Northstar

The Indispensable Travel Industry Read Feature Highlight Trends, strategies and competitions Vol. 4 Issue 03 | March 2013 | www.travelweeklyweb.com | Published by Travel & Meetings Group, Contineo Media Pte Ltd News Genting Group's new development in Vegas Page 3 Airlines The 112-year-old Strand Hotel in Yangon, Myanmar GHM terminates management of Yangon's Strand Hotel SINGAPORE – General Hotel Management (GHM) has announced the termination of its management of The Strand Hotel in Yangon, Myanmar, which has been under its care since September 1999. Strand Hotel International (SHI), owners of the 112-year-old property, has decided to take on management of the hotel locally. The Strand was opened in 1901 by the renowned Sarkies Brothers. During the colonial period, it stood as one of the most luxurious hotels that exude exquisite sophistication which it still personifies up to this day. Twenty-four years later, the Sarkies Brothers sold The Strand to Rangoon restaurateur Peter Bugalar Aratoon and Ae Amovsie. In 1989, the hotel was sold to Bernad Pe Win, a Burmese businessman who then met up with Adrian Zecha and a group of investors to form the Strand Hotel International. After a delicate revamp of its interiors, The Strand re-opened in 1993, which saw Adrian Zecha, co-founder of GHM, playing an instrumental role in launching the 30-room property. Under GHM's management, The Strand reclaimed its earlier renown as the preferred address for well-heeled travellers to Yangon and one of the city's most iconic landmarks. Its teak and marble floors, mahogany furniture, and canopied beds complement original pieces, like period bathroom fixtures. However, unlike other grand hotels in the region, the Strand's restoration was done delicately, retaining its vital elements, so that it Etihad unveils global ad campaign Page 11 remained true to its architectural past. "It is with deep regret that we close the book on GHM's long relationship with The Strand," said GHM president Hans R. Jenni. "We have enjoyed many years of collaboration with the owners of this extraordinary hotel." Despite the change in management, the hotel scene gears towards the upside, with plans to develop several hotel zones in the country is currently ongoing as Myanmar faces a market expansion and readiness to venture deeper and invest in the infrastructure required to manage the increased flow of international visitors. Real estate first Jones Lang LasSalle Hotels have predicted that there will be an increase in international quality rooms in Myanmar by 36.7 per cent, every year from 2012 to 2016. No stranger to the trade, GHM has been conceptualising, developing and operating an exclusive group of hotels and resorts such as The Chedi Muscat in Oman, The Ananti Kumgang Mountains in North Korea and The Legian Bali, to name a few. Known for bringing out each property's individuality through reiterating its symbiotic relationship between the locale and the building, every GHM hotel has a story to tell, including the Strand Hotel in Yangon. A cornerstone of the British society in Myanmar during the colonial era, the hotel has hosted the likes of Rudyard Kipling, Mick Jagger, Somerset Maugham and Lord Mountbatten.

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