Daily News & Opinion

The new-build $80 million Novotel Christchurch Airport hotel has welcomed its first guests. Spanning across six floors, the four-and-a-half-star Novotel Christchurch Airport features 200 premium guestrooms and 10 conference and function spaces. These range from the rooftop Tekapo room with views of the Southern Alps which can accommodate up to 260 guests, through to dedicated boardrooms with natural light. All meeting venues are pillar-less and include broadband, wireless internet access, and the latest in-built audio visual systems.

Plans for a $500 million three-tower hotel development next to Dreamworld on the Gold Coast have progressed following the submission of a revamped development application to the City of Gold Coast Council. If approved, developer Gordon Corp plans to begin construction of the 10-storey first tower in 2020. Features of the hotel include 400 sqm ballroom, a 130-seat all-day dining area and a 40-seat pool bar.

Come 2022, Radisson RED West Perth will make its debut on the corner of Wellington Street and Collin Street. The hotel will offer 129 rooms with bold and unconventional designs, as well as three function rooms totalling 160 sqm of function space. The Perth Convention & Exhibition Centre will be located just a three minute drive away, and the hotel will be situated within walking distance of Perth Arena.

Oaks Hotels, Resorts & Suites is offering seven complimentary room nights for those who have lost their homes in the bushfires. On the initiative, CEO of Oaks Hotels, Resorts & Suites Craig Hooley said “Travellers have frequently turned to Oaks as a home away from home and now we can offer back a valuable accommodation resource as a support for people undertaking the arduous process of commencing recovery plans.” Bookings can be made by ringing 1800 954 518.

For its 2020 show, the Asia Pacific Incentives and Meetings Event (AIME) has launched an Associations Round Table – an initiative to challenge associations. The Round Table is an invitation-only event connecting C-suite executives from more than 40 organisations across the Asia Pacific region and internationally. Sessions will host engaging discussions, debates and workshops – to create new community and business models that drive association innovation.

Luxury hotel group Banyan Tree Holdings Ltd has announced plans for a new resort in Krabi, Thailand, which will open in Q2 2020. Banyan Tree Krabi will be situated near the coast of the Andaman Sea and the forests of Mu Ko Phi Phi, and will be just 35 kilometres from Krabi Airport. The Thai resort will offer 72 pool suites and villas, all-day dining, a ballroom, a wedding chapel and a fitness centre.

More than 450 export tourism industry leaders from across Australia will gather in Brisbane this week for the Australian Tourism Export Council’s (ATEC) annual Meeting place event. This year’s event, which has been taking place for more than 40 years, will be the largest on record and is recognised as the premier B2B and conferencing event for the export tourism industry. A highlight of the conference will include a presentation of Tourism Australia’s ‘Come Live Our Philausophy’ campaign.

IBTM World 2019 closed last week, with more than 74,000 pre-scheduled business meetings taking place in Barcelona. More than 2600 exhibitors from 150 countries took part, with a three per cent increase in visitors who attended. Upwards of 2700 hosted buyers from 77 countries took part in the show, with 62 per cent participating for the first time. IBTM World will take place in Barcelona through to 2022.