Wink Hotels Takes the LEED in Sustainable Transformation of Vietnam’s Hospitality Landscape

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Wink Hotels, Vietnam’s revolutionary new hospitality brand, reinforced its commitment to reimagining sustainable tourism and creating positive environmental impact. Its flagship Wink Hotel Saigon Centre @ 75 Nguyen Binh Khiem, which opened on 24 March 2021, holds the country’s highest certification for the globally-recognized Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System, Gold v4. A pioneer in the sustainable transformation of guest experiences, the hotel defined new industry benchmarks for contactless guest services, cashless payment and eco-conscious operations in its distinctive style of hospitality, setting the standard for Wink Hotels’ pipeline of 20+ properties in Vietnam.

Sustainability is deeply ingrained in Wink Hotels’ brand ethos. From conception to construction, careful consideration was made to ensure responsible tourism and reduce environmental footprint. Its remarkable success in achieving the LEED Gold v4 certification for Wink Hotel Saigon Centre is evident from the building’s architecture, interior design, healthy indoor ambient quality, efficiency in water, energy and lighting consumption. Last year, Wink Hotel Saigon Centre won the Asia Pacific Property Awards 2020 for “Best New Hotel Construction and Design, Vietnam” in recognition of its sustainable design. As a sign of Wink Hotels’ relentless focus on sustainability, the 243-room Wink Hotel Danang Centre was recently conferred the same accolade in advance of its scheduled opening in Q2 of 2022.

Wink Hotel Saigon Centre’s architecture was designed for efficient thermal transmittance to reduce energy consumption. Built with waste management in mind, the hotel encourages waste segregation into three categories: recyclable, domestic and hazardous waste. For water efficiency, all indoor fixtures are equipped to control water flowrate. Fresh air quality is 30 percent above the minimum required level.


Every guest will have peace of mind knowing that each Wink Experience is a positive step towards reduction of single-use plastics and paper waste. Wink Hotel Saigon Centre has pioneered technology-centric guest services such as contactless guest services through Wink Hotels’ mobile app for self-check-in and check-out, which also serves as the mobile key. Cashless transactions are encouraged through “Keycard Credits” that can be topped up for a full calendar year to facilitate future visits. Other innovative services for instant gratification include Grab & Go services from Vietnamese-inspired food carts, vending machines and laundromats on every floor.

“At Wink Hotels, we do things differently, one positive footprint at a time. Our guests are upwardly mobile entrepreneurs, who appreciate the empowerment of controlling their stay the way they want it at their fingertips. Breaking free from traditional hotels, we want to liberate this new generation of digital natives through innovative yet sustainable guest experiences that are aligned with their personal preferences,” said Michael Piro, chief executive officer of Wink Hotels.

To reduce guests’ environmental footprint, the trendy hotel in the vibrant Dakao Ward of Ho Chi Minh City provides parking facilities to support bicycle, carpooling and electric cars. Not only will this eco-friendly amenity reduce carbon emissions, it promotes discovery of the hotel’s fascinating neighbourhood.

To close the recycling loop, Wink Hotel Saigon Centre has collaborated with PlasticPeople to recycle plastic waste into useful objects and furniture such as amenity trays, bins, desks and even building materials. Other sustainable partnerships include Toong, the brand’s eco-conscious coworking partner, which equips each individual desk and workspace with their own lamps and fans to reduce central power usage.

Wink Hotels is conceived by developer, Indochina Kajima, operated by Indochina Vanguard. Both are joint venture companies between Indochina Capital and Kajima Corporation and Vanguard Hotels respectively.

Please click here for more information about Wink Sustainability.

Medgate Philippines foresees a bigger role for telemedicine in the future of healthcare

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Medgate Philippines believes that by increasing and improving access to high-quality medical care, telemedicine will help shape the future of overall healthcare in the country and globally.

Speaking at a recent press briefing, Medgate Philippines President Stavros Athanasiou said that “The past year and a half has challenged our healthcare systems in unimaginable ways, while also changing the way many Filipino patients get treated,” he shared. “Throughout all that, telehealth services have proven to be a prime complement to traditional healthcare, acting as another avenue for treatment. Medgate is committed to providing those services to even more Filipinos as we continue to navigate the current health crisis.”

Just last year, the telemedicine provider saw a 170% jump in the usage of their services - leading to a total patient base of 1.5 million. In these consultations, Medgate employs a medical co-management approach where doctors with multiple specialisations consult with a single case. This means that an Internist may also treat a Pediatric case to get a better background of and solution for a patient's condition, contributing to high treatment rate for the provider.

This success is just the first step, as the company sees demand for its innovation increasing even more in the near future. Medgate will continue to innovate and grow its telemedicine core business as new technologies emerge. The advent of 5G broadband should make for an immersive high resolution video experience further enhancing the experience of patients. Advances in wearables, especially those with the ability to capture body temperature, blood pressure, and even blood sugar will usher in a new wave of customers. “The demand is there,” adds Athanasiou. “It’s now a matter of making sure that the proper services and infrastructures are in place to sustain the usage and provide telemedicine to more patients.”


Collaborations also seen to keep improving telemedicine access

Medgate Philippines also has ongoing tie-ups with some of the country’s leading HMO and health insurance companies including Intellicare and Generali. Through these partnerships, members can conveniently consult with a doctor on the Medgate platform 24/7, even having the option to have their prescribed medicines delivered.

"Working with Medgate provided a most valuable and differentiating benefit to our partner members. We were able to provide accessible, affordable, and compassionate care even in this most challenging of times." said Mario Silos, Chairman of Asalus Corporation (Intellicare).

These multi-year engagements with their partner HMOs and health insurance companies are in line with Medgate’s goal to provide the care that comforts to as many Filipinos as possible.

“We are very bullish about the growth of our partnership with Medgate,” added Maria Sharon Maranan, Chief Distribution Officer of Generali. “Telemedicine will continue to play a big role in healthcare as different healthcare delivery models continue to evolve to address our customers’ changing needs.” she stated.

“The work we do alongside our partners is important. This is the perfect time for us to work together towards furthering healthcare innovation,” said Medgate Philippines Country Manager, Ronald Estrella. “Medgate continues to further differentiate its telemedicine service from the competition. The company will be expanding its partnerships, growing its base of healthcare professionals, and will ensure multiple touchpoints for easier access for patients – be it over the phone, social media, website, or our upcoming mobile app.”



Avail of the Medgate Unliconsultation Plan for only PHP 999/yr (VAT Ex). Visit their website at medgate.ph.





About Medgate Philippines:

Medgate has been in the Telemedicine industry since 1998 and has handled over 11 million consultations globally in that time. Medgate has global presence in India, the Middle East, Philippines, and Switzerland. Medgate Philippines has been operating since 2016 and caters to over 1.5 million Filipinos who are members of Medgate's partners in the banking, health, and insurance industries. We strive to provide innovative and accessible healthcare to Filipinos. For more information, go to medgate.ph or follow us @MedgatePhilippines on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.

Municipality of Luisiana governance programs get boost with PLDT Enterprise BEYOND FIBER roll out

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In fulfillment of its commitment to support LGUs, PLDT Enterprise has linked up the local Municipality of Luisiana with BEYOND FIBER to further improve their delivery of public programs for its government offices and service of their constituents amid the pandemic.

Dubbed as the “Little Baguio of Laguna”, Luisiana is located adjacent to Majayjay and Pagsanjan. Popular for their cocoa and Pandan-woven products, the town remains to be one of the lowest reported cases of COVID-19 cases in Laguna with 113 cases, 2 deaths, and 106 recoveries to date.

To further support the success of COVID health campaigns and other government policies, PLDT Enterprise is deploying its latest fiber solution BEYOND FIBER to the government unit. As an all-in-one digital solution, the digital tools and Wi-Fi included in BEYOND FIBER will contribute in improving the municipality’s initiatives for disaster response programs, digitizing application and process forms, access to healthcare systems, and other public programs.

“The Municipality of Luisiana has always welcomed PLDT Enterprise with their warmest support. As a gesture of giving back, we’re deploying BEYOND FIBER to power the town with fiber-grade connectivity that will be helpful in furthering government programs, making collaboration, processes, and systems more efficient.” said Jovy Hernandez, ePLDT President, CEO and SVP Head for PLDT and Smart Enterprise Business Groups.

Their impressive management are results of the LGU’s extensive health campaign against COVID-19, with its main thrust focused on proper information dissemination about the virus and promoting proper health protocols such as wearing masks, regular sanitization, and social distancing. Isolation units for suspected cases are also provided while a vaccine is still in development, all thanks to the united efforts of local task forces, Barangay Health Emergency Response Team, and sanitation officers.

Mitch Locsin, PLDT FVP & Enterprise Revenue Group Head, welcomes the strengthened alliance between the LGU and PLDT Enterprise. “We would like to thank Luisiana for their unwavering support and this is surely just one of the many more programs that we will be implementing in order to support our LGUs.”

Mayor Nestor Rondilla of Luisiana responds, “Our partnership with one of the most trusted and powerful solutions providers in the country such as PLDT is definitely a big leap in improving our initiatives, especially when it comes to aiding our citizens in recovering from the impact of COVID-19.”

Future plans of the municipality include expanding its technology by tapping into more PABX and fiber lines for its different government offices within the area.

PLDT has been a solid partner among enterprises and government in their efforts to provide services to the public in light of the challenges of the pandemic and the guidelines set to curb the spread of COVID19. The PLDT Group has also invested over Php 286 billion in the past five years in expanding their network coverage and further building into the most extensive fiber optic network in the country with 429,000 kilometers spanning the archipelago and abroad.

These efforts have helped empower PLDT’s customers and clients in enabling their own digital transformation journeys to manage and adopt to the new normal.

To learn more, visit pldtenterprise.com