Hua Hin’s tallest building to open this month

[webfact]

Hua Hin’s tallest building to open this month

By KWANCHAI RUNGFAPAISARN 
THE NATION

 

Proudputh

 

PROUD REAL ESTATE yesterday announced the completion of the second-phase development of its mixed-use project in Hua Hin involving an additional investment of Bt1.8 billion.

The 300-room Holiday Inn Vana Nava Hua Hin will have its soft opening this month as a unique 140m-high property, making it the tallest building in Hua Hin. The hotel has three main target segments comprising families, couples, and MICEs, with families being the most natural clientele based on the popularity of the waterpark. The hotel will also feature one of the largest MICE facilities in Hua Hin with over 1,500-square metre meeting spaces, along with a wide range of facilities that includes a 24-hour 300-square-metre fitness centre, infinity pools on 26th floor, as well as a lobby bar, spa, well-equipped Kids Club and dedicated Kids Suites.

 

Proudputh Liptapanlop, executive director of Proud Real Estate, said that the launch of Holiday Inn Vana Nava Hua Hin is the second phase of the Vana Nava Hua Hin mixed-use project at an investment of Bt1.8 billion.

 

 This will be followed by a final residential phase late next year completing a total investment for the three phases of Bt4 billion. “This will also complete a fully integrated entertainment experience for Hua Hin comprising these three phases as well as our other developments in the destination – InterContinental Hua Hin Resort, True Arena Hua Hin and Bluport Hua HIn Resort Mall,” Proudputh said.

 

The first phase of the mixed-use development is the Bt1.2-billion Vana Nava Water Jungle in Hua Hin, one of Thailand's top waterparks which has been in operation for three years.

 

The third and final phase will be Vana Nava Residence high-rise condominium, which is expected to launch within 2018. The premium residential project requires an estimated investment of about Bt2 billion.

 

“Our next project is Phuket. We are currently developing the Bt2-billion InterContinental Phuket Resort in Kamala and we have recently purchased a 50-rai site on the island where we will develop a water park at least twice the size of our one in Hua Hin and a hotel. This will take us three years to complete,” said Proudputh.

 

“In terms of new businesses, we have partnered with Canadian water park specialists White Water Industries to do a joint venture, WhiteWater Southeast Asia, that will be providing turn-key solutions to developers looking to do a water park in the region; offering services as master planning, feasibility and even operations management. This gives us the potential to replicate the model we are piloting in Thailand in destinations such as Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia,” she said.

 

Proudputh said the company would focus on Thailand for the next three to five years.

 

“The strategic focus currently is definitely Thailand. Since ours are tourism-oriented developments, we will continue to focus on key cities and tourism destinations. We will also focus on entertainment-led leisure developments where possible. These are niche and are a key competitive advantage for us. They also appeal strongly to the increasingly dominant tourism demographic to Thailand which is from Asia – where entertainment and fun activities are a crucial part of holidays and where the importance of being on the beach is less important. This is the cornerstone of our unique “Playcation” concept”, she said.

 

Proudputh said that as a company, Proud Real Estate is becoming more and more known in the entertainment segment of the business for developing and managing high-quality projects.

 

“In terms of business objectives, we are less driven by the numbers. Rather we want to develop award-winning projects to garner worldwide recognition for Thailand and the destinations we operate in. It is also important for us as a company to diversify into the service industry and not rely so heavily on the asset industry. This is a key part of our strategy,” said Proudputh.

 

She added that the key challenge for today’s property developers is that in Bangkok and Phuket it is increasingly difficulty to find the right piece of land.

 

“We need to be in a good location. The market also is becoming very competitive so you need to find a strong point of differentiation. This is where the entertainment part comes in for us, which we integrate into a full and seamless guest experience by including an internationally branded hospitality component. 

 

“With this combination, there is also no need to be on the beach any longer. We feel this is a game-changing combination. It appeals to the new rising demographic of tourists coming to Thailand and we do not need to seek beachfront land,” said Proudputh.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/Corporate/30331150

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-11-09

[spidermike007]

One has to assume, the incredibly smart people in charge of city planning, have already thought of some brilliant approaches to traffic mitigation. Always looking towards the future, and planning with great vision. LOL.

[JimHuaHin]

Yes - what traffic planning?  Maybe  a new set of traffic lights!

 

But also, the site of this project is about 100 metres from the lowest point in Hua Hin city (apart from the beaches of course).

[observer90210]

On looking at the OP photo, the project seems really....hot !!!

[Ruffian Dick]

15 minutes ago, observer90210 said:

On looking at the OP photo, the project seems really....hot !!!

You're referring to the lady behind the ... erections?

[observer90210]

37 minutes ago, Ruffian Dick said:

You're referring to the lady behind the ... erections?

Mainly to the lovely slim and symetrical forms of the build !

[toofarnorth]

Someone tell me what a family of mice are , more abbreviations FGS !

[USPatriot]

On 09/11/2017 at 1:49 PM, spidermike007 said:

One has to assume, the incredibly smart people in charge of city planning, have already thought of some brilliant approaches to traffic mitigation. Always looking towards the future, and planning with great vision. LOL.

I am wondering when the land encroachment investigation starts 

[champers]

11 hours ago, toofarnorth said:

Someone tell me what a family of mice are , more abbreviations FGS !

Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events. Aimed at the business community, top end.

Saw a travel documentary last night on CNN with their Richard Quest (the a***hole who always wears braces and shouts a lot) reporting on the future of tourism in Thailand. MICE is high on the list for market expansion and is in line with TOT's strategy of bringing more quality high spenders into the country.

Also meaning less riff- raff, presumably.

[toofarnorth]

9 hours ago, champers said:

Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events. Aimed at the business community, top end.

Saw a travel documentary last night on CNN with their Richard Quest (the a***hole who always wears braces and shouts a lot) reporting on the future of tourism in Thailand. MICE is high on the list for market expansion and is in line with TOT's strategy of bringing more quality high spenders into the country.

Also meaning less riff- raff, presumably.

Thanks for that champers , I left H/H about10 years ago so one less riff-raff for the hoi paloi to contend with. MICE .....your welcome.

Oh as a side issue , is there enough water in H/H these days ? You may not know of course but 10 years ago our drinking water in the tank came from the nearby klong for 6 months of the year. Oh and on other days there was not enough volts to boil water.

[champers]

1 hour ago, toofarnorth said:

Thanks for that champers , I left H/H about10 years ago so one less riff-raff for the hoi paloi to contend with. MICE .....your welcome.

Oh as a side issue , is there enough water in H/H these days ? You may not know of course but 10 years ago our drinking water in the tank came from the nearby klong for 6 months of the year. Oh and on other days there was not enough volts to boil water.

I am a resident of Pattaya, so automatically qualify as riff-raff. I have visited Hua Hin and was very taken with the piers and their restaurants. They are all scheduled for demolition, I believe, probably to be replaced by new MICE friendly hotels.

I am sure the locals can fill you in on utility problems, though I think access to water hasn't been difficult this week.

The MICE capital of USA is Las Vegas, so if that is the way of things I reckon the Walking Streets of Pattaya and Hua Hin will ultimately benefit. If I was an incentivised employee and had the choice of visiting temples and tribal villages or partying day and night and waking up next to a go-go dancer, I would opt for the latter. Or maybe that's just me.

[geriatrickid]

I don't think it is reasonable to snipe at the project specifics just yet. Based upon what I have seen with the InterContinental and BluPort, I expect that this is a top of the line quality project and it's something that will benefit Hua Hin. This isn't a fly by night developer. Having driven past this project over the past few years, the size and scale was something to behold. As far as construction sites in Thailand go with an impact on local traffic, this one was one of the better managed. 

 

Unfortunately, the finished project may be too advanced for the municipality and the city really needs to get its house in order to service and support a quality development like this. As mentioned, the amount of traffic and the ingress and egress to the location will be a nightmare come high season. It expect we will see a situation similar to  Orchard in Singapore at rush hour, or Collins Avenue in Miami Beach during Florida's high tourism season. The key difference being that there will be no traffic lights, police presence, or traffic smoothing features in Hua Hin. As it is, traffic along the main drag is terrible and poorly managed.

 

Just how are  all of the visitors going to get to Hua Hin? There is no direct air link. The train connection is a farce with filthy out of date equipment and an inconvenient schedule. The bus connection is a deterrent with the  move of the bus depot to the city outskirts.

 

However, the main concern for me is the fire protection. The city does not have modern equipment such that it can control a large fire at a high rise. The water pressure in the vicinity is not the best.  If the hotel is a Holiday Inn then it should have life safety standards up to the same quality level as sister brand InterContinental with sprinklers, smoke and heat detectors, fire extinguishers etc. None of that good stuff helps if the staff are not trained and there is inadequate water supply.  Perhaps there is a plan to divert water from the water park in the event of an emergency.

[Felt 35]

On ‎13‎.‎11‎.‎2017 at 2:34 AM, geriatrickid said:

I don't think it is reasonable to snipe at the project specifics just yet. Based upon what I have seen with the InterContinental and BluPort, I expect that this is a top of the line quality project and it's something that will benefit Hua Hin. This isn't a fly by night developer. Having driven past this project over the past few years, the size and scale was something to behold. As far as construction sites in Thailand go with an impact on local traffic, this one was one of the better managed. 

 

Unfortunately, the finished project may be too advanced for the municipality and the city really needs to get its house in order to service and support a quality development like this. As mentioned, the amount of traffic and the ingress and egress to the location will be a nightmare come high season. It expect we will see a situation similar to  Orchard in Singapore at rush hour, or Collins Avenue in Miami Beach during Florida's high tourism season. The key difference being that there will be no traffic lights, police presence, or traffic smoothing features in Hua Hin. As it is, traffic along the main drag is terrible and poorly managed.

 

Just how are  all of the visitors going to get to Hua Hin? There is no direct air link. The train connection is a farce with filthy out of date equipment and an inconvenient schedule. The bus connection is a deterrent with the  move of the bus depot to the city outskirts.

 

However, the main concern for me is the fire protection. The city does not have modern equipment such that it can control a large fire at a high rise. The water pressure in the vicinity is not the best.  If the hotel is a Holiday Inn then it should have life safety standards up to the same quality level as sister brand InterContinental with sprinklers, smoke and heat detectors, fire extinguishers etc. None of that good stuff helps if the staff are not trained and there is inadequate water supply.  Perhaps there is a plan to divert water from the water park in the event of an emergency.

To make something similar to Orchard in Singapore is their dream from North to South here. However and as you mention this family seems to deliver quality projects and if my informant is correct they own most of the land they build on!

Btw, funny this with waterparks in Hua Hin, Phuket, Pattaya, no one use the natural ocean any more like we did 40-50 +years ago, but the general health decline