Dusit International, one of Thailand’s leading hotel and property development companies, is ending 2019 on a high note with a successful year dotted with achievements and prosperity on different levels.
Following the company’s expansion into the high-end vacation rental market in 2018 through the full acquisition of Elite Havens, and also into lean luxury with the launch of ASAI Hotels, a distinctive new brand designed to link curious, millennial-minded travellers with authentic local experiences in vibrant neighbourhoods worldwide, in 2019 the hospitality group further broadened its activities in other sectors such as food and hospitality education, in addition to opening many new hotels in the GCC region and internationally.
The diversification of Dusit International’s portfolio positions it as one of the most dynamic hospitality groups in Asia, allowing it to offer meaningful experiences for a wide range of customers as well as travellers across the lodging spectrum.
Over the past four years, Dusit International’s portfolio has grown from 27 properties in nine countries to 277 properties in 15 countries across Asia, Middle East and Africa.
There are five Dusit hotels in the GCC alone, including, among them, Dusit Thani Dubai, Dusit Thani Abu Dhabi, and, opened in April 2019, Dusit Princess Residences Dubai Marina. This number is expected to increase in 2020 with new hotels slated to open in Bahrain and other GCC countries.
In its native country, Thailand, in 2019 Dusit International opened its first all-suite property, Dusit Suites Hotel Ratchadamri, Bangkok amidst one of the city’s most vibrant districts for business and leisure. The hospitality group signed a long-term lease agreement with I Am Chinatown Co., Ltd. to develop and operate ASAI Bangkok Chinatown in the heart of the city’s renowned Chinatown district. The hotel is slated to open in early 2020.
Earlier in the year, Dusit also officially revealed details of its historic collaboration with Central Pattana Public Company Limited (CPN), one of Thailand’s leading retail companies, to create a new city landmark and transform Bangkok’s major Silom–Rama IV intersection into the prime core of the CBD (which the company has dubbed the ‘Super Core CBD’) by linking four key areas of the city with a one-of-a-kind mixed-use project called ‘Dusit Central Park.’
Worth a total of USD 1.2 billion and covering 440,000 sq m of prime real estate opposite the greenery of Bangkok’s renowned Lumpini Park, the ambitious project is set to feature luxury residences, a state-of-the-art office tower, a high-end shopping complex with a large rooftop park, and a distinctive reimagining of Dusit’s iconic flagship property, Dusit Thani Bangkok hotel, which served as a symbol of gracious Thai hospitality for 50 years.
In 2019, Dusit International also continued its expansion in Asia with several hotels opening in the Philippines and China.
Significant growth in the Philippines saw the company opening four new hotels and resorts, including dusitD2 Davao; Dusit Thani Residence Davao; Dusit Thani Lubi Plantation Resort, and Dusit Thani Mactan Cebu. The company also opened the pioneering Dusit Hospitality Management College, which offers short courses and degree programmes designed to create talented hospitality professionals for the industry at large. The property will soon be uniquely integrated with the dusitD2 The Fort Manila hotel.
With eleven hotels in the pipeline in the Philippines, the majority of which are set to open within the next three years, Dusit is set to become one of the largest international hotel operators in the country.
In China, Dusit raised its tally of operational properties to eight by opening two new hotels – Dusit Thani Wujin Changzhou and Dusit Thani Sandalwoods Resort Shuangyue Bay Huizhou.
In Nepal, meanwhile, Dusit signed an agreement with Hotel Lhasa International Pvt. Ltd. to develop and operate Dusit Princess Kathmandu, Nepal – the second Dusit-branded hotel set to open in Nepal – in Q3 2020.
Following the company’s strategy for diversification, in 2019 Dusit also successfully entered new lines of business by investing in catering and food production companies; opening standalone restaurant and spa concepts in Bangkok; and introducing new business units in Thailand designed to leverage the company’s core strengths in hospitality.
In partnership with world-renowned Australian chef David Thompson, Dusit introduced Khong Thai, a premium instant food brand targeted mainly at international markets. The company also launched a new division called Dusit Hospitality Services, which is designed to leverage Dusit’s rich experience in banqueting, housekeeping, engineering, and pre-opening hotels. Business units under this division include Dusit Events, Dusit on Demand, and Pre-opening Services.
