Budiey
TUNE HOTELS MARKS THAI ENTRY WITH CHARITY
Promo rooms at Hat Yai and Pattaya snapped up
Group CEO Mark Lankester (3rd left) presenting Tune Hotels’ aid donation for Thai flood victims to the representative of Channel 3 TV station, Sorayuth Sutatsanajinda in Bangkok. For higher-res pictures, go to www.flickr.com/tunehotels
BANGKOK, 21 November 2011 – In response to the current floods that hit Thailand, pioneering value hotel brand Tune Hotels has recently made a contribution to the flood victims via the country’s top TV station Channel 3.
Tune Hotels Group CEO Mark Lankester handed over THB 100,000 in cash together with 500 packages containing food and drinking water to Channel 3’s news anchor Sorayuth Sutatsanajinda. Channel 3 has acted as a centralised aid collection and distribution hub.
Group CEO Mark Lankester (3rd left) presenting Tune Hotels’ aid donation for Thai flood victims to the representative of Channel 3 TV station, Sorayuth Sutatsanajinda in Bangkok.
Mark said: “This contribution is Tune Hotels’ small way of saying we are with Thailand and its people. The current floods have been one of the worst calamities ever faced by Thailand in recent history but as was proven over and over again, the Thai economy and its people will emerge stronger after each episode and this time it will be no different.”
“Tune Hotels is pleased to be part of and contribute to the nation’s recovery process by pushing ahead with the opening of Tune Hotels in Hat Yai and Pattaya and this is proof of Tune Hotels’ determination to be an active player and contributor to the Thai economy of which tourism has great importance,” he added.
Tune Hotels had earlier announced it was pressing ahead with the opening of its hotels in Hat Yai and Pattaya in a show of long term commitment and confidence towards Thailand and its economy. The announcement came amidst uncertainties prevailing in the Kingdom due to massive flooding for the past few months.
Tune Hotel Hat Yai, located at Niphat Uthit 2 Road, Hat Yai, will have 148 rooms consisting of 93 doubles, 54 twins and a wheelchair-friendly room, while Tune Hotel Pattaya at Pattaya Sai 2 Road in Banglamung District offers 192 rooms that comprise 130 doubles, 60 twins and 2 wheelchair-friendly rooms.
“It’s a contrarian strategy but we are 100 percent behind Thailand and have 100 percent support for its people. We want to do our small part in helping to enhance investment and tourism in the economy and of course providing jobs at these hotels. Despite the physical destruction caused by the floods, it is the friendly nature of the Thais that keeps the tourists and visitors coming,” he said.
Tune Hotels’ initial pre-opening promotion for Hat Yai and Pattaya offering THB 10 rooms was a huge success with all promo rooms snapped up almost immediately as booking opened on 8 November.
Spurred by the overwhelming demand, Tune Hotels had last week extended the pre-opening offer to only THB 9 for even more rooms at both hotels and all were taken up within hours. Guests who booked to enjoy Thailand for 3 consecutive nights or more at the Hat Yai and Pattaya hotels also received 500 points (BIGGIES) as a BIG card member. BIG is a global loyalty programme that has just been launched, allowing card members to accumulate points when shopping with BIG partners worldwide, and redeem the accumulated points for exciting rewards including flight seats on the world’s best low cost carrier, AirAsia.
Tune Hotels is a BIG partner. More information on BIG is available at www.tune2big.com.
Mark said: “We are extremely encouraged with Tune Hotels’ debut entry into Thailand. The response from guests has been so overwhelming. We would like to thank all our guests who have been supportive of our efforts in helping restore confidence and bring back tourists to the ‘Land of Smiles’.”
Apart from Hat Yai and Pattaya, Tune Hotels rollout plan in Thailand for 2012 would include Asoke in Bangkok and Patong in Phuket. Elsewhere, more hotels are scheduled for opening in the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, the UK, Australia and India.
Tune Hotels currently operates ten hotels in Malaysia, two in Bali, Indonesia and one in London, England.
Noting that about 30 new Tune Hotels will be opening in the next 15 months, Mark said: “I would like to encourage guests to stay connected with Tune Hotels via our Facebook page to keep tab of the latest openings and promotions. More Tune Hotels are scheduled for opening in the UK, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, India and Australia, that will give our guests even more options for travel destinations and it’s going to be really exciting.”
Tune Hotels has successfully pioneered a branded value hotel brand with the concept of pay-as-you-use that has become hugely popular amongst travelers from across the world. Under the concept, guests only pay for room rates with the option of adding on other amenities like towels & toiletries, air-conditioning, in-room wifi and satellite TV service at selected hotels.
By adding more rooms to its network, Tune Hotels has significantly improved its operational efficiency and decided to cease administration fee that it previously charged for each booking since January this year. Guests enjoy even more savings of 20% when pre-book Comfort Package that includes towels, toiletries and air conditioning credits online. Selected hotels are offering the Plus Package that bundles television and in-room wifi, representing 30% savings for online booking.
Its popularity and high service quality have earned Tune Hotels numerous accolades. It was recently named among Top 20 Most Innovative Brands in Indonesia by MIX magazine, the country’s leading marketing communication publication. Standing at number nine, Tune Hotels was the only hotel brand on the list. Tune Hotel Westminster in London was awarded a Certificate of Excellence by the world’s largest travel website TripAdvisor, as a “result of consistently great feedback” from hotel guests while the guide portal About.com ranked Tune Hotel Westminster as No 1 among Top 10 Cheap London Hotels.
For real-time updates and promotion alerts, guests can stay connected with Tune Hotels via Facebook at www.facebook.com/tunehotelsTH and on Twitter via www.twitter.com/tunehotelsTH.
For booking and further information, visit www.tunehotels.com.
Tune Hotels Group CEO Mark Lankester (standing on chair) assisted by Tune Hotels staff unloading the company’s aid donation for Thai flood victims at the Channel 3 TV station in Bangkok.
