AccorHotels keeps plans for Thailand despite blast

AccorHotels will continue expanding in Thailand despite the recent bombing in Bangkok, said Patrick Basset, chief operating officer for Upper Southeast and Northeast Asia.

Over the next three years, the group plans to open 13 hotels in Thailand. The new properties will be branded as Sofitel So, Pullman, M Gallery and Grand Mercure, and will have nearly 1,400 rooms in total.

The group also plans to introduce several new brands to the Thailand market, such as The Sebel (serviced residences) and Mama Shelter (mid-scale hotels).

Currently, AccorHotels operates 55 hotels in Thailand with a total of more than 13,000 rooms. Basset said the recent bomb blast had a negative impact on its hotels in Bangkok. However, the company believes that tourism will rebound and grow thanks to the country’s varied attractions.

"The group [suffered] a huge impact from the recent bombing. We have lost about Bt30 million from cancellations, particularly from business travellers. The average occupancy rate at our hotels in Bangkok dropped from 85 per cent before the incident to 50-60 per cent during the week after, while hotels in other cities like Phuket, Hua Hin and Pattaya were not affected [by] the blast." Meanwhile, AccorHotels has undertaken a "Women in Leadership" project, aiming for 35 per cent of its general managers to be women by 2017, and 50 per cent eventually. In Thailand, the ratio of female to male hotel managers is 1:6.

In the second quarter of this year, the group launched a programme aimed at developing 25 female general managers and senior functional directors.

The 12-month project consists of five instructor-led eCornell online training programmes, a mentor from a senior leadership team, 360-degree emotional intelligence reports and individual feedback, virtual classroom sessions on building skills in emotional intelligence, and a two-day face-to-face workshop including a roundtable discussion.

Aside from Thailand, AccorHotels is also eyeing the Myanmar market, planning to open five more hotels in key locations such as Yangon, Inya Lake and Mandalay. The group already has three hotels in Inya Lake, Yangon and Nay Pyi Taw.