Akaryn focuses on regional expansion
Akaryn Hotel Group is strengthening its Asean portfolio with a plan to establish a foothold in Vietnam by opening hotels in Hoi An and Danang by 2020.
The Thai group’s hotels are scheduled to open in two of the most vibrant Vietnamese cities, with 300 rooms in Hoi An and 100 rooms in Danang.
Apart from planning to open more hotels in Thailand, Akaryn also aims to penetrate more markets in Asean under a five-year plan with the luxury-boutique Akyra brand.
Akaryn founder and managing director Anchalika Kijkanakorn said the group plans to open at least two hotels a year to strengthen its portfolio in domestic and international markets.
“We will open Akaryn Group hotels in major markets such as Krabi, Pattaya, Samui, Chiang Rai, Bangkok, Vietnam and Bali, as these locations are strategic places for international travellers,” Ms Anchalika said.
She said that despite the increasing number of hotels opening in Thailand and abroad, the mid-scale segment, with 50-100 rooms, is still the best-performing because it can tap into millennials’ needs. Positioning Akaryn Group as a luxury-boutique hotel is expected to be sustainable for business in the long run.
Akaryn will also launch Akyra TAS Sukhumvit Bangkok Hotel around the second quarter this year, a 50-room stylish boutique hotel in Sukhumvit Soi 20. It has appointed Pure Blue Foundation to manage plastic usage elimination, an environmentally-friendly project at all hotels under the group’s umbrella, starting with Akyra TAS hotel.
Ms Anchalika said that all Aleenta and Akyra hotels will become free of single-use plastic by 2020 and the Akyra TAS Sukhumvit Bangkok Hotel is taking the lead on this initiative by becoming the first new hotel in Asia to remove single-use plastic from rooms, food and beverage outlets.
Biodegradable plastic and specially designed amenities have been designed with rice and bamboo materials.
This will be soon followed by Akyra Manor Chiang Mai, which is on track to be free of single-use plastic by August 2018.
Pure Blue Foundation is Akaryn Hotel Group’s charity organisation that supports marine conservation projects, including coral reef restoration and marine turtle conservation.
The foundation has also made concerted efforts to engage with local communities, particularly schools, where the next generation can learn about the importance of protecting fragile marine ecosystems.
Based on data from the Science and Technology Ministry in 2015, Thailand disposed of about 2.7 million tonnes of plastic and foam waste. Up to 80% or 2 million tonnes of the waste is plastic bags, or 5,300 tonnes each day.
Of the waste, 13.5 million tonnes was managed improperly while 8 million tonnes entered more-efficient waste disposal including recycled processes that sees 5 million tonnes of recycled products reused.