In line with its strategy to expand its presence in Asia; MH&R has just signed an agreement, with Kingdom Hotel Investments (KHI) for an exclusive 5-star resort on Karon Beach in Phuket.
The existing 383 room- and apartment-property is known as the Crowne Plaza Karon Beach and will be re-branded as the Mövenpick Resort & Spa Karon Beach Phuket as of 28 June 2006.
The resort celebrated its opening in 1984 as the Karon Villa Resort. Following significant refurbishment it was re-opened in August 2005 and is now poised to benefit from the recovery of tourist arrivals and room rates in the region. It is situated in a prime location on the west coast of Phuket, one of Thailand's most popular beach resort destinations and bordered by tropical Karon Beach, known for its fine white sand and translucent turquoise water. Phuket downtown is only 15 km away and the international airport can be reached in a mere 40 minutes drive.
The Mövenpick Resort & Spa Karon Beach Phuket showcases 186 elegant, secluded villas, all equipped with sundecks, outdoor rainforest showers and sunken plunge pools. 166 deluxe sea-view guest rooms and suites feature international upscale amenities and 30 apartments are offered leasehold and managed by the hotel. The spacious rooms reflect elements and traditions of Thai décor and design influences.
Designed to satisfy even the most discerning guests the hotel serves a wide range of culinary specialities, serving both international and typical Thai dishes. "Pacifica" is an all day dining restaurant serving breakfast buffets, à la carte lunches and theme dinners. "Kinnaree" is the hotel's fine dining restau¬rant, set on a three-level terrace overlooking the pool as well as tropical gar¬dens and "Wildfire" at the beachfront, a melting pot of Western and Asian specialities, offers a range of exciting dining entertainment. Two lounge bars round off the wide culinary choice.
The state-of-the-art conference and banquet spaces for up to 800 persons, some of the largest facilities in Phuket, include a spacious ballroom in addition to seven meeting rooms and a boardroom alongside a fully equipped business centre catering to all requirements of business travellers, perfect for meetings and incentives.
To unwind guests can enjoy the award-winning "Tea Tree Spa", which offers a mix of contemporary Oriental and Western therapies. The Spa features seven serene and charming villas with outdoor, oversized bathing pools as well as suites designed for couple treatments. When travelling as a family, guests will be pleased to find dedicated facilities: "The Zone", Phuket's largest club for youngsters and teens, provides fully supervised indoor and outdoor enter¬tainment, including an Internet- and play-station-room, two DVD-lounges, a reading room, a milkshake bar, table tennis, billiards, sporting events as well as arts and crafts activities.
"We are delighted by the addition of this prestigious resort to our hotel port¬folio, which represents the first opportunity for KHI in Asia and with Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, we have the right management partner", said Sarmad Zok, CEO of the owning company Kingdom Hotel Investments. "This further demonstrates our ability to consolidate our position in attractive, emerging growth markets."
"Thailand and Phuket are a perfect growth platform for our presence in Asia, based on our expertise in exquisite resort operations and we are pleased about our return to the Asian region", explains Jean Gabriel Pérès, President & CEO Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts. "We expect to be able to announce fur¬ther projects soon, aimed at establishing our brand on a broader base in this promising region."
"With the Mövenpick Resort & Spa Karon Beach Phuket we will offer the very best amenities for leisure, meetings and incentive travellers", adds Andreas Mattmüller, Senior Vice President Middle East and Asia Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts. "Our presence in Phuket will be well perceived by our key source markets as Thailand is an important leisure destination for our traditional European travellers. "
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