In a press release, the company said customers can book hotels and other accommodation from Agoda and soon, Booking.com directly from the Grab app, and enjoy special hotel offers when they book through Grab.

The company said its customers can access and easily compare prices across millions of places to stay, ranging from a wide choice of luxury and budget hotels to apartments, vacation homes, and family-run B&Bs.

“Travellers are an increasingly important audience for Grab. With more Southeast Asians travelling than ever before, the launch of ‘Hotels’ highlights our commitment to provide the most relevant services to our customers as Southeast Asia’s leading everyday super app.

“Our ‘Hotels’ service adds to the multiple benefits we already offer travellers, including the most comprehensive miles and travel loyalty programme for any O2O platform, discounts at lounges and F&B outlets at major airports in Southeast Asia, and exclusive Grab transport pick-up points at airports in Indonesia and the Philippines,” said Jerald Singh, Group Head of Product and Design, Grab.

More features and benefits will be added to the ‘Hotels’ service throughout the year. Grab customers will get free travel personal accident and flight delay insurance with each hotel booking, as well as special ride offers.

In addition, customers will be able to pay with GrabPay, Grab’s cashless payment mode, and earn GrabReward points with each booking, which can be redeemed for more deals and discounts around other travel services, F&B, retail, entertainment and more.

Singh added: “Grab’s ‘Hotels’ service is ideal for young professionals who travel frequently for holidays, or families looking for the best deals.

“Our partnerships with Agoda and Booking.com allow our customers to easily find the right accommodation – anywhere in the world – for their holiday, and within their preferred budget too! With the special Grab discounts and free insurance, we’re confident travellers can find the most value-for-money deals when booking hotels with Grab.”

Roongrote Rangsiyopash, SCG’s president and CEO, said: “SCG is pushing forward long-term growth as one of its key strategies this year by continuously expanding its businesses in Asean countries. Recently, SCG’s packaging arm bought a 55 per cent stake in Fajar, a leading packaging paper company that is listed in the Indonesian stock exchange. This investment is valued at approximately 9.6 trillion rupiah [approximately Bt21.15 billion] and is expected to be completed in the third quarter, whereby financing will come from internal sources. For future growth opportunities in the packaging business, SCG is in the process of exploring the feasibility of raising equity at the SCG packaging level. This feasibility study should be completed by yearend.

“The major shareholding in Fajar will allow SCG to enhance its growth in Asean, especially in Indonesia. Considering Indonesia’s population of 270 million and its per capita consumption of packaging paper, the market-growth potential there is almost three times that of Thailand.”

Over the years, SCG’s packaging business has demonstrated an ability to grow progressively and act promptly when required to handle business challenges. The business aims at becoming a leading total packing solutions provider by establishing more production bases in Asean countries, such as Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Furthermore, the packaging arm of SCG has been developing innovative technology to add value to products, services and the production process to fulfill the needs of enterprises and consumers. The business is also driving the “circular economy” in line with the SCG’s practice, which aims to maximise efficient resource utilisation.

Packaging business recorded Bt87.25 billion in revenue from sales and Bt6.31 billion in profit for 2018. Meanwhile, with a total sale of 1.38 million tonnes of packaging paper in 2018, Fajar registered sales of 9.94 trillion rupiah (about Bt21.90 billion) and recorded profits of 1.41 trillion rupiah (about Bt3.10 billion).

The leading private power producer recorded Bt687 million in normalised net profits, excluding foreign exchange effects and expenses unrelated to operations, in January-March. Of this, Bt443 million is attributed to the parent.

Revenues leaped 25.8 per cent from the same period last year to Bt10.25 billion, or a 3.3 per cent increase from the last quarter of 2018, as BGRIM began to tap incremental revenue inflow from a host of power projects.

Key to BGRIM’s remarkable first-quarter revenue are contributions from three co-generation projects namely ABPR3, ABPR4 and ABPR5 in Rayong’s Amata City Industrial Estate, as well as seven ground-mounted solar-power facilities for government agencies and cooperatives – all successfully brought on stream in 2018.

Lower financial costs involving loan settlements and fewer shutdowns of power plants for maintenane also contributed to robust first-quarter financial results, according to BGRIM CEO Preeyanart Soontornwata.

BGRIM’s assuming operation of the 124MW co-generation facility in WHA Eastern Industrial Estate (Map Ta Phut), Rayong, bought from Glow SPP1 Co Ltd in February, also enhanced the company’s first-quarter bottom-line.

However, the increase in the price of natural gas, a main fuel for BGRIM power plants, has put constraints on first-quarter profitability.

Yet, there is a trend towards a drop in natural gas price from March onwards with fewer maintenance shutdowns of BGRIM power plants scheduled compared to those in the first quarter.

BGRIM’s combined installed generating capacity at the end of the first quarter this year was 2,200MW.

In a press release on Friday the company said it also posted 11 per cent increase in annualised new premiums (ANP) to US$1.82 billion. Total weighted premium income (TWPI) is also up 18 per cent to US$8,276 million.

Ng Keng Hooi, AIA’s Group Chief Executive and President, said: “AIA has made a good start to the year with an 18 per cent increase in VONB to US$1,169 million for the first quarter of 2019. Our highest ever quarterly VONB result continues our consistent track record of year-on-year growth.

“The strong headline figures reflect our continued focus on executing our strategic priorities as we help to meet the evolving needs of our customers for protection and long-term savings across our markets. AIA’s high-quality financial advice and our transition towards being a lifelong partner to customers are critical success factors in meeting these needs.

“AIA’s competitive advantages in distribution and product innovation, developed over many years, are aligned with the unprecedented structural drivers of life insurance growth across the Asia-Pacific region. We are exceptionally well-placed to capture these enormous opportunities, deliver long-term, sustainable shareholder value and help our customers live Healthier, Longer, Better Lives.”

VONB growth at AIA Thailand was supported by encouraging progress from our partnership with Bangkok Bank Public Company Limited where the company has seen strong momentum from recruitment and enhanced productivity of insurance specialists. Continued progress with its agency transformation delivered a further increase in active agent productivity, the company said.

They are: Voice TV, News Network Corporation Public Company Limited, Spring 26 Company Limited (formerly known as Bangkok Business Broadcasting Company Limited), and MCOT.

Voice TV said in a statement on Friday that it had submitted the expression of intent to return its digital TV broadcasting licence to the NBTC.

The broadcaster’s chief executive officer Mekin Petchplai said that the company would continue in the broadcasting business but on other platforms, such as Youtube, Facebook, or Twitter.

He added that Voice TV would continue airing programmes on Voice TV 21 digital channel until July 31 and air programmes simultaneously on satellite TV and online platforms from July 1 to 31.

News Network Corporation Public Company Limited on Friday advised the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) that its board on May 9 resolved to propose to shareholders that they approve rectification for the return of the digital TV licence in the category of news programmes of its subsidiary Spring News Television Co., Ltd.

Spring News currently operates Spring News Channel 19.

Nation Multimedia Group (NMG) advised the SET on Friday that its board unanimously approval in principle on May 9 that Spring 26 Company Limited would inform the NBTC on Friday of its plan to return the licence of Spring 26 Channel.

This means the NMG will have only one digital television channel, Nation TV Channel 22, which offers programmes in the category of news and content.

MCOT also advised the SET on Friday that its board meeting on May 10 resolved to notify the NBTC of its intention to return the licence to operate MCOT Family 14 channel.

MCOT currently operates MCOT Family 14 channel and MCOT 30 high-definition (HD) channel.

Friday is the last day the NBTC has allowed companies to advise them of their decisions. Companies that return their licences will be compensated by the NBTC.

Their return of licences is in line with the relief measure offered by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) last month to ease their financial burdens.

After disclosing their decision, the companies still have to continue airing programmes until their licence return is approved by the NBTC board. The board will also specify the dates when they can stop operations.

The junta relief measures also requires the NBTC to waive remaining licence upfront payments for the fifth and sixth instalments for all broadcasters.

The NBTC will also cover the network rental fee for all digital TV licence holders for the remainder of their licence term of nine and half years.

Advanced Info Service (AIS) and Total Access Communication (Dtac) submitted the expression on Friday (May 10).

True Corp filed to the Stock Exchange of Thailand on Wednesday that its 900MHz subsidiary True Move H Universal Communication Company Limited (TUC) had already submitted an expression the NBTC.

Friday was the last day the NBTC allowed the operators to do so.

The government launched the relief measure last month to ease financial burdens on the operators and digital TV licence holders.

For the 900MHz telecom operators, the relief measures require the NBTC to split their total up-front licence fee for the spectrum into 10 instalments, giving them more time for payments from the current four instalments.

However, the measures include a condition that makes it mandatory for 900MHz telecom operators who decide to take up the relief measures to purchase the NBTC’s 700MHz spectrum slots. The slots will be up for sale on June 19.

The operators can inform the NBTC that they want to take up the relief measures but can later opt not to buy the 700MHz slots. However, they would lose the extended payment facility and would have to pay as per the original payment schedule.

The NBTC will disclose the price of the 700MHz slot on May 14.

Regarding the upcoming 700MHz licence allocation, Dtac said in its expression of interest that the spectrum allocation should be delayed until NBTC can publish a clear spectrum roadmap, before discussing any further auctions.

Dtac will nevertheless study the 700MHz licence terms and conditions from the information memorandum expected to be announced by the NBTC this month.

“We think new spectrum allocation should be delayed until NBTC can publish a clear spectrum roadmap, including time for allocation and fair valuation of available spectrum, before discussing any further auctions,” said Rajiv Bawa, Dtac’s chief corporate affairs & business development officer.

Regarding the 700MHz licence sales, True said on Wednesday that TUC has to consider all relevant factors in every facet carefully, especially on the details of the criteria for the 700MHz frequency spectrum sales.

TUC will further consider the matter and proceed as it deems appropriate after receiving clear conditions on the criteria for the spectrum allocation.

Under the original terms, AIS subsidiary Advanced Wireless Network (AWN) and TUC are scheduled to pay hefty final instalments of Bt59.574 billion and Bt60.218 billion, respectively, for their 900MHz licences in 2020.

Dtac subsidiary Dtac TriNet will pay its final instalment for the 900MHz of Bt30.024 billion in 2022.