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Cartoon Network water-park set for summer opening
Cartoon Network Amazone
water-park taking shape in Bang Saray.
One of Pattaya’s most long awaited tourism attractions,
the Cartoon Network Amazone water-park, is on schedule for a summer opening
in July of this year. Located in Bang Saray, approximately 14km from
Pattaya, the project is the first internationally branded water park in
Thailand and is touted to put the country on the global theme park map.
Liakat Dhanji, Chairman and CEO of Amazon Falls Co. Ltd, the developer of
the water-park, said, “We’re proud to be bringing the vibrantly animated
world of Cartoon Network to the people of Thailand and visitors from around
the world. It’s the number one kids’ channel in Asia Pacific, and now fans
are going to get to experience all its incredible series and characters in
ways they never dreamed.”
The 1 billion baht development covers 14 acres of cartoon themed attractions
and water slides and is expected to attract more than 800,000 visitors in
its first year of operation.
Sunny Saha, Senior Vice President and Managing Director – South East Asia
Pacific and General Manager – Kids Networks, Asia Pacific, for Turner
International Asia Pacific, added: “The Cartoon Network water park is going
to be an awesome adventure for our fans everywhere.”
The park is scheduled for a soft opening on July 31, 2014. For more
information visit: http://cartoonnetworkamazone.com.
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Raimon Land unveils new show suite at
Unixx South Pattaya
A model bedroom on display at
the newly opened Unixx South Pattaya show suite.
Luxury property developer Raimon Land recently announced
the opening of its newly-designed show suite at Unixx South Pattaya,
showcasing what the company says is “the ultimate in resort-style living”.
The fully-appointed one-bedroom unit show suite has been designed with the
homeowner’s comfort and convenience in mind, assuring maximum living space
and perceptive details. The office and suite are open daily from 9.30 hrs to
18.30 hrs.
To coincide with the showroom opening, Raimon Land also announced a special
offer for early buyers of selected units in the development who can have
their units delivered professionally-designed and furnished, in order to
allow them to move in with the minimum of fuss.
Unixx South Pattaya occupies over 7 rai of freehold land on Pratumnak Hill,
steps away from the King Rama IX Royal Park, Pattaya’s shopping and
recreational venues and popular beaches. It is comprised of two towers with
a total of 1,153 units including studios, 1-bedrooms and 2-bedrooms, ranging
in size from 22 to 62 square meters, with sweeping views of the Gulf of
Thailand, Jomtien or Pattaya. Prices start at THB 2 million.
The development is scheduled for completion in June 2016 and is Raimon
Land’s fourth and largest project to date in Pattaya, following Northshore,
Northpoint and Zire Wongamat.
For more information, contact the Unixx Sales Team at Tel. 02-651-9600 or go
to website: www. unixxcondo.com.
(Photos courtesy Raimon Land)
Construction work well
underway at Unixx South Pattaya.
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Nova Group looks to raise the bar with North Beach condominium
An artist’s rendering shows
the Nova Group’s North Beach condominium development on the Wongamat
peninsula in Pattaya. The company recently held a media and agents’ party to
mark the official launch of the project and the opening of the on-site show
suites.
Renowned property developer the Nova Group held a special
party for media and agents on April 25 to coincide with the opening of the
stunning showroom for Nova’s latest luxury project, North Beach condominium
in Naklua.
Nova Group CEO Rony Fineman hosted the event and was in no doubt as to the
standards his company hopes to set with its latest six-star development in
the Wongamat beach area.
“I think North Beach is the highest standard of project that we can ever
hope to produce,” said Mr. Fineman. “It has one of the best locations in the
city and I think this will be the address that people will want to stay in
the future.”
Nova Group representatives
attend the showroom opening party for North Beach condominium on April 25
(From L-R): Julia Amineva, Sales Executive, Chalida Phondee, Sales Manager,
Keith Storey, Group Sales Manager, Rony Fineman, CEO, Thanakorn Sawadee,
Sales Executive and Nantaporn Pornprosop, Sales Executive.
The Nova CEO was at pains to point out the planning work,
investment and meticulous attention to detail that have already gone into
the project prior to the official launch.
“You can’t have a 6 star project with 4 star quality, so we have pulled out
all the stops on North Beach and employed some incredible interior designers
and builders etc., and of course we plan to use only the very best materials
in the construction.”
The roof-top lounge and
infinity pool will offer unrivalled sea views.
The Soi 22 Naklua, 25-storey building is located just 50
meters from a private beach. The development will feature just 205 units in
total and 98% of the units will have sea views. The rooftop pool overlooks
the entire Pattaya Bay area, and the gym, just one floor below, occupies a
space originally reserved for a penthouse and will have 180 degree views
over Pattaya, Wongamat and the outlying islands.
The state of the art fitness
center will be located on the building’s 24th floor.
“We decided to focus on this being a boutique project so
we have dispensed with studios and the units start with one-bedroom
configurations at 40sqm all the way up to the spacious three-bedroom
apartments of 180sqm,” said Mr. Fineman.
Prices begin at just over 4 million baht and the company was delighted to
announce that over 30% of the project has already been sold in the prelaunch
period.
With the focus being on
meticulous attention to detail, North Beach promises to be one of the
premier residential choices in Pattaya.
“Normally we expect to see the smaller units of a
development sell out first but with North Beach we were surprised to find
that it was the larger configurations that were snapped up during prelaunch,
which was pleasing to see,” said the Nova boss.
“The cost of procuring the land, the building cost etc. means that even the
prelaunch prices were quite expensive relative to our other projects but
this almost guarantees that the majority of our customers at North Beach
will be end uses rather than property speculators,” he added.
The company has spared no expense on the project’s glittering new showroom
either, which is staffed by a knowledgeable and multilingual team including
fluent Russian speaking sales personnel.
“The Russian market is becoming more and more important to our business at
Nova,” said Mr. Fineman. “Currently, Russian buyers form about 35% of our
customers base, some projects even have as much as 60% Russian buyers so
obviously we need to cater to that demand and we have a number of
knowledgeable Russian sales staff in our team at North Beach.
“With the Thai buyers I was hopeful they would like the project but as it
turns out they love it. The location is a real selling point to them with it
being close to the Dusit Thani and the views from the project site sealed
the deal for many of them.”
Nova were offering a 10% discount during the prelaunch period which
continued until the end of April, but the company confirms that they can
still be flexible with some of the pricing details for new customers coming
after that date. For more details on the Nova Group’s North Beach
condominium, visit the official website at:
http://northbeach.asia.
A scale model of the North
Beach development is displayed in the showroom.
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Mega Home opens
500 million baht outlet in Bowin
Mega Home, one of the country’s upcoming leaders in the
home center shopping trade, opened its latest store in Bowin last month.
The company says it’s confident that the expanding economy of the Eastern
region will see a rise in demand for home improvement products, appliances
and construction materials and has stocked the 20,000 square meter sales
area of its brand new outlet with over 100,000 consumer items. The store
also includes a complete home and garden center on 30 rai of land (48,000
square meters), and a 4,500 square meter warehouse.
Supornsri Naktanasukan, Mega Home’s chief of operations and product
management, said, “We see that investment is still growing in the Eastern
region, especially in Chonburi and Pattaya, and we believe that the opening
of the new Mega Home store will have a very positive impact and help
stimulate businesses in the area.”
Supornsri said she anticipated the new stare would bring in revenue of
700–800 million baht in its first year.
Mega Home has plans to open 20 more branches countrywide by 2017. In
addition to Bowin, the company currently has operating outlets in Rangsit,
Mae Sot and Nong Khai.
Supornsri Naktanasukan
welcomes customers to the grand opening of Mega Home’s Bowin store on April
24.
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Southpoint Pattaya achieves Green Site Platinum status
Kingdom Property CEO Nigel
Cornick (third left) and Bouygues Batiment International Deputy CEO Benoit
de Ruffray (second left) pose for a photo with Bouygues Thai Technical
Director, Chloe Clair (fourth right), Bouygues Thai Managing Director
Jean-Marie Verbrugghe (third right), Bouygues Thai Deputy Managing Director
Development and Marketing Paisal Shusang, Bouygues Thai Senior Design
Manager Dr Kanokpat and Kingdom Property Director Business Development Henri
Young (far left).
Locally based Kingdom Property has become the first real
estate developer in the country to achieve Green Site Platinum status for
its twin tower condominium project Southpoint Pattaya.
The recognition came after its construction partner Bouygues Thai entered
the site at Southpoint Pattaya into an internal global site standards
assessment procedure only for it to come through the tests with flying
colours.
Bouygues Thai has an internal label called Green Site Office, which its
global mother company Bouygues Batiment International established to develop
best practices based on the safety and sustainability of a project’s onsite
operations.
Kingdom Property Chief Executive Officer Nigel Cornick said: “We would like
to think Southpoint Pattaya goes the extra yard in all aspects of its onsite
operations and we are delighted the project has been awarded this honour. To
be the first condominium in Thailand to be recognized in this way means a
great deal to us.”
“High quality is fundamental to the way we approach business and we will
continue to work to raise industry standards, and indeed our own standards
while offering value to our customers. This is the ultimate benchmark for us
that customers keep coming back and investing in our projects because in all
aspects they are high quality developments.”
Among the sustainable energy saving solutions implemented onsite include an
electrical cabinet with time clock, for day/night and weekend modes,
different metering for air-conditioning to better control consumption,
efficient lighting bulbs, movement sensors in toilets, solar lighting, solar
protection on windows and split units installed on shadow areas.
Other solutions to enable water savings included utilizing a double flush
toilet, push taps, rainwater harvesting for washing site shoes or for
watering plants. Workers comfort is also taken into account with planting
around the offices to make it a nicer working environment and ensuring
cleanliness on site of workers and the workplace.
“All these solutions are not so difficult to set up but need to be planned
in advance and followed during operation,” said Bougyues Thai Managing
Director Jean-Marie Verbrugghe.
“It is easy to overlook them as not important, but I would like to
congratulate Nigel and his team on this achievement and to raising awareness
as to the importance of sustainable and safe working practices in
construction sites in Thailand.”
Southpoint Pattaya is located on Pratumnak Hill, a short distance south of
Bali Hai in Pattaya City and within walking distance of the Royal Varuna
Yacht Club. The elevated four-rai freehold plot offers extensive sea views.
Unit sizes start at 30sqm studios, with one-bedroom units ranging from 41sqm
to 87sqm and two-bedroom units ranging from 61sqm to 97sqm. The condominium
includes a dedicated sky deck with an infinity edge lap pool and fitness
centre. It also has a landscaped family zone featuring a children’s pool and
playground.
For more information on the project, visit website:
www.southpointpattaya.com.
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Blue Sky Group opens Citrus Parc Hotel
Directors of the Blue Sky Group and Virasak
Sutanthavibul, Senior Executive Vice President in Charge of Commercial
Banking from Bangkok Bank (2nd right) cut the ribbon to officially open the
Citrus Parc Hotel Pattaya, on April 5.
After enjoying tremendous success in the Pattaya
real-estate industry, the Blue Sky Group has moved into the hotel sector
with its four-star Citrus Parc Hotel Pattaya.
Virasak Sutanthavibul, senior executive vice president for commercial
banking at Bangkok Bank, joined executives from Blue Sky and Compass
Hospitality in cutting the ribbon of the 119-room hotel on Pratamnak Soi 12.
Compass is managing the property for Blue Sky and already manages the Citin
Loft and Citin Garden in south Pattaya. Blue Sky is the developer behind the
Venetian Signature Condo Resort, Grande Caribbean condominium, and Atlantis
Condo Resort.
Employees at the hotel speak Thai, Russian, and English and facilities
include tour services, a central playroom/ TV room and wireless internet
etc. Room rates start from 2,300 baht per night.
(By Warunya Thongrod/PM)
Guest rooms at Citrus Parc
Hotel are all tastefully decorated in an aquatic theme.
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Nirvana & Colliers agree
strategic business partnership
Nirvana CEO Sornsak Somwattana (left) and Simon
Landy, Executive Chairman of Colliers International Thailand (right) shake
hands on the new business partnership set up between the two companies.
Nirvana Development Company Limited has appointed Colliers International
Thailand as a strategic business partner with the aim of achieving 100%
sales of existing stock at 7 live project sites in 2014, and to act as sole
agent on Nirvana’s first project launch in Pattaya, which is one of three
new projects available this year.
Nirvana CEO Sornsak Somwattana commented, “We have appointed Colliers
International Thailand as a strategic partner in order to benefit from their
experience as a leading professional international property consultant and
help us achieve our sales targets and promote and enhance our existing sales
network management system.”
Nirvana has already delivered a total of 7 project sales galleries to
Colliers, six in Bangkok plus Nirvana BEYOND @ Beach Pattaya, a new project
at Na-Jomtien Beach. The developments amount to approx. one third of the
total project value currently held by Nirvana. Colliers as a strategic
partner will be expected to support and promote new ideas and collaborate
with Nirvana to help develop the organization and promote sales.
Simon Landy, Executive Chairman of Colliers International Thailand said,
“Co-operation with Nirvana is a significant achievement this year. Our
appointment has further indicated that we are a leader in one-stop property
sales and development/advisory services. Our network of experienced offices
in Bangkok, Hua Hin and Pattaya with highly qualified staff and property
expertise provides support to encourage and promote sales.”
BEYOND @ Beach Pattaya’, which is a new villa design from Nirvana’s BEYOND
style collection was launched in March with positive feedback. 2 new
condominiums in Bangkok will be launched by Nirvana during mid-year 2014.
A computer graphic shows Nirvana’s BEYOND @
Beach Pattaya development in Na Jomtien.
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Central Embassy all
set for grand opening
An artist’s rendering shows the completed
Central Embassy shopping complex with its unique aluminium façade.
Thailand’s largest retail conglomerate, Central Retail
Corporation Ltd. (CRC) is preparing a May 8 grand opening for its 18 billion
baht Central Embassy shopping complex on Bangkok’s Wireless Road, on land
formerly owned by the British Embassy.
The 37-storey structure includes a mix of 8 floors of retail space and a
30-storey Park Hyatt Bangkok hotel tower, which will incorporate 222 luxury
rooms. The façade of the building is paved with aluminium shields and
stretches over 400 meters, the longest window facade in Thailand.
Chart Chirathivat, managing director of Central Embassy, said Central Group
had taken more than seven years to develop the concept and complete
construction of the project.
“We spent 6 billion baht to procure the land and a further 12 billion baht
on the main structure and interior of the center, making it the highest
investment per square meter in Thailand’s history of retail business,” said
Mr. Chirathivat. “We made this investment in order to obtain a flawless
masterpiece in the shopping-center world and the magnum opus of Bangkok’s
retail business.”
Central Embassy will house more than 200 internationally renowned high-end
brand name stores and is expected to draw 50,000 to 60,000 shoppers a day,
says Chart.
The company plans to spend 100 million baht on the grand opening of the
center, with an additional budget of 200 million set aside for further
shopping promotions throughout 2014.
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Business Development
Department to upgrade condo business standards
Thailand’s Business Development Department is preparing a
project to upgrade customer service standards to international level in
housing developments, condominiums and apartments.
Pongpun Gearaviriyapun, department director-general, said the agency is
discussing with the Thai Condominium Association and Housing Business
Association to upgrade the customer service standard in the future as well
as to improve the standard of asset management in Thailand for customers’
utmost benefit as in the US, Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore.
The move is to prevent high competition in such businesses from overseas
after the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) takes effect next year.
Property management businesses in Hong Kong, China and the Philippines have
expanded to ASEAN countries, she said, and if Thai entrepreneurs do not
improve their business lines, foreign entrepreneurs might find loopholes and
enter the market here.
Ms Pongpun said that the ongoing political problems in general have not
affected the property business, but her department will closely monitor the
situation and assist entrepreneurs impacted by the political confusion.
(Source: MCOT)
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Magnolia links up with China’s leading property developer
(From left) Xu Jing,
Executive Vice President of Greenland Holding Group, Tipaporn Chearavanont,
CEO of Magnolia Quality Development Corporation, and Michael Ross,
representative from Charoen Pokphand Group pose for a photo during the joint
venture signing ceremony.
Magnolia Quality Development Corp., one of Thailand’s
leading luxury property developers has announced that it is teaming up with
Chinese construction giant the Greenland Group and the Charoen Pokphand
Group (CP Group), a leading Thai multinational conglomerate, to launch
several joint-venture real estate developments in the Kingdom over the
coming years.
Tipaporn Chearavanont, CEO of Magnolia, said the alliance would further
strengthen the position of her company as one of Thailand’s top luxury real
estate developers as well as result in new foreign investment in Thailand.
“Magnolia is making a major, strategic move by partnering with Greenland
Group and Charoen Pokphand Group (CP Group). We see enormous potential in
Thailand’s luxury real estate development sector and are committed to being
among the top players. We believe that global partnerships with some of the
world’s largest and most successful real estate corporations will help to
further strengthen our offerings in Thailand and we aim to have our first
project ready to announce during the first half of this year,” said Ms.
Tipaporn.
The Greenland Group is the leading turnkey property developer in China. In
the past 22 years the company has developed hundreds of projects in 29
provinces and specializes in ultra-high-rise projects, some of them being
among the tallest buildings in the world.
The 636 meter Wuhan Greenland
Center will be one of the world’s tallest buildings when completed in 2017.
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Russian buyers fuelling expansion in Phuket property market
Tanode 5, a 14 private pool
villa project near Layan beach in Phuket, is the latest project from Erawana
Co. Ltd.
The Phuket property market is expected to expand by
15-20% annually over the next 3 years, driven by demand from new Russian
buyers and returning European customers, who have traditionally been the
main buyers of Phuket real estate, says Piya Sosothikul, Executive Director
of Seacon Group.
 Piya
Sosothikul, Executive Director of Seacon Group.
“The Phuket foreign property market is recovering very nicely since its low
in 2008,” says the Seacon chief. “The main push in the last few years comes
from Russian buyers who make up about 50% of total sales. Last year, the
market began to see a significant return of traditional European buyers,
especially the British, who practically stopped buying during the peak of
the European financial crisis, which started in 2010.
“This year, we expect total revenues for foreign market properties to be
around THB 8 billion. The new condominium supplies in Bang Tao, Patong,
Kata, Karon and along the eastern coast of the Island are also attracting a
lot of interest.”
Seacon Group, owned by the Sosothikul family, has been established for over
60 years and has developed many landmark properties in Thailand such as Siam
Square Center, Siam Intercontinental Hotel, and Seacon Square Shopping
Complex, which was the world’s 7th and Asia’s largest shopping center at the
time. It also owns many consumer brands that are household names both for
domestic and neighboring countries’ markets.
Seacon launched its first villa project in 2004 in the southern tip of
Phuket through its subsidiary Erawana Co. Ltd. Since that time Erawana has
developed and sold out 12 private pool villa projects around the island with
total sales exceeding THB 1.5 billion. Most recently launched was Tanode 5,
a 14 private pool villa project near Layan beach valuing at THB 300 million.
The company’s strategy is quite simple. Projects are kept small and
exclusive, located within 5 minutes from the beach, with all units being
private pool villas sized between 250-600 square meters, comprising 2-5
bedrooms. The design philosophy is based on functional usage with a touch of
a resort environment, targeting buyers who plan to use the villa rather than
renting it out. Prices vary from THB 15-30 million.
“We try to maintain an excellent reputation, which is important in cases
where foreign buyers are not familiar with the developer. We complete the
construction of the villa before putting it on the market so the customers
know exactly what they are buying and that the project as a whole will be
completed,” says Piya.
Erawana has just secured an additional 2 plots of land, also located in the
Layan area. It plans to begin the construction in Q4 this year and within
mid-2015 launch both projects, with a combined project value of THB 500
million.
“Russian and European buyers will continue to be our main customer base and
the political situation in Bangkok has had very little impact on our sales,
Piya adds. “Most of the customers fly directly to Phuket by either scheduled
or charter flights and many do understand Thailand’s frequent but
non-violent protests, which are mostly confined to Bangkok.
“My major concern is, however, the situation in Ukraine,” he continued,
“although the majority of the affluent Russian buyers here are from the
eastern part of the country and not from Moscow or the west. Still, I
foresee the market expanding at a healthy rate of 15-20% over the next 3
years.”
Piya also expects to see an increase of buyers from other Asian countries in
Phuket over the next few years.
“The Chinese are currently the world’s largest international property buyers
in markets ranging from Hong Kong, Singapore, Penang to, most recently,
Dubai, so we can possibly see them increasing their property interests in
Phuket in the near future. Phuket is already amongst the top 15 locations
that Chinese tourists visit and we can expect to see even more Chinese
visitors after the completion of the airport expansion. If the Chinese begin
to take an interest in Phuket property market, the market size could easily
double,” concluded the Seacon chief.
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Positive outlook for Samui hotel market
The outlook remains bright for
Koh Samui’s hotel industry. (Photo/Wikipedia commons)
While the ongoing political turmoil has certainly had a
negative impact on the Bangkok hotel market, Koh Samui by contrast has
witnessed only a minimal drop in hotel trading performances. The island’s
hotel market has continued to enjoy strong occupancies, according to the
latest research conducted by property services firm JLL.
“Koh Samui’s hotel market has remained relatively robust, compared to
Bangkok where the demonstrations are concentrated. The average hotel
occupancy rate in Samui reached a record of 73% last year, growing by around
5% over 2012,” says Andrew Langdon, Executive Vice President of JLL’s Hotels
& Hospitality Group.
The growing prominence of Surat Thani airport as a secondary gateway to
Samui, in addition to the existing airport, has helped fuel demand for
hotels on the island. Visitor arrivals to Samui airport in 2013 grew by
14.5% over 2012 to 1.5 million. However, average length of stay on the
island has been declining as a result of the growing prominence of
short-stay visitors from the region.
The Average Daily Rate (ADR) recorded a subpar growth of 1% in 2013 to THB
3,940, after declining from 2008 through 2012. Largely driven by strong
occupancy, the Revenue per Available Room (RevPAR) grew by 8.9% to THB 2,870
last year.
Presently, there are about 20,000 hotel rooms in Samui. However, the supply
pipeline on the island looks set to slow over the next three years and hotel
developments that are on the drawing board seem to be targeted at the mid to
high end of the tourism market.
“While the major source of demand for hotels on Koh Samui is tourists from
Europe, we anticipate a continued emergence of short-stay demand from key
Asian source markets. In addition, China, Russia and India visitor markets
are likely to be the strongest growth areas in the medium term,” said Mr.
Langdon.
“With healthy demand fundamentals and slow growth of new supply, we
anticipate a positive occupancy outlook for 2014 with a moderate increase in
ADR,” he concluded.
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Demand for serviced apartments in Bangkok unchanged
Despite the political turmoil in Bangkok, demand for
serviced apartments in 2013 remained largely unchanged in most areas of the
city, according to international real estate advisors CBRE Thailand.
The average occupancy rate for the whole year of 2013 stood at 81%, a slight
decrease of 1% from 2012, as a result of lower occupancy rates in some
serviced apartments located close to the areas where there were
demonstrations.
Generally, serviced apartments in Bangkok target two types of customers:
long-term tenants who are usually single expatriates working in the city,
where serviced apartments compete with non-serviced apartments and
condominiums for rent; and short-term-rate tenants who are usually tourists
or business travellers, where serviced apartments compete with hotels. Most
serviced apartments have one-bedroom or studio units.
The number of expatriates with work permits based in Bangkok increased by
12% Year-on-Year. Japanese nationals working in Bangkok make up the highest
percentage of the long-term rental market for serviced apartments.
Serviced apartment rental rates did not increase due to competition from the
many one-bedroom condominium units available for rent in the long-term
market. As of Q4 2013, the average rent of grade A serviced apartments in
Bangkok was just above THB 1,000 per square metre per month and the
Sukhumvit area achieved the highest average rents of almost THB 1,200 per
square metre per month.
According to CBRE Research, there are very few new serviced apartments under
construction in the capital; however, there are more than 5,000 hotel rooms
under construction, increasing the competition for the short-term rate
market.
There are over 20,000 condominium units under construction in downtown
Bangkok of which 70% will be one-bedroom and studio units, many of which
have been bought by investors looking to rent out their units. This will
increase competition in the long-term rental market for studio and
one-bedroom units.
To date, the political unrest has had limited impact although the short-term
rate market has suffered from a decline in visitor numbers, especially in
those properties located close to the protest areas.
There has not been a decline in expatriates working in Bangkok however and
so the long term market remains largely unaffected. As of Q4 2013, the
average occupancy rate of the overall serviced apartment market stood at
80%, only a slight decrease from Q3 2013.
Demand for serviced apartments is concentrated in a limited number of areas,
principally Sukhumvit, Lumpini and Sathorn. These are the areas favoured by
expatriates living in Bangkok and by tourists.
CBRE believes there will be limited potential to develop serviced apartments
outside of these core locations as rental rates for properties outside of
these areas decline considerably.
Despite competition from hotels and rental condominiums, the limited new
supply of serviced apartments means that there is a possibility that owners
will be able to raise rental rates.
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AIA Capital Center - setting an eco design standard in Bangkok
A computer graphic shows the
AIA Capital Center on Bangkok’s Ratchadapisek Road.
AIA Group has reported that construction of its six
billion baht office tower on Ratchadapisek Road, the new AIA Capital Center,
remains on target.
Designed by acclaimed architectural titan, the Beaumont Partnership, the
newest landmark in the heart of Bangkok’s upcoming financial district is a
unique Green Building featuring avant-garde design and cutting edge
technology, utilizing every inch of space and offering a complete array of
facilities.
Anucha Laokwansatit, General Manager and Chief Investment Officer of AIA
Thailand said: “AIA Capital Center is an innovative office tower project
never seen before in Thailand. We have invested more than six billion baht
developing this premium office complex, Ratchadapisek Road’s first
eco-tower. It will be a new and outstanding landmark featuring a host of
cutting edge energy saving technology.”
The building is one of AIA Group’s two large-scale office and retail
complexes in Bangkok’s prime areas. Situated on a spacious 10 rai plot of
land, the 34 storey office tower offers 54,000 square meters of Grade A
office space for rent, nearly 5,000 square meters of retail space, and
parking space for more than 800 cars. The retail complex will include a
complete range of amenities with banks, restaurants, coffee shops,
convenience stores and a fitness center.
Standing next to the new Stock Exchange of Thailand, AIA Capital Center is
conveniently located for those who commute by car due to its proximity to
the highway, as well as those who take mass-transit systems.
“To achieve our vision, AIA was looking for an architectural firm that best
demonstrated its capability to handle the design brief and, more
importantly, clearly understood and saw what AIA envisions. The Beaumont
Partnership was selected due to the ability of its young architects, whose
portfolio comprises numerous international projects, to flawlessly answer
each and every demand,” said Anucha.
Signature design elements in the building include an exterior curtain wall
system using three layers of insulated laminated low-emissivity (Low-E)
glass to keep the building cool and protect against sound; lofty three meter
high ceilings to create an airy and spacious environment which also allows
more natural light into the offices; column-free office floor plates using
‘core design’ technology to provide offices with unlimited flexibility; and
an energy saving smart elevator system.
The development has already been pre-certified a Gold level of LEED (The
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).
According to Anucha, a key characteristic of AIA Capital Center is that it
will be the only office tower in Bangkok with large green spaces to serve
the general public. There are green areas located outside the retail areas
and parking buildings, as well as in the frontage of the complex which will
be opened for public use.
AIA Capital Center is scheduled to launch around mid-2014.
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Centara moves into Laos with 5-star
Grand hotel in downtown Vientiane
Thirayuth Chirathivat (4th
left), chief executive officer of Centara Hotels & Resorts and Ekaphanh
Phapithack (4th right), chairman of Simoung Group and Joint Development Bank
shake hands after signing a hotel management agreement for Centara to manage
the new Centara Grand Hotel Vientiane. The ceremony took place at the
Centara Grand & Bangkok Convention Centre at CentralWorld.
Leading Thai hotel operator Centara Hotels & Resorts is
to have its first hotel in Laos in 2017 with the opening of the luxurious
five-star Centara Grand Hotel Vientiane.
Located in the downtown district of the Laotian capital of Vientiane, the
hotel will be designed in a French colonial style. Centara will manage the
new-build property under a management contract.
The hotel is owned by a well-known Laotian company and is being developed
under an investment of Baht 1.5 billion (USD 46.2 million).
“We are very proud of the fact that our top-tier Grand brand is expanding
even further overseas,” says Thirayuth Chirathivat, chief executive officer
of Centara Hotels & Resorts.
“The brand is carrying our unique style of Thai hospitality into new
markets, backed by the confidence of international investors.
“Vientiane is an exciting destination for us, and the hotel joins our Grand
branded properties in Maldives, Vietnam, Bali, Mauritius, Shanghai, Addis
Ababa, Doha and, of course, Thailand.”
Including Vientiane, Centara now has a total of 20 Grand hotels.
“Laos is a natural market for us, being a direct neighbour of Thailand, and
we are delighted that we shall have a five-star hotel in the centre of
downtown Vientiane,” says Chris Bailey, senior vice president for sales and
marketing of Centara Hotels & Resorts.
“This will add to our marketing strength in Southeast Asia, providing an
exciting new destination for our large customer base around the world and
adding to the opportunities for our business partners.”
Centara Grand Hotel Vientiane will have 200 rooms and feature Centara’s
five-star facilities, including two restaurants, a Spa Cenvaree, a Kids’
Club, swimming pool, fitness centre and meeting facilities, including a
ballroom.
Meanwhile, the final development phase of the new Centara Hotel & Convention
Centre Khon Kaen has been completed and the hotel now stands alone as the
largest events venue in the city.
The hotel convention hall can hold up to 2,000 attendees seated
theatre-style and is divisible into three smaller sections. The hall opens
to the outdoor swimming pool, making it an ideal venue for both conferences
and outdoor receptions.
The Prachasamosorn Ballroom can hold up to 700 for cocktails, and there are
eight intermediate meeting rooms with a capacity of between 60 to 120
people.
“We are very happy indeed to announce completion of this final phase, and
our hotel is now ready to shine as a regional events venue and to welcome
independent travellers and groups alike with our warm Isaan hospitality,”
says general manager Patrick Tan.
Located in the centre of the city, the hotel is approx. 15 minutes from Khon
Kaen International Airport.
The newly completed Centara
Hotel & Convention Centre Khon Kaen.
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Red Planet Japan launches
iconic Tune Hotels brand
Pioneering hotel owner and operator Red Planet Hotels
recently announced a multi-billion yen expansion into Japan to grow Asia’s
iconic value hotel brand -Tune Hotels - in the country.
Through Red Planet Hotels’ newly established and JASDAQ - listed subsidiary
- Red Planet Japan Inc., the company will make an initial JPY10 billion
(USD100 million) investment over the next six years, establishing a platform
to grow the Tune Hotels network in north Asia.
 Big
in Japan: That’s the plan for Red Planet CEO and Red Planet Japan Director
Tim Hansing.
From its Tokyo headquarters, Red Planet Japan will implement its pledge to
open 20 hotels by 2020 for which a number of sites have already been
confirmed in and around Tokyo and other major Japanese cities. Red Planet
Japan’s first hotel under the Tune Hotels flag opened in Naha, Okinawa last
year.
The investment further cements Red Planet Hotels - the largest franchisee
and the second largest shareholder (17%) of the Tune Hotels brand - as the
major vehicle to grow the marquee value hotel brand across Asia.
Red Planet Hotels Chief Executive Officer and Red Planet Japan Director, Tim
Hansing, said the investment in Japan highlighted the company’s commitment
to delivering key promises to shareholders of methodical, meticulously
planned and sustained expansion.
He added recent announcements by the Japanese government to promote inbound
tourism and infrastructure investment in the country was a positive step
forward for new hotel brands to enter the market.
“Now that we have established ourselves and the Tune Hotels brand in
Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines, our strategy has always been to
expand in north Asia and we will be commencing this move in Japan first of
all,” Mr Hansing said.
“We have been investigating a number of opportunities in Japan for some time
and with the government actively courting inbound travel and tourism
investment, now is the perfect time for Red Planet Japan to work closely
with our partners at Tune Hotels to bring the brand that has been so well
accepted in nine other countries to Japan.
“We are already open in Naha on Okinawa and very soon we will have a network
in key locations across Japan. We have made a significant investment already
to fund our expansion in Japan and are fully committed to bringing a
well-established international hotel brand to the country’s travel and
tourism landscape.
“Our vision to have 20 hotels in Japan by 2020 is crystal clear as the year
will be a significant milestone for the country when it hosts the
thirty-second Summer Olympics.”
Mr Hansing added that Red Planet Hotels is actively exploring expansion into
other north Asian countries, including South Korea and Taiwan.
As of January 16, 2014, Red Planet Hotels is the sole owner and operator of
18 Tune Hotels with 2,789 rooms across Japan, Thailand, the Philippines and
Indonesia and it has a further 12 hotels under construction in those
countries.
Red Planet Hotels also has an ownership interest in a further 11 operational
Tune Hotels through its investment in Tune Hotels Limited.
The launch of Red Planet Japan is expected to significantly grow this
portfolio in the coming years through its goal of 20 hotels by 2020 in the
country.
Established in 2007, there are 38 Tune Hotels operating 6,056 rooms globally
in nine countries with Malaysia, England, Scotland, Australia and India
being the other territories where the brand is operating.
With a JPY10 billion war-chest
Tune Hotels is set to expand in Japan, with 20 hotels by 2020.
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