This article was originally published in the Brand Finance Thailand 50 2024 Report.
For the second year running, Centara Hotels & Resorts (brand value up 0.4% to USD234 million), renowned for its luxury accommodations, has maintained its position as Thailand's strongest brands ranked, moving from 32nd to the 30th spot. In this interview with Brand Finance, Tom Thrussell, Vice President – Brand, Marketing & Digital, Centara Hotels & Resorts, discusses the key milestones and strategies that drove the brand's growth since its humble beginnings.
Interview with Tom Thrussell.
Vice President –
Brand, Marketing & Digital,
Centara Hotels & Resorts
What would you consider as the defining moments or milestones in building and strengthening the Centara Hotels and Resorts brand since it was established in 1983?
At Centara Hotels & Resorts, we are proud of our 40-year journey. Every year, we have strived to improve and to introduce our style of warm, heartfelt Thai hospitality to even more guests from around the world. Now, as Thailand's leading hotel company, we can look back on a successful four decades and look forward to an exciting future.
In addition to our company's 40th anniversary in 2023, Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Hua Hin celebrated its 100th anniversary, which shows how much this iconic property is loved and trusted by its guests, and how Centara is committed to Thai heritage. In parallel with this, one of our newest properties, Centara Reserve Samui, received the “Hotel Design of the Year” award from Destination Deluxe in 2023, which reflects how we are creating new hospitality icons and moving the industry forward.
This is just one of the many awards we received in 2023, with other notable honours including Centara being named as the "Best Employer - Thailand" by Kincentric, which reflects our commitment to fostering a strong workplace culture, and Centara Grand being named as the “Strongest Brand in Thailand” by Brand Finance. We are very proud of all these awards.
Looking ahead, we will be introducing our brands into many more exciting new markets in the future. Our current portfolio of 95 properties in 12 countries will be expanded into new destinations, as we move towards our long-term goal of becoming a top 100 global hotel group by 2027.
How has Thai-inspired guest experiences been factored into Centara's brand-building strategies?
Every aspect of Centara Hotels & Resorts' business is underpinned by our Thai family values. We started as a Thai family business and expanded to become the country's leading hotel group, but we have never lost sight of our company's DNA.
As Thais, we are proud of our warm, heartfelt, and hospitality-focused culture, and we strive to foster a family-style atmosphere where everyone feels like they belong and are valued.
This is the essence of hospitality that we strive to deliver wherever we operate. Whether our guests stay in Southeast Asia, Japan or the Middle East, we want to create an ambience and a service culture that lets them know they are staying in a Centara hotel.
For example, Centara has Thai team members in all of its international hotels and resorts, including its front desk, and our training programmes incorporate Thai hospitality values, so every guest can be assured of a warm, genuine Thai-style welcome, wherever they travel.
In addition, our Spa Cenvaree and Suan Bua restaurant concepts are also genuinely Thai. We hire Thai therapists and chefs to ensure that guests enjoy authentic Thai wellness treatments and cuisine. So, guests who stay at our properties in Osaka, Dubai, or the Maldives can rest assured that they can enjoy a traditional Thai massage or world-class Thai cuisine, just as if they were staying in Thailand.
We’re excited to learn about your expansion plans unveiled at the Arabian Travel Mart in May 2024! Could you share with our readers some highlights from this and elaborate on how strong brand positioning plays a role in helping your business grow/expand?
We will be building upon our decades of success to introduce our six brands to even more parts of the world in the future. Our current portfolio of 95 properties in 12 countries will be expanded into new destinations.
Following the debut of Centara Reserve Samui in 2021, we are expanding this luxury brand to more high-demand resort destinations. The Centara Mirage brand, showcasing our expertise in delivering familycentric experiences worldwide, is also growing.
After launching themed resorts in Vietnam and Dubai, we are excited to announce the opening of Centara Mirage Lagoon Maldives in the North Male Atoll in November 2024. This will be part of The Atollia by Centara Hotels & Resorts, a significant multi-island development in the Maldives, with neighbouring Centara Grand Lagoon Maldives set to welcome guests in Q1 2025.
Already in 2024, we have launched COSI Vientiane Nam Phu, Laos, which marked the COSI brand's first location outside Thailand, and Centara Life Lamai Resort Samui is on track to open this year. Then, in addition to Centara Mirage Lagoon Maldives, a further three new properties are set to open their doors in 2024.
We will also continue to upgrade and refresh our existing assets, including Centara Karon Resort Phuket and Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort Pattaya, both of which will emerge from extensive renovation projects at the end of the year.
Meanwhile, we have already acquired a further piece of land next to Centara Mirage Beach Resort Dubai, which will be used to expand the property’s inventory.
Overall, we are pleased with the progress we are making in our mission to become a top 100 global hotel group by 2027.
