He said that although the name Central was well known here in Thailand, especially in the retail business, it did not reflect "Thainess".

To him, the name Centara sounds more Thai and more exotic. It is also associated with the group's name.

"Cen" comes from Central, which has a 60-year reputation, and "Tara" comes from the Thai word for water.

The move also separates the hotel and resort business from the retail and food business unit.

"We've created three different sub-brands under Centara Hotels and Resorts to enable us to identify and market each hotel clearly," said Suthikiat.

He said five-star properties would include "Grand" in the title for both hotels and resorts. The Bangkok category includes both the Sofitel Centara Grand Hotel and the Centara Grand and Bangkok Convention Centre at CentralWorld, while the facility in Krabi will be renamed the Centara Grand Beach Resort and Villas Krabi.

The group's village properties will also see a big change, and they will be renamed Centara Villas.

"The change more accurately reflects the actual product and showcases our major upgrades to the sector, with private pools

and spas in many units," he said.

Hotels and resorts in Hua Hin and Bangkok will see the Central name changed to Centara: the Sofitel Centara Grand Resort and Villas Hua Hin and the Sofitel Centara Grand Bangkok.

The new name of the Spa will be Spa Cenvaree.

Suthikiat said the group would open its new hotel, the Centara World Hotel, in Bangkok and that it would include convention and meeting rooms.

The hotel, scheduled to open next March, will consist of 505 rooms and spa facilities and is projected to tap the Meeting, Incentive, Convention and Exhibition market.

The property is expected to run at 50-per-cent occupancy in its first year of operation.

Suchat Sritama

The Nation