Accor will return to Burma later this year after signing a deal to open three properties in the developing tourism hotspot.
It will open an MGallery in Naypyidaw and two Novotels – Novotel Yangon Max and Novotel Mandalay Mingalar. All will be new-build properties.
The first, a 168-room MGallery, is expected to open later this year, followed by the Novotel Yangon Max with 366 rooms, which is also scheduled for completion by the end of 2013.
The 280-room Novotel Mandalay Mingalar, meanwhile, is due to open in 2015.
“We are excited to announce the signing of three new hotels, marking Accor’s return to Myanmar,” Accor Asia Pacific chairman and chief operating officer Michael Issenberg said. “Southeast Asia has long been a focus market for Accor and as the country’s tourism industry develops, we see significant growth potential for international hotel operations with long term experience in the region.
“These three developments represent another step towards our goal of operating 700 hotels in Asia Pacific by 2015.”
The properties will go some way to easing the capacity squeeze in Burma. Wholesalers are reporting rapidly increasing demand but growth is being hampered by a lack of hotel rooms.
Accor said it looked forward to “being part of the development of the country’s tourism infrastructure”.
Ref#:Travel Weekly