The four-year-old StayWell Hospitality Group which has made huge strides in Australia, is now targeting Singapore and Dubai for expansion.
“Our aim was to secure a sound domestic footing, and now we’re moving into Asia,” said Richard Doyle, StayWell’s executive director. “We acquired the land in 2007, and now we’re building our first hotel, our flagship (Park Regis) in the market.”
The Park Regis hotel in Singapore comprises 203 hotel rooms. It is located near Clarke Quay and is slated to open in September.
Another hotel in Dubai, the 392-room Park Regis Kris Kin Hotel, is now under construction and is expected to be completed in October this year. Another property, Leisure Inn Casablanca, is also being developed in Morocco.
Currently, the company has 22 properties operating or being developed within its midscale Leisure Inn and upscale Park Regis brands, and Mr. Doyle said the company is close to announcing two more properties in the Middle East and one in Asia.
StayWell is also expanding in other ways, as the company has recently opened its new international sales offices in Hong Kong, London and Munich.
Mr. Doyle noted that the five-year plan of the company is to have 50 to 100 properties under management or ownership. “We’ll be adding in gateway cities in Asia because we’re more well-known in Asia/Pacific,” he said.
Its long-term plans also include bringing the Park Regis and Leisure Inn brand to North America and Europe. "We expect to be a significant player in the future even though we’re relatively small now," said Mr. Doyle.