&
Hua Hin Today
Volume 9 issue 6 April 2012
13
Volume 9 Issue 6 April 2012
2nd Onyx Golf Masters - Pattaya
T
he Onyx Hospitality Group organized the 2nd Onyx Golf Masters at The Siam Plantation Golf Club just outside Pattaya on Highway 36 going South on the otherside of our Gulf of Siam The ONYX Hospitality Group operates three diverse yet complementary hotel brands – Saffron, Amari and Ozo - each catering to the distinctive requirements of today’s business and leisure travelers. ONYX reaches beyond its Thai roots to offer innovative management solutions across the Indian Ocean, Arabian Gulf and Asia-Pacific regions. Catering to both business and leisure travelers, featuring mid to upscale hotels, Amari currently has an inventory exceeding 3,000 rooms. Its network of 11 properties spans Thailand, from scenic seaside and mountain locations such as Koh Chang, Phuket and Krabi, to vibrant urban settings including Bangkok and Chiang Mai. Amari Hua Hin, opening in May 2012 is located on 7.5 acres in the popular Thai seaside town, offering 223 rooms and suites as part of a mixed use development project that will also feature luxury condominiums.
New developments underway include Amari Residences Bangkok. Scheduled to open in September 2010, the property will be the first to fully showcase Amari’s revitalized brand positioning. Located adjacent to the Bangkok Hospital, the 128-room serviced apartment development will target short and long term visitors, especially those visiting the city for medical treatments. The Siam Country Club Plantation - Golf Course is a dream course, located just 15 minutes from Pattaya beach with the fantastic views of the Gulf of Thailand and the beaches of Pattaya. It is not only Pattaya’s longest golf course it is one of the longest courses in Thailand. This difficult and challenging course features blind shots, giant high lipped bunkers, elevated greens and shaved fringes on every hole, making the course a must play for even the most experienced golfer. For golfers wishing to get ready for their round the course has world class practise facilities including putting greens, driving range with pitching area and a sand bunker. The course will have you returning time and time again!
And it did! Most participants of course were good Golf players, others just average and a few very beginners. The Major of Hua Hin, a senior hobby player amazed us all with perfect shots and well lined up second shots. The editor is not a Golf player but I would say that his forehand shots were precise ( I am a Tennis Player). As Onyx is an Amari Resort operator, the GM of The Hua Hin Amari, Simon Dell, was paired up with the Hua Hin Major Khun Jarid. Definitely to promote close future cooperation, it was Simon´s duty to make sure the Major
came through better on the scorecard. Simon did his best to promote Khun Jarid but it was not easy. Finally however the best one won. Both the Amari PR, Khun Chaya and your editor had great fun watching the Golf from a distance, always keeping well behind the club swingers as some of them became reputational side swingers seeking for golf balls that disappeared into ponds and bushes far away from the fairways.
Asia Pacific leads commercial real estate investment in 2012 : DTZ Research A
sia Pacific continues to lead the way for commercial real estate investment with 33 per cent of investment capital expected to come from outside the region, according to the DTZ Research.Titled ‘The Great Wall of Money’, DTZ’s latest data shows increased levels of cross border investment into Asia Pacific as well as Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) during 2012.While Asia Pacific continues to be a bright spot for investment, capital available for investment this year has declined 6 per cent to US$298 billion from an estimated US$316 billion as of mid2011.It also represents a 9 per cent fall on the peak recorded a year ago.For the first time, there was a fall in new capital in the America, Asia Pacific and EMEA.DTZ said the reduction in the amount of capital estimated to be available for investment in 2012 reflects the current environment of less available and more expensive debt“The amount of equity we estimate available for investment actually grew 4 per cent to US$139 billion. But, this was more than offset by a 12 per cent reduction in debt available to US$160 billion. Therefore we are not surprised to see funds reduce their target gearing as they seek to place more equity into deals,” said Nigel Almond, associate director of forecasting & strategy at DTZ and author of the report.
by GMoss
According to DTZ, existing funds have started to put capital to work reducing the remaining raised capital for deployment in 2012 from US$285 billion to US$246 billion over the last six months.The report also notes a reversal of recent trends with a marked increase in new fund raisings.On the other hand, funds are targeting to raise up to US$53 billion in new capital for deployment in 2012.This is a significant increase on the US $30billion recorded six months ago.
The average loan-to-value (LTV) ratio was down from 58 per DTZ latest research tracks new capital targeting direct real estate and the investment opportunities this capital is targeting. cent to 54 per cent.