Onyx Hospitality Group has formed a unique partnership with Thai football team Buriram United, which will lead to the development of a football-themed Amari hotel in eastern Thailand.
The Amari Buriram United is owned by Buriram United’s owner Newin Chidchob, and will be designed in the style of a football stadium, complete with a mini football pitch in the centre. The hotel’s 60 rooms will feature changing room-style bathrooms, while facilities will include a football-themed restaurant, bar, swimming pool and gymnasium.
The property is scheduled to open in the fourth quarter of 2013, and Newin said the hotel was just part of his broader plan to develop sport tourism in Thailand’s Buriram province.
“Amari Buriram United is one element of a project I am investing in to ensure Buriram becomes one of the country’s top five tourism and sports destinations, able to attract both local and foreign tourists,” Newin said. “In 2014 we will be adding an international motor circuit to the stadium complex and this, combined with the existing football stadium, will push Buriram to the forefront of sports and leisure tourism in Thailand.”
Onyx’s president and chief executive officer, Peter Henley, said he “share[s] Khun Newin’s vision for Buriram”.
“We are thrilled to be opening our first Amari in this region of Thailand. As Amari’s first ever themed hotel, we also look forward to introducing a fun and creative new hotel design inside and out,” Henley said. “Sports tourism is a huge potential and emerging market for both domestic and international visitors to Thailand. The development of Buriram as a centre of excellence in this area is certainly welcome and the addition of a motor sports circuit to the existing i-Mobile Thunder Castle stadium will certainly put Buriram ahead of the game.”
Buriram United won Thailand’s League, FA Cup and League Cup treble in 2011, and played in the 2012 Asian Champions League. Their home, i-Mobile Thunder Castle stadium, holds 24,000 people, making it suitable to host major events. Thailand’s national team has played at the stadium on three occasions.
The new hotel will be designed by the same architects as the neighbouring stadium.
