MGallery, a selection of exceptional hotels. The MGallery collection presents hotels that are remarkable in their personality. On this site our hotels are categorized according to four themes: Vision, Design, History and Location.
The Designed Life
VIE Hotel Bangkok is an experience in the designed life. Perfectly positioned in the heart of the dynamic Bangkok landscape, VIE reflects the archetypal life of this modern city, complete with its energy, character and charisma. Offering truly unique accommodation in the midst of this metropolis, VIE delivers individual style and personality. Cutting-edge architecture and interior design comprising panoramic views, rich textures and bold colours, are complemented by bespoke service and superior business facilities, providing the quintessential Bangkok experience
Defining a new style of travel and leisureThrough J+H Boiffils’ world-class architectural vision, VIE captures the 21st century spirit of the city and defines a new style of travel and leisure. Natural and exotic materials, evocative lighting, vivid colours and unique artworks combine to create an eclectic and distinctive style within an alluringly exclusive atmosphere. Impeccable creative detail flows effortlessly throughout the hotel’s public areas, rooms and suites – all of which boast seamless design, vast windows and arresting city views, allowing guests to fully immerse themselves in this sumptuous setting.
The richness of detail
Sip on a welcome drink in your spacious room while pausing to absorb the character of Bangkok encapsulated in the expansive view. Take in the heady aromas of exotic flowers and enjoy prestigious Etienne Aigner products in the vast bathroom. Indulge in one of the many exclusive VIE culinary experiences. Enjoy the VIE Grand Breakfast in the guest rooms or in the restaurant, experience the tradition of Oleang – Thai Coffee making – while savouring the VIE “High Tea”, or indulge the taste buds to VIE Thai Tapas. It is the richness of detail that truly makes the difference.
VIE City Business Experience
A cultural break or a nature escape: discover and explore the hidden treasures of your holiday destination.
The package rates are 4,200++ for single and 4,600++ for double occupancy.
Our offer includes:
- Accommodation at Deluxe Suite room.
- Grand Breakfast at VIE Wine & Grill.
- 20 min. massage and special discounts provided for other spa menus available at VIE SPA
- The pleasures of exploring with a day pass Sky Train ticket or an excursion or an activity depending on your destination.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Best way to book hotels
What's the best way to book a hotel? That's becoming trickier as hotels try everything they can to drum up business in one of their most challenging years.Average daily hotel rates in the United States are expected to drop 9.7 per cent for the year, to US$96.43, according to Smith Travel Research, which tracks the industry. That would be the steepest year-over-year decrease since Smith began tracking hotel data in 1987. To fill rooms, hotels are offering special sales on their own web sites, turning to third-party sites like Expedia.com to sell excess inventory and even quietly acquiescing to travellers who call up or walk in and haggle.
"It would not be unusual for travellers to find rates as much as 40 per cent below last year if they're a little bit resourceful and flexible," said Bjorn Hanson, a hospitality professor at New York University."Each hotel is trying to manage its inventory and occupancy and rate uniquely," he said, which creates more opportunities for travellers.
To see how low hotels will go, I recently tested out four booking methods across a range of properties in New York City - one of the most expensive hotel markets in the United States - by comparing prices for a Thursday night in October on the hotel's own website,Expedia.com and the reservation phone line. For good measure, I also hoofed it to the hotel itself and haggled with the front desk. In each instance I did not reveal my affiliation with The New York Times and presented myself as just another traveller.Of the five hotels I compared, only one - the venerable Four Seasons New York - stuck to the same rate. It was a whopping US$855 a night for a "moderate room" on the hotel's website,US$855 on Expedia.com and US$855 when I called. What happened when I showed up in person?"Eight-hundred-fifty-five dollars," a front-desk clerk assured me in a thick Central European accent."That would be our cheapest, ma'am." he added, when I demurred over the price. A female clerk nodded in agreement, hardly looking up from her computer to glance at the dishevelled traveller who dared to ask for a discount. Harrumph."Alright," I said in the most exasperated tone I could muster, then quickly pivoted on my heels
for a deliberate exit.
The Ritz-Carlton New York, Cen'Most hotels offer
tral Park was more accommodating,a best-rate at least on the phone. Initially, the reservation agent quoted US$795 for guarantee that a king - the same rate found on Expedia and its own web site. But promises guests
when I said,"I was hoping for somean additional 25
dropped the rate US$100, showing thing lower," she immediately per cent discount that even luxury hotels are willing to cut a deal if you ask. But that's if a lower rate is against Ritz-Carlton policy, I later found within 24
for comment."The policy of the learned when I called the company hours of booking'Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company is for rate integrity across all channels of distribution whether made online,toll-free reservations or through travel professionals," Vivian Deuschl,a spokeswoman, said."The hotel erred in quoting a rate lower than US$795."
But was it a mistake? About a week later, the reservation line once again extended the US$100 discount when I asked if there was anything cheaper than the initial US$795 quoted. So it can pay to pick up the phone.
A phone call to the Westin New York at Times Square also paid off. First the reservation agent quoted a rate of US$479 a night,about US$10 higher than the hotel's web site (Expedia was sold out).But the reservation agent offered to search for corporate or other discounts. My AAA membership brought the rate down to US$455.08 - something that did not occur to me while I was searching on the hotel's site. I also went in person to the hotel, but by the time I arrived at 7pm, it was completely sold out.
In one case, a web search yielded the best price. Expedia offered the cheapest rate at the Courtyard New York Manhattan/Times Square South at US$322 a night, US$57 less than the price for the same room type on the hotel's own web site, the reservations line or at the front desk.
Expedia said it doesn't try to outdo its suppliers."We don't view ourselves as competing with the hotel itself," said Tim MacDonald,general manager of Expedia.com. But he acknowledged that it happens sometimes, as when a hotel offers Expedia a low rate and shuts down the sale on its own web site.
John Wolf, a spokesman for Marriott, which owns the Courtyard,said the hotel reloads its rates on Thursdays, so there may have been a lag in the case of my discount."What happened to you was a fluke," he said.
Like most major hotel chains, Marriott offers a best-rate guarantee that promises guests an additional 25 per cent discount if a lower rate is found within 24 hours of booking. But that policy applies only to its own booking channels, not third-party web sites. That might explain why the Courtyard's gray-haired desk clerk frowned and shook his head when I slapped the Expedia printout on the counter and asked if the hotel could match it.
But who, you might ask, really books a hotel by walking in the same day with suitcase in hand. More people than you might think.On a typical weeknight, the Courtyard gets 15 to 20 walk-ins for its 244 rooms. Still, even if you booked well in advance, it's worth inquiring about the cheapest rate that evening before you check in.
It was pouring rain by the time I arrived at the upscale 60 Thompson Hotel in SoHo. Maybe my drenched state worked in my favour because even though the lowest rate listed on the hotel's web site had been US$499 for a room with a king-size bed, the front desk knocked off another US$20 when I asked for a walk-up rate.(Still,it would have been cheaper had I booked by phone earlier in the day. A reservation agent was able to find a queen for US$459, but by the time I stopped by the hotel that evening, the queen had already been taken.)
It turns out that 60 Thompson has a more liberal pricing policy than some of the large chain hotels in the test. While the boutique hotel group also strives for rate parity across booking systems,Stephen Brandman, co-owner of Thompson Hotels, said that rates greatly depend on availability and seasonality and change several times a day."We have an average occupancy of over 90 per cent year round," he said,"and this can only be achieved by lowering prices when demand requires and raising prices when demand permits."
The lesson? No matter what kind of hotel you're booking, it pays to shop around. To get a baseline, first compare rates online at the hotel's web site and at sites like Expedia. Then pick up the phone and ask for a deal. The reservation agent may discover a lower rate you couldn't find online on your own.
Also, consider signing up for an organisation like AAA. A membership costs about US$58 including a one-time enrollment fee and tends to pay for itself with discounts of 5 to 15 per cent off the best available rate at many hotel chains. And for due diligence, ask the front desk for its best rate before you check in. There's nothing to lose by asking, and you may end up with a lower rate or a better room.
"It would not be unusual for travellers to find rates as much as 40 per cent below last year if they're a little bit resourceful and flexible," said Bjorn Hanson, a hospitality professor at New York University."Each hotel is trying to manage its inventory and occupancy and rate uniquely," he said, which creates more opportunities for travellers.
To see how low hotels will go, I recently tested out four booking methods across a range of properties in New York City - one of the most expensive hotel markets in the United States - by comparing prices for a Thursday night in October on the hotel's own website,Expedia.com and the reservation phone line. For good measure, I also hoofed it to the hotel itself and haggled with the front desk. In each instance I did not reveal my affiliation with The New York Times and presented myself as just another traveller.Of the five hotels I compared, only one - the venerable Four Seasons New York - stuck to the same rate. It was a whopping US$855 a night for a "moderate room" on the hotel's website,US$855 on Expedia.com and US$855 when I called. What happened when I showed up in person?"Eight-hundred-fifty-five dollars," a front-desk clerk assured me in a thick Central European accent."That would be our cheapest, ma'am." he added, when I demurred over the price. A female clerk nodded in agreement, hardly looking up from her computer to glance at the dishevelled traveller who dared to ask for a discount. Harrumph."Alright," I said in the most exasperated tone I could muster, then quickly pivoted on my heels
for a deliberate exit.
The Ritz-Carlton New York, Cen'Most hotels offer
tral Park was more accommodating,a best-rate at least on the phone. Initially, the reservation agent quoted US$795 for guarantee that a king - the same rate found on Expedia and its own web site. But promises guests
when I said,"I was hoping for somean additional 25
dropped the rate US$100, showing thing lower," she immediately per cent discount that even luxury hotels are willing to cut a deal if you ask. But that's if a lower rate is against Ritz-Carlton policy, I later found within 24
for comment."The policy of the learned when I called the company hours of booking'Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company is for rate integrity across all channels of distribution whether made online,toll-free reservations or through travel professionals," Vivian Deuschl,a spokeswoman, said."The hotel erred in quoting a rate lower than US$795."
But was it a mistake? About a week later, the reservation line once again extended the US$100 discount when I asked if there was anything cheaper than the initial US$795 quoted. So it can pay to pick up the phone.
A phone call to the Westin New York at Times Square also paid off. First the reservation agent quoted a rate of US$479 a night,about US$10 higher than the hotel's web site (Expedia was sold out).But the reservation agent offered to search for corporate or other discounts. My AAA membership brought the rate down to US$455.08 - something that did not occur to me while I was searching on the hotel's site. I also went in person to the hotel, but by the time I arrived at 7pm, it was completely sold out.
In one case, a web search yielded the best price. Expedia offered the cheapest rate at the Courtyard New York Manhattan/Times Square South at US$322 a night, US$57 less than the price for the same room type on the hotel's own web site, the reservations line or at the front desk.
Expedia said it doesn't try to outdo its suppliers."We don't view ourselves as competing with the hotel itself," said Tim MacDonald,general manager of Expedia.com. But he acknowledged that it happens sometimes, as when a hotel offers Expedia a low rate and shuts down the sale on its own web site.
John Wolf, a spokesman for Marriott, which owns the Courtyard,said the hotel reloads its rates on Thursdays, so there may have been a lag in the case of my discount."What happened to you was a fluke," he said.
Like most major hotel chains, Marriott offers a best-rate guarantee that promises guests an additional 25 per cent discount if a lower rate is found within 24 hours of booking. But that policy applies only to its own booking channels, not third-party web sites. That might explain why the Courtyard's gray-haired desk clerk frowned and shook his head when I slapped the Expedia printout on the counter and asked if the hotel could match it.
But who, you might ask, really books a hotel by walking in the same day with suitcase in hand. More people than you might think.On a typical weeknight, the Courtyard gets 15 to 20 walk-ins for its 244 rooms. Still, even if you booked well in advance, it's worth inquiring about the cheapest rate that evening before you check in.
It was pouring rain by the time I arrived at the upscale 60 Thompson Hotel in SoHo. Maybe my drenched state worked in my favour because even though the lowest rate listed on the hotel's web site had been US$499 for a room with a king-size bed, the front desk knocked off another US$20 when I asked for a walk-up rate.(Still,it would have been cheaper had I booked by phone earlier in the day. A reservation agent was able to find a queen for US$459, but by the time I stopped by the hotel that evening, the queen had already been taken.)
It turns out that 60 Thompson has a more liberal pricing policy than some of the large chain hotels in the test. While the boutique hotel group also strives for rate parity across booking systems,Stephen Brandman, co-owner of Thompson Hotels, said that rates greatly depend on availability and seasonality and change several times a day."We have an average occupancy of over 90 per cent year round," he said,"and this can only be achieved by lowering prices when demand requires and raising prices when demand permits."
The lesson? No matter what kind of hotel you're booking, it pays to shop around. To get a baseline, first compare rates online at the hotel's web site and at sites like Expedia. Then pick up the phone and ask for a deal. The reservation agent may discover a lower rate you couldn't find online on your own.
Also, consider signing up for an organisation like AAA. A membership costs about US$58 including a one-time enrollment fee and tends to pay for itself with discounts of 5 to 15 per cent off the best available rate at many hotel chains. And for due diligence, ask the front desk for its best rate before you check in. There's nothing to lose by asking, and you may end up with a lower rate or a better room.
A fatal moment of passion
Activist Nicholas Snow personalises issue of HIVin Thailand with his own account of the virus
Nicholas Snow, actor-journalist-activist and founder of ActionEqualsLife.com, will happily discuss any aspect about himself with anyone willing to listen, especially the normally taboo fact that he is HIV-positive. Instead of hiding hiscondition,Snow embraces it, taking the HIV-awareness cause to a whole new level in Thailand and beyond.
At a press conference held at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand (FCCT) in October last year, Snow announced that he was indeed HIVpositive. A limited awareness of the virus has existed in Thailand since its first appearance in 1984, however, it has never been personalised in such a way."The reason I decided to tell my story is because there is a great invisibility of people in Thailand with HIV, and basically no one [or very few] people putting their name and face and story out there to help educate, inform and enlighten."
To promote awareness of HIV, Snow openly talks about the scenario that resulted in him contracting the virus. It occurred in August,2007, during two dates with men whom he had met on the internet. Both men had announced themselves as being HIV-negative; Snow has talked of his "false sense of security about remaining HIV negative" in the past, a sentiment in which he now embodies the dangers of.
Last Thursday night at the Bangkok Opera HIV Awareness event held at the Rembrandt Hotel Bangkok on Sukhumvit Soi 18, Snow once again thrust himself into the spotlight to further the public's understanding of the virus, which now affects over one million (reported cases) in the Kingdom alone.
During the event, Snow spoke of his health openly and honestly before performing the musical number,Beautiful In My Eyes , for the evening's guests."I think it's important to put a face to the [problem of HIV],...to personalise it," said Vanina Sucharitkul, a performer of the evening and niece of Somtow Sucharitkul, the host of the event.
The awareness project is a three-year plan that aims to further the understanding of HIV by uniting child performers both with and without the virus on stage in performances so they will form friendships and show the world that HIV-infected children can exist in the mainstream arena without any stigma or handicap.
Despite his HIV-positive status, Snow considers himself to be at the height of his career. As the awareness event was being held, the film Suay Samurai was premiering in cinemas across Bangkok. Snow appears in the film as a CIA agent, making him the first openly gay actor to appear in a Thai movie. He also appears in the film,Last Tango In Bangkok , playing the lead role, and is featured in numerous YouTube submissions, ranging from the emotionally moving to the very entertaining.
"People say I do this to become famous," he told 'Outlook'."But I was already famous before this happened."
He is now in the process of writing a book,Life Positive: A Journey from the Centre of My Heart , which he says will be completed and ready to be published as his life story unfolds further.
Snow has written and recorded a dance single, for global release later this year, titled The Power to be Strong . The song aims to promote HIV testing and safer sex.
In a mission statement made in the extensive selfpromotional material available on the man, he states:"So here's what I am doing. I am working so that millions of people who are coming to know my face and name as a result of my entertainment career to know that I am a person living with HIV. I want to be able to - on a consistent basis - share my own mistakes and to encourage people to share key messages they need to hear [like the importance of HIV testing and safer sex]."
On his website, ActionEqualsLife.com, he talks of "expressing the truth of our lives and transforming the planet".
So I've heard ...
Off on his annual sales trip to London for the World Travel Mart is Victor Sukseree, the general manager of Dusit Thani Hotel Hua Hin. Selling the hotel during the economic low must be a cinch to him compared to the stress of hosting the Asean Summit a few weeks ago.
The security alone was a major headache,understandably though, after the mishaps of the earlier summit in Pattaya.
The first incident, which underlined this security measure for Victor, was the arrival of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's cortege. Victor was waiting to welcome the prime minister at the conference hall, but when the cortege arrived, no one got out of the car. It was a decoy,and the cortege finally dispensed its precious cargo at the nearby Benjarong Thai Restaurant, causing Victor to sprint 500m down to catch up and make his official welcome.
And if anyone says the prime minister doesn't care for foie gras, don't you believe them. Having been forewarned of the prime minister's supposed "culinary dislikes", the hotel skipped this dish for him at the working luncheon. But noting that everyone else was being served foie gras, the prime minister inquired why he was being missed out. Waiters hurriedly brought over a portion, which he consumed with relish.
Nicholas Snow, actor-journalist-activist and founder of ActionEqualsLife.com, will happily discuss any aspect about himself with anyone willing to listen, especially the normally taboo fact that he is HIV-positive. Instead of hiding hiscondition,Snow embraces it, taking the HIV-awareness cause to a whole new level in Thailand and beyond.
At a press conference held at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand (FCCT) in October last year, Snow announced that he was indeed HIVpositive. A limited awareness of the virus has existed in Thailand since its first appearance in 1984, however, it has never been personalised in such a way."The reason I decided to tell my story is because there is a great invisibility of people in Thailand with HIV, and basically no one [or very few] people putting their name and face and story out there to help educate, inform and enlighten."
To promote awareness of HIV, Snow openly talks about the scenario that resulted in him contracting the virus. It occurred in August,2007, during two dates with men whom he had met on the internet. Both men had announced themselves as being HIV-negative; Snow has talked of his "false sense of security about remaining HIV negative" in the past, a sentiment in which he now embodies the dangers of.
Last Thursday night at the Bangkok Opera HIV Awareness event held at the Rembrandt Hotel Bangkok on Sukhumvit Soi 18, Snow once again thrust himself into the spotlight to further the public's understanding of the virus, which now affects over one million (reported cases) in the Kingdom alone.
During the event, Snow spoke of his health openly and honestly before performing the musical number,Beautiful In My Eyes , for the evening's guests."I think it's important to put a face to the [problem of HIV],...to personalise it," said Vanina Sucharitkul, a performer of the evening and niece of Somtow Sucharitkul, the host of the event.
The awareness project is a three-year plan that aims to further the understanding of HIV by uniting child performers both with and without the virus on stage in performances so they will form friendships and show the world that HIV-infected children can exist in the mainstream arena without any stigma or handicap.
Despite his HIV-positive status, Snow considers himself to be at the height of his career. As the awareness event was being held, the film Suay Samurai was premiering in cinemas across Bangkok. Snow appears in the film as a CIA agent, making him the first openly gay actor to appear in a Thai movie. He also appears in the film,Last Tango In Bangkok , playing the lead role, and is featured in numerous YouTube submissions, ranging from the emotionally moving to the very entertaining.
"People say I do this to become famous," he told 'Outlook'."But I was already famous before this happened."
He is now in the process of writing a book,Life Positive: A Journey from the Centre of My Heart , which he says will be completed and ready to be published as his life story unfolds further.
Snow has written and recorded a dance single, for global release later this year, titled The Power to be Strong . The song aims to promote HIV testing and safer sex.
In a mission statement made in the extensive selfpromotional material available on the man, he states:"So here's what I am doing. I am working so that millions of people who are coming to know my face and name as a result of my entertainment career to know that I am a person living with HIV. I want to be able to - on a consistent basis - share my own mistakes and to encourage people to share key messages they need to hear [like the importance of HIV testing and safer sex]."
On his website, ActionEqualsLife.com, he talks of "expressing the truth of our lives and transforming the planet".
So I've heard ...
Off on his annual sales trip to London for the World Travel Mart is Victor Sukseree, the general manager of Dusit Thani Hotel Hua Hin. Selling the hotel during the economic low must be a cinch to him compared to the stress of hosting the Asean Summit a few weeks ago.
The security alone was a major headache,understandably though, after the mishaps of the earlier summit in Pattaya.
The first incident, which underlined this security measure for Victor, was the arrival of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's cortege. Victor was waiting to welcome the prime minister at the conference hall, but when the cortege arrived, no one got out of the car. It was a decoy,and the cortege finally dispensed its precious cargo at the nearby Benjarong Thai Restaurant, causing Victor to sprint 500m down to catch up and make his official welcome.
And if anyone says the prime minister doesn't care for foie gras, don't you believe them. Having been forewarned of the prime minister's supposed "culinary dislikes", the hotel skipped this dish for him at the working luncheon. But noting that everyone else was being served foie gras, the prime minister inquired why he was being missed out. Waiters hurriedly brought over a portion, which he consumed with relish.
Charanachitta family eyes hotel development
The Charanachitta family, a major shareholder in Italthai Industrial and The Oriental Hotel (Thailand), is expanding into the real estate business and plans to become a leading hospitality developer within the next nine years.
Seven projects to be developed next year include three serviced apartments - The Oriental Residences on Wireless Road, Amari Residences in Soi Soonvijai and Amari Residences Hua Hin. Others are a three-star hotel on Koh Samui and another three-star hotel and two mixeduse projects in Phuket.
Amari Estate Co, established early this year with 400 million baht in registered capital, will handle all the projects and will open sales next week for its first property, Amari Residences Hua Hin.
The company plans to spend 4.4 billion baht to build the first two projects in Bangkok and its residences in Hua Hin,said CEO Yuthachai Charanachitta.
The budget for the Phuket and Samui projects is yet to be finalised.
The mixed-use Amari Residences in Hua Hin will be a flagship and business model for other projects, he said. But Phuket is the company's main target because of the high potential of the island's tourism industry.
"We want to grow our real estate business firmly," he said.
"The [Charanachitta] family has many land plots in various destinations. Moreover, our construction cost is lower than other developers because we can have support from Italian-Thai Development,the country's biggest contractor, and its subsidiaries."
Mr Yuthachai is a grandson of ITD's founder, Chaiyuth Karnasuta. He recalls that his father, Adisorn, told him that the population would continue to increase but land would not, so the family should enhance the value of its land.
Most future projects will be mixed-use like the Hua Hin property because profits from condominium sales will help finance the hotel business, said Mr Yuthachai.
The company is targeting the threeand four-star segment because the investment per room is lower than for five-star hotels, he said.
The investment cost for a four-star hotel is estimated at about 6 million baht per room, with room rates of 2,000 to 3,000 baht per night. The investment for a five-star hotel is about 10 million baht per room, with rates of 4,000 to 5,000 baht per night, he said.
Amari Co, the Charanachitta family's core hotel firm, plans to set up a new hotel management company to supervise its hotels in both local and international markets in the second quarter of 2010.The new company will manage the hotels for Amari Estate as well.
"We are working on this plan. We will offer three hotel brands: five-, four, and three-star hotels.
"We expect to sign management contracts for at least three or four hotels in the first year of operation," said Mr Yuthachai.
Amari Co also plans to take over hotel management companies in neighbouring countries next year to pave the way for the Amari brand to go overseas, he said.
Seven projects to be developed next year include three serviced apartments - The Oriental Residences on Wireless Road, Amari Residences in Soi Soonvijai and Amari Residences Hua Hin. Others are a three-star hotel on Koh Samui and another three-star hotel and two mixeduse projects in Phuket.
Amari Estate Co, established early this year with 400 million baht in registered capital, will handle all the projects and will open sales next week for its first property, Amari Residences Hua Hin.
The company plans to spend 4.4 billion baht to build the first two projects in Bangkok and its residences in Hua Hin,said CEO Yuthachai Charanachitta.
The budget for the Phuket and Samui projects is yet to be finalised.
The mixed-use Amari Residences in Hua Hin will be a flagship and business model for other projects, he said. But Phuket is the company's main target because of the high potential of the island's tourism industry.
"We want to grow our real estate business firmly," he said.
"The [Charanachitta] family has many land plots in various destinations. Moreover, our construction cost is lower than other developers because we can have support from Italian-Thai Development,the country's biggest contractor, and its subsidiaries."
Mr Yuthachai is a grandson of ITD's founder, Chaiyuth Karnasuta. He recalls that his father, Adisorn, told him that the population would continue to increase but land would not, so the family should enhance the value of its land.
Most future projects will be mixed-use like the Hua Hin property because profits from condominium sales will help finance the hotel business, said Mr Yuthachai.
The company is targeting the threeand four-star segment because the investment per room is lower than for five-star hotels, he said.
The investment cost for a four-star hotel is estimated at about 6 million baht per room, with room rates of 2,000 to 3,000 baht per night. The investment for a five-star hotel is about 10 million baht per room, with rates of 4,000 to 5,000 baht per night, he said.
Amari Co, the Charanachitta family's core hotel firm, plans to set up a new hotel management company to supervise its hotels in both local and international markets in the second quarter of 2010.The new company will manage the hotels for Amari Estate as well.
"We are working on this plan. We will offer three hotel brands: five-, four, and three-star hotels.
"We expect to sign management contracts for at least three or four hotels in the first year of operation," said Mr Yuthachai.
Amari Co also plans to take over hotel management companies in neighbouring countries next year to pave the way for the Amari brand to go overseas, he said.
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