Designed by US-based architect Daniel West, the 72-key Hotel Suggati is set to celebrate its grand opening on December 15th in Mawlamyaing, the capital of Myanmar’s Mon state.

Commanding a panoramic vista over the Thanlwin [Salween] River, this waterfront property brings a new vitality in business hotel options to the country’s fourth largest city.

The five-story Suggati is owned by the Memories Group, and provides conference rooms, working spaces with hi-speed Wi-Fi, a fitness centre, and a restaurant specializing in both Burmese and Western cuisines, as well as French pastries, which will be open to the local public.

Recently appointed general manager Leila Nortier from France takes the reins at the landmark hotel after three years at another Memories resort in nearby Hpa-an.

Nortier brings to the table a decade of experience in food and beverage, including stints at the Four Seasons in Geneva, the St. Regis Singapore, and working under a two-Michelin-star chef at the Atlantis Hotel in Dubai.

“We want to put Mawlamyaing on the map,” Nortier said of the port city that lies 300 kilometres south-east of Yangon.

“The Suggati is a three-star hotel, but we are aiming to offer five-star service.”

The Memories Group is a destination management company which owns and operates several resorts and activities in Myanmar, including hot-air balloon adventures, sailing tours and boutique lodges in the rainforest.