Skift Take
As we said in our Skift Global Trends for 2013 report, the continued rise of Myanmar means hotel and other infrastructure would need a lot more investment, and now the likes of Best Western are being lured in with that promise.
Best Western International Inc., the world’s second-largest closely held hotel chain, will open its first Myanmar property in 2013, taking advantage of friendlier investment rules and a shortage of rooms in the country.
The Phoenix-based group is considering locations including Yangon and Mandalay, the nation’s two largest cities, for the hotel, Glenn de Souza, Bangkok-based vice president of international operations for Asia and the Middle East, said in an e-mailed response to questions on Jan. 31.
Myanmar’s President Thein Sein is seeking to transform the Southeast Asian nation into a democracy and modernize its financial and private infrastructure after five decades of isolation. He signed a foreign investment bill in November that cleared the way for multinationals to spend more in the formerly military-run nation.
“There are huge opportunities in the country, following new investme
