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Three Exciting New Experiences to Look Forward to in New Zealand in 2021
Rugby, history, and movie magic – there is something for everyone as New Zealand launches three exciting new experiences for 2021, set to inspire the wanderlust in any land-bound traveller.
Want to stand amongst rugby legends, walk alongside New Zealand's first discoverer, or get lost in the fantastical world of cinematic magic? While we await borders to reopen, here are three more reasons why travellers should put New Zealand on their travel bucket list.
All Blacks Experience: Pay homage to the world's rugby legends What's a trip to New Zealand without diving deep into the world of rugby – the sport that locals live and breathe? The All Blacks Experience, located at Auckland's SkyCity, is now open to visitors who have always wondered what it takes to be the greatest rugby players in the world.
Featuring four interactive hands-on zones, visitors can test their rugby skills and discover if they are born to kick, pass and train like the legends of the All Blacks, Blacks Ferns, and others who wore the reputable black jersey.
For rugby fans who've always wondered how it feels to be on the receiving end of the iconic Haka, watching the All Blacks perform right before your eyes is the ultimate way to feel the passion of these rugby greats and appreciate the role that this traditional war dance plays in mentally and physically preparing the team as they go into battle on the rugby field.
More information on the All Blacks Experience is available here.
The Green Room: A Fully-Integrated Hybrid Production Studio at Intercontinental Singapore
InterContinental Singapore has launched The Green Room, a state-of-the-art, purpose-built virtual and hybrid event studio equipped with full multimedia production facilities. The Green Room transforms event possibilities, combining the hotel's expertise in meetings and events with cutting-edge technology and world-class equipment, seamlessly supported by a professional on-site technical team.
Situated within the luxury setting of InterContinental Singapore at Bugis, The Green Room comprises three zones within its 206sqm space: 1) LED Display Wall – a custom-fit 6m by 2.5m display screen, harnessing LED technology to deliver seamless and optimised digital imagery and video. 2) Green Screen Stage – a 180-degree infinity cove green screen stage with studio lighting and multi-camera setups to optimise chroma keying for live green screen blending and editing. 3) The Event Space – A contemporary setting offering multiple configurations (classroom, cluster or cocktail) for live-studio audiences of up to 30 attendees.
The Green Room offers two meeting solutions - Virtual Meetings with broadcast-quality live-stream capabilities to deliver real-time connections between clients and guests around the globe; and Hybrid Meetings, ideal for events with that include a live studio audience of up to 30 guests and unlimited online global attendees. Meeting package options include the Silver Studio Stream that comes with usage of the LED display wall, and Gold Studio Stream, which comes with usage of the green screen stage and LED display wall. Studio package for a full-day event starts from S$9,600++ with options to add on coffee breaks and bento lunch.
IHG® Hotels & Resorts Announces Its First Opening of 2021 in India With Holiday Inn Chandigarh Zirakpur
IHG® Hotels & Resorts, one of the world's leading hotel companies, opens door to the newest hotel in the tricity – Holiday Inn Chandigarh Zirakpur in association with ABC Sites Pvt Ltd. Featuring 131 keys with scenic city views, the hotel is located on Chandigarh- Ambala highway connecting the city of Chandigarh to all famous landmarks and attractions in the Northern belt. Distanced just 20 minutes away from the Chandigarh International Airport and 25 minutes from the Chandigarh Railway Station, the hotel is an ideal destination for leisure and business travellers alike.
Holiday Inn Chandigarh Zirakpur opens to a capacious lobby area and appoints modern rooms, finished with technological additions and boasts of the largest gym in the Chandigarh city, spread across an incredible area of 10,000 sq ft. Coupled with a dedicated team of experts and hospitable staff members, the hotel also offers two distinctive dining options; an All Day Dining Restaurant – Viva that brings together Indian, Italian and Asian cuisine and the Lounge Bar, overlooking the city, serving as the perfect spot for the guests to unwind and relax.
Besides, the new hotel provides an expansive indoor and outdoor space for corporate and social gatherings comprising of an impressive 8340 sq. ft. poolside terrace and 26000 sq. ft. of banqueting space. The incomparable banqueting space with 7200 sq. ft. of pillar-less grand ballroom and 4440 sq. ft. of pre-function area and rooftop pool terrace on the 14th floor that gives a 360-degree view of the city, makes the newly opened hotel a perfect venue for all kind of celebrations and events.
Accor Announces First Mondrian Property to Open in Singapore in 2023
Accor, a world-leading hospitality group, has announced Singapore's first Mondrian hotel will be built in the heart of the city's prominent Duxton Hill neighborhood and is set to open in early 2023. The property is being developed by Craig Road Property Holdings. This news comes on the heels of Accor's recent announcement regarding its planned venture with Ennismore, which will see the creation of one of the world's largest and fastest growing lifestyle and entertainment operators set to include Mondrian hotels. Mondrian Singapore, a luxury lifestyle hotel comprised of 300 guestrooms and suites, a restaurant, a lounge and a rooftop bar will combine historic architecture from Singapore's centuries-old shophouses with a new build of modern, contemporary influences.
Chadi Farhat, Chief Operating Officer of sbe said: “We are thrilled to bring the iconic Mondrian brand to Singapore's Duxton Hill neighborhood. Mondrian is a natural fit for a global destination like Singapore. The property will provide a cultural hub of food and beverage experiences for locals and travelers alike. Mondrian Singapore will be more than a hotel; it will be a destination.”
Mondrian Singapore will be the first Mondrian hotel in Singapore, further expanding the brand's luxury lifestyle experiences in South East Asia. The hotel's location in the charming “day-to-night” Duxton Hill neighborhood of Singapore's bustling Downtown Core District positions itself as a prime location for travelers looking to immerse themselves in local cultural explorations. Located 20 minutes from the iconic Changi Airport and within walking distance to the major business district, the property will be a draw for global travelers looking for close proximity to the major transportation hub.
Mondrian Singapore is one of the new Mondrian properties that Accor plans to open globally and will be one of the first to open in early 2023 in its next phase of expansion following Accor's acquisition of sbe's hotel brands.
Accor launches ALL CONNECT, a new hybrid meeting concept powered by Microsoft Teams
Today, 55% of Accor hotels with meeting rooms are already providing hybrid meetings solutions to their clients. Launching in April 2021, the new All Connect concept will ensure Accor hotels can provide an enriched full experience, which resets the bar on the hybrid meeting experience. Accor's ambitious target is to achieve 100% of its hotels with meeting rooms comply with the new hybrid meetings standard by 2022 across all brands, from economy to ultra-luxury worldwide.
By combining the brands and service culture of Accor with the powerful meetings and collaboration technology of Teams, this new offering will enable corporate customers and meeting planners to combine physical in-hotel meetings with virtual interactions across multiple locations simultaneously. Meetings will take place on the Microsoft Teams platform, where attendees can connect and engage virtually. In Accor meeting spaces, Microsoft Teams Rooms and Surface Hub 2S will connect people on-site to those joining remotely with industry-leading audio and video device experiences.
People can easily present content and see virtual participants as if they were in the same room. With this solution, Accor guests and their meeting attendees can come together through professional, inclusive meeting experiences, from wherever they are.
The concept will focus primarily on small meetings (8 to 50 physical participants) and customers will benefit from the expertise of dedicated teams, Accor's meetings & events experience, and a seamless digital booking platform. Distinctive and bespoke meeting programs & experiences will be available to attendees who can also expect the highest sanitary and safety measures as part of the Allsafe expert vetted protocol co-developed with Bureau Veritas.
Research by Accor shows that 50% of physical meetings planned by the company's Meetings & Events customers in 2021 will switch to virtual formats, and that 70% of respondents see hybrid meetings as an important service in the future.
IHG and Pro-Invest Build Brisbane CBD Presence With Two Premium Hotel Conversions
The huge momentum behind the popular Hotel Indigo and voco brands continues, as IHG Hotels & Resorts and Pro-invest Group build on their partnership with the signing of two high-profile conversion hotels in the Brisbane CBD.
voco Brisbane City Centre and Hotel Indigo Brisbane City Centre will become the latest additions to the River City's hotel scene, as Mercure Brisbane and ibis Brisbane rebadge under IHG's world-class upscale brands following a repositioning and extensive refurbishment.
voco Brisbane City Centre, which will overlook the Brisbane River and some of the city's best cultural institutions, promises to bring the brand's vibrant, reliably fun vision to life. Each of the hotel's 194 guestrooms will enjoy a full refurbishment to elevate them to premium voco standards, while the hotel's bar will get a complete makeover that will deliver a new era of hospitality and help it show off its sweeping river views when it opens later in 2021.
Then, opening in 2022, the riverside location of Hotel Indigo Brisbane City Centre will play into the essence of the hotel's neighbourhood story, as the hidden gems that surround the property will be weaved into the guestrooms, restaurants, meeting facilities, design and service offering. Designer Joseph Pang will be charged with revitalising the interiors of the 212-room hotel while the hotel's restaurant, bar and café will be completely reimagined.
The opening of these fantastic hotels signals strong growth in the Brisbane market for both Pro-invest and IHG Hotels & Resorts, sitting alongside Pro-invest's Holiday Inn Express Brisbane Central, which opened in 2017, and Hotel X, which IHG and Pointcorp opened in the Fortitude Valley precinct in February 2021.