CENTARA TARGETS 120 HOTELS OVER NEXT DECADE

       Centara Group has set its sights on running 120 hotels and resorts around the globe in 10 years, spanning the full range from budget to luxury categories.
       "The group aims to have hotels in 15-20 countries including Japan, India, China, the Middle East, the United Kingdom, Australia, South Korea, Vietnam and the Philippines," Kevin Wallace, president of Centara International Management, said yesterday.
       Centara Hotels and Resorts will back all expansion and overall operations both locally and overseas, while Centara International Management, the new hotel management subsidiary, will focus on searching for new management contracts.
       Centara has already opened its first joint venture hotel in India and also manages a hotel in the Maldives. It is negotiating with other investors for more deals in other countries.
       Expansion will be mainly in hotel management rather than the building of hotels.
       About 10 per cent of the new properties will be in the luxury class, 50 per cent will be four stars, 20 per cent three stars, 10 per cent two stars and 10 per cent boutique resorts.
       Centara expects to create at least two more brands this year, one for three stars and the other for two stars.
       "In Europe, we would like to have a flagship hotel in London to represent our portfolio in the region, however, we will concentrate on the Far East," Wallace said.
       Centara currently operates more than 20 hotels and resorts in Thailand and elsewhere under three brands - Centara Grand for luxury properties, Centara Villas and Resort for four stars and Bhundhari for boutique hotels.
       Gerd Steeb, president of Centara Hotels and Resorts, said the group plans to operate 77 new hotels in Thailand and overseas within five years, of which 65 would be managed by the group and the rest would be built by the group.
       Suthikiati Chirathivat, group executive chairman, said hotel management is easier than hotel development and also a win-win scenario for Thailand, the property owner and Centara.
       The owner can gain access Centara's wide distribution and customer base, global sales force and professional management team.
       "Overseas, we have already started in the Maldives and Indian markets and will go further," he said.
       The plan would take the group's revenue from the food and hotel business to Bt14 billion by 2014, from Bt8.2 billion last year.
       Centara demolished its popular hotel in North Pattaya, the Central Wong Amat, and replaced it with the Bt4.2 billion Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort, under the theme of Lost World Indiana Jones.
       The hotel features 555 guestrooms and a huge convention hall that can accommodate up to 1,200 meeting participants.
       The face-lift is the pilot project for natural theme development, which is now planned for the next hotels in Hua Hin, Koh Muk Island, Chiang Mai as well as abroad.
       The group expects the new property would attract both local and international families as well as business travellers to the beach resort of Pattaya.