Bangkok Hospital buys Nai Lert Park hotel

Bangkok Hospital buys Nai Lert Park hotel

Swissotel Nai Lert Park hotel will close it door to guests in early 2017. (Photo by Krit Phromsakla Na Sakolnakorn)
Swissotel Nai Lert Park hotel will close it door to guests in early 2017. (Photo by Krit Phromsakla Na Sakolnakorn)

Bangkok Dusit Medical Services, Thailand's largest hospital operator under the brand Bangkok Hospital, will spend 10.8 billion baht to buy Nai Lert Park hotel to develop it into a holistic services medical centre with a 2-billion-baht investment.

In its statement filed to the Stock Exchange of Thailand on Wednesday night, the company said it had entered into the transaction to acquire the 15-rai land in the NaiLert Park project on Withayu Road  (Wireless Road).

The total amount is 10.8 billion baht, with 1.08 billion baht already paid on Wednesday. The company said it planned to spend another 2 billion baht to develop the BDMS Wellness Clinic.

The acquisition includes the land, a six-storey hotel totalling 40,300 square metres, a 12-storey Promenade office building of around 31,000 sq m and a one-storey building used for a staff cafeteria of around 400 sq m. The 15-rail land is part of the total 35 rai of land owned by Nai Lert Park group.

The company believes that a wellness clinic will receive positive feedback as there are few medical services centres that provide the service. 

It claims to be the first in Asia to offer wellness services.

Naphaporn Bodiratnangkura, managing director of Nai Lert Park Hotel, issued a handwriten note to employees saying that change was necessary in a time of tough competition, so the hotel would close its  doors from the beginning of 2017, ending a 36-year history that began when the late Thanphuying Lersak Sombatsiri founded it.

She said employees would get legal compensation plus a one-month bonus. It was coordinating with Accor Group to transfer staff to jobs in its network. 

Bangkok Dusit owns and manages 42 hospitals in Thailand and one in Cambodia. The company expects the number of its hospitals to rise to 50 with 9,000 beds by 2020.

The company was founded by Prasert Prasarttong-Osoth, who also owns Bangkok Airways Plc. 

BDMS shares opened down 0.60 baht to 21.40 baht on Thursday.

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