Dana Hull | (TNS) Bloomberg News Jared Birchall, Elon Musk’s money manager and the head of his family office, is listed as the chief executive officer. Jehn Balajadia, a longtime Musk aide who has worked at SpaceX and the Boring Co., is named as an official contact. Related Articles National Politics | Ford to give $1 million for Trump inauguration National Politics | Biden will decide on US Steel acquisition after influential panel fails to reach consensus National Politics | Biden vetoes once-bipartisan effort to add 66 federal judgeships, citing ‘hurried’ House action National Politics | Pressley praises Biden’s death row commutations, urges more action National Politics | Healey vs. ICE: Massachusetts’ sanctuary status under fire But they’re not connected to Musk’s new technology venture, or the political operation that’s endeared him to Donald Trump. Instead, they’re tied to the billionaire’s new Montessori school outside Bastrop, Texas, called Ad Astra, according to documents filed with state authorities and obtained via a Texas Public Information Act request. The world’s richest person oversees an overlapping empire of six companies — or seven, if you include his political action committee. Alongside rockets, electric cars, brain implants, social media and the next Trump administration, he is increasingly focused on education, spanning preschool to college. One part of his endeavor was revealed last year, when Bloomberg News reported that his foundation had set aside roughly $100 million to create a technology-focused primary and secondary school in Austin, with eventual plans for a university. An additional $137 million in cash and stock was allotted last year, according to the most recent tax filing for the Musk Foundation. Ad Astra is closer to fruition. The state documents show Texas authorities issued an initial permit last month, clearing the way for the center to operate with as many as 21 pupils. Ad Astra’s website says it’s “currently open to all children ages 3 to 9.” The school’s account on X includes job postings for an assistant teacher for preschool and kindergarten and an assistant teacher for students ages 6 to 9. To run the school, Ad Astra is partnering with a company that has experience with billionaires: Xplor Education, which developed Hala Kahiki Montessori school in Lanai, Hawaii, the island 98% owned by Oracle Corp. founder Larry Ellison. Ad Astra sits on a highway outside Bastrop, a bedroom community about 30 miles from Austin and part of a region that’s home to several of Musk’s businesses. On a visit during a recent weekday morning, there was a single Toyota Prius in the parking lot and no one answered the door at the white building with a gray metal roof. The school’s main entrance was blocked by a gate, and there was no sign of any children on the grounds. But what information there is about Ad Astra makes it sound like a fairly typical, if high-end, Montessori preschool. The proposed schedule includes “thematic, STEM-based activities and projects” as well as outdoor play and nap time. A sample snack calendar features carrots and hummus. While Birchall’s and Balajadia’s names appear in the application, it isn’t clear that they’ll have substantive roles at the school once it’s operational. Musk, Birchall and Balajadia didn’t respond to emailed questions. A phone call and email to the school went unanswered. Access to high quality, affordable childcare is a huge issue for working parents across the country, and tends to be an especially vexing problem in rural areas like Bastrop. Many families live in “childcare deserts” where there is either not a facility or there isn’t an available slot. Opening Ad Astra gives Musk a chance to showcase his vision for education, and his support for the hands-on learning and problem solving that are a hallmark of his industrial companies. His public comments about learning frequently overlap with cultural concerns popular among conservatives and the Make America Great Again crowd, often focusing on what he sees as young minds being indoctrinated by teachers spewing left-wing propaganda. He has railed against diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, and in August posted that “a lot of schools are teaching white boys to hate themselves.” Musk’s educational interests dovetail with his new role as Trump’s “first buddy.” The billionaire has pitched a role for himself that he — and now the incoming Trump administration — call “DOGE,” or the Department of Government Efficiency. Though it’s not an actual department, DOGE now posts on X, the social media platform that Musk owns. “The Department of Education spent over $1 billion promoting DEI in America’s schools,” the account posted Dec. 12. Back in Texas, Bastrop is quickly becoming a key Musk point of interest. The Boring Co., his tunneling venture, is based in an unincorporated area there. Across the road, SpaceX produces Starlink satellites at a 500,000-square-foot (46,000-square-meter) facility. Nearby, X is constructing a building for trust and safety workers. Musk employees, as well as the general public, can grab snacks at the Boring Bodega, a convenience store housed within Musk’s Hyperloop Plaza, which also contains a bar, candy shop and hair salon. Ad Astra is just a five-minute drive away. It seems to have been designed with the children of Musk’s employees — if not Musk’s own offspring — in mind. Musk has fathered at least 12 children, six of them in the last five years. “Ad Astra’s mission is to foster curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking in the next generation of problem solvers and builders,” reads the school’s website. A job posting on the website of the Montessori Institute of North Texas says “While their parents support the breakthroughs that expand the realm of human possibility, their children will grow into the next generation of innovators in a way that only authentic Montessori can provide.” The school has hired an executive director, according to documents Bloomberg obtained from Texas Health and Human Services. Ad Astra is located on 40 acres of land, according to the documents, which said a 4,000-square-foot house would be remodeled for the preschool. It isn’t uncommon for entrepreneurs to take an interest in education, according to Bill Gormley, a professor emeritus at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University who studies early childhood education. Charles Butt, the chairman of the Texas-based H-E-B grocery chain, has made public education a focus of his philanthropy. Along with other business and community leaders, Butt founded “Raise Your Hand Texas,” which advocates on school funding, teacher workforce and retention issues and fully funding pre-kindergarten. “Musk is not the only entrepreneur to recognize the value of preschool for Texas workers,” Gormley said. “A lot of politicians and business people get enthusiastic about education in general — and preschool in particular — because they salivate at the prospect of a better workforce.” Musk spent much of October actively campaigning for Trump’s presidential effort, becoming the most prolific donor of the election cycle. He poured at least $274 million into political groups in 2024, including $238 million to America PAC, the political action committee he founded. While the vast majority of money raised by America PAC came from Musk himself, it also had support from other donors. Betsy DeVos, who served as education secretary in Trump’s first term, donated $250,000, federal filings show. The Department of Education is already in the new administration’s cross hairs. Trump campaigned on the idea of disbanding the department and dismantling diversity initiatives, and he has also taken aim at transgender rights. “Rather than indoctrinating young people with inappropriate racial, sexual, and political material, which is what we’re doing now, our schools must be totally refocused to prepare our children to succeed in the world of work,” Trump wrote in Agenda 47, his campaign platform. Musk has three children with the musician Grimes and three with Shivon Zilis, who in the past was actively involved at Neuralink, his brain machine interface company. All are under the age of five. Musk took X, his son with Grimes, with him on a recent trip to Capitol Hill. After his visit, he shared a graphic that showed the growth of administrators in America’s public schools since 2000. Musk is a fan of hands-on education. During a Tesla earnings call in 2018, he talked about the need for more electricians as the electric-car maker scaled up the energy side of its business. On the Joe Rogan podcast in 2020, Musk said that “too many smart people go into finance and law.” “I have a lot of respect for people who work with their hands and we need electricians and plumbers and carpenters,” Musk said while campaigning for Trump in Pennsylvania in October. “That’s a lot more important than having incremental political science majors.” Ad Astra’s website says the cost of tuition will be initially subsidized, but in future years “tuition will be in line with local private schools that include an extended day program.” “I do think we need significant reform in education,” Musk said at a separate Trump campaign event. “The priority should be to teach kids skills that they will find useful later in life, and to leave any sort of social propaganda out of the classroom.” With assistance from Sophie Alexander and Kara Carlson. ©2024 Bloomberg News. Visit at bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.Freedom Party's Historic Win in Styria: A Surprising Turn in Austrian Politics
Biden will decide on US Steel acquisition after influential panel fails to reach consensus WASHINGTON (AP) — A powerful government panel has failed to reach consensus on the possible national security risks of a nearly $15 billion proposed deal for Nippon Steel of Japan to purchase U.S. Steel. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States on Monday sent its long-awaited report to President Joe Biden, a longtime opponent of the deal. Some federal agencies represented on the panel were skeptical that allowing a Japanese company to buy an American-owned steelmaker would create national security risks. That's according to a U.S. official familiar with the matter. Both Biden and President-elect Donald Trump opposed the merger and vowed to block it. Nippon Steel says it is confident the deal will go ahead. Nissan and Honda to attempt a merger that would create the world's No. 3 automaker TOKYO (AP) — Japanese automakers Nissan and Honda have announced plans to work toward a merger that would catapult them to a top position in an industry in the midst of tectonic shifts as it transitions away from its reliance on fossil fuels. The two companies said they signed an agreement on integrating their businesses on Monday. Smaller Nissan alliance member Mitsubishi Motors agreed to join the talks. News of a possible merger surfaced earlier this month. Japanese automakers face a strong challenge from their Chinese rivals and Tesla as they make inroads into markets at home and abroad. What a merger between Nissan and Honda means for the automakers and the industry BANGKOK (AP) — Japanese automakers Honda and Nissan will attempt to merge and create the world’s third-largest automaker by sales as the industry undergoes dramatic changes in its transition away from fossil fuels. The two companies said they had signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday and that smaller Nissan alliance member Mitsubishi Motors also had agreed to join the talks on integrating their businesses. Honda will initially lead the new management, retaining the principles and brands of each company. Following is a quick look at what a combined Honda and Nissan would mean for the companies, and for the auto industry. Survey: Small businesses are feeling more optimistic about the economy after the election A survey shows small business owners are feeling more optimistic about the economy following the election. The National Federation of Independent Businesses’ Small Business Optimism Index rose by eight points in November to 101.7, its highest reading since June 2021. The Uncertainty Index declined 12 points in November to 98, following October’s pre-election record high of 110. NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg said small business owners became more certain about future business conditions following the presidential election, breaking a nearly three-year streak of record high uncertainty. The survey also showed that more owners are also hoping 2025 will be a good time to grow. Heavy travel day off to a rough start after American Airlines briefly grounds all flights WASHINGTON (AP) — American Airlines briefly grounded flights nationwide due to a technical problem just as the Christmas travel season kicked into overdrive and winter weather threatened more potential problems for those planning to fly or drive. Government regulators cleared American flights to get airborne Tuesday about one hour after the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a national ground stop, which prevented planes from taking off. American said in an email that the problem was caused by an issue with a vendor technology that maintains its flight operating system. The flight-tracking site FlightAware reported that more than 3,200 flights entering or leaving the U.S., or serving domestic destinations, were delayed. Twenty-eight flights were canceled. Nordstrom to be acquired by Nordstrom family and a Mexican retail group in $6.25 billion deal Century-old department store Nordstrom has agreed to be acquired and taken private by Nordstrom family members and a Mexican retail group in a $6.25 billion deal. Nordstrom shareholders will receive $24.25 in cash for each share of Nordstrom common stock, representing a 42% premium on the company’s stock as of March 18. Nordstrom’s board of directors unanimously approved the the proposed transaction, while Erik and Pete Nordstrom — part of the Nordstrom family taking over the company — recused themselves from voting. Following the close of the transaction, the Nordstrom Family will have a majority ownership stake in the company. Stock market today: Wall Street rallies ahead of Christmas Stocks closed higher on Wall Street ahead of the Christmas holiday, led by gains in Big Tech stocks. The S&P 500 added 1.1% Tuesday. Trading closed early ahead of the holiday. Tech companies including Apple, Amazon and chip company Broadcom helped pull the market higher. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.9%, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 1.3%. American Airlines shook off an early loss and ended mostly higher after the airline briefly grounded flights nationwide due to a technical issue. Treasury yields held steady in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury was little changed at 4.59% An analyst looks ahead to how the US economy might fare under Trump WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump won a return to the White House in part by promising big changes in economic policy — more tax cuts, huge tariffs on imports, mass deportations of immigrants working in the United States illegally. In some ways, his victory marked a repudiation of President Joe Biden’s economic stewardship and a protest against inflation. It came despite low unemployment and steady growth under the Biden administration. What lies ahead for the economy under Trump? Paul Ashworth of Capital Economics spoke recently to The Associated Press. The interview has been edited for length and clarity. American consumers feeling less confident in December, Conference Board says American consumers are feeling less confident in December, a business research group says. The Conference Board said Monday that its consumer confidence index fell back in December to 104.7 from 112.8 in November. Consumers had been feeling increasingly confident in recent months. The consumer confidence index measures both Americans’ assessment of current economic conditions and their outlook for the next six months. The measure of Americans’ short-term expectations for income, business and the job market tumbled more than a dozen points to 81.1. The Conference Board says a reading under 80 can signal a potential recession in the near future. Stock market today: Wall Street rises at the start of a holiday-shortened week Stocks closed higher on Wall Street at the start of a holiday-shortened week. The S&P 500 rose 0.7% Monday. Several big technology companies helped support the gains, including chip companies Nvidia and Broadcom. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.2%, and the Nasdaq composite rose 1%. Honda's U.S.-listed shares rose sharply after the company said it was in talks about a combination with Nissan in a deal that could also include Mitsubishi Motors. Eli Lilly rose after announcing that regulators approved Zepbound as the first prescription medicine for adults with sleep apnea. Treasury yields rose in the bond market.
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As U.S. goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher looked ahead to the next Women's World Cup in 2027, she calculated what that would look like at her age. Now 36, she already has a World Cup title and won an Olympic gold medal this year in France. She considered the mental, physical and emotional toll of a new cycle and decided it was time to step away . “Honestly, I think I’ve been somebody that has given everything I’ve had to this team. I don’t do anything halfway. It’s kind of, if you can give 100% to it, then keep going," she said. “With that in mind, I kind of just felt like this was the right time coming off of the Olympics, having the year that we had, entering into a new cycle, a new stage for this team.” Naeher is the latest veteran to announce she's stepping down from the national team as the next generation takes over under coach Emma Hayes. Among those who have wrapped up their soccer careers in the past couple of years include World Cup winners Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan, Kelley O'Hara and Ali Krieger. Naeher will be with the team for two more matches in the coming week. The Americans play England at Wembley Stadium on Saturday and then the Netherlands in The Hague on Tuesday. Naeher said she's excited about the next generation of goalkeepers. In addition to Naeher, Mandy Haught of the Utah Royals and Phallon Tullis-Joyce of Manchester United are on the roster for the upcoming matches. Other goalkeepers who have been on recent rosters include Casey Murphy and Jane Campbell. “I think the beauty of goalkeeping is that it’s not really a one-size-fits-all kind of position," she said. "The more that you can understand — that's going to be the challenge any young goalkeeper coming up, is really taking the time to understand what your strengths are and make them really, really elite and separate yourself.” Naeher spoke on Wednesday from London after announcing her retirement on social media Monday . Naeher made her senior debut with the national team in 2014 and was a backup to Hope Solo at the 2015 World Cup, which the United States won. She became the team’s regular starter following the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and was on the squad that repeated as World Cup winners in 2019. Naeher won a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 before the U.S. earned gold this year in Paris. She made a key one-handed save in stoppage time to preserve the Americans’ 1-0 victory over Brazil in the Olympic final. For her career, Naeher has appeared 113 games with 110 starts, 88 wins and 68 shutouts. She had four shutouts over the course of the Olympic tournament in France. While she's leaving the national team, she'll play one more year for her club team, the Chicago Red Stars in the National Women's Soccer League. “I hope that I can be remembered as a good teammate, as a competitor, as somebody that was looked on as someone that could be relied upon on the field and supported those players around me,” she said. “I think it’s just been a really special team to be a part of. And I’m very proud of what we have been able to accomplish over the years.” AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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Pep Guardiola: It’s my responsibility to solve Manchester City’s poor runThe FBI should have gathered and disseminated more intelligence about extremists ahead of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, a government watchdog report said Thursday. The report from the Justice Department inspector general identified no major intelligence failures but found the FBI should have known more about the plans for violence among the thousands of protesters who stormed the Capitol after a fiery speech by then-President Donald Trump. “We found that the FBI effectively carried out its tactical support function on Jan. 6,” said the 88-page report . The report also found that the FBI failed to scour its 56 field offices across the country for relevant intelligence, a key failing. FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate told investigators that the lack of such a canvass was a “basic step that was missed.” The probe also mostly shot down a major Jan. 6 conspiracy theory when it said no FBI agents or employees orchestrated the protests or entrapped others into joining the attack, which was designed to block Congress from certifying President Biden’s win over Trump in the 2020 election. It did confirm that 26 FBI informants were in Washington for election-related protests on Jan. 6, and four of those entered either the building or a restricted area outside. But it said none had been authorized to do so, or to break the law or encourage others to do so. Right-wing figures have claimed the attack was a so-called “fed-surrection,” suggesting that law enforcement agents impersonated Trump supporters or far right-wing activists as a way of entrapping innocent rallygoers into committing crimes like invading the Capitol or attacking police. The inspector general recommends in the report that the FBI reassess its procedures to prepare for potential domestic security issues that are not designated as a national special security event like Jan. 6. The report is likely one of the final large-scale official assessments of the shocking events of Jan. 6, which amounts to the first time in American history that a president tried to prevent the peaceful transfer of power to his successor. Hundreds of people have been convicted of various crimes in connection to the attack, including a handful of far right-wing figures who have received lengthy prison sentences . Trump has vowed to pardon most of the convicted attackers when he returns to the White House after winning the 2024 election. A congressional panel held highly publicized hearings on the attack and produced a lengthy report that harshly criticized Trump. Trump has vowed to retaliate against the lawmakers. Panel chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) insisted he did nothing wrong but said Thursday he would accept a preemptive pardon if offered one. Special counsel Jack Smith launched a federal criminal investigation that charged Trump with several federal crimes . But he dropped the case after Trump’s win, citing policies barring prosecution of a sitting president. The president-elect still faces several civil suits accusing him of orchestrating the violence, but it remains to be seen if they will proceed once he is back in office.
Enzo Maresca has denied Christopher Nkunku is unhappy at Chelsea and insisted the marginalised France striker will get more playing time next month. Nkunku joined Chelsea from RB Leipzig for £52million in the summer of 2023 but, after an injury-hit first season, he has seen limited game time in the Premier League this term. He has made 11 appearances but only one start, with Nicolas Jackson ahead of him in the pecking order as the team’s main striker and Cole Palmer integral in an attacking midfield role, where Maresca thinks he is best suited. During the international break it was reported that Nkunku was unhappy at Chelsea. But Maresca, speaking before Thursday’s Europa Conference League fixture with Heidenheim, denied the rumours. “No, not at all,In twenty years of writing this column, I don’t believe I have ever written about a television series. Largely because I don’t watch a great deal of television. And when I do watch, it is usually long after whatever I am watching has ceased to be newsworthy. In 2010, when this column was only six years old, CBS premiered its new police drama, Blue Bloods . Fourteen years later, its finale is this Friday. I have been watching for most of that time. It has been an extraordinary run in a time when network television has been hemorrhaging audiences. The star is Tom Selleck, whose 293 episodes of Blue Bloods are added to the 158 episodes of Magnum P.I. he starred in over eight seasons in the 1980s. At nearly 450 weekly episodes, Selleck is likely one of the most successful primetime stars ever. Blue Bloods is not only a police drama. It’s a family drama about a police family. Selleck plays Francis Xavier Reagan, an Irish Catholic police commissioner of New York City, serving in a post first held by Theodore Roosevelt, whose portrait hangs in Reagan’s office. Widowed, he lives with his widower father, Henry Reagan, the retired NYPD commissioner. He has three sons and a daughter. The three boys are on the job in NYPD, though the eldest was killed by corrupt cops before the series begins. His daughter is an assistant district attorney in Manhattan. Law enforcement is the family business. Henry Reagan — “Pop,” the patriarch the Reagan clan — is played by Len Cariou , officer of the Order of Canada and member of the Order of Manitoba, a Winnipeg native whose theatre work included stints in Stratford. Blue Bloods has been so successful because it is not crime-driven, but character-driven. While police shows are interesting in that there is a puzzle to solve, the crimes themselves become monotonous. C.S. Lewis taught us that all sin is repetitive; it is virtue that is truly original. Blue Bloods is about a family trying to be virtuous in a profession that works daily amid the wages of sin. In a speech to the policy academy graduates, Frank Reagan tells them that their real foes might use new technology, but are ancient in form: pride, greed, envy, lust, and wrath. He is a worldly cop with a supernatural vision. The deadly sins are not only a professional concern for the Reagans; they too struggle with them. That’s part of the attraction. The Reagans are a Catholic family. They go to Mass on Sunday and have family dinner afterwards; the family dinner scenes — complete with them praying grace before meals — are the most distinctive and popular feature of the show. While they are the only primetime family that prays regularly on screen, they are not idealized. They struggle to do the right thing, even sometimes wrestling with what the right thing is. “The great scene is not going to be about the car chase,” executive producer Kevin Wade told me in a 2020 telephone interview. “The great scene is going to be about what happened in that car chase that affected the moral life or the inner life of our character.” Characters with power must decide how to wield it, and the police have power. Blue Bloods has been a pro-police show at time when policing itself has become controversial. “There is a dark side of the police because the police do a very dark job,” said Wade, immersed as they are in the evil men do. “We can’t tell good stories about good cops; we can tell good stories about good cops and bad cops and what makes one good and one the other.” As one who has written for years about the abuse of police and prosecutorial power, I never found Blue Bloods defensive, even when it defended the police. The show had the wisdom to know that institutions, like the NYPD and the Catholic Church — which figure prominently in the writing — are at their best when they confront the weakness and wickedness within. I suggested to Wade that what set Blue Bloods apart was that it was show about virtuous men. Grandfather, father and son are all widowers. It is about men being fathers and sons, and fatherhood is the oldest story that there is. Wade differed, thinking of Blue Bloods as being more about tribes. There is the police tribe, and also the military tribe (Pop served in Korea, Frank in Vietnam, Danny in Iraq), the Irish Catholic tribe, and the New York tribe. Unlike most Hollywood shows, which are written, shot, and edited in California, no matter where they are set, Blue Bloods is written, shot, cast and edited in New York by New Yorkers. New York itself is a character in the show. Tribes are the stage upon which fathers play their roles, handing down what is noble and what is not, trying over generations to sort out blood and belonging, and what priority to give them over against faith, honour, and duty. For fourteen years on Friday nights, all that was sorted out around the Reagan dinner table. In a time marked by crises of faith, family, fatherhood, and fraternity, Blue Bloods told stories worthy of our attention, which it held for so long. National Post
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CPM should apologise for politically hunting me: KM ShajiMinor Hotels plans to double its hotel portfolio to 1,000 within five years, expanding Europe-based NH Hotels in Asia and entering new markets such as Japan and the Philippines. Puneet Dhawan, head of Asia at Minor Hotels, said the company upgraded its new hotel target from 200 by 2026 to 500 by 2029, banking on the robust global tourism sector. The company operates 560 hotels in more than 60 countries, including 60 hotels with 8,800 rooms across 11 countries in Asia. Hotels in Asia contribute roughly 13% of revenue for Minor and this portion should grow over the next five years based on aggressive expansion in the region, said Mr Dhawan. The company wants to enter untapped destinations Japan and the Philippines, which have attractive tourism markets, he said. Other destination targets include India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, according to Minor Hotels. In 2025, the company expects to open at least 10 more hotels in Asia, mostly under management contracts, including in Thailand, China, the Maldives and Japan. Under its "Asset Right" strategy, aimed at maintaining a balance between owned investment and management projects, the next investment in Asia will be the new Avani Hotel in Singapore in 2026. Mr Dhawan said during the next few years, global tourism will continue to grow steadily, driven by rising populations and incomes, while social media can encourage people to take vacations. Many employees are taking longer holidays and working remotely, blending leisure and business trips, he said. After acquiring Spain's NH Hotel Group in 2018, which has a strong presence in Europe, the company aims to expand the brand's footprint in Asia from six hotels. The newest property in the region is the first NH Hotel in Bangkok, NH Bangkok Sukhumvit Boulevard, offering 309 rooms and suites. Naowarat Arunkong, the hotel's general manager, said after rebranding the independent hotel, the property can diversify to the US, UK and European markets from the previously dominant Middle East market. The hotel is also targeting more Asian guests this high season, from Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong, she said. NH Bangkok increased its daily room rate by 20-30% and gained more revenue after rebranding, said Ms Naowarat. Despite intense competition in Sukhumvit, she said the area continues to have strong demand from foreign tourists. Minor Hotels has an advantage with its established revenue management system and global hotel network, including more than 250 NH Hotels worldwide, said Ms Naowarat. Mr Dhawan said Thailand's tourism industry remains robust, with hotels expecting double-digit growth in revenue per available room (RevPar) next year. Despite the low season, Minor Hotels posted 12% RevPar growth in the third quarter, and this trend should continue in the fourth quarter, he said.Don't Miss These Incredible AiRROBO Black Friday Deals - Unbeatable Prices Await!
General election: How does PR-STV work and should I vote the whole way down the ballot paper?