Innovative Partnership Aims to Revolutionize Global Hospitality and Airport Services Through Advanced Digital Solutions with First Launch Event at Taoyuan International Airport
HONG KONG, July 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Digital Domain Holdings Limited ("Digital Domain", stock code: 547) and Mr. Song Hoi See, Founder and CEO of Plaza Premium Group, are thrilled to announce a groundbreaking joint venture to initiate the business of digital human hospitality services. This new entity aims to redefine the global hospitality and airport services landscape with innovative digital human technology and AI.
Digital Domain held "The Next Frontier in Travel" press conference at Taoyuan International Airport. (From left) Mr. Chen Libai, the Founder and Chairman of ADATA Technology Co., Ltd ; Mr. Daniel Seah, Digital Domain CEO; Mr. Chang San-Cheng, Taoyuan City Mayor; Virtual Human Teresa Teng; Mr. Song Hoi See, Plaza Premium Group Founder and CEO; Mr. Yang Weifuu, Taoyuan International Airport Corporation Ltd. Chairman; and Mr. Henry Hooi, Digital Domain Senior Consultant. (PRNewsfoto/Digital Domain Holdings Limited)
The joint venture will function as a separate entity, utilizing the strengths of its parent company's core business in Hollywood visual effects technologies to provide industry leading innovations. This venture combines Digital Domain's cutting-edge digital human technology with Mr. Song's extensive expertise in global hospitality and airport services through Plaza Premium Group. Together, they will offer intelligent, interactive, and highly personalized services to meet the various aspects of changing needs for modern travelers.
Today, Digital Domain held the "The Next Frontier in Travel" press conference at Taoyuan International Airport. Distinguished guests, including Taoyuan City Mayor, Mr. Chang San-Cheng, Digital Domain CEO, Mr. Daniel Seah, Plaza Premium Group Founder and CEO, Mr. Song Hoi See, and Taoyuan International Airport Corporation Ltd. Chairman, Mr. Yang Weifuu attended the event and delivered speeches.
Strategic Vision and Expertise Unite
This collaboration represents the convergence of two industry leaders:
Digital Domain: With over 30-years experience in creating some of the most breath-taking visuals for Hollywood films, the veteran VFX studio is now ready to take some of its innovative technologies, originally developed over the years for film, beyond the big screen. This joint venture cements the company's first significant branch into the commercialization of VFX technologies outside the realm of media and entertainment. Specifically, the studio's Oscar winning digital human technologies refined over decades of expertise and Hollywood film-making experience will be further refined and perfected to provide real-time services in hospitality and travel industry through expert guidance and collaboration with Plaza Premium Group.
Mr. Song Hoi See (Founder & CEO of Plaza Premium Group): A visionary in global airport and travel hospitality, Mr. Song Hoi See brings unparalleled leadership and insight from his role as Founder and CEO of Plaza Premium Group. With over two decades experience in the industry, Mr. Song and his expert team in travel hospitality are based in Hong Kong and operates in over 80 airports with over 250 locations. They are not only the largest independently run pay-in lounge operation in the world but also white labeling for 13 other brands globally. Mr. Song brings not only his extensive knowledge in the travel and hospitality industry to the table, but also his vast network of connections for opportunities of digital human services to expand to, both within and in surrounding industries.
Revolutionizing Hospitality and Airport Services
The collaboration will establish new industry standards by combining cutting-edge real-time digital human technologies with traditional hospitality services in the areas of travel, hotels, tourism offices, duty-free and other concessions, call centers etc. Through enhancing customer experience and operational efficiency, the joint venture will aim to create a seamless combination of digital innovation and personalized service across all hospitality sectors.
Leadership and Innovation at the Helm
Mr. Song Hoi See's involvement is a significant asset to the joint venture. His visionary leadership and extensive experience with Plaza Premium Group will guide the partnership toward achieving its goal of revolutionizing the hospitality and travel sectors around the world. Daniel Seah, CEO of Digital Domain, stated, "Mr. Song Hoi See's expertise will be key in identifying and executing upon industry leading opportunities with our technologies, but equally if not more importantly, Mr. Song's values and passion are what I believe will be the foundation of this successful partnership and the success of this venture."
In partnering with award winning VFX house, Digital Domain, Mr. Song Hoi See remarks, "Digital Domain, as a Hollywood based studio, is considered by many, to be a pioneer in Digital Human Technology. Through their proven experience and leadership in Digital Human Technology, we aim to leverage their experience in delivering an innovative, and immersive customer service in airports and hospitality sectors world-wide."
Driven by shared commitment to excellence and innovation, this strategic collaboration marks a new chapter in the hospitality and airport services industry. The joint venture is dedicating itself to transforming customer experiences and setting new standards for service and efficiency.
Notably, today's press conference featured a surprise appearance by the virtual Teresa Teng along side Daniel Seah, CEO of Digital Domain. Their interaction leads to the introduction of a brand new proof of concept highlighting the potential of AI powered virtual human services for travelers to interact with in the near future.
Aligned with the theme "Next Stop, the Future," the conference showed a glimpse of what an airport VIP lounge equipped with a virtual ambassador informational kiosk could be like for future travelers. Driven by artificial intelligence-related technologies, the virtual human kiosk provided essential assistance such as elaborating PPL lounge offerings, route navigation, and airport vicinity inquiries, all while adding a personable response to human-computer interaction in real-time situations.
Embracing the added value of AI in the tourism and travel service industry, Taoyuan City Government and Taoyuan International Airport also provided co-organizational support for this press conference. Mr. Chang San-Cheng, Mayor of Taoyuan City, emphasized: "Currently, Taoyuan Airport has developed an ecosystem spanning from production and manufacturing, data storage, and now to AI applications, beyond advancing AI services at Taoyuan Airport, this collaboration aims to enhance global awareness of Taoyuan International Airport using AI technology, for instance, using virtual technology to showcase local celebrities welcoming guests at the concierge desk or recreate famous Taiwan attractions at the airport, creating an immersive experience that leaves visitors with a deeper appreciation of Taiwan and Taoyuan International Airport, this initiative seeks to elevate Taoyuan International Airport's global ranking."
Digital Domain is refining its virtual human solutions for use in smart kiosks. The company plans to collaborate with local manufactures through cross-border licensing and remote technical support. This effort aims to promote and expand AI virtual human technology across various settings such as airports and hotels. Taoyuan International Airport is optimistic about the potential of integrating such technologies and supports the development and implementation. Mr. Yang Weifuu, Chairman of Taoyuan International Airport Corporation, stated: "Through the collaboration between Digital Domain and Plaza Premium Group, a new AI virtual assistant service has made its global debut at the Plaza Premium Lounge at Taoyuan International Airport. This innovation not only enhances the passenger experience but also marks a significant step toward Taoyuan Airport becoming a smart airport. I believe that with every new smart service that has been introduced it will progressively improve the user experience, making travel more convenient. Thank you to Digital Domain and our strategic partner Plaza Premium Group for selecting Taoyuan Airport for this launch and to everyone for their trust and support of Taoyuan International Airport. Let's look forward together to the advanced travel experiences that AI virtual customer service will bring!"
Digital Domain Holdings Limited ("Digital Domain") is the pioneer of creating transportive experiences. Throughout the last 30 years, Digital Domain has grown to lead the visual effects industry, expanding globally the arm of virtual humans and visualization. Digital Domain's rich legacy consists of hundreds of feature films and episodes, thousands of advertisements, game cinematics, and experimental immersive experiences. A creative force in cutting-edge technologies, Digital Domain has brought exceptional artistry to Academy Award-winning blockbusters of Titanic, What Dreams May Come, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Marvel Cinematic Universe titles crushed all-time worldwide box office, such as the Avengers franchise, and Stranger Things made a splash with Season IV.
As the first independent visual effects studio to successfully enter Greater China, Digital Domain has further paved the way towards virtual race since 2016. Leaning into technologies of artificial intelligence and virtual reality allows Digital Domain to create photorealistic and emotionally expressive virtual humans, all in real-time, as well as provides an advanced medium for human-computer and human-human interactions in diverse virtual scenarios.
Digital Domain is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (Stock code: 547). Digital Domain has locations including Los Angeles, Vancouver, Montreal, Beijing, Shanghai and Hyderabad.
Plaza Premium Group, headquartered in Hong Kong and established in 1998, is a pioneering global airport hospitality services provider. With a mission to Make Travel Better, the group introduced the world's first independent airport lounge concept.
Today, PPG operates the largest network of international airport lounges worldwide and offers a 360-degree airport experience with 13 brands under its portfolio, spanning over 1,600 touchpoints across more than 80 international airports and 30 countries & regions worldwide.
From airport lounge brands - Plaza Premium Lounge & Plaza Premium First, to terminal hotels - Aerotel & Refreshhh by Aerotel, to concierge services - ALLWAYS, a range of airport dining concepts, global reward and membership program - Smart Traveller, and travel experience ECOsystem - oneTECO, the group is at the forefront of transforming airport experience for the better through innovative and human-led solutions. PPG's commitment extends beyond its own brands, as it also provides lounge management and hospitality solutions to leading airlines, alliances, and corporates worldwide. Partnerships include renowned names such as American Express, Capital One, Cathay Pacific Airways, SkyTeam, Star Alliance, Visa, and many more.
Plaza Premium Group has over 80 accolades demonstrating its exceptional achievements and commitment to service excellence. Notably, the group has received the prestigious "World's Best Independent Airport Lounge" award at the World Airline Awards by Skytrax for eight consecutive years from 2016 to 2024. TTG Asia also recognized the group as the "Best Airport Lounge Operator" in 2018, 2019 and 2023. In 2020, it achieved the "ISO 9001:2015" certification for its Hong Kong Headquarters. Furthermore, the group's Founder and CEO, Mr. Song Hoi-see, was awarded the "Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year" and "Master Entrepreneur of the Year Malaysia" in 2018.
With a team of over 5,000 dedicated talents, PPG serves more than 20 million global passengers annually. Through a continuous pursuit of innovation and excellence, the group is experiencing exponential growth globally.
