TWO SOFITEL HOTELS IN THAILAND ARE AWARDED FOR OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE AS BEST TOURIST ACCOMMODATIONS FROM TAT

 The Third Thailand Tourism Awards ceremony for 2000 held on September 27, marked both the World Tourism Day as well the 40th anniversary of the TAT's.

The Thai tourism industry today rewarded its best and brightest with a series of awards to mark their work in promoting the professionalism, standards and image of one of the country's most important foreign exchange earning industries.

On this occasion, Sofitel Central Hua-Hin and Sofitel Raja Orchid Khon Kaen were rewarded for their Outstanding Performance as Best Tourist Accommodation Resort and Best Tourist Accommodation Urban respectively.

In addition, Sofitel Raja Orchid Khon Kaen has also been rewarded by the Thailand Incentive and Conference Association (TICA) for Awarded of Excellent Service. This award recognizes the hotels efforts for promoting the meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions in Thailand.

The Sofitel Central Hua-Hin is nestled in a 13-hectare tropical garden, alongside a 4-mile long beach on the Gulf of Thailand. This luxurious colonial-style resort offers a taste of the past together with deluxe service and facilities, extensive conference and leisure facilities including a health/spa centre.

As the first international hotel in Thailand's Northeast to offer sophisticated and world-class service, Sofitel Raja Orchid Khon Kaen is designed to meet the demands of the business person, conference participant and leisure traveller alike. Located in Thailand's Isan province, the hotel is only a 40 minute flight from Bangkok with several flights to and from the capital daily.

The Sofitel brand is managed by Accor, the world’s largest hotel and tourism company, operating in a total of 140 countries. The global group is a leader in travel, tourism and corporate services with two major international activities:

- Hotels: 3,400 hotels (370,000 rooms) in 90 countries, including 170 in Asia pacific under brands such as Sofitel, Novotel, Mercure, All Seasons, Ibis and Formule 1

- Services: each day, over 11 million people in 30 countries use a broad range of services (vouchers and cards, online services) developed, issued and managed by Accor on behalf of corporate clients and public authorities.