Marriott, Ritz-Carlton, Outrigger ink deals to manage 3 resorts in central VN

Vietnamese American Hotel and Resort Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of the U.S. investment firm ITC Spectrum LLC., signed hotel management agreements with three world leading hotel operating companies in Quy Nhon City, Vietnam on Tuesday.
The three partners of VAHR are Marriott International, Ritz-Carlton, and Outrigger Hotels and Resorts Asia, a subsidiary of Honolulu-based Outrigger Enterprises Group.
Marriott International, Ritz-Carlton, and Outrigger will manage three resort projects inside what is called the US$250 million Vinh Hoi Bay Golf Resort, a 325-hectare oceanfront, fully-integrated, mixed-use development which will initially include the three projects.
They include the Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott properties, a championship 18-hole golf course designed by Robert Trent Jones II, residential villas, a retail village, an arboretum and other recreational amenities.
The Outrigger Vinh Hoi Bay Resort and Spa with 210 rooms and 46 private villas will start construction in mid-2011, and is expected to open for business at the end of 2013.
The 100-villa Vinh Hoi Bay – A Ritz-Carlton Reserve, and the 320-room JW Marriott Vinh Hoi Bay Resort & Spa are expected to begin construction in early 2012 and be completed in 2014.
Later phase of the development will feature three additional resorts, more residential properties, an equestrian center, a marina and other amenities.
Vinh Hoi Bay Golf Resort is 25 kilometers north of Quy Nhon City in Binh Dinh Province of, and 20 minutes away from Phu Cat Airport in the central province.
Tran Duc Canh, Chairman and CEO of Vietnamese-American Hotel and Resort, said at Tuesday’s contracts signing ceremony in Quy Nhon, “We are very pleased to have these prestigious American brands be a part of the Vinh Hoi Bay development.
“We have no doubt that the Vinh Hoi Bay Golf Resort in partnership with these hotel operators is positioned as a premier international luxury destination resort, adding a significant milestone to the Vietnam tourism industry and to Asia as a whole.”
Speaking for Marriott International, Mr. Edwin Fuller, President and Managing Director, Lodging International, said, “We are delighted with this visionary opportunity to further expand our lodging portfolio in Vietnam. These resorts will rank among the best, most luxurious properties in Asia and we are honored to participate in the emergence of Vietnam as world-class resort destination.”
“We are confident that, given the hospitality of the Vietnamese people coupled with the unique beauty and historic significance of this particular part of Vietnam and the extraordinary ambience of these two distinctive resorts, both properties will be in high demand from the start.”
Quy Nhon City is located in the middle of Danang and Nha Trang on the central coast. Its origins date back to the 11th century and the Champa kingdom for which its legacy – Cham culture’s temple complexes – can be seen throughout Quy Nhon.
The topography of Binh Dinh province is diverse and attractive, offering visitors lush highlands, forests, alluvial plains, lakes and beaches – all in one destination. Phu Cat Airport, 20 minutes from Vinh Hoi Bay, is slated to offer direct international flights in the coming years.