La Vie Hospitality Group forms; eyes South-east Asia market

Sydney-headquartered independent hotel management company La Vie Hotels & Resorts has restructured its business and established an umbrella brand, La Vie Hospitality Group, to house all of the group’s business units.

The new La Vie Hospitality Group comprises six business units including La Vie Hotels & Resorts, Leadwell Asset Management, La Vie Hospitality Services, Marion Building Management, Paro Procurement Group, and a joint venture with hospitality training school Alliance College.

La Vie Hospitality Group’s Craig Bond, Jerry Xu, and Shellia Chang

Jerry Xu, founder and CEO, La Vie Hospitality Group, said: “This is an exciting evolution of our business and we’re proud to be one of the first Australian hospitality groups to launch a fully integrated offering that provides a one-stop shop for owners.”

Xu said La Vie Hospitality Group provides everything from managing hotels and procurement, to hiring and educating staff for its clients.

La Vie’s latest partnership with Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) is a “strategic brand and distribution partnership”, Shellia Chang, group director of sales & distribution, La Vie Hotels & Resorts told TTG Asia, as La Vie has numerous upper upscale boutique properties that do not fit with big brands.

Chang added: “We are opening another 38-room sustainable hotel in Surry Hills in Sydney, and the Islington Hobart, both in partnership with SLH.”

“We are also launching our own brand, with the first resort due to open in the Maldives by the end of this year.”

Other fresh launches include a hotel in Patong, Phuket, in partnership with Choice Hotels, and The Motley Hotel in Richmond as part of a multi-partnership deal with Amber Property Group. Currently, La Vie Hospitality Group operates hotels across Australia, Bhutan, China, Maldives, Myanmar, Thailand, the UAE and Ukraine.

“We are growing rapidly. In addition to Australia, South-east Asia is going to be our key focus in the next 12 months,” Chang affirmed.

When asked how its offering differs from franchise management, she explained: “We are owner-centric and offer a 360 degree and tailor-made approach. We have a great relationship with big brands. While our hotels can be a franchise of a brand, we are the ones managing the hotel, and we ensure commercial delivery for the owners.”

For instance, La Vie Hotels & Resorts works with Radisson Hotels Group for three properties in Sri Lanka, as the latter is considered as the “best fit” for the region to “maximise financial returns” for owners.

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