Large custom makes travel firms worried | Look At Vietnam - Vietnam news daily update

Large custom makes travel firms worried | Look At Vietnam - Vietnam news daily update: "LookAtVietnam - The hotel room
rates, car rentals and meal service fees have all increased dramatically; thus,
putting a heavy burden on travel firms.

Travel
firms now can sigh with relief that the number of travelers will be high on the
April 30 holiday, despite the high inflation which has forced many people to
fasten their belt.

According
to travel firms, the number of travelers who have booked domestic tours to Da Nang, Nha Trang, Da
Lat and Phan Thiet, are 20 percent higher than that of the last year’s holiday.
A similar increase has also been reported for outbound tours, including the
ones to Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia
and China.

Especially,
a firework festival that will take place in the central city of Da Nang on April 29 and
30. Therefore, the number of travelers planning to go to the sea city has
increased sharply.

Le Toan
Thanh Tung, Head of the Tour Operation of Vitour, said to date, 3000 travelers
have booked tours to Da Nang
with Vitour, an increase of 200 percent over the same period of the last year.

“It is
really good news for travel firms that the number of travelers does not
decrease, even though travel firms have to raise the tour fees by 10-15 percent
in the context of high inflation,” said Nguyen Thi Thanh Giang from
Newstartour.

Nevertheless,
the large custom has made travel firms worried, because the high number of
travelers will lead to the scarcity of hotel rooms, higher car rentals and
service fee increases.

According
to Tung, “the room rates at 1-3 star hotels are about 300,000-600,000 dong per
night, but the rates have soared to 1-3 million dong for April 30 holiday.” The
new circumstances have forced Vitour to sign contracts soon with 4-5 star hotels
soon, because luxurious hotels do not make big changes in the hotel room rates.
Meanwhile, Vitour has to accept to hire coaches to carry travelers with the
rental three times higher than that in ordinary days.
However,
travel firms have complained that even if they accept the higher rentals, they
cannot hire enough coaches, because the existing number of coaches with 45
seats in Da Nang
is not big enough to satisfy all. Vitour, for example, is considering hiring
smaller coaches, or using the coaches from neighboring provinces.
Anticipating
the problems arising on holidays, Hanoitourist said it has to “choose travelers
to serve”.
Tong Thu
Hien, Deputy Director of Hanoitourist, said that the travel firm plans to serve
the number of travelers higher by 10 percent than the last year. Besides,
Hanoitourist only designs long distance tours with aircraft being the main
means of transport, including the ones on Hanoi-Da Nang, Hanoi-Nha Trang.
Meanwhile, the firm only serves loyal clients on short tours like the one from Hanoi to Cua Lo beach.
Vu The
Binh, former Director of the Travel Department under the Vietnam National
Administration of Tourism (VNAT), said that the current tourism infrastructure
items in localities still cannot satisfy the demand, when the number of
travelers increases sharply on peak holidays, while the sharp service fee
increases always burden travel firms.
In fact,
travel firms have raised tour fees already, but the tour fee increases are not
big enough to cover the increases of expenses. Therefore, travel firms have to
cut some kinds of services in their tours. They have been warned that the cuts
may make travelers unsatisfied with the services of travel firms.
Dr Ha Van
Sieu, Director of the Tourism Research Institute under VNAT, also said that
service providers should not raise the service fees too sharply, or they will
lose clients.

Source: TBKTVN

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Caravelle publishes book about its 50-year history

The history of the Caravelle Hotel in HCM City has come to light in a new book recounting a half-century of war and peace in Vietnam.
LookAtVietnam - The history of the Caravelle Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City has come to light in a new book recounting a half-century of war and peace in Vietnam, as seen through the eyes as one of the city’s landmark institutions.

The English-language “Caravelle Saigon-A History,” published last week, unfolds as a straight narrative interspersed with fascinating stories from an array of diverse individuals whose lives intersected with the hotel.

While its most compelling sections detail the tumult of the 1960s and early 1970s, the book provides a fascinating glimpse into the development of the hospitality industry in Saigon and concludes with the hotel’s extensive refurbishment in 1998.

Built to be the country’s most luxurious hotel when opened in 1959, the five-star Caravelle became inseparable from both the journalistic luminaries who covered the Vietnam War and a new and progressive brand of war correspondents.

As Saigon’s unofficial press club, the Caravelle was frequented by policy makers and such media icons as Peter Arnett, Neil Sheehan, David Halberstam and Walter Cronkite.

It also housed the offices of a number of international press organizations during the war period such as the CBS News, the ABC News and The New York Times.

A Vietnamese edition will be published by the end of the year, according to a Caravelle statement.

VietNamNet/Thanh Nien

Economy dictating where hotel guests stay

Current economic conditions are influencing consumer interest in lodging types, says Ypartnership/Yankelovich 2009 National Travel MONITOR.

Compared to last year, preference for independently operated hotels and resorts is up, while preference for chain-affiliated properties is declining.

Leisure travelers are also more likely to cite “value for the price” as a key consideration when selecting lodging accommodations.

“Although preference for independent lodging is growing (now cited by 20% of all leisure travelers), it is still important to note that 8 out of 10 leisure travelers prefer chain-affiliated accommodations,” the report says.

This preference has declined significantly from the level recorded last year (84%), however.

“Also, compared to last year, leisure travelers are more likely to prefer a limited-service hotel or motel without a restaurant (40% versus 34%), and less likely to prefer one that offers full service with a restaurant (60% versus 66%)."

This preference seems to be driven by two factors, said Peter C. Yesawich, chairman and CEO of Ypartnership.

“First, a growing number of consumers appear more interested in the novelty and/or special character many independent operators have scripted into their properties. Second, the quest for better value, now defined in terms of a more attractive price, appears to be motivating many leisure travelers to evaluate independent alternatives.”

Phan Thiet hotel named Vietnam's finest

VietnamTravel.org, a travel guide, announced that Cham Villas in the southeastern costal city of Phan Thiet tops its list of "Vietnam's Finest Hotels" for 2009.

A beachfront villa at the Cham Villas in Phan Thiet which has been named Vietnam’s top hotel based on travelers’ reviews (Photo: Cham Villas)
The list was drawn up after an extensive survey of 16,000 hotel reviews.
It was followed by Hanoi Elegance Boutique Hotel, Novotel Nha Trang, and Park Hyatt Saigon.
For the ranking, VietnamTravel.org collected hotel reviews from major websites like Yahoo Travel, Tripadvisor, Booking.com, and Agoda.com.
Hotels with more than 10 reviews were then ranked on their overall score, as were six major tourist destinations that have consistently received great customer feedback.
In addition to the Top 30 listings, the Vietnam Travel website now provides a clear breakdown of how each of the 347 hotels listed on the website has scored, allowing travelers to the country to quickly and easily compare hotels and make a decision on where to stay.
The full list of 'Vietnam's Finest 2009' can be found at http://www.vietnamtravel.org/top-hotels-vietnam

Park Hyatt Saigon named “world’s best hotel in Asia” 2008

Park Hyatt Saigon has been voted “World’s Best Hotel in Asia” in the 13th Annual World’s Best Awards Readers’ Survey conducted by Travel + Leisure, the US’s leading luxury travel and lifestyle magazine.

“This prestigious accolade is wonderful recognition for the international standards of product and service provided by Park Hyatt Saigon. Our authentic hospitality is setting the benchmark for service in Vietnam and places Ho Chi Minh City on the world stage in travel. Our goal is to continue to raise the bar in service excellence and further develop Vietnam as a luxury travel destination catering to the discerning traveller,” said Michael Golden, General Manager, Park Hyatt Saigon.

In Travel + Leisure’s 13th annual poll, the readers once again selected their favourite providers of travel facilities around the globe. According to editors Jennifer V. Cole and Amy Farley, Travel + Leisure’s readers name the very best in travel, from hotels, spas, airlines and cruise liners to cities and islands, along with all the operators and outfitters who make a journey possible. This year’s winners reveal readers’ evolving but always exacting standards of excellence.

In 2008, Park Hyatt Saigon was also voted “Best Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City” for the third consecutive year by DestinAsian magazine, Asia’s leading luxury travel and lifestyle publication. “Best Luxury Hotel” by the TripAdvisor travel community. Business Traveller Asia Pacific magazine named Park Hyatt Saigon the “Best Business Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City” in its annual Readers’ Choice Awards.