Hotel industry and travel news from around the Asia Pacific region; this week: Hong Kong's old Kai Tal airport becomes Cruise Terminal, Trump looks at Asia, Scoot and more....
 
Far East Hospitality to Rebrand Village Portfolio

Singapore-based Far East Hospitality will revamp its Village Hotels & Residences portfolio, which will see the renaming of its seven properties. All its properties will be combined under a common brand and each property will be renamed to reflect its locality. An eighth property, Village Hotel Katong will open later this year and will be the flagship property for the Village brand. Six of the Village properties are currently undergoing refurbishment, which will be completed by the end of 2013.

Hong Kong's Old Kai Tak Airport Reopens as Cruise Terminal

Hong Kong's old Kai Tak Airport has reopened as a cruise terminal, in a conversion that cost approximately US$1.1 billion. The opening of Kai Tak Cruise Terminal was inaugurated with the docking of the first cruise liner at the facility, the Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas. The cruise terminal is owned and operated by Worldwide Cruise Terminals, a consortium comprising of Worldwide Flight Services, Royal Caribbean Cruises and Shun Tak Holdings. The new cruise terminal will be fully operational in 2014, upon which it will have two berths and will be able to handle 3,000 passengers per hour. The new facility will also feature a commercial space and park, which open in the third quarter of 2013. 
 
Trump Hotel Collection Sets Sights on Asia

Trump Hotel Collection has set its sights on the hotel market in Asia, in particular China, Thailand and Singapore. Trump Hotel Collection currently has properties in the United States, Canada and Panama but none in Asia. China has been identified as a top priority in the region and the company had opened a representative office in Shanghai earlier this year, its first in Asia. Trump Hotel Collection has also started to offer a Chinese language option on its website to cater to the China market. 
 
Garuda to Join SkyTeam 

Garuda Indonesia is set to join SkyTeam in the first quarter of 2014 as the alliance's 20th international member and second South-east Asian member. Garuda is the first Indonesian airline to join SkyTeam and its entry into the alliance is part of the Indonesian flag-carrier's continued push into the premium travel market. SkyTeam will now be able to strengthen its presence in South-east Asia and have a footprint in Indonesia with Garuda's membership. The airline currently cooperates with other future alliance member airlines such as Korean Air, Vietnam Airlines, China Southern Airlines and China Airlines.  
 
Swiss-Belhotel Expands in Vietnam

Hong Kong-based Swiss-Belhotel International has announced plans to open its second property in Vietnam, following the Swiss-Belhotel Golden Sand Resort & Spa in Hoi An. The Swiss-Belhotel Lao Cai, located in northern Vietnam and close to the Chinese border will open in mid 2013 and will offer 186 rooms. The upscale hotel will also feature conference and banqueting rooms. The company plans on opening two more properties in Vietnam by 2015, both of which are slated to be located in Da Lat. 
 
Scoot Launches Singapore-Seoul Flights

Scoot has launched its inaugural flight between Singapore and Seoul, marking the airline's 11th destination and the first low-cost air link between the two Asian cities. The new route will operate thrice weekly from Singapore to Seoul's Incheon International Airport, transiting for an hour in Taiwan's Taoyuan International Airport, thus increasing Scoot's flight frequency between Singapore and Taipei from seven to 10 per week. Together with its partner airlines, Scoot offers a total of 47 destinations for sale. 

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