Promoting tourism and hospitality with sustainability

Which strong points should help the country’s tourism and hospitality sector be focusing on in 2025?

Similar to 2024, the majority of visitors to Vietnam this year will come from Asia. Travellers will be visiting Vietnam seeking authentic and sustainable experiences, affordable/reasonably priced accommodation, and excellent cuisine.

For us, hotels located in major gateways will continue to cater to business and leisure travellers who are here for shorter periods, maybe just a week at the most. The rise of the business/leisure seekers and digital nomads will help sustain interest in Ho Chi Minh City among travellers.

Ho Chi Minh City will continue to be an attractive meetings industry destination as infrastructure for big meetings, conferences, sporting events, and room capacity are available, complemented by the city’s diverse tourism offerings and expansive culinary options.

Albert Lafuente, general manager of Sedona Suites Ho Chi Minh City

With your experiences in operating Sedona Suites Ho Chi Minh City during tougher periods, what products and services will become a new trend in the new year?

Our business model is different from most hotels, as we cater to both extended stay and transient guests. Distinctive sets of operational strategies are needed to provide our key markets with services that are tailor-fit to their specific needs.

Constant engagement with our extended stay guests is essential to develop camaraderie and to create that feeling of community, and by this, we mean organising exclusive events, and activities, as well as providing them with special amenities during key holidays and observances - from Lunar New Year and Mid-Autumn Festival, to Christmas and beyond.

On the other hand, customisation and personal recognition are essential to ensure that our transient guests will feel comfortable and well looked after. Welcome amenities, personalised welcome cards, sustainable in-room amenities, and value-added benefits like complimentary select minibar items, are well-received and regarded.

What is constant and non-negotiable for both types of guests is providing them with homes and accommodation that are safe, secure, and with a high level of cleanliness and hygiene – and these are the top priorities at Sedona Suites.

How important is environmental, social, and governance implementation in your properties?

Our guests are aware that we are aligned with our mother company, Keppel Corporation, in adapting and incorporating significant initiatives that not only impact on their immediate environment the guest rooms and hotel public areas, but also society as a whole.

We have completely removed and replaced amenities in single-use plastic containers, we have an ongoing campaign to re-use and repurpose used carrier bags, proper disposal of used batteries, and garbage segregation, and this year, we will implement our zero-food waste initiative, which will be spearheaded by our culinary and service teams.

We have also been participating on all our community-based projects, from working with local non-governmental organisations in the Mekong Delta to providing assistance and supplies to schools in far-flung areas.

Developing towards green and sustainable goals requires high-cost investment. What are your unique eco-luxury services in 2025?

We are lucky to have been part of Keppel. The majority of the initiatives that we have implemented company-wide are aligned with the key pillars of our sustainability commitments: environmental stewardship, responsible business, and people and community.

Relative to our forthcoming programme to implement a zero-food waste scheme later this year, we thought of allocating space to grow herbs and vegetables using compost that will be generated by the food composting machine we will be investing in.

Have you got any suggestions for Vietnam’s authorities to further boost the country’s tourism?

As a general manager with significant experience in commercial sales and marketing, I will not tire of encouraging the government to have a collective and unified campaign to promote the country. Currently, each of the cities and provinces is pushing their tourism products, but the majority of them are not thought-out enough, and may just be wasting resources as they are not targeted, nor will they appeal to the right market.

It is time, and in fact, it is long overdue, for the government to professionalise the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism. It must hire capable marketing professionals and look at how our successful neighbours are managing their tourism offices. Worth emulating is the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the Singapore Tourism Board, and the Malaysia Tourism Board, among others.

Sedona Suites Ho Chi Minh introduces new director of Sales & Marketing Sedona Suites welcomes Vuong Thu Nguyet (Nina to her friends and clients) as its director of Sales & Marketing as of October 10, 2022.

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Sedona Suites Ho Chi Minh City creates ultimate venue for business and leisure Standing as the city's foremost serviced residences in the heart of a vibrant metropolis, Sedona Suites Ho Chi Minh City offers an exceptional blend of luxury and convenience.

Sedona Suites bullish on 2024 prospects Tourism could witness a hallmark year in 2024 if the right direction is taken from businesses as well as the government. Albert Lafuente, general manager of Sedona Suites Ho Chi Minh City, told VIR’s Nhat Ha of his hopes for Vietnam’s tourism and hospitality industry in 2024.