Vietnam’s first international hotel management group has just been launched to cater for the…
Vietnam’s first international hotel management group has just been launched to cater for the tourism boom in Indochina and neighboring China – the world’s newest and fastest growing travel destinations.
Celadon International Hotels aims to “elevate the development, management and marketing” of a new chain of hotels to international standards.
Working with foreign investors and a worldwide marketing and reservations network, the new hotel group aims to promote investment and travel to Vietnam via selected, effective marketing avenues.
The new group is headed by one of Vietnam’s most prominent hoteliers, Paul Stoll, formerly general manager of the iconic Furama Resort Danang – the country’s premier 5-star resort.
It offers three distinct hotel brands — the luxury brand ‘Celadon’, budget brand ‘Waves’ and highly themed brand ‘Exotica’.
“Celadon, Waves and Exotica will provide the highest standard of services and facilities while offering three options to fit guest budgets,” said Mr. Stoll.
As General Manager Projects for Hong Kong-based Furama Hotels & Resorts International (FHRI), Paul Stoll arrived in Vietnam in the early 1990’s and was instrumental in the design development, construction, management and marketing of the country’s first five-star resort which opened in 1997.
Over the past decade, the highly experienced German hotelier and his team have established a global reputation for the Furama Resort and worked tirelessly to secure Vietnam’s place on the world’s tourism map.
Paul Stoll’s commitment has earned him exceptional recognition from both government authorities and travel trade partners. His tourism initiatives have contributed to the founding of several significant associations including, Vietnam’s ‘World Heritage Road,’ hailed by the tourism authority as “the country’s most efficient tourism promotion initiative”; the ‘Best Hotels Alliance’, a group of 38 four and five star hotels in Vietnam and Indochina; and the Vietnam Tourism Association.
Mr. Stoll was one of the first foreigners to be awarded a ‘Tourism Medal” from the Central Government and numerous ‘Certificates of Merit’ for “outstanding contributions to tourism development”. In May this year he was singled out as a tourism personality of the year by the Vietnam media.
During his tenure, the Furama Resort has consistently been voted Vietnam’s pre-eminent resort by both domestic and foreign media, as well as the country’s tourism board, the Vietnam National Administration for Tourism (VNAT).
With Celadon, Mr. Stoll now aims to build upon the high quality benchmark set by the Furama, catering to growing international interest in Vietnam’s emerging tourism market.
As the country’s first homegrown, hotel management group of international standard, Celadon is off to a flying start with various Vietnam hotels and resorts planed and under development – in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Danang, Hue, Hoi An, Phan Thiet, Vung Tau, Dong Nai, Phu Quoc.
Celadon also takes its management expertise beyond Vietnam, having signed a management agreement for a giant 130-meter high hotel complex incorporating six office and apartment towers and a shopping mall in the city of Shouzhou in China’s Shanxi Province. Other projects are on the way in China including the Celadon Hotel in Beijing.
“Celadon’s mission is to be a quality partner to the government and private sector tourism industry making a significant contribution to the tourism development of Vietnam,” said Mr. Stoll.
“Celadon is truly an international, Vietnamese company and so are its professionals. Our criteria matches the lifestyle expectations of international travellers, including focusing attention on the growing business travel sector.”
“With a proactive management style, we are also inviting owners to participate actively in the management of their hotels.”
As Celadon’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Stoll has a unique relationship with Vietnam’s tourism authorities. “During my time working in Vietnam,” said Mr. Stoll, “I have been repeatedly asked by government authorities and private sector representatives to help address the challenges of developing tourism more widely.”
He was part of the team that spearheaded the country’s first international promotions campaign in 1999: Vietnam – a destination for the new millennium.
Additionally, he has successfully lobbied the government for gaming licenses and maintaining value added tax at 10% in the face of a proposed 20% charge.
Mr. Stoll has also successfully campaigned at the highest government levels for relaxed visa procedures and visa exemptions; instigated a SARS recovery programme; assisted in negotiations over international direct flights to Danang from Hong Kong, Bangkok, Taipei, Singapore, Shanghai, and Seoul; is supporting the set-up of a short haul air taxi service, spearheaded the Vietnam hotel industry’s first environmental awareness campaign for which he was awarded; and in cooperation with the Life Saving Society of Australia, he initiated an international lifesaving school for Vietnam lifeguards recognized by the World Life Saving Association.
Lobbying to reposition the famous Danang Beach Road to be an access road to new resort development, the land value of the area increased dramatically, and the influential Forbes Magazine in the US earlier this year, named Danang’s Beach as one of the ‘World’s Most Beautiful Beaches’.
Paul Stoll’s influence in Vietnam was recently, lightheartedly underlined when Hotel Asia Pacific Magazine’s annual awards presented him the ‘Mr. Fix-it’ prize.
