Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - (Page 73)

PACIFIC/ASIA Small Luxury Hotels of the World Expands Into Asia IN A SURVEY EARLIER THIS YEAR, SMALL LUXURY HOTELS OF THE WORLD (SLH) CLUB MEMBERS CHOSE their top five favorite city-center hotels and resorts. Asia made a strong showing, with Lanson Place, Hong Kong, heading the city-center list; while lebua at State Tower, Bangkok, came in fourth. In the category of top resort, Sentosa Resort & Spa, Singapore, came in first; Twinpalms, Phuket, Thailand, second; and The Racha, Muang, Thailand, scored the number-five spot. As part of its expansion strategy in the Asia Pacific region, SLH recently appointed two senior-level executives. Anita Chan takes on the role of vice president, regional development, Asia Pacific. Chan is based in Hong Kong, and is responsible for growing the brand in that region. The company also appointed Alison Roberts-Brown as area director, Asia Pacific, who along with Chan, will handle development and hotel relations. SLH has been in the news lately, Mark Rogers especially concerning its expansion in the Asia Pacific region. Travel Agent spoke with Paul Kerr, CEO of SLH, about Asia and the luxury market in general. TA: What are SLH’s expansion plans and strategy in Asia and the South Pacific? Kerr: The Asia Pacific region has tremendous growth potential, and it is a key area of focus for our brand. In fact, of the 74 new hotels that SLH accepted into the brand in 2008, more than one-fifth of them were located in the Asia Pacific region. TA: What are the current hot destinations in Asia and the South Pacific for SLH? Kerr: Hot destinations for us are Mongolia, Koh Phangan in Thailand and Shanghai. Consistent top hotel markets for us in Asia and the South Pacific are Singapore, Thailand and the Maldives. TA: Have you noticed any emerging trends in terms of the types of rooms and suites clients are booking? What types of hotels are they gravitating toward? Kerr: Guests of Small Luxury Hotels of the World are afflu- A panoramic view from a bedroom at a new SLH property, the five-star Santhiya Resort & Spa on Koh Phangan, Thailand ent and well traveled and in the majority of cases, money is not an issue. Some of our hotels are all-suite hotels, and these are just as popular as those with a mix of guest rooms and suites. Some of our hotels are even converting some of their rooms to suites due to heightened demand. TA: Given the current economic turndown and cutting of routes by airlines, what challenges do you see in the near future for long-haul travel to Asia? Kerr: [The types of guests who] stay at SLH properties are affluent, and so far, there have not been signs that reservations are falling off. A number of affluent travelers fly via private jet these days, which makes the cutting of routes by commercial airlines [irrelevant] to them. For those who do not charter planes, the cutting of flights actually works to the hotel’s benefit. Our guests aren’t budget-conscious, so less frequent flights means longer hotel stays, which results in an increase of revenue. TA: Experts are saying that the luxury market is immune to a recession. Is this accurate? Have you noticed any slowdown or changes in bookings at the highest level of the market? Kerr: Despite the ongoing talk of a global recession, SLH continues to perform well. Reservations revenue through the SLH booking channels has seen a 13 percent year-on-year increase in the first six months of 2008. —MARK ROGERS Paul Kerr, CEO of Small Luxury Hotels of the World CONNECTING YOU To find luxury hotels in the South Pacific, visit www.travel agent central.com/south-pacific July 21, 2008 TravelAgent | 73 http://www.travelagentcentral.com/south-pacific http://www.travelagentcentral.com/south-pacific

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Travel Agent - July 21, 2008

Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 Online Now Contents Contributors From the Editor Europe Pacific/Asia Tanzania South Pacific Pacific Northwest Las Vegas Florida Mexico The Caribbean Comes to D.C. Cruises Tours Hotels Agenda Luxury Travel Expo Global Destination Update Small Luxury Hotels Expands into Asia ASTA is Changing, and Growing Carnival Reduces Direct Business In the Spotlight Classified Marketplace Editorial Index Advertising Index Trendwatch

Travel Agent - July 21, 2008

Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 (Page Cover1) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 (Page Cover2) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 (Page 1) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Online Now (Page 2) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Online Now (Page 3) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Contents (Page 4) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Contents (Page 5) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Contents (Page 6) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Contents (Page 7) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Contributors (Page 8) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Contributors (Page 9) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - From the Editor (Page 10) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - From the Editor (Page 11) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - From the Editor (Page 12) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - From the Editor (Page 13) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - From the Editor (Page 14) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - From the Editor (Page 15) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Europe (Page 16) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Europe (Page 17) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Europe (Page 18) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Europe (Page 19) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Pacific/Asia (Page 20) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Pacific/Asia (Page 21) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Pacific/Asia (Page 22) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Pacific/Asia (Page 23) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Tanzania (Page 24) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Tanzania (Page 25) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Tanzania (Page 26) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Tanzania (Page 27) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - South Pacific (Page 28) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - South Pacific (Page 29) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Pacific Northwest (Page 30) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Pacific Northwest (Page 31) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Las Vegas (Page 32) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Las Vegas (Page 33) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Las Vegas (Page 34) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Las Vegas (Page 35) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Florida (Page 36) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Florida (Page 37) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Florida (Page 38) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Florida (Page 39) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Mexico (Page 40) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Mexico (Page 41) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Mexico (Page 42) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Mexico (Page 43) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Mexico (Page 44) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Mexico (Page 45) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - The Caribbean Comes to D.C. (Page 46) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - The Caribbean Comes to D.C. (Page 47) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - The Caribbean Comes to D.C. (Page 48) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - The Caribbean Comes to D.C. (Page 49) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - The Caribbean Comes to D.C. (Page 50) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - The Caribbean Comes to D.C. (Page 51) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - The Caribbean Comes to D.C. (Page 52) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - The Caribbean Comes to D.C. (Page 53) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Cruises (Page 54) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Cruises (Page 55) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Cruises (Page 56) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Cruises (Page 57) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Cruises (Page 58) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Cruises (Page 59) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Cruises (Page 60) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Cruises (Page 61) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Tours (Page 62) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Tours (Page 63) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Tours (Page 64) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Tours (Page 65) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Hotels (Page 66) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Hotels (Page 67) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Agenda (Page 68) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Agenda (Page 69) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Agenda (Page 70) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Luxury Travel Expo (Page 71) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Global Destination Update (Page 72) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Small Luxury Hotels Expands into Asia (Page 73) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - ASTA is Changing, and Growing (Page 74) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Carnival Reduces Direct Business (Page 75) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - In the Spotlight (Page 76) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Classified Marketplace (Page 77) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Editorial Index (Page 78) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Advertising Index (Page 79) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Trendwatch (Page 80) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Trendwatch (Page Cover3) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Trendwatch (Page Cover4) 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