SK Hotels’ Scott Walton talks new hotels and destinations coming up in Thailand, innovation and technology
The put up SK Hotels’ Scott Walton talks new hotels and destinations coming up in Thailand, innovation and technology appeared first on TD (Journey Every day Media) Travel Daily Media.
SK Accommodations is constant its enlargement in Thailand, with a handful of recent properties developing within the capital Bangkok and new locations throughout the nation set to broaden its present portfolio. Managing director Scott Walton talks with TDM concerning the development, and the way innovation and know-how are enjoying key roles.
Journey Every day Media (TDM): Are you able to give us an overview of the present SK Accommodations property portfolio, and taking into consideration your development plans, new properties within the pipeline?
Scott Walton: SK Accommodations was established as a three way partnership between Siamese Asset, a publicly listed property developer based mostly in Bangkok, and Kew Inexperienced Accommodations within the UK, a hospitality group with a portfolio of 44 owned and 16 managed properties throughout the UK and Europe. The partnership was born from a strategic imaginative and prescient: leaders from Siamese Asset visited the UK and have been struck by how effectively Kew Inexperienced had structured its operations – not solely by way of resort administration, but in addition in areas like finance, human assets, and business assist. These features have been embedded regionally in a approach that stood aside from the extra inflexible company constructions usually seen in Thailand.
This go to sparked the formation of SK Accommodations in Bangkok, with a transparent mission to deliver the identical form of streamlined, performance-driven working mannequin to the Siamese Asset resort portfolio. In doing so, we’ve created a nimble, centralized assist construction that has already confirmed efficient throughout a number of newly launched properties.
Since rising from the pandemic, SK Accommodations has opened six properties throughout Bangkok, together with the Wyndham Queen Conference Centre, Wyndham Backyard Sukhumvit 42, Ramada Plaza by Wyndham Sukhumvit 48, Ramada by Wyndham Sukhumvit 87, TRIBE Dwelling Bangkok Sukhumvit 39, and Cassia by Banyan Group in Rama 9. Every of those properties entered the market post-COVID and have responded effectively to the resurgence in worldwide and home journey. Some properties hit the bottom working with exceptionally sturdy efficiency, whereas others rapidly discovered their footing, delivering constructive outcomes all through 2023 and into 2024.
Wanting forward, our pipeline consists of a number of high-profile openings. The Crowne Plaza Bangkok Rama 9 is scheduled to open quickly, adopted by Cassia by Banyan Group in Ram Intra, after which a Hilton Backyard Inn, additionally within the Ram Intra district. These upcoming launches mirror our ongoing confidence in Bangkok’s potential, however we’re additionally increasing our imaginative and prescient past the capital.
We’re at the moment in superior discussions on properties in main leisure locations corresponding to Hua Hin, Pattaya and Phuket, with promising leads rising in Koh Samui and Chiang Mai. The timing is true: our Bangkok-based properties have stabilized, and the centralized assist infrastructure that we’ve got constructed throughout business, finance, HR, and IT now permits us to develop the portfolio with energy and agility.
With this stable basis in place, SK Accommodations is poised to proceed its enlargement throughout Thailand, bringing effectivity, innovation, and efficiency excellence to every new vacation spot.
TDM: We perceive innovation performs a key function in your operations, specifically relating to bettering property efficiency. Are you able to broaden on this?
Scott Walton: Innovation has change into a defining pillar of our operations. The speedy rise of AI post-COVID, alongside evolving visitor expectations and a extra advanced working setting, has pushed us to rethink how we work. Because of the forward-thinking nature of our three way partnership companions, we’ve embraced these adjustments head-on, however with warning and intent.
At SK we don’t implement AI to switch human roles, we use it to amplify efficiency. For instance, when revising our menus at TRIBE Dwelling – a course of that usually includes weeks of costing, sourcing, and coordination – we used AI instruments to streamline procurement information, automate price comparisons, and velocity up documentation. This allowed our cooks to focus absolutely on culinary creativity and innovation, bettering the visitor expertise reasonably than being slowed down in admin.
Our innovation can also be deeply supported by Siamese Expertise, an inner division of Siamese Asset targeted on enhancing visitor expertise by environmental design and development know-how. They’ve pioneered developments in air high quality management, acoustic insulation between rooms and corridors, and energy-saving methods all of which contribute to extra sustainable, snug visitor environments. This partnership has helped a number of of the properties developed by Siamese Asset and managed by SK to earn EDGE certification, a globally acknowledged ESG commonplace originating from Singapore.
These improvements not solely scale back working prices but in addition be certain that we are able to meet or exceed model and sustainability requirements with confidence and consistency.
TDM: With meals & beverage and wellness additionally being cornerstones of your improvement technique, what can friends anticipate from SK Accommodations properties in these areas?
Scott Walton: Meals and beverage are on the coronary heart of each property we open. Our technique begins by contemplating the native market and what components can be found, what the group craves, and the place we are able to break from the anticipated. We take inspiration from international tendencies whereas all the time remaining domestically related.
This imaginative and prescient is championed by Siamese Asset’s possession, who constantly encourage us to problem the norm. We experiment with new ideas, components, and working fashions to stay forward of evolving shopper expectations. Whether or not it’s by centralized manufacturing kitchens that enhance consistency and effectivity, or by embracing the “Instagrammable” development to attraction to the visual-first buyer, our method is grounded in a ardour for reinvention.
I’m a agency believer that consistency, nonetheless, is simply as necessary as innovation. One of many earliest classes I realized in hospitality, working in Auckland’s restaurant scene, was that if one thing works, make it constant. If it doesn’t, change rapidly. We apply this precept at each property, making certain that strong-performing objects or providers are refined and delivered flawlessly, whereas underperforming ideas are reimagined.
Wellness is a key part of our improvement technique and continues to develop in significance as trendy vacationers place better emphasis on steadiness, mindfulness, and self-care. At SK Accommodations, we method wellness as an integral a part of the visitor expertise and as one thing that ought to really feel purposeful, accessible, and woven into the very material of every property.
To ship on this imaginative and prescient, our properties have partnered with Pravinia Wellness and Magnificence Middle, Sense Cera Spa, and Yumoto, bringing a various vary of wellness experiences to our inns. These partnerships permit us to tailor every providing to the distinctive character of the vacation spot, whereas nonetheless reflecting international tendencies in holistic wellbeing. For native residents, our wellness centres present an city sanctuary, a spot to unwind and rejuvenate near residence. For worldwide vacationers, they provide a welcome second of calm amid a busy itinerary, with remedies starting from conventional therapies to trendy spa rituals and health options.
Every area is designed with intention, permitting friends to both reconnect with themselves by restorative practices or to utterly disconnect from the stresses of on a regular basis life. We acknowledge that wellness right now means various things to completely different folks, and we goal to satisfy these wants in methods which might be considerate, regionally related, and constantly uplifting.
Alongside wellness, we’re additionally responding to a rising demand for versatile, purposeful workspaces as extra friends search to mix enterprise and leisure of their journey routines. Our inns are being thoughtfully tailored to assist this hybrid life-style, with communal areas reimagined as trendy, productive environments that assist work with out sacrificing consolation or hospitality.
By way of partnerships with coworking platforms corresponding to Reef Rocks, an app that connects distant employees with welcoming areas, we’ve reworked our lobbies and lounges into vibrant, related work hubs. These areas are outfitted with dependable high-speed web, ergonomic furnishings, accessible charging factors, and ambient design that encourages friends to remain so long as they want.
This evolution not solely enhances the visitor expertise but in addition permits us to activate areas which might be historically underutilized throughout sure elements of the day. By creating environments the place friends and locals alike can work, meet, and loosen up, we’re constructing inns that stay related in a world the place work not suits a nine-to-five mannequin. Extra than simply locations to remain, our properties have gotten dynamic, multifunctional areas that assist how folks reside, work, and join each on the highway and near residence.
TDM: Inform us concerning the Thailand centre of studying, monetary providers, recruitment, income, digital spine and operations assist that SK Accommodations has established?
Scott Walton: Once we launched SK Accommodations within the aftermath of COVID, we have been met with the identical challenges dealing with the worldwide hospitality trade. Chief amongst these was a dramatic lack of expertise. Many expert professionals had left the sector altogether, some beginning small companies, others returning to their hometowns or pursuing new industries completely. To rebuild, we knew we needed to take a recent method, not simply to recruitment however to the long-term improvement of our folks and the programs that assist them.
The institution of a decentralized Centre for Studying marked a turning level. Slightly than chase the identical restricted pool of expertise, we selected to spend money on people who might not have beforehand thought of hospitality. College leavers, current graduates, and profession switchers have been introduced into the enterprise and given the construction, mentoring, and assist wanted to succeed. In simply three years, many of those people have change into integral to our operations and are already progressing into management roles.
In parallel, our method to recruitment has continued to evolve. With conventional channels yielding diminishing returns, we’re at the moment constructing an intuitive, user-friendly careers platform inside our web site. This new system will make it simpler for candidates to discover alternatives, perceive our tradition, and apply based mostly on potential reasonably than simply prior expertise. We’re on the lookout for mindset and perspective people who find themselves hungry to develop inside a fast-paced, agile setting.
Alongside expertise improvement, we’ve constructed a monetary providers platform that goes past the usual GOP focus typical of resort administration firms. Our finance workforce operates with a transparent mandate: to prioritize investor returns and long-term worth. That is achieved by sturdy inner controls, audit-centric reporting, and streamlined processes designed for transparency and accountability. Our finance management, underneath Ms. Rapeepan Banyen (Khun Jay), has embedded a tradition of fiscal self-discipline whereas enabling operational flexibility. It’s this steadiness that offers our traders confidence and our resort groups readability.
Within the space of income technique, we’ve taken a hybrid method. Every of our inns is provided with instruments corresponding to IDeaS and Avalon, giving them dynamic pricing and forecasting capabilities tailor-made to their particular markets. These instruments are additional enhanced by the legacy data and programs introduced in from Kew Inexperienced Accommodations, whose affect has helped form our business course and method to demand optimization. Supported by a centralized business workforce underneath Mrs. Tassanee Mangkala-apinun (Khun Pait), this hybrid mannequin permits every resort to reply domestically whereas being backed by broader market intelligence and strategic oversight.
Our digital and advertising and marketing perform has additionally change into a significant development engine. By way of a mix of structured digital technique and untapped artistic expertise – a few of whom we jokingly name “diamonds within the tough” – our advertising and marketing division has developed sturdy, narrative-led campaigns for every property. These usually are not generic resort advertisements, however model tales that resonate with their goal audiences, crafted by the sensible use of AI, viewers analytics, and localized storytelling. The work has helped our properties stand out in a crowded digital market and has pushed measurable will increase in consciousness, conversion, and direct bookings.
Lastly, our IT infrastructure has been a foundational pillar from day one. The IT division has carried out sturdy programs throughout all properties, making certain not solely performance however scalability as we develop. Each resort underneath SK Accommodations is provided with standardized {hardware} and software program from PMS and back-office programs to firewalls and IPTV options making certain operational effectivity and information safety. The IT workforce additionally performs a proactive function in property assist, rolling out centralized updates, troubleshooting points remotely, and sustaining the cyber integrity of each guest-facing and inner platforms.
These departments – Studying, Finance, Income, Digital, and IT – usually are not working in silos. They’re built-in and aligned to assist SK Accommodations’ mission: to function effectively, innovate responsibly, and empower our folks to create distinctive visitor experiences. It’s a construction that places folks first, however does so on a spine of course of and precision, making certain that as we develop, we achieve this sustainably and with confidence.
TDM: Clarify to us the function that know-how is taking within the ongoing development of SK Accommodations’ main proprietor Siamese Asset’s portfolio?
Scott Walton: Expertise sits on the core of SK Accommodations’ development and is deeply built-in into each Kew Inexperienced and Siamese Asset’s broader technique. From the outset, I used to be impressed by the entrepreneurial spirit of Siamese Asset’s management, particularly their early embrace of sensible constructing applied sciences, AI, and sustainable development methods. Likewise with Kew Inexperienced’s ever evolving distribution, analytics and visitor satisfaction initiatives – a mix that’s uncommon within the trade.
One standout instance of our dedication to know-how and wellbeing is the deployment of Siamese Air of Life, a proprietary air filtration system now put in in all visitor rooms throughout our new properties. This method has confirmed particularly helpful through the annual burn-off season, when air high quality in Bangkok and surrounding areas can deteriorate considerably. Company are in a position to monitor each indoor and outside air high quality in actual time by a devoted app, whereas every room additionally contains a reside show of present air high quality readings. This stage of transparency and environmental management has not solely reassured friends, however has additionally change into a compelling differentiator for our model companions and ESG-focused traders. It speaks to our dedication to visitor consolation, operational innovation, and sustainability in equal measure.
TDM: What thrilling issues can we anticipate from SK Accommodations sooner or later?
We’re coming into an thrilling new section of development. Along with increasing our city footprint, we’re exploring alternatives in additional distant locations throughout Thailand. In some circumstances, these properties might require sturdy model partnerships; in others, the vacation spot itself could be the draw, permitting us to launch distinctive, unbiased resort ideas.
We’re additionally persevering with to develop strategic partnerships just like the one we’ve got with Siamese Asset. These alliances permit us to leverage our shared infrastructure – centralized finance, HR, IT, and business experience – lowering prices and bettering efficiency on the property stage. Not like extra inflexible company constructions, our management works contained in the inns, for the inns. This ends in quicker decision-making, stronger workforce assist, and finally, higher visitor experiences.
On the coronary heart of our philosophy is an easy however highly effective mission: to function inns with a relentless deal with effectivity and excellence, empowering our folks to create distinctive visitor experiences. We emphasize transparency, sustainable development, and partnerships grounded in operational brilliance.
Above all, we imagine in frequent sense. It’s a worth that usually will get misplaced in over-complicated enterprise processes however one which constantly solves issues, enhances experiences, and strengthens relationships with friends, stakeholders, and our groups alike.
I’d prefer to share a current instance that highlights the form of sensible intelligence and calm management we worth throughout our groups. It occurred through the fast aftermath of the March 28, 2025 Myanmar earthquake, a day of widespread disruption, uncertainty, and logistical chaos throughout Bangkok.
Amid the aftermath, one in all our engineering workforce members seen uncommon foot visitors close to a little-used emergency exit that led right into a service hall, an space usually quiet and safe. Regardless of the calls for of the day and the overwhelming distractions dealing with each division, they selected to behave on intuition. They flagged the priority to administration, reviewed the CCTV footage, and found that an unauthorized third-party vendor had been utilizing the area to maneuver items with out supervision or correct clearance.
Whereas it might have been straightforward to miss or deprioritize given the broader disaster at hand, the workforce dealt with it discreetly and decisively. Entry controls have been instantly strengthened, distributors have been re-briefed, and the breach was resolved with out disruption to friends or compromise to the property.
What stands out on this situation is using situational consciousness, frequent sense, and initiative, within the chaos of a real-world disaster. These are precisely the qualities we nurture at SK Accommodations: a tradition the place workforce members are empowered to behave, to assume past checklists, and to guard each our friends and our model repute within the moments that matter most.
As we develop, this core perception in sensible intelligence and human connection will proceed to information each determination we make. At SK Accommodations, the long run isn’t nearly enlargement it’s about evolving well, sustainably, and with function.
The put up SK Hotels’ Scott Walton talks new hotels and destinations coming up in Thailand, innovation and technology appeared first on Travel Daily Media.