Kingdom Hotels Investment (KHI) has announced plans to develop a luxury resort in Danang. The proposed resort will cost 65 million USD and feature 150 hotel suites and 15 private residential villas on 154,000 square metres of beachfront property. This will be KHI’s first hotel in Vietnam, and is expected to open in 2011.
Trustee Suisse has begun planning a new 2.6 billion USD tourism complex on Phu Quoc Island. The property will be named Asian Pearl and be built on a 200-hectare site on the island’s north side. Before beaking ground, the company will conduct studies over the next six months.
Six Senses Resorts has announced plans to build a new resort on Con Dao Island. The planned Evason Hideaway & Six Senses Spa Con Dao will take up 12.9 hectares including over 1 km of beachfront. The resort will be comprised of 55 luxury villas, a gourmet restaurant, a tropical spa and a health club. Construction will begin during the first quarter of 2007, and the project will cost over 20 million USD.
HotelCorp has just opened the Ramada Resort Khao Lak in Phang-Nga, Thailand. Situated on the waterfront of Khao Lak, the property features 84 delux rooms, eigh beach villas, four dining outlets and a spa facility. The Spa at Ramada Resort Khao Lak features luxurious treatment pavilions, each with herbal steam room or sauna, Jacuzzi and an outdoor rain shower. Guests can enjoy body massages, scrubs, wraps, manicures, and pedicures here. The resort also boasts a range of facilities for meetings including a ballroom capable of catering to 240 persons in theatre-style seating as well as smaller breakout rooms and pre-function areas.
Cambodia’s Angkor Airways has just begun operating direct service between Siem Reap and Wuhan, China. Initially, the flights will run once every six days, and will later increase to two times a week. The trip takes three hours and 40 minutes each way. The airline also place direct service between Phnom Penh and Wuhan early this year.
The Phuoc An River Hotel is the newest 3-star hotel to grace the Hoi An hotel scene. Located on the scenic banks of the Song Do River, the hotel is close to Cua Dai Beach. This 5-storey hotel has 54 guest rooms, each providing high speed internet access, mini-bar, satellite TV, IDD phone, and air-conditioning. The hotel also has a restuarant, cafe and bar, room service, swimming pool, fitness centre, health spa and beauty salon.
On 13th February 2007, Pacific Airlines became a a budget carrier, offering tickets from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City for as little as one USD. Initially, budget fares will apply only to flights between Hanoi, Danang and Ho Chi Minh City. Flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Taipei and Kaohsiung in Taiwan will similarly be discounted. Pacific Airlines has also discontinued using paper tickets and converted all of its systems to using e-tickets. The airline plans to open more routes this year, from Ho Chi Minh City, to Hue, Nha Trang, Hong Kong, Siem Reap, and Bangkok.
Tourists will soon have reason to rejoice as the Saigon Passenger Transport Company will soon operate a luxury bus service from Ho Chi Minh City to Siem Reap, the home of Angkor Wat. This 8-hour bus trip will cost 20 USD one-way, and 36 USD round trip, including breakfast, lunch, and a guide who speaks English, Vietnamese and Khmer.
Also, the Hoang Long Transport Company Ltd. will start daily service between Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. 50 air-conditioned busses, equipped with 39 bunk beds, deluxe interiors and three TVs. The 30-hour journey will cover about 1,000km and cost 40USD including meals and insurance.
Six Senses Resorts and Spas will open a new destination spa Six Senses Erawan in Phuket in November. The spa will create treatments based on traditional Chinese, Indian, Indonesian and Thai spa techniques. Each guest will stay in a luxurious villa or a private sala. Each villa will have a private sauna and an outside garden area with jungle toilet and rain showers. The Six Senses Erawan is a joint venture between Six Senses resorts and the Erawan group.
Also in November 2007, the chain will open the Evason Hideaway at Yao Noi. The Yao Noi property will have 56 guest villas, featuring open-style bathrooms, infinity-edged pools and sundecks. Furthermore, each villa is staffed by a butler who is trained to anticipate guests’ every request.
The Four Seasons hotel chain will open a fourth property on Koh Samui. The new hotel is set on a hill and has its own private beach, offering breathtaking views of the surrounding landscape and allowing visitors to enjoy the tranquillity of Koh Samui in complete relaxation. Guests stay in one of the 63 guest villas surrounded by tropical gardens, and coconut groves.
