Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2018 i Business Traveller Asia-Pacific Edition

AFTER its Asian debut in Shanghai, the critically acclaimed “Shoes: Pleasure and Pain” exhibition from London’s Victoria and Albert Museum will move to Sino-Ocean Taikoo Li Chengdu from March 15 to April 28. The collection dates back as far as the 1370s, tracing the delightful – and disturbing – footwear trends that have been adopted throughout the world. Shoe-lovers will be able to coo over the iconic designs of Christian Louboutin and Jimmy Choo, ogle the footwear of famous faces from Charlie Chaplin to Princess Diana, and see the notorious pair of Vivienne Westwood platforms that caused supermodel Naomi Campbell to stumble on the catwalk in 1993. The exhibition will next head to Guangzhou (May-June), Beijing (July-August) and Hong Kong (September-October). shoes.swireproperties.com/en…

AYANA RESORT AND SPA, BALI has unveiled its newly renovated spa villas, along with new products and treatments. Surrounded by the Indian Ocean, guests will enjoy the close presence of nature and the soothing sounds of waves during their treatment. Unique treatments include the two-hour Lava Me Tender ritual, which includes a foot soak, mineral lava body scrub, black rice bath, full-body deep-tissue massage and a volcanic earth body wrap to restore the skin’s radiance and elasticity. Priced from US$438 per person or US$679 for a couple. ayana.com…

Plaza Premium has lost the contract to operate Cathay Pacific’s lounges at Hong Kong International Airport to French company Sodexo. On the reason for the change, an airline spokesperson stated: “Cathay Pacific reviews its suppliers regularly as part of prudent business practice. We invited potential operators to a vigorous tender process last year and Sodexo has been appointed.” The first lounge to change hands will be The Deck (formerly Dragonair G16 lounge), which is set to reopen soon, with other departure lounges following throughout 2018. Plaza Premium will continue to operate Cathay Pacific’s facilities in Bangkok, Manila, Taipei, London, Vancouver, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Penang.…

After years of postwar struggle, South Korea has transformed into a technological and industrial success story Even though we were in a luxury people carrier with darkened windows designed to give the occupants a sense of privacy, the glances, smiles and waves made us feel all the more conspicuous as the vehicle edged around the royal palace end of Gwanghwamun Plaza. As the guide cheerily explained, our luxury vehicle was typical of the type used by K-pop stars, particularly those arriving at the plaza for an open-air concert that evening. We took our seats behind rows of diplomats, C-suite executives and their families to enjoy an evening of entertainment by some of the K-wave’s most celebrated talent in a concert that also featured a satellite link to the lighting of…

There’s been a wave of new serviced residence openings in Asia-Pacific over the past year, and more are launching in the coming months, offering increasing choice to business travellers who need a long-term “home” in the city. In fact, according to the Global Serviced Apartment Industry Report 2016-2017 (GSAIR), the global number of apartments worldwide now stands at 826, 759 – an increase of 10.5 per cent in the past 18 months. The stiffening competition has encouraged brands to improve their offering, with new services and facilities emerging beyond the standard norms. Here we highlight some of the best new options depending on whether you prioritise business services, F&B options, leisure facilities or family-friendly appeal. BUSINESS ON DEMAND A good location is always important when it comes to accommodation, but…

Along with its plentiful sights and activities, Dallas is also a major aviation centre, with Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) serving as one of the key hubs of national carrier American Airlines, particularly for its flights serving Asia-Pacific. “DFW is vital in American’s network as the premier connecting point between Asia and South America,” says Bimal Vadhani, senior manager of international operations at DFW. “The airport connects a large number of passengers from our China markets to Santiago [Chile] and Sao Paolo [Brazil] destinations. Cancun is also a popular destination for our customers from Seoul.” American Airlines’ commitment to the airport was displayed on October 25, 2017, when after a US$10 million investment it opened the first fully virtual Control Center in its network. The 10,000-square-foot (929 sqm) space sports…

1 Sydney Opera House With its billowing white sails and unmistakeable shape, Sydney’s most iconic landmark is often photographed but not always explored. There are multiple theatres inside including the stunning Concert Hall (featuring one of the world’s largest organs with more than 10,000 pipes) hosting more than 40 shows a week. If you’re tight on time, a guided tour of the venue is equally rewarding, revealing secret design details and the history of its creation: the highs and lows encountered by Danish architect Jørn Utzon have all the makings of a Hollywood biopic. Grab a spot of lunch afterwards in one of the on-site cafés and soak up the harbour views (just beware of the bold food-loving seagulls); sydneyoperahouse.com 2 Harbour cruise Stroll down to bustling Circular Quay, dotted…

FEATHERED FRIENDS A woman attempted to bring a peacock on board a United Airlines flight from Newark Airport to Los Angeles in late January, claiming the bird was for “emotional support”. CAUSING A STINK United Airlines flight UA895 from Chicago to Hong Kong was forced to land at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport in Alaska on January 5 after a passenger smeared faeces all over one of the toilets. SUPER FANS Two women were arrested at Singapore’s Changi Airport in late January after purchasing boarding passes to enter the transit area in order to meet a Korean boy band. The women had no intention of leaving Singapore. STOWAWAY PENSIONER A 66-year-old woman managed to fly from Chicago to London without a ticket or passport in January. The woman reportedly hid…

A modernistic Seoul landmark is Some Sevit, along the banks of the River Han. The cluster of three “floating islands” are actually registered ships, but at night they come into full glory as the colourfully aglow FIC (Floating Island Convention) that has hosted events for the likes of Hewlett Packard to Maserati, thanks to a car elevator and wall-to-ceiling views of the Han River. The F&B options continue with a classic French-dining room, a laid-back Western restaurant with pizza a speciality, and private dining rooms to suit most preferences. WALKING ON THE CLOUD Drinks at Some Sevit can be followed by a river-taxi trip that takes in landmarks such as the Banpo Bridge Rainbow Fountain, before a stop near Hanwha Group’s gold-tinted 63 Building in Yeouido. On the 59th level…

Ski, eat, onsen, repeat: Niseko in a nutshell. Renowned for its light, fluffy powder, off-piste forest boarding and lively après ski scene, Niseko is an addictive winter destination. But what if you aren’t – dare we say it – a skier or a boarder? If you’re not sporting the latest in ski fashion, tearing down the slopes at 70km/h by day and by night sharing increasingly impossible feats of derring-do over bottles of sake in an izakaya… do you have any business being in Niseko? Or, what if you have an unnatural craving for exploring Niseko in, say, summer? Do Hirafu, Annupuri and Moiwa even exist when the snow melts? The vast majority of Niseko’s international visitors don’t know it, but the prime ski town has evolved into a year-round…

When preparing for an important job interview, have you been told to “just be yourself ”? Or when feeling nervous about speaking in front of strangers, tried that trick of imagining everyone in the room naked? You’re right – they’re useless bits of advice. Like it or not, you now have to be masters of self-branding and self-promotion. If you can’t sell yourself and your ideas, there’s a good chance your career will not advance in the way you’d like it to. There are many courses and workshops that help you become a better communicator in the business world. Top courses include leadership training from Impellus (impellus.com), and management skills for emerging leaders at Harvard (extension.harvard.edu). There are also some great books, such as Talk Like TED: The 9 Public…

One of this property’s standouts is its 3,700 sqm of state-of-the-art venue space Hyatt Regency Sydney BACKGROUND Following a multimillion-dollar refurbishment of the former Four Points by Sheraton, Hyatt Regency Sydney opened at the end of 2016, complete with an additional 24-storey tower. WHERE IS IT? In an enviable position in the city’s CBD, about 20 minutes from Sydney Airport, with a stunning backdrop of Darling Harbour. The hotel offers direct access to The Promenade, which is lined with bars and restaurants stretching into the fashionable Barangaroo district. WHAT’S IT LIKE? The polished-marble lobby is grand and sophisticated, with several reception desk islands and comfortable modern seating areas. With 892 rooms (making it the largest hotel in Australia), the lobby is constantly bustling, but check-in was a speedy affair (though…

While waiting for your flight, you find an unbelievable duty-free deal on your favourite cognac. You eagerly buy two litre bottles, only to find customs officers at your arrival destination demanding an arm and a leg because you’ve gone over the one-litre limit. Customs regulations vary wildly between destinations. Avoid this frustration with this table of duty-free exemptions across Asia-Pacific. TIPS TO GET THE BEST DUTY-FREE DEALS: • Do your research and compare prices between the airports you’ll be travelling to for the best deal. Websites like dutyfreebuzz.com make it easy to compare prices on specific products at certain airports. • Join a duty-free loyalty programme. For example, T Galleria DFS has a Loyal T programme offering points for purchases made. Higher tiers offer benefits such as product delivery to…

Airbus’s newest and largest wide-body aircraft has completed its demonstration tour of the Middle East and Asia-Pacific, before it starts service with launch customer Qatar Airways. The new aircraft can accommodate 40 additional seats across business and economy class and features increased overhead storage. The cabin uses an Airspace design, with smooth curves, flowing lines and innovative LED lighting, with 16.7 million colours to create the desired mood. Carriers can also choose sunrise and sunset themes to help reduce passengers’ jet lag. The aircraft has already received 169 orders from 11 customers, including Cathay Pacific and Etihad. airbus.com…

In between meetings, work and the need for sleep, business travellers can often find themselves starved for time when it comes to exploring the sights of the city they are visiting. Fortunately, guests staying at THE PLAZA Seoul, Autograph Collection, will receive a Discover Seoul Pass when they take advantage of the hotel’s “Delight Seoul” package. The Discover Seoul Pass provides access to the city’s most popular historical and cultural attractions, from the N Seoul Tower to the Gyeongbokgung Palace, enabling time-strapped travellers to see as much as they can within a 24-hour window. Guests will also have access to Handy, a high-tech service that includes complimentary local and international phone calls, internet connectivity, links to hotel offers and more. According to THE PLAZA Seoul, Autograph Collection: “Foreign visitors have…

SEOUL DRAGON CITY Industry is a hallmark of modern Korea, and Seoul’s districts are alive with specialist workshops and stores supplying lighting, electronics and engineering services. Seobu T&D Corporation – the developer behind Seoul’s latest major hotel project – has its roots in such a commercial area, Yongsan, also home to plush neighbourhoods and upscale hotels. It is also where Seoul Dragon City opened in autumn 2017 as Korea’s largest hotel, with a combined 1,700 guestrooms spread across four brands. The “hotelplex” is also a major project for Accor, which has its Novotel Hotel, Novotel Suites, Grand Mercure and Ibis Styles in Dragon City. For special events, the cluster boasts Sky Kingdom, with four levels of themed venues housed in a bridgeway that links two of the towers, and includes…

“Howdy, folks!” exclaims Big Tex, the giant 16-metre cowboy that has welcomed visitors like me to the annual State Fair of Texas for the past 65 years. Dressed in a Western shirt, jeans and the obligatory cowboy hat and boots, the statue has become the official mascot for the event as well as a cultural figure for both Dallas and Texas. Surrounded by storeys-high carnival rides, stalls selling massive bacon-wrapped turkey legs, and in the shadow of the enormous Cotton Bowl Stadium, one could hardly ask for a more apt demonstration of the catchphrase associated with America’s largest state: “Everything’s bigger in Texas”. True to form, since its establishment in 1886, it has become one of the largest state fairs in the US, welcoming some 2.2 million people in 2017.…

OTARU About 90 minutes away, between Niseko and Sapporo, Otaru is a historic port town famous for herring fishing and narrow, charming streets. Check out the fish market to the side of the train station for your first snack of the day, choosing between divinely sweet scallops, famous uni, king crab and salmon. Make space for the next meal by visiting the 19th-century Herring Mansion and Aoyama Villa (built by a wealthy herring industry family a few kilometres outside town). Also check out the strangely interesting Finance Museum and the Music Box museum next to the Steam Clock. Many of the town’s eateries and shops are set in little streets leading up to the canal or in repurposed warehouse spaces overlooking the canal, like the Otaru Beer Pub & Gallery.…

Not so long ago, motorcycles were considered a cheap form of transport for the masses: cheap to buy, cheap to run, no frills included. But there’s now another side to motorcycling and it’s a world of exotic materials, outrageous performance, exclusivity and desirability. We’ve picked out some of the most exotic production motorcycles on Earth to set your pulses racing. Meet the magnificent seven. 1 KAWASAKI H2R PRICE: US$55,000 Without doubt, the Kawasaki H2R is the most extreme production motorcycle ever built. It produces a ludicrous 310bhp, is fitted with a supercharger, and is easily capable of over 200mph, as well as accelerating from 0-60mph in just 2.6 seconds. Even a Formula 1 car would struggle to beat this beast away from the traffic lights. As well as its awesome…

SIA is retiring the five oldest A380s and welcoming five new ones, with a revamped layout, cabins and new seat products Singapore Airlines A380 business class SINGAPORE–SYDNEY BACKGROUND SIA launched its first A380 in 2007. Now the carrier is retiring the five oldest aircraft and welcoming five new ones, each with a revamped layout, cabins and new seat products. This was the new aircraft’s first commercial flight to Sydney. BOARDING I was on a transit from Hong Kong, arriving into Changi Airport’s Terminal 3, with a ten-minute walk to gate B7 from where flight SQ221 was taking off. Additional security screening at the gate was efficient. THE SEAT Fans of SIA’s current A380 business class seats – also found on the A350 and retrofitted B777-300ERs – will find a number…