General Manager Garth Solly recently appointed Thanagon “Pete” Poungbubpchart to the role of Public Relations and Marketing Communications Manager. Having joined the company on 11th March 2013, Thanagon takes responsibility for the hotel’s marketing and communication strategies, brand awareness and reinforcing Holiday Inn’s market positioning.
Jamie Miller, Rembrandt’s Hotel Manager, has been appointed as the Co-Chair of the Travel & Tourism Committee of The American Chamber of Commerce in Thailand (AmCham) effective March 5, 2013.
RITTISRI has been announced as the Resident Manager at 137 Pillars House in Chiang Mai, which is part of the SilverNeedle Collection. A Thai national, Ms Ura has 20 years of hotel experience in Thailand and Indonesia, mostly with Marriott International and Hilton Worldwide.
RICHARD MEHR has been announced as General Manager of the U Sunsuri Phuket, which will open on 1 April 2013. Mehr joins the Absolute Hotel Services property from the Banyan Resort & Golf in the Thai resort town of Hua Hin, where he also served as GM. He has 25 years of experience.
Travel industry leaders will issue a rallying call for politicians and government policy makers around the world to start "Embracing the Complete Visitor Economy" at the PATAAnnual Summit, which takes place Friday April 26 in Bangkok.
Mr Panton’s new position will see him reporting directly to the general manager. His responsibilities will cover community and environmental programs and initiatives, complementing the resort’s ethos to the Marriott International Sustainability plan of best global practices. Born in Malawi in southeast Africa, Mr Panton travelled throughout America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa before beginning his hospitality career. Mr Panton has been involved in teambuilding positions and the spa and wellbeing side of 5-star resorts in Mallorca, Thailand and Macau. Mr Panton recently performed the role of CEO/Founder of the corporate social responsibility project, SEEK Phuket. The project run by Thanyapura sought to develop a Phuket Sustainability Plan. The Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa works closely with the Mai Khao Marine Turtle Foundation in protecting the endangered leatherback turtle nesting on Mai Khao Beach, where the resort is situated.
Orient-Express Hotels Ltd. has appointed Nicolas Pillet as General Manager of the Eastern & Oriental Express, South-East Asia’s only luxury sleeper train. Pillet, a long-term employee of Orient-Express Hotels Ltd., has joined the Eastern & Oriental Express having been General Manager at Ubud Hanging Gardens in Bali for the past eight years. During his time in Bali, Pillet’s contribution has been invaluable, putting the hotel on the map as one of the best hotels on the island, in particular, integrating aspects of the local community into the hotel’s daily life, creating memorable experiences for its many discerning guests. Prior to his time in Bali, Pillet successfully opened another Orient-Express Hotels Ltd. property, La Residence Phou Vao in Laos, in 2002. He began his career in hospitality in 1991 and was Executive Chef at another of the company’s properties in Bali, Jimbaran Puri Bali. Based in Bangkok, Pillet will oversee all areas of the train, working closely with Train Managers to ensure high standards are maintained throughout each trip. This includes the Classic routes between Bangkok and Singapore and vice versa, as well as the longer Chronicles of South-East Asia journeys that depart throughout the year. As General Manager, he will manage the dedicated onboard team and report into Gary Franklin, Managing Director, Trains and Cruises, front running new and creative ideas to raise the profile of Asia’s most famous train and making sure targets are met.
Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts has embarked on a journey to celebrate its 40th anniversary this year with the signing of two new hotels in China and Thailand. The upscale hotel company of Swiss heritage is to open a new beach resort in Hua Hin, Thailand, and a 250-rooom hotel in Enshi City, China.
Three years after joining GHM as executive assistant manager at The Chedi Muscat, Andy Kunz is trading the sands of Arabia for a riverside perch in one of Thailand’s most compelling destinations.
Robert Maurer-Loeffler, General Manager of Centara Grand & Bangkok Convention Centre at CentralWorld, has announced the appointment of Andrias Ananta as Executive Assistant Manager in charge of Bangkok Convention Centre.
In this role, Ehmann will lead the team in preparation of the openings of the DoubleTree by Hilton Sukhumvit in April 2013 and the Hilton Sukhumvit in May 2013, develop both hotels’ vision and strategy, as well as oversee hotel operations.Ehmann has over 20 years of international hotel experience and first joined the Hilton Worldwide family in 1999 as Director of Operations at Athenee Palace Hilton in Bucharest, Romania. He subsequently held the same position in a number of Hilton Worldwide properties including Jeddah Hilton, Jumeirah Hilton and Nile Hilton. He was also General Manager at Hilton Adelaide.
Holiday Inn Express has opened their first property on Phuket Island, providing savvy leisure travellers with affordable comfort in a prime central location. Offering relaxed, hassle-free accommodation without comprising on quality, Holiday Inn Express Phuket Patong Beach Central has all the characteristics that guests expect of the trusted global brand.
Fresh off the heels of a project launch in Nairobi, Kenya and a joint venture announcement that will see 5,000 hotel rooms developed throughout China by 2020, hotel management company Dusit International brings their expansion efforts closer to home with the announcement of a new dusitD2 hotel in Khao Yai, Thailand.
December 15, the Asiatique Sky started operations in the latest, greatest leisure venue in Bangkok, called Asiatique the Riverfront, owned by TCC Land Group. The Giant Wheel in Thailand has been delivered by Dutch Wheels from the Netherlands. This R-Series giant wheel type R60, carries 42 fully enclosed, air conditioned gondolas and gives its passengers a stunning view over Bangkok and the Chao Phraya river bend from almost 60 meters height.
Thailand's revenue per available room (RevPAR) grew 15.4 percent in 2012 to THB2,232, according to STR Global, the leading provider of market information to the hotel industry. The returning demand levels (+13.3 percent) helped boost occupancy 10.0 percent to 69.2 percent and grew average daily rate (ADR) 4.9 percent to THB3,226.
Patrick Both has been named general manager of Anantara Rasananda Koh Phangan Villa Resort & Spa in Thailand. A German national, Mr Both brings 18 years of hospitality experience to the new position. Beginning his hospitality career in 1995, Mr Both has worked in a number of areas within the hotel industry including food and beverage, event sales and front office in Europe and China. Mr Both joined Anantara in 2009 in the Maldives, and was promoted to his most recent position 18 months later in Vietnam as genergal manager at Anantara Mui Ne.
Best Western International – the World's Largest Hotel Chain® – has announced the launch of a new luxury resort on the golden beaches of Khao Lak in southern Thailand; the BEST WESTERN PREMIER Khaolak Southsea.
For Daly’s first appointment with the Amari brand he will oversee the 523 room property situated on the picturesque northern crescent of vibrant Pattaya Bay. Brendan brings to his new role over 12 years of experience in successful hotel operations management from across Thailand and Australia with Sheraton, Accor, Darling Harbour Hotels, and Sofitel. Before joining ONYX, he directed the pre-opening and the opening of the first Aloft Hotel in South East Asia as General Manager.
A graduate of Swiss Hotel Management School in Adelaide, Martin has been working in the hospitality industry for 18 years, first joining Amari in 2007. Starting off as Assistant Food & Beverage Manager, Martin moved around properties across the country expanding his experience from Amari Vogue Krabi to Amari Emerald Cove Koh Chang, and eventually to Amari Palm Reef Koh Samui, where he was promoted to Resident Manager and most recently, to General Manager. His first encounter with Amari however, goes way back to his childhood. Growing up with a hotelier father, Martin lived in Amari Don Muang Bangkok for two years whilst his father managed that property, making Martin a second generation Kunzmann Amari GM.
Christoph, a German national with over 17 years of hospitality experience joined Amari originally in 2000 as Executive Assistant Manager at Amari Watergate Bangkok, and returned again in 2009 as the General Manager of Amari Palm Reef Koh Samui. With his international hotel experience from Thailand, Germany, and the USA, Christoph successfully led the Samui team and brought home a number of awards in the years that he was there. In his new role, Christoph will ensure the continued success of Amari Hua Hin following its strong opening in 2012. He looks forward to firmly positioning the property on the domestic and international map.