(From left) Jonathan Umali, director asset management, ARCH Capital Management, MontAzure; Pichet Nithivasin, shareholder, MontAzure; Proudputh Liptapanlop, executive director, Proud Real Estate; Richard Yue, CEO and CIO, ARCH Capital Management, MontAzure; H.E. Suwat Liptapanlop, former deputy prime minister of Thailand; Jan Smith, CEO Asia Middle East and Africa, IHG; Pasu Liptapanlop, executive director, Proud Real Estate; and Allan Watts, COO Asia Middle East and Africa, IHG.
THE InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) is set to enter Phuket with the signing of a management contract with Proud Resort Phuket to develop the InterContinental Phuket Resort.
Scheduled to open in 2019, the luxury property will be sited on the island’s west coast on Kamala Beach, between Millionaire’s Mile and the Amanpuri headland. It is also part of a luxury community project, MontAzure, a 15 billion baht (US$414 million) mixed-use development.
“The number of rooms probably varies between 200 and the mid-200s with a combination of villas and hotel rooms,” said Pasu Liptapanlop, executive director of Proud Real Estate.
Facilities include four beach clubs, 13 private hillside estate villas, 75 beachfront condos, a spa, pool, fitness centre, Kid’s Club, meeting venues and a lifestyle mall, all surrounded by a protected 32-hectare nature reserve.
Alan Watts, CEO, Asia, Middle East and Africa, IHG, said: “We are very selective of where the luxury traveller is going to. Though there are other destinations in Thailand that we would be willing to bring the brand to, it depends on whether we think the hotel or resort in question is a good match to the InterContinental brand and is going to complement other InterContinental resorts in the portfolio.”
