France's AccorHotels aims to manage luxury residential projects for Thai developers and introduce a mid-scale lifestyle hotel brand, Mama Shelter, by 2018.
Patrick Basset, chief operating officer of Accor for upper Southeast and Northeast Asia, said the trend of hotel-branded residences is growing in Asia-Pacific. Several Thai real estate developers are interested in having professional hotel chains manage their luxury condominiums and residences.
Accor claims to be a global pioneer in managing branded residences for both sale and serviced residences designed for individual purchasers and hotel investors.
Mr Basset said hotel-branded residences are unique in that they offer a mix of prestigious hospitality and urban real estate space -- a perfect fit for high-income locals and foreigners.
The first hotel-branded residence in Thailand for Accor is expected to be in Bangkok's Sukhumvit area.
Apart from Bangkok, major cities such as Chiang Mai, Hua Hin, Pattaya, Samui and Phuket also have high potential for hotel-branded residences, he said.
Hotel chains that offer managed residences in Thailand include Raffles Residences, Fairmont Residences, Sofitel So Residences, M Gallery by Sofitel, Pullman, Swissotel, Grand Mercure and Novotel.
Accor has 19 properties under its branded residences globally and 30 new properties are in the pipeline.
Mr Basset said Vietnam and the Philippines will see a rise in Accor-branded residences as investors are interested in real estate projects in this region.
Meanwhile, Accor is planning to launch its mid-scale lifestyle Mama Shelter brand in Bangkok's Sukhumvit area by 2018.
"We believe Bangkok has the highest tourism potential in Asia-Pacific because it is the world's most-visited city according to a poll by MasterCard Global Destination Cities Index 2016. Almost every Accor brand is successful in Thailand," he said.
The Mama Shelter brand has 677 hotel rooms in six cities: Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Los Angeles and Rio de Janeiro. The hotels feature a modern and lively style.
The Thai tourism industry is booming and has driven the local economy for a few years as exports experienced a slump. Last year, foreign tourist arrivals tallied 29.8 million.
"Thailand is expected to welcome 33.8 million foreign visitors this year, a major reason why Accor will open the first Mama Shelter hotel in the region in Bangkok," Mr Basset said.
Accor operates 69 hotels and 16,023 rooms in Thailand. Of the total, 27 are luxury hotels and resorts under the Sofitel, SO Sofitel, MGallery by Sofitel, Swissotel and Pullman labels. It has 18 hotels in its pipeline opening in Thailand by 2019, with 4,143 rooms covering the Ibis Styles, Novotel, Mercure, Sofitel, M Gallery and Ibis brands.
Accor plans to operate 87 hotels in Thailand by 2019.