Dusit Thani Group

History

The group's origin dates back to 1948 when Thanpuying Chanut Piyaoui, opened her first hotel, the “Princess” in Bangkok. It had only 30 rooms but had the distinction of being the first modern hotel in Bangkok with a swimming pool.

The company takes its name and much of its character from the ideas of King Rama VI, whose thoughts on the modern state blended Western and Thai influences. In 1918, he created a utopian miniature city near Lumpini Park and named it Dusit Thani meaning "Town in Heaven". In Thai, Dusit is the mythological name for the fourth of the seven levels of heaven.

In 1970, the Dusit Thani Bangkok became the company’s first flagship hotel. The 510-room hotel was the first 5-star hotel and the tallest building in Bangkok for several years.

In 1987, Dusit acquired a hotel which was renovated to become the first resort property, Dusit Thani Pattaya, followed by another beach resort in Phuket – Dusit Thani Laguna Phuket. In 1989, Dusit Thani Hua Hin opened (earlier known as Dusit Resort and Polo Club). Royal Princess Chiang Mai was opened in Chiang Mai, capital of the north in 1991, followed by a second northern hotel in Chiang Rai – Dusit Island Resort Chiang Rai opened the same year.

In 1995, Dusit International acquired the Hotel Nikko Manila by purchasing shares in the holding company, Philippine Hoteliers Inc. (PHI), from Japan Airlines Development Company Limited and JAL Trading Inc. After the acquisition, The Hotel Nikko Manila came under the management of Dusit Thani Hotels & Resorts, and was renamed the Dusit Hotel Nikko, Manila. The Manila hotel underwent a major renovation programme and became Dusit Thani Manila in April 2008. It is known for the Supreme Court ruling on "Illegal Strike" which considered the shaving of heads by the employees of Dusit Hotel as tantamount to committing strike. The issue has been protested widely in the Philippines especially with the International Labour Organization's findings that the Philippine government and the Supreme Court violated the workers' right to freedom of expression and association and redefined the meaning of strike.

In early 2001, Dusit Thani Dubai opened, adding the Middle East to the Dusit portfolio. In 2005, Dusit set up the Middle East Regional Office also in Dubai, covering the Gulf Cooperation Council member countries.

In November 2006, Dusit Thani Hotels & Resorts added a brand extension – the Dusit Lifestyle Collection with dusitD2 hotels & resorts. dusitD2 is the second generation brand of Dusit Thani Hotels & Resorts. The first property in the dusitD2 collection opened in November 2006 in the historical city of Chiang Mai. The second dusitD2 hotel - dusitD2 Baraquda Pattaya was officially launched in February 2009.

In addition to the Dusit sub-brand extension, the company introduced Dusit Residence Serviced Apartments. Pearl Coast Premier Hotel Apartments, Dubai, United Arab Emirates was opened in January 2007, followed by Dusit Residence Dubai Marina, United Arab Emirates in 2008.

Dusit International portfolio also includes Dusit Princess Hotels & Resorts. The rebirth of the spirit of the original Princess hotel came with the 1989 opening of the Royal Princess Larn Luang, Bangkok, a boutique-style hotel opened near the city’s Grand Palace. There are currently 7 Dusit Princess Hotels & Resorts in Thailand. The first Dusit Princess outside Thailand, Dusit Princess City Centre, Dubai opened in December 2009.

In 2007, Dusit entered into a joint venture agreement with Bird Hospitality Services (BHS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Bird Group, to bring the collection of Dusit International property brands to India. The first property in the Dusit Devarana collection opened in 2013 in New Delhi. The 50 room hotel features a 330-foot-long pool as the centerpiece. In 2014, Dusit Thani introduced its second Devarana property signing of an agreement with Zhuzhou Nature Real Estate Development Company. The Dusit Devarana Hot Springs & Spa Resort Zhuzhou is set to open in 2019, which features 150 rooms and villas, with each villa boasting a private hot springs pool.

Dusit Thani Dongtai was the very first Dusit Thani to launch in China. Dusit Thani Fudu Qingfeng and dusitD2 Fudu Binhu Hotel also opened in 2016 followed by Dusit Thani Dongtai.

Dusit Thani has announced to open three more hotels in China as well as 45 other projects in the pipeline, including Dusit Thani Abu Dhabi, Dusit Residence West Bay Doha, Dusit Thani Dilmunia Bahrain, and Dusit Thani Jeddah.

In October 2014, Dusit International partnering with Maxsen World signed a deal with Springfield Land Corporation to build the Dusit Thani Brookwater Golf and Spa Resort in Queensland, Australia. The construction of the resort started in mid 2016 and is scheduled to complete in 2019. The $550 million project includes 520 residential resort apartments, a tennis stadium to host international tour events, a water park, a retail emporium, an aquatic centre designed to Commonwealth Games standards, a Convention Centre set to host business conferences, ballroom, day spa, gymnasium, restaurants and resort retail, indoor and outdoor recreational and leisure facilities, as well as recreation clubs, a wedding chapel and man-made beach.

The group's other business are hotel management of both Thai and overseas properties, and education, through the Dusit Thani College and a Bangkok culinary school joint venture with Le Cordon Bleu of France. In 1993, Thanpuying Chanut founded the Dusit Thani College. In 2009 it initiated a programme with Lyceum of the Philippines University. Additionally, the college opened its new campus in Pattaya in 2011.

In August 2007, the Le Cordon Bleu Dusit Culinary School opened, making it the first of its kind in the Southeast Asian region.

Besides these, The Dusit Executive Development Center (DEDC) was established in 2005 as a subsidiary of Dusit Thani Public Co., Ltd. to provide executive training and development courses to individuals and various organisations.

Hotel brands

Dusit International is a member of the Preferred Hotel Group. Dusit International comprises five hotel brands: Dusit Thani Hotels & Resorts, Dusit’s second generation dusitD2 hotels & resorts, Dusit Princess Hotel & Resorts, Dusit Devarana Hotels & Resorts, and Dusit Residence Serviced Apartments. It also operates its own signature Devarana Spa.