PHUKET: Holiday Inn is suddenly the hot resort brand on Phuket with the announcement of a Holiday Inn Express deal, the first for Phuket and the first for a beach resort.
The news comes just days after the opening of the 246-unit Holiday Inn Resort Phuket Mai Khao Beach, a four-star that complements the Holiday Inn Resort Phuket, further down the popular Phuket west coast, on Patong's beach road.
A new Holiday Inn Express Phuket Patong Beach Central stretches the brand still further on Phuket, with Thailand's first HI Express set to open in Bangkok at the end of the year and two others already ''in development'' in the capital and Pattaya.
While the Phuket branch office may be the first in a beach resort, there are 2088 Holiday Inn Express establishments already around the globe. The 280-room Phuket version will have meeting rooms, a gym and of course, a swimming pool.
It's positioned in central Patong, only 100 meters from the beach front, says a media release.
Jan Smits, Chief Executive for Asia, Middle East and Africa is quoted as saying: ''Phuket remains a popular international tourist destination; the well-established Holiday Inn Express will appeal to visitors and quickly distinguish itself as the accommodation of choice.''
It's the brand choice of developers the Kebsup Group, with Chalermluck Kebsup saying: ''We chose to go with the Holiday Inn Express brand for our first internationally branded hotel as the brand's value proposition is a good fit with the local market.
''As a local company, we have seen the growth of Phuket's hotel industry over time and have confidence in this partnership with InterContinental Hotels Group.''
A Holiday Inn Express opening is expected by early 2013. New hotels in Singapore, India and Indonesia are due within the next few years.
The news comes just days after the opening of the 246-unit Holiday Inn Resort Phuket Mai Khao Beach, a four-star that complements the Holiday Inn Resort Phuket, further down the popular Phuket west coast, on Patong's beach road.
A new Holiday Inn Express Phuket Patong Beach Central stretches the brand still further on Phuket, with Thailand's first HI Express set to open in Bangkok at the end of the year and two others already ''in development'' in the capital and Pattaya.
While the Phuket branch office may be the first in a beach resort, there are 2088 Holiday Inn Express establishments already around the globe. The 280-room Phuket version will have meeting rooms, a gym and of course, a swimming pool.
It's positioned in central Patong, only 100 meters from the beach front, says a media release.
Jan Smits, Chief Executive for Asia, Middle East and Africa is quoted as saying: ''Phuket remains a popular international tourist destination; the well-established Holiday Inn Express will appeal to visitors and quickly distinguish itself as the accommodation of choice.''
It's the brand choice of developers the Kebsup Group, with Chalermluck Kebsup saying: ''We chose to go with the Holiday Inn Express brand for our first internationally branded hotel as the brand's value proposition is a good fit with the local market.
''As a local company, we have seen the growth of Phuket's hotel industry over time and have confidence in this partnership with InterContinental Hotels Group.''
A Holiday Inn Express opening is expected by early 2013. New hotels in Singapore, India and Indonesia are due within the next few years.
