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Second Mövenpick Resort for Thailand
Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts has taken another
significant step in its expansion strategy in Asia and has just signed a
management agreement with Apex Development Public Company Limited (APEX)
for a futuristic tourism project in Pattaya.
 An
artist’s impression shows the Mövenpick 5-star hotel and The Spinnaker
Condominiums in Pattaya.
The exclusive 5-star Mövenpick Resort & Spa Pattaya will comprise 300
rooms and suites and is scheduled to open at the end of 2010.
The upscale holiday resort will be situated on one of Pattaya’s white
sandy beaches only five minutes from the city centre.
Each of the 300 modern rooms and suites at the Mövenpick Resort & Spa
Pattaya, which is an integral part of this high quality tourism project,
will offer unrestricted views of the sea. A second high-rise with 303
luxury condominiums is also under construction next to the hotel.
The resort facilities will include a main restaurant, featuring the
popular and much-praised Mövenpick buffets, two speciality restaurants
and an entertainment centre.
Resort guests will be able to enjoy a wide array of leisure activities,
including an extensive spa and wellness area, a fitness centre, swimming
pools, tennis courts, water sports and a Kids’ Club. The Phoenix Golf &
Country Club, a 27-hole golf course, is only five minutes’ away. Also
for business travellers there will be 1,500sqm of state-of-the-art
conference facilities.
“We very much look forward to the partnership with Mövenpick Hotels &
Resorts,” says Pongphan Sampawakoop, Chairman of Apex Development Public
Company Limited. “With its resort in Phuket the Swiss hotel group has
demonstrated that Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts’ philosophy is also very
well received in Thailand.”
“Pattaya is one of the most popular holiday destinations in Thailand and
it is currently investing heavily in its infrastructure in order to
firmly position itself as a leading tourist destination,” explained Jean
Gabriel Pérès, President & CEO Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts. “We are proud
of the fact that as of 2010 we will be represented in Pattaya, and we
firmly believe that, with APEX, we have found the right partner for this
unique 5-star project.”
Changes on the Kolkata-Bangkok route
Air India’s low-cost brand, Air India Express, will introduce
thrice-weekly flights on the Dhaka-Kolkata-Bangkok route starting this week,
using a 185-seat Boeing 737-800.
Following the start of the service, Indian - which will soon be merged with Air
India - will cut its frequency on the Kolkata-Bangkok route from daily to thrice
weekly.
Four airlines operate services on the Bangkok-Kolkata route. They are Thai
Airways International, Druk Air, Indian and Jet Airways. (TTG)
AoT keeps international
airlines on tenterhooks
Airports of Thailand (AoT) will decide before the end of the year if some
non-connecting international flights will return to Don Muang airport,
following the shift of non-connecting domestic flights there on March 25.
If the green light is given, it is understood AoT will invite some 25
airlines, including eight low-cost carriers, to move their short-haul
non-connecting international flights back to Don Muang airport. This will
account for 23 per cent of all flights and 15 per cent of all passengers
using Suvarnabhumi Airport, which opened in September last year.
The decision, if taken, will relieve congestion at Suvarnabhumi Airport,
which is expected to reach its saturation point of 45 million passengers per
annum in its second year of operations.
However, IATA said it would continue to advocate a single airport operation
as the preferred long-term solution if Bangkok was to be a strong aviation
hub in the region.
IATA Asia-Pacific spokesman, Albert Tjoeng, said having two airports would
split the passengers, airlines, AoT’s resources, and would lead to lower
cost efficiency and inconvenience for passengers: “Hence AoT should urgently
inject additional capacity at Suvarnabhumi - either by building the midfield
terminal or a low-cost terminal,” he said.
He added that if the decision was to operate two airports, then it was
critical that there be a level playing field for all airlines: “All carriers
should be given the choice of where they wish to operate from; airport
charges should be transparent, and accurately allocated; and there should
not be any cross subsidisation between the two airports,” he commented.
(TTG)
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