10 TTG TRAVEL AWARDS 2018 SPECIAL EDITION
Travel Hall of Fame
Royal Plaza
on Scotts Thailand
Convention &
Exhibition Bureau Sabre Travel
Network Asia
Pacific
Patrick Fiat
General manager and chief experience officer (CEO),
Royal Plaza on Scotts Chiruit Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya
President,
Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau Abdul Iyer
Regional director, South-east Asia
Sabre Travel Network (Thailand)
How has your organisation stayed ahead of the
competition this year? How has your organisation stayed ahead of the
competition this year? How has your organisation stayed ahead of the
competition this year?
After 10 years of working on delivering great
guest experiences, it’s time to shake things up a
little more! We listened closely to our guests in
preparation of a spruce-up! We are so excited to
share that we are undergoing a renovation this
year to bring our guests more colourful and de-
lightful stays. Watch out for the spots of colours
in our brand new look to excite your senses and
light up faces. Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau
(TCEB) has representatives in all key markets
serving as an extended eye in spotting trends,
enabling us to assess and keep pace or stay ahead
of the industry.
Moreover, we have strong collaborations with
overseas and domestic stakeholders and have
always been in close communication with our
clients, enabling us to design campaigns or prod-
ucts that meet the industry’s needs. More than ever, Sabre has been taking a global
leadership role in the travel industry, investing in
programs that foster collaboration and enabling
innovation to come to life.
This year, Sabre was recognised by the Interna-
tional Air Transport Association (IATA) as NDC
Level 3 capable as an I.T. provider, announced
numerous new partnerships and renewals across
the globe, and more recently, presented the first
four partners of the Beyond NDC Program,
including American Airlines, American Express
Global Business Travel, Carlson Wagonlit Travel
and Flight Centre. These partners will help us
develop, integrate and test solutions to ensure
delivery of seamless, end-to-end capabilities of
NDC-enabled offers and orders.
What three factors are critical in bringing your
organisation continually forward into the future?
Our talents, who are known as Chief Experience
Officers (CEOs), are our most prized capital
of the organisation. They deliver service to our
guests with a sense of camaraderie and whole-
hearted friendliness. We work hard at keeping
them happy so our guests will be happy.
Creativity plays an essential role and gives
us a cutting edge. We spice things up by creating
fun moments! Throwing on red and white
garb in celebration of Singapore’s National Day
and serving up a teh tarik (pulled milk tea) with
kaya toast for breakfast are our ways of sharing
the joy! See us in October for a haunting yet
friendly (think Casper!) check-in experience
on Halloween.
We continue to seek inspiration from the Sin-
gaporean community we live together with! See
us dress up in multi-ethnic costumes for Racial
Harmony Day or share the festive spirit with Or-
chard Road’s longest lohei (tossing of the yusheng
or Chinese raw fish salad) during the Lunar New
Year. It’s part of our promise to bring authentic
experiences to our guests.
What can your trade partners and customers look
forward to in doing business with you in 2019?
We look forward to meeting our partners and
guests as Asia-Pacific’s Best Independent Hotel
(Hall of Fame) and post-makeover. Think
pops of bright hues of lush red, royal blue and
butterscotch yellow and brand new Simmons
Dream beds.
What three factors are critical in bringing your
organisation continually forward into the future?
We have a thorough understanding of the in-
dustry that makes us stay on top of the industry,
while a strong and healthy partnership with
stakeholders has strengthened our roles and
enabled us to earn trust from the industry.
Our flexibility, passion and willingness to
deliver the best to the industry makes us under-
stand the market’s needs and respond to both
current needs and upcoming trends.
What can your trade partners and customers look
forward to in doing business with you in 2019?
Guided by our new brand, Thailand: Redefine
Your Business Events, TCEB will offer new ways
and solutions to earn deliverables of hosting
events in Thailand and to enjoy new experiences.
In 2019 we are introducing a support scheme
to reward MICE agents who can bring in MI
groups (1,000 – 10,000 pax) to Thailand. For
those interested in holding their events in Thai-
land, TCEB is forming a partnership synergy
with Thai suppliers to develop transport and
accommodation privilege packages for overseas
organisers making site inspections in Thailand.
Moreover, TCEB is focusing on attracting
events in 10 S-Curve industries to help them
maximise growth opportunities from Thailand’s
4.0 policy. We will contact the relevant Thai
government agencies to get involved and support
these events. – Nichapa Yoswee, senior vice
president – business
What three factors are critical in bringing your
organisation continually forward into the future?
Firstly, our unique position within the travel
ecosystem enables us to know what our partners
need before they even know they need it.
Secondly, the depth and breadth of our tech-
nology platform means we can provide targeted
solutions to all of our customers, supporting
them with the expertise they need and giving
them an edge against the competition.
Thirdly, our people are our biggest asset.
They are the driving force behind our innovative
solutions that help to power the travel industry.
Without our experts, Sabre could not deliver the
solutions to its customers, and help propel their
business into the future.
What can your trade partners and customers look
forward to in doing business with you in 2019?
Sabre continues to be a partner of choice for all
members of the travel ecosystem. With long-
standing success across the industry, we are
committed to leading the development of next-
generation retailing, distribution and fulfilment
solutions that benefit airlines, travel retailers and
consumers. We will leverage IATA’s NDC stand-
ards to deploy new APIs and desktop solutions
that allow customers to shop and book NDC
content alongside traditional content in 2018,
and we will also innovate beyond NDC to define
the future of intelligent airline retailing. – Todd
Arthur, vice president