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Pattaya steps up
All the planets are aligning for Pattaya to enjoy a boom.
Pattaya’s major hotels and resorts look forward to a bright future as
the city gears itself up to be a main-line tourist destination
Mark Bode and
Sirima Eamtako (TTG)
The opening of Suvarnabhumi Airport, which replaces Bangkok
International Airport at Don Muang, cuts the driving time to Pattaya from
three to one-and-a-half hours. New meeting spaces are being built while
existing properties are being spruced up. Pattaya is enjoying a revival.
Sheraton Pattaya Resort general manager, Mr. David Cuddon, said leading
travel trade figures in Pattaya recently met to discuss ways to better
promote the city in light of all the development.
He said: “What’s happening in Pattaya is very positive. PEACH (Pattaya
Exhibition and Convention Hall) is extending its convention centre, Amari
has a new conference centre, Hard Rock has refurbished its ballroom -
overall the city is really stepping up.”
Mr. Cuddon said the makeover extended to a host of new hotel developments,
plans for two shopping centres and the foreshore landscaping project on
Beach Road, which was well under way.
“We really do have a great variety of products that appeal to the MICE
(meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions) market, but they
probably haven’t been exploited enough in the past because there hasn’t been
enough demand from high-end travellers. But as products improve, the focus
will be more on quality over quantity.”
New hotel projects include Central Mirage Beach Resort, Amari Orchid Resort
& Tower’s five-star wing, InterContinental Resort Pattaya and Le Méridien
Pattaya Resort. The Sofitel-managed Garden Cliff Resort & Spa opened in
December 2005, while Sheraton Pattaya Resort received its first guests early
last year.
Amari Orchid Resort & Tower also opened its standalone restaurant, Mantra
earlier this year to much applause.
Amari Hotels and Resorts vice-president sales and marketing, Mr. Duncan
Webb, said: “The new developments are part of a wave of investment that will
further strengthen Pattaya’s position as an international city.”
Old players awaken
New competition is triggering a slew of renovations and expansion
projects among existing properties.
Both PEACH and Siam Bayshore Resort and Spa are expanding their capacity and
undergoing refurbishment, while Dusit Resort is giving its guestrooms a
facelift.
The expansion of PEACH, which is part of the Royal Cliff Beach Resort, began
in September and will take the venue’s new handling capacity to around 8,000
people theatre-style, from the existing 5,800 people. Seven meeting rooms
will also be added.
The expansion of the existing space and construction of the adjoining halls
will take about one year. Royal Cliff Beach Resort managing director, Ms
Panga Vattanakul, said the expansion of PEACH was meant to facilitate
larger-scale events as some organisers had given feedback the existing
capacity could not accommodate the larger shows they wanted to bring in.
She said the project was expected to cost about one billion baht (US$26.50
million), roughly one-third of the original cost of PEACH. The venue will
remain open during renovations.
Ms Panga added the four hotels and facilities at Royal Cliff had been
undergoing continuous improvements over the past seven years and were “in
fact new hotels under the old shell”.
Siam Bayshore Resort and Spa has been undergoing a 300 million baht
expansion programme, which began in 2004, in a bid to raise its profile to a
five-star. It has been awarded a four-star rating by Thailand’s Standard
Hotels this year following the complete makeover of its Ocean Wing and the
addition of a spa village.
The resort completed a massive overhaul of its lobby, bar and restaurant in
October. The construction of a 104-room deluxe wing, which will bring total
room count to 358, is slated to start in the middle of next year.
Siam City Hotels and Resorts vice-president, Ms Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi,
said: “This (the additional rooms) will allow the resort to better service
the MICE business as more rooms will be allocated to the segment and there
will be increased availability of rooms during the high season.”
Ms Nunbhakdi added Siam Bayshore had started to position itself as the only
resort-style property with a central location in Pattaya, with more than
16.19 hectares of lush greenery, waterfalls and unique architecture.
“There will not be any high rises added. The new wing will consist of four
low-rise pavilions,” she said.
Meanwhile, the 462-room Dusit Resort has been undergoing a soft
refurbishment programme since last year. Its two Dusit Club Floors have been
completed and work is going on for the rest of its guestrooms.
German Ambassador is guest speaker
at DSU-Treff meeting
German Ambassador, HE Dr Christoph Brümmer
(center) and his lovely Antje visited the DSU-Treff German language business
gathering at the Dusit Resort.
Peter Nordhues
The DSU-Treff German language business gathering had a special guest speaker
at its monthly meeting at the Dusit Resort on Saturday November 4, when
German Ambassador, HE Dr Christoph Brümmer, accompanied by his wife Antje,
visited Pattaya to talk about his work and activities.
Elfi Seitz, the chairwoman of DSU-Treff, welcomed the 50 guests and
introduced the ambassador.
Dr Brümmer became German ambassador to Thailand on August 26 last year. He
had previously been ambassador in Pakistan, taking over that position only
two days after the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York.
Since 1973, Dr Brümmer has been in the service of the Foreign Affairs Office
and has held altogether nine foreign posts. He is married and has three
children. Thailand is his last posting in the diplomatic service, and from
here he will enter retirement. The ambassador said he and his wife are
looking forward to taking it easier in the near future.
“The career profile of an ambassador has changed very much in recent times,”
he told the gathering. “Nowadays, an ambassador fills out a moderate post,
which has a service character. The embassy is linked to the Foreign Affairs
Office and reports constantly on the political changes in the country.
“One of the embassy’s major tasks is the stimulation of co-operation on the
economic and political levels of both countries. Consulate affairs and the
support of German citizens in exceptional circumstances are also a large
part of the work.”
Dr Brümmer also talked about his personal impressions of Thailand. He drew a
comparison to his last host country, Pakistan. While in Pakistan 60 percent
of the population is illiterate, the illiteracy rate in Thailand is
extremely low, and comparable to that of Germany. Thailand is considered
neither as a developing nation nor a newly industrialized country, and it
even assigns development assistance to other countries.
On the political developments of the last few months, the ambassador said
that even though the military coup found broad support amongst the Thai
population, Germany’s viewpoint, as well as that of the European Union, is
that Thailand must return to democracy as soon as possible. He also noted
that democratic development of the country is not always simply through its
constitution.
The new government had met with the ambassadors accredited in Thailand and
explained the new political situation.
Dr Brümmer said he had made changes at the German Embassy. One priority was
to arrange a more “customer-friendly” service. Another was to reduce the
workload of officials dealing with the public by implementing a rotating
system. The employees are subject to a lot of stress because they have to
deal with some “quite difficult customers” said the ambassador.
As a final point, Dr Brümmer noted the progress of the German auxiliary
association that has been founded in Thailand by himself, his wife and five
colleagues of the Foreign Affairs Office. The association held a
fund-raising event in the Oriental Hotel in Bangkok on October 4 that had
generated a net sum of over a million baht that has gone into a fund to help
German nationals in urgent need of help.
James Hogan appointed Chief Executive of Etihad Airways
Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has
announced the appointment of James Hogan as CEO with immediate effect.
 Mr.
James Hogan, the newly appointed Chief Executive of Etihad Airways
Mr. Hogan joins Etihad following a distinguished career in the airline
industry during which time he has played key restructuring and
brand-building roles, culminating in his tenure as president and chief
executive of Gulf Air, where over four years he successfully redefined and
restructured the company.
Mr. Hogan joined the airline industry in 1975 with Ansett Airlines in
Australia. He subsequently held senior executive positions in the car
rental, hotel and airline industries in Europe with Hertz, Forte Hotels and
BMI British Midland. Mr. Hogan will take on executive responsibility for
Etihad’s operations.
Commenting on Mr. Hogan’s appointment HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saif Al Nahyan,
Chairman of Etihad Airways said: “Mr. Hogan combines extensive experience of
the airline industry with in-depth understanding of the nuances, imperatives
and opportunities inherent in the business climate in this region. We
believe he is the right person to drive the business forward and realise
Etihad’s enormous potential alongside the finest world-class airlines.”
Emirates plans inflight handphone use by January
Emirates Airlines has announced it will be the first airline in the world
whose passengers can use their own mobile phones to make and receive calls
and text messages from aircrafts.
The airline said it is in the process of installing equipment, costing US$27
million, to fit its entire fleet of planes that will allow the safe use of
mobile phone on board flights. However, phones may be used only at cruise
altitude. Other limitations include no calls during night flights.
The expected launch of this service is in January 2007 on board one of its
Boeing 777 planes, once all necessary approvals are granted. (TTG)
New EU rules likely
to hit Duty Free sales
Further to last week’s news of the new EU carry-on baggage rules, further
clarification has been received regarding the purchase of Duty Free items.
The new rules are listed below:
*If your Duty free item is purchased at a European airport and your trip
includes a transfer in another European Union country, the retailer must
place your purchases in a bag. This will be sealed and must remain so until
the end of your trip. This bag must be accompanied by a proof of purchase
that will be checked when you transfer at the screening inspection point.
*If your purchase occurred in an airport located outside the European Union,
and you wish to transit through one European airport to reach another EU
destination, you will not be authorized to carry your purchases onto your
next flight. They will be confiscated.
*If your purchase occurred onboard an aircraft belonging to a European
airline departing from an airport located outside a European Union country,
it will be accepted when you transfer in a European Union country, as long
as it is placed in a sealed bag accompanied by the proof of onboard
purchase.
Air France KLM introduces online check-ins in Thailand
AIR France KLM has introduced Internet check-ins to the Thai market. The new
service allows passengers to check-in via the Internet from 24 hours to
one-and-a-half hours in advance of Air France’s departure flight from
Bangkok, or from 30 hours to one hour before KLM’s flight. Boarding passes
can be printed out on normal A4 paper and passengers can go direct through
immigration and on to the departure gate. An airport drop-off counter is
provided for passengers travelling with baggage.
Air France KLM general manager for Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and
Myanmar, Mr. Francis Richard, said: “Our aim is to strengthen our position
as the European airline of preference. Thailand is an important market and
we do whatever possible to bring the latest innovations to satisfy our
customers.”
To meet the high demand of 92 per cent cabin factor on the daily direct
Paris-Bangkok flight, the airline has increased its seat capacity by 60 per
cent by replacing the Airbus 340-300, which carries 272 seats, with a new
Boeing 747-400 with 433 seats from November. (TTG)
Amadeus holds seminar for Eastern agents
Travel agents attended the seminar to update and
share their knowledge of the Amadeus systems and also to have a bit of fun.
Thai-Amadeus Southeast Asia Co Ltd held a seminar for travel and tour agents
of the eastern region at the Royal Cliff Beach Resort on October 28 to
update them on their knowledge of the company’s reservations systems and
products and the alliance with Bangkok Airways.
More than 50 representatives of the industry attended the seminar, and
during the evening a party was held to present the Top Agent Awards for
2006, with personnel from over 80 agencies attending.
Amongst those winning awards were Chonburi Vessawan Travel, JK Travel, and
KN Travel.
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