13 May 10: Following the completion of a recent $45 million redevelopment, Grand HyattMelbourne now includes spectacular upper and lower lobbies, the restaurant Collins Kitchen, RU-CO, the bar, and the residence, the hotel’s premium events venue A luxury retail precinct has also been completed and includes flagship stores from Bulgari, Paspaley Pearls and Emporio Armani. Renowned Melbourne chef Greg Malouf’s MoMo restaurant and the opulent Spice Market bar complete the transformation of Grand Hyatt Melbourne as the city’s centre of luxury.

Following the redevelopment of the public spaces, a total transformation of the hotel’s guest rooms is currently underway. The complete interior redesign programme commenced in October 2009, and all 547 rooms will be complete by 2011. The project is isolated floor by floor, ensuring that there is no disruption to in-house guests. The hotel’s premium suites, the Grand Club Lounge and the Club floors (the hotel’s top seven floors), are the first to be completed. Guests will be able to book and experience a brand new Club room from June 2010.

The complete interior redesign includes an update of the carpets, drapery and furniture. Renowned designer Joseph Pang completed the design concept, his brief to match the luxury image of the newly refurbished public areas with a contemporary residential style. Allfurniture pieces, decorative light fittings and built-in joinery items are custom-designed for a unique look, while the palette of beige, bronze and charcoal is complemented by highlights of lime green, creating an eclectic mix. The use of Australian Blackbean timber for the furniture
and custom-made white linen lampshades creates a warm, relaxing mood, enhancing the residential feel of the room.

The concept enhances the hotel’s uninterrupted Melbourne city views, with the new custom-made beds facing the floor-to-ceiling windows. The new work area comprises an L-shaped sofa, a round table and a leather upholstered armchair, a total departure from the conventional work desk and chair. This comfortable and efficient work area next to the window suits both business and leisure travellers, enabling them to appreciate the Melbourne skyline while watching the LCD flat-screen TV or enjoying in-room dining. The classic marble bathrooms will remain intact, and will be complemented by new tapware, shower screens and Italian porcelain basins.

Along with the interior design, the guestroom redesign program is also an important opportunity for the hotel to extend its water- and energy-saving initiatives. All rooms will be fitted with PIR sensors to determine when the guest has vacated the room. The room control system will then reset the AC system and shut off all lighting until the guest returns. Energy-efficient compact fluorescent lighting will be used throughout all rooms, and water-saving devices will be fitted to the basin and shower. These measures are estimated to reduce energy use by 1,131KwH per day*, resulting in a reduction of 1,105 tonnes of carbon emissions per year, and a saving of 9,840 litres of water per day**. These green initiatives complement the upgrades to plant equipment already implemented to help manage the hotel’s energy and water consumption responsibly.

Upper and Lower Lobbies

Custom-made glass bead light curtains, created by leading lighting designer David Singer, welcome guests on arrival. Australian timbers, custom-designed carpets and furniture, marble and welcoming lighting all feature prominently in the hotel’s new lobbies. These truly grand spaces feature a stone staircase, and a larger, more spacious lounge area with increased seating and capacity for guests.

Lobby ambassadors dressed in stylish uniforms created by Melbourne designers Genae, use new communication technology to provide guests with new levels of service.

Collins Kitchen

The open kitchen at the restaurant serves multiple food concepts, including Deli, Sushi, Crustacean Bar, Grill, Wok, Wood-Fired Oven and Patisserie. The priority at Collins Kitchen is to offer simple, authentic food using the finest local and organic produce. Guests are able to interact with chefs for a dynamic dining experience.

Collins Kitchen offers à la carte menus for breakfast, lunch, dinner and all-day dining. A buffet is available for breakfast and Sunday Brunch, and traditional Afternoon Tea is served daily. The extensive wine list draws from the wine room, which houses 2,700 premium bottles. Collins Kitchen seats 180 guests in a variety of dining areas, including banquette seating overlooking Russell Street, the private “Kitchen Room” for 14 guests and a “Chef’s Table” for ten guests, as well as the Lobby Lounge and the Bistro Bar. Collins Kitchen is open daily from 6:00am to 10:30pm.

RU-CO

RU-CO is Melbourne’s new meeting point, located at the intersection of Russell and Collins Streets. With a modern design and dramatic sculpture artworks by Bruce Armstrong, RU-CO features an outdoor courtyard and an exclusive private area for 18 guests. This dynamic bar offers an extensive list of signature martinis, margaritas and classic cocktails, as well as an impressive list of single malt whiskies and cognacs. The wine list draws from the 2,700 premium bottles housed in the wine room. RU-CO is open daily from 5:00pm till late.

the residence

The residence is a spectacular event venue, unlike any other function space in Australia. Based on the concept of a private mansion, guests are welcomed into the residence as if they were entering the home of a good friend. The residence includes four individually styled rooms - the Courtyard, Verandah, Wine Room and Library - all served by a stunning open kitchen, where guests can interact with the chefs preparing the food. The floor-to-ceiling windows afford stunning views of Collins Street and the atrium ceiling of the Courtyard brings in an abundance of natural light.

Addressing the closing ceremony, the Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr. Tran Chien Thang, affirmed Vietnam’s resolve to cooperate with other regional countries to turn ASEAN into an attractive destination with the aim of sustainable developing the non-smoking sector.

Vietnam plans to facilitate the expansion of tourism activities among its domestic businesses as well as its foreign partners, and hopes to receive further assistance and cooperation from other member states, Mr. Thang said.

He then presented an ATF flag to the representative of Brunei’s tourist agency, which is scheduled to host the next ATF in 2010.

This year’s forum saw the participation of more than 200 delegates from the ten ASEAN member countries and their dialogue partners, who shared experiences and agreed unanimously on the need to build a dynamic and developed ASEAN tourist industry.

They passed an agreement to improve the quality of the region’s tourism services, facilitate the transfer of skilled labourers within the region, and further the development of the region’s tourism industry.

They also agreed upon a joint statement regarding tourism cooperation over the recent past and arrived at a future orientation to transform tourism into a spearhead economic sector.

Vietnam’s tourist industry revealed plans for numerous activities to create breakthroughs during 2009, including a promotion scheme to reduce costs by 30-50%, scheduled to begin in September.

The Government and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is set to create more policies and plans, as well as levels of investment designed to ensure the sustainable development of the tourist industry.

Many of the items are considered national treasures, such as a statue of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva that is available for public viewing for the first time. Made of elephant’s tusks, the statue dates back to the 18th-19th centuries.

Another treasure is a Thanh Mai bronze bell that is believed to be made in 798, making it the oldest in Vietnam.

The show has been organised by the Ha Tay Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the UNESCO Club.

Vietnam received 3.9 million foreign arrivals so far this year, according to the General Statistic Office (GSO).

The number of visitors from mainland China, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia increased by 14.7 per cent, 14.3, 14 and 13.5 per cent respectively, compared with the same period of last year.

However, the number of visitors from countries and territories that have often had higher volumes has decreased. The country saw, for example, a reduction of 5.9 per cent from Japan, 3.5 per cent from South Korea and 3.1 per cent from Taiwan.

A sharp drop in the number of visitors from other high-income countries, such as the US and Canada, is also causing great concern within the tourist industry.

Visitors from high-income markets account for 40 per cent of the total number of foreign arrivals. Therefore, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism’s (VNAT) Travel Department has referred to the current situation as “quite serious”.

A decline in the number of foreign arrivals in Viet Nam during recent months due to the global financial crisis will seriously hinder the tourism industry in achieving its set target of 5 million foreign visitors this year.

The number of foreign visitors dropped alarmingly in June, and this downtrend has continued since then.

The VNAT reported that the number of foreign arrivals was 339,000 in August, 315,000 in September and 297,000 in October.

The GSO said that the country received only 279,000 foreigners thus far in November, a further reduction from last month.

The concomitant fall in hotel room occupancy is also worrisome. Many luxury hotels reported room occupancy rates of only 55 per cent in the past ten months, 10-15 per cent lower than the rate recorded during the same period last year.

“If this situation continues, it will be impossible for Vietnam to welcome 5 million foreign visitors, including 3.6 million tourists, the target it has set for this year,” said VNAT deputy director Nguyen Manh Cuong.

Although the global financial crisis and economic recession are regarded as the main culprits for the decline, there were additional factors behind the drop in overseas visitors, including natural disasters, floods, weak infrastructure, and the low quality of guides and services provided by the hospitality sector, Cuong said.

Struggling in the current climate, both State-owned and private travel companies, including Hanoitourist, Saigontourist, Vietmark and Lotussia Travel, are striving to offer new products, while also adopting new marketing strategies to attract new tourists. They have also been advised to explore new markets.

To help give impetus to the industry, the Government has agreed to provide VND 30 billion (USD 1.93 million) for a range of promotional activities.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has approved a plan to advertise images of Vietnam on the BBC, and it is planning to further build on this approach by promoting the country’s natural beauty via other worldwide television channels.

The UN World Tourism Organization predicted that the global tourism industry would remain static during 2009 before rebounding in 2020.