Mantra will expand its boutique Peppers brand into Indonesia in March with the signing of the Sentosa Seminyak in Bali, with further overseas expansion within its sights.
Currently said to be accommodating the newly-freed Schapelle Corby under the name Jodie Hawkins, the 49 villa Peppers Sentosa Seminyak will become the second property for Mantra on the island following the launch of Mantra Nusa Dua in late 2012.
"We are very proud to have a resort the quality of Sentosa Seminyak carry the Peppers name," Mantra chief executive Bob East said.
"To see the brand evolve from a group of small boutique retreats some 25 years ago to then include larger scale resorts in Australia and New Zealand, and now move into Asia is a historic occasion."
By the end of the year, the hotel firm expects to have five Indonesian properties across its brands, but the firm is also looking to enter new markets within that timescale, executive director of sales and marketing Kent Davidson told Travel Today.
Thailand and Malaysia are next on the agenda, with a new property in either market likely by the end of the year.
“We’d also like to delve into somewhere like Singapore as well,” he said. “We’re actively looking for partnerships.”
While the Nusa Dua property is performing well with Australians who are familiar with the brand due to its strong brand presence with more than 50 properties in the local market, Davidson revealed that Mantra has been working hard over the last five years to build a strong distribution network across multiple countries.
“We’ve been preparing for expansion for some time now,” he said.
However, the growth of its network within Australia and New Zealand also remains a priority.
It will open its first inner city Peppers property in the Fortitude Valley area of Brisbane later this year with the brand's Melbourne debut in the city's Docklands area also scheduled for 2015. Although expansion into other metro areas such a Sydney remains a possibility, Davidson highlighted the difficulties of finding suitable buildings for the boutique Peppers brand.
Meanwhile, other major new Australian projects include a BreakFree in Fortitude Valley Brisbane currently being transitioned and a Mantra in Perth’s Waterside development to open in 2015.
