On September 15th in the Grand Ballroom of the Plaza Athenee Hotel in Bangkok over 600 of Thailand’s real estate elite gathered to honor the best of the best. The PropertyGuru Thailand Property Awards 2017 is the longest-running event of the regional Asia Property Awards programme established in 2005 and which now includes more than a dozen countries across Asia. With a professionally run awards system supervised by BDO, the world’s fifth largest auditing and accountancy firm, the Thailand Property Awards is the biggest and most prestigious real estate event in the Kingdom, with the top and emerging names in real estate celebrating the best developers, projects and designs in the top tier markets of Bangkok and Phuket, as well as Hua Hin, Chiang Mai, Samui, Phang Nga/Krabi, the Eastern Seaboard, the North East, and Songkhla.
This year’s awards boasted a very strong shortlist of 100 nominees in 39 categories. Ananda Development won its first-ever Best Developer trophy in the competition’s 12-year history for pioneering its “urban technology ecosystem” strategy to build better urban living solutions.
Meanwhile, two former Best Developer title holders returned to the stage to receive the ‘Best of Thailand’ awards: Charn Issara Development for Best Housing Development (Thailand); and Major Development for Best Condo Development (Thailand).
In Hua Hin, the Best Housing Development Award went to Falcon Hill with Sansara at Black Mountain receiving a Highly Commended. In the condominium category it was Veranda Residence winning the Best Condo Development Award with Sansara at Black Mountain garnering another Highly Commended. Hua Hin’s Suppagarn Real Estate Service Co.,Ltd led by Eakkarat Suppagarn won in the Special Recognition in Sustainable Development category.
Russ Downing, managing director of HOT Hua Hin Co. Ltd. and head of the Thailand Property Awards Hua Hin judging panel for the 10th year had this to say “The level of competition in Hua Hin for both condominiums and villas was extremely strong this year and led to some lively discussions after our Hua Hin judging team concluded our viewing of the short listed properties.” Russ went on to say “Some real estate insiders classify Hua Hin as an emerging market, but after viewing this year’s short listed property’s I would say Hua Hin has arrived.”
The country’s “retail queen” Supaluck Umpujh, chairwoman of The Mall Group, and the visionary behind such iconic shopping centres including The Siam Paragon, The Emporium, and The EmQuartier along with Plu Port in Hua Hin was honoured as the 2017 Real Estate Personality of the Year by the editors of PropertyGuru Property Report magazine for her contributions to the country’s retail and lifestyle real estate segment.
Mrs. Srisuda Wanapinyosak, Deputy Governor for International Marketing Asia and South Pacific of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, keynoted the ceremony.