Bangkok-based Onyx Hospitality Group is planning a major international expansion in the coming months and years, with new hotels opening in the major emerging markets of South Asia, the Middle East and Greater China.
The company will open its first Amari properties in the Qatar and India, and plans to enter Sri Lanka in 2014 with new select service brand, Ozo. This will follow the global debut the Ozo brand in Hong Kong.
“2012 is an important year for Onyx, as we see the company open three properties, whilst also taking our first steps as a company into three new markets. In 2013 we will also be welcoming guests to our first ever Ozo property in Hong Kong, paving the way for several further Ozo projects in the near future,” said the company’s President & CEO, Peter Henley.
“Our expansion plans into the Middle East and India present a great opportunity for us to take advantage of growing domestic visitor numbers, whilst plans to expand our offering into Sri Lanka will ensure we have a foothold in one of the world’s fastest-growing tourism destinations. A fundamental part of our expansion strategy is to develop operations in a geographical area stretching from the Middle East to China and Australia, ensuring logistical and operational control from our Bangkok headquarters,” he added.
The upscale Amari brand will debut three new properties in Qatar, India and Thailand. The Amari Hua Hin opened its doors in August 2012 and will be followed in October 2012 by the Amari Doha, marking the brand’s Middle Eastern debut. The brand will be launched in India in mid-2013 with Amari Ludhiana, following a soft-opening period.
The Ozo budget brand meanwhile, will launch in 2013 with the Ozo Wesley Hong Kong. The Ozo Chaweng Samui will then open on the Thai island Koh Samui in late 2013, followed by properties in the Sri Lankan cities of Colombo and Kandy. Onyx said it is also in discussions for a third project in the coastal town of Galle.
Finally Onyx’s serviced residence brand, Shama, will open in the Chinese city of Hangzhou in late-2013.