More hotel closures expected in Thailand if pandemic drags on

[webfact]

Recent survey shows the number of active hotels in Thailand increased to 48.4 per cent in August from 40.1 per cent in July, in part due to hotels in Bangkok pivoting to long-term stays; Bangkok skyline pictured

 

By Suchat Sritama

 

Although hotels in Thailand saw a slight uptick in occupancy rate nationwide in August, alongside an increase in the number of active hotels, a majority of hoteliers will either close business temporarily or permanently if the pandemic continues to drag on, according to a recent survey.

 

The joint survey by the Thai Hotels Association (THA) and Bank of Thailand found that 52 per cent of hoteliers said they will close business temporarily if the Covid-19 situation persists, while nine per cent may decide to close permanently, and 30 per cent will delay investments. The remaining nine per cent said they will switch to other businesses.

 

The survey polled 234 operators, including 14 alternative state quarantine (ASQ) hotels and five hospitels (hotels turned into makeshift hospitals).

 

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Full story: https://www.ttgasia.com/2021/09/10/more-hotel-closures-expected-in-thailand-if-pandemic-drags-on/

 

-- © Copyright TTG ASIA 2021-09-11

 

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[DonniePeverley]

In step the Chinese to knock them and build condo after condo. Even building condos on the beach front. Even condos over the water. Just one gigantic souless condo. 

[zzaa09]

With the exception of the numerous quarantine variety, which appear to be convenient cash cows.

[Gsxrnz]

The irony is they only found 234 operators to survey.  Data from 2016 suggests there are (or at least there were) over 10,000 registered hotels in Thailand.

[kevin612]

Thai currency is still performing ok despite all these bad news.

[Scrotobike]

1 hour ago, DonniePeverley said:

In step the Chinese to knock them and build condo after condo. Even building condos on the beach front. Even condos over the water. Just one gigantic souless condo. 

For sure - not knock them down just convert them into "airbnb" for the mass invasion oops I mean tourists planned by the CCP. All rented from China, paid in China etc. But I am sure the restrictive ownership laws in Thailand will be stuffed (in a brown envelope)

[Henryford]

The hotel business will not improve until they stop all these stupid restrictions. I would like to go for a hotel break now but am holding off in case i am forced to have PCR tests or quarantine.

[zzaa09]

39 minutes ago, Gsxrnz said:

The irony is they only found 234 operators to survey.  Data from 2016 suggests there are (or at least there were) over 10,000 registered hotels in Thailand.

I'm sure their limited survey selection was based toward an exclusive BKK clique. 

 

And limited to hotels - moderate to high end.

 

We forget about the tens of thousands of optional accommodation scattered throughout the country - inns, homestay, resorts, guest houses, etc, etc...

[nkg]

18 minutes ago, kevin612 said:

Thai currency is still performing ok despite all these bad news.

 

The Thai Baht is down 10% in the last 6 months against the USD, EUR and GBP.

[ChipButty]

I suspect the real figures to be a lot higher than that survey says, My friend owns a 50 bedroom hotel it's a nice place good location she closed it when the pandemic first started and she has not reopened it, I think she has put it on the market for sale.

 

I almost forgot I know someone else who built a brand new hotel at a guess I would say 100 bedrooms not a beach location but central on the island in any direction lots of space nice big pool and a huge carpark, She didnt get much more than a year out of it before they had to close it down part of their problem was they put all their eggs in the Chinese basket so as soon as that stopped business went down to zero, 

I drive bye these places it makes you want to cry for them, 

[ChipButty]

36 minutes ago, zzaa09 said:

We forget about the tens of thousands of optional accommodation scattered throughout the country - inns, homestay, resorts, guest houses, etc, etc...

They dont count, lots where I live are suffering badly I think every place has a price on it

[lopburi3]

1 hour ago, Gsxrnz said:

The irony is they only found 234 operators to survey.  Data from 2016 suggests there are (or at least there were) over 10,000 registered hotels in Thailand.

Yes amazing how that works - many if not most hotels have been closed for more than a year so this seems to only concern the handful that are still in the game.  Only news fit to print is good news.

 

Can say home across from me here in Bangkok sold this week (at a very low price) reportedly because owners large upcountry hotel has failed.  There is a lot of difference between the haves and have nots currently - and the nots seem to be multiplying.  

[ChipButty]

I think that sandbox is almost empty

[BestB]

Can anyone explain how hotels saw higher occupancy in August when interprovincial travel was restricted. No busses and no flights.

[richard_smith237]

1 minute ago, ChipButty said:

I think that sandbox is almost empty

I’m not sure how many Sandbox entries were projected, however I did read a report previously that stated there were 20,000 sandboxe arrivals (as of mid August) - so its feasible that that number is now closer to 35,000 International Arrivals. 

 

The flight I arrived on had about 240 passengers.

 

The island is still ‘deathly quiet’ - that said, the Sandbox was never intended to reinvigorate tourism, it was intended to ‘test’ if foreign arrivals could enter Thailand without bringing in and spreading Covid-19, to that extend the test is successful. 

[zzzzz]

29,000__ arrivals

Phuket reported 4 deaths in 24 hours>
good buys to be gotten in Phuket"

 

[ChipButty]

57 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

I’m not sure how many Sandbox entries were projected, however I did read a report previously that stated there were 20,000 sandboxe arrivals (as of mid August) - so its feasible that that number is now closer to 35,000 International Arrivals. 

 

The flight I arrived on had about 240 passengers.

 

The island is still ‘deathly quiet’ - that said, the Sandbox was never intended to reinvigorate tourism, it was intended to ‘test’ if foreign arrivals could enter Thailand without bringing in and spreading Covid-19, to that extend the test is successful. 

They are doing a good job at spreading it themselves, the gypsy village in Rawai lockdown now

[StayinThailand2much]

Hotels close in Thailand? Meh...

[StayinThailand2much]

4 hours ago, kevin612 said:

Thai currency is still performing ok despite all these bad news.

Record exports, low imports, and sitting on 280 billion US$ foreign currency reserves. (1/8 of China's huge reserves, so way more per capita than China!)

 

Rich country, but poor people...

[10baht]

5 hours ago, kevin612 said:

Thai currency is still performing ok despite all these bad news.

Why? Manipulation ? That is part of the problem. The manipulators can't even get that right. A 35 -40 baht to the dollar would being many tourists.

[10baht]

4 hours ago, nkg said:

The Thai Baht is down 10% in the last 6 months against the USD, EUR and GBP.

10 more % and it will be where it ought to be.

[RichardColeman]

5 hours ago, kevin612 said:

Thai currency is still performing ok despite all these bad news.

Sure that's great news for the millions of Thais unemployed, destitute, homeless and bahtless !

[vandeventer]

5 hours ago, Henryford said:

The hotel business will not improve until they stop all these stupid restrictions. I would like to go for a hotel break now but am holding off in case i am forced to have PCR tests or quarantine.

Soon we will have to wear waterproof masks in the Hotel swimming pool. Or are they already doing that?

[malibukid]

Chiland

[natway09]

The Hotel Association is out of touch or fees are too high to recruit the other 9,000 odd hotels

not even bothered to mention in this report.

Just reporting on the big boys not a true indication

[stigar]

They dont mension that about 50% of thai hotels is bankrupt soon..

[stigar]

58 minutes ago, 10baht said:

Why? Manipulation ? That is part of the problem. The manipulators can't even get that right. A 35 -40 baht to the dollar would being many tourists.

In late may a beer in sukumvit was more expencive than a beer in a pub in norway...not surprised..less customers..we double the price..typical thai thinking

 

[bougnat]

Covid has brought the tourism industry to its knees and this government has given it the coup de grace.

[StayinThailand2much]

5 hours ago, ChipButty said:

I suspect the real figures to be a lot higher than that survey says, My friend owns a 50 bedroom hotel it's a nice place good location she closed it when the pandemic first started and she has not reopened it, I think she has put it on the market for sal (...)

The smaller hotels were struggling for years, long before the arrival of the virus, but definitely for the past five years, and the five-star hotels (e.g. on Phuket) put, as you correctly mentioned, 'all their eggs into the Chinese basket'. - The Chinese hordes, IMHO, will be among the last to return to Thailand. But, how do they say again in this country: "Som nam na"...

[spidermike007]

Of course thousands of hotels will go under, or be sold at heavily discounted prices. Many already have. We could call it the Great Prayuth inferiority. 

 

Trillions of dollars in infrastructure is on the line here. And the extremely timid authorities could not have done a better job of sabotaging a once vital industry if they had been making a effort to do so. 

 

Staggering malfeasance. A historic economic disaster, and Covid is only one part of it. A convenient scapegoat for sure.

 

There is far more than meets the eye, going on here.