Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group boosted by 2015 strong momentum, expects to double its presence in Thailand within 18 months.
BANGKOK, Thailand – Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, one of the world’s largest and most dynamic hotel groups, has renewed its commitment to Thailand as it powers into the new year on the back of a stellar 2015. Having achieved accelerated growth in Asia Pacific in 2015, opening ten hotels and 23 signings, up from nine the year before, Carlson Rezidor continues the momentum to achieve its 2020 target at the Carlson Rezidor Asia Pacific Business Conference 2016 in Bangkok. Senior executives from across the region and the global offices gathered at Radisson Blu Plaza Bangkok to celebrate the Group’s 2015 achievements and articulate the roadmap of adding 100 operating hotels to the Asia Pacific portfolio in the next five years.
In Thailand, Carlson Rezidor operates four hotels in Bangkok under the Radisson Blu, Radisson and Park Plaza brands. Come Q2, 2016, Carlson Rezidor is set to open the highly anticipated Radisson Blu Resort Hua Hin in Thailand’s premier resort destination.
Carlson Rezidor’s hotels in Thailand have consistently delivered strong performance in occupancy, in tandem with the resilience that the Thai tourism industry has demonstrated. In the face of recent challenges and security concerns, the industry rebounded from a dip in 2014 to set a new record of welcoming more than 29 million visitors in 2015, exceeding its target of 28.8 million[i]. With new visa regulations, a unique culture and some of the world’s favorite destinations, robust long-term growth is forecast for travel and tourism in Thailand. The industry’s direct contribution to GDP in 2014 was $31.9 billion and the World Travel & Tourism Council[ii] forecasts that this will grow by 6.7% a year between 2015 and 2025. It also projects that travel and tourism will account for over 3.4 million jobs in Thailand by 2025, up from 2.2 million in 2014.
“Carlson Rezidor has been operating in Thailand for more than eight years and we are proud to be contributing to its growth story. On the back of our strong growth momentum from 2015, we are aiming to add six more hotels across key destinations including Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket within the next 18 months, which will more than double our presence in Thailand. Given that our existing hotels in Thailand have emerged from challenging periods with solid operating margins and greater market share, we are optimistic that our growing Thai portfolio will continue to outperform the competition,” said Thorsten Kirschke, president, Asia Pacific, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group.
Carlson Rezidor is working on rolling out its innovative Radisson RED brand across Southeast Asia, as well as cities such as Auckland, Kuala Lumpur, Perth and Sydney. Earlier this month, it signed Radisson RED Guangzhou South Station, the fifth Radisson RED hotel under development in the region. In 2015, three Radisson RED hotels were signed in Asia Pacific.
2015 also marked Carlson Rezidor’s entry into Vietnam, with the signing of Radisson Blu Cam Ranh Bay. In addition, Carlson Rezidor strengthened its position in the mega-markets of India and Indonesia, and initiated the implementation of expansion plans in Australasia.
Carlson Rezidor’s overall portfolio in Asia Pacific now stands at 108 hotels in operation and 91 hotels under development.
Photo caption: Thorsten Kirschke, president, Asia Pacific, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group
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