Tripadvisor Plus: Tripadvisor has launched a new membership program for travelers, as well as a subscription program for hotels, which it says will increase bookings at a lower cost than traditional OTAs. Tripadvisor Plus is aimed at hotels and B&Bs, giving them the option to expand visibility and reach. Tripadvisor Plus hotels receive special badging and increased visibility on the Tripadvisor platform, while TripAdvisor asks hotels to provide discounts or perks to consumer members. The program is free for hotels to join, with no upfront costs and zero commission rates. Tripadvisor also promises to give hotels access to customer data. For travelers, Tripadvisor Plus offers the ability to up-level their travel by unlocking insider savings, personal service, and benefits and perks (such as a free bottle of wine upon check-in) all for an annual membership fee of US$99.
Distressed NYC hotels dealt: New York-based Mack Real Estate has gained control of a seven-hotel portfolio for what appears to be a major discount. The developer paid transfer taxes on US$315.8 million — or less than 40% of the portfolio’s 2016 value of US$816.3 million — for the seven properties, all of which are in Manhattan. Earlier this year, the firm initiated UCC foreclosure proceedings against the owners of the properties, a joint venture between Hersha Hospitality Trust and Chinese investment firm Cindat Capital Management. Those firms defaulted on an US$85 million mezzanine loan issued in 2018 by Mack Real Estate Credit Strategies. The portfolio hit the auction block on January 21, and Mack was apparently the winner, according to a document filed with the city.
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EMG inks deal in Taiwan: Taiwan-based Eastern Media International Corp. has signed a management contract with Formosa International Hotels Corp., also based in Taiwan, to open a hotel under the Silks X brand that could start operations in 2025. The e-commerce and home shopping operator will build the hotel in a mixed-use complex near the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT line’s Linkou Station, with a budget of NT$1 billion (US$35.37 million). The 200-room hotel would occupy the 26th-33rd floors of a mixed-use complex under construction.
GHM plans Chedi for Qatar: Singapore-based GHM will open a new luxury resort at the Katara Cultural Village in Qatar’s capital city, Doha. Developed by the Qatari real estate consortium, Triple A, in partnership with Katara Cultural Village, The Chedi Katara Hotel & Resort, Doha, will have 59 rooms and suites, as well as 32 chalets and villas, and will be located inside the Katara Cultural Village district.
Thailand to ease quarantine rules: Thailand plans to relax quarantine rules for foreign visitors from next month as part of a series of steps being considered to revive the nation’s tourism sector, the Bangkok Post reported. The Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration is set to consider a proposal that will allow foreign visitors to leave their hotel rooms after three days of a mandatory two-week quarantine, the newspaper reported. The so-called area hotel quarantine will still require tourists to confine themselves to the properties, it said.
Ireland’s mandatory quarantine: Ireland’s president has signed into law new legislation to enforce mandatory state quarantine in hotels for passengers from high-risk countries. However, the first arrivals into the hotels are unlikely until at least the middle of the month as the government is still trying to work through final operational hurdles. The hotel isolation measures will apply to 33 countries currently on the “category 2” list from where the risk of transmission of COVID-19 or mutations of the disease is high.
Bankrupt Fairmont could help San Jose rebound: Once it emerges from bankruptcy, the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose, California, is poised to help fuel a rebound in the city’s urban core as the region’s economy seeks to convalesce from the coronavirus. The 805-room Fairmont San Jose filed for bankruptcy on March 5 and closed its doors the same day. “The fact that no one is talking about liquidation and that this is a reorganization says something about their confidence in the longer-term prospects for the downtown,” San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo told The Mercury News.
Accor says ‘It’s All Good’: Accor has released a new ad campaign targeting Australia and New Zealand that emphasizes flexibility when booking. The campaign, “It’s All Good,” acknowledges that “travel has been a cause of headache and heartbreak over the past year” and focuses on Accor’s flexible cancellation policies and enhanced AllSafe hygiene and cleanliness policy. The campaign runs from now until May 31 and includes the following campaign elements:
• Paid media, including broadcaster video on demand television and digital advertising, social media and video content
• A tactical promotion of Accor’s flexible rates across the Pacific, with rates starting from A$105 (US$81) per night in Australia and A$81 (US$62) per night in New Zealand
• A loyalty offer giving members of All – Accor Live Limitless double status nights and status points, plus double reward points when booking on eligible rates