Exclusive by James Wilkinson in Hong Kong

Mantra Group is continuing its push into Asian markets on the back of increased interest from owners, developers and investors.

Speaking exclusively to HM on camera at the 2014 Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific (HICAP) late last week (Oct 17), Mantra Group Director of Acquisitions, Michael Moret-Lalli, said interest had been coming from several countries.

Michael Moret Lalli

“Interest has been good,” he said. “Our brands translate over here well. There is good penetration from the Australian outbound market over here and Mantra has its own Asian connotations, so we found the brand fits really beautifully.

“There’s also great opportunity… we know the type of activity that’s been going on over here, so it just makes good sense for us to be in the region.”

Moret-Lalli said alongside Indonesia, the first Asian country Mantra made its debut in, other countries taking the company’s interest included Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.

“That said, we’re not in any rush to create huge growth… we’re very careful with how we grow and the product we are going to pick up through the deals that we do and ensuring we have the right partners is incredibly important,” he said.

In the video, he also spoke about development expectations for the remainder of the year and much more.

To view the video, click on the YouTube image at the top of the page.

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James Wilkinson

Editor-In-Chief, Hotel Management