Extra rooms in Thailand

Amari Emerald Cove Resort

The Amari Emerald Cove Resort in Koh Chang will be ready to welcome guest soon. It will offer 165 superior and deluxe rooms with sea or mountain views, a swimming pool, a gym, scuba diving and a spa.

Central Hotels & Resorts will open the Central Krabi Bay Resort, a 200-room 5-star resort in December 2004. 62 million USD will be spent building the Central World Plaza Hotel Bangkok and the Central World Convention Centre. The 5-star hotel, to be completed in 2006, will have 30 storeys, 500 rooms, a ballroom, restaurants, bars, a Centara spa and tennis courts. The 5-star Central Phuket Resort is likely to open in May 2007, while the Central Wong Amat Beach Resort will be redeveloped in early 2008 and opened in May of that year.

Right next door to the Evason Hua Hin Resort, which opened in 2002, Six Senses Hotels, Resorts & Spas is constructing the Evason Hideaway Hua Hin. Expected to open in late 2004, the Evason Hideaway will offer 20 pool villas, 19 villa suites and 16 duplex pool villas. Villa offers private pools, outdoor bathtubs and showers in a garden setting and entertainment systems, complete with DVD movies and music CDs. Facilities include a Six Senses Spa, a restaurant and bar, butler services and a Just Kids! Club where kids ages four to 12 are treated to a swimming pool, art and culture classes and a sports playground.

In mid-2004 Six Senses will also open its new 5-star resort on Koh Samui Island, the Sila Evason Hideaway. The resort’s 14 hideaway villas, 41 pool villas and 10 pool villa suites offer outdoor showers, private gardens, panoramic views of the water, entertainment system, daybeds and outdoor dining. The pool villas and suites have added private pools, sundecks and walk-in closets. Guest facilities include a Six Senses Spa, a fitness gym, a business centre, a library with Internet access, water activities at the sports centre and restaurants.

LaSalle Investment Management will be spending 20 million USD renovating the 4-star Karon Villa Phuket Beach Resort on Karon Beach. The resort’s more than 300 rooms will be upgraded to 5-star standards, after which LaSalle will hand over management of the resort to an operator.

In May or June, the 5-star Le Méridien Khao Lak Beach Resort will open its 35 villas and over 230 rooms. The resort will also offer conference rooms and an entertainment island for children.

The Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group will be opening a new resort, the Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi, in Chiang Mai at the end of this year. The resort’s 21 hectares will house 142 villas and suites (some with open terraces and private pools), manicured gardens, four restaurants, a health club, tennis courts, shops, a grand ballroom and meeting rooms. Guests can enjoy private sessions at the spa or cooking classes at the Thai Cooking School.

The Meritus Suites State Tower in Bangkok had its soft opening in January to introduce guests to its 462 luxury suites. Each suite has a kitchenette, washing machine and dryer, entertainment system, Internet access and spacious bathrooms, a living room and dining room. The grand opening is scheduled for June.

Guests are welcome at the new Merlin Hotels and Resorts establishment in Hat Khao Lak. The new 15 million USD resort has 197 guest rooms and 12 villas, conference rooms, a ballroom, coffee shops, bars, a restaurant, sports facilities and nearby water activities.

In July, Park Plaza Hotels is set to open its Park Plaza Resort Nakha Island off the east coast of Phuket. The deluxe resort will feature 120 guest rooms located in traditional Thai villas, a holistic wellness centre, health spa, swimming pool, Thai restaurant and secluded meditation areas.

Oriental Bangkok Hotel

After six years and 28 million USD, the Oriental Bangkok Hotel has completed renovations of its 393 rooms, guest lounges and restaurants, as well as added Internet access and an entertainment centre.

The Pansea Samui Resort & Spa in Koh Samui opened for guests on 1^st February. The resort offers 11 beachfront, 34 sea view and four family-style cottages, as well as 14 villas, gourmet restaurants, a holistic spa, a bar and a swimming pool. Guests who stay at one of the six garden cottages are indulged with personal spa treatments from experienced spa therapists.

Sheraton’s new 5-star Sheraton Hua Hin Resort, expected to open in September 2005, will offer guests 250 rooms, including 80 deluxe lagoon villas, restaurants, recreation facilities, a spa and health club, and a meeting room.

In October, Starwood Hotels & Resorts and Amburaya Resorts will open the Sheraton Pattaya Resort. The resort will offer guests 156 rooms, three restaurants, a fitness club, a spa, retail centre and meeting halls.

Accor plans to open the 5-star Sofitel Sukhumvit in Bangkok at the end of 2004. The hotel will offer 380 rooms, meeting and conference rooms, restaurants and bars and a grand ballroom.