Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok WelcomesAcclaimed French Chef Hans Zahner
Bringing French-inspired dishes, Zahner will be the new Chef de Cuisine at Tables Grill

Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok announces the appointment of Hans Zahner as the new Chef de Cuisine of the hotel’s elegant European restaurant Tables Grill, where he will oversee and lead the culinary operations. A seasoned chef with years of experience working in Michelin-starred restaurants in France and around the world, Chef Hans will drive the Tables Grill team to new heights by incorporating authentic French flavors and meticulously plated dishes to local and international guests in Bangkok.

French-born Chef de Cuisine Hans Zahner discovered the love of cooking from his grandmother, who taught him to cook with passion at a young age in France. Chef Hans began training in Dijon before joining luxury hotel restaurants, where many of them were awarded with Michelin stars. For instance, Chef Hans is joining Tables Grill after spending nearly three years at the helm of the one-Michelin-starred restaurant Sir Elly’s at The Peninsula Shanghai in China. Prior to crafting modern European cuisine at Sir Elly’s, Chef Hans has also spent some time in Lyon, where he worked for Les 3 Dômes at Sofitel Lyon Bellecour. More notably, Chef Hans had the chance to work with the celebrated Chef Alain Ducasse at Alain Ducasse Au Plaza Athénée in Hôtel Plaza Athénée – Paris. He then later moved on to becoming the Sous Chef Cuisine at Le 39V Paris, where he overlooked banquets and the creation of new menus.

After training in various cities in France — namely Dijon, Paris and Lyon — Chef Hans is brimming with a desire for Tables Grill to be the best European fine dining restaurant with a French flair. While he reimagines rustic French-European dishes in a modern way, he will be giving classic dishes a fresh, healthy spin. Combining local ingredients and French culinary techniques, he is presenting a brand-new six-course degustation menu at the price of THB 2,900++ per person.

Tables Grill welcomes guests to try the new seasonal menu daily from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM. For more information and reservations, please contact us at +66 2254 6250 or the email restaurants.bangh@hyatt.com or visit www.tablesgrill.com.

BANGKOK OFFICE RENTS REACH RECORD HIGHS

Bangkok, 30 May 2018 – Grade A Central Business District (CBD) office rents rose by 3.1% Y-o-Y to new record highs in the first quarter of 2018 and this trend is expected to continue, according to CBRE Research, a leading international property advisor.

Average rents for grade A CBD buildings were just under 1,000 baht per square metre per month and a new record of 1,500 baht per square metre per month was achieved in Gaysorn Tower, according to CBRE’s latest Bangkok office report.

The total take-up was 65,000 square metres in Q1 2018, increased by 15.1% YoY led by the completion and owner occupation of the new Bank of Ayudhya Building (Krungsri Ploenchit Tower) on Ploenchit Road and Thai Rath’s new building on Viphavadi Road.

The overall vacancy rate fell to 7.3% and is expected to remain at a low level for the next three to four years.

Around 750,000 square metres of office space is under construction including the first phases of One Bangkok and The Parq, both on Rama 4 Road, with completion dates between now and the end of 2022.

CBRE Research forecasts that the growth in demand will match new supply for the next three years.

The direction of the market from 2022 onwards is much harder to predict.  There is potentially around two million square metres of new office space being planned on sites that have been acquired by developers but where construction has not yet started.

The question is how much space will be completed in each year after 2022 and we will only know the answer to this when construction starts on these planned projects.

Four co-working space operators will open in a number of grade A CBD buildings in Bangkok this year.

“Globally, there is a trend for some companies choosing to acquire office space as a service from co-working space operators rather than commit to lease and incur a capital expense in fitting out.  Co-working space is not just aimed at start-ups and co-working space operators will be competing with landlords offering offices on traditional lease terms,” said Ms. Roongrat Veeraparkkaroon, Director of Advisory and Transaction Services – Office, CBRE Thailand. 

Despite this disruptive change in the office leasing market, CBRE Research forecasts the net take-up in 2018 will be similar to that of 2017.

Some of the key new office developments that will be completed in 2018 are the 60,000-square metre Singha Complex at the Asoke/Phetchaburi Intersection, the 40,000-square metre MS Siam at the Rama 3/Industrial Ring Road Intersection, the 22,000-square metre T1 Building at Thonglor BTS Station, the 6,000-square metre Ladprao Hill at Ladprao MRT Station and the 5,000-square metre Summer Hub at Prakanong BTS Station.

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Two of lebua’s restaurants, Mezzaluna and Sirocco have made it to the top 20 list of 2018 edition of Thailand Tatler Best Restaurants

High atop lebua at State Tower and Tower Club at lebua, The Dome is a bouquet of delights with an array of dining and beverage choices, with top-notch service and celestial views.

The Dome’s multiple-award-winning rooftop restaurants and bars of choice have been hailed by the international media for spearheading the city’s aspirations to become a fine dining destination. Two of lebua’s restaurants, Mezzaluna and Sirocco have made it to the top 20 list of 2018 edition of Thailand Tatler Best Restaurants. 

MEZZALUNA

French Cuisine with a Japanese touch

 If fine dining had a second name, it would be Mezzaluna. It is the piece de resistance of lebua's finest restaurant, a Michelin 2 star, with a stunning 180-degree city and river views, rivaled only by the masterful culinary presentations placed before you.

The Tasting Menu is French cuisine with a Japanese touch, backed by the culinary excellence of Chef Ryuki Kawasaki, who has worked in restaurants in France and earned his spurs. He sources the best ingredients and meat from Japan and other European destinations and offers the celebrated seven-course Tasting Menu, with optional wine pairings.

The showcasing of the contemporary French cuisine is seamlessly woven into seasonal artisanal Japanese produce, is something that only Chef Ryuki is capable of creating. As the quartet string band plays wafting music and the Sommelier Sabino does his rendering of the story of where each bottle of wine comes from, the diners get transported into the best of fine dining that Bangkok has ever seen. But what is so different about Mezzaluna that it is often benchmarked and aspired for? Everything, if you ask the connoisseurs of cuisine.

When you combine the French way of cooking with a deft Japanese touch, it’s all about the attention to detail and the presentation on the plate. Take the all time favourite, the Niigata Murakami Wagyu Beef which is grilled over Bincho Charcoal. Hachimantai Salmon, a Rainbow trout from Iwate is smoked and served with golden trout roe, Japanese udo and urui. The cedro lemon emulsion and yoghurt sorbet adds a light and zesty note.

The wine pairings at Mezzaluna can only be said as a marriage made in heaven. Each pouring of the wine is selected with a lot of attention to detail in relation of what is in the plate and the Sommelier literally sings about the make and the history of what is in the bottle.

Dining at Mezzaluna is an out of the world experience in itself and you need to be there to know what the art of fine dining is all about.     

65th Floor

Open: 6pm – 1am Tuesday to Sunday

Last order at 10:00pm

SIROCCO

Fine Mediterranean Cuisine

The sense of ‘having arrived’ at Bangkok’s most iconic restaurant begins with the ascent to the top of lebua and the walk down the artistically lit staircase towards the poetic fountain. For an incomparably romantic repast, an impressive business dinner, or an unforgettable family get-together, the world’s highest alfresco restaurant offers fine Mediterranean cuisine presented and amazing range of wines from all around the world, overlooking the breathtaking views of the city and river.

Dining below the stars over-looking the Bangkok skyline, one gets transported into a wave of romantic interludes as starters make their appearance and then it’s time to admire and tuck in the best of Mediterranean food in town, something that every diner here looks forward to. To your right, perched on a precipice overlooking the city, the celebrated vertigo-inducing Sky Bar considered the top bar in Bangkok. Just ahead, authentic Mediterranean cuisine, beautifully created with the freshest ingredients from the world's finest markets by Chef de Cuisine Sebastien Pinson, who brings to Sirocco, decades of gastronomic experience at the starred restaurants and hotels of Europe and Asia, along with a pantry brimming with exclusive ingredients, many of which have never before been seen in Bangkok.

Indeed, it is through the award-winning interaction of food, wine, ambiance and service that the sense of perfection begins to emerge. Impeccably served by an unobtrusive and knowledgeable staff, Sirocco’s uncomplicated cuisine would not be possible without this continuous quest by the entire team for these rare and extraordinary ingredients. If you spot Chef Sebastian around, talking to diners and getting their feedback, you can invite him to do the finishing touches to his trademark ‘Dover Sole’.  That is like watching a master craftsman chisel away at his masterpiece.

Sirocco, has over the years become a benchmark for top of the line rooftop dining in Bangkok and one can see the reason why it's so highly recommended. Reservations are recommended a week in advance at this river-view restaurant which is a must do in Bangkok for any visitor.

MINT ANNOUNCES ACQUISITION OF 8.6% STAKE IN 

NH HOTEL GROUP, OWNER AND OPERATOR OF 382 HOTELS

Minor International (“MINT”) announced today that it has reached agreement to acquire 30,000,000 shares in NH Hotel Group in a transaction valued at EUR 192 million, which together with its existing shareholding will increase MINT’s stake in NH Hotel Group to 8.6% on a fully diluted basis. NH Hotel Group is the sixth largest hotel chain in Europe and this investment offers important strategic benefits to MINT which, with its deep hospitality and food & beverage experience, also brings strategic value to the NH Hotel Group. The investment demonstrates MINT’s strategy of pursuing financially attractive investments which are accretive to MINT, with estimated EV/2018EBITDA of 10.6x. NH Hotel Group is on a strong growth trajectory as it has successfully enhanced operational efficiencies across its group in recent years and is also now benefitting from the improving European macroeconomic outlook, both of which have been reflected in its strengthening financial results and rising ADRs. In particular, its four main clusters, Spain, Benelux, Central Europe and Italy, have been, and will continue to be, the drivers for solid growth going forward. The investment in NH Hotel Group also marks a strategic progression given MINT’s current presence in Asia, Australia, the Middle East and Europe. The investment in NH Hotel Group is a further move into Europe by MINT following its earlier expansion into Portugal and Brazil through the acquisition of Tivoli Hotels & Resorts in 2016, and one that is complementary to the geographical footprint of MINT’s pre-investment portfolio.

NH Hotel Group has a portfolio of 382 hotels and resorts with 59,350 keys spanning across 30 countries in Europe, the Americas and Africa. The Group was founded since 1978 and today has become one of the top 25 hotel chains in the world with in-depth expertise in the mid- to upscale segments. The NH and NH Collection brands have gained fast-growing recognition, particularly in Europe, with the strong potential to expand its footprint and enhance its reputation even further globally. NH Hotel Group’s assets are attractive in terms of both location and quality, making the portfolio difficult to replicate. Following the investment, the properties will continue to operate under NH Hotel Group’s well-known brands, including NH Hotels, NH Collection Hotels, nhow Hotels and Hesperia Resorts.

Dillip Rajakarier, CEO Minor Hotels, commented, “This investment represents a significant milestone for Minor Hotels. We are excited by the opportunity to accelerate our global exposure with our investment in NH Hotel Group, which has a highly complementary business and asset portfolio to MINT. The investment is financially attractive, with high liquidity on the Madrid Stock Exchange and proven performance by the business. Over the past few years, NH Hotel Group’s board of directors and management team have re-invigorated the business and delivered strong business performance in line with its five-year strategic plan. As a key shareholder in the business, we look forward to supporting the management team as a strategic shareholder to continue this success and build long-term shareholder value for NH Hotel Group and its shareholders including MINT. MINT can also support the NH hotels with its food & beverage expertise where appropriate to maximize financial performance and enhance customer experience.”

No management changes at NH Hotel Group are expected in connection with MINT’s investment in the company. While MINT takes note that certain key shareholdings of NH Hotel Group may change ownership in the near future, MINT is confident in the underlying business of NH Hotel Group and is excited to work with the team and its fellow shareholders in the company to ensure continued delivery of strong and sustainable returns to shareholders.

THE ST. REGIS BANGKOK CHARITY GALA & AUCTION 2018:

AN EVENING OF PHILANTHROPIC MANHATTAN FLAIR

A social highlight of the year, The St. Regis Bangkok Charity Gala 2018 was held on Friday 18^th May 2018, at the Astor Ballroom on Level 14 of the hotel, to raise funds for a charity selected by HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.

With the stylish theme ‘Manhattan Flair’, The St. Regis Bangkok Charity Gala 2018 was held on Friday 18^th May. This annual event has become a social calendar highlight of the year in Bangkok, attracting VIPs, celebrities and valued guests, from far and wide, for a different worthy cause each year. The nominated charities are chosen each year by Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.

The St. Regis Charity Gala 2018 celebrated with world-class entertainment featuring the wonderful live sounds of renowned Australian singer-songwriter Mahalia Barnes and culinary excellence.

The event raised more 7 million baht for the Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Foundation for the Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University under auspices of HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.

Photo caption (from left): Jantana Selby, Buppa Kingchatchaval, Khunying Piyapas Bhirombhakdi, William E. Heinecke, Araya Chittaropas, Krongkarn and Pongphiphat Chomanan       

KEY EXECUTIVE APPOINTMENTS AT THE ST. REGIS BANGKOK

The St. Regis Bangkok announces three new key executive appointments to the team in Sales & Marketing, Food & Beverage and Human Resources, effective immediately.

Bangkok, Thailand – 15^th May 2018 – The St. Regis Bangkok announces the appointment of their newest senior team members, to three key executive positions namely, Director of Sales & Marketing, Director of Food & Beverage and Director of Human Resources.

“I am delighted to welcome these three seasoned leaders to our St. Regis Bangkok family and am looking forward to them guiding their respective teams at our property, one of the region’s finest hotels, to even greater future success. All three of them bring a wealth of experience from different parts of the globe with them and I am confident that they will play an important role in further strengthening our focus on delivering consistently high service standards and market leading return” commented Klaus Christandl, General Manager of The St. Regis Bangkok.

Sam Chia joins The St. Regis Bangkok as its Director of Sales & Marketing. No stranger to the   St. Regis brand, Sam was most recently leading the Sales, Events and Marketing Communications efforts at The St. Regis Singapore and has been instrumental in driving the hotel to outperform revenue expectations and garnering international awards and accolades over the past years.

Sam has a wealth of experience in the luxury hospitality industry that includes being part of the pre-opening team at Capella Singapore, the Regional Sales team of Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts, and a prior role as Assistant Vice President – Business Development at Capella Hotel Group Asia.

Outside work, Sam enjoys spending time with his wife Michelle and their two adorable children, Alison and Lucas, and looks forward to discovering Bangkok’s thriving local food scene.  

Carl Chapman, a seasoned international hotelier from the UK, has joined the team as Director of Food & Beverage.  With over two decades of experience with luxury hotels and resorts from the United Kingdom to Canada and Dubai, Carl has worked with some of the most renowned names at the highest echelons of hospitality, including Claridge’s and The Savoy, in London. With an impressive collection of next-level skills, he arrives at The St. Regis Bangkok from Dukes Dubai.

Thai national, Ms. Boonyanoot Kongrod is on board as the new Director of Human Resources. With more than 20 years of hospitality experience, Boonyanoot is also a veteran of Starwood Hotels and Resorts and subsequently with Marriott International here in Thailand. Most recently, she worked as Human Resources Service Manager with Marriott International Area Office, based in Bangkok.

Together with their colleagues at The St. Regis Bangkok, Sam, Carl and Boonyanoot will continue to strengthen the overall team, with their unique sets of attributes and backgrounds.

The New Thai Competition Act What Business Needs To Know By Dr. R. Ian McEwin

Please find full presentation here

CoffeeWORKS supports Thailand’s emerging “Third Wave Coffee” market with Synesso espresso machines

Source: nationmultimedia

CoffeeWORKS, one of Thailand’s leading B2B coffee roasters and coffee-machine suppliers,has been appointed as the official Thailand distributor of Synesso artisan espresso machines made in Seattle, Washington USA.

Commenting on the opportunity, Mr. Dale Lee, Co-Founder and Managing Director of CoffeeWORKS said, “Synesso is a world renown U.S. based manufacturer of high-spec espresso machines known for their unparalleled thermal stability, user friendliness, and reliability.  We are thrilled to be able to direct our company’s coffee industry passion toward representing Synesso products for Thailand’s emerging and important “Third Wave Coffee” market. Since 1995, CoffeeWORKS has been roasting coffee, selling equipment, and providing coffee training services for both leading coffee chains and small independent coffee shops throughout Thailand.”

“With the addition of Synesso, CoffeeWORKS is keen to support coffee shop owners who are passionate and driven to bring out the peak flavour of their chosen espresso blends via Synesso’sadvanced espresso extraction capabilities.  The third wave coffee market is defined, in part, by a dedication to ultra-high quality in the cup via high scoring coffees extracted though temperature stable and barista controllable espresso machines.  Synesso was born out of this very desire to bring the most temperature stable commercial espresso machine to the market,” Mr. Lee continued.

“Thailand counts a little over 3,000 coffee shops, making Thailand the largest coffee shop market in S.E. Asia.About 7%of these coffee shops are dedicated to third wave coffee offerings, but this emerging sector is starting to take off in Thailand.  Synesso will be a critically important pillar to support Thailand’s adoption of third wave coffee given Synesso’sproduct quality and strong position within third wave coffee markets globally.  Synesso espresso machines are available across three models: the Cyncra, MVP, and MVP Hydra.  A new compact Synesso,the S200, is being officially launched this week at the 2018 SCA Expo in Seattle, with global shipments set to follow in May,” said Mr. Lee.

 

About Synesso

Synesso was born of the desire to bring the most temperature stable commercial espresso machine to the market. This drive to innovate has never stopped. Owner and designer Mark Barnett’s ability to listen and and take action is a great strength, and this has become the backbone of the Synesso identity.  It is most evident in his designs and the many advances that Synesso continues to make. Our equipment literally gets better every day.  Mark and Co- Owner Sandy Schneiter have continued to wisely mete out growth and ensure that Synesso is both a company and a product that is respected throughout the world.

Our team is made up of individuals with unique stories and strengths. Yet we all work seamlessly to build & distribute this exceptional espresso equipment that is proudly made in our small factory in Seattle, USA.  While we do not chase trends for their own sake, we listen acutely & respond to the needs of our customers.  Staying on the cutting edge of research and development, we work tirelessly to produce the most barista friendly, dependable, and responsive equipment on the market. Each machine is hand crafted to order by every member of the team. Originating with the customer request, a machine moves through sub-assembly, manufacturing, testing, and finishing with quality checks at each stage. Our goal is to continually achieve unsurpassed excellence.  A well-made espresso machine is the foundation of any great coffee experience at your local cafe.

About CoffeeWORKS

CoffeeWORKS pre-dated the boom in Thailand’s coffee shop sector.  Today CoffeeWORKS supplies both fresh-roasted coffee, Italian, German, and US engineered coffee machines, and training support services to almost 1,000 specialist coffee shop, restaurant, QSR (Quick Service Restaurant), hotel, and office locations throughout Thailand.

A Summary of the New Smart Visa

Smart Visa Is a new 4-year visa for professionals aiming at entrepreneurs investing in new businesses, highly skilled professionals, or executives. The Thai government is hoping for knowledge transfer, business growth and long-term economic benefits.

The commence for this application for the Smart Visa will begin on February 1st, 2018 on wards via BOI.

Benefits for the SMART Visa Holder

- Allows 4-year visa instead of the current one or two-year visa.

-Does not require work permit

-Gives dependents of legal spouse and children the right to live and work in Thailand equivalent to the Smart Visa holder.

-Extends 90-day reporting to annual reporting.

Targeted Industries

1. First S-Curve Industries 

-Next-generation Automotive

-Smart Electronics

-Affluent, Medical and Wellness Tourism

-Agriculture and Biotechnology

2. New S-Curve Industries

-Food for the Future

-Automation and Robotics

-Aviation and Logistics

-Biofuel and Bio-chemicals

-Digital

-Medical hub

The Visa Applications are categorized into 5 different types followings:

1. SMART T - Talent  Highly skilled professionals or Specialist in scientific fields where there is shortage.

2. SMART I - Investor  for Individual investor

3. SMART E - Executive  Company executives in a business that is in S-Curve industries.

4. SMART S – Startup Investors in companies that are in S-CURVE industries

5. SMART O- Others - Legal spouse and children of Smart Visa holder

Reporting of smart visa holder 

The annual reporting is essentially required for the Smart Visa holder. The required information is needed to be up-to-date after visa is granted.

Smart Visa Center in Bangkok

Jamjuri Building Floor 18th, No. 318, Payathai Rd, Pathumwan sub-district, Pathumwan district, Bangkok 10330

For more information 02 209 1100, ext. 1109 - 1110 or 

Email : smartvisa@boi.go.th

Mazars continues developing its digital services in partnership with all-in-one HR solutions provider, HReasily

From Left to Right

•     Jonathan Fryer, Accounting and Payroll Outsourcing Services Partner, Mazars Thailand
•     Rob Hurenkamp, Managing Partner, Mazars Thailand
•     Pascal Henry, CEO, HReasily

Thailand – (3 April 2018) – Mazars Thailand, an international, integrated, and independent organization, specializing in audit, accountancy, tax, legal, and advisory services, is pleased to announce its partnership with Singapore-based company, HReasily, which provides a human resources solutions platform across Asia.

In its ongoing effort to improve client services, Mazars Thailand set out to find a comprehensive HR that could serve clients of all sectors and sizes in one place. The perfect partner to develop such solutions was found in HReasily. This partnership allows Mazars to introduce cloud-based HR-compliance and payroll solutions on a single platform to both Thai and regional markets.

The relationship between Mazars and HReasily was a synergistic one with multiple benefits, including:

•     Efficiency: The ability to provide an HR management system that offers payroll services as well as managing the employee database, new hires, leavers, leave, timesheets, expense claims and document storage.
•     Multi-country coverage: It enables Mazars to provide regional payroll services on a single platform, covering Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines and Cambodia.

•    Ease-of-use: Payroll reports, statutory returns, pay slips and leave information will be available to the client and its employees online or via a mobile application.
•   Seamless integration: HReasily is seamlessly integrated with Xero accounting software. Output is recorded as an accounting entry each month and posted directly into Xero.

This customer-focused application makes it easier for companies to manage their workforces. With the recent government initiative to bolster SMEs in 10 provinces with a 3.81 billion baht pilot project, there is a strong demand for human resources solutions that are flexible enough to accommodate growth and expansion, both within Thailand and regionally. This new collaboration offers an agile technology platform that will enable SMEs to adapt as their workforce grows.

Jonathan Fryer, Partner at Mazars, says, “HReasily’s cutting-edge technology, geographic footprint, and partner ecosystem are highly complementary to the payroll and HR expertise we have across the region. This exciting collaboration reinforces our commitment to provide our international clients with best-in-class, cloud-based solutions.”

About us:

Mazars is an international, integrated, and independent organization, specializing in audit, accountancy, tax, legal, and advisory services. Operating in 86 countries, the firm draws on the expertise of over 20,000 professionals to assist owner-managed businesses, international corporate organizations, and blue-chip companies at every stage of their development. For more information, please visit www.mazars.com  

About Mazars in Thailand:

Mazars in Thailand is a leading, accounting, audit, tax, legal, and advisory practice comprised of over 200 professionals. The practice has Thai, British, Dutch, Japanese, Australian, and Korean nationals among its senior advisers, which ensures that the company is well placed to function as a bridge between businesses operating in Thailand and related companies overseas.  For more information, please visit www.mazars.co.th

About HReasily:

HReasily is a cloud-based all-in-one HR solution that enables business owners to automate workflow processes and increase productivity.

Founded in Singapore in late 2015, HReasily’s team has grown to become one of the leading HR solutions providers in Asia. For more information on HReasily and its products, visit www.hreasily.com