Hilton mulls Waldorf on Koh Samui
Hilton Worldwide Hotels and Resorts, operator of the Hilton hotel chain, is considering opening a five-star Waldorf Astoria on Koh Samui, after the 2015 opening of the Bangkok Waldorf Astoria.
The firm is studying the plan’s potential. If it proceeds, the project will be designed in the high-end resort style, according to Ian Carter, chairman of global operations and development at Hilton Worldwide.
Thailand’s – and Southeast Asia’s – first Waldorf Astoria, located in the heart of Bangkok, is scheduled to open in 2015. Yesterday, Carter signed a management agreement with Magnolia Finest Corporation Co, a local property developer.
Bangkok is considered a gateway city, Carter said, as it is a centre of trade and industry, and hosts the head offices of many multinationals, creating opportunities for the hospitality business.
The planned 170-room Bangkok hotel will be part of Magnolia Finest’s huge, Bt6-billion Magnolias Ratchadamri Boulevard project, which includes residential and hotel areas. The hotel alone costs Bt2.5 billion.
Bringing its luxury brand to Thailand is part of Hilton Worldwide’s global policy. Currently, it has 25 Waldorf Astoria hotels in major destinations such as London, Rome, New York and Shanghai. Another is planned for Beijing. The firm plans to operate 50 locations, between 10 and 25 of them in Asia. Some nations will have more than one. Hotel sizes will vary from 180 to 280 rooms.
In Bangkok, Carter said, the hotel will target both local and international guests. Of these, 80 per cent will be international, mainly from Southeast Asia, plus China and Japan, while 20 per cent will be Thai.
On the marketing front, the firm will begin to promote the hotel six to nine months before its opening, especially at international airports. It will also promote the hotel among members of Hilton’s benefit programme, which has 27 million members globally. If the firm can attract only 3-4 per cent of them, it would draw large numbers to the Waldorf Astoria here.
Hilton Worldwide manages six hotels in Thailand – Conrad Bangkok, Millennium Hilton Bangkok, Hilton Pattaya, Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa, Hilton Hua Hin Resort & Spa, and Conrad Koh Samui – and will open Hilton Sukhumvit Bangkok and Double Tree by Hilton, Sukhumvit Bangkok next year.
