DOUBTS have arisen about whether the new Centra will be inside the Laguna Phuket sanctuary or whether the Laguna name has been ''borrowed'' for a nearby development. Today a Laguna Phuket spokesperson said: ''The project has nothing to do with Laguna Phuket, Laguna Resorts & Hotels PLC and/or its subsidiaries. The project is not being developed within our complex nor does it have any association with Laguna Phuket brand itself or its affiliated brands.''


PHUKET: Centara Hotels & Resorts has announced that it will further expand its presence in Phuket by the addition of a second Centra value brand hotel on the island, signing a management contract for a new property that is being built in the Laguna resort complex.

Centara, Thailand's largest operator of hotels, has four of its brands in Phuket, extending its reach across a range of tourism market segments.

The management contract was signed at the Centara head office in Bangkok on July 24 with owning company Adler Group Co Ltd, with the opening expected during August 2016.

The new hotel will be named Centra Laguna Resort Phuket.

''The Laguna resort complex is one of Thailand's great tourism success stories, and we are delighted to be opening a hotel in this part of Phuket,'' says Thirayuth Chirathivat, chief executive officer of Centara Hotels & Resorts.

''This gives us the opportunity to expand the range of our Centra brand in Phuket, where we at present have one other Centra property, at Patong, which is very successful.

''The new hotel will be our eighth property on the island, which indicates the strength of our confidence in Phuket as a world-class tourism destination.''

Chris Bailey, senior vice president for sales and marketing at Centara Hotels & Resorts, says that Centara has a strategic expansion plan for Phuket, with currently four different brands to cater for specific market segments.

''We have at present properties in Patong, Karon Beach, Kata Beach, and Mai Khao Beach,'' he says. ''We also have a resort at Khao Lak, and two in Krabi.

''Opening a new resort at Laguna gives us extra strength in the Southern Thailand market, and extends our range in the value sector.''

Centra Laguna Resort Phuket is a new-build project standing on 1.6 acres of land. Currently in the design and planning stages, construction will begin in July 2014.

The resort will have 150 rooms, with a swimming pool and sundeck. There will be one restaurant, a Cense by Spa Cenvaree, a mini-gym, a business corner, and a kids' corner.

Centra hotels are designed to deliver the Centara style of service with quality accommodation and facilities, but without the facilities that may be superfluous to guest requirements.

Centra Ashlee Hotel Patong opened in 2010 and was the first Centra brand hotel. Now, in addition to the Laguna and Patong properties, there are two Centra hotels in Bangkok, one in Samui, and one in Bali.

Centra Ashlee Hotel Patong is an eight-story hotel with 110 rooms, set in the island's premier shopping and leisure town of Patong, within a few minutes' walk of the beach.

The hotel has a swimming pool on the rooftop, with a Jacuzzi, steam rooms and fitness center, and the Air Rooftop Bar and Lounge next to the pool, with its view across the town to the sea, is a popular evening venue for cocktails and enjoying the spectacular sunsets.

Centara Hotels & Resorts is Thailand's leading operator of hotels, with 41 deluxe and first-class properties covering all the major tourist destinations.

A further 17 resorts in the Maldives, Vietnam, Shanghai, Bali Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Mauritius Indian Ocean, brings the present total to 58 properties.

Brands and properties within Centara ensure that specific categories such as couples, families, individuals, and meetings and incentives groups will all find a hotel or resort that is appropriate to their needs. Centara operates 27 branches of Spa Cenvaree, one of Thailand's most luxurious and innovative spa brands, together with its newly launched value brand Cense by Spa Cenvaree, which provides core spa services for busy travelers.

The company's Kids' Club is available at all the family-friendly resorts to ensure that the youngsters and teens are taken care of.

Centara Hotels & Resorts also operates two state-of-the-art convention centers in Bangkok, and two in northeastern Thailand, one being located in Udon Thani and the other in Khon Kaen.

The latest Centara brand is named COSI Hotels, an economy brand designed for travelers who predominantly make their bookings via the Internet and who want comfort and convenience at the most friendly prices available, which is under development with the first property due to open in 2015.