Carlson has struck a deal to manage the 15-storey boutique hotel near the Sukhumvit-Asoke intersection, owned by Bangkok-based Asoke Park Co Ltd and due to open in the first quarter of this year.
The accord with Asoke represents a second hotel management contract in Thailand for the Minnesota-based group, which staged a comeback to Thailand's hospitality industry when it brought back its five-star brand Regent to Thailand, which had been absent since November 2003.
The Regent brand disappeared from Thailand a year ago after the rebranding of Rajdamri Hotel Plc's former Regent Bangkok and the Regent Chiang Mai Resort and Spa to the Four Seasons brand, owned by Toronto-based Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. Four Seasons sold the Regent brand to Carlson more than five years ago.
Late last year, Carlson clinched a 20-year agreement to run the four-billion-baht luxury hotel and residence complex located on Sukhumvit Road, in front of the old Ambassador hotel next to Soi 13, for Grande Asset Plc. The property, named the Regent Bangkok Hotel & Residence, is due to opened in mid-2007.
Paul Kirwin, president and managing director of Carlson Hotels Asia Pacific, said the company wanted to have one or more Park Plaza hotels or resorts in all major locations in Thailand, particularly in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Samui, Pattaya and Hua Hin.
"Bangkok is an extremely important gateway city and its hotel industry is strengthening," he said.
The Park Plaza Sukhumvit Hotel, rated four-star, targets the local and intra-Asian business segment and inbound plus local leisure guests. It specifically aims at traffic from the UK, Scandinavia, Germany and Asian countries.
The hotel, on which construction is expected to begin soon, will have 89 guest rooms -- 13 standard, 26 deluxe, 12 standard twin double and 38 executive deluxe rooms.
The contemporary hotel will feature a modern gymnasium, rooftop pool, executive lounge and lobby business centre. All guest rooms will be equipped with a printer, scanner, fax and wireless broadband.
