THE launch of POP! Hotel Kuta Beach in Bali yesterday marked a milestone for Tauzia Hotel Management as the first property owned through its investment arm, POP Tree Investment.
Tauzia Hotel Management president director, Marc Steinmeyer, said: “POP! Hotel is a new brand we have created. Owning properties will allow us to fully develop the concept in terms of the facilities, marketing and sales as well as maintain brand consistency. We will be able to (try out) ideas in the properties without compromising (the interest of) other parties, and make these the benchmark for (our) other properties.”
He revealed that Tauzia initially wanted to have full ownership of POP! Hotels when the brand was launched in 2009, but instead chose to embark on joint investments with hotel-owner partners due to the financial crisis.
Despite the fast-growing demand for budget brands, Tauzia will only invest in selected properties. So far, POP Tree Investment has invested in five POP! Hotels, two of which will open in Jakarta.
While declining to reveal the equity shares in each property, Steinmeyer said its investment arm owns majority shares in several properties.
Steinmeyer said: “POP! Hotel Kuta Beach is the group’s fourth property, and there are currently 29 properties with a total of 5,391 rooms (in the pipeline) until 2014.”
Located near Kuta Beach and Legian Street, the 223-room POP! Hotel Kuta Beach features a swimming pool, exclusively designed shower pods, use of solar power and eco-friendly construction materials. Rooms are modestly sized at 15m2 with facilities such as free Wi-Fi, an in-room safety deposit box and cable TV. A simple breakfast is also available.
Rooms are priced from Rp288,000 (US$30). While targeting more of direct bookings, the hotel also welcomes travel consultants to book groups on a commission basis.
