Centara adding 3 projects

Group executives will today give details on the Bhundhari Spa and Villa Resort Samui, Centara Pariya Resort Koh Pha-Ngan and Centara Udon Thani Hotel as well as other developments.

The openings are expected to help the group to revitalise revenue after swallowing a bigger net loss of Bt166.2 million in the third quarter, compared to the loss of Bt118.5 million in the same period last year, due to the booking of an extraordinary expense item.

The closing of its Pizza Hut operations in the first quarter as well as another brand in the second quarter also chopped 6.8 per cent from food business revenues.

The group's total revenue was Bt1.97 billion, off Bt0.5 million from last year.

The global economic instability that spilled into the third quarter has not hurt Centara's hotel operations. It has kept more guestrooms filled than the industry average of 60.7 per cent, not including its recently opened Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort in Pattaya.

The overall hotel business is still suffering from the global economic crisis as well as the ongoing unsettled political situation in Thailand, which still shows no signs of improving.

The new round of type-A (H1N1) flu cases in the United States, the United Kingdom, Mexico and China, which have seen increased numbers of sick and dead people, is also buffeting the business.

The Thai hotel industry's average occupancy rate stands at only 49 per cent, 16.5 percentage points down from last year, mainly due to most hotels deploying sharp pricing strategies and reduction campaigns.

Centara projects that the hotel industry will improve this quarter, as this is traditionally the high tourist season. Also, the food business will pick up.

Bhundhari Spa and Villa Resort Samui is a stunning new villa resort, situated at the end of Chawaeng Beach, featuring pool villas and deluxe rooms, the Cenvaree Spa, two restaurants, pools and leisure facilities.

At Koh Pha-Ngan, Centara Pariya Resort is located on Hat Yuan beach within a tropical garden setting. It is designed for families and beach-goers.

The Centara Udon Thani Hotel rises above the city's largest shopping mall.

Centara operates 482 food service outlets. It manages 22 hotels with 4,992 rooms, of which 10 hotels are company-owned, four are joint ventures and eight are non-company owned.