HCMC - Viethan Hotel Joint Stock Co. is preparing to open a hotel with the ibis brand of the global hotel management group Accor in the township of Phu My Hung in the middle of this year, which will be the first ibis hotel in Vietnam.
Ibis Saigon South to service guests from mid-2012
By Binh Nguyen - The Saigon Times Daily
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| Tchang Young Lee, general manager of Hotel Ibis Saigon South, talks about the hotel and the upcoming career day in District 7 - Photo: Binh Nguyen |
HCMC - Viethan Hotel Joint Stock Co. is preparing to open a hotel with the ibis brand of the global hotel management group Accor in the township of Phu My Hung in the middle of this year, which will be the first ibis hotel in Vietnam.
Tchang Young Lee, general manager of Hotel Ibis Saigon South, told the Daily about the opening plan on Wednesday, before a career day in District 7 this Sunday for students and those keen to look for job opportunities at the first hotel with an international brand in Saigon South.
Work began on the three-star business hotel in September 2010. Lee said the final process was currently on fast track, and preparations were underway for the Hotel Ibis Saigon South to be up and running from mid-2012.
Lee said some 140 double- and twin-bed rooms with cable television channels would be put into service in the initial opening time of the hotel and more rooms would be added next year. The hotel also comprises of restaurant, bar facilities and meeting rooms able to accommodate 100 persons.
Lee said the hotel had found key employees but recruitment continued. Experts of ibis hotels in Asia will come to assist with training to ensure smooth operation and service quality for the hotel at 73 Hoang Van Thai Street in Tan Phu Ward in the district.
Lee said that the hotel’s location near the Saigon Exhibition Convention Center (SECC) as well as shopping and entertainment facilities was an advantage to attract the guests who came to HCMC for their business and leisure activities.
Though the local tourism sector is coping with some challenges as the impact of global economic difficulties, the number of international travelers to HCMC keeps growing. According to the HCMC Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, this city registered around 972,000 international arrivals in the first quarter of this year, up 8% year-on-year.
Last year, more than 3.5 million international travelers visited this commercial hub of Vietnam, up 12.9% over 2010. The local tourism authority is looking to 3.78-4 million this year.
Savills Vietnam showed its updated research result that the last two years have seen HCMC’s hotel market regain its double-digit annual growth rate it had before the crisis, with 14% in 2010 and 17% in 2011. The real estate service provider put the market growth at 12% this year, adding approximately 1,280 rooms to the market.
Savills Vietnam said three new hotels in the January-March period increased total supply for the market to 10,955 rooms, slightly up by 1% quarter-on-quarter and 8% year-on-year. Currently, the city has more than 80 hotels from 3- to 5-star ratings.
The average room occupancy of hotels in HCMC in the first quarter stood at 77%, the same as in the previous quarter but three percentage points lower than the same period last year, according to Savills Vietnam. The 3-star segment recorded the highest occupancy of 80% while 5-star had the lowest occupancy at 74% in the period.