View Full Version : No Frills/Thrills Hotels
This is the latest addition (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tune_Hotels) to Tony Fernandes' Air Asia empire:
http://www.tunehotels.com/
Interesting comic-like (http://www.tunehotels.com/concept_comfort.asp) style (or here (http://www.tunehotels.com/about_us.asp))....... but the slogan on the front page takes the cake. :cool:
This appears to be the same effort initiated by AirAsia's Tony Fernandes. I can't rediscover our original thread on this topic. I would definitely give it a try. My experience of Malaysian hotels is that they tend to treat their guests like escaped convicts however much you pay. They don't come much more grumpy and curmudgeonly than Malaysian hotel receptionists.;)
http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=263539
May 23, 2007 01:00 AM
"No Frills" Hotel Launched
KUALA LUMPUR, May 22 (Bernama) -- A "no frills" hotel was launched here today that allows guests to pay for what they really need from a low price of RM9.99.
Tune Hotels.Com, located at Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, is the only "no frills" hotel chain in Asia to utilise demand-based pricing whereby guests are able to add on to suit their accommodation needs and save on what they do not require.
Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, when launching the hotel, said tourists can now stretch their money and stay longer whilst enjoying the many exciting products that Malaysia has to offer, such as shopping, sightseeing, playing golf and exploring natural wonders.
He said the no-frills concept adopted by Tune Hotels.Com played a very significant role in tourism development in the country, and he called upon other corporate bodies to follow suit.
Tengku Adnan said that though it was a no-frills hotel, Tune Hotel.Com's management must not compromise on the aspect of safety and cleanliness of the rooms, adding that in order for tourism to grow, the frontliners must always be immaculate and presentable at all times.
Meanwhile, Tune Hotels.Com Director Dennis Melka said the company planned to set up similar hotels in Penang, Sabah, Sarawak and Johor Baharu by the end of this year and the first quarter of next year.
-- BERNAMA
This appears to be the same effort initiated by AirAsia's Tony Fernandes. I can't rediscover our original thread on this topic.It was filed under "airlines and the airlines industry" (http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/showthread.php?t=2281)....
Tune Hotels: Now with "Power Shower" (http://www.tunehotels.com/yourRoom_powershower.asp)! :cool:
jpatokal
23-05-07, 08:01 PM
My experience of Malaysian hotels is that they tend to treat their guests like escaped convicts however much you pay. They don't come much more grumpy and curmudgeonly than Malaysian hotel receptionists.;)
Never been to Russia, eh? :p
The flagship Tune Hotel (see below) would almost certainly rate an entry in the GWR 'Buttfuck Ugly Hotel Hall of Fame', but - Hell!- I WOULD consider staying there!]
http://biz.thestar.com.my/archives/2007/12/24/business/b_pg02tune.jpg
[Photo:The Star - Tune Hotels.com’s flagship hotel in Jalan Tuanku Abdul Raman, KL]
Tune Hotels making big waves
By LEONG HUNG YEE
BUDGET hotelier Tune Hotels Regional Services Sdn Bhd, which operates under the Tune Hotels.com brand, has been making waves in the local hospitality scene even though it had only commenced operations since May.
Chief executive officer Mark Lankester said that like the no-frills airline AirAsia Bhd, low-budget Tune Hotels is poised to make waves and capture a huge market.
“We have started rolling out expansion plans in Malaysia as part of our strategy to eventually have hotels in all AirAsia destinations.
“However, we are not limiting our openings to destinations that budget carrier AirAsia flies to,” he said, adding that the next hotel would be opened in Kota Kinabalu and Kuching.
The company now runs a flagship hotel at Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman in Kuala Lumpur, while about 20 hotels are under refurbishment or development.
Since the opening of its flagship hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Tune Hotel had received positive feedback.
The budget hotel follows closely AirAsia's model by offering rooms for accommodation at attractive prices, starting as low as RM9.99 per night.
“The potential in our business model is apparent from the hotel's high occupancy rate since our launch in May this year, with an average occupancy rate of 95% on weekdays and 100% on weekends,” Lankester told StarBiz in an interview recently.
“We will spend about RM7mil to construct an annexe building of 50-rooms at our flagship hotel. It is scheduled for completion within ten months,” he said.
The group is also working on a greenfield project on about an acre at KL International Airport's low-cost carrier terminal.
The budget hotel at the airport is expected to be ready by first quarter 2008.
Tune Hotels is 72.19%-owned by Tune Ventures Sdn Bhd. Datuk Seri Kalimullah Hassan and Lim Kian Onn each hold a 12.03% stake and the balance 3.75% is held by Tune Hotels Employee Holding Sdn Bhd.
The shareholders behind Tune Ventures are Datuk Tony Fernandes (40%), Datuk Kamarudin Meranun (30%), Dennis Melka (25%) and Tune Strategic Investments Ltd (5%).
Beyond Malaysia, Tune Hotels is already looking at Bali and Bangkok but Lankester said the group wanted to strengthen its position locally before venturing overseas.
He said that by end-2008, there would be about 40 Tune Hotels in operation and under various development stages.
“We have received numerous offers from global property investors to assist with the roll-out of Tune Hotel across Asia.
“Hopefully by next year, we will have between 10 and 20 hotels, and add on about 15 hotels yearly,” he added.
Tune Hotels has a US$50mil joint venture with the Dubai government and a Singapore business tycoon to open 30 budget hotels in South-East Asia over the next 24 months.
Tune Hotels will have a 20% stake in the venture, while Istithmar PSJC, the investment arm of state-owned Dubai World, will hold 40%.
The remaining 40% will be held by City e-Solutions, a hospitality business which is majority-owned by City Developments, of which Singapore tycoon Kwek Leng Beng has a share.
Lankester said Tune Hotels was currently scouting for centrally-located properties in major tourists areas such as Bali, Jakarta, Bangkok and Phuket.
“Our first overseas hotel is expected to be opened in Bali by the end of next year. The location of the hotel is probably along Kuta Beach,” he noted.
Tune Hospitality Investment Dubai, a private equity real estate fund controlled and managed by Tune Hotels group, announced that it would open two hotels next year in Bali.
The group said it had secured two parcels of land to build a 146-room no-frills hotel at an estimated investment of US$3.65mil and a 196-room hotel for US$4.9mil.
Both hotels are expected to be operational by end 2008.
Lankester said: “We intend to open two or three hotels in the same vicinity.”
Besides Bali, Tune Hotels is likely to open its doors in other Indonesian cities such as Jakarta and Yogjakarta or in the capital and island resorts of Thailand.
Lankester said there was a fair amount of activity in Indonesia, given the popularity of AirAsia in Indonesia.
“There are about 68 incoming flights to Bali on a daily basis and we are looking at possibly three or four hotels in Jakarta, also in Yogjakarta and Bandung,” he said.
Moreover, Lankester said the company was currently looking at several sites in Bangkok, Phuket and Koh Samui.
(http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/showthread.php?p=19669#post19669)
“Tune Hotels is expected to either purchase or lease existing hotels and remodel them, or build new ones,” he said.
Lankester said that sometimes it was better to build new hotels from scratch, as this would be more economical.
He said each hotel was expected to cost RM15mil, while the average size of its hotels would be between one and 1.5 acres.
“We plan to develop some of the hotels and then franchise the brand and expertise to property owners,” Lankester said.
He said the company was in the process of raising capital for its expansion. “We have been talking to the banks and strategic investors,” he said.
On the capital needed, Lankester said it would depend on the investors and the number of hotels to be built.
“The sky is the limit. We will definitely grow regionally. We have really big plans,” he said.
http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/12/24/business/19836634&sec=business
Thread on AirAsia's aviation plans for Malaysia & Singapore:
http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/showthread.php?t=2123
Thai AirAsia:
http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/showthread.php?p=19670#post19670
Thai AirAsia budget hotel plan:
http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/showthread.php?p=19669#post19669
Tune Hotels aims to set up 100 hotels
Published: 2008/06/20
TUNE Hotels.com Group aims to set up 100 hotels within the next three years which will include sites outside Malaysia such as Kuta and Legian in Bali as well locations in the Philippines and Thailand.
Today it held the ground-breaking ceremony for Tune Hotels.com LCCT, its third hotel after the launch of the flagship hotel in Kuala Lumpur and the second hotel in Borneo, Kota Kinabalu.
In a statement in Sepang today, it said the new hotel is expected to open early 2009. By then, passenger traffic at the Low-Cost Carrier Terminal is expected to grow to 20 million passengers.
The hotel will have 222 rooms spread over six floors.
The other new hotels in line to be launched will be in Ipoh, Penang, Johor Bahru and Miri. — Bernama
http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/Friday/Latest/20080620123830/Article/index_html
Previous post says there are plans afoot for 100 such hotels
Saturday June 21, 2008
Tune Hotels set to open at LCCT
By EILEEN HEE
SEPANG: Tune Hotels Regional Services Sdn Bhd has invested RM20mil in its new Tune Hotels.com LCCT, which is sited in the vicinity of the Low-Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT).
According to founder and director Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes, the hotel is targeted to open in early 2009 and would cater to about 20 million passengers a year at the LCCT.
“The group aims to have 100 hotels up and running within three years and these would include sites outside Malaysia, such as Kuta and Legian in Bali, as well as locations in the Philippines and Thailand,” he told reporters after the ground-breaking ceremony for Tune Hotels.com LCCT yesterday.
http://biz.thestar.com.my/archives/2008/6/21/business/b_05murad.jpg
[Photo: The Star - Datuk Azmi Murad (left) and group chairman Datuk Seri Kalimullah Hassan unveil an artist’s impression of the new hotel. — Bernama]
“In Manila, we have found a site behind the US embassy and there is also another site that we are finalising,” chief executive officer Mark Lancaster said. “In Thailand, there will be a Tune Hotels.com each in Bangkok, Pattaya and possibly in the next week or so in Phuket.”
The Tune Hotels.com flagship hotel in Kuala Lumpur was launched in May 2007, followed by Tune Hotels.com in Borneo Kota Kinabalu in April this year.
Other hotels under the Tune.Hotels.com chain in Malaysia will be launched in Ipoh, Penang, Johor Baru and Miri.
The new six-floor hotel at the LCCT would have 222 rooms, with the ground floor housing the lobby and food and beverage retail outlets.
Meanwhile, Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd senior operations general manager Datuk Azmi Murad said there was still “positive growth' in terms of passenger movements at the LCCT and KL International Airport.
He said the overall passenger traffic grew 78% in April/May 2008 compared with a year earlier, while traffic at the LCCT was up by 30%.
“For the third quarter, people have planned their travel. If there is a slowdown, it could be in the fourth quarter due to fare increases,” he said.
http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/6/21/business/21615114&sec=business
Thread on planned Tune Hotels in Thailand:
http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/showthread.php?p=21706#post21706
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