Forbes Asia — December 2017

(^2) Thailand
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
Thailand’s leading property developer is making the forward-looking move to expand its holdings and invest in cutting-
edge technology and lifestyle entities that support and enlarge its vision of “Next Generation Living.”
Sansiri:
EVERYDAY VISIONARIES
Sansiri PCL was founded in 1984 and
listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand
in 1996. In its earlier years, the company
concentrated on developing, selling and
renting out mid-city condominiums. It later
expanded into property management
through its subsidiary, Plus Property
Company Limited, and then into landed
property developments in Bangkok and
other locations across Thailand.
Sansiri has a history of making bold
moves and standing out from the crowd.
The firm’s first construction project, Baan
Kai Muk, was in 1988 on family land in the
seaside town of Hua Hin. A mustard-yellow
tiled condominium, its design and build
quality was unlike anything Thailand had
seen and predated the city’s foreign tourist
boom by at least a decade. The units sold
swiftly for unprecedented prices at the time
and nearly 30 years later, still command
excellent resale value.
Sansiri saw the future back then and
has remained on the cutting edge with its
developments in design and location, such
as Sansiri’s most recent flagship property,
98 Wireless—an exclusive condominium in
Bangkok—which has raised the bar for what
is possible in luxury living.
The brand has become synonymous
with quality and value and is perceived by
both domestic and international buyers as
a solid property investment, from its more
affordable developments through to top-
end, ultra-luxury properties.
The company has grown into Thailand’s
only full-service, real estate developer
with more than US$1.2 billion in annual
sales and a presence in China, Hong Kong,
Singapore, Taiwan and Japan.
Investment in a Broader Future
With its new and diverse investments,
Sansiri is looking beyond the traditional
build-sell-manage property development
model toward a more globally intercon-
nected future.
The company is branching out into per-
haps unexpected lateral areas. The list of
buy-ins includes: Standard International,
a prominent boutique hotel brand in
the U.S.; One Night, a last-minute book-
ing app that was developed by Standard
International; Hostmaker, London’s top
Airbnb hospitality management service;
JustCo, Southeast Asia’s biggest provider
of flexible workspace solutions; Farmshelf,
developer of hydroponic indoor farms that
make it easy for anyone to grow their own
food; and Monocle, an influential multime-
dia brand.
The benefits of these investments are
myriad. Aside from allowing Sansiri to
expand beyond property, which is subject
to the whims of the market, investment
in individual asset-light financial entities
in high-growth sectors will generate
overseas income.
According to Sansiri’s President Srettha
Thavisin, “These strategic investments
will develop Sansiri beyond its core busi-
ness for the first time. We are expanding
our global reach to generate new revenue
from property-related industries and uti-
lize these partnerships to strengthen our
core real estate business.”
These investments will focus Sansiri
on developing property technologies
in partnership with innovative industry
disruptors while also establishing a
position in the media sector.
Shaping the Future
Each of the new investment plays a unique
role in taking Sansiri to the next level of
industry innovation.
Standard International, which owns bou-
tique hotels in New York, Los Angeles and
Miami Beach, with a new property opening
in London next year, is the largest of Sans-
iri’s investments. Sansiri’s 35% stake in the
company, which is valued at US$58 million,
encompasses the Standard International
hotel brand and operations, the Bunkhouse
Group—an Austin-based boutique hospi-
tality company—and the One Night mobile
booking platform. The investment will sup-
port the development of new hotels and
related food and beverage outlets.
98 Wireless
One Night App