PATTAYA Thailand, 9 January 2025: Javier Gimeno, a hospitality veteran with three decades of industry experience in Asia and Europe, takes  charge of the new Meliá Pattaya Hotel.

The 234-room and suite hotel is scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2025 in the heart of Pattaya, a 138 km transfer from Bangkok (a one hour and 34 minutes drive).

He joined Meliá Pattaya Hotel after having worked in senior management roles with Marriott International for over a decade. Most recently, he was the cluster general manager with Marriott & Four Points by Sheraton Tianjin National Convention and Exhibition Centre in Tianjin, China.

His assignments in Asia go back to 2000, when he worked in Shanghai, China, before becoming a general manager with Barceló Hotels & Resorts in Davao, Philippines, in 2002. His career has also taken him to Hong Kong and Malaysia.

BANGKOK, 8 January 2025: Anantara Bophut Koh Samui Resort unveiled newly refurbished rooms in January and new projects targeting families and fitness fans scheduled for completion in Q1 and Q2 2025. 

Since opening in 2004, Anantara Bophut is one of the Island’s original resorts set in a spectacular Bill Bensley-designed landscape gardens. 

Backed by a USD2 million investment, the transformation includes a comprehensive room redesign across all categories, the introduction of a new Kids and Teens Club and a state-of-the-art Technogym fitness facility due to launch in Q1 and Q2 2025, respectively.

Looking ahead to additional developments, in March 2025, a 150 sqm state-of-the-art Technogym fitness facility will open in a brand-new space next to the resort’s Spa. The gym will feature advanced Technogym equipment, including six cardio machines, six resistance machines, free weights, bench presses, and functional fitness tools integrated with online Technogym courses.

Q2 2025 will also introduce a new Kids’ and Teens’ Club experience. Housed in a newly relocated space with its own terrace, “The Treehouse” Kids’ Club will embrace the resort’s story of monkeys and nature. It will feature a creative treehouse-inspired design, indoor and outdoor playgrounds, wall nooks for hiding, and an array of Montessori-inspired play spaces.

In a separate space next door, the Teens’ Club, “The Lounge,” will offer arcade games, a reading corner, and a relaxed hangout area. Both spaces will be paired with various child- and teen-friendly cultural experiences.

Stays at Anantara Bophut start from USD250 plus 10% service and 7% Vat per night, including breakfast, Kids’ and Teen Club access, and daily activities such as yoga, Pilates, stand-up paddleboarding, and sea kayaking. 

TOKYO, 8 January 2025: Hotel Okura, a leading Japanese hotel operator, has concluded a management agreement with Thailand’s Asset World Corporation (AWC) for two new hotels — Okura Resort Chiang Mai and The Okura Prestige Sukhumvit Bangkok Hotel and Spa in Bangkok’s Thonglor district. 

Both properties are slated to open in 2028, expanding Hotel Okura’s portfolio in Thailand to seven hotels with an additional 400 rooms. 

Hotel Okura has a long-standing relationship with AWC, a major operator of Thai real estate projects, which has gradually strengthened since the 2012 opening of The Okura Prestige Bangkok. Their most recent joint venture was the Okura Cruise, a Chao Phraya River dinner cruise ship introduced on 20 December 2024.

Okura Resort Chiang Mai, located in Thailand’s second-largest city, will be the first Okura-branded hotel in Northern Thailand. The will be situated on Chang Klan Road, a major tourist hub known for its night markets and local cuisine. It will feature 200 rooms, ranging from 40 to 120 sqm. Their design will blend ryokan-style elements such as tatami mats and open-air baths with influences replicated from Chiang Mai’s ancient Lanna culture.

The Okura Prestige Sukhumvit Bangkok Hotel and Spa will offer Japanese-style wellness services and long-term stays in Thonglor, a trendy Bangkok district popular with Japanese expatriates and foreign residents. The property will provide long-term stays and a wellness programme combining traditional Japanese perspectives and modern wellness techniques. It will feature 200 rooms averaging 45 sqm in size.

The two hotels will operate as part of a larger framework agreement with AWC signed in May 2024 to expand Hotel Okura’s business in Thailand. By their planned opening in 2028, Okura Nikko Hotels expects to operate seven hotels and approximately 2,000 rooms in Thailand.