THE Ascott Group said yesterday that it opened four new serviced residence projects - one each in Australia, Vietnam, Thailand and Qatar - in the first two weeks of June.
The properties are Somerset St Georges Terrace in Perth, Somerset Hoa Binh in Hanoi, Citadines Sukhumvit 8 in Bangkok, and Somerset West Bay in Doha.
The projects are on top of two properties Ascott opened earlier this year: Ascott Guangzhou and Somerset Emerald City, Suzhou.
Ascott president and chief executive officer Jennie Chua said the group has five other properties scheduled to open this year in Bangkok, Chennai and Singapore.
The new properties will consolidate Ascott's position as the world's largest international serviced residence owner-operator, she said.
Somerset St Georges Terrace in Perth has 84 units and is in the heart of the business district. It is within walking distance of many restaurants, cafes and boutiques, and is just one street away from the Perth Convention Exhibition Centre.
The 206-unit Somerset Hoa Binh, Hanoi is part of a mixed development comprising an office tower and a retail podium. The property is in Hoang Quoc Viet Street, Cau Giay District - a 10-minute drive from key commercial and civic districts. It is also close to the Hoa Lac high-technology development zone and Thang Long Industrial Park.
In Bangkok, the 130-unit Citadines Sukhumvit 8 is five minutes from the Nana Skytrain station.
The 200-unit Somerset West Bay project in Qatar is in the heart of Doha's diplomatic area where ministry headquarters, embassies and consulates are located. The property is next to the Qatar Financial Centre and adjacent to the City Centre Shopping Mall, one of Qatar's best-known shopping destinations.
This article was first published in The Business Times on Jun 17, 2008
