Thai firm eyes 15 budget hotels in PH

Thailand’s leading hotel developer The Erawan Group PLC is planning to build up to 15 budget hotels in the Philippines over the next five years.

Erawan Group president Kamonwan Wipulakorn said the company is allotting P4 billion to build budget hotels in Manila, Cebu and Davao.

At present, The Erawan Group has two Hop Inn Hotels in the Philippines, located in Manila and Makati. Next year, the company is slated to open three more hotels in Aseana, Alabang, and Quezon City. The company is optimistic about its operations in the Philippines because of the country’s robust domestic economy and growing tourism industry.

“Right now, the Philippines has the highest economic growth and also the highest development that is why we choose to come to the Philippines because for us we look for high growth market,” she said.

“Right now, we only focus on Thailand and the Philippines. We don’t see other countries as exciting as Thailand and the Philippines,” Wipulakorn said.

Wipulakorn added: “When we plan to come here we actually targeting for domestic market because it’s a very big market, but I think with the location that we have we also attract foreign arrivals as well. So right now about 50 percent is domestic market and the rest would be foreign markets.”