Thailand Hotels

Thai hotels slash prices for stranded tourists

8:02 PM, 2008-Dec-5 .. Posted in Hotel news .. 0 comments .. Link

With thousands of tourists awaiting seats on coveted flights from Thailand after a crippling airport blockade, hotels are slashing prices to attract stranded passengers and make up lost income.

More than 100 flights were due to leave Bangkok's main airport on Thursday after anti-government protesters ended an eight-day siege, but it will take days to clear the backlog of 350,000 passengers.

The five-star Amari Watergate Hotel in Bangkok had dropped its room rate from 8000 baht to 4500 baht (A$348 to $195) for stranded travellers.

"The offer is only available to those who are supposed to depart but cannot catch their flight," front office supervisor Yongyan Mankhamsri told said.

At Thailand's tallest hotel, the towering 88-storey Baiyoke Sky Hotel in downtown Bangkok, room rates have been slashed from 5500 baht to 3300 baht.

It said it was at full occupancy since dropping its prices.

Other hotels had already found extra bookings from among the stranded tourists, with the five-star Four Seasons in Bangkok reporting increased sales.

"Today we have additional bookings from people waiting for the airport," said duty manager Sermsak Khampitoon.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) told Thai media Thursday that the numbers of international tourists was now expected to be half the previously projected 15 million next year.

It will be a big blow to the Thai economy, which relies principally on tourism and exports.

The TAT said it would be launching an advertising campaign called "Apologies Thailand" in an attempt to woo disgruntled tourists back to the kingdom.

Meanwhile, other hotels were attempting to lure in more domestic bookings to make up for cancellations by international tourists.

The Mandarin Oriental Hotel on the banks of Bangkok's scenic Chao Phraya River has nearly halved the price of an A$603 room in its river wing -- but only to those with Thai citizenship, staff said.

Other hotels are keeping prices steady, instead relying on the normally lucrative Christmas and New Year period to bring in seasonal bookings -- assuming flights are back to normal.

The Thai Hotels Association said businesses were pursuing different strategies to sell rooms during the downturn.

"It depends on the hotel, it depends on location, it depends on which part of the hotel it is," associate manager Sakkarin Chorsawai said.

Source: The Age, Australia

Aleenta Resort Cha Am

9:24 PM, 2008-Nov-23 .. Posted in Hotel reviews .. 0 comments .. Link

The very first and some people say the best of the boutique Cha Am resorts is Aleenta Resort, a personal favourite for a number of years.

Meaning “a rewarding life” in Sanskrit, Aleenta will certainly leave you feeling like you are leading a rewarding life as you relax in one of the 20 uniquely designed, “one of a kind” suites or pool villas, if only for a few days.

All of the rooms are designed to create a feel of open air living, allowing magnificent views of the Gulf of Siam. If the view from the room is not enough, head out to your private balcony, and if you choose one of the private pool villas, take in the view, cocktail in hand in your private plunge pool.

Aleenta Resort Cha Am Pool Villa

The look of this resort is truly unique, there really is nothing like it in Thailand. The villas and suites, with their white stone walls and thatched roofs, lining the beach and separated by meandering pathways and tropical vegetation bring to mind an idealized Mexican or Corsican seaside village, as you can see from the picture shown here to the right, overlooking the balcony of a private pool villa.

One if the things I love about the Aleenta, besides the beautifully designed rooms, is something that I haven't seen at any other hotel anywhere. While iDocks, where you can plug your own iPod in and listen to it over the stereo system in the room are slowing popping up here and there in some of the higher end or more imaginative properties, Aleenta goes one further and actually supplies their own iPods, chock full of music from their own extensive music library. So if you don't have your own iPod with you, or even if you do, you can explore and discover some great new music either in your room, on your private balcony and pool, or by the infinity pool in the Frangipani wing.

In addition to the private pool villas and the child friendly suites of the Frangipani Wing, Aleenta also offers a storey bungalow, The Beach House. The lower floor features a plunge pool and private verandah. The upper floor offers a private sun deck as well as front and rear balconies. Guests can choose the upper or lower level, or reserve the whole bungalow for a party of four.

Hotel soft openings

1:26 PM, 2008-Nov-22 .. Posted in Hotel news .. 0 comments .. Link

On December 20th of this year, Yaiya Resort in Cha Am will be having a soft opening.
A soft opening is when a new hotel opens with minimal publicity a few weeks before a grand opening. This done to give the mostly new staff time to work out any kinks in the running of the hotel.

A soft opening can be a great time to stay at discounted prices at brand new hotels. Discounts are offered for the very reason that during the first couple of weeks are sort of like a training period. You may have a number of small inconveniences, like having to wait longer for room service, or housekeeping taking a long time. Basically an unorganized feeling throughout the hotel.

On the other hand, apart from getting cheaper prices than usual to compensate for the possibility of a little inconvenience while the staff and management find their feet, staying during a soft stay can allow you to stay in brand new properties, on brand new sheets that nobody has ever slept on, and you can more than likely practically have the whole pool area to yourself.

If you don't mind putting up with some minor gliches while the the staff and management get on their feet, staying at new hotels during their soft openings (if you can find out about them as they are not heavily advertised) might be a great way to stay for less than you would normally have to pay.

Cha Am Hotels

8:12 PM, 2008-Nov-16 .. 0 comments .. Link

Over the next few weeks I will be introducing an area of Thailand that is not overwhelmed by the tourist trade. While being only 2 hours from Bangkok, it offers a lovely long beach and some very beautiful resorts including some increasingly popular Pool villas.

The area is Cha Am, not far from Hua Hin, which has a higher profile.

As most tourists who are heading down to this area of Thailand make a beeline for Hua Hin, you can enjoy a truly quiet and peaceful beach holiday here. If exciting nightlife is what you are after, you may like to look at another area, perhaps Phuket or Pattaya. But if want to relax on the beach or by the pool without the hassles and bustle of a typical beach resort town, Cha Am may be just up your alley.

We will be introducing and reviewing a number of Cha Am hotels, starting with the truly unique Aleenta Resort & Spa and the Veranda Resort and Spa with some of the stunning above mentioned private pool villas.

The picture shown here is the Aleenta.

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