AUSTRALIA-BASED hotel operator Mantra Group is gearing up for expansion in Asia-Pacific, specifically the burgeoning tourism markets of Indonesia and Thailand, as well as back home.
According to Bloomberg, Mantra intends to open 20 hotels in Indonesia within the next three years and operate another 20 in Thailand in the coming six years.
Mantra opened its first Asian property, Mantra Nusa Dua Bali, in March and is reportedly in talks to run a hotel in Jakarta. Going forward, the group will grow its presence in Indonesia through management agreements or acquiring minority stakes in hotels.
Bloomberg quoted Mantra CEO Bob East: “(Indonesia’s) got an emerging consumer class and a good growth story domestically and we have enough scope to grow.”
Mantra has also started a company in Thailand to support expansion there, where it could start business as early as 2014.
At the same time, Mantra has made clear its intentions to continue developing the Australian market. In New South Wales, the group is rebranding and refurbishing an existing hotel into the 45-room Mantra Pavilion Wagga Wagga, to be completed in late 2013.
In Western Australia, Mantra has rebranded the 54-villa Mantra Frangipani Broome and is expanding the 24-unit Mantra Geraldton by adding another 25 apartments. At Mantra Rainbow Shores on the Sunshine Coast, 10 villas have been built on site with a further 26 to come over the next year.
Mantra Townsville, a 185-room corporate hotel in North Queensland, is slated for completion in 2015.
