General Hotel Management Ltd. (GHM) has signed a management agreement with Aquarius International Development (AQI) to operate a 200-key resort on Koh Chang, Thailand’s third-largest island. Tailored to meet the needs of returning business and leisure travellers, the property is ready to make a splash in Thailand’s post-pandemic travel landscape.
The Chedi Aquarius Koh Chang will feature an all-day-dining restaurant, another restaurant perched on a cliff-edge, a rooftop bar, spa, infinity pool with pool bar and conference facilities overlooking the Gulf of Thailand.
“This new resort is shaping up with [the] integrity of design and a certain poise that are hallmarks of the Chedi experience,” says GHM CEO Tommy Lai. “We’ve been on the lookout for a way back into Thailand since 2013, and The Chedi Aquarius Koh Chang is the perfect vehicle,” he added.
Scheduled to open in 2023, the new resort combines beautiful seclusion with convenient accessibility. Koh Chang can be connected by air and by road from Bangkok, with flights to the nearest airport in Trat just one hour in duration; overland, the drive is 300 kilometres, while a ferry from the mainland takes less than an hour.
“We are delighted to partner with GHM to bring the prestigious Chedi brand back to Thailand,” said Nixon Chung, COO of AQI. “With its pristine location in this ecotourism haven, impeccable design and exceptional amenities, The Chedi Aquarius Koh Chang will represent the very best of Thai hospitality. We look forward to welcoming guests from the 4th quarter of 2023.”
Koh Chang, (meaning ‘Elephant Island’ in Thai) forms part of the Mu Ko Chang National Park, and is the largest and most popular of the islands in eastern Thailand. Though Koh Chang is less famous than other island destinations such as Phuket or Koh Samui, its relative obscurity means that visitors can enjoy an unspoilt natural paradise; around 83 per cent of the island is comprised of national park territory.
GHM is a resort group that traditionally focuses on emerging, rather than established destinations, bringing together some of the world’s most exceptional luxury hotels and resorts under a single boutique hotel management brand. “As a group, we’ve always been like that peripatetic friend who’s always telling you about the next-best, up-and-coming place to go,” explains Lai. “These days we’re talking about Koh Chang.”
The new Chedi on Koh Chang will complement GHM’s existing portfolio of acclaimed hotels in Muscat (Oman), Sharjah (U.A.E.), Andermatt (Switzerland) and Luštica Bay (Montengro), as well as hotels under development for the Maldives, U.A.E., India and Taiwan, all set to open in 2021.
