Outrigger plans Asian city hotel brand
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Upscale resort specialist Outrigger is planning to launch a new range of urban midscale hotels in Asia.
Speaking to Travel Daily at ITB Asia on Thursday (24 October), the company’s executive vice president and chief marketing officer, Sean Dee, revealed that the plan was to build on the company’s long-standing Ohana city brand in Hawaii, and develop a series of three-star urban properties, alongside an expanding regional resort portfolio.
“We’ve had city properties in Hawaii for about 15 years under the Ohana brand, and we’re looking to introduce a second mid-tier offering [in Asia] that would be more city-focused,” Dee told Travel Daily. “The name is still TBD (to be decided), but we should be able to announce it by the end of the year and bring it to the market in 2014.
“The legacy of our founders, the Kelly family, is always bringing a value proposition to travellers, and we have the opportunity to deliver a good service level and leverage our distribution,” he added.
Dee said that while no specific sites had yet been identified, he believed the concept would work in Thailand and Indonesia, although Singapore is “not the near-term focus”.
Meanwhile, Outrigger will continue to develop its collection of Asian beach resorts. The company currently operates three resorts in Phuket and one in Bali, but is planning to expand into Vietnam, China and Mauritius.
“We’ll continue to focus on the beach resorts. We believe that that is our strength and what we’re known for,” said Dee. “I think this year was a turning point for us, with our third property in Thailand opening at Laguna Phuket. Not only because of the location but because of the product and service delivery we’ve been able to execute there. That, to us, represents the future of Outrigger.
“I think there are more opportunities for Indonesia and Malaysia; we’re looking at the Seychelles and Maldives, and also markets like Australia and Japan,” he added.
Dee also said that following the launch of the 256-room and villa Outrigger Vinh Hoi Resort & Spa on Vietnam’s central coast in 2015, the company would pursue further opportunities in the country. “I would not be surprised if we have multiple properties there by the end of the decade,” he said.
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