A FEW WORDS ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS IN MYANMAR AND THE SECTOR YOU ARE WORKING IN

Meliá Yangon Hotel is a five star hotel. We opened in July 2016. Our hotel is owned by a Vietnamese Company, HAGL but it is managed by our company, Melia Hotels International (MHI). 

Melia Hotels International is a Spanish company and it currently counts with more than 370 hotels in 43 countries on 4 continents, operating under different brands: Gran Meliá Hotels & Resorts, Paradisus Resorts, ME by Meliá, Meliá Hotels & Resorts, Innside by Meliá and Sol Hotels & Resorts. 

Here in Yangon, the brand chosen to operate the hotel was Melia Hotels and Resorts. From a global brand image perspective, Meliá Hotels & Resorts is our flagship brand. 

 

WHAT IS YOUR COMPANY’S STRATEGY IN MYANMAR

Over the last years, growing in Asia Pacific has been part of the strategy of Meliá Hotels International.

Although our main presence is in Europe and Latin America, our Company now counts with 47 hotels in APAC, 30 under the Meliá Hotels & Resorts brand. This includes hotels in our pipeline as well as opened hotels. Approximately 60% of them are urban hotels, due to the increasing bleisure travel needs in APAC.

Meliá Hotels International focuses on up and coming destinations that have a balance of demand and potential like Myanmar, while at the same time we make sure that we have a sustainable growth. For this reason, Meliá Yangon is currently the only property of Meliá Hotels International in Myanmar. 

We are really interested in increasing our presence in the country; it is part of a long-term view. Counting on a strong partner to grow together will be crucial to do so and destinations such as Ngapali, Bagan, Inle Lake and Mandalay are our main priorities, even if other areas still under development could also be of our interest.

With our resort leadership and expertise, we have brought our resort concept to urban destinations to further meet the increasing needs of bleisure travel and redefine the urban resorts. Bleisure is a fast-growing trend in APAC, and this includes as well Myanmar.  

HOW HAS YOUR COMPANY GROWN SINCE ITS ESTABLISHMENT IN MYANMAR

During our analysis phase, truth is we considered Myanmar as a challenging market. Nevertheless it was clear for us that we had to monitor these constraints and find solutions to minimize them. Guests’ satisfaction is our priority and we had to be ready.  When a customer decides to choose a 5* hotel, it does not matter where it is located, the difficulties related to the destination, etc., he expects certain services and facilities. Under Meliá Hotels International guidance as well as our corporate quality standards, we successfully overcame the constraints we faced. Some of the past challenges are today's opportunities for Myanmar hospitality market. Nowadays, the initial constraints have switched to others but it would be the same in any other countries. Being successful or not depends on how you see adversities, how you anticipate and overcome them.

Today, even though our hotel shows a constant progress since we opened, our main struggle is linked to the uneven balance between the demand and the offer within the hospitality industry. Different factors have led to a slow-down of the economy impacting the number of potential room nights for 5* hotels and causing a decrease of the average spending of travellers and companies on hotels, while the number of hotels keeps increasing.

However, we believe that this trend is cyclical. We arrived at the right time and our hotel is now well established and positioned. Our industry is very much linked to how other sectors are doing. People tend to think that a hotel is only linked to tourism, which is very often not the case. In a destination like Yangon and in a hotel like ours, business guests are even more numerous than leisure ones. Residents (both local and expatriates) are also very important for us and pay a huge role in our success.

WHAT IMPROVEMENTS HAVE YOU SEEN IN YOUR INDUSTRY THERE LAST FEW MONTHS / YEARS

I have seen a great evolution in less than three years, especially in the services, hotels and restaurants sectors. Now it seems to stagnate. 

A lot still has to be done to reach other Asian destinations and it will take time. We need other sectors to progress to benefit our sector: energy, transportation, infrastructure are fundamental for us.

WHAT ARE THE KEY MESSAGES YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH OUR MEMBERS REGARDING THE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT IN MYANMAR

Although the economic environment is not at its best and looks uncertain, hospitality speaking, Myanmar is the place to be. It is true, as I mentioned before, that we have lots of struggles to face, but it is important to be present at that time when most of the other big players are not present yet.

YOUR LIFE IN MYANMAR AND YOUR RELATIONS WITH FRANCE (OR WITH ANOTHER SPECIFIC COUNTRY)

My life in Myanmar mainly takes place in the hotel, which at the end, is like a small city in the city. Hotel GM´s life is a hotel life – at a certain stage, it is hard to know when you start working and when you end it. 

I actually left France more than 20 years ago. I finished my university studies in Spain and decided to stay there, 13 years, before being transferred to this part of world, 9 years ago.

I usually go to France once or twice per year but I don´t imagine myself working or living there. However, at the end, where you spent the first 20 years of you life, where you grew, is important and we all have certain reactions or behaviours from that time. At the end, I have picked a bit of every places I lived, people I met and now, it is a bit mixed, although I have to recognize that for me, Spain is really special and the fact that I work for a Spanish company helps.

WHAT CCI FRANCE MYANMAR HAS DONE TO SUPPORT YOU AND YOUR ACTIVITY

We initially joined CCI France to connect with companies from other sectors. 

However, it brought us more than that. Through different events (networking events, presentation and seminars, etc), we have been able to get relevant information about other sectors in general and the situation in Myanmar, which is important for us to forecast future trends and results.

Some of the training proposed are also very interesting and easily accessible for some of our team members. 

YOUR ADVICE FOR A NEWLY ARRIVED EXPAT IN MYANMAR

I came to Myanmar the first time in 2012 for a two weeks holiday. I left thinking: I wish Melia had a hotel there… Finally in 2015, I was offered the opportunity to lead the opening of Meliá Yangon and after nearly 3 years here, I haven’t changed my mind. Even if I don´t have enough time to fully enjoy the country, I still appreciate every moment here.

Giving an advice about a place you really like would probably not be too realistic but still… in general, and this goes for every place we are sent, the way we decide to overcome the obstacles will make the difference. Some people tend to compare their new place with their original country, with their previous posting with nostalgia. I would not do that. Of course, these previous experiences give us a certain background, a certain vision, preferences, but it has to stay as it is, a base to build something else.

Every place has something to offer; sometimes it is not so obvious but we have to be patient and open to new things, otherwise, it is better not to stay.

YOUR FAVORITE PLACE IN MYANMAR

I usually say Inle Lake. It is nice and relaxing… but I am sure that I have missed lost of places that are still not that renowned… I will keep discovering…