Banyan Group Launches New-Look Eco-Friendly Laguna Lakeside Residences

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

The new low-rise residential blocks overlooking picturesque lagoons are set in lush tree-lined gardens at the entrance to the prestigious Laguna Phuket integrated resort


Multi-award-winning Banyan Group Residences is launching new low-rise blocks of Laguna Lakeside Residences, offering a rare and exceptional opportunity to join the iconic and prestigious 1000-acre Laguna Phuket integrated resort community at Bang Tao beach on Phuket’s highly sought-after Central West Coast.

The new residences are located adjacent to the first block of Laguna Lakeside Residences, which is already sold out and was completed in June this year. They are conveniently situated at the gateway to Laguna Phuket, overlooking a tranquil lagoon and right on the doorstep of the popular Boat Avenue entertainment district at Bang Tao area.

Set in lush landscaped gardens and built in a sleek contemporary style, the one, two and three bedroom residences with stunning rooftop infinity pools are a compelling and affordable way to embrace the exclusive Laguna Phuket lifestyle while still being close to nature.

“Laguna Lakeside Residences is designed and built with the same level of care and attention to detail as other properties within the Banyan Group” said Banyan Group founder, Mr Ho Kwon Ping. “It’s a bit like when you buy a car from a luxury car brand like BMW or Mercedes, even if you are buying a smaller vehicle you know that the quality and craftsmanship is still on the same level as the top of the range models.”

The new Laguna Lakeside Residences are designed for a new generation who wish to live in close proximity to nature, yet they still have all the facilities and lifestyle benefits of the sophisticated Laguna Phuket resort community on the doorstep. Set against a multi-purpose lawn with boardwalk under a canopy of high trees, the residences are ideally located for relaxing strolls in the manicured gardens.

The launch of the new Laguna Lakeside Residences comes as the Phuket real estate market is booming, fuelled by an increasing desire for families from all over the world to enjoy a second home in Phuket, or even to relocate there.

 
“We’re seeing a huge demand for new homes in Phuket this year, due to a whole range of factors from trends such as urban flight, geopolitical issues and simply the fact that Phuket has become a great place to live with world-class international schools and hospitals and all the benefits of a year-round tropical lifestyle,” said Banyan Group founder and Executive Chairman KP Ho.

“High-quality property is still significantly cheaper in Phuket than in most of the buyer source markets like Hong Kong, Singapore or Europe, which is also an important factor,” he said.

Phuket’s strategic location within 5 or 6 hours flight of over 40% of the world’s population, its attractive year round climate and the growing world-class international schools and hospitals are also part of its growing attraction.

The Laguna Lakeside Residences include one to three bedroom condominiums in four low-rise blocks, each block with its own expansive rooftop infinity pool.

Prices start from just THB 9 million.

Uniquely for Thailand, the developer also offers financing options which allow owners to purchase residences with staged payments over several years.

The Laguna Lakeside Residences are located within Asia’s most iconic integrated resort, Laguna Phuket, which also includes award-winning spas and Laguna Golf Phuket, named "Thailand's Best Golf Course" by the World Golf Awards.

Just 30 minutes from Phuket International Airport, Laguna Lakeside Residences offers an all-encompassing lifestyle from world-class dining, spas and golf to education programmes and a plethora of social events.

An unparalleled world of exclusive privileges, discounts and rewards additionally becomes available to owners through the brand's signature property owners’ programme – The Sanctuary Club – opening residents to the Banyan Group’s global network of exceptional properties in renowned destinations worldwide.

Phuket has long been renowned as a 'smart choice for tropical lifestyle', with a comfortable climate and fresh sea air, affordable cost of living, world-class private health facilities, top-quality international schools and shopping malls -- and inimitable Thai hospitality in the 'Land of Smiles'.



Laguna Resorts & Hotels is listed on the stock exchanges of Thailand and Singapore in alliance with Banyan Tree Holdings.

Holiday Factory Launches in the Philippines, Set to Transform the Travel Industry

Wazzup Pilipinas!?


Holiday Factory, a leading tour operator from the UAE, has expanded its services to the Philippines, aiming to revolutionize the travel industry.
Unbeatable Holiday Packages for Filipinos

Holiday Factory offers Filipino travelers the opportunity to enjoy incredible holidays at half the market rate while maintaining high service standards. This initiative allows travelers to maximize their travel experiences without stretching their budgets.

"To celebrate our launch as the first tour operator in the Philippines, we are hosting a Mega Giveaway of 100 holiday packages to 100 lucky Filipinos. Everyone can participate for free by registering on www.holidayfactory.ph," announced Sandra Daemmrich, General Manager at Holiday Factory.

As an award-winning online tour operator, Holiday Factory leverages bulk purchasing of flight tickets, hotel rooms, and other services to provide significant savings to their customers, ensuring the best possible deals.

"Research shows that over one-third of the Filipino population is looking for affordable holidays but lacks access to real tour operators. That's why Holiday Factory is entering the market as the first genuine package tour operator," explained Hakan Bakar, Business Development Director for International Markets at Holiday Factory. "With us, holiday packages are now affordable for everyone."

Revolutionizing the Philippine Travel Industry

Holiday Factory is poised to transform the travel landscape in the Philippines by offering exciting packages to both local and international destinations. One of the standout deals includes a package to Boracay for just PHP 3,699, which encompasses return flights, hotel accommodations, airport-to-hotel transfers, travel insurance, an airport welcome, a tour guide, and more. Similarly, international destinations like Dubai and Hong Kong are available at highly attractive rates.

Booking these packages is simple and convenient through their website, www.holidayfactory.ph, making the entire process a hassle-free, one-stop-shop experience.

In regions such as Europe, the USA, and some Asian countries, most leisure travelers prefer package tour operators for their cost-effectiveness and comprehensive service offerings. Now, for the first time, Holiday Factory is bringing this esteemed Western tourism model and its high standards to the Philippines.

A New Era for Filipino Travelers

With its launch, Holiday Factory proudly becomes the first true package tour operator in the Philippines. Filipino travelers can now effortlessly book their dream vacations with unmatched ease and affordability. Welcome to a new era of holidays. Welcome to Holiday Factory.

For more information, visit www.holidayfactory.ph.

RevComm Secures US$10 Million in Pre-Series B Funding, Total Funding Reaches US$32 Million

RevComm Inc., a leading B2B SaaS company specializing in AI-driven communication solutions “MiiTel”, announced the successful completion of a $10 million Pre-Series B funding round, bringing its total funding to $32 million. 

This round saw continued support from existing investors, including Sony Innovation Fund by IGV, WiL, and ALL STAR SAAS FUND, as well as participation from new investors, Salesforce Ventures and tb Innovations. Additionally, the funding included a loan from the UPSIDER BLUE DREAM Fund, managed by UPSIDER Capital, and asset financing from Money Forward Kessai.

This marks RevComm’s first funding announcement since October 2020, when the company secured 1.5 billion yen in a Series A round. Over the same period, the company also obtained a 1.7 billion yen loan from financial institutions such as Shoko Chukin Bank, SBI Shinsei Bank, Japan Finance Corporation, Shizuoka Bank, and Mitsubishi UFJ Bank. The cumulative capital raised by RevComm now stands at 4.95 billion yen (about US$32 million).

"RevComm has demonstrated significant progress in supporting various forms of communication, including telephone, online meetings, and face-to-face interactions. They have consistently provided in-depth data analysis to meet the demands of the digital society. Since the Series A round, we have been proud to be part of this journey as shareholders, and we are confident that they will continue to leverage the latest AI technology to address their customers' challenges. We will continue to support them," said Kazuto Hatano, Representative Director and President of Sony Ventures.

Takeshi Aida, CEO of RevComm Inc., stated, "Since the Series A funding round in 2020, we have operated our business without equity financing, relying solely on operational cash flow and debt. This Pre-Series B funding round was raised through mezzanine financing by CE, similar to the Pre-Series A round in 2019. Moving forward, we will continue to optimize our balance sheet with a focus on our Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC) and actively invest to maximize growth while maintaining capital efficiency."

The funds from this round will be used to enhance the development and sales infrastructure for RevComm’s AI-driven conversation analysis services, "MiiTel." Additionally, the investment will support research and development for new services, international expansion, and improvements to organizational infrastructure.

In 2020, during the Series A funding round, RevComm offered only one product, MiiTel Phone, which utilized AI to analyze telephone conversations automatically. Since then, RevComm has continued to innovate, introducing new products such as MiiTel Meetings and MiiTel RecPod. These solutions analyze and visualize voice communications in online and offline meetings, enhancing overall corporate productivity. In addition to its advanced analytical capabilities, MiiTel also provides automatic recording, transcription, and generation of meeting minutes.

“Now that generative AI has become widespread, we believe that our mission is to create an environment in which MiiTel user companies can make the most of AI by turning each company's voice data into an asset as big data. We will use the funds we have raised this time to strengthen our services as an application layer, accelerate our efforts in the data layer, and promote the development of services that utilize new AI technology,” added Takeshi Aida.

RevComm Inc., headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, has been operating in Indonesia since 2021 and now serves over 78,000 users globally, including in Japan, Indonesia, and the United States. In Indonesia, MiiTel is trusted by many prominent companies, such as Orang Tua Group, Astra International, BPJS Kesehatan, and the Ministry of Manpower of Republic Indonesia.

Investor Statements

Mr. Toshimitsu Namba, Partner at WiLMr. Yamato Sasakawa, Investor

Following our Series A investment, we are pleased to contribute additional funding in this Pre-Series B round.

Previously, the importance of online meetings increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic, changing the nature of business communication. Now, with the rise of generative AI, enterprise data is gaining attention, and the utilization of voice data, in addition to text and images, is being questioned. We are excited about the vision of Mr. Aida, who has consistently focused on "AI x Voice" since the founding of RevComm, and the daily efforts of the RevComm team to "Reinventing Communication to create a society where people think of others." We look forward to RevComm updating the way people conduct business. We will also continue to support RevComm as part of the team.

Mr. Masayuki Minato, Senior Partner at ALL STAR SAAS FUND

Following our participation in the Series A round, we are very pleased to join this Pre-Series B round. Online communication with customers has become an indispensable and extremely important element of sales activities. RevComm, as a leading company in voice AI from Japan, has developed various solutions that dramatically improve the productivity of sales organizations by personalizing communication not only through phone and web meetings but also in face-to-face interactions with customers. We sincerely hope for RevComm to lead the world in the voice AI x SaaS field under Mr. Aida’s overwhelming vision and leadership.

Mr. Ken Asada, Executive Officer, Salesforce Ventures Japan

Since meeting Mr. Aida and Yusuke Suzuki from RevComm in early 2020, we are delighted to participate in this round as Salesforce Ventures after more than four years. The collaboration between RevComm and Salesforce began in December 2021 with the release of MiiTel for Salesforce on our AppExchange marketplace. As the utilization of AI becomes a competitive edge in all business activities, the importance of rich data as a foundation will also increase. We look forward to further collaboration with RevComm as they expand their product portfolio centered around AI x Voice.

Mr. Kenji Tak, President of tb innovations (Tokyo Boeki Group CVC)

When I first met President Aida, I was deeply impressed by his strong determination and foresight. The company’s vision of innovating business communication using AI x voice technology holds the potential to bring new value to the industry. Especially noteworthy is their effort to convert voice data, which has not been fully utilized, into big data. I believe this approach will provide a crucial competitive advantage in the era of generative AI.

We will fully support the development of their technology and services that contribute to enhancing corporate productivity. We are confident that RevComm’s challenge will pave the way for the future of communication in the AI era and make a significant impact on society.

Mr. Naoki Ishigami, President of UPSIDER Capital

When I spoke with President Aida, I was impressed by their passion to revolutionize business through "Voice x AI," leveraging their pioneering strength in voice data analysis and utilization.

With changes in working styles, online sales activities have become the norm. I am honored to support RevComm’s challenge to address the black-box problem of voice communication and dramatically improve productivity, a major issue in Japan.

UPSIDER BLUE DREAM Fund will fully support RevComm’s mission to "Reinventing Communication to create a society where people think of others," and we will work together to move forward swiftly and far.

About RevComm

MiiTel is an innovation from RevComm, one of Japan's fastest-growing technology companies. Within five years, RevComm became a unicorn and won numerous awards: Forbes Japan's Startup of the Year, Google for Startups, AWS Summit, Mizuho Innovation Award, Japan Venture Awards, BOXIL SaaS Award, Deloitte Technology Fast 50, and Forbes AI 50.

This Press Release has also been published on VRITIMES