The Harbour Plaza 8 Degrees, scheduled to open in October, will have a lobby designed with an optical illusion that makes guests feel as if they are inside Italy’s Leaning Tower of Pisa.

The new 702 guest room property will feature 3 Executive Floors and an exclusive Harbour Club Lounge with personalized service and refreshments for Executive Floor guests. Event facilities will comprise over 408 sqm/4,500 sqft of meeting space with one large ballroom that divides into 9 multi-function rooms that accommodate from 5 to 450 attendees. Plus, there is an outdoor Garden Terrace and a full service Business Center.

Food and Beverage venues include 2 restaurants one Asian, one International and a bar. For relaxation, a Fitness Center and an outdoor swimming pool and whirlpool surrounded by subtropical garden and waterfalls will be available. The hotel will provide a shuttle bus for guests.

Website: www.harbour-plaza.com
Email: ceceh.hp8d@harbour-plaza.com

The Sheraton Incheon Hotel in Songdo City, Korea officially opened this month.

The 319 guest room property, located right next door to the Songdo Conventia convention center, is the city’s first international deluxe five-star property. It was built using eco-friendly methods and is the first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified hotel in Korea. The Sheraton Incheon is also the first fully non-smoking hotel in Korea.

The property has over 1,300 sqm/13,993 sqft of flexible function and meeting space with 9 meeting rooms all fitted with wireless Internet connectivity and state-of-the-art technology. Dining venues offer international, Cantonese, Italian and Japanese cuisines. Two of the restaurants, Yue and Bene have private dining rooms. The Sheraton Fitness center and the Spa offer sweeping views of Central Park as well as a place for relaxation and rejuvenation.

Website: www.sheraton.com/incheon  

Thistle Hotels is venturing outside the British Isles with the opening of its second property in Malaysia, the Thistle Johar Bahru.

The fully refurbished property is located just across the Singapore border in the heart of Johar Bahru. The property has 381 guest rooms including 125 luxury rooms with sea views of the Straights of Johor. 

For events, the Grand Ballroom accommodates up to 650 attendees and 8 function rooms cater to smaller events. All event rooms are outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment. For dining and entertainment, there is a choice of 4 venues including an International restaurant, an open-air bistro serving Asian-Italian fusion cuisine and the Hive nightclub.

Health and relaxation facilities include a two-level outdoor swimming pool, 2 tennis courts, and separate male and female locker rooms with sauna, whirlpool and spa treatments. Championship golf courses are located close to the hotel.

E-mail: reservations-malaysia@thistle.com
Website: www.thistle.com.my

The Crowne Plaza Changi Airport passed its first annual ‘Earthcheck’ assessment and received its Green Globe benchmark. The hotel’s green performance was assessed in key environmental areas such as water conservation and the use of pesticides and paper and cleaning products over a one-year period. The 320-room property, which opened on 28 May 2008, has a ballroom and 8 meeting rooms that accommodate from 20 to 250.

General Manager, Mark Winterton said, “Crowne Plaza Changi Airport has evolved very much along environmental lines. The hotel design makes the most of natural sunlight, recycled materials were used in its construction and we make every effort to reduce our impact with the use of non-hazardous cleaning materials. To receive the EC3 benchmark is…a great incentive for us to keep on improving, reducing our impact on the environment…”

Website: www-singapore.com/crowneplaza-changi-airport

South Africa’s Oyster Box Hotel will re-open on 1st October after two years of extensive renovations. In addition to receiving a complete refurbishment, the building has been fitted with state-of-the-art technology, valuable furnishings, artwork and textiles.

The property sits on Umhlanga’s beachfront in the midst of landscaped gardens filled with water features, ponds and an antique bird aviary. The Oyster Box has 90 guestrooms and suites, a Presidential suite and 8 Garden Villas, with private pools.

4 banqueting/event rooms will seat up to 160 attendees for a banquet and the hotel’s 24-seat movie theater and the wine cellar with its glass ceiling will be available for private hire. For dining there will be the Ocean Terrace restaurant and The Grill Room. For beverages, there is the conservatory-like Palm Court. Chukka Bar, the rooftop Lighthouse Bar and the marbled Oyster Bar. The hotel has a new state-of-the-art Spa and gym.
Email: info@oysterbox.co.za
Website:  www.redcarnationhotels.com

AirAsia will launch direct daily flights between Bangkok and Taipei on 25 September 2009. The flights will be operated by AirAsia Group’s affiliate, Thai AirAsia. Equipment for this route will be a brand new Airbus A320- 200 configured with 180-leather economy class seats.

AirAsia X, the long haul version of AirAsia, will add four frequencies to its popular Kuala Lumpur - Melbourne service. Additional frequencies will begin on 1st December 2009, ramping up the number of services between Kuala Lumpur and Melbourne from 7 to 11 flights weekly.

AirAsia X Chief Executive Officer Azran Osman-Rani said, “The Kuala Lumpur – Melbourne route has been particularly popular for us…These new additional frequencies would also offer passengers better two-way connectivity by reducing transit times when connecting to further destinations to ASEAN and beyond...”

Website: www.airasia.com

Air New Zealand will launch direct service from Rotorua, New Zealand to Sydney, Australia. Flights will operate on Sundays and Monday from 19 December 2009 to the end of January 2010. Then twice-weekly service will operate on Saturdays and Tuesdays from February 2010 onwards. Equipment used on this route will be an Airbus A320 aircraft outfitted with 152-seats.

Air New Zealand General Manager, Glen Sowry said, "Rotorua is an iconic tourism destination…The new services will also make Rotorua significantly more accessible for visitors from Asia who often visit both Australia and New Zealand and whom we can now bring directly from Sydney to Rotorua instead of via Auckland."

Website: www.airnewzealand.com