Orient-Express Hotels Reports Improved Third Quarter Results

/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Orient-Express Hotels Ltd., luxury hotel, restaurant, tourist train and river cruise ship operator  (www.orient-express.com) today announced its results for the third quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2002. Net earnings for the quarter were $9.1 million ($0.30 per common share) up 21% from $7.5 million ($0.24 per common share) in the third quarter of 2001. Revenue increased 22% from $68 million in the third quarter of 2001 to $83 million in the third quarter of 2002.

For the nine months ended September 30, 2002, net income was $21.1 million ($0.69 per common share) compared with $26.8 million ($0.87 per common share) in the year earlier period. Revenue increased 7% to $216 million from $203 million. The reduction in net income was primarily due to the turbulence in the travel markets caused by the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Mr. James B. Sherwood, Chairman, said that the company had performed to expectation in the third quarter with earnings in line with "street estimates". He said that while observations of the market are somewhat anecdotal in nature, based on conversations with other hoteliers, it would seem that occupancies in main markets are satisfactory, however, companies and business travellers are "shopping around" for lower rates. 

The leisure market is holding up well with the company's southern Africa and Caribbean properties enjoying strong forward bookings for the current northern hemisphere winter months. While numbers of American visitors to Europe and other long haul destinations have been down this year, Charleston Place (the company's largest hotel), '21' Club in New York City, tourist trains and river cruise operations are having an excellent year.

He indicated that "same store" RevPAR was up 5% in the third quarter over the prior year period, remembering that the last three weeks of September in 2001 were severely impacted by September 11th. Versus prior year, "same store" RevPAR was down 17% in the fourth quarter of 2001, down 12% in the first quarter of 2002, down 8% in the second quarter of 2002 and now is up 5% in the third quarter of 2002.

Mr. Sherwood said that negotiations were progressing towards the acquisition of additional properties with a view to completion early in 2003. He indicated that sellers are now coming around to accepting that valuation multiples can no longer be based on pre-September 11th earnings.

He stressed that the company has almost no exposure to Moslem country risks. Only the Eastern & Oriental Express tourist train passes through Moslem Malaysia. The Bali bombing and the Moscow hostage crisis may have "chilled" long haul travel plans by both Americans and Japanese who are very sensitive to security risks. The possibility of an Iraq war and continuing terrorism in Israel are not helping. These issues have created uncertainty as the year 2002 comes to an end. Management's current view is that EBITDA for 2002 will be ahead of 2001 although net earnings are now unlikely to surpass those of 2001.

The third quarter results can be summarized as follows:

Owned European hotels. EBITDA was $16.6 million compared with $14.3 million in the third quarter of 2001. The increase is largely attributable to the La Residencia and Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons acquisitions made at the beginning of the year and some strengthening of the Euro and U.K. pound against the U.S. dollar.

Owned North American hotels. EBITDA was $0.3 million negative compared with $0.5 million negative in the prior year period. "Same store" RevPAR was up 8% over prior year in this market.

Owned Southern Africa hotels. EBITDA was $0.5 million compared with $0.3 million in the year earlier period. The main season has just started and looks very strong.

Owned South American hotels. EBITDA was $1.5 million compared with $1.1 million in the prior year period. The Copacabana Palace Hotel was largely responsible for the increase.

Owned South Pacific hotels. EBITDA was $0.8 million compared with $1.1 million in the prior year period. Weakness in Australia was offset by a stronger performance in Bora Bora.

Management and part ownership interests. EBITDA was $2.8 million compared with $2.2 million in the prior year period. Charleston Place largely accounted for the improvement. Restaurants. EBITDA was $0.7 million negative compared with $0.3 million negative in the prior year period. The Petit Blanc restaurant chain acquired early in the year largely accounted for the decline. This business is currently being reorganized. Trains and cruises. EBITDA was $2.5 million compared with $2.3 million in the prior year period. The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express tourist train accounted for this improvement.

Mr. Simon M.C. Sherwood, President, indicated that "same store" RevPar in the third quarter was $192 compared with $183 in the third quarter of 2001. Rooms sold were 123,000 compared with 114,000 in the year earlier period and ADR was $321 compared with $296.

He indicated that the new La Cabana restaurant in Buenos Aires should open in April, 2003. Tourism to Argentina is increasing because of the currency devaluation. The rooms expansion at the Inn at Perry Cabin, a drive-to resort, will be completed in January, 2003. "The Upstairs" at '21' Club in New York will open this month. This new dining room is needed to satisfy the increasing number of a la carte guests.

"Our view is that Australia is perceived as a safe destination and it will pick up Japanese business at the expense of Southeast Asia in 2003. U.S. domestic demand should remain firm in 2003 as Americans elect to travel closer to home, again on security grounds. Southern Africa should have an excellent year because it is a market of exceptionally good value for British and European visitors. Now that the elections are over in Brazil we should see an increase in both business and leisure travel there. 

Europe will probably be weaker for American visitors in 2003 because of the strengthening U.K. pound and Euro against the dollar, as a result of lower U.S. dollar interest rates. Forward bookings for tourist trains and river cruising look good for 2003 with the exception of the E&O Express in Southeast Asia where our exposure is largely a management fee."

"The uniqueness of Orient-Express Hotels' properties and their location in safe countries give the company a pricing and occupancy strength which cannot be matched in the leisure industry. The company owns irreplaceable assets with excellent expansion potential which should ensure solid profitability in the years ahead," Simon Sherwood concluded.

WTM, a healing process

By Yeoh Siew Hoon  TravelWeeklyEast.com

WTM Report:  Every tragic event needs a healing process and for South-east Asia’s travel trade, still reeling from the horror of October 12 and grappling with the potential repercussions, World Travel Market proved to be it.

Many of Bali’s travel suppliers, for instance, came to London expecting to have to explain the situation on the ground to their tour operator partners and dreading mass cancellations of programmes.

What they found out was how many friends they had.

For instance, Sue Biggs, managing director of Kuoni UK, who cancelled two other lunches to be the guest speaker at the Monday Roundtable, organised by TravelWeekly and sponsored by Tourism Malaysia, because she felt it “vitally important”.

Biggs’ presence and advice – don’t panic, don’t give up hope and start planning now for January and February – soothed as well as reassured.

For instance, a British travel journalist and a Kuoni client who Biggs said cancelled her Christmas holiday planned for Phuket to go to Bali “because I need to support Bali”.

For instance, Masahiko Magara, executive vice president of Apple World who told his sales force to sell Bali “like they had never done before” right after the bomb blasts.

For instance, Eppo Steenhuisen of Boabab Reizen Netherlands, who urged Bali suppliers not to drop prices too low because it might encourage hit and run players from entering the market and then leaving as soon as prices rose.

Plus, he is already working on bringing a high-profile Dutch travel journalist to Bali next month.

For instance, Chris May of Hayes & Jarvis UK whose words of reason, again at Monday’s Roundtable, were welcomed by suppliers. Don’t drop prices now because this might spell panic, hold off until January and February when the time might be better.

Willem Loots of Asian Trails said WTM proved “how many friends we have”.

Alfred Tonkiss of Panorama Leisure Group said, “A lot of people dropped by for sympathetic visits and said they would do everything they can to support the destination.”

Tonkiss also said not one tour operator cancelled programmes.

“Everyone is waiting a while of course – that is obvious.”

And even while he was struggling with his own woes, Tonkiss found time to express concern for the specialist Far East operators “who make their living off the region and are very supportive. We must do what we can to make sure we maintain their loyalty,” he said.

What was also pleasantly surprising was there wasn’t a lot of discussion about the travel advisories.

Biggs’ attitude was with so many being issued – the more there are, the less impact they have.

And as WTM entered its third day, reports emerged that the Dutch were lifting the travel warning on Indonesia this week (e-Daily, 12 November).

Tonkiss put it best.

“When the bombings happened, the trauma was so great. None of us were prepared, we went into shock. This event has been very important for both sellers and buyers – for the sellers to feel they haven’t been abandoned and for buyers, Bali is just too big a destination to be ignored.

“That is enough to make us feel good.”

WTM brought out the best side of our business – the human element. Long may it live.

Source:  TravelWeeklyEast.com

Accor, Jin Jiang seal distribution partnership

TravelWeeklyEast.com  -  Accor and Jin Jiang announced a new sales and distribution network joint venture (JV), known as “Accor-Jin Jiang Hotel Distribution Co.Ltd.”, last night.

The JV, formed just ahead of this week’s China International Travel Mart (CITM), will see the two companies sell domestic hotels in China.

Accor Group senior vice president Asia/Pacific, Brian Deeson, said the JV was designed to simplify the reservation process for corporate clients of the two companies.

“The purpose is to make it easier for corporate clients of Jin Jiang and Accor to make bookings and reservations at any of Jin Jiang’s 33 properties as well as Accor’s 12 properties throughout China.

“This is a very unique endeavour and the first time that two important groups join together in China to serve the customer better. This is reflective of the times we live in and the cooperation needed to make things easier for corporate clients.”

Jin Jiang Holding Co. Ltd’s vice president and general manager for the Jin Jiang International Hotel Management Co. Ltd, Yang Wei Min, said he looked forward to working more closely with Accor.

Accor has set up two sales and distribution offices in Shanghai and Beijing, with another to open in Guangzhou next year.

Source:  TravelWeeklyEast.com

Hotelier's island dream turns sour

BBC News -  In what one French newspaper called "a cataclysm in the world of tourism", hotel chain Accor has summarily quit its operations in the Caribbean islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe.

Operating conditions on the islands were "impossible", Accor chief Gerard Pelission told French President Jacques Chirac, in a letter leaked to newspaper Le Parisien.

"The attitude of staff to the clientele is hostile, even aggressive," Mr Petillon wrote.

State benefits were "a disincentive to work," repeated strikes "systematically disrupt the organisation," and and productivity was "frankly terrible".

The news has caused a sensation on the islands - part of sovereign French territory - where some 1,500 jobs should be lost when Accor shuts its 15 hotels.

Holiday hell

Accor, by some measures the biggest hotel chain in the world, is not alone in its dislike of the local market.

Many cruise liners have shunned the two islands, since costs there tend to be in excess of the Caribbean average.

The number of tourists visiting the islands dropped by one-fifth last year, and airlines have cut back their schedules.

Although the islands have traditionally attracted huge numbers of French tourists, attracted by the fact that only the weather and the scenery are different from home, many now prefer more unfamiliar destinations such as Cuba and Jamaica.

Cheers and jeers

Much of the reaction in mainland France has been sympathetic to Accor.

Commentators argue that the islands - as well as France's other overseas territories - are too dependent on handouts from Paris.

Aside from tourism, bananas are the only main industry on Martinique and Guadeloupe - and market conditions there are poor.

The French government is currently preparing the latest in a long series of economic bail-out packages for the region.

Right-wing politicians, meanwhile, say that Parisian generosity in the past has prevented the development of competitive indigenous industry.

That's Ritz! Groups agree marketing deal

Don’t get the idea that the Ritz is the Ritz wherever you go. Like many brands, it's split.

The Ritz in London is owned by the reclusive Barclay twins, distinguished only in that one parts his hair on the left, the other on the right. Ritz-Carlton, however, is a worldwide chain of similarly luxurious hotels ultimately owned by Marriott International.

Yesterday they got together in a marketing deal which sees the London establishment take advantage of Ritz-Carlton's global reservation system. In return, the US chain can book its guests into the Ritz London in an apparently seamless transition.

"Most consumers don't have a clue that we're different," says Simon Cooper, Ritz-Carlton president and chief operating officer.

Clearly, there would be no point in Ritz-Carlton opening up in London in competition with the institution in Piccadilly, where the Barclays have recently spent £40m on a facelift.
"We were lacking the ability to meet our guests' needs in London," Mr Cooper admits.
As for Giles Shepard, deputy chairman of the Ritz London, he can only see benefits from the deal. "We have to gather clients from the rest of the world however we can. Now we've got a bit of help," he says. The deal lasts for an initial 10 years.

Source: Yorkshire Post 

India launches drive to build global brand identity for tourists

AFP  -  Inspired by the success of international tourism advertisement campaigns including "Surprising Singapore," and "Amazing Thailand," India's tourism ministry has decided to give the country a global brand identity.

According to the official website of the ministry, "Incredible India" has been chosen as a brand name to market India as one of the best locations globally.

"A comprehensive marketing plan for jump-starting tourism has been prepared. New areas to be focused upon included medical tourism and golf tourism," the site says.

"The forthcoming World Cup cricket would be also used as a marketing theme and global celebrities would be invited to India for promotion of the sector."

According to Amitabh Kant, a tourism ministry official, "Brand identity is needed for global recognition and to access and penetrate new markets.

"All countries are focusing on their culture and heritage. India too has to break parity and stand out from the crowd. It can do this only with the help of a brand," he said, as quoted by the Economic Times newspaper.

India's share of the global tourism market stands at less than one percent, registering only 2.64 million foreign tourist arrivals last year.

India's share in world tourism receipts during 2001 was a dismal 0.67 percent or a little more than three billion dollars.

However, government released figures on Tuesday showed a turnaround in the depressed tourism sector during the month of October.

The tourism ministry said foreign traffic had registered a 17 percent growth compared with a negative growth of 19.6 per cent in January.

Up until September, the growth rate in foreign tourist traffic showed a negative trend, from January's fall of 19.6 percent to a 19.8 percent drop in August.

The situation improved in September, with the negative growth standing 6.5 percent, the ministry said in a statement.

In figures, foreign tourist arrivals jumped from 151,721 in September to 212,191 in October, while foreign exchange earnings during January-October this year stood at 2.17 billion dollars, lower than 2.49 billion dollars during the corresponding period last year.

The dip in foreign tourist arrivals has been attributed to travel advisories issued by western countries to their citizens advising them against travelling to South Asia, due to heightened military tension between India and Pakistan.

Tourist arrivals had also been affected by sectarian riots in the western Indian state of Gujarat, a travel industry expert said.

However, many are unsure how the "Incredible India" brand will help lure more travellers to India.

Uttam Dave, who heads a firm providing consultancy services to the tourism industry, said the "Incredible India" brand "does not reflect what India stands for.

"Its a very poor brand ... it simply does not reflect India's core values," Dave said.

India, Dave said, offered a great variety of experiences, and "that is what the brand should provide for. But the 'Incredible India' brand does not position India anywhere in the world... it does not reveal what is unique about the country."

According to Subhash Goyal, chairman of Stic Travels, "Incredible India" does not capture "the essence of India."

"The name has to identify with the mental image of the place," Goyal said.

"India is a subcontinent, all the different states have their own unique selling points," he said, adding that the slogan "Incredible India" did not really do justice to the variety of experience the country offered.

IHF 2002 a success

The IHF 2002 (International Hospitality Forum 2002) in Amman/Jordan, closed its doors on October 17 after a record breaking three-day show resulted in an outstanding number of business transactions.More than 4,000 trade representatives visited IHF 2002.

Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Honors Mr. Nabih Nazzal

His Excellency the minister of Tourism and Antiquities Dr. Taleb Al Rifai honored Mr. Nabih Nazzal for his extensive efforts throughout the years in the hospitality sector. Mr. Nazzal received the tribute at the second International Hospitality Forum held in Amman at the Zara Expo in the period of 15-17 October. Dr. Al Rifai announced that the initiative of honoring  personalities and institutions that contributed to the sector will become an annual event at the Forum.

Special Belgian Presence at the second International Hospitality Forum

The Belgian Embassy in Jordan organized for the first time in Jordan a special chocolate demonstration during the second International Hospitality Forum, which was attended by pastry shop owners, hotel chefs, and chocolate manufacturers in Jordan who were introduced to the history of Belgian chocolate and other aspects such as ways to prepare chocolate using different recipes. The audience witnessed firsthand demonstrations as well tasting some of the delicious presentations.

Jordanian Talents Get the Swiss Approval

Mr. Steven Fisher from Glion Institute of Higher Education in Switzerland was very impressed during the second IHF with the positive development in human resources achieved in the hospitality sector in Jordan.He is looking forward to more cooperation between his institution and educational institutions in Jordan and the hospitality sector in general.

Culinary Art Show

The second International Hospitality Forum wrapped up its activities in Amman on Thursday evening with the distribution of awards and accolades to winners of the competitions that took place throughout the three day event. Winners received honorary certificates and prizes that included training courses offered by the Glion Institute of Higher Education, one of the most prestigious hospitality associations Switzerland.

The forum hosted a line-up of competitions, which comprised of 3-Tier Wedding Cake Contest, and Chocolate Showpiece, in addition to Live Ice Carving, Live Fruit and Vegetable Carving, Table Setting Display, and Test Kitchen. The judging panel for these competitions was comprised of professional chefs with French, Austrian and British nationalities.

Honorary certificates were also given to six participants in the Test Kitchen, who excelled in introducing cuisines of the World, Indian, Mexican, Italian, Japanese, South African and a Jordanian Set menu.

IHF 2003 will be held from 16 to 18 September 2003 at Zara Expo, Amman-Jordan. More information is available online on www.IHF-Jordan.com

Indonesia : Finding new synergy to restore tourists' confidence

Is Indonesian tourism heading toward its nadir? Well, quite a number of people would not readily agree with this assumption. However, no one would dispute the fact that the recent Bali bombing has severely tarnished the image of tourism in Indonesia. Within a couple of hours of the tragedy, thousands of tourists had to shorten their stay in Bali as suddenly their moments of joy on the island of the Gods were disrupted. In fact, the entire nation suffered a greater loss than that experienced by these foreign tourists. 

The material losses are crystal-clear. Occupancy rates in a variety of star-rated hotels in Bali have drastically gone down. One extreme example is a five- star hotel, with hundreds of rooms, that had only four guests during a certain recent weekend.

Incoming tourists to Bali and even other destinations of Indonesia have postponed their plans and many have canceled their confirmed tour bookings. Orders for Balinese souvenirs have dwindled also, due to a reduction in demand from the regular importers. However, given the wise words, "Every cloud has a silver lining", one must regard the Bali bombing as an "unfortunate incident", although it has claimed more than 180 innocent lives. It is a kind of a most unexpected tragic incident that nobody could have foretold. 

This tragedy ought to boost the spirit of synergy among the various sectors in the tourism business, which, in fact, have a related interest. Hotels, airlines, restaurants, entertainment and recreation spots, as well as travel agencies have to work together in the marketing chain of tourism. "None of us can do it alone, we have to cooperate with each other," said chairman of Association of the Indonesian Tour and Travel Agencies (ASITA) Meity Robot. Meity's remark is not without grounds. Travel bans issued by various countries -- mostly Western -- have added to the burden on our tourism. The tourism sector, as we know, is the third-largest contributor to our country's gross domestic income

Apart from the diminishing number of foreign tourists, it is also now becoming more difficult for Indonesians to travel abroad to certain countries, such as the U.S. and several other countries, due to restrictions on the issuance of visas for business or leisure trips. Currently there seems to be no other choice for the tourism industry other than targeting the domestic market, as in reality it is still a major one. According to data collected by the Indonesian tourism and cultural development body, at least 120 million Indonesians travel annually around the country. Travel agents are already offering special tour packages to Bali at specially discounted rates. 

The major national airline, Garuda Indonesia, has cut its rates by 30 percent. A number of five-star hotels on the island are also offering their rooms at two-thirds of their normal rates. All these offers are obviously made in the hope that a greater number of domestic tourists might be attracted to Bali. Unfortunately these discounts will not last for long. Garuda's discounted rates are valid only to November 20, while Merpati Nusantara's last until November 27. Some of the hotels have converted their rates to rupiah to the end of the year, but some others are adding a surcharge of about Rp 500,000 per night for the Christmas and New Year periods. 

Year-end holiday packages are still exorbitantly priced. It seems that the recent tragedy, which has claimed hundreds of victims, has quickly been forgotten. "There should be a longer recovery program, more so than the current one," added Meity.

Probably such short-term or crash programs have emerged after learning from recent experiences. Even after the 1997 economic crisis the middle- and upper- income groups in society have not suffered too much. Malls are still crowded. New cars congest the cities's streets. Those dealing with the domestic tourism business have based their assumptions on such typical situations. Those who can afford to travel for leisure are assumed to have extra funds and be relatively unaffected by the economic crisis. 

Ironically, the domestic market has yet to earn the respect and attention of the tourism industry, as local tourists have not become "the masters in their own country". The cash registers of travel agencies, however, contain a larger contribution from the international market in comparison to that coming from the local business. The following serve as examples. The annual financial report of PT Anta Express Tour & Travel Service Plc. as per December 31, 2001, indicated that the profit contribution from domestic ticket sales was Rp 2.3 billion, while from international ticket sales it was Rp 7.5 billion. Inbound tours produced a Rp 2.5 billion profit and outbound tours brought in a larger profit: Rp 5.6 billion. 

Before the Sept. 11 tragedy, Anta's profit for 2000 from outbound tours reached Rp 11.8 billion, while its international ticket sales were around Rp 15 billion. Since the terrorist attacks in the U.S., tourism companies have focused more on the domestic market and the 2001 contribution for inbound tours rapidly increased in comparison to the previous year, which was a losing business in this segment. Other major travel agents, such as Panorama Sentrawisata and Wita Tour, are also having similar experiences. It is not surprising, therefore, to find numerous advertisements that offer holiday packages to a variety of foreign destinations. 

The larger profits from this smaller segment could be the reason why the domestic market has been neglected. Several airlines and hotels claim that the discounts they are offering cannot last for long as they would affect their operational costs. Unfortunately, this statement is slightly in contradiction with current realities: the tours offered by foreign travel agents. Just take a look at these low rates: US$160 (about Rp 1.4 million) for two nights in Malaysia, including airfare and accommodation in a star-rated hotel, plus meals and tours to tourism resorts, while eight nights in Australia with similar facilities are only US$1,052. 

These rates are similar to the special offers made by Garuda Indonesia in conjunction with some travel agents in the recovery effort for Bali tourism in the post-bombing period. A two-night package at a star hotel with breakfast, including airfare, is priced at between Rp 1.4 and Rp 1.8 million. Under normal circumstances, it is usually 30 percent to 50 percent higher. This, again, illustrates how inefficient or costly the local tourism industry is. The rates for these special offers could be assumed to be equal to the marginal costs borne by the related businesses in the tourism industry. On the other hand, it appears that the profits reaped during normal conditions are just too high. 

Or probably there is a lot of inefficiency involved in the entire chain of marketing, for example the "unofficial fees", "lobbying costs", "guarantee money" and many other unauthorized payments. The greater focus on the foreign market is probably due to government policies that have not fully supported domestic tourism. Such policies have to converge with every type of business dealing in the tourism industry or else we could lose out to other countries. With AFTA 2003 just around the corner, most Asian countries, such as Malaysia, Thailand and even Cambodia, have placed the greatest importance on tourism and treated it as the backbone of their economies. 

This sector has proven to be quite rewarding for both Malaysia and Thailand throughout the economic crisis since 1997. Indonesia, on the contrary, has closed down its overseas tourism promotional offices during the economic crisis, while Malaysia has increased such offices from 12 to 30. As of now, quite a number of tourist resorts in Indonesia have not been managed in synergy with the other links in the chain: hotels, restaurants and transportation companies.

Almost everyone, including many foreigners, agree that Indonesia has a valuable treasure: natural beauty throughout the archipelago, among other things. However, what is lacking is effective promotion. Other types of package should also be created, such as new domestic destinations, shop 'n' leisure packages, ecotourism or ethnotourism, all with the aim of enriching Indonesian tourism. Source: Jakarta Post

Newspapers at the press of a button  

InterContinental Grand Stanford Hong Kong is leading the way providing guests with World News, through their partnership with NewspaperDirect.

The newly implemented guest service forms part of the Six Continents Hotels reshaping initiative known as "Global Connections - World News".   

This service enhancement will provide guests with access to a wide range of international newspapers, printed for them by the Business Centre (on a double-sided A3 format) and delivered to their room on the same day as the issue.

Commenting about the new guest service, Sharon Garrett, Director of Communications said:

"NewspaperDirect enables us to provide our international guests with the latest issue of their favourite newspaper from around the world, making them feel in contact with their business and private lives at home.  It is a wonderful service to have available for our guests."

InterContinental Grand Stanford Hong Kong is one of the first Hong Kong hotels to install a dedicated Printstation, which allows the hotel staff to set-up and manage newspaper orders for the guests.     Newspaper orders are automatically sent to the printstation at the newspaper's time of issue, so hotel guests can always receive the most up-to-date issue of their favourite newspaper title.    Each newspaper can also be personalized with a guest name.   

Currently, the NewspaperDirect service can provide more than 150 newspaper titles from 25+ countries through its Internet-based system.  (Note title availability is subject to publisher restrictions.)  Among the newspapers available are internationally recognized titles such as the USA Today, Wall Street Journal, New York Post, International Herald Tribune, Mainichi Shimbum, Neue Zurcher Zeitung and El Pais.

InterContinental Grand Stanford Hong Kong is offering the World News service for HK$40 per newspaper title.  Six Continents Club Members receive a complimentary newspaper of their choice every day of their stay.   

A Terrorist Target? A Frantic Thailand Protests

New York Times  -  No country has honed its image with more care than Thailand and one result has been a windfall: nearly $7 billion a year in tourism revenue.

Enchanting, delightful, charming, gentle, magical — an entire vocabulary has been created to describe the country that calls itself the Land of Smiles.

That leaves little room for bombs.

So when other nations started putting Thailand at the top of their lists of terrorist warnings after the attack on the Indonesian island of Bali last month, the reaction here was frantic.

"Kingdom labeled a terrorist target," read the headlines. "Alarm bells ringing." "Tourism industry in crisis."

The first official response was to wish it would all go away.

"Please don't be frightened," said Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. "If I'm not afraid you shouldn't be either. Trust me."

The military began a "Thailand is safe" publicity campaign and the Tourism Authority of Thailand budgeted more than $1 million for a blitz of foreign tour companies.

Many of the steps that followed seemed intended as much to reassure as to have a real effect on terrorism.

The government formed a special command to coordinate antiterrorism measures, announced that 1,000 police officers would guard tourist spots and said it would keep "particularly close watch" on people from the Middle East.

Bars in Bangkok's main red-light district, Patpong Road, asked the police to increase their presence to 100 officers from 40.

The governor of Bangkok, Samak Sundaravej, said anyone using fireworks during the Loy Kratong festival this week would be "treated as terrorists and arrested."

Then everybody held their breath. Would the Bali bombing, which took more than 190 lives, be a windfall as tourists rerouted themselves to Thailand, or would it be a disaster as travelers stayed away from Southeast Asia altogether?

Thailand's tourist arrivals, which continued to rise by 6 percent a year even after the Sept. 11 attacks, reached 10.3 million last year.

It looks as though that picture is going to darken.

While tourists from Southeast Asia and adventurous young people have not been put off, affluent, middle-aged tourists from elsewhere have been shunning the region's many luxury resorts, hotels and tour operators say.

Last week, the Thai Hotels Association, which represents 90 hotels around the country, said 32,000 room-nights had already been canceled, at a cost of at least $3 million.

"We have huge losses every day," said Roberto S. Jotikasthira, an official with the Association of Thai Travel Agents. He said dozens of foreign travel agencies had canceled visits, including one representing 400 tourists from Italy and another representing 1,200 from Portugal.

Along with Europeans, Americans and Australians have also been conspicuous by their absence, and that has hurt resorts catering to them.

Dominick Martinetti, an American software marketer who travels often in Asia, and his family have had a complex of five hotels near the beach in Phuket practically to themselves. "We're the only people at the restaurant," he said. "We're the only people at the pool and we're practically the only people at the beach."

Mile after mile of wide, sandy beaches have turned Phuket into one of Asia's biggest tourist destinations over the last decade. Despite the government's assurances, security has not been tightened noticeably on the island. There are no soldiers toting automatic weapons through the airport. Hotels employ private-security guards, but they are commonly armed with nothing more than radios.

If the big hotels are hurting, then the pain is being felt most sharply by the workers who live nearby in the clusters of simple homes made of wood and corrugated steel. On a recent afternoon, local men and women peddling everything from silk tablecloths and T-shirts to massages outnumbered the tourists on some beaches in Phuket, and many looked dejected.

"Usually, this is the high season," said one salesman, looking at a row of bright blue lounge chairs that were mostly empty at midday.

Marriott names four executives in top posts

(Reuters) - No. 1 hotelier Marriott International Inc. on Tuesday named Linda Bartlett as executive vice president of mergers and acquisitions and Carl Berquist as executive vice president of financial information and enterprise risk.

Bartlett was promoted from her job as Marriott's corporate controller. Berquist, joining the No. 1 hotel operator on Dec. 2 from accounting firm Arthur Andersen, will take over the controllership and oversee internal audits, Marriott said in a statement.

Marriott officials were not immediately available to say whether the positions were new.

The appointments come in the midst of a downturn in the travel industry and as Marriott faces accusations, which it has denied, of padding profits by keeping supplier rebates due to owners of hotels it manages.