TUNE HOTELS, NIKON CO-ORGANISE NATIONWIDE PHOTO CONTEST

Melbourne getaway plus Nikon D5200 await grand prize winner

KUALA LUMPUR, 31 October 2013 – Calling all shutterbugs! International value hotel brand Tune Hotels and Nikon (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd are jointly organising a four-month long nationwide photography contest that is open to all Nikon camera users in Malaysia.

Divided into four categories – portrait, architectural, cultural and nature – the Tune Hotels + Nikon Photography Contest is aptly themed ‘I Am Malaysia’ and seeks to unearth the many hidden and forgotten sides of Malaysia.

Tune Hotels Group CEO Mark Lankester says: “With the rise in the popularity of photos and social media, the Tune Hotels + Nikon Photography Contest is a great platform for all amateur and professional photographers out there to give their best shots, be it of the people of different backgrounds, structures of a weathered building or traditions that have been passed on from one generation to another.”

“With the Visit Malaysia Year 2014 dawning upon us, the photography contest will offer tourists and visitors an extensive glimpse of what the country has to offer. Just two weeks into the contest there is already a sizeable collection of fantastic photos on the competition website,” he added.

“As a player in the tourism industry, Tune Hotels feels that this collaboration with Nikon will go a long way in helping promote us as a fun and cool brand amongst Malaysians and tourists alike. We are very grateful to Nikon for the wonderful opportunity to work together,” said Mark.

Tune Hotels General Manager for Hotel Operations Kishore Suppiah (left) and Nikon (Malaysia) Assistant Marketing Manager Yeo Su Kuan.

There will be four contest periods of a month long each. The first term is currently running from 14 October until 13 November 2013, while the fourth and final term will be from 14 January 2014 up to 13 February 2014, the final closing date.

At the end of the contest period, all shortlisted images will be judged by an appointed panel of judges that will constitute 60 per cent of the overall score while the remaining 40 per cent will come from public votes via the contest website.

For each contest term, contestants may submit up to five images for each category together with a pre-requisite photo featuring any Tune Hotel in Malaysia. Contestant with the best image in each category will be selected as the Category Prize Winner and receive a Nikon D3200 with an 18-55 kit lens and a three-day, two-night return trip to Bali courtesy of Tune Hotels.

Meanwhile, the photographer with the most number of shortlisted images across the four categories will walk away with the Grand Prize consisting of a Nikon D5200 with an 18-105 kit lens and a fully-paid four-day, three-night holiday for two to Melbourne courtesy of Tune Hotels.

Public voters will also stand a chance to win a Nikon S6200 and a two-day, one-night Tune Hotels stay voucher if the photo they voted for emerged a Category Winner.

All winning photographs will be featured in the Digital Camera magazine, Digital SLR Photography magazine, Dunia Kamera magazine and Aperture magazine.

More information on the Tune Hotels + Nikon Photography Contest, terms and conditions are available from www.photocontest.tunehotels.com or by visiting the Nikon Club kiosk at the I Am Precious Moment: Nikon Show 2013 being held at the MidValley Megamall until this Sunday 3 November 2013.

There are 11 Tune Hotels in operation in Malaysia at present, strategically located in Kuala Lumpur, KLIA-LCCT, Kota Damansara, Penang, Johor Bahru, Ipoh, Kulim, Kota Bharu, Kuching, Bintulu and Kota Kinabalu.

For real-time updates and promotion alerts by Tune Hotels, guests can stay connected with Tune Hotels via Facebook at www.facebook.com/tunehotels and on Twitter via www.twitter.com/tunehotels.  For booking and further information, visit www.tunehotels.com.

TUNE STORE LIFESTYLE OUTLET OPENS AT LOW YAT PLAZA

One-stop-centre for all things Tune, AirAsia

KUALA LUMPUR, 14 March 2013 –The whole range of products and services under the realm of Tune Group of Companies and AirAsia are now available via a one-stop-centre with the opening of the Tune Store lifestyle outlet at Low Yat Plaza in Bukit Bintang, here.

An initiative by Tune Talk, the mobile service provider arm of the Tune Group, Tune Store brings together product and service offerings as well as merchandise of AirAsia, Tune Talk, Tune Hotels, Tune Money, Tune Insurance, Caterham F1 Team and Queens Park Rangers Football Team (QPR), AirAsia BIG Loyalty Programme, AirAsia Megastore and AirAsia RedTix.

Dato’ Kamarudin Meranun, Deputy Group CEO, AirAsia. 

The Tune Store at Low Yat Plaza was officially opened by the co-founders of Tune Group of Companies, Tan Sri Tony Fernandes and Dato’ Kamarudin Meranun who are Group CEO and Deputy Group CEO respectively of AirAsia, the world’s best low cost airline.

Also present at the launch today were Tune Talk CEO Jason Lo and senior officials from the other Tune companies.

Tune Store occupies a 1,000 square feet area on the upper ground floor of Low Yat Plaza.

“We chose Low Yat Plaza for our very first lifestyle concept Tune Store obviously due to its high traffic and strategic location right at the heart of Kuala Lumpur. Through the Tune Store, we seek to create in-store solutions to further bring our Tune brands forward. What we want to achieve is an optimisation of our brand value through a holistic store approach, by understanding the differences between consumers and shoppers and leveraging on their insights,” said Jason Lo, CEO of Tune Talk.

Apart from Tune Talk starter SIM packs and top-ups, Tune Store caters to AirAsia and Tune Hotels bookings, information and signing up for Tune Insurance and AirAsia BIG Loyalty, as well as merchandise kiosks of Caterham F1, QPR and AirAsia Megastore.

“What we are doing here is creating a more integrated customer experience through touch points while combining the synergised efforts from Group affiliates and build an excellent customer journey to maximise the value of our products. At the end of the day, we look at building customer loyalty and retention by providing them a gratifying product experience,” added Jason.

Tune Talk Flying High

KUALA LUMPUR, 10 December 2011- Tune Talk Malaysia’s fastest growing mobile prepaid service announced its achievement to be part of ‘The Malaysia Book of Records’ today at Stadium Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur.

The hot air balloon launched by Tune Talk had been endorsed by The Malaysia Book of records as 'The Biggest Sim Card shaped hot air balloon' in Malaysia with the size of approximately 100 feet tall and it can accomodate 3 adults at one time and also a pilot.Present at the ceremony today was Mr Jason Lo, CEO of Tune Talk Sdn Bhd and Datuk Danny Ooi, Founder of The Malaysian Book of Records.

Jason said “Our Super Sim is our icon for a reason - It stands for excellence in quality of service for our 3G Data, Voice and SMS, for technological innovation of our product, for thinking big, not following the norm, for challenging the big boys and playing them at their own game. The most important thing, for listening to our customers and staying one step ahead of their needs. This Super Sim is now larger than life and takes to flight as we showcase our icon high above the Malaysian skies. As our coverage is that of Celcoms, we too now mark our territory above the rest.”
“And now we have the Biggest Billboard in Malaysia at 100 feet high. It can also fly so is mobile and will be in your neighborhood soon so if u see a giant Sim card in the sky, come on over for a ride. Join us as we take you high and above the rest. Literally!!” he added.The hot air balloon will be going to a few states starting from middle December, so do not miss the change for a ride with our Super Sim!

TUNE TALK HIRES VIRAL VIDEOMAKER TO BOOST SOCIAL MEDIA INTERACTION

KUALA LUMPUR, 5 October 2011 - In an unprecedented move, Tune Talk has become the first Malaysian telco to hire its fans via the social media to help enhance interaction with subscribers and fans via the new media platform particularly Facebook and YouTube.

It all started in August when an anonymous fan called ‘tropicgang’ posted a video on YouTube featuring a beefy puppet character dedicated for Tune Talk’s second birthday. Aptly entitled ‘Who Like Confuse’, the video highlighted in a very entertaining way Tune Talk’s single subscription plan that is utterly simple, straightforward and transparent. It instantly caught the eyes of Tune Talk’s CEO, Jason Lo and Chairman Tan Sri Tony Fernandes and after a series of message exchanges on YouTube and Twitter, Jason and ‘tropicgang’ finally met and negotiations began behind closed doors.Another video was recently released confirming that Tune Talk has hired ‘tropicgang’ to manage and interact with Tune Talk fans via Facebook and YouTube. ‘tropicgang’ has since agreed to create more ‘Mat Tune’ music videos, which will be released monthly from now until December 2011.

‘Tropicgang’ however wants to remain anonymous and prefers to be known by its character ‘Mat Tune’.
Talking about what he thought of the tribute video, Jason said: “Mat Tune broke away from the typical cover song format of a bedroom musician. Tony and I were impressed at its quirky mix of in-your-face humour, original scripting and creative use of puppets.”

The YouTube video was first brought to Tune Talk’s attention on 19 August 2011. Some magazines and bloggers discovered the video, posted it on their respective Facebook walls, and tagged Tune Talk. From there, the video quickly gained widespread attention, earning 5,000 views within a week, and sky-rocketing to over 24,000 views to date. Dubbed by Tune Talk’s Facebook fans as the ’tetek guys’, the tribute video is catchy and addictive. ’Who Like Confuse’ became an instant YouTube hit, sparking Jason to publicly search on Twitter for the fans who made the video.

“Mat Tune now is building his popularity and career since his “Who Like Confuse” music video became viral on YouTube. We have many interesting things planned for them. Social media has become a key channel of communication and that is why we have decided to hire “tropicgang” a.k.a. Mat Tune. We would like to use this new discovery to engage our fans with content that is relevant to them regardless of whether they are our subscribers or not. You don’t always have to sell people something, have a little fun derr! ” said Jason Lo.

Fans can now look forward to more quirky music videos, fun interaction and surprise rewards with “Mat Tune” by following him on Tune Talk’s Facebook page: www.facebook.com/tunetalk

Samsung partners Tune Box to develop new inflight solutions

Kuala Lumpur, September 26, 2011 – Samsung Malaysia Electronics Sdn. Bhd. (Samsung), leader in digital media convergence, is set to take to the skies through a new collaboration with Tune Box, the new digital media arm of Tune Group. Under the partnership, Tune Box will employ Samsung technology, including the Google Android-powered GALAXY tablets, for Inflight Entertainment (IFE) and Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) applications, leveraging on Samsung’s market leading mobile technology.

The plan will see the Samsung GALAXY tablets in passenger cabins as portable IFE devices. The tablets will be connected to the on-board cabin WiFi to deliver videos, music and interactive games to passengers. For EFB solutions, the Samsung GALAXY tablet technology will be used to bring innovation into the cockpit to help flight crews perform flight management tasks more easily and efficiently.

Tune Group Chairman and AirAsia X Director Tan Sri Tony Fernandes said: “We are continuously working on providing the best service and inflight experience for our guests and this partnership with Samsung will enable our passengers to experience a modern and innovative inflight entertainment experience. From this, we hope to boost customer satisfaction, remain at the forefront of technology, and grow our ancillary business.”

Class 3 EFB is an installed avionics system developed through stringent development, manufacturing and certification processes. It is a scalable system that features current and future capability and functionality crucial in meeting the growth of an airline's operational needs. A certified Class 3 EFB, which meets the strictest safety requirement for hardware and software, will enable connectivity to the aircraft systems and is approved by the Federal Aviation Administration for use during flight. (Class 1 and 2 EFB devices are restricted and cannot be used during flight.)

Mr. Kwon Jae Hoon, Managing Director, Samsung Malaysia Electronics Sdn. Bhd. said, “Samsung is delighted to work with Tune Box. This enables us to achieve our goal to spearhead new innovations to revolutionise the aviation industry. The aviation industry is a tough proving ground for any technology but we are confident that by partnering Tune, we will be able to demonstrate the robustness of our products and solutions.”

“While also expanding our customer base, creating greater exposure for our products and enhancing customer’s inflight experiences, our partnership with Tune Group is well aligned with our corporate vision to expand our technologies into B2B solutions,” Mr. Kwon added.

Sami El Hadery, co-founder of Tune Box and also the company’s Chief Technical Officer, said: “We always look forward to working with the best in the market, so naturally, we’re very excited about the collaboration with a market leader like Samsung. Technology evolves at a rapid pace and together with Samsung, we aim to stay ahead of the race and revolutionise inflight entertainment and EFB solutions.”

The announcement of Samsung’s collaboration with Tune Box follows the latter’s MoU with AirAsia X to develop wireless IFE at the Paris Air Show in June. AirAsia X is the long-haul, low fare affiliate of Malaysian-based AirAsia Group. The recently-announced JV between Tune Box and avionics solutions provider Flight Focus Pte Ltd, who specialise in Class 3 EFB, will also benefit from the collaboration with Samsung.

Earlier this year, Samsung announced an agreement to supply 6,000 units of Samsung GALAXY Tab 10.1 to American Airlines.

A TREAT FOR F1 FANS AT TUNE HOTEL DANGA BAY

Other Tune Hotels in Malaysia, Bali on offer, too

KUALA LUMPUR, 12 September 2011 – Formula 1 fans, check this out! If you’re heading to the SingTel Singapore Grand Prix on the 23-25 September and looking for affordable accommodation, Tune Hotel Danga Bay in Johor Bahru is your best bet.

From as low as RM28 per night, guests can enjoy the convenience of putting up at Tune Hotel Danga Bay while celebrating the F1 race at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. The hotel is only about 1 hour away from the Lion City and offers 6 daily shuttle transfers to and from Marina Bay.

Other Tune Hotels participating in this special promotion are Downtown Kuala Lumpur, Kota Damansara, Downtown Penang, 1Borneo Kota Kinabalu, Waterfront Kuching, Kota Bharu and Kulim with room offers from RM40 per night, while Tune Hotels in Bali, Indonesia located at Kuta and Legian, are going from Rp120.000 per room night.

All the above rates are available on a first come, first served basis, for stay period from 19 September to 30 November 2011. The promotion is offered exclusively online at www.tunehotels.com and booking can be made from tomorrow (Tuesday 13 September) up to Friday 18 September.

Tune Hotels Group CEO, Mark Lankester says: “We are looking forward to celebrating the Singapore GP with our guests. This is a perfect time to visit Singapore and Tune Hotel Danga Bay is a great option for affordable and convenient stay within the vicinity. The Team Lotus F1 merchandise on offer will give our guests even more reason to celebrate.”

Tune Hotels is part of Tune Group, the official partner of the Team Lotus F1 team.

To rev up the F1 celebration, guests who book a minimum of 2 nights’ stay at Tune Hotel Danga Bay during the promotional period will stand a chance to win exclusive Team Lotus F1 merchandise from Tune Hotels. All they need to do is post comments on why they love Tune Hotel Danga Bay together with their booking reference number on Tune Hotels Facebook page at www.facebook.com/tunehotels. Five best commenters will receive a Team Lotus shirt each while 25 Team Lotus T-shirts will go to consolation winners.

“As the promotion is running up to November, and extended to most of our Malaysian hotels as well as those in Bali, guests can also plan for an early school and year-end holiday with their family. We are very proud to have hosted over 2 million guests at our Tune Hotels, who have consistently rated us highly and provided positive feedback,” he adds.

Tune Hotels, the pioneering value hotel chain under Tune Group, will be adding another property to its portfolio with the opening of its latest hotel in Kulim, Kedah later this month. It is going to be the 10th Tune Hotel to open in Malaysia, bringing its worldwide network to 13 hotels including 2 in Bali, Indonesia and one in London, England.

Its popularity and high service quality have earned Tune Hotels numerous accolades. It was recently named among Top 20 Most Innovative Brands in Indonesia by MIX magazine, the country’s leading marketing communication publication. Standing at number nine, Tune Hotels was the only hotel brand on the list. Tune Hotel Westminster in London was awarded a Certificate of Excellence by the world’s largest travel website TripAdvisor, as a “result of consistently great feedback” from the hotel guests while the guide portal About.com ranked Tune Hotel Westminster as No 1 among Top 10 Cheap London Hotels.

Since the removal of its admin fee in January, guests at Tune Hotels can save 20% if they purchase the Comfort Package that includes towels, toiletries and air condition credits online. They can enjoy even more savings of 30% with Plus Package that bundles television and in-room wifi at selected hotels.

For real-time updates and promotion updates, guests can stay connected with Tune Hotels via Facebook at www.facebook.com/tunehotels and on Twitter via www.twitter.com/tunehotels.

For booking and further information, visit www.tunehotels.com.