Centara Hotels & Resorts, Thailand’s largest hotel operator, announced the appointment of Mr. Thatthep (“Kevin”) Thamrongwarasart to manage their beach resort in Trat, on the east side of the Gulf of Thailand. The appointment was effective since June.
Hotel Okura Co., Ltd. announced today that it will open The Okura Prestige Yangon, the first Okura Hotels & Resorts member hotel to operate in Myanmar, in 2020. For the operation and management of The Okura Prestige Yangon, Hotel Okura expects to sign a contract in August with a local alliance comprising Fujita Corporation, Tokyo Tatemono Co., Ltd., Japan Overseas Infrastructure Investment Corporation for Transport & Urban Development and Yangon Technical & Trading Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Ayeyar Hinthar Holdings Co., Ltd.
As part of its continued expansion across the Asia-Pacific, ONYX Hospitality Group has named Pierre-Andre Pelletier as Regional Vice President of Operations for South Thailand, Vietnam and the Maldives. Previously the Vice President and Area General Manager for South Thailand, Pierre-Andre takes on added leadership responsibilities in the Maldives and Vietnam. ONYX currently operates Amari Havodda Maldives and is preparing for the early 2018 opening of OZO Hoi An. The company is in active negotiations with partners on potential new developments in both destinations.
Cendyn, the leading CRM and sales platform in the hospitality industry, has been selected as the partner of choice for Minor Hotels, a diverse spectrum of hotel chains and brands connected to the needs and desires of today's global travelers.Cendyn was selected by Minor Hotels to help drive loyalty and improve engagement with their guests to deliver the right communication, to the right guest, at the right time. Using unrivalled connectivity to third party vendors, reporting and analytics, Cendyn will provide all five brands in the Minor Hotels group with true intelligence of every guest, across all their hotels, no matter what channel they came through.Eric Cartwright, Director Loyalty & Partnerships, Minor Hotels, commented, "We are delighted to begin our relationship with Cendyn. As a CRM leader, Cendyn embodies what Minor Hotels feels to be a like-minded partner. While we grow beyond our current state, following our roadmap of expansion, we need to future-proof our customer platforms to allow us the ability to immediately recognize our valued, repeat guests as well as our first-time guests in a manner that augments our existing DISCOVERY loyalty program, by delivering insights on each individual so that we can drive loyalty through service delivery, analytics, and timely communication. As we expand, this platform will enable us to easily add functionality and service to our growing portfolio, without the need to rethink platforms."Cendyn will implement a guest intelligence solution utilizing data collected from multiple sources to provide a true, single profile of each guest. This visibility will enable every brand in the group to gain a clear understanding about the history and preferences of each guest in real time, regardless of how they booked."We are honored to be partnering with the prestigious Minor Hotels group. One thing that resonates with Minor Hotels is their drive to put the guest first in everything they do." said Charles Deyo, CEO & President of Cendyn. "Using Cendyn's fully integrated eInsight CRM solution will allow each of their five brands to harness their data to better understand their guests and improve how they engage and drive loyalty with them. Year on year, Cendyn's eInsight CRM customers continue to see increased brand loyalty from their guests which has led to significant return on investment for each of our clients. We look forward to seeing such growth with the Minor Hotels group."Using data to pave the way in how hoteliers communicate with their guests has revolutionized how they can learn more about their guests' interactions, drive direct bookings, maintain brand presence with their most valuable guests and stay competitive in their market. Cendyn's CRM and Loyalty Suite enables hoteliers to keep their guests at the forefront of what they do, and concentrate on providing exceptional, personalized customer service at all times.
A German national and graduate of the Hotel Management School in Dortmund, Mr. Sasse has been with Marriott International for almost two decades, out of which, 15 years in a senior leadership role in Sales and Marketing. Prior to joining the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit Bangkok, Mr. Sasse has been exploring the world with various international assignments, including the Warsaw Marriott Hotel in Poland, the JW Marriott Absheron Baku in Azerbaijan and most recently at the London Marriott Hotel County Hall where he was responsible for the repositioning of the hotel following a multi-million pounds renovation. Notable achievements in his career include achieving outstanding team award 2010 as global account director; property sales leader award Europe in 2012; increasing market share in both 2012 and 2013 during his tenure at Warsaw Marriott Hotel as well as establishing JW Marriott Absheron Baku as the best for “overall guest satisfaction” within the JW Marriott portfolio in Europe. In his new role, Mr. Sasse will report to Mr. Richard Chapman – General Manager and will be responsible for spearheading a successful team of 40 associates and leading the Sales & Marketing strategies.
The Austrian hotel group Vienna House and the Thai hotel management company Absolute Hotel Services Group (AHS) have established a joint venture with the purpose of opening new hotels of their respective brands on the European and Asian markets. Both groups have similarly positioned hotels offering a casual and relaxed style, contemporary zeitgeist, and the culture and hospitality of their respective countries of origin. AHS manages 22 hotels in Asia, twelve of them under the award-winning brand U Hotels & Resorts. A further 13 U Hotels & Resorts are set to open soon. Vienna House's Asian office in Bangkok, with the full support of AHS, will oversee the growth of the Vienna House brand in Asia. The plan is to complete two to three projects a year with a focus on city and resort hotels. The European office in Vienna will oversee the expansion of the brand U Hotels & Resorts in Central Europe. The focus here will be on opening additional urban resort hotels. The joint venture between AHS and Vienna House was made possible by the recently announced shareholder change at Vienna House. The parent company of both hotel companies is BTS Group Holdings, one of Thailand's largest publicly listed companies. "The companies complement each other perfectly," explains Rupert Simoner, CEO of Vienna House. "We have the same guest-oriented philosophy and stand for the respective strengths of our cultures. We also share the same values, follow similar growth objectives and are moving at the same pace. It's actually a lot of fun!" says Simoner, describing the Asia-Europe connection. The first talks are already being held about projects in Bangkok and in Vietnam. Vienna House expects to conclude the first transaction this year. Jonathan Wigley, CEO of AHS, adds: "I can't imagine a better partner than Vienna House for the expansion of U Hotels & Resorts on the European market. Both companies share the same enormous passion for the hotel business as well as a deep understanding of what it is all about: guest satisfaction and authentic hospitality. That's just what we at AHS were looking for."
A German national who has held high-ranking positions with some of the world’s most recognizable luxury hotel groups has been named general manager of the flagship property for Sofitel Luxury Hotels in Southeast Asia. In June, Oliver Schnatz assumed the lead role at the Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit after spending almost three years as the hotel manager of the Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok. Since his first posting in Thailand in 2001 at the Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok, the 43-year-old has also served as general manager of Sri Panwa Resort in Phuket and executive assistant manager at the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok. Schnatz began his hospitality career in 1994 with Steigenberger Hotel near Frankfurt. Five years later, he took a job with Hotel Plaza Athenee New York as its assistant food and beverage manager. Schnatz has also worked at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park London and overseen the food and beverage departments at the Mandarin Oriental Munich and the Peninsula Hong Kong. He would also like to see the hotel become the “living room” for locals and the top choice in Bangkok for lunch, dinner, drinks, celebrations and meetings.
The X2 Hua Hin Oasis Residence resort has appointed Krisna Elisabeth Subsinmangkang, a Thai-Swiss national, as General Manager.
Dusit Thani Pattaya GM Neoh Kean Boon recently appointed Onanong Keawngamdee as the new director of sales and marketing of the Thai brand resort under the wing of the ever expanding Dusit Hotels & Resorts. Onanong started her career in hospitality at Dusit Thani Bangkok where in a span of six years, she worked in guest relations, banquet, catering and sales. She was also part of the pre-opening team for Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit and her more than 20 years of sales related experience were gained from working for Shangri-la Hotel Bangkok, Conrad Bangkok, Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit, Crystal Design Centre and JW Marriott Hotel Bangkok. Prior to her new role, she was the director of sales and marketing of the Swissotel Le Concorde Bangkok. Her strengths include creating strategies to match the market trend as well as analyzing market intelligence in order to understand competitors standing and maximize revenue from all available business opportunities at hand.
Michael Schlueter, General Manager of Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel & Towers, proudly announces the appointment of Robert Luck Czeschka as Executive Chef
The inaugural 2017 South East Asia Hotel Investors' Summit, held June 13-14 in Bangkok, brought together a strong showing of hotel owners, investors, developers and consultants from throughout the region under one roof. Key industry executives served on lively panel discussions addressing a variety of trending topics such as the Millennial generation, non-traditional hotel types and the impact of technology on the industry to name just a few.
The new corporation between AHS and Vienna House will be extremely beneficial for both hotel groups with the expansion of AHS' multiple award-winning U Hotels and Resorts brand into the European market via AHS Europe office in Vienna.
Outrigger has appointed Rory Campbell as Area Director of Sales and Marketing, responsible for the Outrigger Laguna Phuket Beach Resort and the Outrigger Koh Samui Beach Resort in Thailand.
Wouter Andre Banning, Vice President of Operations Southeast Asia, is a seasoned hospitality executive with more than 20 years of management experience at hotels, resorts and serviced residences around the world. With a focus on exceeding guest expectations, Mr. Banning has developed and managed operational, sales, marketing and human resources for a variety of four- and five-star hotels. He has particular expertise in working with brands and properties during the pre-opening, re-opening and opening phases, which makes him well suited to help guide operations for Cachet’s expansion plans. He served as General Manager for the opening of The Imperial Heritage and The Orchard Wellness & Health Resort in Malaysia and as Group General Manager for Sunshine Hotel and Resorts, which operates seven branded properties in Thailand. As General Manager at Fraser Residence Shanghai, he oversaw the closure and renovation of the 324-room property. Upon re-opening, the Fraser saw a substantial boost in guest satisfaction on key surveys. He also served as General Manager at Fraser Place Central Seoul and Fraser Resort Pattaya. Prior to Fraser, he served in management positions at hotels and resorts in The Netherlands, United States, Thailand. Mr. Banning is a native of The Netherlands.
Dusit Thani Bangkok, the flagship hotel of Thailand-based, global hospitality company Dusit International, will officially hold its last day of operations in its current form on 16 April 2018, bringing to a close a successful first chapter some 48 years in the making.
Thailand is an old country, but it has been taking major strides in recent years to become a top player in the modern luxury hospitality game.
Anayara Resorts, owned by Pacific Media Management Group Limited and Anayara Resorts Holding Limited , a Hong Kong based adult-only ultimate luxury retreats and luxury boutique resorts brand revealing its first property Anayara Luxury Retreat Panwa Resort, a beachfront retreat estate schedule for soft opening by December 2017 and follow by its second property Anayara Luxx Panwa, a luxury boutique resort by 1st Quarter 2019.
Seasoned hotelier Niklas Wagner is set to guide Louis T Collection through its next phase of development in his role as director of operations for the group’s latest hotel debut and a newly renovated property. Wagner joins the hospitality and building solution’s team at a pivotal time with the opening of Hotel Bocage in Hua Hin, and the re-opening of the collection’s flagship hotel, Mantra Samui Resort, on the idyllic island of Koh Samui. In addition to his overarching role as director of operations of both properties, Wagner will also assist the group on food and beverage concepts and operations, a role in which he’s keen to manifest a guiding philosophy of Louis T. Before embarking on his journey with Louis T Collection, the German-native held senior management roles with Four Seasons and Hyatt in America, Qatar, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Korea and in his hometown Hamburg.
Budget chain Travelodge is expanding its global reach with the opening of its first properties in Thailand. The 164-room Travelodge Pattaya – a former Premier Inn – is to open for business on July 1.
pentahotels, the design-led and neighbourhood lifestyle brand, today announced a new management agreement with The Nest Property Company Ltd., a subsidiary of PM Group, to open the first pentahotel in Bangkok, Thailand in 2020. pentahotel Bangkok, Ploenchit, will be located in Lumpini in the central business area of Bangkok. The announcement marks the first official step in pentahotels' expansion in Southeast Asia, building on the brand's plans to open its second Hong Kong property in Summer 2017.