Dusit Devarana New Delhi opens

Founded in 1948 by Honorary Chairperson Thanpuying Chanut Piyaoui, whose first hotel was the Princess on Bangkok's New Road, Dusit International has since acquired a unique portfolio of distinctive hotels, building upon Thai culture and tradition to create a personalised welcome for all guests made distinctive under the Dusit International brand promise: the delivery of an 'experience that enlivens the individual spirit, no matter the journey.’

Dusit International currently has 13 hotels in Thailand, 5 in the Middle East with a 6th to open in Qatar shortly, plus Dusit Thani Hotels in The Maldives and Philippines, and the recently launched Dusit Devarana New Delhi in India. The 2013 alliance between Dusit International and China-based real estate developer Changzhou Qiao Yu Group resulted in the establishment of Dusit Fudu Hotels & Resorts which has yielded an astonishing 19 upcoming hotels in China alone. The joint venture is well on track to reach its target of 30 properties in China by 2016.

Dusit International has expanded its international reach into the USA, Singapore, Tunisia, Turkey and Myanmar, and is currently in negotiations for projects in Europe.

Debuted at ITB, Berlin in March 2014, the newest addition to the Dusit brand family, Dusit Devarana Hotels and Resorts represents a significant niche offering that leverages Dusit’s legendary hospitality and artistic heritage into a highly personalised experience, providing exceptional destinations for the exacting, well-travelled individual.

Dusit Devarana properties are premium hotels to be located in both leisure and urban destinations, providing a sanctuary of cultured refinement for those who seek a balance of tranquillity, convenience and excellence. The brand complements the Dusit brand family with its unique perspective on the resort experience, marrying the very best of gracious Thai hospitality and destination appeal.

The first hotel to open its doors under the new brand is Dusit Devarana New Delhi, an exquisite, award-winning 50-room urban boutique resort nestled between India’s capital city and the corporate hub of Gurgaon.

Ensconced amidst a thousand mature trees and boasting amenities such as round-the-clock-personal butler service and the first Indian outpost of London’s Michelin-starred Kai Restaurant, Dusit Devarana New Delhi is already making waves in the architecture and design worlds—most recently being named to Travel + Leisure USA’s It List: The Best New Hotels of the Year 2014. It features amongst Asia’s top 12 properties and India’s only two hotels chosen for the honour.

The opening of the resort also signals the first foray of the Dusit chain in the Indian market.

Upcoming properties to bear the Dusit Devarana brand name include: Dusit Devarana Baoting Hainan, China (2014); Dusit Devarana Dianchi Lake, Kunming, China (2016) and Dusit Devarana Hot Springs & Spa, Conghua, Guangzhou, China (2015).

The brand expansion news continues for Dusit with an astounding 9 hotels in the pipeline for its ‘next generation’ dusitD2 brand, including strategic locations in the Middle East. Catering to the needs and desires of the millennial traveller, dusitD2 Hotels and Resorts offer a distinctive combination of chic design, forward thinking technology, convenience, comfort and smart service.

dusitD2 was the first of the Dusit brand family to enter the Chinese market with the dusitD2 Fudu Binhu Hotel, Changzhou, which opened its doors in July 2013. 2014 will see Dusit entering two new markets with the exciting additions of dusitD2 Nairobi, Kenya and dusitD2 Constance, Pasadena in California, USA. In April 2014, the brand welcomed another dusitD2 in Thailand, this time on Phuket Island. The dusitD2 Phuket Resort is only steps away from popular Patong Beach, also the island’s entertainment and shopping district. Additional dusitD2 Hotels and Resorts are planned for: the Aerocity complex in New Delhi, India; Khao Yai in Thailand; the Gurgaon business district in India; Hongmei in China and Davao in the Philippines.

Dusit Devarana New Delhi

“The dusitD2 brand offers a great opportunity for developers who would like to work with us,” says Group Director of Development, Mr Rustom Vickers. “With the middle class in emerging countries engaging in more travel and aligning with aspirational brands they feel best represent them, dusitD2 allows us to meet market demand where a traditional Dusit Thani or an überluxurious Dusit Devarana may not be the right fit.” “The Dusit International Regional Office in Dubai is fast becoming a major focus for our international sales efforts, overtaking more traditional markets in Europe and Asia” explained Thierry Douin, VP Operations MENA. “Dubai is already established as an international hub, connecting the world. With the advent of Expo 2020 and planned developments in the region to support this international trade expo, we anticipate considerable growth in outbound travel from the region to ‘new’ markets such as China. Dusit will be focussing its efforts on driving travel from the Middle East to its new hotels in China, delivering traditional Thai and Asian hospitality with the levels of service expected by this discerning and well travelled region.”