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A Japanese castle, Sanjuro the cat, and a remarkable recovery in tourism

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Bitchū Matsuyama Castle, also known as Takahashi Castle, is a castle located in Takahashi, Okayama Prefecture, Japan. It is not to be confused with Matsuyama Castle in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture.

The Takahashi City Tourist Association is upbeat, with an official of the association saying: “We want to liven up the whole city with Sanjuro.”

A feline “lord” of Bitchu Matsuyama Castle in Takahashi, Okayama Prefecture, is contributing to a recovery in tourism that was dealt a heavy hit from natural disasters last summer.

The name of the cat lord of the popular castle, which is nicknamed “castle in the sky”, is Sanjuro. He settled in the precincts of the castle in the wake of torrential rains in western Japan in July last year.

Because Sanjuro is super-friendly to people, he has attracted attention on social media.

The number of tourists coming to the castle, that fell at one point after the torrential rains, recovered rapidly, thanks to Sanjuro. He is now serving as a living “beckoning cat”, the auspicious cat statue often displayed in stores and other businesses.

Sanjuro is a male with white and brown fur. He is thought to be three or four years old.

On July 21 last year, castle cleaner Ryoichi Motohara found the cat wandering in the castle’s Sannomaru area. “At the time, I thought he was an abandoned cat, because he was very skinny.”

After observing the cat for several days, the cleaner started feeding him. From then, he began appearing in the castle’s Honmaru main area, mingling with tourists.

The cat never got angry when people would touch him. He responded to people with cute manners while purring. He became widely known through word of mouth and via online sites.

The tourist association gave the cat the name Sanjuro in tribute to Tani Sanjuro, a samurai warrior of the Bitchu Matsuyama clan who served as a troop captain of Shinsengumi, a samurai squad in the last years of the Edo period (1603-1867).

As the number of newspaper articles and TV programmes reporting about Sanjuro grew, his owner was identified around October last year.

Ms Megumi Nanba, 40, who lives in the city about 6km from the castle, said that she had been searching for her cat, who ran away from their home on July 14.

As she loved her cat and he was also was attached to her children, Ms Nanba at first wanted to take him back home. Eventually, though, Ms Nanba and her family members discussed the matter and decided to hand over their cat to the tourist association.

“I was really relieved when I found out he was alive. If he likes living in the castle, it is good for him (to stay there),” she said.

In November last year, an official of the tourist association took him home to prepare for a media presentation, and Sanjuro ran away again.

Although the association tried to find him by distributing leaflets and other means, Sanjuro could not been found, which made officials of the association increasingly worried.

Sanjuro was finally found 19 days later. Since then, the officials have kept him inside the castle’s administrative office building in the Honmaru area so as not to have such a painful feeling again.

In December last year, the association officially appointed Sanjuro to the post of “castle lord cat”. His duty as the castle lord is to stroll around in the castle twice a day, with officials holding him on a leash.

Sanjuro is highly popular for his friendliness towards visitors, such as rubbing against people’s legs and neatly sitting down on their knees.

According to the tourist association, the number of visitors in July last year in the wake of the torrential rains fell to about 20 per cent compared with that in the previous year. But in February this year, the number passed 4,000 – 40 per cent higher than that in the previous year.

The association designated March 16 as the “Day of Sanjuro” as a play on words – 3 (san), 10 (ju) and 6 (roku) – and held an event.

Tourists from across the nation swarmed to take photos of Sanjuro that day.

Ms Miho Hatanaka, 44, from Otake, Hiroshima Prefecture, said: “He is so friendly and tame. I wish I could hug him a long time.”

Her daughter Nanami, a nine-year-old elementary school student, said: “He’s so cute. I hope he keeps playing the role of castle lord.”

The association produces official items with his photo such as key chains and postcards, as well as digital stamps which can be used on LINE, a free communication app.

Manager of the tourist association Hideo Aihara said: “With Sanjuro at the core, new movements including developments of items and event plans have been occurring.

“We want to expand this positive trend while cooperating with various entities.”

Travel News | eTurboNews

AIDS/HIV research supported by design community

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Members of the Design Industries have supported AIDS research since 1984 through the Design Industries Foundation Fighting Aids (DIFFA), a 501 (c)(3) charitable organization incorporated in New York State.

DIFFA started as a grassroots organization and today is a national foundation headquartered in New York City with chapters in Chicago, Dallas, San Francisco and the Pacific Northwest. The organization also partners with gift and home industries and other organizations throughout the USA. DIFFA and its partners have raised over $44 million for hundreds of HIV/AIDS organizations nationwide providing education and prevention programs that run the gamut from condom distribution and needle exchanges to protection of legal rights and security for people living with HIV/AIDS.

Every March, DIFFA invites local and international designers to take raw space and morph it into a showcase of WOW dining table-top environments. It is co-located with the Architectural Digest Design Show and thousands of designers, architects, buyers, sellers, media and design educators support this unique event held at Pier 92 in Manhattan.

Dining by Design attracts over 40,000 guests who view dining installations by more than 30 designers, architects, manufacturers and brands. Designers include: Black Designs + Artists Guild, Sheila Bridges, Mikel Welch, Stacy Garcia, Damour Drake, Kingston Design Connection, Joshua David Home, Inc. Architecture, Lucina Loya, Patrick Mele for Benjamin Moore, Roric Tobin for Modern Luxury and David Scott Interiors for Roche Bobois and Stonehill Taylor for Ultrafabrics.

Curated Design-Inspired Table-Scapes

  • Patrick Mele for Benjamin Moore

This table-scape celebrates glamour from an earlier decade and another world. It is presented in a contemporary format with a mélange of berry, cream, gold and silver giving the space an airy and spring-like ambiance that enhances the trompe l’oeil details and highlights its creativity.

  • Rockwell Group

This table-scape is inspired by The Peacock Room, James McNeill Whistler’s masterpiece of interior decorative art. The tableau features digital wallcovering and a custom handmade peacock-feather tablecloth, creating an abstract, modern interpretation of luxuriously – decadent space.

  • Stonehill Taylor for Ultrafabrics

“Journey” links nearly 4 decades of research and human achievement in the fight against AIDS. The colors and patterns suggest the body and being, while the swirling, layered centerpiece addresses hope and optimism thanks to ongoing advances in science and technology.

  • Mckenzie Liautaud/Robert Verdi

Inspired by water and the nexus between the river and the sea, jewelry designer @Mckenziel and tastemaker @RobertVerdi present a table-scape that features pearls and their origin. Dinner guests are seated on pearl-like stools at a table set with silver and crystal under the stars.

Auction (Curated)

Dining by Design features a silent auction that presents innovative products, original works of art and unusual, quirky experiences.

  • Infiore Floor Lamp by Estiluz

The lamp was designed by the Lagrania Studio. Fiore means flower in Italian, and this is an original elegant lamp that opens it petals and shines it unique light wherever it is placed. The bi-injected polycarbonate petals provide a two-color lighting effect. A halogen bulb is hidden within and is protected by satinized glass that delivers a warm, pleasant light that presents different tones and color effects.

  • Izmir Filo Table Lamp

This playful table lamp was designed by Andrea Anastasio for Foscarini. The lamp and its cord land casually on a tripod, and on the cord are large, effective glass beads. The Filo Lamp is an artistic masterpiece that will be admired forever.

For additional information: diffa.org

Travel News | eTurboNews

Cable Car to be introduced on Mount Kilimanjaro, amid protest

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A cable car is to be rolled out on Mount Kilimanjaro by a foreign company to improve access and boost tourism, amid strong protest from key local industry players.

Overlooking the sprawling Savannah plains of Tanzania and Kenya, the snow-capped mountain of Kilimanjaro rises majestically in splendid isolation to 5,895 metres above the sea level, making it the world’s highest freestanding peak.

Tanzania Deputy minister for Natural Resources and Tourism Constantine Kanyasu says the Cable Car facility was part of the government’s latest strategy to woo tourists with over 50 years of age.

Mr Kanyasu says that they hope that the cable car will allow more ageing tourists to experience the wide variety of nature and wildlife of Mount Kilimanjaro.

Instead of the familiar views of snow and ice, this cable car would offer a day trip safari with a bird’s eye view, contrary to the eight-day hiking trip.

The initial work for the cable car has just taken off with AVAN Kilimanjaro hiring the Crescent Environment and Management (CEM) Consult Limited to conduct Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA).

CEM officer Beatrice Mchome had engaged tour operators and other mountain stakeholders in Kilimanjaro and Arusha region where she made presentations on the proposed cable car and a lodge projects as part of the ESIA process.

Uproar

Key industry players, namely tour operators, guides and porters strongly protest the new facility, saying climbing the magnificent Kilimanjaro Mountain on foot is a lifetime experience that should never be compromised by cable cars.

Mount Kilimanjaro Porters Society (MKPS) opposes the cable car product outright, saying it will deny employment nearly 250,000 unskilled porters scaling up Mount Kilimanjaro for a wage each year.

“Much as the cable car service doesn’t require porters, majority of tourists will climb Mount Kilimanjaro on day trip basis using the new product to cut down costs and length of stay,” MKPS vice chairman Edson Mpemba explains.

Mpemba wonders that decision makers had overlooked interests of the huge number of unskilled labour force, which solely depends on the mountain to eke out a living.

“Think of the ripple effect on families of the 250,000 unskilled porters,” he stresses, cautioning:

“The cable car facility will initially look like a noble and innovative idea, but it will, in a long run, ruin the future of the majority of local people whose livelihood depends on the mountain.”

Seasoned tour guide Victor Manyanga echoes his fears saying the glittering cable car product will contradict the country’s conservation policy, as it will encourage mass tourism and become a major threat to the ecology of Mount Kilimanjaro.

“The cable car will be installed along the Machame route, which doubles as an irreplaceable birds migratory route…I am greatly worried over electric wires severely affecting the migration of birds,” Manyanga says.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a tour operator accuses authorities of deliberately violating the law of the land by allowing a foreign investor to operate a cable car service on Mount Kilimanjaro.

“The law provides for exclusivity of Mount Kilimanjaro services to local operators, how come a foreign company is licensed to operate a cable car against it?” he queries.

Section 58(2) of the 2008 Tanzania Tourism Act No 11 clearly says mountain climbing or trekking registration will be issued to companies fully owned by Tanzanians.

Tour operators are also worried over the cable car harshly affecting revenues in a long run, owing to the service significantly reducing the length of stay from eight to one day.

“Assume all 50,000 tourists hiking Mount Kilimanjaro a year opt for the cable car, the national park will get $4.1 million fee, down from the current $55.3 million,” the tour operators say.

They fear the multiplier effect of the decline to the entrance, camping, rescue and crew fees will also be reflected on the national economy.

Chief Park Warden with Kilimanjaro National Park (KINAPA) Betty Looibok says the cable car is but only one of several additional tourism products embedded into Mount Kilimanjaro’s General Management Plan (GMP) in an effort to boost revenue.

“Cable car is for physically challenged persons and aged tourists who want to experience the thrill of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro up to Shira Plateau without wishing to summit,” she explains.

Looibok says the construction of the cable car will depend on the outcome of the environmental and social impact assessment study, which is currently underway.

Plans for the cable car service on the Kilimanjaro Mountain are not entirely new; as the discussions date back 1960s when they were not successful.

The feasibility plan in place will, however, bring the cable car one step closer to reality and make the mountain more accessible than it has been so far.

Some of the 50,000 tourists conquering Mount Kilimanjaro peaks a year though use challenging specialist routes, most of them opt for one of the six separate walking routes to the roof.

They generally take seven to eight days and are provided with accommodation in camps pitched around peaks for them to adjust to the altitude as they ascend.

Travel News | eTurboNews

American Tourist Kidnapped in Uganda: African Tourism Board in action with expert Dr. Peter Tarlow

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Not only leopards were roaming Queen Elizabeth National Park today, but criminals who kidnapped an elderly American tourist in the park today, and put the well-organized travel and tourism industry in Uganda on edge.

The Uganda Ministry of ICT & National Guidance issued this statement:

Yesterday, Tuesday 2nd April 2019 four armed men not yet identified between 5,00pm and 7,00pm staged an ambush and kidnapped an American Tourist with his Ugandan driver near Katoke gate in the Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Four other four tourists who were left abandoned and unharmed later contacted the base (lodge) and were quickly moved to safety.

A joint operation by the Uganda Police, Uganda Peoples Defense Forces (UPDF) and Uganda Wildlife Authority Game Wardens is underway to locate and rescue them.

The priority at this point is to locate, rescue and bring them back safely.

eTN talked to Lilly Ajariva. She is a Ugandan conservationist and tourism expert. She is the Chief Executive Officer of the Uganda Tourism Board, the Ugandan government agency that is charged with promoting the country as a tourism destination. She was appointed to that position on 10 January 2019.

When asked why an American Tourist was picked by the kidnappers, Ms. Ajarova thinks the selection was based on the age and not the nationality.

eTN reached out to Dr. Peter Tarlow, head of safertourism.com 

Dr. Peter Tarlow

Dr. Peter Tarlow is also the security and safety expert for the newly-founded African Tourism Board and will be speaking at their launch event in Cape Town next week. Peter is scheduled to meet with UTB CEO Lilly Ajarova to discuss any assistance the Africa Tourism Board can give in this situation.

Dr. Tarlow told eTurboNews: “The tragic kidnapping that recently occurred in Uganda should not be seen as indicative of overall safety in Uganda.

“Very much to the contrary, Uganda has been known over the decades to be a safe and secure destination. Unfortunately, there are bad people in every part of the world and travel implies risk.

“However, Uganda cannot afford to rely on its recent past but must show the world what it is doing in the future.

“Despite the fact that the situation is very fluid and the facts, at midnight Uganda time is still unclear, there are a number of things that Uganda can do immediately and in the short and long term to mitigate the damage to its reputation.

“These suggestions come from my long-term work with Aruva after the Natalie Holloway case and with kidnapping issues both in Mexico and in Latin America.”

With limited data, the African Tourism Board security expert suggests the following, and as more data becomes apparent, additional information will be provided.

We urge Uganda Tourism Officials to:

1)  Tell the truth. Under no circumstance, minimize, become defensive or refuse to accept the severity of the situation. Do not lie to reporters.

2)  Have one person be the tourism spokesman or woman and funnel all information through that person.

3)  If the information is not yet known, state that facts and then state that there will be regularly-scheduled updates. Give specific times and locations.

4)  Have the military of a police officer standing next to the spokesperson to indicate that this is a serious matter.

5)  Make sure that it is clear that the government is working with all foreign embassies and updating them on a regular basis.

6)  Indicate that Uganda is working with the visitors’ families and will do everything that is needed to help the family.

7)  Announce that there is a special unit at work (assuming this unit exists) that deals with hostage rescue and recovery. If it does not exist, then contact friendly foreign governments that have experience in this matter.

We hope for the short term that Uganda:

1)  Announces that the country is doing an update on its risk management.

2)  Gets articles in the media that speak about Ugandan positives.

3)  Indicates that the perpetrators will be found and that they will suffer the full consequences of the law.

4)  Opens a foreign visitor hotline so that all visitors can get up-to-date information.

5)  Announces that the Ugandan tourism police will be opening (or strengthening) their tourism police unit and that they will receive additional training.

6)  Make it clear that Uganda tourism is working with international boards such as the African Tourism Board  (ATB) and that there will be exchanges of information between the African tourism bureaus through the ATB.

Juergen Steinmetz, the interim chair of the African Tourism Board, said: “We are standing by to assist Uganda and are in touch with UTB and our security expert Dr. Peter Tarlow. We will be meeting with Lilly next week in Capetown and hope this crime will be resolved at that time and that our fellow American tourist is returned safely. I am confident Dr. Tarlow can be of great assistance to Uganda Tourism and for the African continent when it comes to safety and security.”

More information on African Tourism Board: www.africantourismboard.com
More information on Safer Tourism: www.safertourism.com

Travel News | eTurboNews

How fast things can get lost… and found again at Frankfurt Airport

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New online search function speeds up processes in the Lost & Found Office at Frankfurt Airport

Fiddlesticks! The family has just settled into their seats in the plane and are full of excitement about their holiday. When suddenly the youngest child cries, “my teddy bear is gone!” Now what? It’s a shame that she’ll have to do without her favorite cuddly animal during the trip. But it would at least be great to know that it will be in safe hands in Frankfurt Airport’s lost & found office until they return―it would be a huge relief, in fact.

But how can they find out? Fortunately, it has just become considerably easier for the owners of missing objects to report their losses to the lost & found office online―any time of the day or night. With luck, the lost item will already be in the database. A new system now automatically compares search requests and returned items, identifies matches, and notifies owners as soon as their missing property turns up.

In the search portal on the airport website, it is possible to specify attributes such as the item’s brand, color, size, unique inscriptions etc. and when and where it was lost. A photograph of it can even be uploaded. “The new system greatly facilitates our work,” says Rike Krüger of the lost & found office at Frankfurt Airport. Passengers can easily select search parameters themselves. In the past, it was necessary for airport employees to laboriously copy this information from emails or faxes or call owners to ask for details. Especially on busy days, this can take awhile. “Travelers now enjoy an improved service. They can actively support the search process themselves and no longer have to constantly worry during their trip, hoping against hope that we will have found their property by the time they return,” adds Krüger. “We can now let them know right away as soon as their lost smartphone, backpack, umbrella, saxophone or whatever appears in our system.” The image analysis function will also be improved even further very soon; the software will then be able to automatically identify and correlate more attributes of missing objects. This will make it faster and more convenient both to submit search requests and to identify found items.

Once it’s clear that the lost & found office has a missing object, its owner has various options for recovering their property. They can of course personally retrieve it from the lost & found office right after returning, or else authorize someone else to do it for them. For a small fee and the cost of postage, the staff of the lost & found office will also send items to anywhere in the world.

Good to know

The Lost & Found Office at Frankfurt Airport is a service of Fraport, the airport’s operator. Its 10 employees deal with up to 70 returned items and 50 search requests a day. Currently about 10,000 objects are stored in the lost & found office in Terminal 1 located at the entrance to the Airport city Mall on Level 0. They range from items such as jewelry and electrical appliances, across clothing and accessories, toys and travel bags, all the way to curiosities such chainsaws, wheelchairs and microwave ovens. They are kept for three months and then auctioned off if they haven’t been claimed by that time. The proceeds are kept for three years, just in case owners make themselves known by then. The lost & found office is open to the public every day between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Passengers and visitors can find more information on the lost & found office and many other services on Frankfurt Airport’s website, Service Shop, or Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or YouTube social media pages.

Travel News | eTurboNews

EU and Airbus cite US for inaction that could cost billions

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The World Trade Organization (WTO) Appellate Body has rejected every single United States argument whereas it has taken all EU legal points on board. In addition, the WTO highest court has also qualified a number of additional US federal and state programmes as illegal subsidies, and even, as prohibited subsidies as in the case of the Foreign Sales Corporation scheme (FSC), a major win for the EU.

Airbus welcomed the report of the WTO Appellate Body, published today, which confirms that the United States failed to withdraw the subsidies granted by federal, state and local authorities to Boeing, and to remove the harm those subsidies caused to Airbus.

The report requests that further compliance steps are necessary from the United States and Boeing. Failure to do so will provide the European Union the possibility to seek countermeasures on imports of US products.

Airbus General Counsel John Harrison stated: “This is a clear victory for the EU and Airbus.   It vindicates our position that Boeing, while pointing fingers at Airbus, has not taken any action to comply with its WTO obligations, contrary to Airbus and the EU. With this damaging report, continuing to deny they receive massive illegal subsidies from the United States government is no longer an option. Stated differently, absent settlement, the US will pay – in perpetuity – billions in annual sanctions driven by every single flying Boeing program, while the EU would face, in the worst case, only minor issues.

He added: “We hope that these findings will prompt the United States and Boeing to move forward constructively in this long-standing dispute and join us in working towards a fair-trade environment. In the absence of a constructive approach, the EU now has a very strong legal case to move forward to countermeasures.”

Airbus thanks the European Commission and the governments of France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Spain for their continuous support throughout the long dispute process. Their longstanding efforts to restore a fair level playing field are now clearly showing results.

Travel News | eTurboNews

New Executive Chef at Westin Langkawi Resort & Spa Malaysia

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Guests dining at The Westin Langkawi Resort & Spa’s signature Eat Well menu, as well as its array of local and international cuisine, are in for a healthier, heightened culinary experience with the appointment of Glen Roberts as the 5-star resort’s Executive Chef.

Glen’s primary emphasis will be on overseeing and enhancing the Eat Well program at The Westin Langkawi, which provides guests with nutritious dishes sourced responsibly and created thoughtfully. The program, offered at Westin Hotels & Resorts worldwide, focuses on accommodating individual dietary preferences and needs without compromising on flavour, taste or satisfaction.

“The Eat Well program is a unique initiative based on the belief that feeling good starts with the right nourishment,” said Glen. “It’s an honour to be part of a stellar team that operates on a wellness-first philosophy, and I’m eager to acquire local insights and exchange knowledge on how best to provide guests a thoughtful, nutritious yet appealing culinary experience.”

Alongside his team from The Westin Langkawi, the widely-travelled food connoisseur will also be in charge of elevating culinary offerings at the Langkawi International Convention Centre (LICC), the island’s leading and largest centre of its kind.

Glen arrives in Langkawi after a stint at the 5-star Emerald Palace Kempinski Dubai, where he was part of the pre-opening team. Prior to his spell in the United Arab Emirates, he spent two years, from 2016, as the Executive Chef at the Shangri-La in Surabaya. His culinary adventures, however, began almost 5,000 kilometres and 40 years ago in Australia.

He began his love affair with food in Australia in the mid-1980s before honing his culinary skills in London and New Zealand. Glen returned to Brisbane and progressed to become second in charge to the Executive Chef of the Hyatt Regency Coolum in Queensland, overseeing 10 food outlets and multi-banquet facilities. He later moved to the Park Hyatt in Canberra, where his tenure as Senior Executive Sous Chef saw him attending to HRH Queen Elizabeth and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex during their visit there in 2002.

Seeking new horizons, Glen was part of the team that launched the Grand Hyatt Dubai. He then set his sights on the Sheraton Grand Laguna Phuket in Thailand, where he celebrated his first stint as Executive Chef in 2003. Two years later, he found himself in East Malaysia at the Shangri-La Rasa Ria Resort. Whilst there one of the many highlights was to be the key driver behind the production of the “Taste of Borneo” cookbook, which focused on the preparation of 5-star cuisine using local products from Sabah.

In 2010, Glen was an integral part of the team behind the successful renovation and reopening of the Shangri-La Rasa Sentosa Resort in Singapore. He continued to spearhead the resort until 2013, when he moved to the Shangri-La Fijian Resort and Spa as their Executive Chef.

Longing to once again step back into Southeast Asia, he made his way to Thailand’s InterContinental Hua Hin Resort in 2015. Glen was involved in developing and opening the resort’s Roof Top bar and BluPort Wing, which features 40 guest rooms, an all-day dining restaurant, meeting rooms and ballroom.

“Food is my passion, and I’ve also missed this lovely region,” laughs Glen. “By combining the two, I hope to tantalize guests at The Westin Langkawi with some of the healthiest, tastiest cuisine in Southeast Asia while maintaining our international-class standards of service, quality and hospitality.”

Centrally located on 104 acres of lush, Langkawi tropical gardens bordered by the Andaman Sea, The Westin Langkawi Resort & Spa comprises 221 spacious, fully-appointed rooms and suites. The resort also features 20 ultra-luxury Ocean View Pool villas complete with personal pools as well as the award-winning Heavenly Spa by Westin, the only Heavenly Spa in Malaysia.

For more information on The Westin Langkawi Resort & Spa, visit

www.westinlangkawi.com or follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

 

 

 

Travel News | eTurboNews

Melbourne to welcome news hotels from Ormond Group in 2022

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In 2022, Southeast Asian hospitality brand Ormond Group will introduce two new hotel concepts to Melbourne’s Central Business District in Victoria, Australia. Each taking residence in their own distinct tower within the buzzing CBD development, the Ormond Melbourne and MoMo’s Melbourne on Flinders Lane, will rise from a 40,000 sqft events and F&B podium. The brand-new development and social gathering space, designed for visitors and locals alike, will boast a purpose-built pedestrian laneway, multi-use spaces, sky bar & restaurant and provide the cultural capital with 537 new guest rooms between the two properties.

“We are delighted to have been given the green light for Ormond Group to push forward with this exciting and ambitious project. Through our new brands, we hope to be able to elevate the hotel scene in Melbourne through our inclusive approach to programming and design. We’ll be looking to work with exciting F&B operators as well as developing inspiring partnerships to bring these properties to life. Our spaces are designed to welcome guests and locals alike. Ormond and MoMo’s will offer culturally relevant experiences for guests and locals at great value for money price points in one central location. We are thrilled to be introducing our hotels to this area of the city’s CBD – we embrace its past, present and future and look forward to meaningfully contributing to the district’s landscape. We feel confident that Melbourne’s already discerning lifestyle audience will enjoy what we bring to Australia’s cultural capital.” says Gareth Lim, CEO of Ormond Group.

Through its approach to delivering authentic travel experiences, the Ormond Group is re-shaping Melbourne’s lifestyle scene with each new hotel. Ormond Hotels is a collection of thoughtfully designed hotels, inspired by local stories and cultural context. Ormond Melbourne will embody the spirit of Luxury Simplified through the brand’s values of comfort, purpose and balance by prioritizing great service, high quality guest essentials, beautiful and thoughtful design and dynamic social programming.

Meanwhile, MoMo’s Melbourne will provide guests with minimalist hotel rooms alongside playful spaces that engage with creative communities and urban nomads. MoMo’s is designed to inspire memorable moments – through interactive events that engage both locals and visitors alike at a value for money price point.

Together they will provide a dual-brand experience – an upscale boutique hotel that celebrates luxury simplified and an accessible, playful hotel concept that celebrates creative collaboration – bringing a new dynamism to Australia’s hospitality scene.

Designed by Melbourne-based architectural firm, Elenberg Fraser, in collaboration with Craig Tan Architects, the project will be managed by Point Polaris. Ormond Group is currently in the process of making interior design appointments. Both properties will be developed and operated by Ormond Group, who has announced the appointment of Caroline King as Chief Operating Officer.

This year, Ormond Group will open the first properties for its two new lifestyle hotel brands, with the Q3 launches of The Chow Kit – an Ormond Hotel and MoMo’s in Kuala Lumpur.

In Early 2021 the group will open the flagship hotel under the Ormond Hotels brand in Dublin following the extensive, multimillion-dollar refurbishment of The Ormond Hotel, which will be followed by the brand’s Melbourne opening in 2022. The group will be looking to expand into other Australian cities.

Ormond Group is a new player in global hospitality offering design-led travel experiences for all audiences via its brands – Ormond, MoMo’s and Tune Hotels. Ormond Group embodies the spirit of modern-day exploration whilst focusing on the careful curation of great service, design and programming.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Rosewood Hong Kong opens its harborfront doors

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Rosewood Hong Kong opens as a new ultra-luxury property in the heart of the Victoria Dockside district on the shores of Victoria Harbour. Situated on one of Hong Kong’s most significant waterfront locations in Tsim Sha Tsui – Kowloon’s dynamic, culturally compelling heart – the property is set to become a grand icon for the city, celebrating the area’s role as Hong Kong’s new creative and cultural epicenter.

The opening of Rosewood Hong Kong is a defining milestone for the group, solidifying its stature as one of the world’s most dynamic hotel brands and a leader in global style. This showpiece of the brand’s highest aspirations epitomizes Rosewood’s essence and represents the complete manifestation of a differentiated and modern expression of ultra-luxury hospitality.

From the brand’s inception 40 years ago as a fine private home that opened its doors to guests, each Rosewood hotel continues to be guided by A Sense of Place® philosophy and the concept of the hotel as a living canvas celebrating artistry in all its forms. This spirit reaches its zenith at Rosewood Hong Kong. Guests can experience the first urban outpost of the brand’s pioneering wellness concept; gastronomic innovation showcasing locally grown and artisanal ingredients; masterworks by the world’s most highly acclaimed artists; and supremely stylish, residentially natured gathering and living spaces – all within a masterfully designed and meticulously curated journey in architecturally bold environs commanding the harbor.

Rosewood’s opening in Hong Kong marks the evolution of another meaningful historic legacy. The site is the former Holt’s Wharf, dating back to 1910, which subsequently became New World Centre, a lifestyle magnet for the city in the 1980s, which holds a unique place in the hearts and minds of local residents as a place of discovery and wonderment. New World Centre – a proud expression of Hong Kong’s evolution – was the creation of Dr. Cheng Yu-tung and Dr. Henry Cheng, the grandfather and father (respectively) of Rosewood Hotel Group Chief Executive Officer, Sonia Cheng.

“With Hong Kong evolving from a business and financial center to become a true global cultural capital, I wanted to create an iconic property that not only showcases the city’s rich history but also reflects its bright future,” says Sonia Cheng. “New World Centre was conceived as my grandfather’s ultimate gift to Hong Kong, a celebration of its progress, vibrancy and spirit. I hope that Rosewood Hong Kong enhances this legacy and helps fulfill his and my father’s vision for the city that they loved. Rosewood Hong Kong sets bold new benchmarks for design, guest experience, cuisine, and culture. Our ambition is to create a new world standard for ultra-luxury hospitality and a focal point of the vibrant Hong Kong lifestyle, reflecting its incredible dynamism, style and diversity.”

Travel News | eTurboNews

Sexually assaulted by hotel staff? TripAdvisor tells woman leave a review

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TripAdvisor is the largest travel site in the world, with 456 million people visiting the site every month to search for accommodation and other hospitality sites ranked according user reviews.

Two women alleged they were raped by staff employed by businesses currently promoted on TripAdvisor and said the company is failing its “duty to public safety” in the way it handles such complaints. They said they fear others are at risk without information about prior alleged incidents being made visible on the business page. These hotels are continuing to be promoted on TripAdvisor.

One woman said she was raped by a tour guide whose business was being promoted on the TripAdvisor. After contacting the hotel where he worked and reporting him to the police, she wanted to warn other tourists.

TripAdvisor’s response was to tell her to leave a first person review detailing her sexual assault on the website.

“I was in disbelief. Am I seriously being asked to recall the humiliating details of my own sexual assault? Was this global company pushing me to relive my trauma on their forum for everyone to see and comment, or worse of all for the perpetrator who is still out there, to respond to me, troll me?,” she said. “It left me feeling shattered, hopeless and alone.”

TripAdvisor told her that they do not remove a business from their site if a staff member was accused of sexual assault or rape, even temporarily to conduct an internal review. The company then shared 5 links with her of reviews detailing sexual assault and rape, allegedly committed by staff at different hotels, as examples of how she might write her own review.

In one review that TripAdvisor shared with her in an email dated November 2018, an 18-year-old woman said she had her drink spiked and was raped at a resort in Jamaica. She claimed the hotel hired lawyers to mount a case against her, even after undergoing a rape test at a local hospital.

The resort currently has a 4.5-star rating out of 5. There is no flag on the hotel’s TripAdvisor page to suggest any such attack has ever occurred. The only way to know would be to scroll through and read more than 5,000 reviews.

TripAdvisor ranks hotels based on the star rating given by users, but individual reviews are presented chronologically on listing page for the hotel. A review which detailed allegations of sexual assault could easily be overtaken by more recent reviews and be harder to find.

There are 40 examples of reviews describing sexual assault, rape, and groping committed by staff members of highly-rated hotels and other travel businesses on TripAdvisor. In only 14 of those cases, the hotel or travel business – such as tour guides – had replied to the review, with just one review indicating whether disciplinary action had been taken against the staff member in question.

TripAdvisor left this woman’s review as pending, because she did not write it as a first person account and it remains unpublished. She told the company she did not want to publish “first hand experiences” in fear of being contacted and identified by people whose attention she did not want to attract, including the alleged perpetrator. TripAdvisor suggested she created a burner account under an anonymous name to leave the review.

TripAdvisor has previously attempted to grapple with complaints of sexual assault. In November 2017, it said it would add a warning tags to hotels where “health, discrimination, and safety” issues have been reported – but would not explicitly say what the business has been flagged for. The decision came after the company deleted a review detailing a rape case in a hotel in Mexico because the language used breached its guidelines.

The amount of time a badge remains on a business listing is determined on a case-by-case basis, but the company uses a period of 3 months as a guideline for re-evaluation. TripAdvisor said there are currently 4 flags up on business listing pages. None of the flagged hotels or travel businesses have any warning on the business page of prior allegations made about staff.

Complainants believe a red flag on a business for 3 months to evaluate the ongoing safety of the listing is not enough, especially when little to no action is taken against the alleged attackers still employed at hotels and businesses.

Another woman, Christine, 44, from Toronto, Canada, alleged she was raped in a hotel in the Caribbean while on holiday with her family. She said the process of leaving the complaint of sexual assault as a review was futile as reviews were routinely “buried” by other reviews, making it difficult for users to find.

She added that the reviews detailing sexual assault attacks should not be lumped alongside other 1-star reviews complaining about “bed sheets.”

“They definitely should have a different kind of review system, for these types of incidences so they’re not buried in with everyone’s reviews about you know, the quality of the towels or the sheets. Especially if it’s a safety issue, particularly for women.”

Christine decided to go public with her story because, she says, “TripAdvisor has a major platform and really they have a duty for public safety, because it is a big problem. I’m not overstating it when I say it’s widespread.

“Many women contacted me and said this has happened to them, too, by a different staff member at another hotel. And we need to be aware of it.”

TripAdvisor said while the company was unsure if the reviews complaining of rape would have an impact on a business, it believed reviews were “very helpful” to travelers to inform them about where to stay or visit.

TripAdvisor added it had a team of hundreds of people working on content moderation focused on “maintaining the integrity” of the site, and that thousands of reviews on the website described health and safety issues, including sexual assault and other crimes.

The company said it took into account a number of issues before giving a business a flag, including whether a staff member of a business listed was implicated in the review complaint. The company adds a flag to listings where there are media reports of the issue or when a first-hand review is not “readily accessible.”

It said its notifications are not confirmation of the events but were there to “encourage consumers to do additional research outside of TripAdvisor” of the safety of the businesses. However, the company claimed most businesses that had received a flag had taken steps to address the issue that caused the media coverage.

In a statement to the Guardian, TripAdvisor said: “It is terrible that some travelers endure serious issues such as assault or rape, and we hope our platform can be used by them to help warn and protect others. It is important that reviewers follow our publishing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of our reviews, and when these reviews are not readily available and news reports exist that detail recent and pervasive health and safety matters, TripAdvisor’s notification process helps alert travelers about potential issues at a location.”

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