Yanolja Invests USD15M Into Leading South East Asian Economy Hotel ZEN Rooms

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Leading Southeast Asian economy hotel chain and online booking platform ZEN Rooms announces a strategic minority investment of USD15M by Yanolja, the leading Seoul-based leisure company with rights to acquire 100% of ZEN Rooms in the future. This is the largest startup investment by a Korean company in Southeast Asia.

ZEN Rooms, founded in 2015 by ex-Foodpanda co-founder Kiren Tanna and Nathan Boublil, operates a disruptive economy hotel chain and online booking platform in 5 major Southeast Asian countries, including: Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. Within only 3 years, ZEN Rooms’ business has grown exponentially to over 1,000 economy hotel franchisees and over 7,000 room inventory and established itself as the top-rated affordable franchise in the region, with average Customer Review scores of 7.9 on public OTA and review sites.

ZEN Rooms was founded to disrupt the value-for-money of the Southeast Asian hotel market, helping hotel franchisees be more efficient, competitive, safe & reliable by strengthening their quality standards, resulting in improved customer satisfaction for budget travelers. ZEN Rooms is vertically integrated, combining room booking, branding, sales and management with a self-developed online/mobile platform - which distinguishes ZEN Rooms from other hotel franchises. ZEN Rooms now plans to use the capital to expand its inventory base in current and new markets and continue to invest in technology to keep improving the sector’s efficiency.

The Southeast Asian travel market is today the fastest growing worldwide, undergoing a rapid and continuous surge in both domestic and international economy travel demand, similarly to China 15 years ago and Korea 5 years ago. In addition, Southeast Asia is a favorite tourist destination for Korean travelers, and 17% of foreign travelers to Korea come from Southeast Asia. Thus, ZEN Rooms’ reputation and growth in SEA and the established leisure platform of Yanolja make the combination a leading force in the South East Asian travel market.

Co-Founder of ZEN Rooms, Kiren Tanna, commented: “ZEN Rooms’ mission is to provide quality economy accommodation to travelers across Southeast Asia and help our hotel partners maximize their business potential. South East Asia is still at the beginning of both the hotel franchising revolution and its travel demand surge - and we are delighted to join forces with Yanolja to fulfill this mission. Through its leadership in the Korean market, Yanolja has unparalleled hospitality knowledge and has built a highly refined and innovative business model and best-in-class platform that we are looking forward to bringing to the Southeast Asian market.”

Vice President of Yanolja, Jong-yoon Kim, commented: “ZEN Rooms has built a very impressive business and team within a short timeframe and we are excited to start our collaboration. Starting with this strategic investment into ZEN Rooms, we shall seek to expand to become the most affordable hotel chain and first fully integrated booking platform for leisure activities as well as hotels for leisure activities as well as hotels, going beyond the domestic sphere to around the globe.” “In the future, we shall strengthen our leadership as a tech start-up by providing unprecedented and distinguished services to domestic and foreign travelers by applying innovative technologies including IoT and AI.”

Sunsets and Dining with a View in Harbour City’s Ocean Terminal Deck

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As Tsim Sha Tsui’s largest and most diverse shopping mall, Harbour City in Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong, has over 450 shops, 60 dining choices, cruise terminal facilities, and three hotels all under one roof. Apart from being a shopping paradise, the destination recently opened its Ocean Terminal Deck to the public for free.

The 270-degree Observatory Deck is located at the rooftop of Harbour City’s new Ocean Terminal extension building designed by renowned architectural firm Foster + Partners. With the addition of the Ocean Terminal Deck, travelers can now visit the one and only spot in Tsim Sha Tsui that offers a whopping 270-degree panoramic view of Victoria Harbour, overlooking the entire Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. A travel tip: The Ocean Terminal Deck is the perfect place to witness Hong Kong’s spectacular sunset.

Besides being a breathtaking viewing point, Ocean Terminal Deck is also a venue for live outdoor performances and various events, like a wine tasting series during Hong Kong’s Wine and Dine festival, and major beauty events. The Ocean Terminal Deck houses two outdoor event spaces: a natural lawn where visitors can freely sit and walk around, and a Grandstand, which can accommodate up to 200 people.



The Ocean Terminal Deck is also the epitome of dining with a view. Enjoy the best angle of Hong Kong’s harbor, sunset, and cityscapes, while savoring delicious global cuisines from several al fresco dining choices. Tsukada Nojo serves superb Japanese cuisine, notably its signature Bijin Nabe (beauty hot pot). Ana Ten is an upscale restaurant offering contemporary Japanese culinary delights. Meanwhile, famous Milan restaurant Paper Moon delights with its authentic, home-style Italian cuisine and original recipes, while A Nu Retrouvez-vous boasts of a French fine-dining experience that has been Michelin-starred for six consecutive years in Japan since 2011.

You can choose from different styles of Chinese cuisine as well: Xi He Ya Yuan from Beijing serves traditional Chinese cuisine as well as New Chinese Fusion, but its menu’s star is the XIHE Beijing Duck. HEXA reimagines authentic Cantonese dishes with an innovative twist, using only the finest local and imported produce. Fu Rong offers an unforgettable menu of delightfully spicy Chengdu delicacies, uniquely more delicate and fragrant than the typical Sichuan flavors.

With its choices for shopping, dining, entertainment, and premier accommodations in Hong Kong, Harbour City continues to be a dynamic destination to keep coming back to. Harbour City’s Ocean Terminal Deck is open for every visitor to enjoy and experience the beauty of Hong Kong. 

Visit www.harbourcity.com.hk and follow Harbour City on Facebook at @HKHarbourCity, on Twitter at @hkharbourcity, on Instagram at @harbourcity, and Trip Advisor at Harbour City Shopping Mall for more updates and information, or  call the 24-hour hotline at (852) 2118 8666.

Visiting The Philippines On A Low Budget

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Philippines is definitely one of the best places that you can go for a vocation. The country is renowned for its variety of tropical islands as well as the numerous stretches of beaches that are not easily found in other parts of the world. In addition to that, the country also boats some of the friendliest people in the world thus making it a great option for those who are looking for a great holiday spot.

However, as you are already aware, holidays in foreign countries are always perceived as an expensive affair even though that is never the case. Below are some tips on how you can enjoy a great holiday in Thailand without having to spend a fortune.


Buy Your Tickets As Early As Possible 

The cardinal rule of flight booking has always stated that for cheaper flight tickets, you must book your tickets as early as possible. However, it is surprising that despite many people bee aware of this, they still make last minute booking which ends up costing them a lot of money. Thus, once you have made you mind that you want to have your holiday in the Philippines, please make sure that you book your tickets as early as possible.


Take advantage of the Low season 

In Philippines, the low season is usually between June and September. As commented by different travellers on Trip Advisor, service providers in Philippines tend to lower down their prices significantly during these months as they purpose to appeal to many customers as possible. Indeed, it is not even a surprise to find that hotels have discounted their prices up to 35%. Thus, you can save a lot by going for vocation in the country during these months. Nevertheless, be informed that the weather might not be quite favourable.

Take Advantage of The Variety of Quality Street Food Available 

You cannot claim to have experienced the Philippines culture without trying out their meals. There are numerous market stalls around the country which offer quality meals. Thus, you might consider avoiding the meals options offered by the hotels and have your meals at the food stalls. For about $5, you will be served a place of quality seafood.


Be Ready To Negotiate 

One of the good things about Philippines is that the prices that are normally quoted are not always the final prices. Thus, when you are out there for excursions, make sure that you just don’t pay prices that are quoted to you at your first time of asking. It is absolutely perfect for you to request for discounts and bargain for prices quoted at first.


Do Not Travel During The Festive Period

Festive periods are quite busy in Philippines as the natives are quite religious. Thus, in order for you to be able to pay low prices for flights, accommodation, and to some extent meals, avoid visiting the country during the festive period when demand for everything is quite high and that tends to increase the prices.


Visit various Philippines Travel Websites for More Information

This list is not in any way exhaustive. There are numerous websites that have written detailed information on visiting Philippines such as Wazzup Pilipinas! You should make a point of visiting these websites when planning your vocation to the Philippines since they have a lot of information that can be beneficial to you.



Written by Dominic Brian - A keen traveller with an interest in freelance photography and freelance writing. Dominic works as a content writer at Affordable Custom Writing