MINT eyes Australia for expansion
Executives of Thailand’s Minor International (MINT) have been meeting in Australia to flesh out expansion plans for the hotel and hospitality group.
CEO and chairman William Heinecke and his fellow executives flew to Brisbane on the chairman’s private jet to discuss a strategy to overcome the group’s dependency on the Thai economy.
The target is to double the group’s hospitality, food and retail business within the next five years in a region stretching from Africa to Australia.
MINT’s focus currently is Australia, as it contributes between 20% and 25% of overall revenue, reports The Nation newspaper.
MINT aims to spread its presence in Australia with Oaks Hotels and Resorts and the Coffee Club.
MINT Hotel Group CEO Dillip Rajakarier said Oaks was a great example of how MINT wanted to enter a market.
With a good structure already in place and at a good price – given that Oaks was in financial difficulty at the time MINT acquired the business – MINT is confident it can now expand its Anantara chain in Australia, he said.
MINT has not been left unscathed by the Thai political crisis. The shutting down of the Ratchaprasong area in Bangkok led to cancelled bookings for the St Regis and the Four Seasons in what would normally be a high winter season.
Corporate guests cancelled their reservations, bringing what was going to be an 80% occupancy rate down to just 30%.
Ian Jarrett
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
TAP Air Portugal to operate 29 flights due to strike on December 11
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Strike action set to cause travel chaos at Brussels airports
Digital Travel Reporter of the Mirror totally seduced by HotelPlanner AI Travel Agent