Radisson, Wyndham and IHG Expand Presence in Thailand

Radisson Hotel Group told the media they will open more premium and luxury hotels in Thailand over the next five years, taking advantage of a rapidly recovering tourism industry there. Radisson plans to open 12 to 15 hotels each year in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. 70% of them will open in Thailand with the remaining 30% spread across the three other Mekong countries. The main locations in Thailand remain the most popular tourist destinations: Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai, and Samui Island. RHG is also considering a secondary destination in Thailand, likely an island in the South, as part of its expansion plans. The Radisson RED Phuket Patong Beach, Radisson Resort Phuket Mai Khao Beach, and Radisson Hotel Ploenchit Bangkok are scheduled to open early next year. In the past 12 months, RHG has added seven new hotels in Thailand with over 1,300 rooms.

Radisson Hotel Group also announced the opening of Radisson Hotel Sonamarg, further strengthening their presence in Jammu and Kashmir. This is the group’s seventh operational hotel in the region. Radisson Hotel Sonamarg features spacious and modern rooms and suites with multiple room categories. The property is located close to tourist attractions such as Thajiwas Glacier, Zojila Pass and more. The hotel has an on-site all-day restaurant.

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts said they expect to open more than 15 hotels with 5,000 additional rooms in Thailand across multiple brands. The expansion is part of the company’s three-year strategic plan to catch up with Thailand’s rapid recovery in the tourism industry. Wyndham currently has 22 properties in Thailand. The Association of Thai Travel Agents is predicting the return of Chinese tourists will contribute to the full-year arrival target of 30 million. Despite the expected growth trend, Wyndham does not expect a return to pre-pandemic levels there until 2024. They believe flight capacity, the rise in airfares, inflation and a global slowdown is making it more challenging for their hotels to boost overall revival. Wyndham signed contracts for 169 hotels and opened another 132 hotels across the Asia Pacific last year, resulting in 5% room growth in Southeast Asia and 10% room growth in Greater China.

Hyatt Place Linyi People’s Square, the first Hyatt Place hotel in Linyi in China is officially open. The hotel is owned by a joint venture led by Linyi Xuan Yue Hotel Co., Ltd. and is operated by Minyoun Hospitality. The Hyatt Place Linyi People’s Square offers 109 spacious guestrooms, the Kitchen which serves freshly prepared meals, the Market, the Bar, 120 square feet of flexible meeting/function space and a fitness center.

The Ritz-Carlton, part of Marriott Bonvoy’s portfolio, announced the opening of The Ritz-Carlton, Fukuoka, on the island of Kyushu in Southern Japan. The luxury hotel rises above Fukuoka, situated within the 111-meter main tower of Fukuoka Daimyo Garden City. The hotel occupies the nine topmost floors in a 25-story glass tower designed by Kume Sekkei of Tokyo. Floors 19-23 floors feature 167 generously sized guestrooms of 50 square meters, including 20 suites that start at 75 square meters. Fukuoka Skyline rooms offer views of the city while Park View rooms overlook Ohori Park. The Bay View rooms allow guests to see the passing ships of Hakata Bay and beyond while there is a 132 square meter Presidential Suite and 188 square meter Ritz-Carlton Suite, each featuring a dining room and kitchen. On the topmost floor of the hotel, The Ritz-Carlton Club is a private sanctuary for guests staying in club and suite categories, offering a convenient venue for business and social gatherings. The hotel includes four restaurants and two bars as well as the Ritz Carlton Spa on the top floor, featuring an indoor swimming pool, a gym and more. The third floor of the hotel includes two versatile banquet venues and a chapel.

IHG Hotels & Resorts announced the signing of Hotel Indigo Bangkok Thonglor, in partnership with Recha Estate Co. Ltd. The 250-room property will be located in one of Thailand’s trendiest districts and is scheduled to open in 2026. This is part of the continued growth of IHG’s Luxury & Lifestyle estate in Thailand and marks its first collaboration with the long-time real estate developers. IHG has bold plans to expand the Hotel Indigo brand to more than 200 open hotels in the next three years. They have two in Thailand, in Bangkok and Phuket, along with four in the pipeline. The Hotel Indigo Bangkok Thonglor will be a 25 kilometer drive from Suvarnabhumi International Airport and will include two restaurants, a bar, swimming pool and gym, meeting rooms and co-working spaces of more than 500 square meters. Across South East Asia and Korea, IHG has four open Hotel Indigo properties with 11 in the pipeline. Globally the brand has 143 open hotels and a 127-strong pipeline.

Centara Hotels & Resorts and Thai Hospitality Management Company Limited announced the signing of a hotel management agreement for Centra by Centara Ratchada Hotel Bangkok. The project marks Centara’s sixth hotel in Bangkok and second HMA to be signed with Thai Hospitality Management Company Limited. The plans are to renovate the existing building and open the doors to guests in December 2024. The hotel will have 306 rooms across 32 floors, featuring an all-day dining restaurant, meeting rooms, a swimming pool, spa, gym and a contemporary rooftop restaurant with city views. This will be the ninth Centra by Centara-branded property, and the third in Bangkok.

The Centara Grand Osaka, the new hotel under the operation of Central Plaza Hotel, is now open in Japan’s Kansai region. The new hotel was built after a joint investment with two Japanese property developers, Taisei Corporation and Kanden Realty & Development. The hotel is expected to be a new landmark of Osaka, and was opened on July 1 after more than three years of construction. Centel has a 53% stake in the hotel with the two Japanese firms together having 47%. Investment in the hotel as 31 billion yen. The five star hotel has 33 floors with 515 rooms and suites with amenities including a lounge, event space, restaurant and sky bar on the top of the hotel and a Spa Cenvaree.

Outrigger Fiji Beach Resort is set to conclude its multimillion-dollar renovation project by November. This is the first major refurbishment for the resort in several years.

The Raffles at Galaxy Macau hotel tower, part of Galaxy Macau Phase 3 project on Cotai in Macau, is currently in a soft opening phase, available to a limited number of invited guests only. Raffles at Galaxy Macau features 450 suites with the tower to include a bar, spa and a specialty restaurant. Galaxy expects to launch Andaz Macau, at the same complex, in the fourth quarter. That hotel will have 700 rooms and suites. Galaxy Macau Phase 3 also features the Galaxy International Convention Center. The 16,000-seat Galaxy Arena there staged its first concert on April 22.

Pan Pacific Hotels Group is selling one of its hotels in Singapore to Midtown Properties, a company owned by Choo Chong Ngen, founder of the Hotel 81 budget hotel chain, for S$525 million. The hotel being sold is the 542-room Parkroyal Kitchener Hotel near Little India, off Serangood Road. Pan Pacific owner UOL said they expect to book a gain of S$446.2 million on the sale.

City Developments Limited said it acquired a hotel in Myeongdong, Seoul for 140 billion won. The hotel is the Nine Tree Premier Hotel Myeongdong II, a freehold 17-story property comprising 408 rooms. It opened in 2017. The acquisition marks CDL’s second hotel acquisition in 2023, following the proposed acquisition of the five-star Sofitel Brisbane Central announced in March. The Seoul hotel is located within the Myeongdong-Euljiro commercial district. CDL’s wholly-owned CDL Hotels (Korea) bought the hotel from Shinhan Nine Tree Real Estate Investment Trust.

Accor said they signed the 98-room Mercure Bhubaneswar in Odisha in India. The developer of the hotel is Specbru Hotels and it is expected to open in 2025 with two food and beverage options, a 300 square meter banquet facility, swimming pool and fitness center.

Indian Hotels Company said they will increase their portfolio of 270 hotels to 300 by 2025 with a number of home-stay facilities and managed properties. IHCL said a majority of the new projects are coming up in the country in the next two to three years. Of the 270 hotels in India, 191 are operational and 79 are in the pipeline. The Crown IHCL SeleQtions hotel was rebranded on Sunday after the company entered into a management contract with The Crown, owned by Debasish Patnaik. IHCL last week announced the signing of Taj Ganga Kutir Resort & Spa in Raichak, West Bengal. The 155 room hotel will offer multiple dining options, lounge bar and library bar and over 70,000 square feet of banqueting space. IHCL will have 10 hotels across its brands in West Bengal including five under development.