Centara wins recognition of Chinese tourists with 'Best City Hotel' award

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Centara wins recognition of Chinese tourists with 'Best City Hotel' award
By The Nation

 

 

BANGKOK: -- Centara Grand & Bangkok Convention Centre at Central World was voted “Best City Hotel” in the 2017 People’s Choice Awards after The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) polled many of the 10 million Chinese tourists who visit the country each year. 

 

The poll, just completed in June, is evidence of Chinese visitors’ growing importance to Thailand, and Cen-tara’s success in meeting their needs. 

 

Centara Hotels & Resorts, Thailand’s largest hotel operator, is making a concerted effort to appeal to Chinese guests. Their 66 deluxe and first-class properties include 43 Thailand hotels across all major tourist destinations and another 23 located in prominent international destinations. 

 

The award-winner, Centara Grand & Bangkok Convention Centre at CentralWorld, is one of the group’s premier properties, located in the heart of Bangkok’s central shopping district and integrated with a popular convention and shopping complex.

 

Centara also operates properties in Vietnam, Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Oman. 

 

The group offers diverse formats ­- integrating multi-ethnic restaurants, Thai spas, Kids’ Clubs, water parks, and other innovative features - that appeal to couples, individuals, families, and business professionals. Thailand’s famous hospitality culture is also a key ingredient of the brand’s recipe for success.

 

Most Centara hotels and resorts have Chinese-speaking staff and serve Chinese meals including breakfast. 

 

Centara offers Chinese information about its hotels and destinations, promotions, and online booking on its official website, which is now hosted in China for optimum speed. The group also accepts the popular Chinese payment channel UnionPay, in addition to major credit cards, and is active on China’s leading social media applications, Wiebo and WeChat. 

 

The Centara management team led by three top executives - Tom Thrussell, Vice President of Marketing, Paul Wilson, Vice President of Sales and Harry Thaliwal, Group Director of Operations - recently completed a roadshow that included five major Chinese cities and Hong Kong. 

 

The tour raised awareness of the Centara brand and shared news of the group’s expansion plans into China and the Middle East with members of China’s travel industry and key trade and consumer media.

 

“China now represents our most significant inbound market and the numbers will continue to rise,” said Thrussell. “We are committed to developing a deep understanding of Chinese guests’ needs and by visiting key Chinese cities and partners, engaging with our guests and soliciting feedback, we are able to communicate more effectively, better meet their travel needs and ultimately equip ourselves to manage successful properties in China itself.”

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/business/EconomyAndTourism/30319539

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-06-30

[SiamBeast]

Not sure if that's a good thing.

 

Recognized = best hotel = more Chinese tourists = more loud speaking, open-mouth chewing, and hordes of people = less Thais & Western people.

[MobileContent]

Well done. Seens many Chinese tourists at their properties since last year.

[thhMan]

I know Centara well...

Booked online for a suite for me and the family....

Got there only to be told that I never did such a thing and insinuating I was a liar and giving us a super small room

 

Only to be called 10 minutes later and be told there was an email issue and I will be moved to the suite I booked

 

Never received an apology, but my kids did get 10 bahts worth of stale cookies, for free....

 

SO I am guessing things have gotten better since a year and a bit ago.... Complete management and staff change perhaps?

[observer90210]

Chinese tourist overload will reck lovely Thailand!...but again, Thailand is their country, free for the Thai's to do as deem fit...but time will teach!

Edited July 1, 2017 by observer90210