PHOTO: A rendering of the new Mandarin Oriental coming to Taipei.

Mandarin Oriental is Coming to Taipei

Mandarin Oriental will open a luxury hotel in Taipei in the second quarter on the city’s Dunhua North Road. The Mandarin Oriental, Taipei will have 256 guest rooms and 47 suites, all equipped with the latest technology, luxurious marble bathrooms and walk-in closets.

The restaurants and bars at the hotel include  the French Brasserie, COCO; Ya Ge, a fine dining Cantonese restaurant; Bencotto, an Italian restaurant overseen by Michelin-starred Italian chef Mario Cittadini; the Mandarin Cake Shop; the M.O. Bar; and The Jade Lounge.

The Spa at Mandarin Oriental offers 12 treatment rooms including four couples’ suites and two VIP suites. There is also a Fitness Centre and a heated, outdoor swimming pool. The hotel is located in Taipei’s most established business district and is a 15 minute car journey from the Xinyi shopping and business district, Taipei 101, as well as other key city attractions.

New DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Adds to Bangalore’s Hotel Choices

Bangalore’s IT industry is attracting the development necessary to turn the city into a tourism destination. Starwood and Ritz Carlton have added properties in recent years and now Hilton has opened a new 172-room DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Bangalore in the city’s Outer Ring Road, near several IT / ITES Technology Parks.  The rooms include studios and one-, two- and three-bedroom suites each with internet access, remote printing and more.

Each studio and suite offers separate living, dining and work areas, a well-equipped kitchenette and a private balcony.  A dishwasher and washer/dryer are also provided in the suites.  The hotel has a 24-hour business center, conference and event space, temperature-controlled outdoor swimming pool, steam and sauna rooms and a 24-hour fitness center offering the latest cardiovascular and strength training equipment.  Guests will also have complimentary Wi-Fi internet access in all public areas of the hotel.

Tune Hotels Unveils Ambitious Japanese Plan

Tokyo-based Red Planet Japan plans to make an initial investment of $100 million over the next six years to open 20 hotels by 2020 under the Tune Hotels (www.tunehotels.com/my/en/) brand throughout Japan and then in North Asia.  The first such hotel under the Tune Hotels flag opened in Naha, Okinawa last year. Red Planet Hotels is the largest franchisee and second largest shareholder (17 percent) of the Tune Hotels brand.

Tune Hotels’ feature space-efficient, streamlined rooms focusing on high-quality basics: a quality bed, powerful hot showers and energy-conserving ceiling fans along with housekeeping services, electronic keycard access into rooms, CCTV surveillance, and 24-hour security.

Red Planet Hotels Chief Executive Officer and Red Planet Japan Director, Tim Hansing, cited recent announcements by the Japanese government to promote inbound tourism and develop infrastructure as motivating factors in the move.

"Now that we have established ourselves and the Tune Hotels brand in Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines, our strategy has always been to expand in north Asia and we will be commencing this move in Japan first of all,” said Hansing.  "Our vision to have 20 hotels in Japan by 2020 is crystal clear as the year will be a significant milestone for the country when it hosts the 32nd Summer Olympics.”

Red Planet Hotels is actively exploring expansion into other north Asian countries, including South Korea and Taiwan. Currently, Red Planet Hotels is the sole owner and operator of 18 Tune Hotels with 2,789 rooms across Japan, Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia and it has a further 12 hotels under construction in those countries.

Red Planet Hotels also has an ownership interest in a further 11 operational Tune Hotels through its investment in Tune Hotels Limited. Established in 2007, there are 38 Tune Hotels operating 6,056 rooms globally in nine countries with Malaysia, England, Scotland, Australia and India being the other destinations where the brand is operating.

Fairmont Announces First Malaysia Property in KL 

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts will open its first property in Malaysia when the 750-room Fairmont Kuala Lumpur debuts in 2017. The 62-story luxury hotel will have six dining outlets, as well as meeting and banquet space and recreational facilities including a swimming pool, health club and spa. 

The hotel will be located in the Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC) development, which is home to the Petronas Twin Towers, the tallest twin buildings in the world. The project will include the hotel and one high-rise office tower, which will be connected via a six-story retail podium.

The hotel will also be connected to the Suria KLCC shopping complex. The hotel’s public areas and guestrooms will be located on the sixth story and above, offering views of the nearby KLCC Park, as well as the Petronas Towers. Guests will also have easy access to the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre and various office complexes through a covered walkway.

Fairmont continues to expand its presence in Asia Pacific. Currently the group’s Asian portfolio includes Fairmont Beijing, Fairmont Peace Hotel in Shanghai, Kunshan's Fairmont Yangcheng Lake, Fairmont Nanjing, Fairmont Singapore, Fairmont Makati in Manila and Fairmont Jaipur.

The brand also has new projects set to open in Chengdu, Jakarta (2015), Bali (2016), Taiyuan (2016), Changsha (2016), and Hangzhou (2017).