Rasa plans to expand into regional hospitality markets

He said that the group currently has two hotels in the pipeline in Thailand, which are under hotel-management agreements. These two will bring its total portfolio to nine hotels under management. 
“Once we reach an economy of scale, which is currently projected at 15 properties, we have an aggressive business plan, which will take us to Myanmar, Vietnam and other regional destinations. In support of this plan, we have earmarked capital for investment into new markets, professional talent and product,” Howard said.
He added that achieving economy of scale would allow the group the cashflow necessary to invest with less risk. The regional expansion will be in terms of investment in hospitality properties, not only on a hotel-management agreement basis.
The group currently manages seven properties: Buri Rasa Village Koh Samui, Buri Rasa Village Koh Phangan, Pai Village Boutique Resort and Farm, The Privilege Hotel Ezra Beach Club, The Privilege Hotel Ezra Royal Garden, The Privilege Hotel Ezra Royal Beach and Ruen Come In, plus Buri Rasa Village Chiang Mai, which is under development. 
The group also serves as the owner’s representative at Anantara Rasananda Koh Phangan Villas, which is owned by the partners of Rasa Hospitality.
Howard and his partner, the group chairman Kemchai Rasanon, formed Rasa Hospitality more than four years ago to manage property owned by Kemchai, and to offer hotel-management service to owners who wished to reap the maximum return on their investment while being free of the daily challenges of operations.
Regarding the Thailand market, Howard said: “While 2017 has been positive for us overall, it has not been without effort. While we were able to deliver higher levels of occupancy and guest satisfaction than our competitors, we were still able to excel by adding new property.
“For 2018, we are seeing an overall recovery of tourism numbers with strong quarter-one forecasts, and we are planning to be bullish about tourism in Thailand for 2018,” he added.
Recently the group’s Pai Village Boutique Resort and Farm was awarded three Luxury Hotel Awards for the best luxury mountain resort in Thailand, the best luxury country hotel in Southeast Asia and the best cultural resort in Asia by the the World Luxury Hotel Awards. 
This resort is located in Pai district of Mae Hong Son province in northern Thailand. Pai is one of the most popular tourism destinations in the North. 
“The majority of our market in Pai are non-Thais, which is our focus. Our product is unique and we identify luxury differently to most operators. We look at luxury as a compilation of experience, product, location and memorability versus simply investing in brand,” Howard said.
“Further, we instil and consistently train and retrain our associates to remember the basics of Thai culture, treating everyone as if we we’re welcoming family into our home. It’s this simple adherence to culture, as well as our focus on being different – thinking outside of the box – which allowed us to stand out and be recognised at the World Luxury Hotel Awards,” he added.