June 23 – Bangkok’s Lebua Hotels & Resorts is holding talks with investors from the UAE to consider funding the group’s expansion plans around the world, said an official of the company.
If the talks are successful, Lebua Hotels will form a joint venture company with the investor, said Deepak Ohri, Chief Executive of Lebua Hotels & Resorts.
“We are currently in talks with Middle East investors – mainly in the UAE to form a joint venture company but nothing has been finalised as yet. Once materialised, the joint venture would help us expand into global markets such as France [for the chateaus] and destination restaurants out of Sydney, Hong Kong, London and Los Angeles,” Ohri added.
He also said that the company is trying to attract travelers from the Middle East to stay at Lebua properties in Bangkok and New Zealand.
Lebua does not have any immediate plans to invest in the Middle East. “We don’t want to be a 100-room hotel chain. You will never see us opening a hotel here in Dubai. But you may see us opening a destination restaurant here at a right time,” he said.
