SK Hotels’ Scott Walton talks new hotels and destinations coming up in Thailand, innovation and technology

The put up SK Lodges’ Scott Walton talks new motels and locations developing in Thailand, innovation and know-how appeared first on TD (Journey Day by day Media) Journey Day by day Media.

SK Lodges is constant its enlargement in Thailand, with a handful of latest properties developing within the capital Bangkok and new locations throughout the nation set to broaden its current portfolio. Managing director Scott Walton talks with TDM concerning the progress, and the way innovation and know-how are enjoying key roles.

Journey Day by day Media (TDM): Are you able to give us a top level view of the present SK Lodges property portfolio, and considering your progress plans, new properties within the pipeline?

Scott Walton: SK Lodges was established as a three way partnership between Siamese Asset, a publicly listed property developer based mostly in Bangkok, and Kew Inexperienced Lodges 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 when it comes to lodge administration, but additionally in areas like finance, human sources, and business assist. These capabilities have been embedded regionally in a approach that stood other than the extra inflexible company buildings sometimes seen in Thailand.

This go to sparked the formation of SK Lodges in Bangkok, with a transparent mission to convey the identical sort of streamlined, performance-driven working mannequin to the Siamese Asset lodge 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 Lodges 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 Residing Bangkok Sukhumvit 39, and Cassia by Banyan Group in Rama 9. Every of those properties entered the market post-COVID and have responded nicely to the resurgence in worldwide and home journey. Some properties hit the bottom working with exceptionally sturdy efficiency, whereas others shortly discovered their footing, delivering constructive outcomes all through 2023 and into 2024.

Trying 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 replicate our ongoing confidence in Bangkok’s potential, however we’re additionally increasing our imaginative and prescient past the capital.

We’re presently in superior discussions on properties in main leisure locations equivalent to Hua Hin, Pattaya and Phuket, with promising leads rising in Koh Samui and Chiang Mai. The timing is correct: our Bangkok-based properties have stabilized, and the centralized assist infrastructure that we have now 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 Lodges 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 in relation to enhancing property efficiency. Are you able to broaden on this?

Scott Walton: Innovation has turn out to be a defining pillar of our operations. The fast rise of AI post-COVID, alongside evolving visitor expectations and a extra complicated 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 interchange human roles, we use it to amplify efficiency. For instance, when revising our menus at TRIBE Residing – a course of that sometimes entails weeks of costing, sourcing, and coordination – we used AI instruments to streamline procurement knowledge, automate price comparisons, and pace up documentation. This allowed our cooks to focus absolutely on culinary creativity and innovation, enhancing the visitor expertise slightly than being slowed down in admin.

Our innovation can be deeply supported by Siamese Expertise, an inner division of Siamese Asset centered on enhancing visitor expertise by means of 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 cut back working prices but additionally make sure that we will 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 count on from SK Lodges 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 elements can be found, what the neighborhood craves, and the place we will break from the anticipated. We take inspiration from international developments whereas at all times 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, elements, and working fashions to stay forward of evolving shopper expectations. Whether or not it’s by means of centralized manufacturing kitchens that enhance consistency and effectivity, or by embracing the “Instagrammable” pattern to attraction to the visual-first buyer, our strategy is grounded in a ardour for reinvention.

I’m a agency believer that consistency, nonetheless, is simply as essential 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 shortly. We apply this precept at each property, guaranteeing that strong-performing objects or companies 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 higher emphasis on steadiness, mindfulness, and self-care. At SK Lodges, we strategy 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 Heart, Sense Cera Spa, and Yumoto, bringing a various vary of wellness experiences to our motels. These partnerships permit us to tailor every providing to the distinctive character of the vacation spot, whereas nonetheless reflecting international developments in holistic wellbeing. For native residents, our wellness centres present an city sanctuary, a spot to unwind and rejuvenate near house. For worldwide vacationers, they provide a welcome second of calm amid a busy itinerary, with therapies starting from conventional therapies to trendy spa rituals and health options.

Every house is designed with intention, permitting friends to both reconnect with themselves by means of restorative practices or to fully disconnect from the stresses of on a regular basis life. We acknowledge that wellness at this time means various things to totally different individuals, and we goal to satisfy these wants in methods which are considerate, regionally related, and constantly uplifting.

Alongside wellness, we’re additionally responding to a rising demand for versatile, practical workspaces as extra friends search to mix enterprise and leisure of their journey routines. Our motels are being thoughtfully tailored to assist this hybrid way of life, with communal areas reimagined as trendy, productive environments that assist work with out sacrificing consolation or hospitality.

Via partnerships with coworking platforms equivalent 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 geared up 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 additionally permits us to activate areas which are historically underutilized throughout sure components of the day. By creating environments the place friends and locals alike can work, meet, and chill out, we’re constructing motels that stay related in a world the place work now not matches a nine-to-five mannequin. Extra than simply locations to remain, our properties have gotten dynamic, multifunctional areas that assist how individuals stay, work, and join each on the highway and near house.

TDM: Inform us concerning the Thailand centre of studying, monetary companies, recruitment, income, digital spine and operations assist that SK Lodges has established?

Scott Walton: After we launched SK Lodges within the aftermath of COVID, we have been met with the identical challenges going through 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 totally. To rebuild, we knew we needed to take a contemporary strategy, not simply to recruitment however to the long-term improvement of our individuals 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 could 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 turn out to be integral to our operations and are already progressing into management roles.

In parallel, our strategy to recruitment has continued to evolve. With conventional channels yielding diminishing returns, we’re presently 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 slightly than simply prior expertise. We’re in search of mindset and angle people who find themselves hungry to develop inside a fast-paced, agile setting.

Alongside expertise improvement, we’ve constructed a monetary companies platform that goes past the usual GOP focus typical of lodge administration firms. Our finance workforce operates with a transparent mandate: to prioritize investor returns and long-term worth. That is achieved by means of sturdy inner controls, audit-centric reporting, and streamlined processes designed for transparency and accountability. Our finance management, beneath Ms. Rapeepan Banyen (Khun Jay), has embedded a tradition of fiscal self-discipline whereas enabling operational flexibility. It’s this steadiness that offers our buyers confidence and our lodge groups readability.

Within the space of income technique, we’ve taken a hybrid strategy. Every of our motels is supplied with instruments equivalent 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 information and programs introduced in from Kew Inexperienced Lodges, whose affect has helped form our business course and strategy to demand optimization. Supported by a centralized business workforce beneath Mrs. Tassanee Mangkala-apinun (Khun Pait), this hybrid mannequin permits every lodge to reply domestically whereas being backed by broader market intelligence and strategic oversight.

Our digital and advertising and marketing perform has additionally turn out to be a significant progress engine. Via 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 will not be generic lodge adverts, however model tales that resonate with their goal audiences, crafted by means of 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 applied strong programs throughout all properties, guaranteeing not solely performance however scalability as we develop. Each lodge beneath SK Lodges is supplied with standardized {hardware} and software program from PMS and back-office programs to firewalls and IPTV options guaranteeing operational effectivity and knowledge 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 – will not be working in silos. They’re built-in and aligned to assist SK Lodges’ mission: to function effectively, innovate responsibly, and empower our individuals to create distinctive visitor experiences. It’s a construction that places individuals first, however does so on a spine of course of and precision, guaranteeing that as we develop, we accomplish that sustainably and with confidence.

TDM: Clarify to us the function that know-how is taking within the ongoing progress of SK Lodges’ main proprietor Siamese Asset’s portfolio?

Scott Walton: Expertise sits on the core of SK Lodges’ progress 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 in the course of the annual burn-off season, when air high quality in Bangkok and surrounding areas can deteriorate considerably. Visitors are in a position to monitor each indoor and out of doors air high quality in actual time by means of a devoted app, whereas every room additionally incorporates a stay show of present air high quality readings. This stage of transparency and environmental management has not solely reassured friends, however has additionally turn out to be a compelling differentiator for our model companions and ESG-focused buyers. It speaks to our dedication to visitor consolation, operational innovation, and sustainability in equal measure.

TDM: What thrilling issues can we count on from SK Lodges sooner or later?

We’re coming into an thrilling new section of progress. Along with increasing our city footprint, we’re exploring alternatives in additional distant locations throughout Thailand. In some instances, these properties could require sturdy model partnerships; in others, the vacation spot itself is perhaps the draw, permitting us to launch distinctive, unbiased lodge ideas.

We’re additionally persevering with to develop strategic partnerships much like the one we have now with Siamese Asset. These alliances permit us to leverage our shared infrastructure – centralized finance, HR, IT, and business experience – decreasing prices and enhancing efficiency on the property stage. Not like extra inflexible company buildings, our management works contained in the motels, for the motels. This leads to sooner decision-making, stronger workforce assist, and in the end, higher visitor experiences.

On the coronary heart of our philosophy is an easy however highly effective mission: to function motels with a relentless concentrate on effectivity and excellence, empowering our individuals to create distinctive visitor experiences. We emphasize transparency, sustainable progress, and partnerships grounded in operational brilliance.

Above all, we consider in widespread sense. It’s a price that always 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 wish to share a current instance that highlights the sort of sensible intelligence and calm management we worth throughout our groups. It occurred in the course of the quick aftermath of the March 28, 2025 Myanmar earthquake, a day of widespread disruption, uncertainty, and logistical chaos throughout Bangkok.

Amid the aftermath, one in every of our engineering workforce members seen uncommon foot visitors close to a little-used emergency exit that led right into a service hall, an space sometimes quiet and safe. Regardless of the calls for of the day and the overwhelming distractions going through 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 house to maneuver items with out supervision or correct clearance.

Whereas it may have been simple 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 state of affairs is the usage of situational consciousness, widespread sense, and initiative, within the chaos of a real-world disaster. These are precisely the qualities we nurture at SK Lodges: a tradition the place workforce members are empowered to behave, to suppose past checklists, and to guard each our friends and our model status 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 Lodges, the long run isn’t nearly enlargement it’s about evolving neatly, sustainably, and with function.

The put up SK Lodges’ Scott Walton talks new motels and locations developing in Thailand, innovation and know-how appeared first on Journey Day by day Media.