SPECULATION is mounting that the first Sofitel property will be unwrapped this Monday and it will be its newly-created sub-brand, So Sofitel.
And its address? According to sources: 35 Robinson Road.
The tender for the iconic building has been awarded to Royal Group Holdings, which is holding a signing ceremony on October 24. The project is being billed as a “transformation” and “THE address for a trendy cosmopolitan lifestyle”.
Sofitel Luxury Hotels Asia-Pacific senior vice president Markland Blaiklock, who is now based in Singapore, declined to comment.
So Sofitel is a trendy and design-led take on the core Sofitel brand. The first So has opened in Mauritius, while the final touches are being made to the second So, opening in Bangkok early next year.
The Bangkok property is a 30-storey urban design hotel created by a reputable Thai architect and no fewer than five Thai interior designers, with fashion designer Christian Lacroix adding a dash of French elegance.
Sofitel Luxury Hotels is now a separate business unit of the Accor group. In an interview late last year, Blaiklock told TTG Asia he was eager to plug the gaps in key cities such as Singapore and Hong Kong.
Aside from Sofitel and So Sofitel, there is now a Sofitel Legend sub-brand representing properties which have heritage and historical backgrounds.
TTG Asia understands that the iconic railway hotel, Sofitel Centara Grand Resort & Villas, will no longer be managed by Sofitel and is reverting to owner Centara’s management.
– Read more in ITB Asia 2011 Official Daily – Day 2 issue
