FURAMA RESORT AND CARAVELLE HOTEL ANNOUNCE MANAGEMENT CO-OPERATION

The luxurious Furama Resort Danang and the Caravelle Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City, which have both received official five star designation recently, are announcing a new strategic partnership that will see the two properties managed under the same management company, Furama Hotels and Resorts International.

The move reflects the increasing management strength of the company and will enable the two hotels, which are the most luxurious five star properties in Vietnam, to streamline management functions and further develop marketing and promotions synergies.

Both hotels have established extremely high standards of service and both have taken a leading role in defining the image of Vietnam’s hospitality industry, and are co-operating closely with the Vietnam government in helping to shape the national tourism promotion campaign “ Vietnam – A Destination for the New Millennium”.

The Caravelle is now being managed by Stephen O’ Grady, who was previously with the Grand Pacific Hotel Bangkok, another hotel under the management of Furama Hotels and Resorts International. The Furama Resort Danang, which has been managed by Paul Stoll since its planning stages in 1994, will co-operate closely with the Caravelle Hotel, especially in the areas of joint marketing and promotion for both the hotels.

“The Furama Resort Danang and the Caravelle Hotel Ho Chi Minh City are both considered leading hotels in Vietnam. The opportunity to tie together Vietnam’s leading resort hotel and leading city hotel will have tremendous advantages for travel agents and guests, enabling them to combine the best of both the city and resort experiences that Vietnam has to offer,” said Paul Stoll.

The 200-room Furama Resort opened in Spring 1997 as the first deluxe international resort in Vietnam. The resort is superbly located on Vietnam’s famous China Beach – a 20 mile stretch of fine white sand, just 20 minutes’ drive south of the central city of Danang. This luxury resort offers world-class accommodation and facilities within two hours drive of the ancient seaport of Hoi An, the former imperial capital Hue and the ruins of the Cham civilization, the Holy Valley of My Son which are some of the country’s major historical sites.

The resort’s 200 rooms and suites are tastefully furnished in a French-colonial style with ceiling fans, wide verandas and views of the ocean or tropical gardens and lagoon. Guests can enjoy a choice of international restaurants and bars, and a wide range of sports and leisure facilities with something to suit all ages.

The 335 room Caravelle Hotel is located in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City overlooking the historical Opera House, right in the heart of the business, shopping and nightlife district. Following a substantial renovation completed in 1998, its spacious rooms and suites have state of the art facilities including in-room fax machines and dataports and satellite TV. Facilities include an outdoor rooftop swimming pool, one of the city’s best fitness club, and the Saigon Saigon jazz bar with al fresco terrace which is the city’s most popular meeting spot. The hotel’s restaurants, which include Asian Reflections, the leading Asian and fusion restaurant in the city, are also popular with resident expatriates as well as hotel guests.