Taken into consideration the hotel upcoming & recent, openings and re-branding (InterContinental, Melia, Marriott and maybe a Courtyard by Marriott at the D2 property), I felt that this thread should be re-activated.

After the mainland China market, that took over Chiang Mai, following the "Lost in Thailand" movie, which possibly turned off the traditional clientele of the city, then the withdraw of those tourists, they went for the sub-continent market and it now seems that the city is looking to attract customers from another part of the world.
Bangkok Post: Chiang Mai plans to draw Saudi visitors