Amari Thailand’s leading domestic hotel management company, recently launched a new division and will be exhibiting on its own stand at Arabian Travel Market (ATM) for the first time this year.
Last month, Amari announced the formation of a new corporate structure with the creation of Onyx Hospitality Group which allows the company to pursue its previously announced expansion plans, moving beyond Thailand to seek hospitality management opportunities in the Asia Pacific and Arabian Gulf regions.
At the same time, Onyx also launched two new hotel brands – a luxury brand, Saffron, and a select services offering named Ozo. These will complement the established mid-to-upscale Amari brand which underwent a significant revitalisation programme in October 2009.
Onyx Hospitality Group is a region-leading hospitality management company which combines the expertise of a truly global management team with the hospitality excellence for which Asia is renowned. The group prides itself on an open, approachable leadership style and recognises that property partners are the fundamental basis for the success of any hotel management company.
The Amari brand has been exhibiting at ATM for many years as part of Tourism Thailand’s participation. However this year, Onyx will have its own stand, profiling the new corporate structure. The Middle East is a very important market source market for tourism to Thailand and Amari is currently the most popular Thai hospitality brand for travellers from the region.
A spokesman said: “ATM 2010 offers the perfect opportunity for Onyx Hospitality Group to showcase its portfolio of products and services to the Middle East region’s travel trade. The group CEO, Peter Henley, will be present on the stand with members of the senior management team. The aim is to showcase the revitalised Amari brand and its positioning alongside the other brands of the newly formed Onyx Hospitality Group.”
The group will be investing $44.1 million in a corporate growth strategy which will see new properties introduced across the portfolio of brands and is looking to the future with plans to manage an additional 40 hotels and resorts by 2018, a number of which will be in the Arabian Gulf with plans to announce the first project later this year.
In 2009, travellers from the Middle East booked 93,299 room nights, representing 10.2 per cent of Amari’s hotels inventory.