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Since opening the first InterConti-
nental hotel in Vietnam in 2007, IHG
has been slowly but steadily expand-
ing and earning a significant market
share. What can you tell us about
how your property fits into this?
The InterContinental brand is very
well recognised, not only in the local
market, but all over the world. Our
hotels have been performing well in
Vietnam with consistent, robust occu-
pancy. We will no doubt be able to
leverage IHG’s global network and scale
to deliver revenue at our hotels.
Since 2007, IHG has established its
luxury brand, InterContinental, in key
cities in Vietnam such as Hanoi, Ho Chi
Minh City and Danang. InterContinental
Nha Trang will perfectly complement
our three sister properties here.
InterContinental Asiana Saigon is
still going strong as our top perform-
ing InterContinental hotel in the region,
while the stunning InterContinental Da-
nang Sun Peninsula Resorts has recent-
ly won Asia’s Leading New Resort award
at the World’s Travel Awards 2014.
We aspire to our sister hotels’
achievements and InterContinental Nha
Trang is proud to be the latest member
in the IHG family in Vietnam.
What is your assessment of the hotel
market in Vietnam?
With the fast growing economy of
Vietnam as well as the country’s rapidly
developing infrastructure, the nation
remains one of the top destinations for
investment in Asia. As far as the leisure
market is concerned, in major cities
like Hanoi and Saigon, the mid-scale
and budget hotel segments are doing
particularly well. These hotels are often
low-cost, conveniently located as well
as catering to the basic needs of guests.
However, for beach destinations like
Danang, Nha Trang and Phu Quoc, in-
ternational branded seaside hotels and
resorts are performing better than ever
- often supply cannot keep up with de-
mand during high seasons. This is the
reason why more and more investors
are interested in luxury branded hotels.
Despite the financial crisis, Vietnam
still shows economic growth, consum-
ers with increasing disposable income,
and an increasing number of local trav-
ellers. We feel that the tourism industry
in Vietnam will show positive growth in
the coming years. With the Vietnamese
government focusing on developing
Nha Trang as a destination, we believe
this is the perfect time to open an Inter-
Continental hotel.
Do you think the Nha Trang market
needs another five star luxury hotel?
Absolutely! When you consider
our competitors, there are not a lot of
international branded luxury hotels in
the city. I’m sure when InterContinental
Nha Trang opens we will be the hottest
beachfront retreat in town. Besides, a
new luxury hotel is always good news
for the city. First, with a new player in
the market, other hotels will have to up
their service product and offerings to
stay competitive, which is always good
for the guests. Second, we will help to
put Nha Trang on the map as a desti-
nation with an InterContinental hotel,
which in turn will help attract more
tourists to the city. And finally, more
hotels not only means more tourists,
but also plenty of jobs opportunities for
those wanting a career in hospitality.
What do you think sets the InterCon-
tinental Nha Trang apart from other
counterparts in the group?
All of our hotels need to follow a
strict set of standards in order to meet
the expectations of our guests from all
over the world. InterContinental guests
always know exactly what they want,
and we always strive to anticipate and
exceed their needs. Even though we all
follow our brand standards, each Inter-
Continental hotel is special in their own
way. In The Know is our commitment
to deliver authentic local experiences to
our hotel guests. It’s not just the tours
48
The inside
Colin McCandless
,
general manager of
InterContinental Nha Trang
Hotel talks to
Timeout
about the InterContinental
brand, the state of the hos-
pitality industry in Vietnam
and what he believes the
future holds for it.
PROFILE