Proud Real Estate expanding presence

PHUKET: Proud Real Estate Co is launching more hotels and amusement attractions in Hua Hin and Phuket to cash in on the flood of tourists.

Proudputh Liptapanlop, Proud Real Estate executive director, said yesterday that the company would also expand its flagship hotel, the InterContinental Hua Hin Resort, by adding the 40-room BluPort Wing in October.

The company expects to spend 500 million baht for the construction of the annex and renovation of the six-year-old hotel with 118 rooms.

The new wing will offer commercial space.

The Mall department store will also soon locate there, as well as other international brand shops to follow.

“The uniqueness of the InterContinental Hua Hin Resort extension, BluPort Wing, [is that it] can be made private for groups coming to Hua Hin for special corporate or private events such as incentive groups and weddings,” Ms Proudputh said.

Next year, the company plans to open a mid-range hotel, the Holiday Inn Hua Hin, with 300 guestrooms and the largest ballroom in the area.

The hotel targets medium spenders from both local and international markets.

Construction on a condominium next to the Holiday Inn Hua Hin is expected to commence this year.

Pasu Liptapanlop, another executive director, said that the company was venturing into the provinces for the first time this year, with a plan to open a mixed-use project in 2019 consisting of a 100-room InterContinental Phuket Resort, a house, a condominium, retail shops and other attractions.

A few years ago, the company built the Vana Nava Hua Hin water jungle theme park at a cost of 1.2bn baht.

The property is one of the leisure attractions set to draw more local visitors and foreign tourists. More than 500,000 people visited the amusement park last year.

Guests of the InterContinental Hua Hin Resort will receive two complimentary adult admission tickets per stay to the Vana Nava Hua Hin Water Jungle throughout this year.

Last October, the company launched a sports venue, the 500mn-baht True Arena Hua Hin, which turned the beach-resort town into a sports-tourism destination, providing sports facilities for local residents and visitors, including 20,000 retirees and expatriates.

“Our goal is also to provide a multi-sports complex for Southeast Asia for professional training,” said Ms Prodputh. “More important, our hope is to inspire and provide an opportunity for tennis enthusiasts to become professionals by providing them with the best training facilities and a chance to participate in world-class tennis events.”

Two more leisure attractions are in the pipeline for development in other tourist destinations by 2020.

“Our aim for the year 2020 is to become the largest investor for leisure attractions or non-traditional attractions,” she added.

The son and daughter of Suwat Liptapanlop, a former deputy prime minister, said that their family has poured 8bn baht into Hua Hin over the past six years.

Hua Hin has become an alternative destination for foreign tourists since the Sumatra tsunami lashed Phuket and the Andaman coast a dozen years ago. The company realized 850mn baht in revenue last year – 500mn baht from the water park and 350mn baht from the hotel. Revenue is expected to reach 1bn baht this year.

— The Nation