SINGAPORE - Berjaya Hotels & Resorts, based in Kuala Lumpur, is blazing ahead to add another 16 properties in Malaysia and has formed joint ventures in the Philippines and Thailand to speed up its expansion.

The group has tied up with Primetown Property Group, builders of resorts and serviced apartments, in the Philippines to form a management company.

So far, the management deals involve two hotels in Manila - The Citadel and Primetown - and a city and a resort property in Cebu - the 162-room Berjaya Trinity Suites and the Berjaya Gold Coast Suites, targeted for operation by the end of this year and next year respectively. In addition, an all-suite hotel - the 550-room Berjaya Prime City Suites - in the Makati district of Manila, is scheduled for completion by the first quarter of next year.

To penetrate the Thai and Indochina markets, Berjaya has formed a joint venture with the Baiyoke group.

Mr Ricky Goh, who leaves Berjaya at the end of August after four years as its executive director, said that apart from the 17 hotels the group owns and manages in Malaysia, the network now includes properties in the UK, Africa and Fiji, yielding 3,070 rooms.

Mr Goh, who is based in Kuala Lumpur, is returning to Singapore to join an investor group which is involved in real estate and entertainment and has some interests in the travel industry.

Berjaya, which is affiliated to Best Western, hopes to add 16 properties with 4,000 rooms in Malaysia, but the branding of the new properties has yet to be decided.

"The 16 are currently under development," he said.

Best Western franchises have also been signed in Indonesia. The 210-room Best Western Iwari is targeted to open by the middle of next year, and will be followed by the 240-room Best Western ASEAN in Medan.

In the Philippines, Berjaya is tied up with Best Western through the 55-room La Corona in Manila.