Bangkok--27 Jan--Kasemkij Group
Kasemkij Hotels predicts a continued growth in the longstay, MICE and family tourist markets this year. To meet this demand, it is adding over 400 new rooms to its total room capacity through the launch of two new hotels under the Kameo Collection in Rayong and Ayutthaya. Though the 2011 flooding caused a drop in the Kantary Ayutthaya’s occupancy last quarter, the hotel is back on track this year.
“Kasemkij Hotels presently own 15 properties across the Cape, Kantary and Kameo Collections, many of which are located in industrial areas such as the Eastern Seaboard, Ayutthaya and Kabinburi. The others are in Bangkok, Hua Hin, Chiang Mai, Phuket and Khao Lak — all major tourist destinations.
“Last year,” revealed Kasemkij Hotels Corporate Group Director Wiwat Tangjitkobboon, “the company focused investment on developing our tourist locations, such as the opening of the upscale Cape Nidhra Hotel in Hua Hin, the Kantary Terrace shopping arcade in Chiang Mai and the renovation of Cape Panwa Hotel, Phuket to “all-suite” accommodation.
“This year, we are focusing investment more on the corporate market as there are more competitors entering this sector such as condominiums, so we need to change and be more active to compete. Luckily our corporate locations , both existing and new, also have tourist potential.
“So we aim to increase 2012 revenue by market expansion as well as retaining our old customers, by offering special promotions to the Thai market who like to travel on the weekends, amateur sports lovers and the MICE segment,” Wiwat explained.
Kasemkij Hotels sees its dual market strategy as a way to make up for last year’s loss of projected income caused by the flood crisis, which saw occupancy at its Kantary Ayutthaya property drop by more than 50% compared to 2010, even though the hotel building itself was not affected by the water. “The floods impacted tourism, investment, foreign workers and the overall confidence in Thailand — the impact was predictable and we were not alone in this situation. However, we believe this impact to be only short term and that foreigner investment will continue. Furthermore, the MICE market is continuously growing and it needs good hotels to support its needs, of which we have Kantary Hotel in Ayutthaya, Kantary Hotel in Kabinburi, Kantary Bay and Kameo House in Rayong, and Cape Racha in Sriracha,” said Wiwat.
“The two Kameo hotels - Orchid Kameo Hotel, Rayong and Kameo Hotel, Ayutthaya to be opened later this year will add to the group. Together the properties feature over 400 rooms and each has a large conference hall and all the facilities to cater to MICE customers, who we know trust our brand due their continuous use of our services,” he concluded.