Singaporean design and architecture enterprise Manor Group, which owns the upcoming Chiang Mai hotel in Thailand, has selected Thai wellness hospitality operator Akaryn Hotel Group to run the property.

The resort is being launched to meet growing demand for five-star service and cash in on the region’s growth in tourism.

The Akaryn Group owns and operates the Aleenta resorts in Phuket, Phang-nga and Hua Hin-Pranburi, as well as the Akyra Chura Samui resort. Akaryn Koh Krabey in 2016 – a resort and spa on a private island in Cambodia.

Under a 10-year management contract, the Akaryn Group will manage the 30-key hotel under its Akyra brand when it opens in October. Originally scheduled to debut this month (August), unforeseen construction delays have pushed back the opening of this THB300m (US$8.5m, €7.8m, £5.5m) property. The Manor Group’s subsidiary - Manor Suite Chiang Mai - owns the property, which will be branded the Akyra Manor Chiang Mai Hotel.

John Lim, founder and CEO of Manor Group, told The Nation: “Chiang Mai has too many three-star hotels, so we went all the way to do an all-suite five-star hotel, with a courtyard-within-room concept. [The rooms are] generously sized with a minimal, contemporary and decidedly urban feel, as that is what the market here was lacking. There is an extreme shortage of high-end hotels here. Occupancy rates are 80-100 per cent at the best hotels.

This is Manor Group’s first foray into the hotel business in Thailand, as it plans to own further properties in other countries such as Vietnam and Malaysia.

Manor Group already owns a wide range of businesses in Thailand. The subsidiary Manor Studio Thailand handles design and architectural projects.