MALAYSIA’S Tune Hotels will welcome guests in Thailand and India by next year, as part of the low-cost brand’s expansion across Asia.
Hat Yai will get Thailand’s first Tune Hotel in December, followed by Pattaya next February.
Giving the update during a presentation at Economy Hotels World Asia 2011 yesterday, Thai AirAsia spokesperson Topaz Subunruk said: “Economy hotels have grown in line with low-cost carriers and we are open to supporting our sister hotels.”
At least two more Tune Hotels are slated to open in Thailand, she added. AirAsia and Tune Hotels are both part of Tune Group.
Other countries with Tune projects in development include China, Indonesia and the Philippines.
Meanwhile, India’s first Tune will open by next July, said Umesh Luthria, executive director of Apodis Hospitality Group, which has a joint venture with Tune to develop 20 hotels in India by 2013/2014.
Luthria said the group still had “some homework to do” before rolling out the brand. This includes finalising the design of the hotels, as the current version of Tune is undergoing a revamp, starting with the downtown Kuala Lumpur property (TTG Asia e-Daily, May 12).
Said Luthria: “We think we will compete quite well in this segment, as there are not that many big names within India.”
He told TTG Asia e-Daily that Apodis was also in the process of acquiring a local brand, which had five hotels across India, with between 40 and 60 rooms each. These were design-led, hybrid bed-and-breakfasts, which could function as corporate guesthouses and cater to business travellers, he added.
Additional reporting by Linda Haden
