If you’re going to travel than it behooves you to immerse yourself in your destination country’s culture and traditions. How better to do that, should your destination country be Thailand, than by taking part in any of the country’s many beautiful, colorful and interesting festivals. There are many and varied options to see and experience.

For example, the Candle Festival coincides with Buddhist Lent (July in Ubon Ratchathani). There is the country’s festival to celebrate the Queen’s birthday (August, nationwide). There is the Long Boat Race Festival (Sept-Oct, nationwide), which incorporates exactly what it says, a boat race. The Rap Bua Festival (October, Samut Prakan) honors the lovely Buddhist tradition of giving and receiving lotus blossoms. Finally, the Loi Krathong Festival (November, nationwide), sends showers of golden lanterns skywards to create a gorgeous nighttime sky.

Key Takeaways:

• There is the Candle Festival which marks the beginning of Buddhist Lents, as well as the Festival to celebrate the country’s Queen.
• Rap Bua is a festival in Thailand that honors the lovely Buddhist tradition of both giving and receiving lotus flowers.
• The long Boat Racing Festival marks the end of the Buddhist Rains Retreat and is celebrated with boat races all over the country.

“When it comes to immersing yourself in the culture of Thailand, no experience quite rivals that of the country’s colourful and breathtaking festivals.”

Read more: https://www.aluxurytravelblog.com/2018/05/23/5-must-see-festivals-in-thailand/

Intercontinental Hotels Groups, which already has a big stake in the Southeastern Asian country, is expanding its hospitality profile in the country. There will be new properties breaking ground as well as the reconfiguring of already in place properties. The new hospitality ventures will be launch sites for some of IHG offshoots, such as Holiday Inn Express and Staybridge Suites. IHG is known worldwide as a hospitality destination of choice among travelers and the new destinations will be part of key resort areas in Thailand.

Key Takeaways:

• Intercontinental Hotels Group, which already has a significant base in Asia, is expanding into the Southeastern region with several new hospitality venues slated to open in Thailand.
• Some of these venues will constitute new ground broken for brand new properties, while others will be converted.
• The new projects will be hospitality ventures that are offshoots of the Intercontinental brsnd, including Holiday inn Express!
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“The new-build Holiday Inn Resort Koh Larn will provide guests with a specialty restaurant, swimming pool, pool bar and gym. It will be located right on Na Ban Beach, a short five-minute drive from Na Ban public pier.”

Read more: https://www.travelpulse.com/news/hotels-and-resorts/ihg-announces-major-portfolio-expansion-in-thailand.html

Although Bangkok has always been a go-to stop for world travelers, it may be that one of its own districts is now in a position to upstage it on the world stage. Bangrak, one of the 50 districts of Bangkok, is getting a reputation as the place to be in Thailand. A sort of Bangkok SoHo, the lure of low-cost apartments has proved an irresistible draw for the young, the hip and the innovative.

Of late, the area has become the dwelling place for chefs, musicians, designers, artists and would-be entrepreneurs, anxious to make their mark.
Now known as the “creative district,” the area also encompasses Bangkok’s China town and neighboring districts, Talat Noi and Yaowarat. Special features of the area include Thai-Fusion cuisine, hip local bars, and urban street art.

Key Takeaways:

• Bangkok’s Creative District consists of three neighborhoods that have attracted artists, chefs, designers, and musicians.
• As this area was historically a river trading center, its multicultural roots can still be seen today
• The Creative District was formed in 2012 with a couple of art and music based businesses.

“My father, however, had better ideas. He and I would show up, make our rounds politely, then decamp to the nearby Oriental hotel, now the Mandarin Oriental (doubles from $420), his old friend Nelson in tow. Over cocktails, the men would hatch outlandish plans.”

Read more: https://www.travelandleisure.com/trip-ideas/city-vacations/bangkok-bangrak-neighborhood-creative-district

Khaolak International is a real-estate developer in Thailand. The company is very familiar with the Accor Hotels Group, having allied themselves with the group in 1996, in order to build the Navotel, now located in Phuket Patong.
The alliance is again in full sway, as a new venture, specifically a new Pullman Resort Hotel, is opening in Khao Lak. The resort will have 50 suites and be situated close to the Phuket International Airport.

While the real-estate and hotel group investment-alliance was reported on by TTG Asia Report, the Phuket News confirms that the luxury resort will also feature 7 seaside-facing villas, also that the architectural firm, Tierra, Design and Hypothesis, will design the Andaman seaside resort. The new resort should open in 2021. The Pullman brand, which already has 70 hotels, features 7, which are already currently operating in Thailand.

Check the New Thai Hotels Master List for other new properties opening in Thailand

Key Takeaways:

• Architects from Tierra, Design and Hypothesis will design the new hotel, which will be located by the Andaman Sea beachfront in Phuket.
• There are seven Pullman-branded hotels in Thailand, and more than 70 Pullman properties (with 21,000 rooms) in total.
• Accor will also expand into Singapore when the 342-room Pullman Singapore opens its doors in 2022.

“The Pullman Khao Lak Resort is scheduled to open in 2021 as part of the agreement.”

Read more here: https://www.hotelmanagement.net/thailand-to-get-its-eighth-pullman-hotel