SONO Hotels & Resorts Asia has been named Hospitality Expansion of the Year – Thailand at the Travel Daily Media Travel Trade Excellence Awards 2026 – Thailand. The accolade underscores the group's rapid regional growth and its distinctive approach that links hotel management with aviation and lifestyle assets.
Integrated expansion strategy
Following SONO International's acquisition of Cross Hotels & Resorts from Flight Centre Travel Group, SONO Hotels & Resorts Asia has evolved into a broader Asian hotel management platform. The company now operates 17 hotels, with 13 additional properties in the pipeline across Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Japan. This expansion is part of a wider strategy that leverages the scale of SONO International, the hospitality arm of SONO Trinity Group, which manages more than 14,500 rooms in seven countries.
The group's expansion is closely tied to aviation through Trinity Airways. By coordinating hotel demand with air connectivity, SONO can drive traffic to its properties and destinations. A prime example is SONO Moon Nagoya, which opened in June 2026 as the company's first hotel in Japan and its first new opening under the SONO Asia platform. The group is also preparing to launch direct Incheon–Nagoya flights via Trinity Airways in December 2026, following a strategic partnership with aviation authorities in Nagoya.
Beyond hotels: a lifestyle ecosystem
SONO's model extends beyond traditional hospitality. The wider ecosystem includes pet-friendly resorts and pet-care services, wellness concepts, and F&B offerings. Leisure assets such as 63 golf holes, Ocean World water park, and Vivaldi Park winter resort create opportunities for cross-selling and membership engagement. In its home market of Korea, the group operates over 13,000 rooms across 27 domestic sites, and its global portfolio has expanded into gateway cities including Washington D.C., New York, Paris, and Honolulu.
The award highlights SONO's sustained efforts to build a regional hotel management platform that combines local expertise with international scale. As the company continues to integrate aviation and lifestyle offerings, it is positioning itself as a diversified player in the Asian travel market.
For more on the latest industry recognition, see this year's TDM Awards honorees and the AI initiative award winner.
