Savitri plans Phuket hotel

PHUKET: Savitri Ramyarupa, managing director of Chatrium Hotels and Residences, shared her vision and plans for the next three years.

She said she is planning to add two more properties in Bangkok and Phuket, along with expanding an existing property in Yangon, Myanmar.

This is an attempt to cash in on the expected influx of international business and leisure travellers to the region after the Asean Economic Community (AEC) takes effect in 2015.

In an interview with The Nation in Bangkok, Savitri said that Thailand still had high potential in terms of tourism compared with its neighboring countries.

“Luckily, our country will gain an advantage due to its strategic location at the heart of the Asean region. Once the AEC is fully implemented in two years’ time, this region, with
its large and strong consumer base will attract foreign investors. Meanwhile the culture-rich destinations will also lure international tourists,” Savitri said.

Bangkok will likely become a transit point both for business and leisure travellers in the region and might face decreasing lengths of stay, but other key tourist destinations such as Phuket and Chiang Mai will take up the slack.

To be well prepared for this change, Savitri said she already had a plan. In Bangkok, Chatrium will invest in a new five-star hotel in a prime location near Siam Paragon. Another luxury property will be built in Phuket near Surin Beach. Both new properties will accommodate guests with daily and long-stay services.

For the overseas market, Savitri stressed that Myanmar was still be key for her company. In the heart of the country’s commercial capital, Chatrium Hotel Royal Lake Yangon offers 303 rooms,including 37 suites, for leisure travellers during peak season and business travellers off-season.

Since the political and economic reforms last year, a large number of international investors and tourists have been flocking into this neighboring country, for business opportunities as well as new travel experiences.

Currently, Chatrium Hotels & Residences operates four properties in Bangkok and one hotel in Yangon, totalling 1,800 rooms. Those in the Thai capital are Chatrium Hotel Riverside Bangkok, Emporium Suites by Chatrium, Chatrium Residence Sathon Bangkok and Chatrium Residence Riverside Bangkok.

Though Savitri is a member of the Sophonpanich family, a leading financial and business family, and a daughter of Chatri Sophonpanich, she prefers to keep a low profile.

She graduated with a Master of Business Administration degree from Sasin Graduate Institute of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Economics from Barnard College, Columbia University, New York.

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