Luke Donald to design his first golf course

Luke Donald of England, now the #1 ranked golfer in the world following his win at the BMW PGA Championship, will join IMG in the design of the first 18 holes at Ba Na Hills Golf Club located in Danang, Vietnam.
The first golf course at Ba Na Hills - Danang Vietnam is now ready to start construction with completion expected in late 2012.

Donald, continuing his streak as the hottest golfer in the world with his victory, defeated Lee Westwood in a playoff at the BMW PGA Championship, earning the top spot in the Official World Golf Rankings in the process.

The Ba Na Hills site is unique and different from the current offering of golf courses in the Danang area. It will not be another seaside course but a mountain course with a great mix of natural topography and vegetation.

Luke Donald has had an interest in golf course design for many years and comes from a very artistic background. An avid painter and an accomplished piano player, he earned a degree in Art Theory and Practice at Northwestern University in the USA.He commented, "To be able to work on my first ever golf course design at Ba Na Hills is a tremendous opportunity. We have a great site with good elevation change and incredible existing natural features including large trees, streams and mountain backdrops.

"I am really happy how the current design is looking on paper and look forward to getting on site later this year to further refine the detailed design features. Working with a quality developer such as the Sun Group, and in the Danang market which already has become a top golf destination in Asia, is very exciting."

Dang Minh Truong, General Director of Sun Group commented, "Luke Donald is a great addition to the Ba Na Hills project team and we congratulate him on becoming the #1 ranked player in the world. We have been impressed with his hard work and determination on the golf course and know that this attitude along with his artistic talents will bring many great design ideas to our golf course at Ba Na Hills."

10/31/2011 03:11:00 PM | Posted by Kiva.Dang
Hyatt Regency Danang Resort and Spa opens

VNRE - Hyatt Regency Danang Resort and Spa will be Hyatt’s second property in Vietnam. Located on Vietnam’s picturesque central coast, Danang is Vietnam’s third largest city with rich cultural and tourist attractions including three UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Ideally situated on an immaculate stretch of white-sand beach, Hyatt Regency Danang Resort and Spa offers its guests an idyllic oceanfront setting. The resort is easily accessible from major international destinations, located less than 20 minutes from the Danang International Airport.

With sweeping views of the East Sea and bordered by the iconic Marble Mountains, this exclusive beachfront resort and residential complex, comprises a deluxe resort with 200 guestrooms, 174 well-appointed condominiums and 27 luxury three-bedroom villas.

Hyatt Regency Danang Resort and Spa will also feature a broad array of international dining outlets, spa and wellness facilities offering traditional and innovative therapies and grooming treatments, dedicated meeting and event services and extensive family-friendly leisure facilities.


For more information about the luxury condominiums and villas now available for purchase at Hyatt Regency Danang Resort and Spa, visit: www.marblemountainresidences.com.


Residences: sales@marblemountainresidences.com
Residential Sales Tel: +84 4 3946 1666

Bayan Cliffs Resort - Da nang

Nearly 230 hectares for construction of Bayan Cliffs Resort

A resort of Sun Group at Son Tra PeninsulaThe Danang People’s Committee has approved the overall detailed planning for construction of Bayan Cliffs Resort with an area of nearly 230hectares at Son Tra Peninsula, Tho Quang Ward, Son Tra District, Danang City.

598,350 m2 will be for construction of villas and houses; 56,131m2 for public services; 10,327m2 for clubs; 3,760m2 for beach and 172,146m2 for internal roads. The investor - Sun Group will manage an area of 350.000m2. The remainder will be for vegetation, grass and view.

(Son Tra)

Novotel Danang

1/12/2010 02:53:00 PM | Posted by Kiva.Dang
The Sun Novotel Danang

Located in the most vibrant area of Danang city, along with the beautiful landscape and completed infrastructure systems, the community's cultural norms ... The Sun Novotel will be the ideal place to settle down, where brings you a dynamic and modern life.

The project is built with scale 32 storeys, including luxury apartments, office buildings, shopping centers with well-known brands in the world, restaurant systems, luxury hotel following international standard and managed directly by the Novotel Corporations along with the services and facilities perfectly, gives you absolute satisfaction.

From The Sun Novotel, every day you can see the panoramic view of the city, and throw a knowing look to the vast range of natural plants or enjoy the fresh cool wind from the romantic Han River to feel a completely harmonious beauty of this place from dawn until twilight falls.

AA to Complete the InterContinental Da Nang Resort

Wednesday, Septembert 01, 2010
AA Corporation has recently commenced work on the new InterContinental Hotel in Da Nang. AA Corporation has been contracted to complete interior fit out work for this new five star hotel which is located on the north end of the Son Tra penisula in Da Nang. The property is owned by Sun Group which is currently developing various properties throughout Vietnam including Bana Hills Mountain Resort and Novotel Da Nang . Sun Group has hired famed interior designer Bensley Design Studios to design the resort, which is tucked away within a tropical oasis just outside of Da Nang City. The hotel is scheduled to be finished in the fall of 2011 and plans to be one of the most luxurious hotels in all of Vietnam.

Hyatt Regency Danang Residences

http://www.marblemountainresidences.com/
http://danang.regency.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp?null

Hyatt Regency Danang Residences

Hyatt Regency Danang Residences is a luxury residential development situated on 20 hectares of prime beachfront property that stretches 650 metres along renowned China Beach, voted by Forbes as one of the top ten beaches in the world.
The brief
Savills Vietnam was appointed the exclusive sales agent for Hyatt Regency Danang Residences in 2009. The resort includes 174 luxury condominiums ranging from 75 sq m one-bedroom units to jaw-dropping penthouses with amazing sea views and 27 oceanfront pool villas with contemporary design over two spacious levels. As the holiday home sector is a newproduct line with a clear rise in demand in recent years, this project particularly receives particular interest from buyers.

The client
Indochina Land

Our solution
The holiday home market in Vietnam is still in its early stages of development and thus offers a lot of room for experiment and innovation. In order to take full advantage of the prestigious Hyatt brand as well as Indochina Land’s reputation, Savills Vietnam implemented an extensive marketing campaign targeting foreigners, high-income Ho Chi Minh City residents, and especially wealthy Hanoians. With a dedicated Sales team, Savills worked closely with the developer from the early planning and product development stages to provide the most valuable and appropriate advices.

How we added value
Noticing our solid branding, diversified client base and highly creative marketing approach, Indochina Land was very pleased with the initial sales volume generated during the soft launch event. Our dedicated Sales team managed to maintain steady sales even when average prices increase by over 30 per cent.

Hyatt Regency Danang Residences

Hyatt Regency Danang Residences

http://danang.regency.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp?null
http://www.marblemountainresidences.com/


Hyatt Regency Danang Residences is a luxury residential development situated on 20 hectares of prime beachfront property that stretches 650 metres along renowned China Beach, voted by Forbes as one of the top ten beaches in the world.
The brief
Savills Vietnam was appointed the exclusive sales agent for Hyatt Regency Danang Residences in 2009. The resort includes 174 luxury condominiums ranging from 75 sq m one-bedroom units to jaw-dropping penthouses with amazing sea views and 27 oceanfront pool villas with contemporary design over two spacious levels. As the holiday home sector is a newproduct line with a clear rise in demand in recent years, this project particularly receives particular interest from buyers.

The client
Indochina Land

Our solution
The holiday home market in Vietnam is still in its early stages of development and thus offers a lot of room for experiment and innovation. In order to take full advantage of the prestigious Hyatt brand as well as Indochina Land’s reputation, Savills Vietnam implemented an extensive marketing campaign targeting foreigners, high-income Ho Chi Minh City residents, and especially wealthy Hanoians. With a dedicated Sales team, Savills worked closely with the developer from the early planning and product development stages to provide the most valuable and appropriate advices.

How we added value
Noticing our solid branding, diversified client base and highly creative marketing approach, Indochina Land was very pleased with the initial sales volume generated during the soft launch event. Our dedicated Sales team managed to maintain steady sales even when average prices increase by over 30 per cent.

Hospitality On The Path To Recovery

Hospitality On The Path To Recovery
By Quang Tuan
Monday, January 3,2011,17:26 (GMT+7)

Sensing sunny days ahead, hoteliers are committed to improve facilities and services

Vietnam received 440,000 and 450,000 tourists in October and November this year, contributing to more than 4.6 million foreign tourists visiting Vietnam in the past 11 months. It expects to welcome some five million foreign arrivals for the whole year, much higher than the initial target of 4.2 million.

Nguyen Manh Cuong, deputy head of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), said the figure is impressive given the slight recoveries around the world since last year. Foreign arrivals from Cambodia, Thailand, South Korea, Japan, China and the U.S. have experienced big growth this year.
Apart from the 1,000th anniversary celebration of Hanoi and ASEAN meetings, the number reflects the promotion trips to ASEAN, European and American markets during 2009 and the first months of 2010 by tourism authorities and businesses. The economies were recovering especially in the U.S. and more people were back to holidaying again.

Hotels move forward

The growth has been good for the economy and welcome news for the hospitality industry. Hoteliers say it validates their belief in Vietnam’s potential as a major travel destination.

“Vietnam is gaining popularity within the region as a travel hot spot, and destinations like Hoi An, Danang and Nha Trang are comparable to better-known resort destinations such as Phuket or Pattaya in Thailand and getting more and more popular,” says Thomas Schmelter, IHG Regional General Manager – Vietnam and Cambodia of InterContinental Asiana Saigon.

Hotels have seen an increase in the number of international guests, not only in respect to accommodation but also for meetings and incentives. All their key feeder markets show a strong upward trajectory. In other words, all market segments are performing above expectations.

According to Hide Ishiyama, Legend Saigon Hotel general manager, during the recent meeting with general managers from other deluxe hotels in the city, they said hotels had less than 50% occupancy on average last year. “But this year, the global economy has the slight recovery. So, the rate is up to 60-70%,” Ishiyama said.
“Our business is significantly better than last year, especially November,” said John Gardner, Caravelle Hotel general manager. Meanwhile, Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers general manager Dietmar Kielnhofer, told the Weekly that the hotel has seen a considerable return and increase in all segments of its customers from 2009. There has been a great increase from the corporate and leisure segments not only with rooms but also at food and beverage outlets. “Generally, 2010 has been an extremely successful year for us in terms of occupancy, market share, profit conversion, food and beverage activities and promotions. All our key performance matrixes show a significant improvement compared to 2009,” added Kielnhofer.

Hotels see the upcoming festive season as a chance for them to maximize the business for both rooms and food & beverages for the whole year of 2010. They are trying their best to provide exceptional services and foods to guests and create a happy festive atmosphere throughout the hotels.

To serve guests better

The newest deluxe hotel in HCM City, InterContinental Asiana Saigon, offers contemporary luxury and personalized service and a wide delectable selection of food & beverage outlets. Early this month, it signed a deal with Mercedes-Benz Vietnam to buy a luxury car as an additional service to make its guests feel more comfortable.
“Cooperating with luxury hotels and resorts has been put in as one of our key strategies so far,” says Udo Loersch, general director of Mercedes-Benz Vienam. “At InterContinental Asiana Saigon and Mercedes-Benz, we share the same commitment to excellence in the way we offer the best services to customers. Premium transportation is also an important element.”

Previously, Caravelle Hotel and Park Hyatt Saigon also signed with the German firm to buy luxury cars. This shows that the number of VIP guests is increasing, and premium transportation services are a strategy to keep it that way.

“At Park Hyatt Saigon, we intend to lead the chart in the hospitality service standards and compare ourselves with world-class premier hotels,” says Michael Golden, the hotel’s general manager. “We are in the fifth year of operation in Vietnam, where our image and reputation has developed extremely well. However, our goal is to continue to lift the standards of service and product offers to our discerning guests.”

Caravelle Hotel has become the first customer of Mercedes-Benz in-car hotspot, which makes it available for passengers to use Internet and email wirelessly and fast on the road. Currently, more than 80% of five-star hotels across Vietnam are using Mercedes cars like InterContinental Asiana Saigon, Caravelle Hotel, New World Hotel Saigon, Windsor Plaza Hotel, Park Hyatt Saigon, New Horizon Hotel, Legend Hotel Saigon, Celadon Hue Hotel and Grand Plaza Hanoi.

“We are proud that Mercedes-Benz is the first choice in the minds of premium hotels and resorts and also happy to contribute to the premium services to satisfy the high-class travelers and add more value to the country’s tourism industry,” says Loersch.

Caravelle Hotel has been working with owners and an interior design company to completely renovate the hotel starting mid-2010. Sheraton Saigon has upgraded televisions to big, flat screens and increased Internet speed to 10 megabytes per second in guest rooms. Investing more into human resources and technology also receive more interests from hotels this year.

Meanwhile, Schmelter says for Vietnam, it is looking at creating nearly 5,000 new jobs in the next few years to serve the group’s six hotels and resorts here. “To find the right talent, train them and ensure they are set up for success is both a challenge and an incredibly important priority for us,” Schmelter says.

With the Vietnamese traits of hospitality, hard working, openness to new things and service, the future is looking bright for hospitality here.

Massive Expansion Plans for Accor in Vietnam

Massive Expansion Plans for Accor in Vietnam
Thursday, 6 March 2008

Accor is embarking on a massive expansion of its hotel portfolio in the fast growing country of Vietnam, with the launch of its upscale Pullman and mid-scale Mercure brands, and the expansion of its well-established Novotel brand.
To support the expansion Accor has just opened in Ho Chi Minh City, its first full representative office in Vietnam. The new office will support and drive the growth of the Accor hotels network from its existing eight hotels to at least twenty hotels by the end of 2010.
Three Pullman hotels are to be developed in Vietnam - two in the country’s northern Lao Cai region and one in Vung Tau. Pullman Lao Cai, Pullman Sapa Resort and Pullman Vung Tau will be among the first internationally branded hotels in two of Vietnam’s rapidly growing tourist regions.
Pullman Sapa Resort (150 rooms) is expected to open in early 2010. It will be in the heart of Sapa town, with views of nearby mountains. The Pullman will comprise villa-style accommodation designed in the style of a village. The use of wood, stone, and bronze metals will ensure the hotel blends in with its natural environment.
Pullman Lao Cai (200 rooms), 260 kilometers northwest of Hanoi, will open in early 2011. It is located between the new city centre and the Lao Cai Train Station that serves the Haiphong Railway, the base for twice-daily train services from Hanoi.
Pullman Vung Tau (360 rooms), is expected to open in early 2010. It is located in the seaside capital city of Ba Ria Province, the petroleum centre of Vietnam. Adjacent to a 2,000 people convention centre, the hotel will become a leading MICE destination outside of Ho Chi Minh City.
According to Michael Issenberg, Accor Asia Pacific Chairman, the opening of these hotels will significantly upgrade the tourism infrastructure in Vietnam and will complement Accor’s already strong presence in Hanoi.
“The Pullman name is already well known in Vietnam as the Metropole Hanoi was a Pullman hotel before we re-branded it to Sofitel in the early 1990s. These three new Pullmans will revive one of the great names in hospitality,” said Issenberg. “With inbound tourism to Vietnam booming and playing an important role in driving the economy, the two new Pullman hotels in Lao Cai and Sapa will meet a growing demand for international standard upscale hotels in northern Vietnam.”
Accor will also develop two Mercure hotels in Hanoi to accommodate the rapid increase in demand for quality mid-scale accommodation.
Mercure Hanoi La Gare (102 rooms) and Mercure Hanoi Hado (380 rooms) will be the first Mercure hotels in Vietnam and the start of a planned development of up to twenty Mercure hotels throughout the country.
Mercure Hanoi La Gare (opening early 2009) will be built on Ly Thuong Kiet Street, near Hanoi’s main corporate area and a short stroll from the Hanoi Train Station. Mercure Hanoi Hado will open early 2010 on Cat Linh Street just across from Hanoi’s famous Temple of Literature.
Accor also has development plans for its well-established Novotel brand in the economic and standardized scale, with a new Novotel planned for the rapidly emerging tourist destination, Phu Quoc. Accor opened the Grand Mercure La Veranda in 2007, and the Novotel resort Phu Quoc will be located on a beachfront site just five minutes from the Grand Mercure. The 200-room resort developed by Esaco and Long Beach is due for completion in late 2010.
The opening of Novotel Phu Quoc Resort will follow four other significant Novotel openings scheduled for the next two years. Novotel Halong Bay will open in June 2008. Other Novotels to open in Vietnam will be Novotel Nha Trang (late 2008), Novotel Hoi An Imperial Resort (late 2009), and Novotel Hanoi On The Park (2010). They will join Novotels in Dalat and Phan Thiet.
Vietnam – one of Asia’s fastest growing destinations
Vietnam attracted 4.2 million international visitors in 2007, a year-on-year increase of 17.1%, according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT). Tourist arrivals increased by 25.4%, while business travel grew by 13.7% compared to the same period in 2006. The largest feeder markets of Vietnam's tourism include China, South Korea, Japan, and the United States. The VNAT is targeting 6 million international arrivals, 26 million domestic visitors, and tourism revenues of US$4.5 billion in 2010