Centara Group still expanding in Pattaya

"A sincere smile and an honest approach to the guests is my recipe for success."

by Barry Kenyon

The company's connection with Pattaya goes back a long way. For many years it owned and operated Central Wong Amat Beach Resort in North Pattaya. This was redeveloped as the 555-room Centara Grand Mirage and opened in 2009, a destination hotel which was built to a Lost World theme and was based around a huge water park which goes all the way to the hotel's own frontage at Wong Amat beach.

Australian national Austin Robinson, who has a versatile background in the hotel industry as general manager in many leading hotels in Australia, was appointed the first general manager of Nova Hotel and Spa Pattaya and Centara Pattaya Hotel which opened their doors to the public in late 2011. They are both within walking distance of each other on an area of land close to Second Road and Central Road, and are owned by well-known Pattaya developer Rony Fineman, founder of Nova Group, who now has 20 properties across the resort's skyline.

Nova Hotel and Spa Pattaya is part of the Centara Boutique Collection brand of intimately scaled hotels and is a four-star property with 79 rooms and suites all overlooking the hotel pool, whereas Centara Pattaya Resort is a mid-range establishment with 152 rooms and suites, many with a dedicated children's area or an extensive living room and furnished terrace. Both are within a few minutes' walk to the beach and surrounded by the entertainment and shopping facilities which have made Pattaya a truly international destination.

A special attraction at the Nova Hotel and Spa Pattaya is the Dead Sea Spa, a wellness programme which utilizes pure sea salt and mud harvested from the Dead Sea in the Middle East at depths over 420 meters below sea level. Each spa journey includes a relaxing soak with mineral-rich sea salts where guests can float weightlessly in a Dead Sea flotation pool, followed by a steam session and a relaxing massage of choice.

"We have been well pleased with the progress of both hotels which are now running at well over 90 percent occupancy," says Austin. "We have been popular from the start with Thai guests, especially Bangkokians on vacation, as well as Europeans, Turks, Japanese, Indians and Chinese."

But he adds that the markets for the two hotels are different. "Centara Pattaya Hotel is a core brand four-star property which is ideal for couples and families, whereas Nova Hotel and Spa attracts the independent traveller looking for quality on a more intimate scale. In particular, our market research suggests that the Dead Sea Spa will become a destination in itself."

But Centara's Pattaya emphasis is only just beginning. Apart from Nova, the company has a close relationship with Tulip Group and Centara Grand Resort and Spa is scheduled to open later this year in Pratumnak Hill, South Pattaya's key residential area. It features an inspiring decor which subtly alludes to a mesmerizing underwater world and will appeal to couples, families and the business traveller.

Also being developed with Tulip is the four-star Centara Avenue Residence and Suites, in Soi Buakhao, which will provide some of the most sophisticated facilities ever to be provided in a residential condominium. Again with Tulip, the Centara Grand Residence at Na Jomtien, a still largely undeveloped area, will be a three towers' construction with a total of 483 rooms and units on three hectares of land. Less than 30 percent of the land is being used for construction with the remainder being utilized to enhance the feeling of green-inspired luxury on a grand scale. The project is already sold out in several categories and investors have the opportunity to own luxury condominiums enriched with five-star hotel services and rooms.

"We believe that Pattaya is set to develop much further in the next few years," summarizes Austin. "It has already moved a long way from its historical dependence on the night-club scene and is growing all the time in sophistication as it diversifies in its interests and facilities." He adds that the recent tourist authority estimates showing that Thailand expects 24 million foreign visitors this year spending around the equivalent of a trillion US dollars reveal the confidence of the Thai tourism industry. And that certainly includes booming Pattaya.

"In my current role managing two hotels," adds Austin, "I have responsibility for 175 staff members and at least 540 guests. I believe in mixing a lot for a sincere smile and an honest approach to the guests are the recipes for success. At the same time I accept that the hospitality leaders of today and tomorrow will need to operate fit and lean hotels which maximize staff productivity and ensure value for money with the highest levels of customer care."

Asked what he would most like to see in Pattaya over the next year, Austin explains that the civic authorities, and mayor Itthiphol Kunplume in particular, have made giant steps forward to put Pattaya on the tourist map internationally and to prepare for its expanded future in many ways. "Many of the new, much-needed infrastructure improvements, such as underground traffic tunnels and high speed rail links may be years away, but I would also like to see more immediate attention to mundane matters such as broken pavements, choked drains and similar improvements which don't cost a fortune to implement."

As the Pattaya Today team left the hotel, we noticed Austin conversing in Japanese (his second language) to a group from Tokyo who were just departing. This is indeed a hard-working guy. Since taking up his position in Pattaya in mid-2011, he hasn't even left Thailand to take a vacation or to visit his home country. His confidence and commitment do indeed represent the ethos of the successful hospitality manager of this decade as Pattaya marches ever-forward to new pastures.