Published since 1976

Vol 36 July 2011

DrInkIng In tHE profIts Superjuice trends

How to catcH MIcE In asIa Hospitality's fastest growing segment

hong Kong sAR china singapore Malaysia Thailand Rest of Asia

hK$50 RMb50 s$15 RM30 bt300 us$10

tIanjIn takEs off China's exponential growth

d i t o r

E s s a g E

Behind every excellent dish is an excellent cream.

elcome to another packed issue of AHCT! This month cloud computing if it doesnt affect you already, this area of technology certainly will in the future, so what are the implications? Meanwhile, in our market report we look at Tianjin, one of the fastest-growing cities in China, and the brands battling for position there.

We sniff around the subject of cheese to find out how consumption is rising in Asia, and in our design section cast our eyes over some of the regions most opulent presidential suites. Also, as my first issue as editor, I am inviting you to let us know how you feel about the constant changes taking place in the hospitality industry whether they be the

latest technological innovations or issues which affect us all, such as recruiting and retaining quality staff. Please do send in comments on any subject you feel strongly about, and we will endeavour to investigate on your behalf.

endoRseMenTs
EDItor Daniel Creffield DEsIgn by Koon Ming Tang production@thomsonpress.com.hk contrIbutors Victoria Burrows Mark Graham Zara Horner Rebecca Lo Simon Smith Ruth Williams assocIatE publIsHEr Sharon Knowler sharon@thomsonpress.com.hk aDvErtIsIng salEs ManagEr Claire Sancelot claire@thomsonpress.com.hk cIrculatIon ExEcutIvE Becky Chau enquiries@thomsonpress.com.hk cHaIrMan JS Uberoi DIrEctor Gaurav Kumar
hong Kong hoTels AssociATion hong Kong chefs AssociATion fedeRATion of hong Kong ResTAuRAnT owneRs bAKing indusTRy TRAining cenTRe The fedeRATion of hong Kong hoTel owneRs AssociATion of ThAilAnd

AssociATion of inTeRnATionAl hoTelieRs shAnghAi

singAPoRe chefs AssociATion

hong Kong bAKeRy & confecTioneRy AssociATion

hong Kong MAiTRe dhoTel AssociATion

singAPoRe hoTel AssociATion

hong Kong bARTendeRs AssociATion

shAnghAi chefs AssociATion

MyAnMAR chefs AssociATion

MAlAysiAn AssociATion of hoTels

MAcAu hoTel AssociATion

club MAnAgeRs AssociATion hong Kong

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) 2011 Thomson Press Hong Kong Ltd

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July 2011 AHCT

CONTENTS
Volume 36 July 2011

16

MarkEt rEport One of the fastest growing cities in the fastest growing nation Tianjin tEcHnology Making for cloud cover DEsIgn Presidential suites today

46 48 49 50

EvEnts anD ExHIbItIons Events calendar Hotel Show 2011 Dubai reviewed Asia Hotel Investment Conference reviewed India Hotel Expansion Summit reviewed

18 22

cover photography courtesy Ritz-carlton

8
51 52 53 54

So Sofitel So Apple
Restaurant & Bar 2011 previewed Sial China 2011 reviewed Thaifex 2011 reviewed APPOINTMENTS See who is moving where

nEws InDustry Free breakfasts; Connectivity; Giving back culInary Award-winning chicken; Perfect pastries; Portugal vs France proDuct Ecological dishwashing; Hot or cold brewing options; Floating beds ManagEMEnt The wonderful world of MICE

26

advertisers Index
Alpha International Boncafe Elle & Vire Food + Hotel Vietnam Fried. Dick Giesser Messer Global Search International HICAP Lactalis Meiko Pevonia Texcare Victorinox AG Wine & Gourmet Asia 31 20 & 21 IBC 47 39 OBC 7 15 IFC 33 10 &11 35 43 25

44

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36

Pass the cheese

28 32 36 40 fooD Asias maturing cheese market DrInk The latest squeeze on juices EQuIpMEnt Changing requirements for in-room amenities Tools of the trade knives

up and coming...
august Green issues Market report: Singapore Social networking Public spaces Ice cream Tea & coffee Ice machines september Recruitment Market report: Malaysia Yield management Guest rooms Seafood; caviar Cocktails Laundry

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Luxury amenities in-room

4 AHCT July 2011

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Langham thinking smart in India

Runway views from Eaton Smart, New Delhi Airport

Chopsticks ready for Restaurant Week Hong Kong

The worlds biggest dining event, DiningCity Restaurant Week, will make its debut in Hong Kong on July 11-17, with some of the best restaurants in town taking part. The first Hong Kong Restaurant Week will offer set threecourse menus at HK$158 (US$20) for lunch and HK$298 (US$38) for dinner. Michelin-starred restaurants add HK$100 (US$13) for each star pricing dinner at a one-star restaurant at just HK$398 (US$51). Hong Kong Restaurant Week is being launched by the international online dining guide and restaurant reservations platform, DiningCity.com. Speaking before the launch, Onno Schreurs, managing director for China and Hong Kong, said that the concept enables diners to try out quality restaurants at an affordable price, and for restaurants to woo new customers by showcasing their cuisine in the form of a fixed price menu. People are food crazy here, and from experience, we know that the most popular restaurants will be booked up within minutes, says Schreurs. The restaurant week concept was launched in New York in 1998 and has since extended globally to become the worlds biggest dining event generating 300,000 reservations at over 2,000 participating restaurants in the Benelux Restaurant Week (Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxemburg). It is now on its way to become the biggest dining event in Asia with Singapore, Shanghai, Beijing and now Hong Kong participating. Hong Kong Restaurant Week will help restaurants present themselves in a different way and attract new guests. I believe online reservations are the future for restaurants. Nowadays you can book everything online, except for restaurants. This event is Hong Kongs introduction to online reservations and I hope restaurants will like it and see the benefits of it, Schreurs says. In Shanghai, Restaurant Week has grown in a year from showcasing an initial 26 restaurants to 55 restaurants, generating 7,800 online reservations. In Singapore, the increase was from 50 to 80 restaurants in a year with 25,000 online reservations. More information: www.restaurantweek.hk

Buying up Bordeaux
With Chinese interest in quality French wine at an all-time high as much as 70 percent of all grands crus wines are expected to be snapped up by Chinese buyers this year a prestigious hotel in the heart of Bordeaux is on the charm offensive to attract Asian buyers. Grand Hotel de Bordeaux & Spa is offering a series of bespoke wine tours to some of the regions most famous chteaux in Saint-Emilion, Cognac, Pomerol and Cos dEstournel. The winery packages are designed for couples or small groups, and include one or two nights with breakfast at the Grand Hotel with guided tours of one or two days to premier wineries. VIP packages incorporating tours of exceptional wineries are a specialty of the 5-star hotel as it begins a new era following extensive restoration. With chauffeur-driven transportation, tastings and lunch, prices start at 725 euro (US$1,000) for one night, incorporating a visit to Chteau Cos dEstournel, overlooking the Gironde estuary. It includes a tour of its avant-garde wine cellar, tastings of Chteau Cos DEstournel and lunch at the estate accompanied by a tasting of Champagne and wines of the famous 2008 Cos DEstournel vintage. More information: Grand Hotel de Bordeaux & Spa, 2-5 Place de la Comdie, 33000 Bordeaux, France. Tel: +335 5730 4444, email: contact@ghbordeaux.com.

Indias first transit hotel, Eaton Smart, New Delhi Airport, is now officially open, according to Langham Hospitality Group. The midscale Eaton Smart is one of three Eaton hospitality brands, which also include the upscale Eaton Luxe and the extended stay Eaton House. The new 93-room Eaton Smart is located inside Terminal 3 of the new airport building and is available to passengers with valid tickets. Charges start at Ru3,000 (about US$65) for a minimum five-hour stay. The hotel has a 57-room wing in the international terminal after customs controls, and a 36-room wing in the domestic zone. The domestic wing is not yet operational. The hotel features a fully equipped fitness centre, a spa, and E Point, which allows guests complementary access to the internet, a computer and a printer, 24 hours a day. The property also offers aqua pods shower rooms in which passengers can freshen up before or after a flight. There is an all-day dining cafe serving international comfort foods and local culinary favourites. Bob van den Oord, vice-president of Langham Hospitality Group said, Eaton customers are self-sufficient, tech-savvy globetrotters who value efficiency and friendly can-do service so weve built our model on the ability to do more for each guest, affordably and with simplicity.

The New Delhi Airport Terminal 3 handles about 34 million passengers a year and is reputed to be the worlds sixth busiest airport with 1,500 passengers transiting daily.

THE INTERNATIONAL GUILD OF BUTLERS & HOUSEHOLD MANAGERS

And theres more

Vivanta by Taj Holiday Village Goa

The JW Marriott Hotel Chandigarh, a luxury 175-room property situated in the centre of this northern Indian city, has opened. It offers a variety of restaurants, bars and lounges plus a luxury spa, outdoor swimming pool, and fitness centre. The JW Marriott group, Marriott Internationals luxury hotel brand, plans to open another four properties across India by year-end 2012. The JW Marriott Hotel Bangalore, set to open in November, is a 250-room property with six dining options, a nightclub, pool bar, luxury spa, swimming pool, fitness centre and 1,140 square metres of meeting space. Properties in Gurgaon, Chennai, and at the New Delhi International Airport are scheduled for next year. Courtyard by Marriott, Pune City Centre is now opening. The hotel has 179 contemporary guest rooms, including 22 suites, and is designed for business and leisure travellers. The hotel has an executive lounge, business centre, five indoor and outdoor meeting rooms, a fitness centre and pool, and dining options.

On Show

Accor Hotels is bringing the World of Accor hotel exhibition trade show and sales mission to India this year. The expo, which showcases the Accor brand portfolio, will be held at Sofitel Mumbai, Bandra Kurla Complex on November 15. The event is conducted in 14 key cities across the globe. Next year it will be held at the Pullman Gurgaon Central Park near New Delhi. In other news, Taj Hotels Resorts & Palaces has launched their new corporate and luxury website, www.tajhotels.com. The website reflects the new brand architecture showcasing the Taj, Vivanta by Taj and The Gateway Hotel brands. The website also divides the 25 luxury properties into five clusters, namely grand palaces and iconic hotels, city hotels, Taj safaris, luxury residences and Taj exotica resort and spa. The website was designed by Razorfish, one of the worlds largest interactive agencies.

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AHCT July 2011

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IN BRIEF
At the inaugural Asia Pacific Hotel Awards 2011, Hotel LKF by Rhombus was presented with the 5 Stars Best Hotel Hong Kong award. The event is part of the 17-year-old International Property Awards and organisers decided to launch a specific programme for the hospitality industry this year due to an increasing number of entries within its commercial categories. Later this year, the highest scoring winners from the Asia Pacific Hotel Awards will compete against companies from Europe, Africa, the Americas and the Arabian Peninsula to find the worlds best in each category. Rhombus is set to open the all-suite Rhombus Fantasia Chengdu Hotel, in October.

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Tokyo, Osaka and Hokkaido members of the Leading Hotels of the World group will be supporting attempts at revival in Japan hospitality with six breakfast inclusive packages. The Imperial Hotel Tokyo, Hotel Okura Tokyo, the boutique Hotel Seiyo Ginza, Imperial Hotel Osaka towers and The Windsor Hotel Toya Resort and Spa will all be providing guests with free breakfast for the foreseeable future.

A strategic co-operation agreement has been signed between InterContinental Hotel Group (IHG) and Chinas leading state-owned real estate company, sealing six hotel management contracts and adding 1,773 hotel rooms to IHGs China pipeline. The hotels will be in Guangdong and Jiangxi provinces. Poly Real Estate will invest over US$565 million in developing the hotels. Over the next five years, one in four hotel rooms IHG will open globally will be in China.

The fourth International Forum on China Hotel Brand Development was recently held at Hong Kong Polytechnics School of Hotel and Tourism Management training facility, Hotel Icon. The unique forum started in 2007 but its the first time it has taken place in Hong Kong. Its the only annual forum exclusively focusing on the development of hotel brands in the country and is an interactive platform for industry practitioners and academics to share experiences and exchange views.

BTS Assets affiliate Absolute Hotel Services Group has announced the flagship Eastin Grand Hotel Sathorn will open on December 1 2011. The 390-room hotel will have its own sky bridge link to the Surasak BTS station.

Two of the worlds largest and finest vertical wine collections from Chteau Cheval Blanc and Chteau dYquem, along with other premium wines, are now available at Shook! Shanghai. The awardwinning dining venue by YTL Hotels, soft-opened on top of The Swatch Art Peace Hotel on the Bund in May.

Sofitel So Bangkok, scheduled to open early 2012, will be Asias first hotel to have an Apple-based digital solutions offering for guests. Everything from the hotel service directory to the in-room entertainment system will be a click away. All the hotels 238-rooms will have an Apple Mac mini computer functioning as a multimedia centre with TV, movie, music, DVD and radio access, together with a high-definition 40 LCD TV, wireless keyboard, trackpad, free high-speed internet access and a full range of office software. For work purposes, software will clean away any new information on the computer and restore it to its original state at check-in/check-out. Guests staying in suites will have complementary use of an Apple iPad. Every computer will have webcam installed to provide panoramic views of the Bangkok city skyline.

As part of its ongoing corporate social responsibility effort to aid underprivileged communities, Bali Hotels Association (BHA) has announced three new initiatives: One Hotel One Orphanage, Assistance for the Disabled and Blood Drive. Each hotel member has adopted an orphanage, to provide household goods and educational facilities to, visit, and extend invitations to their hotels and provide training opportunities. BHA provides support for disabled people by hosting visits, trainee and recruitment programmes, and every month, BHA hotel members take turns to host a blood donation unit.

According to hospitality consulting firm C9 Hotelworks, Luang Prabangs airport expansion and high-speed railway are major indicators of imminent change in the Laos cultural centre. A runway expansion capable of handling widebody aircraft will open in 2013, and the following year a high-speed railway link to China will become operational. But a slowdown in tourist arrivals has been driven by two important source markets, Thailand and the UK, which declined 43 percent and 16 percent respectively and C9 predicts a short-term identity crisis as the next development cycle focuses on growth for growths sake.

The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has presented its Japan Appeal support package to the PATA Japan Chapter. The package comprised a one million yen (US$12,318) cheque and extensive in-kind support to help Japans travel industry members attend PATA Travel Mart in New Delhi in September.

Hyatt Hotels has announced an agreement with Bahagia Investment Corporation (Malaysia) to manage Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur. The 412room hotel is under construction, is expected to open in 2012 and will occupy floors 17 to 39 of a multi-use complex. Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur will join the two existing Hyatt-branded hotels in Malaysia.

Absolute Hotel Services Group has announced its new mid-market hotel brand Eastin Easy, and six new signed management agreements for Eastin Easy in India and Vietnam. The hotels provide free breakfast and internet access and lengths of stay measured in hours. There are plans for five Eastin Easy hotels online in the next seven months and 1,800 rooms operating under Eastin Hotels, Eastin Residences and Eastin Easy brands in India, Middle East and Vietnam by end 2012. The six new up coming openings include Eastin Easy Tarapur, India (end 2011), Eastin Easy Citizen Ahmedabad India (January 2012), Eastin Easy Sun Mapsua Goa India (late 2012).

Starwood has announced it will open one hotel every two weeks in China this year. With more than 70 existing hotels and over 90 in the pipeline, China is now Starwoods second largest hotel market in the world, behind the US. Reflecting the companys growth in China, it is undertaking an unprecedented managerial endeavor by headquartering top executives in Shanghai this month.

The Ovolo Group has opened a flagship business hotel in Hong Kongs West Kowloon, taking its portfolio to five. The property is poised to take advantage of the express rail link to Shenzhen and Guangzhou scheduled to open in 2015.

Marco Polo Hotels has announced the management of a new property, The Marco Polo Guiyang in southwestern Guizhou Province, China. Guiyang is one of Marco Polos target development markets. The 300-room property joins a portfolio of 10 already operational in Asia, with 10 others in development including the Foshan Marco Polo Lingnan Tiandi scheduled to open later this year.

AHCT July 2011

July 2011 AHCT

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The grand ballroom at the Hilton Chennai features sky-fold soundproof partitions

Crowne Plaza Lumpini Park meeting room part of a package designed to help guests be at their best when theyre travelling on business

While Hilton offers meetings on the beach in marquees or open- sided tents, conventional meeting rooms are available

M looks
The future

MICE
Business travellers stopped travelling and OS meetings all but dried up as a result of the financial crisis. MICE had been the fastest growing segment of the hospitality industry, so what does the future hold? Zara Horner finds out

uch has changed in the hospitality industry in the last couple of years. Luxury and upscale offerings in particular have evolved dramatically, and the idea of a homogenous market is now irrelevant. Many believe there is a need to accommodate a range of needs to achieve optimal performance in an industry hit hard by the global economic downturn, and which is still in recovery. Others say specific offerings conflict with the need to appeal to a wide market. Nowhere is this difference of opinion better represented than the world of the MICE brand. The MICE industry is [no longer] the fastest growing segment, but it certainly is still growing, especially across key emerging markets, Leanne Harwood, director of sales, Asia Australasia and director of commerce, Southeast Asia, for InterContinental Hotels Group, says. Although the global financial crisis saw a drop off in bookings by the banking sector, all sectors have rebounded recently. A key growth sector is IT as well as the pharmaceutical and construction industries. However, this varies across each sub-region in Asia. Believing it is important to have a hotel brand that caters to the MICE segment, IHG has Crowne Plaza in this capacity which, Harwood says, is designed to help guests be at their best when theyre travelling on business. With Crowne Plazas in more than 50 countries around the world, there are a further 119 in the global pipeline. Yes, a customised MICE offering is definitely key as the segment is a substantial revenue generator for the Asia Pacific region, notes

Martin Rinck, president, Asia Pacific Hilton Worldwide. The MICE industry in this region has huge growth potential and we definitely want to capture a piece of that pie, he continues. Other groups have a different approach. At Starwood Hotels & Resorts, for example, theres no MICE brand, with the group preferring to promote facilities in all offerings. Groups such as Starwood believe there is no need for a unique MICE brand as long as potential customers know there are sufficient facilities, services and staff available. Starwoods W offering in Taipei classifies itself MICE and director of sales and marketing, Ashley Hansen notes: IT and fashion are the two key MICE segments for W Taipei. While banking is now common for catering-only day events. The growth of the MICE industry was undoubtedly affected by the economic downturn and while the situation has improved in recent years and MICE travellers are gradually returning, Rinck says the pace of growth is slower than before. There has been a strong negative pressure applied, and for a couple of years, attending a company meeting was seen as lavish. With more normal times returning, corporations and individuals are able to experience again the value of face-to-face meetings.

Whats it all about?

Though applied inconsistently, the acronym MICE stands for meetings, incentive, conference and exhibition. Often the words events and conventions are substituted. Either way, it is a given that its about large group bookings around a particular purpose, usually

well in advance and requiring a lot of planning and execution. For a successful gathering there are a number of components, which need to combine and function in unison, including meetings facilities, IT, F&B and staffing. This last perhaps the most important. It all comes back to service, Harwood states. It remains the top priority. IT and audio-visual equipment is naturally important. However, there are many external third parties offering up-to-date equipment, so it really falls to the hotels to ensure they offer the best service and flexible solutions. Harwood says a strong suite of services should focus on delivering a unique and consistent brand experience. Our services include a two-hour response guarantee; a specific meetings and events director meeting planners enjoy working with one professional throughout their planning process, from the first phone call until meeting wrap-up; and, at the conclusion of every meeting day, we provide an itemised account of that days expenditure to help track costs and manage budgets. High tech and flexible meeting facilities are an important aspect of the MICE expectations, Hansen believes, because guests dont want to pay external fees or hotel hiring fees. His future MICE plans centre on being creative, inclusive and price sensitive. Apart from facilities, which are well-rounded and able to cater to a whole range of needs, Rinck says other considerations for a good MICE brand include reliability, good F&B outlets, quality service and location. There is also a growing interest in novel destinations and unique features which can help event planners differentiate their events

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industry realises the long-term economic impact could be many times higher than the direct benefit of hotel revenues and visitor spend. There are many shocks yet to hit the global economy, Talwar says. Europe is on the brink of a major national debt disaster and so we fully expect at least one more banking crisis and more recessions over the next decade. Asian economies are not immune; they will see over-heating, over-capacity and over-ambitious development, which will all have an impact. This means continued economic uncertainty. As a result, hotels will have to think much more innovatively about their business models and how to attract and retain customers. This means becoming more experimental, engaging customers in more dialogue, adopting open-innovation processes which encourage those outside to provide ideas and using properties as living laboratories which are constantly trying out new ideas. Despite his somewhat gloomy predictions, Talwar expects expansion of MICE in Asia. Destinations from China to Korea and from Thailand to Singapore will be pushing aggressively to attract major conventions and events, he says. Hospitality insiders agree and see this especially in emerging markets such as India, Indonesia, while Vietnam is becoming the next hotspot, Harwood says. InterContinental Crowne Plaza Lumpini Park Bangkok represents the groups brand catering to the MICE segment To ensure Crowne Plaza stays relevant, IHG has massive and immediate rejuvenation plans. This is most notably true in Asia, where in five from the usual conventions. For example, in the highly competitive years Crowne Plaza has doubled its hotel count and increased the MICE market of Singapore, we have two properties that perform size of its pipeline almost fourfold. Changes to the brand include strengthening distribution and well due to their locations. This year, the group has launched a MICE programme in the improving quality and consistency across the estate. In addition Hilton Maldives Iru Fushi Resort & Spa to bring MICE away from to evolving our look-and-feel with a new visual and audio identity, the conventional meeting room. The resort offers meetings on the Crowne Plaza hotels around the world will pilot a range of innovative beach in marquees or open-sided tents, as well as receptions held products and services designed to bring sharper brand positioning, in open-air restaurants or near the ocean, for delegates to get their Harwood concludes. While Rinck points out Chinas perennial MICE popularity feet wet, should they wish. Beyond usual meeting room offerings, Rinck points out Hilton and also notes Japans past strength, [these have] typically accounted has also tried to incorporate innovation into their designs. For for nearly 50 per cent of all international MICE trips to East Asia example, the Hilton grand ballroom in Hilton Chennai features before the economic downturn, he goes on to say India is fast sky-fold soundproof partitions. Our new DoubleTree by Hilton becoming a new favourite, spurred on by the mushrooming of new in Wuxi, China has 12 meeting rooms including a MICE centre hotel developments, tourist attractions and improved infrastructure. While MICE business has undoubtedly taken a knock from past featuring a 1,250 sq metre ballroom. We also help provide greater value-add through the loyalty programme Hilton HHonors. The global events, it remains an essential component for most industries programme allows delegates to earn points, resulting in more and many remain keen on organizing such events. What took us by surprise is not the decrease in MICE bookings, group savings and benefits. In 2010, Hilton HHonors membership but how quickly industries returned, Rinck notes. surpassed the 25 million mark. The harder an industry was hit by the economic downturn, Overviews and predictions the more MICE events are needed to help market their products, Fast Future Research is a global futurist organisation which recover business and recognise performance. The demand remains concentrates on bespoke research, analysis, opportunity strong as businesses continue to plan future activities. identification, strategic creation and investment development. Not surprisingly, China and India are Hilton Worldwides Founder and CEO Rohit Talwar, says hotels will have to become top strategic growth markets in the near future. Furthermore, living innovation laboratories in order to survive what he predicts Chinas diversity makes it ideal for the MICE market as it can offer will be a turbulent next decade. a wide range of experiences, Rinck says. We also see India as an Talwar believes business travellers will expect more choice right international development market and we have invested extensively from the point of booking. For example, selecting which room they in our MICE facilities. For example, the Hilton New Delhi, have in the same way they select their plane seat. Janakpuri has over 23,000 sq feet of flexible function space with a He says there will be a build up of skills and capabilities in the grand ballroom that can accommodate up to 1,200 in theatre-style industry and more sophisticated targeting and marketing approaches seating. To tap into this growing segment, we have another 20 hotels to attract key business events. But, the big shift will come when the in the pipeline.

Fast Future Research founder Rohit Talwar says hotels will have to become living innovation laboratories

12-14 OctOber 2011 IntercOntInental HOng KOng

AsIA

takes the lead

RegisteR now!
Patrons Carlson Hyatt Hotels And Resorts InterContinental Hotels Group Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels Marriott International, Inc. Platinum sponsors Accor Asia Pacific Baker & McKenzie Canyon Equity LLC Hilton Worldwide HVS Interstate (China) Hotels & Resorts Jumeirah Group Mayer Brown JSM Milbank Outrigger Hotels and Resorts Paul Hastings Proskauer QUO Red Planet Hotels Rosewood Hotels & Resorts Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart, Stewart (SRSS) Starwood Hotels & Resorts WATG Wyndham Worldwide Media sponsors Asian Hotel & Catering Times GlobalHotelNetwork.com Hospitality Design Hotel Analyst Asia Pacific HotelNewsNow.com/STR Global HOTELS Investment Outlook Sleeper Magazine TTG Asia International Newspaper Media sponsor Financial Times supporters International Finance Corporation International Society of Hospitality Consultants International Tourism Partnership Hosts

Patrons, Sponsors, & Supporters as of 7 June 2011

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www.HICAPconference.com

a r k E t

E p o r t

a r k E t

E p o r t

Tough aT The
The major players are jostling for position in Tianjin, one of the fastest growing cities in China, writes Mark Graham. They are also battling the perennial problem of how to find and retain quality staff
The Westin Tianjin, Starwood group has 90 properties in China and is opening a new one every two weeks this year

top
Leon Lee, GM, The Astor Hotel

The Astor Hotels museum is an unusual feature

ven by the supercharged development pace of modernday China, the changes in the northern city of Tianjin are phenomenally fast, in keeping with the national governments plan to give it a major infrastructural boost. That development surge is being reflected in the hotel industry, with a slew of new or renovated international properties, all catering to the surge in business traffic. The leisure market is growing, too, helped by

the now quick accessibility to Tianjin via the new high-speed rail link from the capital, Beijing. Bullet trains complete the journey between the two major metropolitan centres in just 30 minutes, a trip that takes more than two hours by road. Tianjin is one of Chinas fastest growing cities, if not the fastest growing city, says Christian Metzner, director of sales and marketing for the 275-room Westin Tianjin. The enormous amount of new company openings in Tianjin this year, and planned

openings in the next couple of years is just amazing, and shows that Tianjin is the place to be in China. Our main customers are definitely business travellers, who choose our hotel due to our location in the city centre, our variety of food and beverage venues and recreation facilities. Around 75 percent of our guests are business travellers, with 55 percent to 60 percent of the guests from China. Westin comes under the Starwood group, which currently has 90 properties in China and is opening a new one every two weeks this year, making it the largest market outside the US. At the Westin Tianjin, average rates are around RMB1,228 (US$190), with yearround special promotions. Although the leisure market is currently small, Metzner thinks there is potential for significant growth; the city has a wealth of attractions particularly in the downtown area, where European homes, hotels and offices from the treaty-port era early last century remain in good condition. The population is 11 million, but still it has the charm of a smaller city, especially the city centre with the tree-lined streets, outdoor coffee shops and cruises along the Hai He River, he says. The people of Tianjin are very laid back and super friendly. You know your neighbours and they know you. In the sprawling outer suburbs, the pace of expansion, and modernisation, is frantic. The Tianjin Economic Development Area (TEDA), was founded 25 years ago, just as China began to open to outside-world investment, and is currently going into hyperspace with billions of dollars of investment from blue chip companies such as Motorola, Samsung, FAW-Toyota, Yamaha, John Deere, Otis, Coca-Cola, CitiBank and HSBC. Work is underway on the latest project, the Nangang Industrial zone, which, when finished in a decade,

We foresee the future to be very bright. This city is investing heavily in the development of infrastructure and the government would like Tianjin to be a financial hub in northeastern of China. Bin Hai New Area, will be developed into nine industrial zones with a total area of 2,270km, a coastline of 153km and population of two million, and is expected to further attract the top 500 foreign companies to invest. Thus, the business opportunity in this area is expected to grow in the next three years and we are totally committed to the city and extremely positive about its future growth and the opportunities that brings.

Surmounting difficulties

Christian Metzner, director of sales and marketing, Westin Tianjin

will have RMB650 billion (US$100 billion) investment with around 200,000 jobs created. It is all good news for the 543-room Renaissance Tianjin TEDA Convention Centre hotel, which has a strong track record in putting on major events, particularly for government entities. Other Tianjin properties under the Marriott parent group include the Renaissance Downtown Hotel, the Renaissance Lakeview Hotel and the Marriott Executive Apartments, an extended-stay property with 98 fully furnished apartments. Rates at the properties range from RMB808 to 1,293 (US$125 to 200). The rapid growth in this city has demonstrated the need for good quality hotels and international brands, says Philip Bryson, Marriot vice-president for northeast Asia. With the great efforts by the city government to make Tianjin a finance and industrial hub, more events and activities have been planned to be staged in the city with huge influxes of guests associated with these events. China is a country that is growing at an unprecedented rate and is a vast country with a vast population, and Tianjin is one of the fastest growing cities in the country, which creates unique experiences all of their own. In China it is essential to believe in the vision and the focus and to be prepared for rapid growth and the demands that brings to operations, staffing and every aspect of running hotels.

Such rapid expansion in the hospitality trade comes with its own set of problems, notably hiring staff who are familiar with the way up market international hotels operate. When the Raffles Tianjin entered the market last year, it was able to fill senior positions with locally-born staff who had worked in larger cities and fancied a move back home. The big hotel brands are able to lure promising youngsters by offering a real career path. Now the major players have properties across the country, it allows promising executives to receive promotion rapidly. The Marriott group, for example, now has a total of 57 properties in China. S a y s B r y s o n : We h a v e c l o s e relationships with, and run programmes at, hospitality schools and we believe very strongly in training and developing our talent. China has such great potential and a great workforce that we find responds extremely well to the Marriott culture, which makes us an employer of choice. Of course, with the number of hotels opening in China, recruitment and retention of great staff is critical and training is a key element of this. We operate with a very low percentage of expat staff in our hotels in China perhaps six to eight on average in each hotel. The make-up varies from hotel to hotel, but can include the executive chef, director of food and beverage, director of finance, director of marketing, director of rooms and the general manager. These are the senior managers who oversee their respective areas to ensure guest satisfaction. The expatriates also help train the local managers and prepare them for their next position within Marriott and we are committed to increasing the number of our local managers in China.

At the Sheraton Tianjin hotel there are seven expatriate staff, including hotel manager Robin Maivusaroko, who is on his second China posting, having previously opened Le Meridien Shemei Bei Beach resort and spa in the southern island of Hainan. A business hotel has a completely different vibe to a resort but part of Sheraton Tianjins unique selling points are similar to a resort environment, says Maivusakoro. The manager says the plan is to develop new market segments, in particular MICE business, capitalising on the citys long and unique history as a treaty port. Tianjin was and still is the main port for the capital city with a series of well-preserved European style buildings. Among them is the Astor, a 148-yearold landmark in the central area that was given an extensive makeover by awardwinning designer Alexandra Champalimaud and rebranded with the rather lengthy title The Astor Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel. Historically popular with diplomats and politicians, it has hosted many famous names and been the venue for important treaty signings. Guests have included US President Herbert Hoover, Chinese leaders Sun Yat Sen and Zhou Enlai, Peking opera star Mei Lanfang and the last Emperor, Pu Yi. In a nation with only a handful of hotels with real history the Peace Hotel in Shanghai is possibly the most famous it is a major selling point for overseas guests, as general manager Leon Lee explains. We are fortunate to have many high net-worth individuals looking for an authentic experience when travelling. These guests obviously look for a globally recognised hotel brand but they also want to feel that there is a strong sense of place of the destination. Training follows the Starwood model, which targets employees with potential and then steeps them in the company ethics and corporate culture before giving them certification in their particular field of work. The Astor is known locally as the museum hotel there is a museum in part of the property and Lee thinks the distinguished history of the city could be a real selling point in future. Either way, the outlook for Tianjin hoteliers is rosy, especially as the government has earmarked the city for priority development. When the government decrees that in China, it generally happens at a blisteringly fast pace.

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E c h n o l o g y
Dan Shey, analyst with ABI research

E c h n o l o g y

Clouds
The hospitality industry is catching on to the idea that cloud technology can make enormous sense. Why buy and maintain expensive software when someone else can do it for you? Simon Smith reports

Pranabesh Nath industry manager ICT practice Asia Pacific, Frost & Sullivan

of consciousness
revenue management and room yield system are running on private cloud. All of those systems involve highly proprietary information that IHG isnt willing to risk in the public cloud at stage one, explains Michelle Wohl, VP of marketing and client services, Revinate Victor Huang, director, corporate security solution division at Trend Micro. Huang notes that shared cloud resources, such as the network and storage, introduce a risk to the customer and the possibility of data leakage if the proper security controls and measures have not be enforced. IHG has more 600,000 hotel rooms under seven brands, including Holiday Inn and InterContinental. IHG used a mainframe system before they moved to software as a service (SaaS) and cloud. They re-write their application using Java which will help them to move the application to the cloud and adopt SaaS service. That will let it run on industry-standard hardware, which means, among other advantages, IHG wont have to hunt for increasingly scarce mainframe talent, Huang says. IHG expects the cloud to keep improving, he continues. Its building its next generation data centre capacity in a way thatll make it possible to connect to Amazon or a similar public cloud for additional capacity. As more hotels adopt the cloud, more service providers have adapted as well. One example is Revinate, which provides social media and online reputation management for hotels. Revinate has found that the cloud provides a quick, efficient and reliable way to scale support to thousands of customers across the hospitality industry. Cloud computing allows us to launch new clients very quickly, Michelle Wohl, VP of marketing and client services at Revinate says. Without having to do any service integration. Revinate is available to any client who has a user name and password, and can be accessed on any computer with internet access. This is very helpful for hoteliers who are often not at their own desks all day like more traditional office workers. While I cant speak for all hotels, the hotels we work with recognise the efficiencies that can be realised from cloud computing. It requires almost no internal support and no integration services. The fact that Revinate is SaaS has never been a dealbreaker during the sales process, which shows just how far SaaS has come, Wohl notes.

he recent announcement by Apple of the launch of the iCloud is testament to just how mainstream cloud computing has become it is already an indispensable part of the way that businesses use software, and for a software-heavy industry such as hospitality, it is set to change the landscape altogether. InterContinental Hong Kongs IT manager Stephen Fung points to several benefits of using the cloud: it eliminates the need for PC upgrades as well as multiple software licensing fees; it reduces the need for IT support, including installation, systems upgrades, hardware upgrades and so on; it shortens deployment times; and it allows staff to connect to any of the hotels software systems as long as they have an internet connection. What all these points boil down to can be summed up with one word: cost. Moving to the cloud enables small to mid-size hotels to achieve the cost and efficiency advantages of larger organisations without the need for capital heavy investments, according to Pranabesh Nath, industry manager, ICT Practice, Asia Pacific, Frost & Sullivan.

A mid-size hotel can potentially have all of the premium customer service features of a large hotel at a fraction of the cost. For a lot of small to mid-size hotels, buying expensive on-premise solutions is not even an option thus they are always hampered in one way or another, says Nath. When making the decision to move systems to the cloud a clear distinction is made between front and back-office applications, with some in the industry believing that back-office systems will be the first to make the transition. The common belief is that the front-office systems are so critical to guest service delivery that even the slightest risk of system unavailability from a hosted solution is too high to outweigh potential benefits of lower CAPEX and OPEX [financing options] costs and other operational benefits, Greg Stockdale, managing director of Hong Kong-based Avasara Consulting points out. Stockdale continues: Ironically, standard operating procedures already prepare most hotels for this risk, euphemistically called system downtime, with reports and other support systems. So for hotels with access to reliable communication infrastructure and sound operating procedures, there is no additional operational risk when comparing hosted versus property solutions. Despite this, there is still resistance in moving certain front-office applications to the cloud, however, when it comes to back-office,

the business value of hosted solutions versus the risk is moving in favour of the cloud. Nath bears this out, noting that the biggest concern for many hoteliers when moving to the cloud would be the impact it would have on front-office applications dealing specifically with customer services. Since customer service is the most critical aspect of a hotel, Id expect there to be a lot of hesitation, especially when awareness is low on the security aspects of cloud solutions targeted at guest facing applications. Losing sensitive customer data is always the biggest fear; loss of control of that data is another. There are always risks when your data is outside your firewall, but the risks are statistically small. Nath suggests that hoteliers handle these problems with a phased approach of deployment, moving non-critical applications to the cloud first. Others, such as Dan Shey, an analyst with ABI Research, question the nature that cloud deployment will take. For hotels, you have to ask how does data and information affect meeting their primary mission of providing the best room rental experience? When I stay at a hotel I want a speedy check-in, reliable Wi-Fi service, and a clean, functioning room. So a slow check-in because my reservation is in the cloud somewhere would be a problem. I highly doubt that the biggest hotel chains use the public cloud for their website. As hospitality begins to offer their own branded mobile apps, they will want to offer the best experience so I doubt systems and databases will move to the public cloud soon, said Shey. Some companies, such as the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), have dealt with the uncertainties that surround using the public cloud and given themselves greater control by building a private one. IHG is building a private cloud-running loyalty programme, its analysis of current guest activity information and historical records, and pushing out promotions suited to individual guests run on customer relationship management (CRM) systems. Also IHGs core

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E s i g n
The InterContinentals suite includes a 250 square metre terrace with its own infinity pool

E s i g n

Photography courtesy Mandarin oriental Macau | intercontinental hong Kong | Ritz carlton hong Kong

from the

View

Top

he crme da la crme for many luxury 5-star hotels is their presidential suite. More commonly known as the royal suite in countries with monarchies, they became ubiquitous after the terms of US President Woodrow Wilson. On his political trips across the country and abroad, he insisted on staying in rooms that met his exact specifications, including walk-in closets and ensuite bathrooms. This was during an era when typical guestrooms contained little more than a bed and bathrooms were shared facilities. As guestrooms got bigger, so did presidential suites. They also began to outdo one another, with increasingly more overthe-top finishes, materials, furnishings and fixtures to distinguish them from standard rooms. They boasted lavish decoration, such as bohemian crystal chandeliers and hand-tufted silk carpets. Many commanded excellent views and expanded into selfcontained apartments, with basic kitchen facilities for butlers to serve meals in-room. Some became so large that they took over the entire top floor of a hotel. John Shamon remembers the days when every presidential suite had a grand piano. Mandarin Oriental Hotel Groups director of technical services was with Hyatt International for 21 years before joining the group nearly five years ago. The early generation presidential suites were large,

palatial, impressive spaces, he recalls. They were essentially oversized rooms that interior designers were instructed to make look awesome. But a grand piano today doesnt set the right tone for what people are looking for. Functionally, those first presidential suites werent always suitable or functional for guests. One of the biggest differences in presidential suites today is security. As the world gets increasingly smaller, the people staying in top category suites may be anyone in a high-profile position. That could vary from a Middle East sheik who requires the entire floor as he travels in a large group, or a celebrity who values privacy above all else. The InterContinental Hong Kongs presidential suite boasts a 250 square metre terrace equipped with its own infinity edge swimming pool to offer spectacular views while providing privacy since it is set away from other buildings. Even when sunbathing or swimming, guests have total privacy, says Elvis Tang, InterContinental Hong Kongs director of security. The suite has a stand alone CCTV system, which can be used by the guests private security attach as requested. We can also assist our guests with sole use of one of the guest elevators. Meanwhile, our key lock system logs all entries into the suite. J. Lee Rofkind, managing director at hospitality design firm Buz Design and

No longer simply luxurious palaces designed for dignitaries, todays presidential suite must be flexible, safe and equipped with the latest technology for state-of-the-art meetings, writes Rebecca Lo
Guests at the Mandarin Oriental vary from corporate executives to government officials

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www.wineandgourmetasia.com

The Ritz-Carlton presidential suite provides a blend of grand and cozy spaces

The R-C terrace is large enough to cater to banquets and also offers spectacular views

Mandarin Oriental Macaus presidential suite designed for both social gatherings and quiet conversations

current president of the American Institute of Architects (Hong Kong chapter), agrees that security is very much a primary concern in the design of presidential suites. You have to be careful of views both into and out of the suite, she advises. For a certain level of delegates, the whole building needs to be secured, not just the suite itself. And weve discussed putting in bullet-proof glass on exterior windows for a presidential suite in India. The driver is dependent on the hotel owners and how they view security. Whenever the U.S. president goes to India, he stays at the Maurya Sheraton near New Delhi because all the entrances to the building can be secured. Shamon points out that the level of

security also depends on the location. In high risk areas such as the Middle East, India and Indonesia, the level of security would include x-ray scans like at airports, he says. But security such as cameras, surveillance and bullet-proof glass should be invisible. If a hotel has it in place, it doesnt advertise it. He adds that surveillance is one of the main issues facing operators. Striking the right balance between making guests feel secure without intruding on their privacy has always been a challenge.

Adaptability

Todays presidential suites must be flexible spaces. Guests are not only living in suites they are also conducting meetings,

entertaining or working privately. In addition, as many suites also can be used for exclusive events, they should be able to offer a number of intimate as well as grand spaces. Mandarin Oriental Macaus presidential suite, for example, was designed for both social gatherings and quiet conversations. Guests vary from corporate executives to government officials, says Martin Schnider, general manager with Mandarin Oriental Macau. The presidential suite was designed for hotel stays; there are also occasions where guests would be hosting cocktail events and special occasion dinners for small groups or families. Situated on the highest floor of the hotel, it offers a 270-degree panoramic sea view overlooking Nam Van Lake, Macau Tower and Taipa Island. It includes an oversized sitting area providing lounge, private dining, reading and a fabulous bar at the prow of the hotel. Shamon worked closely with LTW Designworks on the evolution of MO Macaus presidential suite, with the citys entertainment attractions firmly in mind. We started the design from scratch with a whole different approach, he says. It is popular for entertaining, but a single businessman can go into a separate small office to do some work in a cosier, more intimate environment. Ritz-Carlton Hong Kongs presidential suite, known as the Ritz-Carlton suite, also contains a blend of grand and cozy spaces to make guests feel at home. Not only does it contain a large living and dining room, it offers a private spa with Jacuzzi in the generous stone-clad bathroom. We want the stay for our guests to be a very personalised experience, says Bonnie Kwok, Ritz-Carlton Hong Kongs director of public relations. Ritz-Carlton suite guests enjoy a personal butler, 24-hour limo service and monogrammed linens and bathrobes. The bathroom has a private sauna within it. The suite is like a mini version of the hotel. Needless to say, presidential suites need to be outfitted with the latest technology, yet be also user-friendly enough for an older demographic to handle. They contain bigger and better toys, notes Rofkind. The demographic of a typical presidential suite user is over 60 and not tech savvy, says Shamon. The challenge is to make technology sophisticated enough to appeal to the Bill Gates of the world, but simple and intuitive enough for those who are not.

Wine & Gourmet ASIA 2011

10 - 12 November 2011
Hall A, The Cotai Strip Cotai Expo at The Venetian Macao-Resort-Hotel

SUCCESS
No other show offers that many interactive and dynamic supporting events. Come join us and be part of our events!

ALL ABOUT

Supporting Events:
Asian Cocktail Championship Macau Occupational Skills

Recognition System (MORS) GOLD PIN Competition

Macau Culinary Association Winning

Showpiece Display
Wine & Gourmet Asia Opening

Ceremony Reception
Hosted Buyers Program Sommelier Challenge Culinary Master Class Wine Tasting Sessions

Asia (excl. Hong Kong, Macau) Ms Lynn How Tel: +65 6500 6712 Fax: +65 6294 8403 l.how@koelnmesse.com.sg

Hong Kong, Macau Ms Queenie Wong Tel: +852 2591 6083 Fax:+852 2591 6380 talentasia@netvigator.com

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u l i n a r y

E w s

u l i n a r y

E w s

California matching
California Wines, two Michelin-starred Ming Court in the Langham Place hotel and Regal Court in the Regal Kowloon Hotel will be holding a joint promotion pairing wines with selected Cantonese/Sichuan old and new style dishes this month. Altogether 15 California wines will be featured. At Regal Court, among other dishes, roasted pork wrapped with chicken liver in honey sauce will be matched with a 2003 Eberle Syrah from Californias Paso Robles region. At Ming Court theres a baked lobster in superior broth with a 2009 Cline Viognier, California and roasted goose in Chiu-Chow style matched with a 2006 Dierberg Pinot Noir from Santa Maria Valley.

Just desserts
Italian company Gustosia manufactures and supplies a range of products to help the catering industry create artisan gelato and confectionery delicacies, without the need for specialist knowledge or ready-made products. The company supplies ingredients and innovative products to make creamy, soft, preservable gelato, bases, fillings, decorations and a newly launched yoghurt mix. Gustosia pastes, made using fruit, concentrated juices, essences and extracts, may be used as flavourings or as fillings. The company also has an organic range.

Problem solving
Former veteran of the US FDA, and current CEO of consultancy FDAImports, Benjamin England, has offered his insights into what Japanese exporters should expect in the coming months as they attempt to export products to the US after the recent earthquakes and tsunami. In light of the import alert issued by the FDA, England notes: Even for products that are not on the alert the FDA is conducting testing. His advice to Japanese companies is to provide documentation that they have processing controls in place to ensure they are not shipping contaminated product. Additionally, he suggests three ways that Japanese exporters can seek exemption from the import alert: use a secure source supply; in-house testing of products; and documentation proving compliance. The video can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_uPXiHDNmI

Langham Places Zachary Yu with Ming Court executive chef Tsang and all the promotion dishes

Tasteful donations Chicken winner

The key to winning is fresh ingredients and good timing, according to the chefs at The Cityview hotel, Kowloon. Recently, the team won gold in the Western cuisine category at Hofex 2011, the only Hong Kong hotel to do so. The winning entry chicken trio dishes will now feature on F&B menus throughout the property in order to share their pride and joy with the guests. Sous chef Lau Chi Kins approach to the competition, despite its western theme, was a fusion of Asian elements to surprise the judging panel with Hong Kong flavour, he said. The Sovereign Art Foundation recently hosted a blind wine tasting to showcase the best of Portugal against the best of France. A judging panel was set up and chaired by Hong Kong wine critic, Simon Tam, with Charles Curtis MW, head of Asia wine sales for Christies, Nigel Bruce, publisher of several wine books and member of The Hong Kong Wine Society, Filipe Santos, president of the Wine Society in Macau, Paulo Pong from Altaya Wines and Benoit Allauzen, head sommelier from LAtelier de Joel Robuchon, Hong Kong. Wines were given scores out of 20 and 13 wines were tasted with Mouton Rothschild and Lynch Bages coming out on top. While French wines figured more prominently at the top of the list, judges were quick to point out that the score difference was only 94.5 in total between the top French wine and the bottom Portuguese wine, so less than two points per scorer. Portuguese wines have fantastic ageing potential and show real depth of flavour and character with unique grape varieties, Tam said. The event was held in aid of the Sovereign Art Foundation and the money raised will go towards supporting programmes in Cambodia, India and elsewhere which use art as therapy and rehabilitation for disadvantaged children.

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o o d

o o d

cheese across Asia

Galbani Mozzarella

Spreading

Although not a natural part of the Asian diet, Daniel Creffield finds that cheese is nevertheless growing in popularity across the region
peaking at the launch of the first Hong Kong cheese festival, Jeremy Evrard, manager of Caprice restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong, says that unquestionably there has been a huge rise in cheese consumption in Hong Kong and regionally. Hong Kong certainly leads the way in this, he insists. There has been a clear change over the past five or six years we have had time to see this. People here have an appreciation of different cultures. Cheese boutiques are opening here, people turn up for cheese tastings at 10am! He stresses though that as far as restaurant sales are concerned, however, cheese is not making real money in its own right. It works together with the food and the wine to offer a complete dining experience. And he says that in terms of the regional market for cheese, while Japan is the most developed, followed by Hong Kong, cities such as Shanghai and Singapore are not far behind. This is a sentiment shared by Patrice Marchand, general manager of France-based French Export Food and beverages, a sponsor of the cheese festival, which included dinners, tastings and workshops showcasing more than 200 unusual cheeses. French cheese refiners Philippe Marchand (Patrices brother), and Dominique Bouchait led a team of chefs, sommeliers and other F&B professionals in a celebration of all things cheese. Japan is our biggest market, unquestionable, he states. We have been working with Hisada, a major cheese supplier there, for more than 10 years. However, we believe the markets in Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia have the potential to be as big as Japans. And Hong Kong, of course.

President brand

Emmental-Coeur de Meule

Rare cheeses at the Four Seasons Hotel

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Jeremy Evrard, manager of Caprice restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong

educated, they recognise a good product. This kind of food is not naturally part of most Asian peoples culture, but they are as open as anyone else to try new things. Karen Lowe, sales director with Classified Bread and Cheese, says her company is one of the very few, if not the only one, to bring unfinished cheese into Hong Kong where it is allowed to mature before being sold, primarily to high-end hotels, restaurants and clubs. We bring over mildly unfinished cheese which only needs a few weeks or months to mature, which means we can offer it in various stages of finish to our clients and that it never arrives past its prime. To back up this bold step, Classified also brought out a full-time assineur (cheese finisher) who arrived in January. The firm also offers training of staff in all things cheese, as well as creating merchandise displays, and offers a cheese-wine matching service. So clearly it sees a growing potential in Hong Kong and regionally. The Asian market is changing, Lowe insists. People here are travelling more, becoming more educated in international eating trends and are consequently more adventurous. Local people have become really interested in more unusual cheeses not necessarily strong cheeses but there is certainly a swing to more European cheeses. They are also drinking more fine wine, and they want to complement this with quality cheese. Lowe maintains that consumers here, as in the West, have become much more concerned about the source of the products they eat. People increasingly want to know where their food comes

Bongrain cheeses are widely used in sauces and other cooking applications

from. They want more natural products, made without chemicals. In the West there is a real move in most culinary areas towards small-scale production. After so many food scares they want to go back-to-basics, and this is something definitely beginning to creep into Asia as well. Also people are more educated in health issues and there is a definite drive to eat more calcium-rich products. Whether for health reasons or pure indulgence, there is no doubt that interest in, and sales of cheese, and increasingly, cheeses traditionally outside the comfort zone of many Asian consumers, is a trend which is only going to continue.

Lactalis Galbani Mascarpone is a leading brand in Italy

Chef Marco Torre, chef at the Hong Kong Grand Hyatts Grissini Italian restaurant

Elle & Vire product popularity is growing in Asia

He echoes Evrards opinion that the market has expanded hugely in Asia over the past 10 years or so. As with wine, there was always great potential but we are surprised nevertheless with how popular cheese has become in the region. He stresses though, that selling to Asia is all about finding the right suppliers. Its impossible for us to sell directly ourselves. We need to find suppliers who share our enthusiasm for the product. So its all about networking, meeting people in the industry around the region and getting contacts. And this takes time to build up. Marco Torre, a chef who has been working at the Hong Kong Grand Hyatts Italian restaurant Grissini since 2006, says he has seen first-hand how Asian palates have become more sophisticated when it comes to exploring more unusual cheese. While 70 percent of diners are local, we see guests from around the region, he says. And while for them the most popular cheeses will always be mozzarella, parmigiano and ricotta [in cooking], we see an increasing demand for more pungent cheeses such as gorgonzola. We introduced our cheese trolley just over a year ago and it is going well. And while Asian diners still tend to go for safe choices, gorgonzola is becoming increasingly popular partly because it is so famous and partly because they trust us. They are very open to trying new things. However, he agrees with Marchand that supply is everything. When I arrived at Grissini there was one main Italian supplier in Hong Kong. Now there are four. Having access to more product means we can offer a wider range to guests and this in turn makes them more confident to try new things. Its still likely to be the usual suspects they will go for, but even with more challenging and exciting cheeses they can see the quality. They are becoming very

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Model: D-290
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Floridas Natural growers say as close to the grove as you can get

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hile there is no disputing that the traditional favourites orange (by some distance), pineapple, apple and grapefruit still dominate hotel breakfast tables, discerning consumers are beginning to demand more exotic, and often more expensive juices, such as pomegranate, blueberry, acai and cherry. In Asia, while local juices such as mango and watermelon have long been popular, more Western-influenced juices are beginning to infiltrate. One that is slowly entering the consciousness of the general public is cranberry, often regarded as the original super fruit. Cranberries are rich in antioxidants, natural compounds and vitamin C. Research has also revealed that they contain powerful condensed tannins called proanthocyanidins, or PACs. These are natures natural agents that can help maintain health as part of a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle, by acting on certain harmful bacteria in the body. Recent science suggests that PACs may work by stopping certain bacteria from adhering in the body. The worlds largest manufacturer of cranberry juice drinks is US-based Ocean Spray, which has been producing the drink for more than 60 years. Chris Chan works for Telford International, a Hong Kong-based distributor of wine and spirits and beverages covering Hong Kong, Macau and Mainland China, and the sole distributor of Ocean Spray in Hong Kong. He says that there is a definite trend towards healthier drinks such as cranberry juice. People in Asia are becoming far more

POM Wonderful presses the pomegranate in a similar way to the wine-making process, which results in antioxidant-rich juice

Although orange juice is still top of the tree as far as hotel guests are concerned, more exotic juices and superjuices continue to grow in popularity. AHCT takes a look at the new trends

statement with
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Making a super alternative

juices
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health-orientated. While the Hong Kong market is dominated by orange juice, sales of Ocean Spray are very stable and growing slowly as more people become aware of its health properties. He adds that the Ocean Spray formula has to be tweaked for the market in Hong Kong as local people may find it too sharp, although the raw materials are identical. Away from its health properties, Chan notes that cranberry juice is still popular in cocktails such as Sex On The Beach and Cosmopolitan, immortalised in the television show Sex And The City.

Superjuicers to watch out for

Bacos Grassroots range includes natural additives such as ginseng and ginkgo biloba

Baco Pty is one of Australias premium fruit juice producers. Its all-organic range includes Apple Tree, which is made from crushed Australian apples. With great taste and with one of the freshest looks in the fridge, Apple Tree is found in quality cafes and food retailers. The range encompasses nine flavours, is naturally cloudy, is 100 percent fruit, contains no added sugar or artificial flavours, colours or preservatives and has a 14-month shelf life. Meanwhile Bacos Grassroots range, based on the concept of wellness, boasts the same properties but adds natural additives such as ginseng, ginkgo biloba, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. POM Wonderful, meanwhile, focuses on just one fruit the pomegranate. The company manages the entire process from tree to bottle growing, hand picking and crushing every pomegranate

that goes into POM Wonderfuls 100 percent pomegranate juice. POM Wonderful guarantees that its products only come from one source its own California-grown Wonderful variety of pomegranate. The entire pomegranate is pressed in a similar way to the wine-making process, which results in antioxidant-rich pomegranate juice. With a pomegranate orchard that spans over 7,200 hectares, POM Wonderful owns and operates the largest pomegranate farming operation in the US, growing and juicing its own pomegranates. The Wonderful variety of pomegranate is renowned for its sweet flavour, health benefits and bountiful juice, and it is the only variety of pomegranate on which extensive scientific research has been carried out. Acai is regarded as one of natures most complete and healthy foods. The acai berry is loaded with antioxidants, amino acids, essential omegas, fibre and proteins. Some of the health benefits associated with the acai berry are an increase in sustained energy, healthy cholesterol support, improvement of the digestive system and strengthening the immune system. Leading acai producer Acai Roots offers a range of acai berry products, made by Brazilians from Rio de Janeiro, who were themselves raised on Acai. Acai Roots wild harvested acai comes from the Belem region of the State of Para, where Brazil produces its finest berries.

Leading acai producer Acai Roots offers a range of products

What are the healthiest fruit juices, and what are they good for?
Pomegranate: Anti-cancer, protects the heart and cardiovascular system Blueberry: Lowers high cholesterol, protects the nervous system from oxidative damage (many people can eliminate statin drugs by eating more blueberries) Acai: Anti-cancer, reduces digestive cancer risk, supports healthy nervous system function Noni: Extremely potent anti-cancer, immune-boosting fruit Blueberries are believed to lower high cholesterol and protect the nervous system from oxidative damage (tastes terrible, though, if its real) Cherry: Anti-inflammatory reduces or ends arthritis pain, anthocyanins are also anti-cancer Cranberry: Well-known to eliminate urinary tract infections (and even helps protect from airborne viral infections) Wheatgrass: Contains most of the vitamins and minerals needed for human health, its a whole meal and complete protein with about 30 enzymes.

The simple thing to remember is that every berry contains natural medicines and the smaller the berry, the more potent the medicine. So large berries such as cherries, strawberries and grapes are not as medicinally potent as tiny berries like cranberries, blackberries, raspberries, acai and redcurrants. The more vibrant the colour of the berry, the more medicine it contains. Strong or bright colours indicate higher density of natural medicine. To get the most benefits, eat a large diversity of berries on a regular basis. Dont just stick to eating or drinking one type of berry. Instead, seek out a wide variety of berries and other superfruits. Source: www.naturalnews.com/022029.html

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Ming Fai is the supplier of everyBody Labo hotel series Spa collection

Prestige products such as Lanvin and Chopard come under Adas Brand Collection

The business of beauTy

Ada Green Collection Naturals, certified with the EcoLabel by the European Union

Ming Fais O-London hotel series 1

f you ever wondered about the significance of amenities to guests and a hotels branding strategy, then watch out for the buzz that surrounds Hiltons roll-out of its new line of in-room amenities worldwide. The global hotel chain is replacing its popular customised Crabtree & Evelyn La Source amenities with a sought-after brand of skincare and bodycare products that has won legions of fans from its retail lines. Hiltons Peter Thomas Roth amenities feature products that promise to do more than simply clean and refresh tired guests. Think vitamin-infused shampoo and nobbly massage soaps. By opting for an upscale, results-orientated skin and bodycare brand Hilton is aiming to give its guests something extra that also reinforces their own brand. Travellers rely on us to provide a premium experience. This relationship pairs our global travel expertise with a major brand known for its cutting-edge approach and provides Hilton guests with highly sought-after products, says Dave Horton, global head, Hilton Hotels & Resorts. We are particularly pleased that our guests are the first people to experience multiple new products from Peter Thomas Roth in advance of their retail debut. The phased US launch is getting plenty of column inches in newspapers and magazines. And both Hilton and Peter Thomas Roth are generating a buzz on social media sites. As with any good luxury brand launch it also has a Facebook promotion where Hilton guests and fans of the brand are being encouraged to snap photos of the new line of amenities when they spot them in their hotel bathroom at approximately 300 Hilton properties in the Americas. More than 540 Hilton hotels worldwide are expected to offer the products by December 2011. Hiltons new global amenities line was developed by hotel amenities specialists Sysco Guest Supply. Speaking with AHCT in Hong Kong, Andrew Johnson, vice-president of guest supply Asia says Hiltons choices reflect a continued trend for hotels to offer more luxurious and branded in-room amenities that enhance their in-room experience.

Fusion part of Adas Care Collection

Hotel guests are looking out for in-room amenities on a par with a hotels luxury branding, which reflect trends in skincare and bodycare or provide the opportunity to try talkedabout products, writes Ruth Williams

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European alternative

Guest Supply Asias Aromatherapy Associates

Asian customers are very discerning and Asian hotels know which brands appeal Andrew Johnson
Ultimately hotels are looking to differentiate more are looking for branded toiletries that fit with their hotel brands DNA, he says. With these most luxurious brands the usage is higher than expected that to me is a successful programme it shows the guest is satisfied. Brands such as Salvatore Ferragamo and LVMHs Aqua Di Parma are doing particularly well in 5-star hotels in China, says Johnson. Asian customers are very discerning and Asian hotels know which brands will appeal. Amenities providers now work closely with hotel branding teams to produce unique lines whether they are branded, dual-branded or custom-made with the hotels own brand. During the development process Guest Supply Asias multidiscipline international team includes a US-based teams of designers, chemists and engineers for product and packaging development who work with trusted regional manufacturers to meet the exacting standards required. All our products meet the standards required by the EU, US and Japan when we build, we build to go global.

Ada Cosmetics claims to have invented private branded hotel cosmetics and has been manufacturing contemporary cosmetic concepts for the hotel bathroom and spas since 1979.The pioneering company is Europes leading hotel cosmetics producer and now provides private-branded products to hotels in the Middle East and Asia customised for each hotel and developed according to each hotels personality and wishes. Company spokesperson Hilde Hutchings says Ada has comprehensive expertise in offering high quality cosmetics to perfectly match the clients vision while simultaneously communicating the hotels brand. She says guests demand first-class cosmetics in a first-class hotel and there is a new expectation that in-room amenities should correspond with new cosmetic developments and trends as well as fitting the hotels style. It must be real and authentic. she says. Ada offers more than 5,000 personal care products, however the company says it is not the quantity but the class and flair of each series that convinces users. Its four collections include a Brand Collection featuring Chopard, Lanvin, Aveda and Face Stockholm. Ada also offers a Spa Collection, Care Collection and a Green collection. Hutchings adds: Now more than ever, guests want to know what they are putting on their skin. Hotels too, must be able to trust the credibility and ultimate tolerability of their cosmetic products, at every location in the world.
Tuscan Soul by Salvatore Ferragamo

Bulgari

Developing brands and buzz

Guest Supply Asia provides a variety of branded amenities including Acqua di Parma

Vivian Gao of Ming Fai Group says there is definitely a growing demand for high quality-luxury amenities from 5-star properties in Asia, and China in particular. Hotels want to provide best quality hotel experiences to guests by offering qualified in-room amenities, she says. Ming Fai is the exclusive distributor of Molton Brown amenities in China and also offers branded amenities such as Acca Kappa, Borghese, and Aigner in China. In addition to supplying branded amenities to hotels and airlines, the company has also created its own luxury skincare brands O-London and everyBodyLabo which have created a buzz in the Hong Kong market. Gao explains that O-London is a unisex, simple, chic brand for stylish and sophisticated users, while everyBodyLabo (which was developed in conjunction with celebrity make-up artist Rick Chin) is a Japanese-style spa line. There has been huge interest in these products. They can be found at Mannings stores across Hong Kong and Harvey Nichols, says Gao. EveryBodyLabo and O-London are also available as in-room amenities. We create products tailored for luxury hotels with smaller sizes and provide more variety for customers to choose, everyBodyLabo is available in 37ml and O-London is 60ml the bodycare series for hotels contain the same ingredients from our retail spa collection, she adds.

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Antibacterial non-stick coating with a precious handle in mother-of-pearl optics Coating on the blade: prohibits the food to stick on it and is easy to clean You will glide easily through the cutting materials

www.fdick.com 38 A HCT July 2011

knives . ancillary items . sharpening steels . grinding machines

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Victorinox says the balance of its forged knives means using them for prolonged periods of time is a real pleasure

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edge

CuTTing

Leading knife manufacturers work hard to win over chefs and convince them that their knives are a cut above the rest, writes Ruth Williams
or Ferran Adria, the knife is the most astonishing technology. Like many chefs, Adria says the most important technology is not as you may expect: [not] some strange or weird high-tech equipment associated with El Bullis molecular gastronomy but rather the humble, simple knife. However humble knives may be, finding the perfect one is not easy and their manufacture is complex and exacting. Modern knife production draws on traditions of swordsmiths, blacksmiths, metallurgists and the latest in technology and ergonomics. German knife manufacturer Friedr. Dick acknowledges that some chefs stick with the brands they first encountered during their training, or advice from mentors, but says that chefs are converted to their knives when they experience the exacting quality of their product. Manufactured in Germany since 1778, F. Dicks quality standards are tightly controlled during the production process. It produces a complete range of knives, sharpening steels and ancillary items for chefs and butchers in Asia. The long tradition and the years of experience gained in the manufacture of products for chefs and butchers have enabled ongoing development of innovative new products, says Claudia Scholz-Knobloch from F. Dicks product management department in Germany.

Talking knives

As well as its extensive range of Western knives, Giesser also offers Chinese-style cleavers and Japanese Santoku knives Manufactured in Germany since 1778, F. Dick knives are subjected to a rigorous quality standards process

Word-of-mouth recommendations by chefs is very important, as is creating opportunities to actually handle a selection of knives. In addition to its presence in retail outlets and trade fair exhibitions F. Dick supplies many national culinary teams and cooking schools. Scholz-Knobloch says customer feedback and practical experience have been the impetus for some of its products. Recently, F. Dick

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Wusthof s knives are also used by national culinary teams including those of Singapore and Japan. For the fans of the Asian shape of knives you will find Santokus and Naikiris in different lengths and with different cutting edges, says Kirsten. All knives are forged from a single piece of high-carbon steel X50CrMoV15. The company says its seamless handles are more hygienic and ergonomic, designed to be perfectly sized and proportioned to ensure the best feel and safe handling. Wellmatched handles and blade sizes are designed for the way each knife is meant to be used, Kirsten explains.

Victorinox says the balance of its forged knives in a chef s hand is so perfect that even long periods of working with them is a real pleasure. Established as cutler (knife maker) in Switzerland in 1884, Victorinox is best known as the inventors of the Swiss Army Knife. In 2010 Victorinox launched a range of HACCP-friendly knives with coloured grips. The knives non-slip Fibrox handles can be sterilised at up to 150O C, offering high levels of food safety. In addition Victorinox provides a lifetime guarantee covering all material and manufacturing defects. Chefs desire for the perfectly balanced knife led German kitchenware brand Jiminox to develop their Pro Balance line of knives with an adjustable weight system in the handle, that allows chefs to tailor the weight of knives to their personal preference. Theresa Li, marketing manager for Golden Sun Home Products acknowledges the knife market is very competitive, but says the ProBalance has created a real breakthrough in knife history with its innovative product design. ProBalance knives have received a Red Dot design award and most recently won the Kitchen Innovation of the Year 2011. Famous fans include Australian chef Martin Carlis and Hong Kongs demon chef Alvin Leung. Not many people can afford tailor-made knives, but our design fulfils this requirement. After your own adjustments, the knife will become your personal knife, says Li. Most people come back and buy more because they can adjust it by themselves until they fully satisfied.

Wusthof knives regularly feature on popular television food shows

F. Dick supplies many national culinary teams including the Welsh team with its range of knives

Inserat_210x148_Layout 1 19.04.10 11:44 Seite 1

Modern knife production draws on traditions of swordsmiths, blacksmiths, metallurgists and the latest in technology and ergonomics
worked with the World Association of Chefs Societies to produce a line of premium chef s knives. Frankie Lai, marketing director at Mundial in Hong Kong, says all knife manufacturers face the challenge of persuading chefs that their knives are superior. He takes a long-term view. Its a habit which is subjective and can be changed with time. With our long history in the industry, good and consistent quality and affordable prices, many chefs are becoming Mundial fans. Originally founded in Germany in 1931, Mundial is now headquartered in Brazil and is one of the leading North American brands of cutlery and kitchen accessories used in professional restaurants. Lai says chefs like the feel of Mundial knives in their hands and appreciate their knives long-lasting sharpness, the ease of re-sharpening and balance of control. For added confidence the Mundial 5600 series knives and accessories have sanitised antimicrobial protection, which is the safe treatment of the polypropylene handles to guard against bacteria, yeast, mould and fungi and meeting all foodservice industry standards for sanitation. Also from Germany, Giesser Messer was founded by Johannes

Giesser in 1776, and today its product range comprises more than 2,500 different hand-forged or stamped knives and accessories. Managing director Hans-Joachim Giesser says the brand is well known in Europe and regarded as reliable and of high quality. In addition to its extensive range of Western knives, Giesser also offers Chinese-style cleavers and Japanese Santoku knives Food safety and high quality are our main concern. Currently we are carrying five different lines of chef knives in different price segments. Along with the knives, we are offering a wide range of utensils and other tools related to the kitchen from a cleaver to a sharpening machine, says Giesser. Chefs love our fine steel which is made from a special alloy X55CrMo14 which offers a perfect edge-holding and sharpness. Thanks to a special vacuum hardening system our knives stay sharp for a long time. Giesser points out the companys main products for professional kitchens are HACCP colour-coded knives that meet any possible industry requirement.

German quality

German engineering, production and quality control is also behind the success of Wusthof knives. Wusthof s appearances on popular television food shows such as Masterchef and Hells Kitchen no doubt help retail sales, but public relations manager Bjrn Kirsten says Wusthof wins loyal fans among chefs by manufacturing knives of the highest quality. Wusthof offers seven different forged knife lines plus accessories to professional chefs and hotels. In total there are more than 700 items in our assortment we can supply hotels with knives for any need.

Victorinox goes HACCP

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THE MAKERS OF THE ORIGINAL SWISS ARMY KNIFE I WWW.VICTORINOX.COM

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Certifiable bathroom amenities

Industry supplier, Ada Cosmetics, has launched Floraluxe, a certified natural body care line. Over 98 percent of the ingredients are of natural origin and at least half are plant-based, achieving the EcoCert, one of Europes leading certification associations for natural and organic products. Shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, body lotion and cream soap are made with ingredients such as cotton flower extract, almond oil, mint, cucumber and essence of bamboo with no dyes, artificial fragrances, parabens, silicones or mineral oils. Products are available in dispensers, 30ml and 150ml packs, the soap in 15g and 40g sachets and packaging is recyclable. For more information: www.ada-cosmetics.com

Blowing hot and cold

Rancilio presents the Classe 9 Xcelsius, incorporating a new system to controls the temperature during espresso extraction. It features a unique water system with double-phase heating, cutting-edge brew group architecture and innovative control electronics to bring a precise, sophisticated form of temperature control. Compared with traditional heat exchange systems, Xcelsius enables easy adjustment and guarantees stability and precision of the brewing temperature. As the temperature of the water used when extracting coffee is one of the main parameters that influences the taste, the new system has been developed to be flexible and dynamic so that increasing or decreasing water temperature during the extraction process temperature profiling is made easy. For more information: www.rancilio.com

An ecological, economical wash

Milanese washing machine manufacturer Comendas new ECO2 range concentrates on the two concepts of ecology and economy. The new machines are designed to guarantee energy savings of up to 40 percent, reduce production of carbon dioxide and are made using 98 percent recyclable materials. Comenda is committed to providing a vast choice of machines and instrumentation able to adapt to various requirements, guaranteeing high performance with innovative technology in order to ensure manageability, easy maintenance and improved working conditions for operators. For more information: www.comenda.eu

So to bed
Dolums contemporary, high-end floating beds are the perfect way to show guests they have chosen to stay in a luxury hotel. Incorporating the ideas of architects, interior designers and buyers, the beds are made to exacting standards to ensure comfort and durability as well as eye-popping style. For more information: www.dolum.fr

Handle with care

The newly launched Architecture 3.0 Collection by Victorinox is a durable, high-quality business case to meet todays frequent business travellers variety of needs. Combining superior storage space, protection and classic style, The collection offers protective cases for 13, 15 and 17 laptops, with interior and exterior organisation for storage of accessories. A book-style opening allows the bag to lie flat on the belt for X-ray security scanning, while removable sleeves make getting through airport security quick and easy as well as keeping laptops fully protected during screenings. Breathable windows help extend battery life and nylon fabric delivers extreme durability. The one-touch light-weight aluminium handle system features comfort grip technology while 80mm inline skate wheels dampen vibrations. The patented Retrax Retractable Wheel System allows wheels to store when the bag is carried. For more information: www.victorinox.com
44 A HCT July 2011
Victorinox also supplies a wide range of luxury baggage

Square pearls
Ziehers new buffet range, Pearl, is made with genuine seashells. The cubes are the result of highly sophisticated handicraft with every shell pressed wafer-thin into the desired shape. The single pieces are then arranged in an elaborate herringbone pattern. The attachment of fibreglass on the inside and highly polished artificial resin on the outside protects the inlaid work and ensures stability. Available in different heights of, 8, 16, and 24 cm, the cubes have four adjustable feet to create some distance from the tabletop and facilitate easy installation of the optional LED lighting system. Extras made of glass clear, milky, grey or black allow multiple design variations. For more information: www.zieher.com

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v E n t s

DATE

EvENT

DETAilS

ORGANizER

Aug 25 27

The 9th Natural Products Expo Asia Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre Wanchai Hong Kong Restaurant & Bar Hong Kong 2011 Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre Wan Chai, Hong Kong

The international exhibition for natural, organic and health products and supplies.

New Hope Natural Media, a division of Penton Media Inc. Unit B, 3/F, EIB Centre, 40 Bonham Strand, Sheung Wan Hong Kong Tel: +852 2975 9051 Fax: +852 2857 6144 www.naturalproductsasia.com Diversified Events Hong Kong Rm 2707B, 27/F, Island Place Tower, 510 Kings Road, North Point, Hong Kong Tel: +852 3105 3970 Fax: +852 3105 3974 www.restaurantandbarhk.com Malaysian Exhibition Services Suite 1401, 14th Floor, Plaza Permata, Jalan Kampar 50400, Kuala Lumpur Tel: +603 4041 0311 Fax: +603 4043 7241 www.foodandhotel.com Singapore Exhibition Services 1 Jalan Kilang Timor, #09-02 Pacific Tech Centre Singapore 159303 Tel: +65 6233 6638 Fax: +65 6233 6633 www.foodnhotelvietnam.com Organizing Secretariat, Laura Lonc Tel: +39 02 4997 6626 laura.lonca@fieramilano.it

Sept 6 8

Now in its ninth year, Restaurant & Bar Hong Kong attracts over 11,500 top-end restaurant buyers and is widely regarded as the definitive event for the bar and restaurant industry.

Sept 20 23

Food and Hotel Malaysia 2011 Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Food & Hotel Vietnam 2011 Saigon Convention and Exhibition Centre Vietnam HOST International Exhibition of the Hospitality Industry Fiera Milano Milan Italy International Hotel, Motel Restaurant Show Jacob K Javits Convention Center 655 W 34th St New York NY 10001 FHC China Shanghai New International Expo Centre Pudong, Shanghai China Annapoorna World of food India International Exhibition and Conference for the Food & Beverage Industry Mumbai

FHM 2011 is anticipated to be bigger and more elaborate than the last event.

Sept 28 30

The sixth event of Vietnams most established international food and hospitality trade event.

Oct 21 25

Host is the leading international trade fair with six specialised areas: food service equipment, bread/ pizza/pasta, bar/coffee machines, ice cream parlours/ confectionery, coffee, hotel & spa.

Nov 12 15

A show specialising in dcor, technology, foodservice equipment, flavours, linens, amenities, tableware and other industry essentials.

GLM 1133 Westchester Avenue White Plains, NY 10604-3547 Tel: +1 914 421 3346 Fax: +1 914 948 6197 www.ihmrs.com China International Exhibitions Ltd Room 2402, Singular Mansion No. 318 - 322 Xian Xian Road, Shanghai 200336, China Tel: +86 21 6209 5209 Fax: +86 21 6209 5210 www.fhcchina.com Koelnmesse GmbH and Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). Koelnmesse GmbH, Messeplatz 1, 50679 Cologne, Germany Tel: +49 221 821 3939 Fax: +49 221 821 3723 m.tillmann@koelnmesse.de www.worldoffoodindia.com Messe Frankfurt Shanghai (Beijing Office) Rm 1721, Tower 2, Bright China Chang An Building No. 7 Jian Guo Men Nei Avenue, East District Beijing 100005, PR China Tel: +86 10 6517 1388 Fax: +86 10 6510 2799 texcare.messefrankfurt.com Coastal International Exhibition Co., Ltd Room 2106, China Resources Building 26 Harbour Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong Tel: +852 2827 6766 Fax: +852 2827 6870 general@coastal.com.hk www.hotel-exhibition.com

Nov 16 18

The 15th international exhibition for food, drink, hospitality, foodservice, bakery and retail industries.

Nov 16 18

Food is the biggest consumption category in India with a market size of US$181 billion. With a population of more than one billion individuals and food constituting a major part of the consumers budget, this sector has a greater prominence than other businesses in the country. This is the sixth hosting of this successful event.

Nov 17 19

Texcare Asia China International Exhibition Center Beijing China

Texcare Asia is the leading international laundry and dry-cleaning trade fair in the region. The sixth edition will focus on environmental compatibility and sustainability.

Nov 23 25

The 7th International Hotel Expo Hotel Expo 2011 Cotai Strip CotaiExpo The Venetian Macao Macao

Hotel Equipment & Supplies Expo incorporates not only the largest collection of hospitality-related exhibitors in the country but also foodcourts, stalls, and demonstration areas.

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x h i b i t i o n s

x h i b i t i o n s

Buyers flock to Dubai

Record-breaking Asia Hotel Investment Conference

Coming next The Hotel Show 2012 Dubai World Trade Centre 15-17 May 2012 www.thehotelshow.com

40 percent increase in visitor numbers year-on-year at The Hotel Show 2011, Dubai, reflects the buoyant industry mood throughout the region, say organisers. The tradeshow, which took place at the Dubai World Trade Centre, welcomed more than 14,800 visitors compared with 10,500 the year before. More importantly, 38 percent of visitors were looking for new suppliers this year and more than 28 percent of those surveyed placed orders in excess of one million dollars, said Frederique Maurell, exhibition director. Industry analysts estimate US$6 billion worth of hotel-related projects mainly in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE are due for completion within the next two years and against this platform European and US companies are looking east. Covering operating equipment and supplies, interiors and design, outdoor and resort experience and security and technology, companies representing 420 brands from more than 45 countries occupied 20,000 square metres of exhibition space this year. Germany had the largest country pavilion, followed by Turkey, France, Italy, Cyprus, China, Thailand, Belgium, Spain, Portugal and the UK. One of the goals of the show was to present forums where greater understanding of latest innovations and technological advances could be achieved. With that in mind, running alongside the exhibition the inaugural industry talk-fest, HITT 2011, attracted over 100 delegates. The conferences primary focus was innovation and trends in technology. Other show highlights included the Middle East Spa Awards, The Student Design Gallery and Awards, the Corporate Catwalk, the Industry Association Meetings as well as a key buyers programme which attracted 500 participants who each represented projects valued over one million dollars.

he Asia Hotel Investment Conference (AHIC) third outing this year assembled a crowd of leading names from the hotel investment industry to the Venetian Macau. More than 300 senior hotel executives and investment directors participated in the three-day conference, which featured an owners focus on the first day this year, attracting more than 40 brand and property owners. The theme of this years conference was Five key elements for hotel development, including feasibility reports, operations and branding, financing and development risks, and prospects for development. The final day of the conference addressed issues between owners and lenders, and new investors and current owners. As well as the conference there were ample networking opportunities, cocktail receptions and hospitality tours. Participants were extremely enthusiastic in sharing ideas with their peers and renewing connections within the industry, said Kevin Murphy, AHIC conference programme director. With visitors coming from across Asia as well as Europe, the UAE, UK and US, the event gave participants the chance to hear perspectives on a number of different markets.

Details of 2012 event yet to be announced www.ihif-asiapacific.com

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Fascinating insight into Indian hospitality development

his years India Hotel Expansion Summit, organised by Noppen, took place between May 19-20 in Mumbai, India, bringing together government representatives, industry experts and members of the international community to discuss the question of how to expand Indias hotel industry. The hospitality industry is one of the fastest growing sectors of the Indian economy. Riding on the economic growth and rising income levels India has witnessed in recent years, hospitality has emerged as one of the key sectors driving the countrys economy. The current market size is US$23 billion, accounting for 2.2 percent of Indias GDP. Rising disposable incomes and increase in double-income households have also played a part in this growth phenomenon. Hotels in India have a total of 110,000 rooms. To put things into perspective, New York City has 80,000 rooms. According to the tourism ministry, 4.4 million tourists visited India last year and, at current levels, demand will soar to 10 million in 2011. Therefore, India has a shortage of 150,000 rooms, fuelling hotel room rates across the country. With this tremendous opportunity, India is without question a destination for hotel chains looking to expand. At India Hotel Expansion Summit, key speaker Nakul Anand, president of the Hotel Association of India and executive director of ITC, gave an insightful speech into the statistics and trends of the hospitality sector in India, comparing the China and India markets. Another key speaker, Vithal Kamat, executive chairman and managing director of Kamat Hotels (India), explained the reasoning behind Kamats investment in green hotels. He spoke in detail of the steps needed to be taken to be successful, emphasising that design and construction are most important when building a green hotel. Jyoti Narang, chief operating officer luxury division, Taj Hotels, Palaces & Resorts spoke on enhancing the guest experience. She touched on the differences between developed destinations and emerging economies and how there is contradicting customer behaviour between the two. Sudeep Jain, executive vice-president of Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels made an interesting point about the fact that India (the whole country) has fewer hotel rooms compared to a major cities such as Beijing, and that while key Indian cities including New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore have a long way to go to match up to their international counterparts, there is potential for growth. Other notable speakers came from the Hotel Association of India, Marriott International and Starwood Asia Pacific Hotels & Resorts. Overall the event provided a fascinating insight into the future development of the Indian hospitality industry.

Another portion of success on order for September

he organising committee of Restaurant & Bar 2011 recently met to discuss the themes for this year. Since its inception nine years ago the show has relied on the support and ideas of the Hong Kong F&B industry to make this trade-only, food service, end-users show successful. One of the ideas has already been put into action with the worlds first wine by the glass restaurant awards set up. In recognition of restaurants in Hong Kong, Macau and southern China which provide their customers with the best selection of wines by the glass, the awards will also recognise restaurants that assist customers in their wine selection by recommending which wines would best accompany each dish. The awards are divided into three categories: hotel restaurant; independent restaurant; and group restaurant. The judging will be carried out by a panel of independent industry experts, wine professionals and sommeliers. Copies of the wine list and restaurant menu plus written submissions will serve as entries for the competition. Winners will be announced at the Restaurant & Bar show coming in September.

Detials of the 2012 event yet to be announced www.noppen.com

Restaurant & Bar Hong Kong 2011 Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre Wan Chai, Hong Kong 6 - 8 September 2011

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SIAL China 2011 still no 1 in China

Thaifex World of Food Asia satisfies palates

Coming next SiAl China 2012 New International Expo Centre Shanghai, China May 9-11, 2012 www.sialchina.com

IAL China 2011 has consolidated its position as the largest F&B trade event in China after the success of its 12th show, held from May 18-20 in Shanghai. The 1,520 exhibitors up 15 percent from 2010 from 76 countries and regions attracted 33,265 visitors, which represented a nine percent increase over 2011. The event took up 60,000 square metres of exhibition space, up 25 percent, with nine product zones: wine and spirits, dairy, sweets and confectionery, organic, gourmet, tea and coffee, halal, frozen food and canned and preserved food. The 19 international pavilions at the show represented Korea, France, USA, Taiwan, Malaysia, Brazil, Morocco, Tunisia, Turkey, Uruguay, Portugal, Argentina, Netherlands, Spain, Ireland, Poland, Greece, Germany, Italy and 28 Chinese provinces and regions. A large delegation of ministers, ambassadors, consuls and trade officers participated in the opening ceremony, including Frances minister of foreign affairs and ambassador and consul. The guest country of honour, Korea, was represented by its viceminister for food and fisheries while many other countries were officially represented. The Trends and Innovations competition taking place at the event showcased 25 innovative products from more than 15 worldwide countries and two special prizes were awarded. Another important part of the show was the Wine Innovation Forum, with more than 300 exhibitors coming from many countries. This was the 12th time the event has taken place, and this year it included a panel of 21 judges made up of wine buyers, sommeliers, professional bartenders and trade journalists. Prizes were awarded in 12 different categories.

Coming next Thaifex 2012 Impact Exhibition & Convention Centre Bangkok, Thailand May 2012 www.worldoffoodasia.com

sias fast-growing economies and more urbanised populations are making the region a global magnet for exploring opportunities and innovation in the food and beverage market. Dubbed Southeast Asias largest food and beverage platform, this years Thaifex featured extensive product ranges alongside seminars and workshops. The leading food and beverage fair took more than 23,000 visitors from 118 countries on a culinary journey. Thats up nearly nine percent on the previous years attendance figures, and an overall growth of 29 percent since the first outing in 2004. A strong international contingent was underlined by the fact 23 percent of visitors came from overseas, with Malaysia, China and Japan the top three. More than 800 trade missions from eight countries represented the highest numbers since Thaifex introduction and 1,000 exhibiting companies from 25 countries, close to half of which came from outside Thailand, presented an extensive line-up of products. Latest product offerings, industry technologies and manufacturing developments in food production, packaging, storage, presentation and sales were showcased. We are pleased with the wider variety of exhibitors and impressive turnout this year, said S. Jai Shankar, trade counsellor, Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation. The Health and Organic zone at the exhibition, which housed 27 specific food producers, in particular mirrored consumer trends across Asia as consumers are becoming more discerning about ingredients and food preparation. Another crowd-puller was the World of Halal Conference, back for a second run after the successful introduction last year. Through seven interactive sessions, World of Halal brought forward prevalent issues in the emerging Halal market, such as Reaching to the New halal Consumer, Managing Halal in Southeast Asia and The Role of CICT in the Burgeoning Thailand Halal Market. In particular, the session Opportunities for Halal Products in Australia was well-attended.

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Langham Place Mongkok, Hong Kong, has appointed Alka Datwani as director of communications. Datwani will focus on driving hotel revenue for rooms, F&B and spa operations. Her background includes consulting for Galaxy Macaus pre-opening following roles with Starwood Hotels & Resorts.
Alka Datwani William Girard

Fresh from a two-and-a-half year tenure at Al Mahara, the Burj Al Arab Dubais fine dining restaurant, William Girard has joined Whisk, the modern European restaurant at The Mira Hong Kong. Girard was most recently at V9 at the Sofitel Silom, Bangkok.

Aticha (Ally) Pasaprates has been appointed director of sales and marketing at the Rasananda Resort & Spa (managed by Anantara Hotels and Resorts). Her main role will be providing tailored services to individual customers. She was most recently director of public relations and communications at the InterContinental Hua Hin Resort, Thailand. Courtyard by Marriott, Thailand, has appointed Christian lueke as cluster director of marketing. Lueke will oversee the four Courtyard resorts in Thailand and brings with him substantial experience in marketing Thailand resorts to Europe, Asia and the Pacific. He was most recently with Thai-owned Onyx Hospitality Group, as group director of sales and marketing. George Wang has become general manager of GR8 Leisure Concept Limited, an Asian hospitality group based in Hong Kong. Prior to joining the group in December 2009, Wang gained more than 20 years experience at international hotel brands.

Absolute Hotel Ser vices In d i a h a s announced the appointment of Namrata Kalyani as regional director of marketing communications. Kalyani will be responsible for group strategy, marketing communications and public relations. Prior to this new role, she was marketing manager at Dignity Foundation.
Aticha Pasaprates Namrata Kalyani

Anantara Resorts and Spas has announced that Patrick Both is joining as general manager of the brands first property in Vietnam Anantara Mui Ne Vietnam due to open late 2011. Both joins the team at Mui Ne after almost two years as resident manager at Anantaras Maldivian properties.
Christian Lueke Patrick Both

Banyan Tree Holdings has announced the appointment of Adrian Croft as director of sales and marketing for the groups flagship property, Banyan Tree Phuket. Croft started his career at Banyan Tree in 2006 as the director of sales, UK. His most recent role was regional director, marketing Europe.
George Wang Adrian Croft

New World Saigon Hotel has appointed Joerg Becker as executive chef of its Parkview restaurant. Originally from Germany, Becker has worked in Spain, Scotland, England, and most recently as head chef for Holland American cruise lines.

The Conrad Bangkok has appointed vincent Mercurio to the position of general manager. Born in the US, Mercurio brings with him almost 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry and has worked worldwide. He was most recently GM at The London West Hollywood, US.
Joerg Becker Vincent Mercurio

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