Archipelago bites into Vietnam, with appetite for more

Archipelago International has made its move into the Vietnam market with five new contracts and the launch of Archipelago Indochina in partnership with Vietnam-based asset management and hospitality consultancy firm Optimum Hospitality.

Led by chief executive officer John Gardner and chief operating officer Martin Koerner, both principal partners at Optimum, the new Archipelago Indochina provides distribution and revenue management services for four hotels in Ho Chi Minh City and one in Phu Quoc.

From left: Optimum Hospitality’s John Gardner and Martin Koerner

The suite of services provided under these “Powered by Archipelago” agreements – from booking engines to yield inventory – is designed to increase online revenue by as much as 260 per cent.

Norbert Vas, vice president of development at Archipelago International, said the company will also provide independent hotels and hotel groups access to the company’s network of more than 3,000 partners.

Archipelago Indochina is also laying the groundwork for a footprint in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos that includes full-service management contracts for hotels as large as 1,000 rooms, soft brand management contracts, and franchise agreements.

“What we at Optimum really like about Archipelago is the group’s focus on the numbers,” said Gardner. “Their philosophy – our philosophy at Archipelago Indochina – first and foremost, is all about the achievement of profitability. Everything else flows from that.”

Archipelago has a South-east Asian portfolio of more than 150 hotels under brands like Aston, Kamuela, Harper, fave, and Nordic.

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