Centara Hotels & Resorts, Thailand’s leading hotel operator, announced a strategic joint venture with PTT Oil and Retail Business Public Company Limited (OR)to launch a new budget hotel brand, marking a significant milestone in the company’s continued growth and expansion into new market segments.
Through this partnership, Centara and OR will develop a network of budget hotels located adjacent to PTT Station service complexes, creating a convenient and accessible accommodation option for modern travellers. The collaboration combines Centara’s hospitality expertise with OR’s extensive nationwide network of service stations and lifestyle retail spaces.
The first phase of the project will see the development of six budget hotels across Thailand, with openings planned between 2027 and 2028. The properties will be strategically located in Bangkok, Kanchanaburi, Ayutthaya, Phuket, Chon Buri and Songkhla, targeting travellers moving along major highways and regional transport routes.
Each property will feature approximately 69–80 rooms, with rates expected to start from THB 800–900 per night, while the Bangkok property is planned to offer around 120 rooms with rates of THB 1,200–1,300 per night. Designed to deliver clean, safe and comfortable accommodation at an accessible price point, the hotels will cater primarily to domestic travellers, road trippers and business travellers seeking convenient overnight stays.
The joint venture represents an investment of approximately THB 700 million, with Centara holding a 51% stake and OR holding 49%. By leveraging OR’s ecosystem of more than 2,000 PTT Station locations nationwide, the project unlocks new opportunities to serve travellers within highly accessible locations that already combine fuel services and electric vehicle charging access as well as food and beverage outlets, convenience retail, and rest areas.
The collaboration will also connect and leverage the loyalty programme integration between CentaraThe1, The 1, and OR’s Blue Plus programme. With a collective membership base of more than 40 million, Centara and OR can co-create enhanced benefits, superior experiences, and greater value for customers across both organisations in the future.
“This partnership represents an exciting new chapter for Centara as we expand into the budget hotel segment and continue to diversify our portfolio,” said Thirayuth Chirathivat, Chief Executive Officer of Centara Hotels & Resorts. “By combining Centara’s hospitality expertise with OR’s nationwide network of high-potential locations, we are creating a new hospitality concept designed to serve modern travellers who value convenience, reliability and exceptional value. With service stations located along major transport routes, this concept will provide travellers with clean, safe, and comfortable accommodation exactly where they need it.”
He added that the concept is designed to meet the needs of travellers commuting by car, including sales professionals, business travellers, and families and friends on road trips seeking short overnight stays during inter-provincial journeys.
The move into the budget segment reflects Centara’s long-term growth strategy to broaden its portfolio across multiple market segments while capturing emerging opportunities within Thailand’s evolving travel landscape. As demand for convenient and affordable accommodation continues to grow, the new brand will complement Centara’s existing portfolio spanning luxury resorts, upscale hotels, lifestyle properties and family-focused destinations.
“This partnership marks an important milestone that reflects the combined strengths and expertise of Centara and OR in jointly developing a budget hotel project to respond to evolving travel behaviour in today’s landscape,” said M.L. Peekthong Thongyai, Chief Executive Officer of PTT Oil and Retail Business Public Company Limited (OR). “At OR, we see travel not simply as reaching a destination, but as a meaningful experience along the way. This collaboration therefore strengthens our OR ecosystem and enables us to better serve modern travellers with a more complete and integrated journey experience.
