Centara expands its portfolio

Thailand’s Centara Hotels & Resorts, planning to be among top 100 global hotel operators within five years, signed a Hotel Management Agreement (HMA) with Chiangmai Riverside Plaza Hotel Co. for a new property, Centara Riverside Hotel Chiang Mai, at a ceremony held recently in Bangkok.

TT Bureau

Centara Hotels & Resorts, Thailand’s leading hotel operator, has signed a Hotel Management Agreement (HMA) with Chiangmai Riverside Plaza Hotel Co. for Centara Riverside Hotel Chiang Mai. Senior management teams from the two companies were present at the agreement signing ceremony, which was held at Centara Grand at CentralWorld in Bangkok recently.

The latest signing is the first following the announcement by Centara of its bold expansion plans, which will help the group reach its goal of becoming a top 100 global hotel operator within five years. Located next to Ping River close to the Old Town, the 27-storey hotel has been rebranded as Centara Riverside Hotel Chiang Mai from 1 April 2022 onwards.

Centara Riverside Hotel’s 526 guestrooms range between 45 and 223 square metres and feature floor-to-ceiling windows looking out over the city, Ping River, and Doi Suthep. Apart from the spacious rooms, facilities include a wide range of culinary experiences across the varied restaurants and bars, a large outdoor swimming pool, sauna and steam rooms. An al fresco Sunset Pool Deck near the pool offers comfortable bean bags to sink into and watch the changing colours of the sky, while Riverside Pavilion offers guests the perfect spot to enjoy river and mountain views from the riverfront patio lawn.

The hotel is already a well-known MICE destination in the region, offering 14 versatile indoor event spaces certified by the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau for meeting the Thailand Mice Venue Standards (TMVS).

“We are delighted to kick off our 2022 expansion drive by welcoming Centara Riverside Hotel to our growing portfolio, one of several hotels and resorts we plan to open this year. Chiang Mai is a beautiful province, and we are excited to expand our footprint in the region through strategic partnerships, including this one with Chiangmai Riverside Plaza Hotel Co. Ltd.,” said Thirayuth Chirathivat, Chief Executive Officer of Centara Hotels & Resorts. “Chiang Mai is a key destination in Thailand for international as well as domestic travellers. With this new partnership with Centara Hotels and Resorts, we are confident that it will strengthen our presence for both leisure and MICE market in Chiang Mai,” said Amarin Narula, Board of Director of Chiangmai Riverside Plaza Hotel Co. Ltd.

From its prime riverside location, Centara Riverside Hotel places guests within convenient reach of the region’s natural, cultural, and shopping attractions, which range from the Central Festival lifestyle and shopping centre to artist villages and night markets. Chiang Mai Old Town is a few minutes away, and Chiang Mai International Airport is a 15-minute drive from the hotel. Centara Riverside Hotel is the group’s second hotel in the northern Thai city after Khum Phaya Resort & Spa, which is a member of Centara Boutique Collection. A third Centara hotel is in the pipeline and scheduled to open in Q1 2025. Centara will see the group’s portfolio increase from nearly 90 properties at present to 200 hotels and resorts by 2026.