Alila to open 17 new projects in Asia

What started as a small portfolio and a big dream is on the cusp of becoming a formidable player in Asia’s luxury boutique hotel landscape.

Alila Hotels and Resorts, which operates seven upscale properties in India, Indonesia, and Cambodia, has 17 new openings in the works that are expected to open during 2013, Mark Edleson, the company’s president, said in an email.

“It is the culmination of an incredible 10-year journey since we started out with a dream to run our own hotels with just the Chedi Ubud, Serai Manggis and a newly completed Alila Jakarta, which was the first Alila flagship hotel,” he said. “The two Alila resorts in Bali were subsequently renamed as we started our corporate (headquarters) in Singapore to grow our management company and build the brand. It is very gratifying to see that the ideals that we started with in the business have translated into commercial success for the Alila brand.”

 That expansion has been opportunistic in nature, Edleson said. Whereas major chains can be more discerning in which regions they target for expansion, Alila has taken a flexible approach that has leveraged both new builds and conversions.

The majority of projects in the works are in China and Indonesia, but other possibilities include Portugal, Korea, Malaysia, Vietnam and Oman.

In addition, the company operates two residential villa communities in Bali.

“We also find that many of our developments stem from new projects by our ongoing partners where there will be more Alila resorts in the country,” Edleson said.

With so many opportunities, company management has had to be selective.

“It is critical that we do not overspend beyond the business potential for the project. Being a small boutique operator, we have to plan our resources well to grow our portfolio and our hotel teams simultaneously,” Edleson said.

The company also has had to turn some projects down.

“We are proud to say that we have always managed to absorb and redeploy our management team when a hotel project fell through,” he added.

Source - hotelnewsnow