Face-to-Face: Timothy Nott
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Travel Daily speaks to Timothy Nott, general manager of the Pullman Danang Beach Resort…
Q) Can you give our readers a brief overview of your hotel and its key selling points?
Pullman Danang Beach Resort is located right on Danang beach and only 10 minutes away from the Danang International Airport or downtown, and just a short drive from two of the best golf courses in the region.
The resort features 186 guest rooms and cottages all with private balconies. Most of the rooms overlook the beach, ponds or gardens. In addition, with an array of beach sport and leisure activities as well as spa centre, the resort offers world-class recreation and relaxation facilities.
The resort also provides meeting and conference facilities for up to 900 delegates and a selection of restaurants and bars.
Q) What are you main guest source markets, and are you seeing a rise in demand from Asia’s emerging markets, like China?
Our main market is intra-Asia, thanks to our central location. However we are seeing growth in most markets due to an increase of awareness of Danang as both a leisure and MICE destination. Danang is a relatively new destination therefore it has been essential to get the message out about the countless wonderful experiences travellers can have when visiting the region. With three UNESCO World Heritage sites within a short drive of the resort plus a pristine beach, it is not difficult to see the growth opportunity for this destination.
Q) Your hotel has a strong MICE component; how is this side of your business faring, and do you see strong demand from Vietnam’s domestic MICE market?
Since the property rebranded to Pullman Danang Beach Resort in April last year we have seen a significant rise in MICE business coming to the resort. The resort was designed with both business and leisure markets in mind, and utilising both the strength of Accor’s global sales network and the positioning of Pullman as a MICE brand has assisted in driving this expansion.
Moreover, as Accor is the biggest operator in Vietnam the branding also provided greater traction in the domestic markets through familiarity and confidence in the brand. An increase in direct flights to Danang International Airport have allowed inbound business to overtake domestic MICE at our property as we have targeted our regional footprint for this market.
Q) Overall, how is Central Vietnam’s hotel market performing in 2013 (in terms of rates, occupancy), and what is the outlook for next year?
The market has grown considerably, especially in occupancy, with important inertia gained from the expertise and exposure of many international hotel brands that have taken a foothold in the region.
Coupled with the fact that many of the properties here are newly-built the quality of the product on offer is generally very high. There is also a mutually beneficial working relationship between resort operators/owners, the government and airlines to achieve a shared vision of success for the region. Some of the geopolitical and unfortunate natural disasters in the region are likely to provide an appreciable gain in visitors to Danang due to its attractive climate and political stability. Therefore the outlook for the future looks to be very bright indeed.
Q) What further developments can we expect from Pullman Danang in the coming year?
We expect the following year to be a very exciting one for Pullman Danang Beach Resort. Our owners have been very generous and far-sighted by continuing to invest in the property. We expect to complete a soft refurbishment of the resort, even though it is only four years old. The main focus will be the lobby area and the Infinity Bar adjacent to the lobby and the beach area will be completely upgraded, with a funky redesign of Azure Beach Lounge and a new beach area including watersports, spa, kids’ playground and chill out zones. Part of the beach revamp will also include a specialised outdoor function venue suitable for up to 500 pax.
Pullman has also launched an enhanced Guest Experience Program that revitalises our standards and provides a particular emphasis on training that will be the hallmark of our offer. The focus on training in 2014 will ensure that we provide guests our best possible service.
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