward crispy and aromatic whites such as Sauvignon Blanc.

But many consumers are moving beyond Sauvignon Blanc and exploring other good quality aromatic grapes, such as Albarino, Guwuztraimer and Vioniger, all of which have the potential to gain a bigger market share. Wine aficionados are also favouring German Riesling, which is easy to pair with Asian food, Chan adds.

White wines may match better with Asian cuisine, but because it is not as popular as red, many F&B managers present white as a more casual drink. At Shangri-La Hotels, Chung says that rosé and white wine are often promoted to customers as a refreshing beverage. “We don’t use it as much for food pairing. We promote white wines as a relaxing, refreshing item, fun to sip while chatting with friends.”

For Chan, however, previously a sommelier at The Mira Hong Kong and The Peninsula Hong Kong before becoming a training manager at ASC, white wine is an important part of every tasting menu. “Consumers usually gravitate toward brand name white

wines, so we try and offer advice and suggestions for alternatives. We always try to offer white wine tastings for customers so they can feel more confident.”

Education will be the key to increased white wine appreciation in the region. Chung says the mainland still has some way to catch up in its appreciation for whites, but in Hong Kong, with its maturer market, tendency towards value for money wines, and its large base of younger drinkers, means a variety of white wines will become more and more popular.

“Servers in mainland China especially need to be trained to have a correct attitude toward white wine,” says Chung. “For example, wine service on the mainland is still very backward, and white wine and Champagne are not always served cold from the refrigerator. People can be taught to enjoy white wine just like red wine, and pair its characteristics according to the food served.”

French wines may dominate the market, but many consumers appreciate good value white wines. New World whites are generally good with Cantonese food, but customers buy French because of brand issues and buying habits Jordi Chan, ASC Fine Wines

At our Shangri-La hotels in the China region, red wine outsells white wine by nine to oneBenny Chung, Shangri-La

Australianwhitewine,suchasthecriticallyacclaimedLeeuwinandNewZealandSauvignonBlanc,arepopularatASCFineWines

WinetastingatVinexpoAsia-Pacific

Global Chef UniformsDesigned by Chefs...for Chefs since 1987

I love my Job &I love my Uniform

w w w. g l o b a l c h e f s t o r e . c o m

At this year’s Hong Kong Sevens rugby tournament much of the talk off the pitch was about the kits players were wearing on it.

There was even a section of the programme assigned to a local fashion designer’s opinion on teams’ turnout. And there was no middle ground. People either loved or hated England’s flamboyant orange and red, the Aussies’ lime green, or the more traditional approach of the Fijians, Wales, and Argentina.

The hospitality industry has long been aware that what people wear can be divisive, and has had to bear it in mind when deciding on staff uniforms, while not forgetting that function overrides design.

Tim Grubi is managing director of chef wear design and manufacturer Global Chef, which started in 1995 with an objective of “making quality affordable”. Grubi says that manufacturing a chef wear brand means “doing the kind of things the mainstream demands”.

As a result, volume efficiencies are needed “to achieve low make cost with commercial quality fabrics that offer no-shrinkage, are colourfast, offer high performance and meet the market expectation of what a uniform should do.”

After more than 30 years in the hospitality industry and dealing in Asia since 1989, Grubi has found everyone is concerned with saving money, and that “the humble chef uniform in Asian hotels gets bottom listing on many budgets.

“In Asia everyone knows someone with [a] sewing machine or a local tailor who can copy anything and sell it cheaper and better than the original. This thinking is ingrained in the culture. Fortunately there is hope.”

With the advance of international five-star brands in Asia comes “understanding and recognition” Grubi says, that uniforms need to

uniform approach

Professional work wear used in the hospitality industry represents major purchasing decisions for properties. What are current trends in uniforms? Zara Horner reports

be more than be just cheap. “They must last a long time and look good. The fabrics need to be the best quality to suit commercial laundries and the design, components and workmanship must be to a proven standard.”

He agrees that most hotels spend more on front of house uniforms, “while management often unconsciously consider the chef uniform as a way to cut costs.”

But, “If you treat the people who prepare the food for your paying guests like they don’t matter by dressing them in nondescript, cheap uniforms, inevitably they’ll look and feel disrespected and undervalued.”

When asked if environmental concerns play any part in the decision making process, Grubi says that the commercial realities of manufacturing for the mainstream market – which is always on a budget – means brand owners and manufacturers will always opt for fabrics with the highest end-user demand.

“Maybe one day we’ll bring out a bamboo organic cotton blend chef jacket with wooden buttons wrapped in recycled brown paper and tied with hemp twine but I’ll not be carrying high stock levels.

“All jokes aside – to make these ideas work it is the market which needs to demand the products and be willing to accept the difference in price, performance and presentation. There will be differences that will be hard for buyers to accept – it will cost them more from the start.”

Easy optionEchoing Grubi, Christina Li, marketing and communications manager at the new Swisstouches Hotel Xi’an admits eco-friendly was not top of the agenda when designing the uniforms. “Easy to wash and not very expensive material,” was.

Staffuniformrepresentsthehotel’simageandconcept,believesSwisstouchesHotelXi’an

Chefworks’basicthree-quartersleevechefcoat

E q u i p M E n t

AHCT May 201230 AHCT May 2012 31

FOR ALL YOUR CULINARY APPAREL NEEDS

Email us for a full quotation: [email protected] or visit our website: www.chefworks.com.hk

Visit our showroom: 1/F, 23 Queen’s Road EastWan Chai, Hong Kong | T: +852 25293700

r i sks and we have definitely seen brighter colour choices across the board.”

But he disagrees this is due to seasonal fluctuations. “Colours don’t really change with seasons, it’s more fabric that does as people look for lighter weight with mesh and cool vents.”

Tradition is very important for chefs and the public expects chefs to dress a certain way, Grubi contends. As a result, “Black and white in plains, small check, pin stripes and occasionally combination is the sure fire safe answer.

“Colours and fabrics like denim, raw cotton, bamboo and hemp have been tried by many of the chef wear companies but in a commercial sense unsuccessfully, the cost is prohibitive and the performance in the laundries does not compare to traditional proven fabric blends.”

Grubi notes that occasionally when a new flagship hotel opens there is a policy to be different from any other hotel so “they will have special fabrics designed by expensive creative designers and then get these made in China only to find the chef can’t wear it more than 30 minutes.”

When customers insist on a colour option, Grubi “withdraws our warranty as colours often fade with commercial washing – including black.”

Taking regional climate and culture into consideration was at the forefront of the decision making process at The Grand Mecure Shanghai Zhongya, which has been recently retailored for the China market.

“We have worked with various Chinese uniform designers that have created uniforms with local touches incorporating traditional elements that reflect both the city and China,” director of operations, Geffroy Thibaud explains.

The new uniform now features the magnolia, which is found throughout the city and is a well-known city emblem, as well as Qipao dresses for the ladies, Mao suits for gentlemen, with Chinese-style buttons, and everything made in “traditional fabrics”.

Li explains the staff uniform design had to be kept “concise”, while concentrating on “beauty and business.

“We chose two colours as the main base for the uniform: red and grey. Red is a part of the Swiss flag colour, and is also a part of Swisstouches’ brand logo colour. Grey matches with hotel’s overall design concept.”

For Li, the importance of staff uniform cannot be overestimated. “It represents the hotel’s image and concept. When we designed our staff uniform, we threw the hotel culture, building’s colour scheme and design as well as the hotel brand concept into the mix. We want a hotel family and our family members to like the uniform, for our customers to like it and for it to meet brand needs.”

Meeting customers’ needs is top of the agenda at Chefworks. The South African company is a family owned and run hospitality uniform design and manufacturing business of more than four decades standing. Founder Joseph Gross’ son Adam arrived in Hong Kong nine months ago to build the Asia business.

“We have no minimum order from our catalogue range,” Gross explains. “We are happy to produce just one jacket if need be. We have over 50 executive jacket options to choose from and can cater to different types of customer.”

It’s this flexibility which Gross thinks is key to the success of a business supplying an ever-changing industry. And customised options may be more attractive in Asia, Gross suggests because, unlike in the US and Europe, decisions are “decentralised ... which can make [the process] more difficult as it’s up to individual hotels to organise their uniforms to a greater extent.”

When it comes to what guides that decision making, Gross offers style, comfort, durability – and in Asia, cost. “We are trying to educate our customers to explain cheap is not best. That low-cost options will only last 10 to 20 washes when it should be 70–plus. Some locally manufactured uniforms last two to three months at most.”

Material costsMaterial plays a key role as uniforms need to be comfortable with “breathability”, Gross says. “They need a cotton element and polyester for durability. Our 65% polyester 35% cotton mix is our biggest seller.”

The company has also introduced a same mix, brushed-fabric of a lighter weight, which is proving popular. “Local TV celebrity chefs have picked up on this and we have been very surprised by their colour choices. We expected a traditional approach, but they have opted for pinks and Merlot.”

More than 75% of the uniforms chosen are still black, Gross says but now brands are incorporating slate gray and blue tones.

“In the last few months customers seem to be taking more

Thibaud says it was important to ensure the colours chosen and styles used fully matched the new brand identity.

“As part of the strong ‘sense of place’ culture at Grand Mercure, the most important aspect to us was to reflect Chinese culture and local influence in our uniforms while complying with the brand identity and head office.”

The need to strike a balance between ‘place appropriate’ and adherence to executive directives has never been more prominent, or perhaps difficult to achieve.

Added to which, says Thibaud, “It’s always difficult to find the right balance between practicality, comfort and elegance, therefore prior to producing the uniform we tested all uniforms in [hotel] situations with actual staff to adjust design to their needs, instead of asking staff to adapt to the uniform.”

Fabric of lifeAs part of Accor environmental guidelines, the hotel only used local designers, suppliers, and fabrics in an attempt to reduce its carbon footprint.

Thibaud had hoped to use environmentally friendly material to manufacture the uniforms, but this was deemed impractical at the present time, though he says it is definitely on the agenda for future incarnations.

Nevertheless, he is pleased with the outcome. “Through careful selection and audit of supplier, we did not compromise on quality or detail. Our supplier was able to exactly produce [what we] needed.”

In addition, because hotel staff were directly involved in the uniform change process, Thibaud says “all are very pleased and proud of their new uniforms.”

Manufacturing a global chef wear brand, from my perspective, means doing the kind of things that the mainstream demandsTim Grubi, Global Chef

SwisstouchesHotelXi’an–importanceofstaffuniformcannotbeoverestimated

LYSSV-SerieslongsleevecoatfromChefworks

GlobalChefstartedin1995withtheobjectiveofmakingqualityaffordable

E q u i p M E n t

AHCT May 201232

E q u i p M E n t

AHCT May 2012 33

automatic minibar solution

the ultimate solutionfor your minibar operation

www.bartech.com

E q u i p M E n t

AHCT May 201234

E q u i p M E n t

The minibar offers the attraction of allowing immediate consumption in privacy. With access to a private in-room bar, clients can spontaneously indulge in a drink or snack, without having to consult a menu and wait

for room service. Minibars cater to clients who would not feel comfortable calling room service to order a single – or repeated – drinks, who would prefer not to be disturbed or who may feel uncomfortable in the hotel bar.

The in-room facility also allows hotels to cut down on room service manpower needs. Profits can be made by adding a premium to the prices of contents in the minibar, which in some cases also offers hotels an alternative revenue stream.

But while minibars have become a standard element in most guestrooms, they can also provide headaches for hotels, at least for those not equipped with the latest in minibar technology.

The honour problemSome minibars have traditionally run on an honour system – take what you want, list your consumption and pay for it when you check out. However, that reliance on customer honesty is losing appeal. Hilton Worldwide loses between 5 to 20% of its minibar revenue to so-called ‘breakages’, the chain admitted recently.

A perennial problem is the ease with which clients can consume the contents of a bottle and then replace it in the minibar, hoping that the empty container will not be detected before check-out.

“That is a big problem,” says Jan Strijker, managing director Asia Pacific for Bartech, which has installed more than 10,000 minibars in hotel rooms throughout Asia, including at Four Seasons,

Mandarin Oriental and Venetian Macau. “Not only empty bottles, but bottles refilled with water etc. And issues like this will go largely unnoticed in manual minibars but may have a big impact on the quality perception by guests who find these items, left behind by previous guests.”

Checking which products are missing and whether genuine products have been tampered with takes up a lot of time for room service staff. Quibbles over what was or was not consumed can also lead to nasty scenes and arguments at check-out.

Strijker says Bartech Automatic Minibars, which are fitted with sensors to detect movement and equipped with software to automatically monitor consumption, is probably the only way to deal effectively with this issue.

“Sensors detect movement and the minibar attendants are alerted to go to these rooms to check the integrity of the items before the new arrivals check in.”

The cut-down on losses, coupled with reduced staff costs and increased revenues means that hotels can enjoy a three-year return on investment on average, he says.

Energy efficiencyAnother problem with minibars is their high energy consumption. As they are by necessity almost always switched on, minibars consume a lot of electricity – up to 10% of a hotel’s total energy consumption, according to Italian minibar manufacturer, Indel B, which is a preferred supplier for Hilton, NH Hotels, Sheraton, Armani Hotel and Best Western, among others.

Inside hotel rooms, it’s often the details that mark the difference between cursory fit-outs and well-planned panache. Fresh fruit on the coffee table, complimentary biscuits ... and a minibar well stocked with tempting products, suggests Liana Cafolla

Honour systems

IndelB’smostin-demandofferingistheenergy-efficientK40Plusminibar,belowandopposite

E q u i p M E n t

AHCT May 201236

E q u i p M E n t

AHCT May 2012 37

The company’s most in-demand offering is the K 40 Plus minibar, which is built using energy-efficient technology. The technology was inspired by the emphasis in Europe on green products, for which hotels receive financial incentives from the government, explains Matteo Bartolini, area manager Asia Pacific and North Africa. That preference for low-energy consuming, environmentally friendly products is now becoming a global trend, he says.

“Energy saving, which is now a good but not essential feature for minibars, will be required as a compulsory

characteristic in the near future,” he predicts. The K 40 minibar has a eutectic plate, which have long been

used in the food transport industry to keep foodstuffs cool in transit. The plates are electrically charged and can store large quantities of cold in a short time, and release it over a long period. Because of its compressor, the K 40’s consumption rates are between one-quarter and one-fifth of that of the best-performing absorption minibars on the market, says Bartolini.

“Indel B’s minibars energy efficiency is far the best on the market,” he says. “We have sent our minibars to a certifying laboratory in order to give impartial data as well as to respond with facts when the consumption rates we declare are questioned.”

Surprising stockMinibars typically stock water – usually the most popular item – soft drinks, bottled or canned beers, and snacks such as chocolate bars, crisps and other dried nibbles.

Other contents tend to vary depending on the local culture. Strijker says he has found socks and underwear in Korean and Japanese minibars, while Bartolini says providing space for homemade kimchi in minibars in Korea is a must.

“The main factor – and this is universal – is that the hotel offers products their guests want,” says Strijker. “It is always off-putting and disappointing to open a minibar and see a couple of cans of soft drinks in a large empty space.”

If hotels can reduce the level of loss caused by theft or the fraudulent replacement of products, they will be more inclined to stock more exciting products in their minibars, he suggests.

BartechAutomaticMinibarsarefittedwithsensorsandsoftwaretoautomaticallymonitorconsumption,offeringaneffectivewaytodealwiththeissueofso-called‘breakages’

Breathtaking minibarbanyan Tree Ringha hotel (top left), in yunnan Province, china, hidden away in a Tibetan valley on a secluded mountain 3,200 metres above sea level, is probably the only hotel in the world to offer free cans of oxygen in its minibar. As well as helping with guests who may be feeling the effects of the high altitude, inhaling pure oxygen is also regarded as an effective anti-ageing remedy.

Energy saving, which is now a good but not essential feature for minibars, will be required

as a compulsory characteristic in the near future

Matteo Bartolini, Indel B

2,000 KILOGRAMS OF LAUNDRY.300 RESERVATIONS.ONE HOUR UNTIL CHECK-IN.

Serious about laundry.

Never fear the ring of the reception desk bell again. With UniMac, you’ll be ready for whatever tourists, business types or glee clubscome walking through that door. High-capacity. High-speed. High-performance. That’s UniMac. Andwith the lowest cost of ownership in the market, you’ll be able to finish your laundry on time and onbudget. Ding! Your room is ready. To learn more, visit UniMac.com or call us at +001 920.748.1666.

asian hotel and catering times pub half page horizontal 4c ad trim 146 mm H x 210 mm W / bleed 149.5 mm H x 216 mm W

© 2012, Alliance Laundry Systems, LLC.

ALS06 3170 Hotel_asianhotelpub 1-2p horz 0419_Layout 1 copy 4/20/12 11:01 AM Page 1

Crystal revolutionFrench luxury crystal ware manufacturer, Baccarat, has launched a “revolutionary” new range of professional wine glasses, which it claims “reveal the complexity, richness and subtlety of wine better than any other glass”. The Château Baccarat collection of tasting glasses is inspired by the traditional ‘tastevin’ used by wine makers and sommeliers. A closed-angle side and vertical chimney to an unusually narrow lip aerates wine more efficiently driving aromas to the top when swirled and preventing the alcohol overpowering the aromas. The new approach “takes into account changes and trends in today’s wine market”, says designer and master sommelier Bruno Quenioux. Traditionally wine glass shapes vary according to region and grape varieties. The new tasting glass is deemed “universal”. The range is marketed individually and in sets of two or six. Red and white wine glasses and Champagne flutes are priced at US$115. Tumblers are US$77 and decanters US$488.

Formoreinformation:www.baccarat.com

Everything outdoorsOutdoor furniture specialist Everything Under The Sun has several new ranges on offer. Using the newly developed material Cane-line Tex, the Diamond range of upholstered woven sofas and chairs has already garnered awards. Weatherproof and extremely durable, Cane-line Tex furniture is made with a light powder-coated aluminium frame which enables sculptural forms, not just flat surfaces, and quick-dry foam cushions, which have antibacterial finishes to prevent mould and fungus. The furniture is easy to move, can withstand high as well as low temperatures and is UV resistant. It is available in granite grey and white. Meanwhile the modular Cane-line Shape series may be pieced together and is available in grey-brown. The Penthouse table has a clean-cut ceramic tabletop which is practical and maintenance-free. Made from compact laminate (HPL), the table is scratch resistant and thefore ideal for outdoor use. The Cane-line On The Move side table is sturdy, and easy to lift with a central top handle (and hole to drain rain water) and is strong enough for outdoors. Latest additions to the Breeze range include a bar stool made from durable polyethylene for a contemporary light and airy look and chairs made from materials that withstand both water and large temperature differences.

Foremoreinformation:www.everythingunderthesun.com.hk

Perfecting the pourSpirit Danish Design’s Wine Perfector is a highly specialised tool which could not be simpler to use. Attach to opened bottle top and pour instantly decanted wine. The stainless steel constructed screw-on device has built-in mesh to prevent any cork, or other unwanted additions getting into the glass. The device may be closed to keep left-over wine for the next day. Available in silver and gold.

Formoreinformation:www.spiritdanishdesign.com

Beyond imaginationFrench bedding company dolum presents the latest incarnation of the levitation bed. In collaboration with designer Nicolas Baleydier, the Silv R’ Bed, is unique. Optional LED lighting set beneath the bed’s circumference, side units and headboard give the impression of being carried by light. Available in more than 90 materials, the free-standing structure can be customised to fit virtually any design setting. Available in twin, double, queen, olympic queen, king, and California king, dolum provides a range of different density mattresses and a host of upholstery options. The bed can also be fitted with voice activation units and hidden lighting and there is a range of cubist bedroom furniture (chairs and side tables) available.

In the shadeSuniture now carries the Eqoshade P6 in its range. The single-pole multi-canopy umbrellas are particularly suitable for outdoor dining areas, poolsides, bars and lounges. The P6 can cover a maximum area of 38 square metres from one pole, which can be wall mounted. The Belgian designed shade is made from powder coated aluminium and can have water gutters attached to enable shade conjoining. A gas spring makes for easy opening and closing.

Formoreinformation:www.suniture.com

LED there be lightVista System International, experts in modular curved frames, has a new LED illumination kit as an alternative low voltage solution to illuminate its Vista Light line of products. The LED kit consists of an adhesive LED band as well as a power supply; it is fixed to the sign structure along the aluminium profiles and end caps.

Formoreinformation:www.vistasystem.com

Formoreinformation:www.dolum.fr

In the April issue of AHCT this picture (left) was wrongly attributed. The furniture is supplied by Everything Under the Sun. We apologise for the error.

p r o d u c t n E w s

AHCT May 201238


AHCT May 2012 39

Putting out the fireTyco Fire Protection Products, a leader in water-based fire suppression technology, has enhanced its Model EC-25 Sprinkler to provide advanced, cost-effective solutions for higher density, extended coverage applications. The Model EC-25 Sprinkler has lower installation costs and better fire protection because of: fewer branch lines and fewer sprinklers; lower operating pressures in accordance with the S x L spacing rules defined by NFPA; the lowest hydraulic system demand; fewer opened sprinklers and fewer consumed pallets than standard coverage sprinklers. All of which means minimal water requirement and extended coverage.

Formoreinformation:www.tycofsbp.com

Rock-a-bye-babySpanish furniture design and manufacturing company, Kettal has been servicing the hospitality industry for 47 years. Known for functional furniture with a difference, the latest offering, Patricia Urquiola’s rocking chair from the Kettal Vieques collection has won the top design award at the Arena Design 2012 show. The award recognises innovative design solutions, and rewards those companies which invest in a good design. Consistent with international standards for contemporary industrial design requirements, Kettal’s rocking chair was awarded for its “innovativeness, functionality and design quality”.

Formoreinformation:www.kettal.es

The right cleanEco.Fresh is a range of bath and body cosmetics by Concept Amenities, supplier of environmentally responsible guest amenities. Using biodegradable packaging, Eco.Fresh citrus fragranced liquids and soaps have been formulated with nourishing ingredients to maintain moisture for healthy skin and hair and are available in a variety of sizes to suit needs.

Formoreinformation:www.conceptamenities.com

Metal protectorSalto Systems and BioCote Salto, in partnership with BioCote, has developed antimicrobial silver ion technology that helps eliminate microbes on product surfaces. Working against microbes such as bacteria, mould and fungi Salto BioCote protected products are suitable for use in many commercial environments. The surface protector is made using an agent containing silver engineered to work by binding with microbes and damaging their cells in a number of ways, disrupting their normal functions and preventing them from reproducing. The technology, in the form of an additive, is incorporated into products at the time of manufacture. Protected surfaces show levels of microbes can be reduced by up to 99.9%. The range includes wireless online real-time escutcheons, wireless ready escutcheons, standalone escutcheons, AMOK escutcheons, SKG escutcheons and more.

Formoreinformation:www.saltosystems.com

Maximum BRRRRMaxx Cold Reach-In Refrigerators are designed with energy saving and easy maintenance in mind. Each MCR 49D unit features a bottom mount compressor. Temperature is digitally controlled and easily viewed from the exterior of the cabinet. Stainless steel construction ensures maximum durability. Maxx Cold also offers a full line of refrigerated sandwich, salad and pizza prep tables and chef units.

Maxx Ice MIM100 ice machine range includes compact machines that produce 50lbs of ice per day, and machines that produce 1,000lbs of ice per day. Stainless steel construction provides durability to units that are designed and manufactured with simplicity and efficiency in mind.

Formoreinformation:www.maxximumfoodservice.com


AHCT May 201240

Restaurant awards The US National Restaurant Association Food and Beverage Product Innovations Awards this year include HomeFree’s Gluten Free Vanilla Mini Cookies. A good source of whole grains (9g), certified organic (70%), heart healthy, Kosher pareve, vegan and Non-GMO Project Verified, the biscuits are free of the top eight allergens and certified gluten-free. Kraft Food’s YES Pack, which stands for yield, ease, and sustainability, the new packaging is said to help manage costs and optimise back-of-house efficiencies as it allows for 99% dressing yield, precision pouring and reduced solid waste. Oregon Seafoods’ Chef’s Brand Pacific Caught Wild Albacore tuna is from US-caught, sustainable fish stocks. The tuna is said to have an improved nutritional profile, no fillers, no preservatives, no BPA and a better carbon footprint. Sasasweets’ SasaPops are artisan frozen fruit-only bars made from fruit, water and organic sugar. The SasaPops Dessert Bars are the first lollipops with dessert inclusions, such as cake chunks. Available in mini size. Simpli OatShakes is the only solely oat-based product that is dairy-free and all natural, 100% vegan, soy-free, and non-GMO.

Formoreinformation:www.restaurant.org

Mail or Fax to: THOMSON PRESS (HK) LIMITED Rm 1205-6, 12/F., Hollywood Centre, 233 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong.

Tel: (852) 2851 7068/2815 9111 Fax: (852) 2851 1933/2581 9531 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.thomsonpress.com.hk

Subscribe Today!Asian Hotel & Catering Times (AHCT) has been serving the Asian-Pacific region as a familiar and trusted industry publication for three decades, and is widely acknowledged to be the only magazine that covers all aspects of the hospitality industry.

asian hotel& Catering times

PUBLISHED SINCE 1976

SubScRIPTION FORM

Sasasweets’SasaPops

c u l i n a r y n E w s

42 AHCT May 2012


Joining the grand cruCoffee maker Nespresso has introduced a new limited edition grand cru coffee to its range. Developed through close collaboration with the National Federation of Colombian Coffee growers, Naora is a late harvest coffee with a complex taste including hints of blackcurrant and blueberry best enjoyed as an espresso. Nespresso introduces a limited edition three times a year for a short period of time. Naora is the 17th addition to the grand cru line-up, is medium bodied, and comes in purple-pink capsules.To supplement the limited edition grand cru coffee, Nespresso has launched two limited edition Premium Espresso cups and saucers. Illustrated by French artist Laurence Bost, the white porcelain cups feature a whimsical interpretation of the process of harvesting coffee berries at the last possible moment. A set of two cups retails at US$50.

Formoreinformation:www.nestle-nespresso.com

Italian secretsThe Italian dessert Amarena was invented in the 1920s by Rachele Fabbri. As a thank you a local potter went on to produce a container which has become the blue and white jar so famous today. The bittersweet wild cherry creation is now enjoyed throughout the world as Amarena Fabbri. Made from carefully selected fresh and crunchy fruit that is then seeded and candied in syrup according to a process handed down from generation to generation, the fruit is measured and divided according to what end result it is deemed worthy of. Those cherries with a 1.6cm diameter are for the gelato makers; the 2cm ones are for the pastry chefs. This selection is done by hand. After stones are removed the cherries are candied whole, with some being turned into syrups and sweet sauces.

Formoreinformation:www.amarenafabbri.com

Small product, big potentialsmall sake is a new premium Junmai-grade sake, which comes packaged in a small 163ml aluminium can. The contents are imported from Japan’s Kansai region and canned in hong Kong.

its manufacturers believe sake has potential in the mainstream market and say they want to make sake “more accessible and less intimidating” with consumers seeing it as a drink that can be casually consumed, which is one reason they chose the can as the packaging.

Formoreinformation:www.smallsake.com


44 AHCT May 2012


Building on success

Riding on the success of HOFEX 2011 and escalating demand from the industry, organiser Hong Kong Exhibition Services has launched the Asian Hospitality Design and Technology, co-located at Build4Asia.

A four-in-one show based around sustainable architecture, design, building services and electrical engineering, the tradeshow will run from June 4-6, 2012, at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre.

Five hundred exhibiting companies will deliver a full array of innovative and sustainable products and services for the building world.

From a project’s start to its finish, including architectural design, construction, installation and furnishing, as well as maintenance and property management, Build4Asia will provide a one-stop shop for the industry chain.

The show is expected to welcome over 12,000 regional industry professionals to a new exhibition displaying a variety of products and services covering furniture and materials, interior design and planning, digital signage and in-room entertainment.

Running consecutively, the third Architecture & Design Conference is dedicated to architects, contractors, designers, developers, educators, engineers, government officials, investors, community organisations and more. This year, the conference asks: ‘What is the future of architecture and design in the urban millennium?’

The conference intends to predict the value and direction Asian architecture and interior design projects in urban cities will take, and will highlight current hot topics including the integration of technology, evaluation of high-risk development, and case studies in the hotel and retail sectors on functionality and design sustainability.

Build4Asia 2012 Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition CentreJune 4 – 6, 2012www.Build4Asia.com

E v E n t s

46 AHCT May 2012

E x h i b i t i o n s

AHCT May 2012 47

DATE EvEnT DETAIlS ORGAnISER

In 2012, the 13th edition of SIAL China will be back in Shanghai. SIAL China will set the benchmark for overseas companies stepping into China as well as providing valuable insights and trends regarding the Chinese F&B market. New events for 2012 include a team contest, hospitality forum and coffee trends area.

The Hotel Show provides a unique networking and sourcing platform within the region. The event gathers over 14,800 hospitality professionals for three days of intensive business networking, industry awards, conferences and hospitality functions. With its proven track record of delivery, spanning 13 years, The Hotel Show is the largest hospitality supplies event for the Middle East and North Africa region.

THAIFEX – World of Food Asia, held in Bangkok, Thailand, is where global players in the food and beverage industry meet. The show covers food & beverages, featuring halal & organic food, catering, food technology, hospitality service and retail & franchise.

HOSFAIR Guangzhou has been successfully held for nine years with a 30% rate of growth every year, and has become one of the leading exhibition and trade platforms for hospitality suppliers and manufacturers, as well as a bridge for Chinese hospitality internationally.

2012 marks the 10th anniversary of one of the fastest growing exhibitions for the hospitality sector in Asia-Pacific – Restaurant and Bar Hong Kong, which has a growing reputation as the biggest and best niche gourmet hospitality event in the region. Its focus is on presenting excellent products and services to inspire and create ideas to develop the foodservice and hospitality business.

As Asia’s largest and longest running hotel investment event, HICAP has become the most important gathering of hotel investors, financiers, and leading industry professionals in the Asia-Pacific region.

Laundry Expo 2012 is the most influential and authoritative annual event in China Laundry Industry. It showcases the latest technologies, machines, apparatus and chemicals for laundry, dry-cleaning, stain removing, ironing, dyeing and disinfecting. Exhibiting brands come from USA, Japan, UK, Germany, Netherlands, Denmark, Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Australia, Korea, mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Asia’s most exciting wine & spirit event, the HKTDC Hong Kong International Wine & Spirits Fair offers a wide range of high quality wine and spirits, beer and other alcoholic beverages, as well as wine production, products and services to buyers from all over the world. It is the gateway for winemakers and distributors of wine and other beverages to gain a share of the lucrative and flourishing wine market in Asia.

COMEXPOSIUM Shanghai Room 301, Dongyi Building 88 Changshu Road,Shanghai 200040, CHINA Tel: +86 21 62 49 20 28 / 24 10 Fax: +86 21 62 49 34 14www.sialchina.com

dmg eventsSuite 502 - 509, The PalladiumCluster C, Jumeirah Lake TowersP.O. Box 33817, Dubai, United Arab EmiratesTel: +9714 4380355 Fax: +9714 438 00361www.thehotelshow.com

Koelnmesse Pte Ltd152 Beach Road#25-05 Gateway EastSingapore 189721Tel: +65 6500 6700Fax: +65 6294 [email protected]

Guangzhou Huazhan Exhibition Co., Ltd9H, Jinsui Tower, and No.900 Guangzhou Ave. Mid, Guangzhou, ChinaTel: +86-20-38866965Fax: [email protected] www.hosfair.com

Diversified Events Hong Kong Ltd2104-5 Island Place TowerIsland Place 510 King’s RoadNorth Point, Hong KongTel: +852 3105 3970Fax: +852 3105 [email protected]

HICAPC/O BHN2900 Bristol Street, Ste. D101Costa Mesa, CA 92626 USATel: +1 714 540 [email protected]

Unifair Exhibition Service Co., LtdTel: +86 20 8327 6369 ext. 830Fax: +86 20 8327 6330 [email protected]

Hong Kong Trade Development CouncilUnit 13, Expo Galleria, Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre,1 Expo Drive, Wan Chai, Hong KongTel: +852 1830 668Fax: +852 2824 [email protected]/hkwinefair

May 9 – 11 The 13th SIAL China Shanghai New International Expo Centre Hall N1-N5, E7 Pudong New Area Shanghai China

May 15 – 17 Dubai World Trade Centre Sheikh Zayed Road Dubai United Arab Emirates

May 23 – 27 IMPACT Exhibition Center Bangkok Thailand

June 28 – 30 China Import and Export Fair Complex Guangzhou China

Sept 11 – 13 Restaurant & Bar Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre Wanchai Hong Kong

Sep 24 – 26 2012 China International and Dyeing Industry Exhibition Shanghai Everbright Convention & Exhibition Center, China

Oct 10 – 12 Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific (HICAP) InterContinental Hong Kong 18 Salisbury Road Kowloon, Hong Kong

nov 8 – 10 HKTDC Hong Kong International Wine & Spirits Fair Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre Wanchai Hong Kong

Horeca highClean and green

Horeca 2012, has been deemed so successful that it has played an important role in boosting Lebanon’s economy.

Participants included official pavilions from France, Iran, Poland, Turkey and Thailand, as well as individual participants from Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and the United Arab Emirates, making 350 exhibitors in total.

For the first time, Italy was formally involved in the show as the ‘Country of Honour’. Fifteen Italian companies from the fields of equipment, food, wines and spirits, products, materials and hospitality management services were represented.

The four-day event attracted 12,000 visitors. A series of competitions and live shows were held including the Beverage &

Wine Lab where wine lovers and connoisseurs had the opportunity to sample local and regional wines and spirits, such as arak, as well as soft drinks, mineral water and juices. Latest releases and blind tastings were especially popular as were the masterclasses and workshops, which were staged in an interactive setting to encourage the exchange of ideas and experiences.

At the 7th National Extra Virgin Olive Oil Contest a panel of experts compared local oils from all parts of the country in a series of tasting sessions to award the best small producer, the best label and the best bottle.

The event included a series of explanatory sessions on the history and heritage of olive oil production and the latest developments of the industry.

At the Hospitality Salon Culinaire over 200 chefs competed in more than 15 categories, while the annual hospitality forum ran consecutively, covering topics on the latest consumer and product trends influencing the industry.

The China laundry industry has seen enormous growth in recent years as more international laundry brands and equipment suppliers enter the country, and domestic brands and equipment suppliers are also

growing to accommodate the huge local market. Latest figures show that in 2010, there were 250,000 laundries and

laundry plants in China with a workforce of 1.25 million people and revenues of more than US$9.5 billion.

On this basis, the first edition of the China International Laundry and Dyeing Industry Exhibition, or Laundry Expo, launched in 2000 in Beijing. The show acts as a platform for industry communication and cooperation, encouraging innovation and brand building.

This year the 13th edition will be held in Shanghai from 24 to 26 September when the latest and most advanced technologies, machines, apparatus and chemicals for laundry, dry-cleaning, stain removing, ironing, dyeing and disinfecting will be showcased.

With 200 brands from 17 countries and regions exhibiting last year, it is expected the total show space of Laundry Expo 2012 will reach 10,000m2 with more than 500 booths.

The theme of the show, ‘Green Laundry’, will follow the eco-friendly trend and will focus on energy saving and environmental protection. There will also be a series of accompanying activities, such as industry development forums, technology sharing, education programmes on laundry management and new products release.

Buyers from 29 provinces of mainland China and 17 other countries attended Laundry Expo 2011 and the scale of the show this year is expected to be increased by 30%-50%.

Like others the China laundry industry is in the process of standardising and branding because of equipment advances, latest technologies, scientific management, improved services and increased personnel knowledge and understanding.

COMING UPHoreca 2013Beirut InternationalExhibition and Leisure Center,LebanonApril 9 – 12, 2013 www.horecashow.com

COMING UPChina International laundry and Dyeing Industry ExhibitionShanghai Everbright Convention and Exhibition Center,ChinaSeptember 24 – 26, 2012www.laundryexpo.cn


AHCT May 201248


AHCT May 2012 49

ClaudiaPronk

JeffreyF.Seward

RenaudMarin

SimonManning

FrancisZimmerman

NitinSharma

AkshayAnand

StephenHoBoonplookThiengsoosuk

FrankTrampert

KanchalikarPhruttisarikorn

Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas has announced the appointment of a new director of operations for Thailand. Francis Zimmerman takes on the newly created position to cover the group’s current portfolio of 10 properties in the country. Canadian Zimmerman will also be GM at Anantara Bangkok Sathorn.

Taking the reins as general manager at Anantara Bangkok Riverside Resort & Spa is Claudia Pronk, who transfers from her GM role in the Maldives. Dutch national Pronk joined the company in 2009 and has been in the hospitality industry for 25 years.

Jeffrey F. Seward has been appointed cluster general manager of Anantara Dhigu Resort & Spa, Anantara Veli Resort & Spa and Naladhu, all properties located in the Maldives. Seward joins Anantara from Taj Hotels where he held the role of GM at Taj Boston, US, prior to which he worked for Ritz-Carlton for nearly 20 years.

Rest Detail Hotel Hua Hin has a new executive chef, Boonplook Thiengsoosuk. With 22 years of culinary experience he joins the Hua Hin team from Bangkok where he held the same position at Dusit Princess Srinakarin Bangkok.

Wyndham Hotel Group has appointed Frank Trampert as managing director, APAC. He will be based in Hong Kong. With over 25 years’ experience in the industry, prior to joining Wyndham, Trampert had roles at Carlson Hotels in Australia, Europe, Singapore and the US. Most recently he served as president of Circos Brand Karma in Singapore.

Dean Razak is the new director of conference services at Kirimaya Golf Resort & Spa and Muthi Maya Forest Pool Villa Resort Khao Yai. Singaporean Razak has 10 years’ hotel experience as well as two years on cruise liners and six years in the private yachting sector, all in restaurants and banqueting. He has worked in Singapore, France, Monaco, Germany, Holland and the US.

Kirimaya Golf Resort & Spa and Muthi Maya Forest Pool Villa Resort Khao Yai has appointed Kanchalikar Phruttisarikorn as marketing communications manager. She joins the group from her most recent role as marketing communications manager at Le Meridien Bangkok.

Hyatt Regency Hong Kong has announced the appointment of Renaud Marin as the new chef at fine dining restaurant, Hugo’s. French-born Renaud has worked in various Michelin-starred restaurants in France. In Asia since 2010, Marin held the position of executive sous chef at Hullet House, Hong Kong, before joining Hyatt Regency this year.

Simon Manning has been appointed vice-president sales and marketing for Langham Hospitality Group, to oversee its current 14 hotels across four continents and 17 new hotels in the pipeline.

Stephen Ho has been promoted to Starwood president of Asia-Pacific, from his position as senior VP acquisitions and development, Starwood China. He has been with Starwood for 31 years, having begun his career as a pastry chef.

nitin Sharma joins the Worldhotels sales force as assistant sales manager, India. He recently pursued his Masters degree in marketing with symbiosis. Before joining Worldhotels, Sharma was a senior executive business development with Cruise Professionals.

Worldhotels has appointed Akshay Anand as sales manager, India. Anand has previously worked at The Taj Mahal Hotel and The Park, both in New Delhi.

DeanRazak

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

12ATF005.pdf 1 02/03/2012 6:03 PM

a p p o i n t M E n t s

AHCT May 201250

R ®

VIVIAN AD:Layout 1 4/12/12 9:21 AM Page 7

AHCT May 2012 Web-size

Documents

Transcript of AHCT May 2012 Web-size