The most inclusive roster of award-winners of the annual PropertyGuru Thailand Property Awards, the kingdom’s long-running and most prestigious real estate awards programme, were honoured at an exclusive ceremony on the evening of August 9th at the Athenee Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Bangkok.
Earning its first Best Developer (Thailand) title was Siamese Asset Co., Ltd, which collected a total of six golden trophies and three Highly Commended distinctions.
“Its finger firmly on the pulse of Bangkok’s NOW generation, Siamese Asset combines functionality and smart spaces to keep pace with the fluidity of millennial lifestyles; mixed-use Siamese Rama 9 symbolises a new CBD in the capital, engaging through strategic design and architecture to imagine a sense of place,” said the independent panel of judges.
One of last year’s runners-up in the Best Boutique category finally took the prize in this category; Habitat Group, the developer of Ramada by Wyndam Mira North Pattaya, and Walden Sukhumvit 39, left the ceremony with seven golden trophies and two commendations, including a gong for the Best Digital Performance Hotel Residence presented by smart solutions company WiseSight. The firm also honoured the year’s Best Digital Performance Condo Development (Bangkok), Best Digital Performance Housing Development (Bangkok), Best Digital Performance Condo Development (Provincial), Best Digital Performance Housing Development (Provincial), and Best Digital Performance Commercial Development.
Former Best Developer title holder Magnolia Quality Development Corporation Limited (MQDC) won 17 trophies spanning a wide array of properties, including Best Ultra Luxury Condo, Smart Home, Best Senior Living, Best Green, and Best Universal Design Development, as well as the Special Recognition for Design and Construction (shared with Siamese Asset). MQDC was also selected by the programme’s Official Charity Partner to receive the Right To Play for Community Projects award for their outreach efforts outside their development sites.
In another landmark year for the prestigious awards, a total of 64 honours were presented in 2019 including Best Hotel Residence, Best Senior Living Architectural Design, and the Special Recognition for Public Facility for the Deep Excavation and Completion of the Sanam Chai Station Project by Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand, and the Suvarnabhumi International Airport Midfield Satellite 1 by Airport of Thailand Public Company Limited.
One of the evening’s most memorable moments was the presentation of the 2019 Thailand Real Estate Personality of the Year award to Peerapong Jaroon-ek, chief executive officer of Origin Property. He was chosen for his leadership and contributions to the Thailand 4.0 initiative. The special award was presented on behalf of the editors of Property Report magazine by PropertyGuru Group’s chief business officer Jeremy Williams.
The five-hour awards ceremony and gala dinner — one of the most awaited real estate industry events in Thailand — was graced by Mom Ratchawongse Chatu Mongol Sonakul, Thailand’s Minister of Labour, and former Governor of the Bank of Thailand, who encouraged property developers in Thailand to create a safe and progressive environment for all real estate and construction professionals.
Hari V. Krishnan, Chief Executive Officer of PropertyGuru Group, said: “Congratulations to all the Winners and Highly Commended awardees at our longest-running award programme and largest-ever edition of the PropertyGuru Thailand Property Awards. I’m delighted that these 60 categories represent a robust property sector with a large offering of quality properties for consumers and investors. I support the call of the Thai Minister of Labour to protect the rights of real estate professionals who are shaping the future of our communities.”
JLL Thailand country manager Suphin Mechuchep once again led the independent judging panel, whose members conducted supervised site inspections for the shortlisted projects. The entire awards programme was supervised by BDO in Thailand, led by audit and assurances partner Matthew Cutt, and assisted by audit services manager Angelina Harinck and assistant manager Komang Indrihapsari. The award-winning team of BDO is one of the world’s largest networks of auditing and accountancy firms.
Hosted by awards director Jules Kay, the 14th PropertyGuru Thailand Property Awards 2019 was supported by platinum sponsor Hitachi Elevators & Escalators; gold sponsors Kudos and JLL; official airline partner THAI Airways; official portal partner DDproperty, Thailand’s leading property site.