Face-to-face Jonathan Wigley
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Face-to-Face
Jonathan Wigley, Chief Executive Officer, U Hotels & Resorts Thailand
1) U Hotels Thailand will be a brand new concept for experienced and discerning travellers, can you tell us what will make the brand different?
The U Hotels & Resorts brand was created with customers and investors in mind from a targeted international white paper survey asking the customer what they want from a hotel and to the investor what are their motivations for investment, thus it is all about ‘U’. We used those answers from both the customer and investors perspectives to create, implement, establish and expand our brand. For customers, at any U Hotels & Resorts we offer a unique concept of service and freedom of choice including 24-hour use of room - meaning there’s no restriction of check in/out time. Guests can enjoy their room 24 hours from check in, breakfast whenever they want at any time they want to be served. Under the ‘U Choose’ programme, guests can choose their favorite soap, pillow, tea, music prior or upon their arrival just to name a few, and we will evolve our services based on what our customers communicate to us. For investors, we target projects with investment costs between US$5-15 million to build a U depending on number of keys and we target a return on investment in five years.
2) Can you define the key target groups that the pioneering U Hotels brand will seek?
Our target groups of customers are from all the important geographic source markets around the world and are web-savvy, independent people who love to experience the local environment, and who enjoy freedom of choice. 60% of our customers search for the hotel information and book their accommodation online. We reach our consumers with intensive e-commerce activities such as search engine optimisation, pay per click campaigns, online social network sites and regular e-news communications. We have also invested in target destination internal sales coverage in China, Japan, Korea, Singapore and Europe.
3) Where have U Hotels been opened so far and what are your plans for the future roll out of the brand in Thailand?
Our first two U Hotels operating are in Chiang Mai and Khao Yai which opened in 2008 and 2009 respectively. We will open another seven Us in 2010 in Phuket, Kanchanaburi, Hoi Anh, Danang, Hanoi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad. In 2011 we will open another 10 hotels in India, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia and Thailand. More Us are due to open in 2012 covering Thailand, Vietnam and India. A total of 24 hotels and resorts in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia and India with more than 2,200 rooms of which will all be operating under U Hotels & Resorts have been secured and in various stages of development and construction.
4) U Hotels will have a strong environmental, cultural and social conscience, can you explain more about this?
Every U Hotels & Resort will have the interior and architecture design that blends the local environment and heritage, and we also provide heritage talks and guided walks, free bikes, and a library that is filled with books about the destination so guests can learn more about the local area. Our ‘U Make a Difference’ programme is implemented brand wide. It is a community relations activity to support organisations that serve the local community in every place we are located. The hotel contributes the revenue of US$1 for every paid room night and the contributions are donated to the charity twice a year. Guests can also partake in weekly scheduled visits to the selected charities to see their contributions come to life.
5) How will U Hotels Thailand fit into the U Hotel brand across Asia as a whole?
As mentioned, each U is reflective of the location. Thailand has a strong culture and identity thus giving the brand lots of opportunities to infuse local elements in each and every property.
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