Travel News for November 2015
Robert Maurer-Loeffler, group director operations Bangkok & City hotels of the Cntara Hotels & Resorts group, has announced the appointment of Joan Tanya Dot as chef de cuisine/manager of Uno Mas, a new dining destination at Bangkok Convention Centre of Centara Grand Hotel & Bangkok Convention Centre at CentralWorld. The Spanish-born Dot boasts more than 15 years of experience in the kitchen operations field. He graduated from Escola Bell Art, Barcelona, Spain. He has worked for Wine Down, Cayman Islands; Hotel Ayre Rossellon, Barcelona, Spain; and La Dehesa Restaurant, London, England. Prior to this appointment he was Spanish chef and manager/executive sous chef at Grand Millennium Sukhumvit Bangkok.
Bangkok: Grande Centre Point Hotels present “green, healthy, and creative Thai experiences in convenient locations” aimed at the upper midscale market as a new brand strategy.
Owned and operated by L&H Hotel Management, the newly rebranded Grande Centre Point Hotels currently has a portfolio of three properties in Bangkok: the 277-room Grande Centre Point Hotel Ploenchit (2003); the 526-room Grande Centre Point Hotel Ratchadamri (2007); and the 498-room Grande Centre Point Hotel Terminal 21 (2011).
The Grande Centre Point Hotels brand seeks to offer services and experiences for guests that go above and beyond the high-class offerings of properties under its affiliated Centre Point Hospitality. Grande refers to a premium on space and location with easy access to the city’s main central business districts such as Sukhumvit, Siam and Silom where headquarters of multinational companies and government offices are found.
Grande Centre Point Hotels are all within two minute walks of the mass transportation systems such as the BTS sky train or the MRT Underground stations so Bangkok’s best shopping, dining and entertainment areas are within easy reach. In the case of the Grande Centre Point Terminal 21, the hotel and adjoining luxury T21 mall actually connects via a sky-bridge.
L&H Hotel Management is currently expanding the Grande Centre Point Hotels portfolio and plans to open a new hotel in Bangkok’s Thonglor area in 2016. It also plans to expand to other locations in Thailand within the next three years.
Chiang Mai – Thailand’s based design hotel group X2 (CrossTo) recently announced the opening of X2 Chiang Mai Nimman Villa. Located in the street of perennial culture of Chiang Mai, this X2 signature villa is nestled in the famous chic street, Nimmanahaeminda where it provides a luxury design escape in the heart of trendy Chiang Mai.
X2 Chiang Mai Nimman boasts seven bedrooms and a private rooftop sundeck, all in modern retro style. Highlighted by spacious and light filled spaces, which create a warm but stylish ‘blast from the past feel’ while also reflecting the destination’s rich Chiang Mai heritage and culture. Each room in this villa is furnished by Thai and international designers in a modern mid-century theme. High quality Scandinavian designed furniture from teak timbers feature strongly, and create a luxury accommodation option that is unique and charming.
Having been swept up in a wave of development in recent years, Chiang Mai has become an attractive destination to explore for both Thai and foreigners. Travelers are attracted by the charm of northern artistic cultural importance in beautiful temples, the original city walls, and laidback feeling in the middle of the northern mountains.
X2 Chiang Mai Nimman is located in the city center of Chiang Mai on Nimmanahaeminda street, the chic quarter of town where it is bustling with coffee shops, tea houses, wine bars, trendy restaurants and boutique stores and surrounded by pristine landscape and an abundance of historical attractions.
Introduced at the recently concluded 20th Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Ministerial Conference in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, the new “Experience Mekong Tourism Marketing Strategy and Action Plan 2015-2020” has been launched and aligns the shared objectives of GMS countries by developing thematic multi-country tour programs and promoting secondary destinations to help distribute the benefits of tourism more widely.
The plan aims to boost tourism competitiveness in GMS, and increase visitor arrivals and destination
expenditure.
Jens Thraenhart, executive director of the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office, said he was optimistic that the marketing plan would help raise further the profile of the GMS as a world-class destination.
The plan recognizes the competitive global tourism landscape, changing consumer behavior, the importance of the Internet and mobile usage, improved infrastructure and access to the GMS.
Bangkok – CapitaLand Limited’s wholly owned serviced residence business unit, The Ascott Limited (Ascott), has made its first foray into the popular destinations of Pattaya, Thailand; and Cebu, the Philippines; by securing five new contracts to manage 875 apartment units. With 14 management contracts signed in Southeast Asia this year, Ascott has added over 2,700 serviced residence units in the region; more than triple the number of units added in the same region for the whole of 2014.
“We have ramped up our expansion in Southeast Asia as we see strong growth potential in the long-term, says Lee Chee Koon, Ascott’s chief executive officer. “With more than 13,000 apartment units in 73 properties across eight countries in Southeast Asia, over 30% of Ascott’s global footprint is now concentrated in this fast-growing region. Southeast Asia is shaping up to be one of the most vibrant and attractive markets for foreign investors – with a young population driving domestic demand, growing export figures and various economic policies in place to attract foreign capital.
“The upcoming ASEAN Economic Community will not only boost economic integration in the region, it will also transform Southeast Asia into an economic powerhouse with a population of more than 600 million.”
Ascott has been expanding beyond the capital cities to other areas with significant growth opportunities for serviced residences. For instance, Pattaya is a major city in Thailand’s Eastern Seaboard region with many multinational companies while Cebu is the second major business capital in the Philippines after Manila. Both are also popular tourist destinations. This year, Ascott also secured properties in Jakarta and Yogyakarta in Indonesia; Kota Kinabalu, Nusajaya and Miri in Malaysia; Bangkok and Sri Racha in Thailand as well as Binh Duong province and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.
Ascott is also present in Yangon, Myanmar; and Vientiane, Laos.
Phuket – Singapore commercial real estate developer Castlewood Group has announced the launch of their first Dream-branded hotel & spa in Phuket, Dream Phuket Hotel & Spa opening later this year. This is part of the recently signed strategic partnership agreement with Début Hotel Group for the development and operation of the upscale Dream Hotels lifestyle brand throughout Asia.
The newly named Dream Phuket Hotel & Spa is slated to open in December this year. Located at the beautiful Bang Tao beach, this is the first project with Castlewood Group and its subsidiaries who are looking to develop up to 20 Dream Hotels over the next 10 years to cater to the chic discerning travelers seeking exceptional experiences in a cosmopolitan atmosphere.
The hotel has been awarded in the category of New Hotel Construction and Design at the Asia Pacific Property Awards, the Asia Pacific Hotel Awards and the International Hotel Awards and will showcase two Michelin starred Chefs at its signature restaurant Trilogy, a very first for Phuket.
Dream Phuket Hotel & Spa is just minutes from Layan Beach on the northern peninsular of Bang Tao Beach, in an upmarket area favored by international five star hotels and luxury villa communities.
A triple award-winning eco-friendly hotel design, the Dream Phuket Hotel & Spa breaks new ground with its environmental-friendly features including: ‘green’ walls to shade all access corridors, passive ventilation design to encourage airflow and reduce power, sun incidence modeling, large overhanging balconies for shade, green roofs for climate management, and low consumption-LED lights and water features. The indigenous landscape is integral to the architecture of the hotel to create an experience that is unique to Thailand within its 174 guestrooms, suites and villas.
Philippe Le Bourhis (center), general manager of Pullman Bangkok Grande Sukhumvit receives Her Royal Highness Princess Soamsawali’s trophy cup on behalf of AccorHotels Thailand, as the “Organization with the most participants,” during the recent TBCA Mini-Marathon for AID Awareness 2015. More than 160 AccorHotels staff joined the marathon. Le Bourhis received the trophy from Greg Watkins (lleft), TBCA chairman and BCCT executive director. AccorHotels Thailand has been a major supporter of the TBCA Mini Marathon for AIDS Awareness 2015, which is organized annually by the Thailand Business Coalition on AIDS organization.
Cape & Kantary Hotels has announced the appointment of Daniel Reichert as the new resident manager of Cape House, Bangkok. Reichert obtained the Hotel Management Diploma from Les Roches in Switzerland and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Hospitality Management from IUBH School of Business and Management, Germany. During his studies at university and professional experiences in Europe and Asia, Reichert enjoyed a well-rounded career in the rooms, food and beverage, marketing, and revenue department of multi-award winning international hotel chains. Reichert’s favorable attitude, polished social adroitness, and comprehensive understanding of the hotel industry is expected to make a positive impact upon the staff and guests of Cape House, Bangkok.
Amari Watergate Bangkok has appointed a new executive chef, Patrick Fournes. Patrick, who previously worked at the Intercontinental Hua Hin Resort, will be overseeing the kitchen operations for Amari Watergate Bangkok’s dining venues.
Patrick specializes in Italian cuisine. He began his 23-year culinary career in France – his native country – where he gained initial experience in a pastry shop. He then developed his career in the F&B Department at 5-star hotels especially when he moved to Switzerland and then crossed continents to Hong Kong, Morocco, Egypt, Indonesia, the Philippines, Abu Dhabi, Vietnam, and now to Thailand.
Patrick is passionate about the daily interactions in managing a kitchen and the challenges that this field presents. He said he is very excited to serve the guests at Amari Watergate Bangkok with his expertise in preparing outstanding dishes, using the skills that he has gained over the years.
