The  upcoming properties are the 400-room Amari Jomtien Pattaya, 250-room Shama Wongamat Pattaya and 123-room OZO Pratumnak Pattaya, scheduled to open between 2022 and 2025.

Amari Jomtien Pattaya will occupy a mixed-use beachfront site in Na Jomtien towards the south of Pattaya city, with direct access to a community retail mall. Located in a 30-storey tower with contemporary Thai-inspired design, this hotel will offer all the signatures of Amari including the market-inspired Amaya Food Gallery, Breeze Spa with treatments featuring iconic local botanicals, and service from Amari Hosts. Other facilities include a specialty restaurant, executive floor and lounge, and beach club. Scheduled to open in 2024, the hotel will also offer extensive events and meetings facilities, including a ballroom for up to 1,000 persons in cocktail-style and supported by a variety of smaller function rooms.

Shama Wongamat Pattaya, located by the sea in North Pattaya, will feature 250 residential-style units in studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartment configurations. The property will feature an all-day dining restaurant complemented by a guest lounge, pool, garden and gym. The property will also benefit from key Shama signatures including allocated housekeepers for residents on longer leases, and the brand-wide ‘no boundaries’ lifestyle programme offering orientation ‘hood tours’ to familiarise guests with the local culture, nearby lifestyle venues and amenities, activities which connect residents within the friendly community, and recommendations to the hidden gems of the area. Shama Wongamat Pattaya will open in 2025.

OZO Pratumnak Pattaya will open in 2022 as a 123-room hotel designed to offer a buzzy and zesty ambiance in the public areas, and peace and quiet upstairs. Built to help savvy travellers sleep, connect and explore the best of the immediate area, all guest rooms will highlight the essence of the locality with a signature feature wall inspired by a nearby landmark, functional layouts and distinct space for getting prepared, snoozing and relaxing as well as staying connected.

Douglas Martell, the group’s President and Chief Executive Officer said: “Pattaya is the birth place of ONYX Hospitality Group’s growth story, where our first hotel was launched close to half a century ago. It is with great excitement that we expand our reach in this key Thai destination, with all three of our core brands being represented in this partnership with Ratanakorn Asset. As Thailand’s east coast evolves to become the leading destination for both international and domestic travel with planned enhancements to the road, rail and air infrastructure in the Eastern Economic Corridor, we look forward to being one of the hospitality players in this growing region.”

Jugkarut Ruangratanakorn, Managing Director of  Ratanakorn Asset Co Ltd, said: “As a major investor in hospitality with an active pipeline of hotel and serviced apartment projects with leading international and regional operators, we are committed to expanding our portfolio in the fast developing Eastern Economic Corridor. We have witnessed and admired the expansion of ONYX Hospitality Group across Thailand and the Asia-Pacific region, and look forward to working with them in bringing the brand propositions of Amari, Shama and OZO to life with the opening of these upcoming properties in Pattaya”.

Based in Bangkok, ONYX Hospitality Group has a growing regional portfolio of close to 50 operating hotels across three core brands in eight countries. The group has a robust development pipeline of close to 30 new properties in markets such as China, Malaysia and Australia, and has set a target of having 99 hotels open by 2024 as part of its journey towards being the best medium-sized hospitality player in the region.

ExxonMobil plans to set up the new factory on the site on condition that it is within a radius of 5 kilometres from the company’s oil refinery in Sriracha. If the Thai government cannot find 1,000 rai for the expansion project by this year, Esso is likely to invest instead in China or Vietnam.

The company said it aims to revise its global investment plans at the beginning of 2020. And if Thai officials don’t have a clear policy of reclaiming the land near the Esso port, the company will have to decide to move to a new country, it added.

Under the deadline set by Exxon, the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand – which is responsible for inspecting land reclamation in such areas – employed the Petroleum Institute of Thailand to conduct a study at the beginning of September on the possibility of reclaiming the land. However, it appears the study will not be completed on time as it is expected to take six months, excluding the time needed to write an Environmental and Health Impact Assessment report.

Moreover, Esso’s oil refinery surroundings are crowded, making it hard to find such a large area to meet Exxon’s demand.

With the acquisition, NTT DATA, a leading IT service provider and the parent company of NTT DATA Asia Pacific Pte Ltd, will enhance its market position in Thailand with significantly strengthened capabilities in customer relationship management (CRM), customer experience (CX) and analytics solutions.

“We are very excited to welcome the talented Locus team to NTT DATA,” said Ken Tsuchihashi, president and CEO of NTT DATA Asia Pacific .“I’m confident that they will accelerate our ability to support customers in their digital transformation journeys. Through collaboration with Locus and other NTT group entities, we expect to become a top provider of IT solutions and services in Thailand within a few years.”

Locus, founded 20 years ago, is a leading provider of systems integration (SI) services in Thailand, specialising in digital-enablement solutions for CRM/CX, loyalty programme management, business intelligence, data-analytics solutions and enterprise mobility.

Staffed with 150 professional IT consultants, business analysts and system developers, the company has successfully served over 100 clients in industries including banking, insurance, telecommunication, retail, healthcare, manufacturing and utilities.

“Access to NTT DATA’s depth and breadth of service offerings and innovative global technologies will enable Locus to evolve from a niche player into a more comprehensive business-solutions provider,” said Locus CEO Andrew Yim. “NTT DATA will both strengthen our core business and help us accelerate our expansion into big data, artificial intelligence and enterprise resource planning practices.”

NTT DATA, in addition to accelerating its digital consulting and delivery capabilities in Thailand, expects to create opportunities with Locus for cross-selling to clients in fields such as banking, insurance, manufacturing, retail and utilities.

NTT DATA is a leading IT services provider and global innovation partner headquartered in Tokyo, with business operations in over 50 countries.

This follows an agreement reached today (September 23) between Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and the Eastern Special Development Zone Committee on the development of the high speed train project linking Don Mueang airport in Bangkok with Suvarnabhumi Airport in Samut Prakan and U-Tapao airport in Rayong.

The CP-led consortium proposed the lowest bidding price. If it fails to sign the contract with the State Railway of Thailand on that date, it might risk being considered as abandoning the project.

The measures aim to provide quality, speedy, cost-effective and worry-free construction work with the ability to minimise waste generation powered by the integration of digital technology based on the Circular Economy concept.

“SCG aims to establish 20 branches of the CPAC Solution Centre nationwide and expand the network of local technicians and contractors from 2,000 to 20,000 by 2020, elevating the entire ecosystem with sustainable growth,” Chana Poomee, vice president for cement and construction solution business for SCG Cement-building Materials business, said in a Monday release.

He added that SCG Cement–building Materials, has been a regionally recognised cement and concrete manufacturer for more than a century, and invariably adapts to improve competitive capabilities to meet evolving challenges. This time, the company has taken a further step to elevate the work process of their cement and construction solution business by leveraging collaboration at the local and national level to meet the ambition of the construction industry to become a “wealth community” where stakeholders along the value chain can enjoy benefits and sustainable growth.

It will also aim to build a “Green Society” to establish an efficient management of resources – the raw materials, human resources, budget and time – to create a tangible economic benefit by employing three strategies. They are: Construction Solution Technology to address needs and solutions, Digital Technology such as BIM to maximise resources, and the CPAC Solution Centre to deliver inclusive expertise services.

Over the years, SCG has been entrusted vital tasks of several construction types, allowing the company to realise customer demands and constraints such as the need for on-time delivery of quality products that fit the construction types, as well as technology to effectively manage cost and improve safety at work along with the availability of experts for specific troubleshooting assistance.

The first strategy, Construction Solution Technology, is to enhance the work process to address needs and solutions to provide a holistic service with highest efficiency and standards to a broad range of customers from government, businesses, technicians, contractors, large-scale and small-scale real estate development companies to other related parties. CPAC, a subsidiary of Cement-building Materials, SCG, has worked with network partners to combine advanced and internationally recognised technology and service tools such as design technology, construction inspector, logistics with high-quality products and its longstanding expertise to develop a new comprehensive solution under “CPAC Construction Solution”.

Solutions for homeowners, technicians, and small-scale contractors are offered with top-quality CPAC professional team service along with the CCTV system to allow customers to track the project’s progress around the clock. Examples of the solutions include the floor solution, pile and beam column solution for structural strengthening with post-tension and precast, wall solution for plastering services as well as customising solutions such as farm solutions offering design and consultation services to build standard barns with speedy construction within controlled budget with precast materials.

Solutions for large-scale contractors and real estate development companies include the infrastructure solution such as post-tensioned slab system for the Skytrain system or beam bridge construction with inclusive services of design, material procurement, production control and installation. As well the lifetime solution offers service coverage for building, factory, bridge or dock. The earthwork solution offers underground design work and a drainage system to minimise construction time along with other customisation solutions tailored to meet customer needs, and a unique service for high soil subsidence area, especially in the central region.

As well, construction waste generation has become a significant concern, especially the reserve of excess construction material, resulting in unnecessary loss of raw material, human resources, time and budget. SCG has incorporated the “Circular Economy” concept into the construction approach through its second strategy, the implementation of digital technology to deliver a more cost-effective solution with the technique called Building Information Modelling (BIM). BIM is a 3D model-based process that combines architectural practices, structural design, and a system to more efficiently plan and construct buildings. The process improves design precision and can detect design errors prior to construction, eliminating waste from the construction process, while speeding up construction management with a better cost-effective method. The generated construction waste such as concrete scraps will be recycled into construction materials for the next project, aligning with the approach “From Waste to Wealth”.

To truly establish a robust collaboration, the company has introduces the third strategy, the CPAC Solution Centre to serve as a provincial centre for the exchange of knowledge, construction techniques and solutions for construction network. CPAC will provide innovations or technologies garnered from relevant parties to effectively and comprehensively help solve the construction constraints with the CPAC Construction Solution. The first construction solution branch was officially launched in Chiang Mai province in early 2019 with a plan to open nine additional branches in Chiang Mai, Khon Kaen, Phitsanulok, Phuket, Surat Thani, Ubon Ratchathani, Pattaya, Nonthaburi and Nakhon Pathom by the end of 2019, with a total 20 branches in place by 2020. The provincial centre aims to contribute toward sustainable growth for the Thai construction industry, said Chana.

Krungthai Bank’s registration site for the tourism cash subsidy package crashed with hours of opening as Thais rushed to sign up.

On the first day of registration, many applicants have complained they could not access the registration for “Eat, Shop, Spend” package backed by the government via http://www.ชิมช้อปใช้.com.

One of the applicants told The Nation that he had tried to register at Krungthai Bank’s http://www.ชิมช้อปใช้.com just after midnight but the system fail to accommodate him.

Lavaron Sangsnit, director general of the Fiscal Policy Office at the Finance Ministry, said the registration is expected to proceed smoothly after 12pm. Technicians are working to resolve the problem and put the system right, he added.

He also urged people who are not planning to travel until late October or early November not to rush to sign up.

Those who have completed the registration will get a confirmatory SMS within three days and must to travel within 14 days after receiving the SMS and downloading the e-wallet app, which the government refers to as the “g-wallet”, he said.

Once the app is downloaded, those eligible for the package will get Bt1,000 credit for spending and when they use their own money via the app, they will get back 15 per cent of their total expenses up to the limit of Bt4,500 per person.

The first 10 million applicants will get the subsidy package.

Lavaron said that people should not worry too much about not getting the package but stressed that they needed to make solid travel plans before registering.

The system will automatically shut down each day when one million people have completed registration.

As of 9.30am today (September 23) 340,000 had successfully registered, he added.

Thai AirAsia Co Ltd’s chief executive officer, Santisuk Klongchaiya, said the company plans to launch two new routes. The first is Bangkok to Varanasi in India that will have four flights per week, beginning on November 25. The next is Chiang Rai to Hangzhou, China, with four flights per week, beginning on December 1.

“We are opening the new route to Varanasi, as we see strong demand in this market from both Thais and Indians, especially after the Thai government extended the visa on arrival scheme for 19 countries, including India, till April 30, 2020,” he said.

He added that the Chiang Rai-Hangzhou route would woo Chinese tourists interested in visiting Chiang Rai, which is among the major destinations for Chinese tourists.

Meanwhile NokScoot Co Ltd’s chief executive officer, Yodchai Sudhidhanakul, said the company plans to fly a new route from Bangkok to Sapporo, Japan, with four flights per week that will operate from October 27. The airline also plans to increase flights from Bangkok to Tokyo — from seven flights per week to 11 flights per week — starting from the fourth quarter of this year.

“The number of Thai and Japanese passengers have continued to rise on both routes,” Yodchai said.

Thai Lion Mentari Co Ltd, which flies Thai Lion Air, plans to open two new routes — Bangkok-Manila and Bangkok-Siem Reap — with seven flights per week to both destinations, chief executive officer Atsawin Yangkiratiwon said. They will start flying in the fourth quarter of this year.

At present, the company is the major shareholder of GOLD, holding a total of 2,202,086,001 shares, representing 94.77 per  cent of the total issued and sold shares.

The tender offer towards delisting is in accordance with the plan to proceed under the tender offer specified for the securities of GOLD (Form 247-4) which the company filed with the Office of the Securities and Exchange Commission, the SET, GOLD and securities holders of GOLD on June 4, 2019.

In this regard, the company will proceed with the tender offer to delist the shares of GOLD from being  listed securities on the SET, after the following conditions are met:

The shareholders’ meeting of GOLD resolves to approve the delisting of shares from being listed securities on the SET by votes of no less than three-quarters of the total issued shares of GOLD, and there must not be shareholders holding shares in an aggregate amount of more than 10 per cent of  the total issued shares of GOLD opposing such delisting, in accordance with the criteria on the delisting of securities from the SET.

The delisting of shares from being  listed securities on the SET is approved and/or waived by the relevant regulatory agencies, including the SET, the financial institutions, bond holders and other contractual parties under the relevant agreements (where it is necessary).

In making the tender offer for delisting the shares of GOLD from being listed securities on the SET, the company has appointed Phatra Securities Plc as the tender offer preparer, the tender offer agent and the financial adviser.

Frasers intends to make the tender offer for the shares of GOLD at the offering price of Bt8.55 per share which is subject to (if any) price adjustment as a result of GOLD makes a dividend payment to its shareholders such as  GOLD changing the par value of the shares, resulting in the total number of shares being increased or decreased; or GOLD grants the rights to purchase newly-issued shares for the right offering or issuance of the transferable subscription right in accordance with the Notification of the Capital Market Supervisory Board No. TorJor. 12/2554.

GOLD price closed at Bt8.40 today, down Bt0.05 from Thursday’s.

Accordingly, ancillary revenue from passenger takings hit 5,429 billion dong, marking a 43-per-cent increase year on year, mainly thanks to more people flying overseas. This revenue accounted for 27 per cent of the total revenue.

The 2019 CarTrawler Ancillary Revenue YearBook, which compiles statistics from over 100 airlines’ audited financial statements, ranked Vietjet 12th in terms of ancillary revenue to total air transport revenue ratio.

According to the sustainable development model of low-cost carriers (LCCs), ancillary revenue is a decisive factor in the success of a carrier when its profit margin reaches over 90 per cent.

Aiming to expand its service ecosystem and continue on a path of sustainable development, Vietjet plans to provide ground services for itself at Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport from 2020. This will bring benefits to both customers and the airline, including improvement of service quality and ancillary revenue.

Vietjet aims to be one of the top five airlines for ancillary revenue in the near future.

Under the agreement , Thaicom and RSCC will initially study roaming options on their proprietary maritime VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal) networks.

Roaming on Thaicom’s network will be provided by Nava Roaming Solutions. Nava is Thaicom’s new maritime broadband service platform, addressing the need of ship and offshore operators for fast, reliable, and secure satellite-enabled broadband connectivity and managed services.

RSCC’s maritime VSAT network is the largest satellite broadband network in Russia connecting more than 300 maritime vessels operating in the waters surrounding Russia and Europe.

Patompob Suwansiri, Thaicom’s Chief Commercial Officer, said the agreement marks the beginning of a successful, long-term partnership between Thaicom and RSCC and the development of joint communication solutions connecting Russia with Asia-Pacific.

This collaboration will leverage the capabilities of Thai and Russian marine VSAT networks.

The Nava roaming solutions-enabled satellite network will provide seamless switching of onboard equipment from one satellite network to the other without degradation of the service level agreed.

“Customers will benefit from full high speed broadband coverage of maritime vessel routes between Europe and Asia-Pacific,” Patompob said.

Ksenia Drozdova, deputy director general of Russian Satellite Communications Company, said: “We are pleased to partner with Thaicom in order to expand our satellite reach and jointly offer reliable and secure maritime satellite broadband connectivity. We intend to use our combined vast technical knowledge and business know-how to address the increasing demand of broadband connectivity at sea for improved ship operations and crew welfare in Asia, Europe, Middle East and the Russian Far East.”

Nava is Thaicom’s maritime broadband service platform for ship and offshore operators—available from Thaicom as a single, end-to-end communications solutions provider.

With Nava, Thaicom brings reliable broadband connectivity to the sea which is essential to connect crew and passengers, improve safety on board and support efficient vessel operations.