GLOBAL UPDATE : PROFILE
BEYOND THAILAND
Centara ’ s new Poste Lafayette Resort & Spa Mauritius
HOMEGROWN CENTARA WANTS TO CAST ITS NET INTO EUROPE AND DEVELOP A BUDGET BRAND FOR CHINESE TRAVELERS .
By Jeff Weinstein , editor in chief
Thailand ’ s biggest homegrown hotel operator , Centara Hotels & Resorts , has designs on a more grand plan . The family-owned , asset-light owner-operator with slightly less than 60 hotels today wants to reach 100 hotels by the end of 2016 in Thailand and around Southeast Asia . In addition , CEO Thirayuth Chirathivat has his eyes trained on Europe for upscale opportunities and a plan to develop a budget brand that will cater to outbound Chinese travelers .
More immediately , Bangkok-based Centara this month is celebrating its 30th anniversary by opening a resort in Poste Lafayette , Mauritius , while a 161-room luxury resort in Pattaya , Thailand , is set for a March 2013 debut . “ In 2013 , we expect to open 13 hotels and resorts in Thailand , Indonesia , Sri Lanka , the Maldives and Mauritius ,” Chirathivat says .
Centara will witness further growth via acquired management contracts for existing resorts in Koh Chang and Koh Samui , Thailand , as well as Danang in Vietnam . All three resorts will be rebranded early next year .
Chirathivat says Centara also plans to acquire at least five more management contracts by the first quarter of next year and hopes to acquire 10 contracts by year ’ s end . “ We are talking to property owners all the time as they have strong hotel development pipelines , and we also , of course , look for sites that we can develop
“ It will be a quality budget brand . The rooms are all ergonomically designed , so although they are physically small , they are not cramped , and they will offer the kind of facilities that guests would expect from a more expensive hotel .”
– Centara CEO Thirayuth Chirathivat on a planned budget brand to attract Chinese travelers
18 HOTELS December 2012 www . hotelsmag . com