Get off your ass.... it's on the baht bus route.

No reason to visit as yet or ever. If passing that direction on a bus and seeking a mall it would be Central no contest.

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1 hour ago, Pattaya46 said:

 

How was the Hilton an "addition" ??

The initial project had 2 towers on top of the shopping mall,

one being an hotel (now Hilton),

the other one a condo (never built)

 

2 towers in addition to the shopping mall. Yes, the hotel was always part of the project and opened a bit later.

5 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Different situation when The Avenue was built. Their failure, IMO, was more because they didn't aircondition the entire building. It should have done well where it is.

I reckon if it had been all-enclosed and air-conditioned, I doubt it could have attracted the same tier of outlets already trading in the fully air-conditioned malls like the nearby RGP and thus gone tits-up long ago. The 'international' brand names trading at RGP can afford the higher rents needed to pay for all that cold air and light. Mike's Shopping Mall is fully air-conditioned but the outlets are not notable brand names readily recognized by foreigners same as most that ever traded at The Avenue. Similarly, the Harbour is totally enclosed, no brand names, doesn't have the same footfall due to the location but it manages to keep the doors open.

 

The Bay does look like another aimed at a matching lower-budget band of retailers and tourists. Leave the higher end, fully enclosed to the ones that do it well (whose investors have deeper pockets) like Central, RGP and T21?

19 hours ago, JSixpack said:

 

Amazing how eyesight differs on our beloved forum. Many of us perceive the Hilton as beside Central rather than on top of it.

 

Photo from Google images.

On 2/18/2018 at 5:48 AM, chicowoodduck said:

All the folks who bought a condo on the backside for a view of the Bay....did some vodo Thai magic and made the place go bust....?

I think you might mean the pattaya palace hotel built by the Hyatt hotel group in the 70s or 80s, Im not sure if it was called the palace when it closed or it had a different name before or after, apparently it closed because it was haunted (so I was told 20 odd years ago)

Bay Mall looks like it doesn't know what it is, and what it wants to be.

 

Seemingly it is on prime location, true. Right on Beach Rd, cross the road and you are walking on sandy beach. But, there is nothing else around it to draw a shopper, or a coffee drinker, or just a bored guy walking around just like I. It's an odd mall, usually when you build it, they will come, but it doesn't work like that if location is even slightly off the path for casual shopper.

 

Beach Rd already has Central Festival, it has everything a weekend Thai Bangkok family needs, from movie theatre to Starbucks, to 5 floors of air conditioned shopping. Bay has nothing, that Central doesn't offer already. Bay needs something unique for Bangkok Thais, right now they have no reason to go there, it is new, many don't know about parking. You can't stop, and leave a bike on Beach Rd, and pop in for cup of coffee.

 

But it's now worse than that, it is turning into Avenue type flee market, with cheapest crap on full display, and giving impression to anyone who walks by that its another market. That's exactly how Avenue declined, first the high rent, prestigious shops left, owner gave rental space to everybody willing to pay. At first Avenue allowed Adidas and Nike Outlet right at the entrance, by then Apple and Nike flagship shops were gone, so it is understood landlord accepts anyone willing to pay. But theses outdoor flee markets drag down everything else in that mall, the place is seen as cheap, low end market, and middle class Thais would never be seen in such place. Avenue is now full blown night market, and it looks like for time being Bay is just like Avenue.

 

If there were 2 or 3 attractive places next to Bay, people would take the trip, but there are only hotels, and these hotels are full of Chinese, I walk by every night, twice.  They way Bay is ran now, it remains half dead. It will pick up after something else is opened next to it, as it sits there now, no reason to go in. And its too far from central Pattaya, Thais do not walk, and few retirees who do walk by do not walk there because of the mall, they walk because it is a nice stretch of beach and palm trees.

On 2/18/2018 at 5:45 PM, Jingthing said:

Not sure what you're saying. I don't see The Avenue as a failure. The owners are still collecting presumably high rents on the majority of the space. I can see that it's not a spectacular success though. 
 

 

Avenue is completely dead, unless you count night market.

Walk throught during the day, and you agree. For full effect, visit 2nd and 3rd floor. Even Villa has almost no shoppers, I've yet to wait and cash register, there is never anyone there.

 

I went to see Murder On Orient Express at Major, 2 months ago, I was the only person at 8pm, it was weekday, but still. Even bowling is quiet now, bowling was still  buzy just couple years ago.

 

The way Avenue looks now, I don't see how to turn it around, there simply is no good reason for it to be there. 

 

Parking lot makes money, always full.

 

Avenue is completely dead, unless you count night market.

Walk throught during the day, and you agree. For full effect, visit 2nd and 3rd floor. Even Villa has almost no shoppers, I've yet to wait and cash register, there is never anyone there.

 

I went to see Murder On Orient Express at Major, 2 months ago, I was the only person at 8pm, it was weekday, but still. Even bowling is quiet now, bowling was still  buzy just couple years ago.

 

The way Avenue looks now, I don't see how to turn it around, there simply is no good reason for it to be there. 

 

Parking lot makes money, always full.

Well I only go at night and in my opinion news of the death of The Avenue is greatly exaggerated. Sure some of the businesses are under performing but I predict that mall will hang on very long term.

 

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20 hours ago, whitemouse said:

Bay Mall looks like it doesn't know what it is, and what it wants to be.

 

Seemingly it is on prime location, true. Right on Beach Rd, cross the road and you are walking on sandy beach. But, there is nothing else around it to draw a shopper, or a coffee drinker, or just a bored guy walking around just like I. It's an odd mall, usually when you build it, they will come, but it doesn't work like that if location is even slightly off the path for casual shopper.

 

Beach Rd already has Central Festival, it has everything a weekend Thai Bangkok family needs, from movie theatre to Starbucks, to 5 floors of air conditioned shopping. Bay has nothing, that Central doesn't offer already. Bay needs something unique for Bangkok Thais, right now they have no reason to go there, it is new, many don't know about parking. You can't stop, and leave a bike on Beach Rd, and pop in for cup of coffee.

 

But it's now worse than that, it is turning into Avenue type flee market, with cheapest crap on full display, and giving impression to anyone who walks by that its another market. That's exactly how Avenue declined, first the high rent, prestigious shops left, owner gave rental space to everybody willing to pay. At first Avenue allowed Adidas and Nike Outlet right at the entrance, by then Apple and Nike flagship shops were gone, so it is understood landlord accepts anyone willing to pay. But theses outdoor flee markets drag down everything else in that mall, the place is seen as cheap, low end market, and middle class Thais would never be seen in such place. Avenue is now full blown night market, and it looks like for time being Bay is just like Avenue.

 

If there were 2 or 3 attractive places next to Bay, people would take the trip, but there are only hotels, and these hotels are full of Chinese, I walk by every night, twice.  They way Bay is ran now, it remains half dead. It will pick up after something else is opened next to it, as it sits there now, no reason to go in. And its too far from central Pattaya, Thais do not walk, and few retirees who do walk by do not walk there because of the mall, they walk because it is a nice stretch of beach and palm trees.

They may have developed it with an eye to the future. Lots of potential nearby for big condos/ hotels/ resorts. Cheaper for the owners to do it now, but a nightmare for any that were sucked into paying rent now.

Promenada in Chiang Mai was built away from any development and has few customers, but built on a major highway intersection and with thousands of expensive rooms being built in the area it is positioned to become popular within the next 5 years.

A big difference between Avenue and Bay is that the Avenue opened strong with really excellent anchors (Major Cinema, Bowling, and Villa). I presumed they had such anchors lined up before building it. Bay doesn't seem to have even one special anchor. I really don't get it. People talk about Avenue being dead. It isn't. But Bay appears to have opened dead. 

I go to The Bay Starbuck's as it is 2 floors and quiet with not many customers and loud mouths.

 

 

 

4 hours ago, Jingthing said:

A big difference between Avenue and Bay is that the Avenue opened strong with really excellent anchors (Major Cinema, Bowling, and Villa). I presumed they had such anchors lined up before building it. Bay doesn't seem to have even one special anchor. I really don't get it. People talk about Avenue being dead. It isn't. But Bay appears to have opened dead. 

For a semi major mall and the location, sorry to disagree, it is dead.

Movies, bowling, and Villa are about 10% of the space.

I like all of it because it is never crowded.  But in reality, that does not make for a successful mall.

For a semi major mall and the location, sorry to disagree, it is dead.
Movies, bowling, and Villa are about 10% of the space.
I like all of it because it is never crowded.  But in reality, that does not make for a successful mall.

The test is whether the owners are happy with the income. They continue to get new tenants giving it a go and I'm sure the leases aren't at all cheap.

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