Asia's low-cost, limited service hotel brand has finally come to Bangkok, with the latest Tune Hotel opening in the busy downtown area of Asoke.
BANGKOK- Owned and operated under a franchise agreement by Red Planet Hotels, the Tune Hotel Asoke, in the Sukhumvit area, opened on September 13 with a capacity of 130 rooms. It is located right in the heart of Bangkok’s bustling shopping district and just a few minutes’ walk to the mall Terminal 21.
The hotel is also a short walk to the Asoke BTS Skytrain station and Sukhumvit MRT underground station. Tune Hotels offer a unique service to savvy travellers with five-star beds and superb power showers in very convenient locations at unbeatable prices. Optional extras include air conditioning, television, Wi-Fi and breakfast.
The Tune Hotel Asoke, Bangkok is the first of many more to come in Thailand’s capital and is the third in the country after Hat Yai and Pattaya. “We are on the verge of signing up to four or five more sites in Bangkok as we expand the brand through a capital city receiving more and more leisure and corporate travellers each year,” indicates Red Planet Hotel’s Chief Executive Officer, Tim Hansing.
Phuket will also welcome its first Tune hotel in December when a 150-room property opens in the entertainment precinct along Patong Beach. How will the Bangkok property be positioned as the market remains extremely competitive due to a batch of good standard hotels offering excellent value for money? “Our success is due to our location. We are the only budget hotel in this part of Sukhumvit. Travellers might find hotels at similar rates in the area. But they are generally older properties with limited facilities,” says Mark Armsden, Senior Vice President, Sales And Marketing of Red Planet Hotel. “We also have the power of being a key global brand. This is also an asset as we have global distribution channels around the world”, he adds.
Through a “significant” recent investment to acquire a 16.05% stake in the Tune brand, Red Planet is now the third largest shareholder in Tune Hotels with ownership interests in 17 hotels located across Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and the United Kingdom as of today. Latest additions to Tune Hotels’ portfolio have been in Jakarta and Manila. By the end of the year, the total number of hotels will stand at 20 while another 20 properties are in the pipeline. Tune Hotels is part of a lifestyle business conglomerate founded by Tony Fernandes which also includes the Air Asia group of companies.
Luc Citrinot a French national is a freelance journalist and consultant in tourism and air transport with over 20 years experience. Based in Paris and Bangkok, he works for various travel and air transport trade publications in Europe and Asia.
