Beginning Sept. 21, Singapore Airlines' nonstop, all-business-class service between Los Angeles and Singapore will operate daily, up from three times per week. The route's Airbus A340-500 is outfitted with 100 seats, measuring over 76 centimeters wide in a one-two-one configuration. Seats are convertible to lie-flat beds and have fixed back shells with optional extended sides for privacy, as well as inflight entertainment via KrisWorld, which offers more than 1,000 on-demand channels, the airline said. The carrier in June kicked off the same daily services between Singapore and Newark Liberty International Airport
(BTNonline, March 17).Average Hotel Room Rates Rise In Asia/PacificRising room rates drove three regions in Asia/Pacific—Southeast Asia, South Asia and Oceania—to report double-digit percentage revenue per available room growth in the first six months of 2008, while occupancy only grew marginally or declined, according to a report released by Deloitte analysts last month. Bali, in Oceania, and Singapore, in Southeast Asia, saw the highest RevPAR growth, respectively. In Bali, RevPAR increased 39.5 percent to $81, while Singapore's average room rate increased 34 percent to $213, despite a 3.8-percent dip in occupancy to 79.8 percent. Deloitte analysts attributed Bali's strength to a rebounding resort market after bombings in 2005, and suggested Singapore's strength came from increased capacity and new flights from major cities like London, Sydney and Tokyo. In South Asia, hotels in India grew 14.2 percent to $170, a figure also driven by average room rates, Deloitte said. Northeast Asia meanwhile, also saw growth, though more moderately at 5.3 percent. For all of Asia-Pacific, RevPAR was up 13.2 percent from 12 percent last year, with average room rates coming in at $151.
Wyndham Plans Ramada, Days Inn Expansion In Japan Wyndham Hotel Group plans to open nine Ramada and Days Inn hotels in Japan over the next five years, the company announced late last month, in a joint venture with Green Hospitality Management of Tokyo, which manages 14 hotels and operates 500 Japanese and Chinese specialty restaurants. The venture will quadruple Wyndham's three-property presence in Japan, comprised of the Ramada Sapporo, Ramada Osaka and Ramada Kansai International Airport. Green Hospitality Management will develop or manage the new properties.