Tokyo-based Okura Nikko Hotel Management Co., a subsidiary of Hotel Okura Co., will open the Hotel Nikko Amata City Chonburi in Amata City Chonburi Industrial Estate, around 60 kilometers southeast of Bangkok, in 2021.
The company expects to sign a contract this week with a local project-management partnership that includes Fujita Corporation, Japan Overseas Infrastructure Investment Corporation for Transport & Urban Development and Amata Corporation PCL for the management of the new property.
The hotel will be built on approximately 21 square kilometers near the entrance to Amata City Chonburi, a "smart city" covering some 4,000 hectares that already hosts about 750 international companies. These include some 450 Japanese enterprises, mostly automobile-component manufacturers and steel- and plastic-processing firms, the largest concentration of Japanese companies outside of Japan. Amata City Chonburi is actively developing new commercial, medical and educational facilities, and aims to attract additional inbound investment from Japan.
The Thai government is promoting what it calls the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) as one of its core policies for realizing its national strategy known as "Thailand 4.0," a plan to drive sustainable economic growth through the provision of sophisticated industrial infrastructure and the promotion of digital technology. The government has designated three eastern provinces—Rayong, Chonburi and Chachoengsao–as special EEC zones, aiming to attract 10 designated priority industries and implement policies to improve infrastructure. In support of the government’s policy. Amata Corporation is actively promoting the development of Amata City Chonburi and the area is expected to attract more foreign-affiliated companies in the future.
The hotel is expected to have about 250 guestrooms, each with an area of about 32 square meters. Beyond Japanese cuisine and all-day dining, restaurant and banqueting facilities will cater to business users and will include a banquet hall that local companies will be able to use for a variety of functions. The development team expects the property's guests to primarily be business travelers visiting Amata City Chonburi and those making use of golfing facilities at the nearby Amata Spring Country Club.
The hotel will be the third property from Okura Nikko Hotels to open in Thailand, and is part of the group’s plan to expand its portfolio to 100 properties, primarily in Asia, by 2020.