Park Hotel Group has announced plans to double its portfolio of Asian hotels over the next three-to-five years. Speaking to Travel Daily at ITB Asia, the Singapore-based hospitality company’s Senior Vice President, Mohd K. Rafin, said that Park is aiming to add another eight-to-ten properties to its portfolio in the near future. Park currently operates eight hotels in four markets – Singapore, China, Hong Kong and Japan.
Park Hotel Group, which celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2011, is looking at new opportunities in China, India, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam, according to Rafin. He said that in China, Park was looking to expand in tier two cities, but that the company would not look at tier one metros such as Shanghai and Beijing if the right opportunity comes available. Currently Park operates three hotels in China; in Kunming, Xi’an and Wuxi.
Rafin added that Park was looking to attract a younger breed of clientele, with several hotels recently having undergone renovations.
“We are trying to be more current, with a modern and trendy style,” Rafin told Travel Daily. “We are progressively renovating our existing hotels, and while our business mix is still broadly 60-40 in favour of the corporate guests, we are seeing our clientele shift towards younger executives.”
Park has also spent more than SG$2 million (US$1.6 million) on marketing campaigns to mark its 50th anniversary, including offering 50 people an all-expenses-paid trip to a choice of its properties, as part of its ‘Unlimited Discoveries’ campaign.