Travel News For May 2015

Phuket – Amari Phuket’s management team, led by Pierre-Andre Pelletier (6th from left), vice-president and area general manager-South Thailand of the Amari group, leads the team in celebrating its recent accolde, the “2014 Award of Excellence” from Booking.com. The winner is chosen and voted for by users of Booking.com, which is one of the biggest travel booking websites in the world.

Bangkok – Buri Ram was recently named as one of Asia’s must-see sights in a poll conducted by influential travel website, Agoda.com. In its annual “Fresh Destinations” list, which ranks upcoming holiday spots across Asia, Buri Ram was singled out for the spectacular 10th century Khmer temple of Prasat Hin Phanom Rung, which was described as “one of the best preserved temples of its kind in the world.” Prasat Hin Phanom Rung was trending with travelers thanks to its low visitor-numbers and stunning “photo-friendly” location on top of an extinct volcano. Agoda.com also recommended seeing Buri Ram’s exciting longboat races that take place every November. Buri Ram was listed alongside Taiwan’s Penghu Island, Chitwan National Park in Nepal, the temples of Mount Emei in China, and Japan’s Yufuin hot springs.

Bangkok — Four Points by Sheraton Bangkok, Sukhumvit 15 has a new general manager: Peter Lucas. A seasoned hotelier with over 15 years of experience in Maldives, Japan, Cambodia, Australia, and Malaysia, Peter comes with a wealth of experience from the Hilton and Carlson chains in both operations and sales & marketing. “I am excited to be joining the strong team at Four Points by Sheraton Bangkok and continuing on the success that has already been established at this renowned and key Starwood property,” says Peter. The new GM announced some exciting projects planned to be launched in the hotel this year: a signature Irish Pub development, a transformation of BeerVault, a lobby refresh, the addition of a rooftop spa, and many more. “These developments,” he said, “will firmly place Four Points by Sheraton Bangkok as the place to stay for quality accommodation, contemporary and fun dining options, and impeccable service.”

Koh Samui — Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide recently announced the opening of Sheraton Samui Resort, underscoring the brand’s expansion in Thailand and building upon the group’s global growth momentum in 2014. Owned by TCC Hotels Group, a member of the TCC Land Group, Sheraton Samui is a conversion hotel with 141 rooms. Located at Chaweng Noi Beach, Koh Samui, Sheraton Samui Resort is the newest addition to the area. It joins three existing Starwood hotels in Samui, while also building upon the current Sheraton portfolio of five dynamic Thai-based properties: Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel & Towers, Sheraton Hua Hin Resort & Spa, Sheraton Hua Hin Pranburi Villas, Sheraton Krabi Beach Resort, and Sheraton Pattaya Resort.

Pattaya – Royal Cliff Hotels Group recently received 175th accolade, the “Starway World Best Hotels Award” from Coral Travel.

Out of 5,174 hotels from 28 destinations worldwide, Royal Cliff Hotels Group was recognized as one of the top travel destinations based on guest satisfaction questionnaires carried out among some 183,000 customers of Coral Travel, one of Russia’s leading tour operators.

Victor Krivenstov, director of sales and marketing of the Royal Cliff Hotels Group, received the award during the “Intourmarket (ITM) 2015 Travel Fair” held in Moscow, Russia recently.

Bangkok — H.E. Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul (4th from right), Thai minister of Tourism and Sports; and Dr. Suwat Sidthilaw (3rd from right), permanent secretary of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports; delivered remarks and led the discussion at “Imagine Thailand 2020” a new Public-Private Vision for Thai Tourism held recently at World Ballroom, Centara Grand and Bangkok Convention Centre at CentralWorld. From left to right: Prof. Dr. Walter Jamieson, FCIP director of Service Innovation Program, College of Innovation, Thammasat University; John Kester, director of Tourism Market Trends Program, UNWTO; Xu Jing, executive secretary of the General Assembly and the Executive Council/regional director for Asia and the Pacific, UNWTO; Auggaphol Brickshawana, advisor to the Minister of Tourism and Sports; H.E. Kobkarn; Dr. Suwat; Mario Hardy, PATA chief executive officer; and Ben Montgomery, PATA Thailand Chapter chairwoman.

Pattaya — Amari Pattaya recently appointed Maurizio Susan as executive chef. Originally from Trieste, Italy, Susan’s culinary journey began in 1996 on the Crystal Luxury Cruise Liner, before moving to work in luxury hotels, which included The Ritz-Carlton Berlin and Anantara Kihavah Maldives Villas, and three-Michelin-starred restaurants. He has received various awards, including 17 Gault & Millau points and the Silver Medal at Bocus D’or 2007. Most recently, Chef Maurizio worked at the Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina.

Bangkok — The Emporium Group opened a new retail and travel center in Bangkok, with the opening of The EM District in Phrom Phong. The EM District is a modern, world-class retail district consisting of The Emporium, EmQuartier, and The EmSphere – all located in the heart of Sukhumvit surrounding Benjasiri Park.

The company has invested more than THB 3,000-million on the renovation of The Emporium, resulting in a façade that features a new, luxurious design, while the BTS connection has a more natural look to complement the façade. The interior has been completely renovated from merchandise to décor to create a new stylish shopping experience.

Similarly, The EmQuartier and The Emsphere focus on eye-catching décor, merchandise, display, ambiance, and a smooth blend between the department stores and lifestyle destination retail outlets.

Anantara Vacation Club (www.anantaravacationclub.com.), Asia’s leading luxury shared ownership concept for discerning travelers, reaffirmed its commitment to offering owners and guests authentic cultural programming by celebrating two festive experiences in the region with distinctive local flavors. Anantara Vacation Club Phuket Mai Khao celebrated Songkran last month while in July, Anantara Vacation Club Bali Seminyak will observe the Pura Piodalan Resort Temple Ceremony. Anantara Vacation Club Bali Seminyak guests will be invited to observe the Pura Piodalan Resort Temple Ceremony with a traditional Balinese feast and celebration on July 13. Piodalan is a bi-annual Hindu ceremony where participants thank the gods and spirits for protection over the resort, guests, and employees, and ask them for their blessing for the future. Guests will be invited to pay respects and make offerings at the resort temple for the occasion, and afterward will be treated to a delectable Balinese dinner, Rijsttafel, complete with traditional Balinese dancing and entertainment.

Krabi – Chef Jacobo Astray, the gifted former chef of Spain´s legendary 3-star Michelin restaurant El Bulli, was at the Sofitel Krabi Phokeethra Golf & Resort recently, as guest chef. Chef Jacobo conducted a demonstration of modern culinary techniques and prepared an impressive dinner featuring avant-garde cuisine. Chef Jacobo’s stint is the first in the series of events being lined-up at Sofitel Phokeethra Krabi Resort this year.