Park Hotel Group to venture into Thailand, Indonesia in 2015

Singapore

PARK Hotel Group is making its foray into Thailand and Indonesia with two new management contracts, which will boost its portfolio to 12 hotels.

It has inked an agreement with the Southsea Group which will see it opening the Park Hotel Khao Lak Beach Resort Phang Nga in 1H 2015, and the Park Hotel Nusa Dua Bali resort in 1Q 2015.

Chief executive Allen Law highlighted at a press conference at ITB Asia on Thursday that the group plans to expand further in both Thailand and Indonesia, while Malaysia is likely to be the next new market that it will enter into. And while the Park Hotel Group has slowed down expansion in China where oversupply remains a challenge, it is also scouring for opportunities in Hong Kong, where it opened its first hotel back in 1961.

Future growth is expected to largely centre around the Asia Pacific region, although it doesn't rule out going further afield, having considered potential projects in Europe and the US in the past.

"Thailand and Indonesia ... are influential and growing markets that we feel are of strategic importance," said Mr Law. He added that both hotels are important milestones for the brand and the group.

The 125-room Park Hotel Khao Lak Beach Resort, which is located along the coast of Khao Lak, is about an hour's drive from Phuket International Airport. Facilities include a spa, fitness centre and business centre.

Meanwhile, the Park Hotel Nusa Dua Bali is located on a hilltop in the popular Nusa Dua area, with views of the Tanjung Benoa bay.

Mr Law also said that the group is working on a third brand - aside from its luxury Grand Park and upscale Park Hotel brands - which will "cater to a different market need". The new brand, which will be aimed at savvy business and leisure travellers, will likely be rolled out within the next 12 months.

Here in Singapore, the Park Hotel Alexandra is due to open next year, and Park Hotel Farrer Park is set to launch in 2016. The group also has three hotels in China - in Xian, Wuxi and Kunming - and another in Otaru, Japan. Currently it has over 3,600 rooms across its portfolio in five countries.