Billionaire hotel tycoon Bill Heinecke asks Thailand to charge foreigners more per room to aid industry’s economic recovery

[NoshowJones]

15 hours ago, jaywalker2 said:

More proof, if any were needed, that in Thailand (as elsewhere) brains and excessive wealth do not necessarily go together.

Very true, but greed and excessive wealth certainly do with these capitalist money grabbers.

[maddox41]

Only in Thailand charge the tourists more great way to bring back tourism in Thailand NOT.

hotels are way over priced in Thailand go to Bali and see what  you get for your money alot. 

Can you imagine if they had duel pricing in the western world all hell would break loose. 

And the first ones to complain would be the Thai tourists saying why they have to pay more then the locals. ???? 

[chang1]

I don't understand what he is asking for. If hotels want to charge more they are free to do it. Where has he got 300 Baht from? Why not say 10%? If he needs to charge 300 extra a night for his rooms why doesn't he just do it? Those hotels that don't need to, will then benefit from those customers who don't want to pay it. 

My next question is why should only foreigners pay extra and how would it be enforced? If my Thai wife pays, am I allowed to stay with her for free? How would the likes of Agoda show the 2 prices?

What is the difference between a hotel and a guest house, if any? 

Finally how does he think adding 6000 Baht to my holiday price is not going to influence my choice of hotel to a cheaper one (I assume he is into the more expensive hotels). Maybe he is trying to help cheaper hotels.

After this years extortionate holiday I am already thinking about other destinations next year or letting the wife go alone. These are hard times for most people so value for money will win and sadly Thailand is failing already. This started before covid and has just got worse. 

[NoshowJones]

4 hours ago, lor said:

In other words, he wants to increase his prices but knows he will lose business to his competitors. So, force everyone to increase the price by the same amount. Keep the business and make more money. Dual pricing is never acceptable. I will be boycotting all his hotels from now on.

Typical capitalist thinking on his part.

[Sydebolle]

This American clown with a serious MINORity complex never misses an opportunity to:
- try to make headlines
- writes letters to the sitting prime minister

If Heineke is serious about it, why not just starting in this hospitality empire of overpriced while more than average accommodation and then present the overcharges with big fanfare to whomever he wants. 

It is foreigners like him giving the non-Thai business community an undeserved poorer reputation. Yes, he sits on a Thai passport but he is as much Thai as a green-painted penguin is a frog! 

[mackayae]

So no more Whoppers, Blizzards, Salad Bar, double chewy chocolate sundae, super deluxe pizza. Back to McD, Coldstone, Pizza Hut.

[NoshowJones]

3 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

A place I stay at in Bangkok has increased its room charge by 300% since August, so I think they've worked out how to help themselves without this guy's help. And perhaps this billionaire needs to be reminded that everyone, not just the hotel industry, is struggling with 'high inflation and rising costs of raw materials, wages, energy, and fuel prices'.

I am sure there are ways of wording something so that you can name the place without having to worry about Thailand's defamation laws, ie if you named the place and mentioned the price increase of 300% without being derogatory about it, how can it be defamation?

[Siamwhiteelephant]

19 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

rising costs of raw materials, wages

Charming! Fat cat foreigner billionaire stokes the tier-priced system while oblivious to "rising" Thai "wages" and hotel charges already happening within this country.

[NoshowJones]

3 hours ago, jayboy said:

That'll work,Why not drop a line to Prayuth.It's not as though Thai billionaires have any influence with this administration.

I'm sure that the unelected PM's 200 odd generals will have.

[NoshowJones]

31 minutes ago, NoshowJones said:

Typical capitalist thinking on his part.

Right 100%.

[Shocked farang]

2 hours ago, Highend Expat said:

If he renounced his US citizenship, he is no longer an American, by law. 

I don't think that he did as he's always mentioned as a Thai-American businessman. 

[Gottfrid]

18 hours ago, JayClay said:

Lol.. Isn't this the same guy who thought that now is not an appropriate time for a tourist tax on flights?

Yes, it was, but there is a reason for that, as well as there is a reason for the price hike. The flight tax he was against as it might result in smaller amount of visitors to Thailand in need of hotel rooms. Not good for him. Nothing that has to do with the sector.

Now, he need to convince there is a need of a price hike, as he has no wish to need to lower his prices. Not good for him. Nothing that has to do with the sector.

[Shocked farang]

35 minutes ago, Sydebolle said:

This American clown with a serious MINORity complex never misses an opportunity to:
- try to make headlines
- writes letters to the sitting prime minister

If Heineke is serious about it, why not just starting in this hospitality empire of overpriced while more than average accommodation and then present the overcharges with big fanfare to whomever he wants. 

It is foreigners like him giving the non-Thai business community an undeserved poorer reputation. Yes, he sits on a Thai passport but he is as much Thai as a green-painted penguin is a frog! 

Well he is still considered a farang by most Thais, the main advantage is that he can actually own land and properties in the Kingdom. 

[Callmeishmael]

5 hours ago, nigelforbes said:

He started Minor Corporation from scratch and grew it into a multi-billion dollar global conglomerate, his dad was a US service man stationed here.

Actually, his father was an ex-military diplomat with the US embassy, his mother was a journalist writing for Time Magazine and he was student at ISB - one of the top international schools in Thailand.  Like a lot of 'rags to riches' stories it doesn't really hold up to close scrutiny.  While he did take some risks in building up his business, he certainly benefited from his parents' connections.

[jayboy]

1 hour ago, jaywalker2 said:

But a lot of his success is attributable to the connections he was able to form among the elite.

Very much so but his astute formation of alliances with those who really matter in Thailand goes back well before the Prayuth coup (at least 20 years before), ie at the very highest and most influential level.Look at his investors and look at the Minor Group Board of Directors.Those who who suggest he is somehow less than Thai rather miss the point.He is in fact completely and typically Thai and entwined in the Thai world, not least because in he acts and behaves like a top Sino-Thai businessman, and he knows how to play the game through deep understanding of the Thai business world.He's no angel and certainly has the necessary ruthless streak (look at his recent record on London's iconic Wolseley Restaurant in Piccadilly) but the vast majority of comments on Heinecke on this thread are based on a comprehensive ignorance.

 

P.S His business genius didn't manage to avoid an existential shock in the late 1990's financial crisis, but he was far from being the only top player in that position.

[Mickmouse1]

Make $18 all inclusive of birds and booze, 

[billd766]

19 hours ago, soi3eddie said:

If Mr Heinecke thinks that hotels need to charge more then surely they will. Hotel pricing is driven by costs and the market (supply/demand). No artificial support needed to generate more profits for him! Is he saying publicly that there should be dual pricing for foreigners? This is just plain wrong and will backfire on him and the country if they pander to his greedy non-sense. Especially when everything needs to be done to attract travellers in this recession. If I knew which hotels he's involved with, I would surely boycott them.

 

Does this help you?

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Heinecke

 

or this

 

https://www.forbes.com/profile/william-heinecke/?sh=1e6f0cf0453a

 

U.S.-born hotelier William Heinecke came to Thailand as a child and started his first business before he turned 18, hence naming his company Minor.
A Thai citizen since 1991, his Minor International has more than 500 hotels and resorts, nearly 2,400 restaurants and 470 retail stores, spread across more than 50 countries.
He tripled the size of his hotel portfolio by acquiring Spain's NH Hotels for $2.6 billion in 2018, the year of Minor's golden anniversary.
Minor also has franchises for such brands as Swensens, Sizzler, Dairy Queen and Burger King.
In January 2020, Heinecke ceded the CEO's position to a Minor veteran. In 2021, Minor expanded into China, partnering Funyard Hotels & Resorts.

 

There is much more on both links.

[billd766]

15 hours ago, sscc said:

This man is American-Thai.   

 

He became a naturalised Thai in 1991.

[Purdey]

If Bill wants to raise his room prices by 300 baht he has the right. But that's not what he wants. 

What he means is to get everyone to raise their price so he doesn't price himself out of the market. Of course there are many greedy hotel owners who would love to raise prices but worry similar hotels might underprice them. 

Not everyone plans to stay in expensive hotels so, while 300 baht is not onerous for people who can stay in five star hotels, it means a lot more for anyone looking at 3 or 4 star hotels or hostels. 

 

[Neeranam]

So where is the open letter? 

 

Is the Pattaya news a reliable publication ????

[Neeranam]

Does anyone know his username here? 

Maybe he is anonymous. 

[hashmodha]

19 hours ago, Theyreallrubbish said:

He wants to charge an extra $8 and doesnt want his competitors being able to undercut him and take his customers.  He doesnt want to compete fairly with other operators who are more efficient and better managed and dont need an extra $8 per room to cover their costs.  Instead he wants the government to force them to lose their competitive advantage

 

Another 'capitalist' asking for the government to benefit him at the expense of everyone else.

 

 

I agree with this.....well said! These guys come out with rubbish,on the contrary the room tariffs ought to be lowered and just fill up and raise the occupancy so the whole of the Tourism Industry begins to move forward.....an unoccupied room is better filled even if it means below normal price....I write this having worked in Tourism Industry in Mykonos Greece where they reduced the rates drastically just after post Covid in 2021.... They succeeded.... didn't realize any profits but didn't loose out as anticipated had they kept the tariffs at normal rates....In 2003 when the Greek Economy was collapsing due to Euro crisis,all the Tourism Industry reduced their rates by up to 50%.....And no commission to 3rd parties!...As expected a lot of hotels went into bankruptcy and taken over by others too!

[billd766]

6 hours ago, nigelforbes said:

You need to do some reading and learn about Bill Henecke.

 

He started off with nothing and built a multi billion dollar global conglomerate, from scratch. He relinquished his US citizenship and became a Thai national. What he did, his efforts, were remarkable, he is however sadly wrong on this particular point.

The problem with being a billionaire is no matter how many cars, houses, boats, properties that you have, you can only use one at a time, and when you die as we all do, you cannot take any of it with you.

[hashmodha]

2 hours ago, Etaoin Shrdlu said:

I met Bill Heineke and his brother Skip back in the 1990s.  Bill is probably the only billionaire with whom I've had a conversation.

 

As others have already stated, he gave up his US citizenship decades ago. His billions are self-made and prove that it is possible to make a living, and a spectacular one at that, doing business in Thailand. Good for him.

 

If he wishes to charge an additional $8 a night for his hotel rooms, he is certainly free to do so. He can use the extra income to develop the tourism sector or he can use it to replenish a depleted balance sheet. Up to him.

Agree with this!

[Velisbef]

That would encourage more tourists to come to Thailand. Or not!

[Photoguy21]

What hotels does he own so I can avoid them?

[khunPer]

Bad news for budget tourists that stays for 300 baht to 500 baht per day...

[rafaelaug09]

353 B a day is currently the minimum wage, he wants us to pay 300 every time we use his hotel and per day, I'm sure that those 300 bahts were not to increase the salary of his employees, rather they will increase his already rotten pockets... just look at his face

[d2b2]

 

“American-Thai billionaire and hotel tycoon Bill Heinecke” ? So much is questionable in this opening sentence.
Is he Thai, really? Is he American, really? is he a billionaire, doubtful. It is certain his daddy left him well off, with a chain of hotels. Self made man? Not a bit.
One thing seems consistent about “billionaire” Mr. Heinecke, he seems always to be quite desperate for money. 
I suppose he is a “billionaire”only on his loan applications, and a “pauper” when it comes to pay his fair share of taxes. 
it is deplorable for him to suggest dual foreigner pricing and it is laughable that he thinks the Thai government cares what he advises. 

[Exilerunner]

Capitalism is driven by supply and demand. Extra fees is a great way to decrease the 'supply' of foreign tourists even more. => Thai Logic