American hotel chain Best Western International has opened its first hotel in Mandalay, taking the firm’s total number of hotels in Myanmar to three.
The company said it has taken over the management of the existing Hotel Shwe Pyi Thar, which has now been repositioned as the Best Western Premier Hotel Shwe Pyi Thar.
This marks the first foray of the hotel chain’s upscale Best Western Premier brand in Myanmar.
The hotel offers 91 rooms and suites, ranging from 350 square feet (sqft) Superior Rooms to 4,090sqft Presidential Suite. Following the rebranding to a Best Western Premier, all rooms now feature flat-screen LCD TVs and free Wi-Fi.
Best Western said the hotel will expand the property, including building a brand new wing of the hotel, adding 200 more rooms. This work is expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2016.
“The expansion work being planned, combined with the input of Best Western’s international standards of guest service, will usher in a new and exciting era for the hotel and the city,” Ron Pohl, Best Western International’s senior vice president of brand management, said.
Olivier Berrivin, Best Western International’s managing director of international operations – Asia, said, “Best Western International has identified Myanmar as a key market for our future expansion in Southeast Asia. Having recently opened our second hotel in Yangon, I am thrilled that we have been able to follow this up so quickly with the launch of our first hotel in Mandalay.
Best Western Premier Hotel Shwe Pyi Thar will offer amenities including a restaurant, bar, swimming pool, fitness centre, spa services and boutique retail outlets. The hotel will also provide options for the corporate market, with a 7,100sqft ballroom, a separate conference room to host large functions and a 45,200sqft lawn for outdoor events.
Best Western first entered Myanmar in 2013 with the launch of the Best Western Green Hill Hotel in Yangon. This was joined last month by the new Best Western Chinatown Hotel. The hotel chain said it plans to continue its expansion in Myanmar, including the opening of its second hotel in Mandalay and its first property in the country’s capital Naypyitaw.
