HVS Monday Musings: Luxury Boutique Hotels – a growing concept in India

By Akash Datta and Dipti Mohan
Luxury boutique hotels and resorts, which is still at a nascent stage in India, is expected to become an increasingly preferred choice in the post-COVID era. Read on to know more.

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Fantauzzo Art Series Hotel Acquired by Ghassan Aboud’s Crystalbrook Collection for AUD75 Million

The Fantauzzo Art Series Hotel at Brisbane’s Howard Smith Wharves has been acquired by Crystalbrook Collection, owned by Syrian Billionaire, Ghassan Aboud, for AUD75 million. The new contemporary hotel features 166 rooms and suites, the renowned Italian Polpetta kitchen and bar, the elevated Fiume bar along with a rooftop pool, fitness centre and meeting spaces. The acquisition marks Crystalbrook’s entry into the Brisbane market and adds to its operations in Sydney, Byron Bay, Cairns, Newcastle, and Port Douglas. The sale was negotiated on behalf of the Australia-based hospitality company, Deague Group. The group developed several Quest Serviced Apartments nationally and converted the former PANCH hospital in Melbourne into an 850-plus room hotel before launching the Art Series brand and developing eight boutique properties around Australia. France-based multinational hospitality group, Accor S.A., will continue to manage the hotel until its official handover in the first half of 2021 with its new name under Crystalbrook Collection to be announced in the coming months.

Japan to Allow Entry for All Non-tourist New Visa Applicants from 1 October

From 1 October, Japan will ease its border restrictions to allow entry of new visa applicants apart from tourists from all regions. Under the existing restrictions, all travellers from 159 countries and regions have been denied entry. The relaxed border control measures will apply to new residents with permission to stay longer than three months, regardless of where they travel from. With the revision, which will not cover tourists, non-Japanese nationals will be allowed to travel to Japan in phases, for reasons including to provide medical services, engage in cultural activities or carry out educational activities. Following the change, the scope of eligible applicants will be expanded to include privately financed international students. The revised regulations will also cover visiting relatives using a family stay visa. However, Japan will allow only a limited number of new international arrivals, up to approximately 1,000 per day, partially due to limited testing capacity at airports. However, the government is planning to increase the number of tests conducted at international airports to 20,000 in November. The limitations will not apply to Japanese nationals. Travellers from regions with higher coronavirus infection numbers will be subject to stricter entry procedures.

Sabah Tourism Board Launches Domestic Travel Stimulus to Help Tour Operators

Local tour operators offering domestic travel packages will benefit from the Domestic Travel Stimulus under Sabah Tourism Board, supported by the state government. Under the stimulus, all Sabah-based licensed tour operators selling domestic tour packages which include accommodation, transportation and tours are eligible to an incentive of MYR50 per traveller as per criteria set by the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment. Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents President, Datuk Tan Kok Liang, shared that to qualify for the incentive, the travelling period for holiday makers must fall within 17 September 2020 to 31 March 2021. Tan also shared that the number of persons required is from a minimum of four pax up to 25 pax per package, so the incentive given would be between MYR200 to MYR1,250. According to Caretaker Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment, Datuk Christina Liew, the stimulus is implemented to provide incentive and assistance to tourism players during the difficult period, with emphasis on domestic tourism as international borders are still closed due to Covid-19 restrictions.

Thailand Approved Special Tourist Visa

Thailand’s government has recently approved the “Special Tourist Visa” (“STV”), a long-stay visa of 90 days that can be renewed twice. The government aims to start the STV by 1 October 2020 and will be available until 30 September 2021. The visitors with this program will be required to undergo a 14-day quarantine at the alternative local state quarantine. According to Tourism Authority of Thailand, there are 31 inquiries reported on the first day of the announcement in London, and over 22% of tourists are eager to return to Thailand from October 2020 to March 2021 out of the polling survey of 1,200 respondents. Kasikorn Research Centre stated that the STV strategy could bring back approximately THB1.5 to 2 billion to the economy in the fourth quarter of 2020.

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