Marriott International plans to open 7-8 new properties in Thailand this year as part of its plan to add 33 properties over the next five years.
Jakob Helgen, area vice-president for Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar at Marriott International, said at least 33 new properties are secured, but that one or two larger projects could take a longer time to develop.
Among the upcoming projects slated to open this year is an Autograph Collection hotel at Sukhumvit Soi 53, which is the first property of this kind in Thailand, as well as two Courtyard hotels -- one located in Sukhumvit Soi 20, and the other near Suvarnabhumi airport.
Marriott currently operates 47 properties, generating 13,000 rooms under 14 brands, including Courtyard by Marriott North Pattaya, the third property under the Courtyard brand in Thailand.
The 233-room Courtyard by Marriott North Pattaya, which officially opened yesterday, is under the investment of Pattaya-based developer Nova Group.
He said locations within driving distance from Bangkok, such as Pattaya, Hua Hin and Rayong have seen good performance from a strong domestic market and long-haul guests.
As tourism competition is intense, Thailand has to be more competitive. It should relax its restrictions under the Test and Go scheme which is key to boosting the tourism sector and its pace of recovery.
He said the Asian market had seen slow growth because not every country is fully open without the requirement for quarantine.
"But the dynamics might change as other destinations in Southeast Asia are now opening up with fewer restrictions than Thailand," Mr Helgen said.
Shashank Singha, general manager of Courtyard by Marriott North Pattaya, said target markets consist of leisure travellers and the corporate segment during weekdays.
Meanwhile, the occupancy rate might initially be driven by local guests before seeing more international arrivals in the second half of the year.
Rony Fineman, owner of Nova Group, said strong local demand was seen in Pattaya on weekends and the company decided to open Courtyard by Marriott North Pattaya after delaying the opening from April 2020.
Mr Fineman said the company was quite disappointed that the government didn't offer any financial aid for hoteliers as seen in the UK to overcome two years of challenges.
Nova Group currently has 10 hotels managed by different hotel companies, of which eight had already reopened, with the remainder set to reopen by July.
He said the return on investment of each property would usually take 7-10 years, but in this case, it might take a little bit longer.
However, the hotel, which is located in strategic location, might be able to make profit within 10 years, particularly if the Chinese market returns.
