10 New Award Titles Make Their Debut At The 29th Annual TTG Travel Awards 2018

83 travel and tourism industry players from the Asia-Pacific were crowned for their exceptional achievements at the 29th annual TTG Travel Awards 2018. 

This year’s edition featured a revamp with the addition of 10 new titles in the Airline, Service Residences and Travel Services category to debut awards like Best Inflight Service, Best Serviced Residence Operator (Property Level) and Best Luxury Cruise Operator. Of which, two awards were returning titles – Best Car Rental Company and Best Tour Operator. 

20 recipients across various categories took home the Hermes trophy, a signature hallmark of the awards, for the first time tonight. These new winners include Avis Budget Group (Best Car Rental Company), Conrad Manila (Best City Hotel – Manila), Dream Cruises (Best Cruise Operator), Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) (Best Convention & Exhibition Bureau), Oakwood Premier OUE Singapore (Best Serviced Residence Operator (Property Level)) and Wildlife Reserves Singapore (Best Theme Attraction Operator). Previously dominated by industry veterans, the Best Business Hotel and Best Online Travel Agency titles were by claimed Sofitel Singapore City Centre and Ctrip respectively. 

Another 20 organisations are testimony to the travel industry’s ongoing pursuit of raising benchmarks by making their comeback into this year’s awards. W Taipei and Rajah Travel Corporation reclaimed their respective Best City Hotel – Taipei and Best Travel Agency - The Philippines titles after being beaten last year. The 2018 awards also welcomed past recipients Cox & Kings Ltd (Best Travel Agency – India), Emirates (Best Airline Connectivity), EXO Travel (Most Sustainable Travel Company), One Farrer Hotel (Best Independent Hotel) and Pan Pacific Hotels Group (Best Regional Hotel Chain). 

Veteran organisations such as Resorts World Sentosa (Best Integrated Resort), Harbour Plaza Hotels & Resorts(Best Local Hotel Chain), Phoenix Tours International, Inc. (Best Travel Agency - Chinese Taipei) and Mandarin Orchard Singapore (Best City Hotel – Singapore) continue to lead in their field with consecutive wins of their titles, demonstrating that it’s not impossible to consistently remain best in class. 

As the only non-voting category of the awards, Outstanding Achievement Award recipients are selected by TTG’s editorial team for their impressive contributions to the industry. This year’s winners include Robin Yap, Chairman Emeritus of The Travel Corporation, Thailand, Klook, Switzerland Tourism and EXO Travel as Travel Personality of the Year, Destination of the Year, Travel Entrepreneur of the Year, Best Travel Marketing Effort and Most Sustainable Travel Company respectively.

The TTG Travel Hall of Fame, a prestige bestowed only upon exceptional organisations who have achieved the feat of staying the best in their class for 10 consecutive years, saw two new inductees at this year’s awards. Royal Plaza on Scotts (Best Independent Hotel) and Royal Caribbean International (Best Cruise Operator) joins the ranks of 15 other honoraries who have been inducted from 2002 to 2016. 

The 29 th Annual TTG Travel Awards 2018 Ceremony and Gala Dinner was held in Centara Grand at CentralWorld, the official venue sponsor for the event. This annual event coincides with Incentive Travel & Conventions, Meetings Asia (IT&CMA) and Corporate Travel World (CTW) Asia-Pacific – Asia-Pacific’s Only Doublebill Event in MICE and Corporate Travel. 

Voting for the 2019 awards will commence in mid-April 2019. More information on the TTG Travel Awards can be found at: http://awards.ttgasia.com/

Quang Ninh culture week in honours culture of ethnic groups

Performance at the first culture and sports week for ethnic
groups heldin Quang Ninh in 2017 (Photo: qdnd.vn)

The second culture and sports week for ethnic groups, a platform for connecting different ethnic communities in the region, will take place from October 4-7 Tien Yen district, the northeastern province of Quang Ninh.

More than 500 artists and athletes from districts and cities inside and outside the province will participate in the week, according to the organising board.

The week will feature a wide range of events such as a folk and music festival, modern dance and sports dance performances, sports competitions of ethnic groups, local cuisine, an OCOP trade fair, a traditional boat race, and activities on the Tien Yen walking street.

The event aims to honour cultural identities of ethnic people in the province, while promoting potential on folk culture and sports as well as traditional sports of ethnic communities, thus creating a chain of activities in the National Tourism Year 2018 in Quang Ninh province.

The week is also expected to promote the image, people, landscapes and the unique cultural characteristics of different ethnic groups in Quang Ninh to both Vietnamese and foreigners, thereby attracting more tourists.

The first culture and sports week held last year attracted tens of thousands of visitors.

Tien Yen is often referred to as the second Hoi An because of its numerous French- and Chinese-style architectural structures built in the early 20th century. The district also maintains old houses built in traditional Vietnamese style, including Linh Quan house, which was constructed 150 years ago.
Source: VNA

AUDIENCES LOVE THE JERSEY BOYS

• New Tickets for Summer on Sale for shows until 9 December

“Oh, what a night” – Sunday Telegraph
“A slick, fast-paced and well-oiled production” – Sydney Morning Herald
“Pure joy! Haven’t stopped singing ‘Who Loves You’” - Indira Naidoo, 2CH radio
“Fab Four back in Harmony” – Sydney Morning Herald
“Wow factor +10!" - Trevor Sinclair Radio 2CH
“It doesn’t matter how many times you see this show, you walk out feeling good. Damn good!” - CEO Magazine

JERSEY BOYS – the true-life story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasonsopened to a standing ovation last Thursday Night. With internationally acclaimed hit songs such as Oh What A Night, Can’t Take My Eyes Off You, Walk Like a Man, Bye Bye Baby, Sherry and Big Girls Don’t Cry, and a dynamic new young cast, JERSEY BOYS is the hot ticket in Sydney at the Capitol Theatre.

Tickets for the summer season have been released up to Sunday 9 December.

Bookings – jerseyboys.com.au

“The Four Seasons are back in Sydney for a victory lap” – Timeout
“I loved it! Ryan Gonzalez (as Frankie Valli) is a superstar” - David Campbell
“Superb! A glorious wall of sound, my eyes and ears adored this show” –
Sydney Arts Guide
“A must see for all ages” - Krissy Marsh, Real Housewives of Sydney
“Jersey Boys is a ripping tale and foot-tapping fun. I loved it!” –
Shelly Horton, 9Honey
“there were spontaneous outpourings of applause, whoops and cheers” –
Glenn A Baker
“A seriously great show – an absolute corker of a musical” - Australian Stage

Following the season in Sydney JERSEY BOYS will open in Brisbane on 2 January and Melbourne on 23 February.

The season of JERSEY BOYS has been secured for Sydney by the NSW Government, via its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW.

JERSEY BOYS is produced in Australia by Dodger Theatricals, Rodney Rigby and TEG-Dainty.

Applications for the MEA/ Ungerboeck Young Professionals Scholarship are now open!

Meetings & Events Australia is firmly committed to supporting and nurturing the development of future events industry leaders and fostering the growth of young professionals in the events industry. To achieve this MEA introduced the national Young Professional Scholarship Award in 2005.

Prior to 2005 some of the states conducted a local scholarship program, however, due to the support from Ungerboeck Software International MEA was able to develop this program into a national scholarship which is now in its 14th year.

Applications for the Ungerboeck Scholarship are now open and close on the 15th of January.

Please click here to download the criteria and upload here.

Welcome to Daehak-ro Festival 2018!

Daehak-ro Performing arts festival is returning for its second year with some of Korea’s most famous live performances. Lasting from the 28th September to 31st October 2018, the month-long festival brings together 50 plays, musicals and nonverbal performances of all kinds of genres. Much like Broadway in New York, Daehak-ro is Seoul’s centre of performing arts with over 160 theatres and live-cafes located in the area. During the festival, many of the popular performances will be available with English subtitles as well as special meet and greet with some of the actors. With so many shows to choose from, here are some key performances to keep an eye out for this year.

Starting off with the opening ceremony, this is a perfect chance to get a taste of all the best Korean performances on one stage. The ceremony will be hosted by the famous musical actor Kai and presents a delightful medley of 5 musicals and non-verbal performances as well as an opening act from the top taekwondo crew in Korea. The event will be free entry for all and have subtitles available in 3 languages for international visitors.

With many well-loved musicals returning to the festival, you can watch some of Daehak-ro’s staples such as‘Finding Mr Destiny’, ‘Love comes with the Rain’ and ‘Only you’. The musical ‘1446’ will be a new addition this year and will take you on a journey through Korea’s history and the existence of King Sejong. The musical deals with some of the life achievements of the king of Joseon (Korean dynasty) as well as the difficulties and relentless pursuit in developing the Korean alphabet.

‘The Man Who Laughs’ is arguably one of the most anticipated musicals of the year. The musical is based on Victor Hugo’s 1869 novel ‘L’Homme Qui rit’ and stars EXO’s Suho who will be playing the main lead Gwynplaine. The storyline follows a man whose mouth has been deformed into a permanent smile since childhood.

This masterpiece took 5 years in the making and over 20 million dollars investment to complete. The production brings together global big names in musical theatre, with Robert Johanson, the director of Rebecca Elisabeth leading the team. As well as Disney’s costume designer Gregory A. Poplyk well known for his designs in Frozen and Phantom.

Non-verbal performances have always been one of the highlights of the festival and are a great way to bring down the language barrier and enjoy upbeat music, dance and easy storylines!

‘Nanta’

‘Nanta’ is Korea’s first non-verbal performance that premiered back in 1997and the longest running show in Korea. It has won numerous awards over the years and is a crowd favourite for all ages. The story is set in a kitchen where the chefs take you on a culinary adventure whipping up various Korean cuisines. It is an exciting comic performance showcasing beats derived from Korea’s traditional percussion ‘samulnori’ using ordinary objects.

A special collaboration is planned for the 21st of October with a mash-up of four major non-verbal performances the ‘Pang Show’,‘Jump’, ‘Chef’ and ‘Fireman’. These performances all present comical stories, engaging content and a fundamentally Korean element to the show. From spectacular martial arts and acrobatic performances to exhilarating cook-offs and dynamic music, this is a rare opportunity to see some of the best acts come together on stage.

For more information on all the shows and to purchase tickets visit: http://welcomedaehakro.com/participating-eng/

EVITA OPENS TO CRITICAL ACCLAIM

One of the most celebrated musicals of all time, the original West End and Broadway production of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s EVITA, is now playing at the Sydney Opera House for a strictly limited season.

Australian icon, singer, songwriter and musical theatre star Tina Arena plays the role of Eva Perón, with the musical featuring some of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s best loved songs including ‘Don’t Cry For Me Argentina’, ‘On This Night of a Thousand Stars’, ‘You Must Love Me’ and ‘Another Suitcase in Another Hall’.

NSW Minister for Tourism and Major Events Adam Marshall said EVITA was secured for Sydney by the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW.

“The NSW Government is committed to securing premiere musical productions which drive visitation to the State. During the season of EVITA more than 17,000 overnight visitors are expected to travel to Sydney to see the production, generating an estimated $14 million in overnight visitor expenditure,” Mr Marshall said.

Go to evitathemusical.com.au to buy tickets.

To read my review of Evita "Evita - Wowing Audiences in Sydney" go to -https://theholidayandtravelmagazine.blogspot.com/2018/09/evita-wowing-audiences-in-sydney.html

Queensland lands major global aviation conference

Brisbane

The Palaszczuk Government has secured a major international aviation conference for Brisbane set to pump more than $2.3 million into the Queensland economy.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the 145th International Air Transport Association (IATA) Slot Conference will run from 12-15 November 2019 and will welcome more than 1000 delegates from major airlines around the world to negotiate slots at international airports.

“This event will bring to Queensland some of the biggest players in international aviation to negotiate for the most sought-after slots on the planet,” she said.

“It’s the perfect opportunity to showcase our state to the world but will also open up discussions around how we can continue to strategically grow tourism in Queensland through aviation.

“Hosting this conference will help grow existing routes and identify new opportunities for Queensland.

“Today’s announcement comes off the back of the highly successful Routes Asia Conference hosted in Brisbane earlier this year.”

Tourism Industry Development Minister Kate Jones said the IATA Slot Conference provided a great opportunity for the government to strengthen relationships with airline executives in growing tourism markets.

“Improving access to our key tourism destinations is an important part of our strategy to grow Queensland’s $25 billion tourism industry,” she said.

“That’s why we’re investing $48 million in our Attracting Tourism Fund to secure more direct flights to Queensland.

“We’ve got the runs on the board – since 2015, this government has secured 2.4 million airline seats worth around $1.8 billion for Queensland.”

The conference was secured through a partnership between Tourism and Events Queensland’s Business Events Acquisition and Leveraging Fund, Tourism Australia, Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC), Brisbane Marketing and the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Tourism and Events Queensland Chief Executive Officer Leanne Coddington is currently in Guangzhou, China at the World Routes Conference and said Queensland had a high profile within the global aviation industry.

“Hosting an international conference of this calibre in Queensland’s capital couldn’t come at a better time with Brisbane’s new runway set to open in 2020, which will double Brisbane's flight capacity,” Ms Coddington said.

“Playing host to these conferences has certainly kept Brisbane and Queensland front of mind with key decision-makers and will no doubt bring many opportunities for the state’s tourism industry.”

Tourism Australia Managing Director John O’Sullivan said that the IATA Slot Conference had been secured with support from its Business Events Bid Fund and was another great opportunity to showcase Australia’s impressive capabilities in event delivery.

“Sustainable aviation capacity is crucial to Australia’s visitor economy and a key focus of Tourism Australia’s work. Securing next year’s IATA Slot Conference is part of a broader strategy for aviation development, alongside Routes Asia and World Routes,” he said.

“Bringing this influential group of decision-makers to Australia next year is a real coup and will certainly help ensure we remain top of mind in an increasingly competitive marketplace.”

BAC Chief Executive Officer Gert-Jan de Graaff said being the host airport and city for this global conference was critical in keeping our city and state front of mind for key route development decision-makers from around the world.

“There is enormous competition for airlines to secure the best ‘slots’ at key airports and with Brisbane’s new runway coming on line in 2020, now is the time for airlines to be securing highly sought-after peak time slots to enhance and grow their operations.”

Lord Mayor Graham Quirk said securing hosting rights for the IATA conference once again demonstrated Brisbane’s new world city status.

“This significant aviation conference perfectly aligns with the Brisbane 2022 New World City Action Plan for economic growth by furthering our focus on securing more direct air routes, building our visitor economy and hosting more high-calibre business events,” Cr Quirk said.

Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre General Manager Bob O’Keeffe said the Centre was honoured to play a part in securing such a strategic conference crucial to the future development and growth of Brisbane.

“Hosting the 145th IATA Slot Conference 2019 will build on the momentum of the successful hosting of the Routes Asia Conference held earlier this year and continues the Centre’s strong association with the aviation industry,” Mr O’Keeffe said.

Mu Cang Chai terraced field festival to open on Sept 25

The Muong Lo Tourism-Culture Week and the Mu Cang Chai Terraced Field Festival will take place in the northern mountainous province of Yen Bai on September 21-25.

According to Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Duong Van Tien, the events are held annually, aiming to introduce the locality’s culture and tourism products to attract more domestic and foreign visitors.

The activities have enhanced tourism ties between Yen Bai and adjacent localities, further promoting the localities’ people and cultures, he noted.

Tien said many activities will be arranged in the week, including art performances, exhibitions, a Muong Lo cake festival, Miss Muong Lo contest, performances of traditional games and tours for holidaymakers.

Notably, the “Yen Bai - Heritage journey” programme will be attended by several famous people and a car show which will feature nearly 100 pick-up trucks will be highlights of the events.

Meanwhile, the Mu Cang Chai Terraced Field Festival will also feature various activities, incusing a Khen Mong contest, a goat fight competition, community tourism activities and a photo exhibition on terraced paddy fields by domestic famous photographers.

Additionally, as part of the festival, the 5th paragliding festival themed “Flying in the yellow season” will return to Yen Bai from September 21 to 23.

Paragliding performance (Source: the organisation board)

It expects to attract 200 Vietnamese and foreign pilots, along with 150 tourists joining the paragliders in flight.

Tien expressed his hope that media agencies will promote Yen Bai’s land and people, and tourism strengths of the locality to help the locality attract more tourists.

Mu Cang Chai has 500 hectares of rice terraces in La Pan Tan, Che Cu Nha and De Xu Phinh communes in Mu Cang Chai district, cultivated by the H'mong people for centuries. The local terraces are among the 2,500 hectares recognised as national heritage sites in 2007 by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The locality is about 1,000 metres above sea level, making it impossible to grow rice the same way as in deltas. Local residents grow rice in terraced fields to stop water flowing downhill.

Terraced fields in Mu Cang Chai are beautiful year round. Visitors in March can see glittering ponds before locals transplant rice seedlings from April to May. After May, the hills are covered in green until the fields start to turn yellow with ripe rice in early September.

During the harvest in October, the golden rice fields stand out amidst green forests.
Source: VNA

Jerky Trendy at the 2018 Sydney Royal Fine Food Show

Sydney Royal Competitions will soon click over 200 years, but this time-honoured organisation can never be accused of not keeping up with trends, particularly in food.

Take for example Jerky, a standalone class at the just completed Sydney Royal Spring Fine Food Show at Sydney Showground, Sydney Olympic Park.

Jerky is lean meat which has been trimmed of fat, cut into strips and dried with the addition of salt and spices.

Entries have increased in number since 2016, proof of this meat class’ growing popularity in Australia.  

        

Jerky attracted one gold medal and five silvers in the 2018 Sydney Royal Fine Food Show which culminated tonight in the unveiling of Championship winners across all categories at the Sydney Royal Taste of Excellence Awards held at The Stables, Sydney Showground. 

1168 entries were catalogued for judging across 126 classes in categories ranging from Pasta, Olive Oil, Regional Food and Branded Meat to Smallgoods and Charcuterie.

In the Regional Food competition, three of the four Champions in 2018 were first time entrants in Sydney Royal, while Sydney took the crown as top region by claiming the most medals overall.

Fine Food Committee Chair Lachlan Bowtell reflected on this year’s Show:

“Despite adversity, notably the punishing drought, this year’s entrants demonstrated an increase in quality almost across the board,” Lachlan said,

“The exhibitors are making it tougher each and every year on our judges and that is a good thing.

“Seeing producers from our 2017 Sydney Royal competitions take on board our Judges’ feedback and return with a better product is what it is all about,” Lachlan Bowtell said.

Champions at a glance:

Pasta

Bianco Group was declared Champion in the Durum Wheat Specialty Pasta class for its Gnocchoni filled with Goats cheese and chives.

Regional Food

Regional Foods demonstrated a changing of the guard this year with three out of our four Champions being first time entrants. Sydney was the most successful region with the highest number of Medals, while Champion Sweet Preserve went to Bunny Chow Downfor its Rosella Apple Chilli Jam and Jam & Jelly by Jewel’s Beetroot Jelly took out Champion Savoury Preserve. MCFarm Pty Ltd T/A Hazelbrae Hazelnuts (Tasmania) claimed the Champion Regional Food Specialty Product for its Hazelbrae Hazelnuts Oiland Hum Honey for its Cold Fusion Organic Lemon Myrtle, being awarded the Champion Regional Food Other Product.

Olive Oil

Alto Olives received its first championship since 2014 in the Champion Olives category. While former Sydney Royal President’s Medal winner Cobram Estate also takes home two championships for Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Varietal Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Champion Flavoured Olive Oil has gone to Bylands Estate T/A Kyneton Olive Oil for its Basil Infused Oil and Gooramadda Olives has been named Champion Boutique Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Branded Meats

Despite the tough drought conditions currently facing the meat industry, Judges referred to a high quality of produce entered this year, particularly within the Lamb classes. TheChampion Pork title has gone to Diamond Springs Pastoral and Champion Beef to Manning Valley Naturally. This year’s Champion Lamb and The Dick Stone Perpetual Branded Meat Champion Trophy winner is Victoria’s Woodward Foods Australia for its Woodward Foods Export Lamb (USA).

Smallgoods & Charcuterie

The Smallgoods & Charcuterie competition saw an increase in quality this year and as a result, Gold medals, with all Champions being returning exhibitors. Interesting new sausage flavours impressed our judges, however a classic still remains, with Andrews MeatsIndustries claiming Champion Traditional Sausage. Champion Bacon has been taken out by Bertocchi for its Smoked Wide Middle Bacon and Sunshine Meats Double Smoked Boneless Ham has claimed Champion Ham.

Zammit Ham & Bacon Curers Pty Ltd is the Champion Smallgoods & Charcuterie Speciality Product for 2018 while Sunshine Meats has taken out Champion Poultry Product for its Nitrite Free Butterfly Duck. Barossa Fine Foods has had a massive 2018 competition, claiming three championships – Champion Cooked Smallgoods Product, Champion Smallgoods Product, and Champion Smallgoods & Charcuterie Gourmet Product.

All Champions are announced in the attachment above (detailing winners’ locations) and all Gold, Silver and Bronze Medal winners can be found on the on the RAS website.

Ascott Residence Trust (Ascott Reit) has acquired a prime greenfield site for S$62.4 million for its maiden development project. It will build the first coliving property in Singapore’s research and innovation business hub, one-north. Located at Nepal Hill amidst 400 companies, 800 startups and 50,000 professionals, the property is expected to be managed by its sponsor, The Ascott Limited (Ascott) under the coliving brand, lyf, targeted at the rising millennial segment. To be named lyf one-north Singapore, the property will offer 324 units1 . It is slated to achieve Temporary Occupation Permit by 2020 and open in 2021.

The 60-year leasehold site was put up by the JTC Corporation (JTC) for sale in a two-envelope concept and price tender. Ascott Reit’s concept proposal features the creative use of communal spaces, a holistic design centred on building a vibrant and collaborative community, as well as comprehensive programmes which promote social bonding, wellness, personal development and business networking.

The 200-hectare one-north estate has attracted over S$7 billion worth of investments in critical growth sectors such as the biomedical, info-communications and media industries. The location is also a talent development hub, home to world-renowned business schools and corporate universities.

Mr Bob Tan, Ascott Residence Trust Management Limited’s (ARTML) Chairman, said: “Ascott Reit is acquiring a prime site in Singapore to build a property on our own for the first time. Compared to acquiring completed properties, this investment not only allows us to have an early entry at a lower cost, enjoy development profits, but we can also expect higher yield in the long term. This development only accounts for about 3% of Ascott Reit’s total asset value, which is within the 10% regulatory limit on property development for REITs. Singapore is a safe environment for construction, and by designing and building the property ourselves with customised specifications and having it managed by our sponsor, Ascott, we can be assured of building quality and strong operating performance. After the acquisition, Ascott Reit’s gearing will be 37.2%, which is below the 45% gearing threshold, thereby offering adequate debt headroom for the funding of the acquisition.”

Mr Tan added: “Ascott Reit’s four properties in Singapore have been performing well at an average occupancy rate of over 80%. The strong government support and private sector investment in one-north give us further confidence to invest in the site. This is an important move to build Ascott Reit’s pipeline of quality yield-accretive assets in Singapore, a mature hospitalitymarket with stable performance, especially since it is becoming harder to find immediately accretive assets in the country. The acquisition would broaden Ascott Reit’s earnings base, further diversify and strengthen our global portfolio to grow returns to Unitholders. We will continue to seek accretive opportunities in key gateway cities to enhance Ascott Reit’s global portfolio while maintaining a balance of growth and stable income to deliver sustainable returns to Unitholders.”

Ms Beh Siew Kim, ARTML’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “Set to be the first coliving development in one-north, lyf one-north Singapore will cater to the ready pool of young entrepreneurs, millennials and professionals in the vibrant cluster that hosts prominent research and knowledge-based organisations, startups as well as business schools. We expect strong demand for the property, given the thriving innovation ecosystem and the limited lodging supply in the vicinity. Our sponsor Ascott is managing Citadines Fusionopolis Singapore in one-north under a lease with JTC. The property has been enjoying a consistently high occupancy rate of above 80%. Also, as lyf one-north Singapore will be Ascott’s third lyf property in the country, we can leverage Ascott’s network to reap greater operational efficiencies.”

“The one-north area is bustling with communities of project-based professionals and business students coworking, carpooling and bicycle-sharing. We aim to create a lively community at lyf one-north Singapore through purposeful design of the physical spaces and placemaking social and business activities as well as large-scale events and festivals. Working professionals, creatives and executive education programme participants can connect and network with one another through the carefully curated programmes at the property. Both short and long-stay travellers can also be assured of a consistent quality in products and services given Ascott’s strong track record in managing award-winning properties globally.”

lyf one-north Singapore is located right next to the one-north MRT station and a 30-minute ride to the Central Business District. The property enjoys easy access to key districts within the city via the Ayer Rajah Expressway and public transportation network. Commercial buildings as well as dining and retail options are available in the vicinity. Guests can look forward to fully-digital customer experience and communal amenities such as a lap pool, social kitchen, fitness area, barbeque garden, outdoor seating area, residents’ lounge, laundromat, thematic function rooms, and indoor events hall. Spanning a gross floor area of over 73,447 square feet (6,823.5 square metres) 2, lyf one-north Singapore will offer a mix of studio and loft units.

With this acquisition, Ascott Reit will own five properties in prime locations in the central and western regions of Singapore, offering approximately 1,000 apartment units. Ascott Reit’s other four properties in Singapore are Ascott Orchard Singapore, Ascott Raffles Place Singapore, Citadines Mount Sophia Singapore and Somerset Liang Court Singapore. Please see Annex for further details of lyf and lyf one-north Singapore.