InterContinental stonewalls Keangnam hotel queries
InterContinental stonewalls Keangnam hotel queries
The operator of the country’s tallest hotel is still in question despite the involvement of InterContinental Hotels Group in the project for a few years.
In August this year then director of sales and marketing of the InterContinental Hanoi Landmark 72 Jessica Koh told VIR that the hotel was expected to open in the fourth quarter this year. Koh has recently been appointed as director of sales and marketing for InterContinental Nha Trang Hotel, which is expected to open in the next few months.
Odd activities were seen last week as the billboard bearing the InterContinental name was moved out of the Keangnam Landmark 72, the tallest building in Vietnam.
There were reports that employees who had been hired over recent months had been dismissed and only one person remained. But VIR was unable to contact company sources despite repeated calls.
A source from Keangnam Vina, the developer of the hotel, confirmed with VIR that the team had moved out.
The hotel occupies the space at the very top of the country’s tallest tower perched on floors 62-71. It boasts 359 rooms, a variety of restaurants, and state-of-the-art meeting facilities. Offices and serviced residences occupy the lower part of the 72-storey building.
Keangnam Vina has advertised the logo of the InterContinental on the fence of the complex since the company started construction more than five years ago.
A representative of the InterContinental Hotels Group Clarence Tan, chief operating officer for South East Asia & Resorts on the other hand said the company was still working with property owners and planning to open the hotel.
“We will be better positioned to share more information on the hotel at a later stage,” Tan said, declining to add more information.
Discussing the group’s development strategy in Vietnam, Tan added that the group was planning to more than double its presence in South East Asia over the next three to five years.
“Although our focus market is Indonesia, Vietnam is also a market we are looking to grow in,” he stressed.
At present, the group is operating three InterContinental hotels in Vietnam with properties in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Danang. The fourth InterContinental in Vietnam will be opened in Nha Trang.
In addition to InterContinental, the group is also operating two other hotels under Crowne Plaza brand, including one resort in Danang and one hotel in Hanoi.
vir
