Category: Thailand hotel news
Posted by Aaron in Thailand hotel news Tuesday, 25 May 2010 00:21 2 Comments
10 hotels closed by protests to be featured in new spotlight series
As if the Bangkok hotel industry in Thailand wasn’t suffering enough, with memories of Suvarnabhumi airport being closed down by protesters in late 2008, the global economic meltdown, and the havoc strewn by Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajokull this spring.
The two-month long street protests by anti-government protesters, followed by scenes of the military crackdown and subsequent rioting and arson attacks streaming into living rooms around the world certainly put any hopes of a recovery this year to bed.
While the tourism industry of Thailand as a whole, which makes up 6% of GDP and accounts for 12% of employment in Thailand, is set to suffer from the loss of confidence over at least the next 12 months, I believe that hotels and shops who were forced to close or suffered damages during the unrest are at an even bigger disadvantage.
With this in mind I would like to extend an offer to the management of any hotels that were forced to close down during the protests by the UDD and the subsequent unrest over the past few weeks.
I’m preparing to write a ten part series focusing on ten hotels in the Bangkok hotel industry, large or small that were forced to close down during the events of the past few weeks. If you are associated with such a property and would like to have a post featuring your hotel’s story, please get in contact with me by either leaving a comment to this post or on Twitter @Sabai_Sabai.
While what I can offer is not such a huge thing, I do believe that at times like this we are all in it together and any extra exposure or publicity can only help, especially if you have had to close down recently. It doesn’t matter if your hotel made my list of Bangkok hotel closures that received over 1300 unique visitors a day during the conflict or not, if you would like some free exposure in the post-protest market, please feel free to let me know.
What I am offering
I will dedicate a post in the 10 part series to your hotel and your story. Tell us how you were affected, what you did for your guests, why you closed, how long you were closed for, how it has affected your staff, when you opened or will be opened again, or anything you want to tell us.
Tell us what’s great about your hotel, the people, the facilities, or if you have made improvements or renovations to your property. Your story can be between 300 and 1000 words and you can include 3 or 4 photos if you like. The photos can be of damage you sustained, renovations you made, or even just general photos of your hotel.
I’ll include all your hotel information including a link back to your site- not an affiliate link to a booking company, with your hotel name in the do-follow link. The only thing that I do ask is that the material you submit is original.
I hope this small gesture can go at least a small way to improving the situation a lot of people in Bangkok, not just the Bangkok hotel industry are now faced with right now. We can do this, let’s get the word out.
Popularity: 12% [?]
Posted by Aaron in News, Thailand hotel news Tuesday, 20 October 2009 15:23 No Comments
A new website dedicated to newly opening hotels and resorts in Thailand has just been launched over at www.NewThaiHotels.com.
If you are a lover of hotels and resorts, especially in Thailand, this is a website that you may want to keep an eye on.

Subscribe to their RSS feed, or better yet sign up to get an email alert whenever a new post is added to be sure you are one of the first to know about new hotels and resorts opening throughout Thailand.
One of the benefits of knowing about new hotel openings is that when a lot of hotels open, they go through what is called a “soft opening“, which is basically an unofficial opening a few weeks prior to the official grand opening. This gives the new staff and management time to get used to the day to day operations of the hotel and basically practice their service on the small number of guests who are more often than not staying at a reduced rate.
So if you are willing to put up with a few wrinkles being ironed out as well as the possibility that not all of the facilities may be yet working 100%, checking out a new hotel during a soft opening might be a good opportunity for you to have a vacation on the cheap.
Popularity: 1% [?]
Posted by Aaron in Thailand hotel news Wednesday, 23 September 2009 11:26 2 Comments
Agoda just announced this morning that they have partnered with Paypal to become Paypal’s Asian hotel partner and are offering USD50 dollars back if you choose Paypal as your payment method.
The offer is good for reservations made at any Agoda site between September 23 and September 30 2009, for bookings worth USD200 or more. It doesn’t matter when the period of stay is. Below are the details of the offer straight from Agoda.
Popularity: 5% [?]
Posted by Aaron in Thailand hotel news Sunday, 17 May 2009 21:22 No Comments
9 Five Star Bangkok hotels under USD 91
With the perfect storm of the mild political unrest earlier this year, the outbreak of the H1N1 virus in some parts of the world and the low price of oil, airfares to Thailand and hotel prices are the lowest they have been in many years.

Just months after political demonstrations in the streets of Bangkok kept tourists away, the outbreak in Mexico of the H1N1 swine influenza virus has left many potential travelers jittery, especially after the SARS and avian flu outbreaks of a few years ago.
The political situation has since calmed down and the global media panic over the influenza virus- which turned out to be no more dangerous than the regular type of flu that millions of people contract every year- has subsided, however the tourism industry is still hurting.
Hotel occupancy rates are still very low and has pushed hotels to lower prices even further in an attempt to coax tourists to the country and this is great news for everyone, especially those looking for a little luxury. Bangkok is well known for the comparatively low price of their luxurious 5 Star hotels, however some of the current offerings are unprecedented.
As an example of some of the fantastic rates available this summer check out these rates for the weekend of July 17~July 20th, found at Agoda.com
- Dusit Thani Hotel: USD 96 per night
- Amari Watergate: USD 75 per night
- President Solitaire: USD 70 per night
- Siri Sathorn: USD 90 per night
- Swissotel Le Concorde Hotel: USD 62 per night
- Sofitel Bangkok Silom: USD 91 per night
- Pullman Bangkok King Power Hotel: USD 81
- VIE Hotel: USD 78 per night
- Grand Mercure Bangkok Asoke Residence Hotel: USD 95 per night
Flights are also dropping as well as the fuel charge with flights from Japan to Bangkok non-stop on Thai Air for less than USD400. Check out the Thai Air website for super low deals from your country this summer.
Popularity: 2% [?]
Posted by Aaron in News, Thailand hotel news Wednesday, 17 December 2008 23:47 No Comments
Thailand is renowned as one of the cheapest cities in the world to enjoy 5 star hotel accommodation at the best of times. But with the recent week long closure of both city airports by anti-government protesters, hotels struggling to cope with record low occupancy rates are slashing prices in desperate attempts to attract guests.
In what should be Thailand’s peak tourists season, hotel occupancy rates are as low as 19% throughout the country.
Prakit Chinamourpong, president of Thai Hotels Association (THA), was quoted by Bangkok newspaper The Nation;
“Some luxury hotels are running with a single-digit occupancy rate, sharply down from the average 70 per cent rate recorded in the same period last year.”
“For the overall hotel industry, the average occupancy rate this month alone has declined 19.1 per cent,” he said, adding that the impact of the Bangkok airports’ shutdown was greater than the 2004 tsunami.”
A quick search around for current rates on offer reveals some amazing bargains for travellers still willing to come to Thailand this season.
For example the Hyatt Regency Erawan, a 5 star luxury hotel in Bangkok with rooms that normally start at USD 224 on discount hotel reservation sites, is now offering rooms for as little as USD 141 in early January.
Likewise, you can also get rooms at the beautiful 5 star Bangkok Marriott Resort & Spa for as little as USD 109.
If you are looking for executive serviced apartments, the luxurious Emporium Suites Hotel on Sukhumvit Road, where the smallest room usually starts at around USD 150, can now be had for USD 119 at Agoda.com.
The recent closure of both Bangkok airports has scared away a lot of tourists in what is supposed to be the high season. This has caused a lot of hotels to be virtually empty, with one 5 star, 15 storey hotel in Chiang Mai reportedly haveing onlu 2 guests last Thursday evening.
Now is an EXCELLENT time to get fantastic rates on all hotels in Thailand if you are prepared to do a little searching online. Or if you are in Thailand now, you are in a great position to negotiate great rates as a “walk in” guest. All guests to Thailand now are sure to be greeted with open arms and more warmly than usual.
Popularity: 1% [?]


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