Centara expands in Southern Thailand with new resort at Khao Lak

BANGKOK, Thailand – Centara Hotels & Resorts is expanding its presence in Southern Thailand with the acquisition of the management contract for Khao Lak Seaview Resort & Spa, which will be renamed Centara Seaview Resort Khao Lak this summer.

The management contract was signed on April 4, 2013 with owner Seaview Resort at Khaolak Co., Ltd.

A program of upgrades and renovations under an extensive budget is now underway to ensure that the resort is in compliance with the four-star Centara Hotels & Resorts core brand.

“We are very proud to be announcing the addition of this magnificent property to our portfolio,” says Thirayuth Chirathivat, Chief Executive Officer of Centara Hotels & Resorts.

“The resort is located at Nang Thong Beach, which is fast becoming the prime resort center of Khao Lak, and it has an extensive area of beachfront.

“This is our first property in Khao Lak, a destination that we see as very strategic for our further growth in Southern Thailand. We currently have 7 properties in Phuket and 2 in Krabi, and further expansion will be announced in the near future for both the Andaman coast and the Gulf of Thailand.”

The resort originally opened on November 1, 2008 and has a total of 218 rooms, of which the majority are deluxe category with one king-size bed, or 2 queen-size beds for families wishing to stay in one room. Connecting rooms are also available. The other categories of accommodation are all villas, most of them being pool villas.

Dining facilities include an all-day restaurant serving Thai and international foods, selection of speciality outlets, and the resort will include a Spa Cenvaree.

The resort is also designed for meetings and events, with the largest function room able to hold 400 guests for cocktails or in theatre style, and a conference room that can hold up to 200 people, and which is divisible into three.

Chris Bailey, Senior Vice President for Sales and Marketing at Centara Hotels & Resorts, says that the location, size, and room types make the resort a perfect addition to the group’s core 4-star brand portfolio.

“The resort is about 1-hour drive from Phuket International Airport, and less than 2 hours drive from Krabi International Airport,” he says. “The facilities are very family friendly, and are also ideal for couples and groups.

“We have a strong marketing operation for the South of Thailand, with our regional office at Karon Beach in Phuket, and we enjoy very positive support from our business partners. In marketing terms, this all adds up to what we are confident will be great success for this beautiful resort.”

Centara Hotels & Resorts is Thailand’s leading operator of hotels, with 40 deluxe and first-class properties covering all the major tourist destinations in the Kingdom. A further 17 resorts in the Maldives, Vietnam, Bali Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Mauritius Indian Ocean, brings the present total to 57 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 travellers. 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 2 state-of-the-art convention centers in Bangkok, and 2 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.