Bangkok (Thailand) – August 25, 2017 (travelindex.com) – The Executive Committee of Movenpick Hotels and Resorts visits Bangkok, Hua Hin and Phuket as the global hospitality firm pursues its Asian expansion plans at pace. The Executive Committee (ExCom) at Movenpick Hotels and Resorts has kick-started its “Grand Tour of Asia” in Bangkok, a move that demonstrates its commitment to Thailand’s thriving hotel market.
The stopover is part of the leadership team’s two-and-half-week mission to meet colleagues, hotel owners and key partners in Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Philippines and Indonesia, which started on August 20 and will run until September 6.
Thailand is where Moevenpick Hotels and Resorts first embarked on its Asia development journey with the opening of Moevenpick Resort & Spa Karon Beach Phuket in 2006. Today the company operates five properties in three destinations; Bangkok, Phuket and Pattaya and has signed management agreements for four additional hotels a move that will grow its portfolio to more than 1,800 keys countrywide by 2020.
Movenpick Resort Khao Yai will open this year, Movenpick Suriwongse Hotel Chiang Mai and Movenpick Asara Resort & Spa Hua Hin are set for completion in 2018 while Movenpick Resort Mai Khao Beach Phuket will be opening in 2019, adding more than 700 keys to the market.
“Thailand is strategically important for Movenpick Hotels & Resorts,” said Olivier Chavy, President and CEO, Movenpick Hotels & Resorts.
“It is not only the gateway to Asia and one of the region’s most flourishing hospitality markets, but has strong development potential for our company; by 2020, more than 30% of our properties in Asia will be located in key destinations across the country.”
During their visit to Thailand, the ExCom delegation will meet with the company’s regional team and local hotel owners and visit the locations of upcoming properties before heading to Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia to conduct similar meetings.
At the end of the whistle-stop tour, the team, which comprises the most senior heads of the Human Resources, Information Technology, Finance, Development and Commercial departments, will return to Bangkok to stage dedicated ExCom meetings.
They will also meet with the hospitality firm’s new ExCom Y Committee, a group of 10 dynamic Generation Y employees and entrepreneurs recruited to collaborate with the Executive Committee as it looks to glean fresh ideas on how to attract Millennial guests and talent.
Given Asia is a key focus of the company’s global expansion strategy, the ExCom team believed it apt to start these top-level discussions in Bangkok, a modern city where the hospitality sector is thriving and the Millennial guest demographic is switched on.
The Asia development strategy
Moevenpick Hotels and Resorts currently operates 10 hotels and resorts in seven Asian destinations. In addition to its five hotels and resorts in Thailand, the company manages one property in each of the following countries; China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.
There are already 17 new projects signed, all of which are on track to open by 2020, growing the Asia portfolio to 27 properties, but the goal is to operate at least 30 hotels and resorts in the region by the end of the decade.
The breakdown of signed projects is as follows: Vietnam (five), Thailand (four), Malaysia (three), Bangladesh (two) and one in each of the following locations: China, the Philippines and the Maldives.
“We will have at least 30 properties under our management in Asia by the end of the decade and looking beyond 2020, we expect our property development activity across the continent to become a bigger percentage of our total portfolio,” said Andrew Langdon, Chief Development Officer, Movenpick Hotels & Resorts, one of the ExCom members taking part in the “Grand Tour of Asia”.
“We are on track to open two new hotels and resorts this year- the Movenpick Resort Khao Yai in Thailand and the Movenpick Resort & Spa Boracay, our second property in the Philippines.”
About Movenpick Hotels & Resorts
Movenpick Hotels & Resorts, an international upscale hotel management company with over 16,000 staff members, is represented in 24 countries with over 80 hotels, resorts and Nile cruisers currently in operation. Around 20 properties are planned or under construction, including those in Chiang Mai (Thailand), Al Khobar (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) and Basel (Switzerland).
Focusing on expanding within its core markets of Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia, Moevenpick Hotels & Resorts specialises in business and conference hotels, as well as holiday resorts, all reflecting a sense of place and respect for their local communities. Of Swiss heritage and with headquarters in central Switzerland (Baar), Moevenpick Hotels & Resorts is passionate about delivering premium service and culinary enjoyment, all with a personal touch. Committed to supporting sustainable environments, Movenpick Hotels & Resorts has become the most Green Globe certified hotel company in the world. The hotel company is owned by Movenpick Holding (66.7%) and the Kingdom Group (33.3%).
For further information, please contact:
Sarah Fernandez
Director of Marketing Communications – Asia
Pacific Place Two, Suite 1803
10110 Bangkok, Thailand
