Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2019 i Business Traveller Asia-Pacific Edition

Welcome to the October 2019 issue of Business Traveller Asia-Pacific. Last month, we held our annual awards ceremony at an exclusive presentation luncheon in the Island Shangri-La, Hong Kong. A huge thank you to all who attended and to our readers who placed their votes. You can read the full results of these prestigious awards on page 66. In this issue, we take a special look at Australia and have assigned two on-the-ground writers in Sydney (page 56) and Melbourne (page 62) to give us the lowdown on these cities’ MICE, food and beverage, and sightseeing highlights. Of course, we’ve also got two destination features. You may remember our contributor Crystal Reid went to Chongqing for our May 2019 issue. This time, she goes to another city in China’s southwest…

THIS MONTH’S prizes come courtesy of Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, a luxury hotel situated in Wan Chai District that is located within convenient reach of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. In the hotel’s 30th anniversary year, after three months of refurbishment, Grissini, the classic Italian restaurant at Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, reopened in September 2019, repositioning itself with a more approachable, unpretentious feel to appeal to a younger generation of food lovers. As its name suggests, Grissini is famous for its breadsticks and the restaurant is infused with the aroma of freshly baked bread. The Grissini kitchen is helmed by Chef de Cuisine Marcello Scognamiglio from Naples who commenced his culinary career in a three Michelin-star Italian restaurant and has since worked in three other multiple Michelin-star establishments…

WHAT TO SEE: Bait al Zubair, the capital’s go-to museum, will leave your head spinning with wonder at the Sultanate’s incredible past, with exhibits including a large collection of ancient weapons. Open 9.30am-6pm Sat-Thur, entry 2 rials (US$5.20). baitalzubair.com Sultan Qaboos is a classical music lover (he once commissioned a pastoral arrangement from Mission Impossible composer Lalo Schifrin) and in 2011 he opened the Royal Opera House Muscat. International performances are frequent – next month will see the Opéra Royal de Wallonie perform Donizetti’s Anna Bolena. Booking ahead is recommended. rohmuscat.org.om WHERE TO STAY: Many international chains now have hotels in Muscat and more are on the way – a JW Marriott property is set to open in November next to the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre, while the Mandarin…

BACKGROUND Officially opened in April 2008, The St Regis Singapore was the brand’s third in Asia. It has a reputation for being “home to one of Asia’s finest private art collections”, with over 70 original works commissioned or curated by local and international artists exhibited in the public areas and suites of the hotel. WHERE IS IT? At the crossroads of Orchard Road and the embassy district at Tanglin Road. It takes just over ten minutes to walk to Orchard MRT Station and, traffic permitting, it’s a 30-minute drive from Changi airport. WHAT’S IT LIKE? The St Regis Singapore is renowned for its exclusive art collection, including paintings, sculptures and prints. Upon arrival, you’re immediately greeted by a few works of art at the hotel entrance. The iconic Grand Staircase…

4 HOURS IN HANOI We take you on an afternoon tour of the Vietnamese capital’s coffee shops, historic hotels, speakeasies, and more (page 42) BUILDING THE FUTURE The Bauhaus school of architecture emerged more than a century ago, but is still influential today (page 38) IN THE CLUB Business Traveller’s editorial director takes a flight in British Airways’ much-anticipated new business class seat (page 74) ACROSS THE WATER Our guide on how to use the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge to travel between these Greater Bay Area cities (page 82)…

ASCENT VISTARA started daily Airbus A320neo flights from Bangkok to Delhi, its third international destination, at the end of August. AIR ASIA X will launch a new non-stop service between Kuala Lumpur and Tokyo Narita Airport from November 20 this year. The flight will use an Airbus A330, including 12 Premium Flatbed seats laid out in a 2-2-2 configuration. SINGAPORE AIRLINES launched Airbus A350-900 flights to Seattle in September. Covering 12,891km in 15 hours 50 minutes, this is now the longest non-stop flight to Seattle. UNITED will begin operating new non-stop routes between Chicago, Los Angeles, New York Newark and Washington DC and Tokyo Haneda International Airport from March 28, 2020. DESCENT CATHAY PACIFIC will suspend its Dublin route from November. This means that Ireland will lose all three direct…

The Peninsula Hong Kong A perfect deal for those travelling with young children until December 22, 2019, the Hello Kitty – Limited Edition Luxury Stay Offer allows guests to immerse themselves in the character’s charming world while enjoying all the trappings of elegant luxury for which The Peninsula is famed. The package includes a limited-edition Hello Kitty and Pen Bear plush toy set as well as a specially themed amenity including bathrobe, slippers and more. peninsula.com/en/hong-kong Conrad Guangzhou Conrad Guangzhou has an ongoing package called “China Family Fun” which includes buffet breakfast for two price children aged 6-12. Special children’s amenity packs will be given to children under 12 years old. The rate for a one-night stay in a King Deluxe room starts from RMB1610 (US$245). hilton.com/en/conrad Tianfu Square Serviced…

A SEAT OR NOT A SEAT… As a very frequent traveller, I was shocked by the poor service I received from Lufthansa on my recent flight from Munich to Bangkok via Frankfurt. Arriving at the check-in, my original flight departing 1900 on August 12 was cancelled and I was put on the next flight departing at 2000. I pointed out that the transit time in Frankfurt of one hour was not sufficient as it was at a different terminal and I would have to go through passport control, and asked for an earlier flight departing at 1800. I got the answer that the flight was full and there was no alternative. Once in the terminal, I overheard a loudspeaker message that there were seats available on the 1800 flight to…

One hundred years ago, in April 2019, the Staatliches Bauhaus art school was founded by architect Walter Gropius in Weimar, Germany. At first glance, its spirit of experimentation and regrowth seems out of kilter with that era – Germany was a country broken by World War I, which had ended only five months previously. Yet 1919 was also a year of progress, with the birth of democracy in the country and suffrage for women. From the ruins of the conservative German Empire arose a liberal spirit and a taste for cultural experimentation. The shoots of modernism had begun to be seen towards the end of the previous century and the radical idea of unifying form and function, as promoted by 19th-century English designer William Morris, had gained global traction. Likewise,…

Since George Devol invented the first digitally operated and programmable robot in 1954, hoteliers the world over have been trying to replace that ridiculously expensive and unreliable cost called “personnel” with automation. Devol’s first machine, the Unimate, was installed in 1961 in a General Motors plant in Trenton, New Jersey, to lift and stack hot pieces of metal from a die-casting machine. Extraordinarily enough, the 669-room Yotel New York today uses a direct descendant of this machine in its lobby to receive guests’ luggage and store it in individual lockers. Japan’s Henn Na Hotels has also been pioneering the use of robotics. Its first property opened in Nagasaki in 2015 with robots serving all sorts of functions; the brand also has hotels in cities such as Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto.…

BACKGROUND Lanson Place has operated apartments in Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay district since 2007. The Lanson Place brand is part of Wing Tai Properties which has added six properties beyond the Hong Kong one in Beijing, Shanghai, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Beijing and Chengdu. WHERE IS IT? This new property is in Hong Kong Island’s Eastern District, in Shau Kei Wan’s Aldrich Bay. It’s well connected via the Island Line to Causeway Bay, Wan Chai, Admiralty and Central. To reach Sai Wan Ho MTR station is a five-minute walk. WHAT’S IT LIKE? Modern, clean and well run. I had emailed my expected arrival time, and as I arrived by taxi there was a member of staff looking out for me to let me in by the small side gate. One of…

BACKGROUND Raffles Shenzhen is one of only two Raffles hotels in mainland China; the other is Raffles Hainan in Sanya. It is now the 14th property worldwide for the Accorhotels-owned brand, which is expanding its global portfolio, with Raffles Maldives Meradhoo also opening recently and five new properties in the pipeline. WHERE IS IT? Raffles Shenzhen is housed in one of the high-rise buildings (T7) at One Shenzhen Bay, a group of mixed-use skyscrapers developed by Shenzhen-based Parkland Group. The development is located in the city’s Nanshan district, an emerging financial and technology hub and the headquarters of China’s most well-known technology giant, Tencent. It’s also close to the Qianhai and Shekou areas, part of Guangdong province’s pilot free trade zone area. Traffic permitting, getting to Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport…

DEREK PICOT Veteran hotelier Derek has worked in senior positions on five continents, most recently as regional vice president for Jumeirah’s hotels and resorts in Europe. He now consults for hotel owners and luxury developers, advising on design and trends in hospitality. In his regular column he reflects on the increasing use of robots in hotels; see page 71. JENNI REID Jenni is Business Traveller UK’s editorial assistant, and has written news and features looking at hotel accessibility, biofuels, the future of flying and biometrics. She has worked as a journalist in London and Phnom Penh. In this issue (page 52), she meets the design team behind Japanese airline ANA’s new business class seat product. GRAHAM BOYNTON A journalist for 40 years, Graham was editor of Business Traveller in the…

How many flights do you typically take per year? I’m on track to have approximately 150 flights this year. As CEO of an emerging enterprise software company, I travel extensively to meet with potential/current clients and attend many industry conferences. Any unusual equipment you fly with? Since I often meet with clients to showcase our software, I typically fly with several computers, a mini-projector, monitors and other devices, which makes my carry-on extremely heavy. Any flights in your life that stand out? Two flights really stand out. First was taking a bush plane to a remote part of the Serengeti in Tanzania for a safari. The plane had no air conditioning and the inside was well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, which made everyone sick and miserable. Second, was taking a…

SINGAPORE AIRLINES (SIA) and Como Shambhala have unveiled a new health-focused in-flight menu that will be available on select flights starting this month. The pair first announced their partnership and plans to introduce healthy additions to the carrier’s in-flight menu in March this year. SIA says that the new menu will “nourish the body and alleviate travel-induced stresses such as fatigue”. First and business class passengers will be able to enjoy the menu on select flights departing Singapore to Hong Kong, Frankfurt, London, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. The dishes will also be available for pre-ordering through the airline’s “Book the Cook” service, which allows passengers travelling in first class, business class and premium economy to pre-order main courses. singaporeair.com…

TAXI RIDE EXPERIENCES POST MARK CASWELL What’s the best taxi greeting you’ve had on your travels? FAROFLYER Was in China last week and had a new version of Uber with the party that I went for dinner with. Drink-drive laws are strictly enforced in China nowadays, but everyone wants to toast visitors. I was surprised that everyone was drinking, including those whose cars we had gone to the restaurant in. After the meal we went outside to stand by the cars and, after a few minutes, three guys riding collapsible electric motorbikes arrived. Bikes were folded and put in the boot, and the rider got in the car and drove us to the hotel, then drove the car owner home. Bike out of boot. Money paid and rider rode off.…

TEL AVIV It may come as a surprise to learn that the Israeli city has the largest collection of Bauhaus buildings (above) in the world, the result of the emigration of German Jewish architects following the›rise of the Nazis. Now a Unesco World Heritage site, the 4,000-plus buildings of Tel Aviv’s White City can be taken in on a guided two-hour walking tour (80 shekels/US$23) from Bauhaus Centre Tel Aviv, which also has a free permanent exhibition. bauhaus-center.com CHICAGO When Chicago’s industrial leaders wanted to boost the city’s profile, they turned to Bauhaus for inspiration. Hungarian émigré Moholy-Nagy, one of the movement’s original teachers, was drafted in and the New Bauhaus school was created in 1937. While it only lasted a year, its influence had greater longevity. Mies van der…

MERITON SUITES, CITYWIDE Australia’s largest owner-operator of hotel rooms has five Sydney CBD locations including on Campbell Street, Sussex Street, Pitt Street, Kent Street and in World Tower. Property configurations range from studios to four-bedroom suites. meritonsuites.com.au THE FULLERTON HOTEL SYDNEY, 1 MARTIN PLACE Perfectly located for business travellers, this five-star property blends old and new. Heritage rooms are located in the historic General Post Office building, or choose contemporary designed accommodation in the high-rise Tower wing. the-fullerton-hotelsydney.com THE OLD CLARE HOTEL, 1 KENSINGTON STREET, CHIPPENDALE Stretching across two iconic heritage-listed buildings in a revitalised city fringe suburb bordering Sydney’s newest technology hub, The Old Clare Hotel offers vintage designer touches, one-of-a-kind fittings and a stylish Sydney experience. theoldclarehotel.com.au THE COLLECTIONIST, 9-13 MARSDEN ST CAMPERDOWN For a boutique hotel experience…

May’s announcement by Botswana president Mokgweetsi Masisi to reintroduce trophy hunting has caused a ruckus across the globe. This is a watershed moment for the business of African wildlife conservation. What is required is a carefully thought-out economic solution that relies on sound business innovation rather than emotion. Africa’s human population is growing exponentially (doubling from 1.2 billion to 2.4 billion by 2050). As it does so, animals are crowded into smaller wilderness areas. Those areas need to be economically viable as a land use option, or that burgeoning population will kill the animals and turn the wilderness into farmlands. Masisi’s predecessor, Ian Khama, banned hunting in 2014, aligning Botswana with Kenya, which banned it as far back as 1977. In contrast, the country’s southern neighbours, South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe…

The 55km-long Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (HZMB) is the world’s longest cross-sea bridge, linking its eponymous three cities – two Special Administrative Regions and one mainland Chinese city – together by land for the first time. THE HONG KONG BOUNDARY CROSSING FACILITIES All the three cities have set up their own ports of entry, also known as Boundary Crossing Facilities (BCF), and passengers using the HZMB have to clear immigration at these BCFs. The 24-hour Hong Kong Boundary Crossing Facilities (HKBCF) are close to Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA). Passengers from the airport can go to the HKBCF via the 24-hour B4 bus. The bus fare is HK$6 (US$0.75) and it takes around 10-15 minutes by way of AsiaWorld-Expo. Those travelling to the airport from the HKBCF can take the return…