Chedi CM

[chiang mai]

It's a slow news day so I'll fill in the gaps and pass along the fact that the Chedi has been sold, previously owned by the M & G Group it is now part of the Anantara Hotel chain and owned by the Minor Group. Bummer, there goes my next summer holiday in Bali!

[hellodolly]

What has the owner of the Chedi got to do with your summer holiday in Bali? We have gone several times and it did not interfere with are holiday there. In fact if the Chedi had burned down it still would not have interfered with are holiday there.

Look up Agoda there are hundreds of nice places there ranging from 5 star down.

[cmsally]

I think Anantara also has a hotel in Bali. Probably not as nice as the GHM ones though.

[iainiain101]

Will the curry still be good there?

[eyecatcher]

I stayed there once,..there was a girl knocking on my door all #!#ing night......

........I finally let her out.

Sent via tin can and string after pigeon shot

[chiang mai]

What has the owner of the Chedi got to do with your summer holiday in Bali? We have gone several times and it did not interfere with are holiday there. In fact if the Chedi had burned down it still would not have interfered with are holiday there.

Look up Agoda there are hundreds of nice places there ranging from 5 star down.

Mrs CM works for the Chedi and they have two hotels on Bali, we get to stay there for free in June at Ubud and at Legian. But now it's the Antanara I doubt the same arangements will apply, oh well, never mind. BTW HD, are you always this miserable these days!

[chiang mai]

Will the curry still be good there?

The GM has been replaced but the staff remain, no reason to believe the curries will not remain as is.

[NancyL]

What you barstools louts may not realize that many of the upper-end CM hotel properties are owned by chains with affinity reward programs and vacations in Chiang Mai are regarded as the reward! In other words, "road-warriors", i.e. people who travel and work long hours for a living, rarely seeing their families, putting in long hours, etc are "rewarded" with points based on their expenditures at other properties owned by "sister" hotels. So it is big news when The Chedi changes ownership.

What does this mean for you? Cheap weekday and Sunday brunches! A nice lobby to hang out and meet people, sip a cocktail and enjoy the aircon. A place to have meetings. Businesses that support local charities.

So yes, it is news when one of the high-end hotels is sold. And even you benefit from The Chedi and other high end hotels being in Chiang Mai, even if you never sit foot in them.

[Chicog]

Last time I was there they'd abandoned the brunch, I think they did it after Patrick resigned as GM.

[scottishjohn]

I stayed there once,..there was a girl knocking on my door all #!#ing night......

........I finally let her out.

Sent via tin can and string after pigeon shot

Why did you let her out? Did you run out of budgie/pigeon feed or had she not paid you.

[hellodolly]

What has the owner of the Chedi got to do with your summer holiday in Bali? We have gone several times and it did not interfere with are holiday there. In fact if the Chedi had burned down it still would not have interfered with are holiday there.

Look up Agoda there are hundreds of nice places there ranging from 5 star down.

Mrs CM works for the Chedi and they have two hotels on Bali, we get to stay there for free in June at Ubud and at Legian. But now it's the Antanara I doubt the same arangements will apply, oh well, never mind. BTW HD, are you always this miserable these days!

You caught me on a good day.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

What you barstools louts may not realize that many of the upper-end CM hotel properties are owned by chains with affinity reward programs and vacations in Chiang Mai are regarded as the reward! In other words, "road-warriors", i.e. people who travel and work long hours for a living, rarely seeing their families, putting in long hours, etc are "rewarded" with points based on their expenditures at other properties owned by "sister" hotels. So it is big news when The Chedi changes ownership.

What does this mean for you? Cheap weekday and Sunday brunches! A nice lobby to hang out and meet people, sip a cocktail and enjoy the aircon. A place to have meetings. Businesses that support local charities.

So yes, it is news when one of the high-end hotels is sold. And even you benefit from The Chedi and other high end hotels being in Chiang Mai, even if you never sit foot in them.

Right, this perspective changes everything.

Sent from my iPad Air using Tapatalk

[chiang mai]

Such an innocent almost inocuous little topic, almost a throw away comment, yet look what it has stirred, some posters need to get a grip.

[hanno]

I was at the Chedi for afternoon tea a couple of weeks ago and was very disappointed with the service; or rather the lack of it. Not good considering the prices they charge.

[chiang mai]

The hotel has a pleasant location on the river and of course the building in the centre, the old British Embassy/Consulate is, I think, inspirational architecture. But as far as a luxury hotel goes I think there are better options, I'm not a big fan of their cuisine or their health club, the latter is lacking in facilities and is overpriced by comparison to say the Shangri-La.

But as an employer the M&G Group have been excellent, they have treated Mrs CM (and the other staff) superbly well, provided lots of training, encouraged staff participation and have most of the attributes of a western company. The other M&G hotels that I've stayed at have been nicer in different ways but the one common aspect has been that the staff all speak well of their employer, for that reason I'm sorry to see them go.

[jko]

This article in TTG Asia magazine reveals some gremlins:

Tussle for The Chedi Chiang Mai

November 6, 2013

MINOR Hotel Group (MHG) has announced the rebranding of The Chedi Chiang Mai as an Anantara, but legal actions initiated by the current management company, General Hotel Management (GHM), against the owning company and MHG, cast a shadow over the management takeover.

GHM president and CEO, Hans Jenni, did not respond to TTG Asia e-Daily’s request for comment but in what clearly is an unhappy parting, a note on GHM website about the termination said: “An attempt was made on the 4th November 2013 by the owning company of the The Chedi Chiang Mai to terminate GHM’s management of the hotel and bring in a new operator to manage the property.

“Regrettably, the manner in which it was carried out was wrongful and violated key conditions and criteria from the existing management agreement. Given this unfortunate development, GHM has had no choice but to initiate legal actions against both the owning company as well as the new management company to address the many areas of violations and with it, to seek reinstatement of management and obtain full compensation.”

It added: “GHM will also make every effort to ensure that its loyal guest and customers will not be inconvenienced with the intrusion and will ensure that the renowned GHM experience (one that has made The Chedi Chiang Mai one of the most recognised luxury names in Chiang Mai since 2006) remains unmarred.”

MHG is proceeding to rebrand the 84-room hotel as Anantara Chiang Mai Resort & Spa, saying it marked the 100th hotel in the MHG portfolio.

In a press release issued today, Dillip Rajakarier, CEO, MHG, said: “The fact that our 100th property is such a significant addition to the portfolio, both with it being such a stunning resort and the strategic addition of a Chiang Mai property to our Thailand collection of Anantara properties, makes it even more special. Chiang Mai is a key destination in Thailand and one we have been looking at for development opportunities for a long time, adding the perfect dot on the map as our eleventh property in Thailand."

Contacted, Minor Corporation’s CEO and chairman Bill Heinecke said: “No comment"

=

[chiang mai]

Very interesting, the plot thickens (and I didn't even know there was one).