Centara Grand Beach Resort Phuket to open in November

PHUKET: Plunging occupancy rates throughout Thailand has not affected the Centara Hotels & Resorts’ plan to open their latest Phuket resort in November this year, just in time for the start of the next high season.

The 1.9-billion-baht Centara Grand Beach Resort Phuket will be the group’s fourth location in Phuket – and its largest.

Centara’s Director of Group Marketing Communications, Kanokros Sakdanares, said that, while recent events in the capital were a cause for concern, it was important for the group “to keep moving forward”.

Construction of the five-star hotel, located at the north end of Karon Beach, began in 2007.

A total of 262 rooms and villas in Sino-Portuguese style includes 108 deluxe rooms, 81 deluxe spa rooms, 45 premium pool rooms, 18 pool suites, six one-bed pool villas and four two-bed pool villas.

Guests staying in the villas, pool suites and pool premium rooms will enjoy club privileges including access to a Private Club Lounge with 200 square meters of indoor and outdoor terrace and complimentary meals five times daily.

Leisure facilities will include four swimming pools, a tennis court, a water-sports center, a 144sqm fitness center and Spa Cenvaree, with 10 single and double treatment rooms.

According to Ms Kanokros, several corporate bookings have been made already at the resort for later in the year.

In keeping with the groups’ family-friendly ethos, the new resort will offer a range of services for children including children’s swimming pools, a playground and two playrooms, one fitted out to entertain children between four and 10 years old and another to cater to 10- to 16-year-olds.

Dining and entertainment at the resort will feature Italian, Mediterranean and Asian tapas style food.

Bars will include the Beachcomber Beach Bar, a Splash Pool Bar and the sea view Lobby Lounge & Bar featuring live piano music in the evenings.

The Centara Grand Ballroom will cater to 600 people seated theater-style.

The facility is versatile enough to be divided into two smaller rooms with capacity for 300 people each.

— Nicky Vermeulen