Proud Real Estate expanding presence

Proudputh Liptapanlop, executive director, said yesterday that the company would also expand its flagship hotel, the InterContinental Hua Hin Resort, by adding the 40-room BluPort Wing in October. 

The company expects to spend Bt500 million for the construction of the annex and renovation of the six-year-old hotel with 118 rooms.

The new wing will offer commercial space. 

 

The Mall, brand shops 

The Mall department store will soon locate there and some other international brand shops will follow. 

“The uniqueness of the InterContinental Hua Hin Resort extension, BluPort Wing, [is that it] can be made private for groups coming to Hua Hin for special corporate or private events such as incentive groups and weddings,” she said. 

Next year, the company plans to open a mid-range hotel, the Holiday Inn Hua Hin, with 300 guestrooms and the largest ballroom in the area. 

The hotel targets medium spenders from both local and international markets. 

Construction on a condominium next to the Holiday Inn Hua Hin is expected to commence this year.

Pasu Liptapanlop, another executive director, said the company was venturing upcountry for the first time this year, with a plan to open a mixed-use project in 2019 consisting of a 100-room InterContinental Phuket Resort, a house, a condominium, retail shops and other attractions.

A few years ago, the company built the Vana Nava Hua Hin water jungle theme park at a cost of Bt1.2 billion. 

The property is one of the leisure attractions set to draw more local visitors and foreign tourists. More than 500,000 people visited the amusement park last year.

Guests of the InterContinental Hua Hin Resort will receive two complimentary adult admission tickets per stay to the Vana Nava Hua Hin Water Jungle throughout this year. 

Last October, the company launched a sports venue, the Bt500-million True Arena Hua Hin, which turned the beach-resort town into a sports-tourism destination, providing sports facilities for local residents and visitors, including 20,000 retirees and expatriates. 

“Our goal is also to provide a multi-sports complex for Southeast Asia for professional training. 

“More important, our hope is to inspire and provide an opportunity for tennis enthusiasts to become professionals by providing them with the best training facilities and a chance to participate in world-class tennis events,” Proudputh said.

Two more leisure attractions are in the pipeline for development in other tourist destinations by 2020.

“Our aim for the year 2020 is to become the largest investor for leisure attractions or non-traditional attractions,” she added. 

The son and daughter of Suwat, a former deputy prime minister, said the family had poured Bt8 billion into Hua Hin over the past six years. 

Hua Hin has become an alternative destination for foreign tourists since the Sumatra tsunami lashed Phuket and the Andaman coast a dozen years ago. The company realised Bt850 million in revenue last year – Bt500 million from the water park and Bt350 million from the hotel. Revenue is expected to reach Bt1 billion this year.