Thai hotel chain Dusit International is set for a massive expansion in China, India and Japan, seeking to double its hotels worldwide to around 100 by 2025 as global travel recovers from the coronavirus pandemic.

There are plans to open a luxury Dusit Thani hotel in Kyoto in September followed by a midrange Dusit Princess hotel in China's Jiangxi province by the end of the year, according to Gilles Cretallaz, the company's chief operating officer, who detailed the expansion in a recent interview with Nikkei.

"Dusit Thani Kyoto is a first step to showcase and reinforce our hotel as a luxury brand," Cretallaz said.

The hotel will feature interior and exterior design elements from both the ancient Thai capital of Ayutthaya and traditional Japan.

The company is also looking to expand into areas of Japan where it anticipates tourist demand in the future, such as Osaka, Tokyo and Okinawa. "We are going to have more hotels within 3 years," he said.

The flagship Dusit Thani Bangkok will reopen next year with residences, offices and retail space. (Image courtesy of Dusit International)

India is also targeted for expansion, with the company entering the European market this year. It aims to open about 50 new hotels worldwide over the next three years.

Dusit is also developing a large-scale project in Thailand, its main market. Dusit Thani Bangkok, scheduled to reopen in mid-2024, will include residential buildings, offices and commercial facilities.

Total investment in the project, which is being developed with Thai conglomerate Central Group, will reach $1.3 billion. The company says 70% of the residential space has already been reserved.

Cretallaz called the project "the most strategic" since the company was founded in 1948.

Dusit operates more than 300 facilities, including hotels, resorts and villas, in 18 countries.

Consolidated sales for 2022 increased 49% year-on-year to 5.1 billion baht ($147.2 million). The company posted a net loss of 500 million baht last year, an improvement from the 945 million baht loss the year before, as its recovery from the pandemic continues.

"The Chinese market is not back yet. We expect a full recovery next year," Cretallaz said.

(source)