| Accor plans to build more | |
Despite Vietnam’s slowing economy and slumping tourism industry, European hotel operator Accor says it is planning to manage more than 20 hotels in the country by 2011. Patrick Basset, Accor deputy chairman for Vietnam, the Philippines, Japan and South Korea said last week that the group currently runs 11 hotels in Vietnam, but has another ten under construction.
“We have been active in Vietnam for nearly 20 years and can see huge potential in this market, not only in tourism but also in other fields,” he said. “I believe Vietnam will be an attractive destination for international travelers after the recovery of the global tourism industry.” The deputy chairman said Accor hotels in Vietnam also faced a decline in bookings due to the tourism slump.
Vietnam welcomed 2.5 million international visitors in the first eight months of this year, down 17.7 percent year-on-year. But the number of domestic guests at Accor-managed properties was on the rise, especially at the La Veranda Grand Mercure Resort on Phu Quoc Island off southern Kien Giang Province which saw 25 percent increase in the number of local guests, he said. “We see growing interest of domestic travelers into our properties,” he said.
Basset also revealed the group’s plan to build the first three-star economy ibis hotel in either Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City. Ibis is an international economy-class brand applied in some 700 hotels around the world.
In July this year, the Sofitel Metropole Hanoi Hotel in the heart of Hanoi became the first hotel in the world to be rebranded as a Legend within the group, a brand for an exclusive selection of Accor’s upper-class properties given because of heritage and history. The group is also managing other hotels across Vietnam under the Sofitel, Novotel and Grand Mercure brands. | |
| Saigon Times Daily |
