Chiang Mai Hotels To Throw Out Low Season Offers

[george]

Chiang Mai hotels to throw out low season offers

BANGKOK: --THE Thai Hotels Association Northern Upper Chapter plans to offer promotional rates at its member hotels for next year's low season from May to October.

The offers are being finalised and will be promoted through collaborations with the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau and Thailand Incentive and Convention Association.

The Empress Hotel Chiang Mai general manager, Mr Kanog Suvannavisutr, said the efforts would help to increase the MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions) portion at member hotels from 20 to 30 per cent, and would also help reduce dependence on the leisure tourist from 80 down to 70 per cent.

Chiang Mai hotels have been suffering declining demand over the last couple of years, due in part to oversupply of rooms. The city recorded about 21,000 hotel rooms last year, about 10.61 per cent increase over 2006. In contrast, demand declined by five per cent to around 5.35 million Thai and foreign visitors.

From November to April 2009, Mr Kanog said average occupancy rate at Chiang Mai hotels would be at around 70 per cent, a drop by five per cent compared to the same period last year.

Despite declining demand, the city just witnessed a new hotel opening on November 1 - the five-star, 384-room Le Méridien Chiang Mai.

-- TTG Asia 2008-11-11

[john b good]

It has been reported that the new Shangri-La has been running at a 10% occupancy.

And they keep building them

[dave2]

i think they should have thought about this 6 months ago and made the SAME offer for high season THIS year !

here are all the tourists going to spend their money on breakfast in soi 2 moonmuang road at 11 30 AM Today.

NOT good . chiang mai is dying on its feet.

dave2

[realthaideal]

2 Things. First, "throw out deals" to me, an American originally, means 'to do away with', 'to scrap', not 'to offer'. Hand out or offer would have been better words for title choice (just griping).

Next thing, is yeah, it's dead out there. LK on the bridge last night was Kwai-et. Barely any fireworks or Krathong action at 10:30 pm. I don't ever remember such emptiness for festivities. Afterwards I took my visiting friends back to their yet-another boutique hotel. And because of poor signage, I walked into a 'different' one, same style but backwards feeling, and it took us a minute to sort that we were in da wrong one, perhaps by same architect the look was so doppleganger. Many of the boutiques really are same-same but different.

[Loaded]

and what's happened to the new Meridien Hotel along Changklan? It's finished, finished a while ago but seems to be abandoned. This is the start of high season and it should be taking advantage of Loy Kratong.

[whiterussian]

Loads of guests last night in all hotels - judging by the lights on in the rooms, seen from a viewpoint in the new drinking complex next to Pantip...

[Sledge71]

Loads of guests last night in all hotels - judging by the lights on in the rooms, seen from a viewpoint in the new drinking complex next to Pantip...

Whats the new drinking complex like? Are there many tenants? I've not driven past it for a while but the last time it looked empty ( as in no bars or customers / people ) It would be good to find a new watering hole.

[whiterussian]

Was jam packed last night, because of some beauty pagent, it two levels that seem active at the moment.. the ground floor, and a 'rooftop' type bar (run by my fans cousin) - unfortunately a football theme,

its got a great view, ok, well a good view.

beers are Thai prices (TAKE NOTE FARANG BARS) ie: LARGE bottle 50 baht (or thereabouts).

football on big screen

crooning thai singers

open till 2am?

did i mention big beer is 50 baht?

the rest of the complex is slowly taking shape, got some great food places for gourmet burgers, etc, but im kee neow now. anything over 40 baht is PENG!

Edited November 12, 2008 by UKWEBPRO

[mcgriffith]

Hmmm....new drinking complex....2 story....cheap beer...Thai music, next to Panthip.

Sounds like a weener (Amelikan joke).

Precise map coordinates, please?

Strictly for informative investigational purposes, of course

[whiterussian]

Right opposite Pantip Plaza (bottom of night market street)

Huge great place!

(Its not the best, but its central, cheap, and open till the small hours!)

[siamshot]

Now there is free advertising on thaivisa?

[Theyreallrubbish]

It has been reported that the new Shangri-La has been running at a 10% occupancy.

And they keep building them

I'd believe that based on the few times I've been in there to eat and look at the gym,

The Sofitel down the street is worse. I've eaten there twice and in the 2 hours or so I was in each restaurant I was the only person there.

I also went a couple of times to look at the gym and only ever once saw someone who wasn't staff

[WinnieTheKhwai]

here are all the tourists going to spend their money on breakfast in soi 2 moonmuang road at 11 30 AM Today.

That's... scary. I mean, Moon Muang Soi 2, the motor of the Chiang Mai economy...

WTK

[uptheos]

What do they mean by low season offers? - It's already possible to get huge discounts off their walk in rates on the Internet.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

I prefer to turn that statement around. What you see on the Internet ARE their rates. "Walk-in / Rack rate" is some kind of LSD infused fantasy on the part of the management, but it isn't a price anyone in their right mind should do anything but laugh at.

[yumidesign]

Chiang Mai hotels to throw out low season offers

From November to April 2009, Mr Kanog said average occupancy rate at Chiang Mai hotels would be at around 70 per cent, a drop by five per cent compared to the same period last year.

-- TTG Asia 2008-11-11

this man is a fortune teller?

[uptheos]

I prefer to turn that statement around. What you see on the Internet ARE their rates. "Walk-in / Rack rate" is some kind of LSD infused fantasy on the part of the management, but it isn't a price anyone in their right mind should do anything but laugh at.

Absolutely, I agree with you. But do we know if they are they going to base their 'special offers' on the Internet rates which are 50-60% off the rack rates or on their own website rates, which of course wouldn't be any deal at all.

[dave2]

here are all the tourists going to spend their money on breakfast in soi 2 moonmuang road at 11 30 AM Today.

That's... scary. I mean, Moon Muang Soi 2, the motor of the Chiang Mai economy...

WTK

hiya WTK.

So you dont think the biggest ( i think ) backpacker area of small cheap rooms sould have some people arriving / leaving , going on a trip , trek or going to breakfast at 11 30 in the morning is the height of chiang mais economy ?

fair comment : )

i took these pictures of moomuang road at 3 pm and 4 pm ( a fairly main road i think youll agree ) the next day in the middle of the loy krathong holliday >>>>> count the tourists ? ( three if you count the 2 people in the tuk tuk ) coz all the people on the bikes and the man with the diesel shirt on , i think are thais

enjoy pics >>>> happy in thailand but wishing there were more people to watch >>>> dave2

[Rinrada]

Was jam packed last night, because of some beauty pagent, it two levels that seem active at the moment.. the ground floor, and a 'rooftop' type bar (run by my fans cousin) - unfortunately a football theme,

its got a great view, ok, well a good view.

beers are Thai prices (TAKE NOTE FARANG BARS) ie: LARGE bottle 50 baht (or thereabouts).

football on big screen

crooning thai singers

open till 2am?

did i mention big beer is 50 baht?

the rest of the complex is slowly taking shape, got some great food places for gourmet burgers, etc, but im kee neow now. anything over 40 baht is PENG!

50 Bt for a big one ...thats more like it ........

err is that Heinee or loopy juice..... ...still sounds great but did you say this is inside the plaza or beside it..and where?

Was over a couple of weeks ago and spent a couple of nights in the Dun 2 one (1200bt/night-upgraded room)and a couple of times crawled round to O mallys at about 1-30am and things were very quiet..... ....but roll on next time.....

[whiterussian]

Member No.: 13 wow.

Hi,

The new plaza at the bottom of the night market street... opposite the empty building that was a cinema, and pantip plaza ...towards the big new brown hotel... and the karaoke section of that road. ( i dont remember road names, just landmarks - and i generally avoid the center of CM on my unregistered bike in the daytime )

Its called 'Red Machine' (apparently that means Liverpool football club) , is up on the top level, over looking the... ermm.... empty space that was a market.... 55 baht for the standard brews: Chang/Leo/Singha - big bottles. Farangs welcome, but the management (my fan's cousin) complains that farang dont order enough food (where the moneys at!)

Very nice setup, big screen etc. Must say, it is a wee bit chilly up there.

I get no kick backs from promoting the bar, and the manager is on a fixed salary, i might get free ice.

Downstairs looks fun also... your standard crooning bands and roast squid carts honking horns.

Edited November 16, 2008 by UKWEBPRO

[Rinrada]

Member No.: 13 wow.

Hi,

Yes and only 29.....

I was thinking in the other direction but know where you mean....next time...sanuk......

for the sake of CMs tourist industry ..of course.....sort of 'Drink for Thailand'...will errr... drink to that.

[dageshi]

With the pound at 12 year lows I figure there are going to be alot less holiday makers from the UK next year unless the thai baht begins to slip a bit. I also think there will be less backpackers for similar reasons. I will however say that I wouldn't call soi 2 the center of the backpacker activity area around here, as a backpacker you can get cheap rooms up and down every soi along Moon Muang and on either side of Loi kroh all the way to the night bazaar, I've never been anywhere with the sheer number of guesthouses as Chiang Mai.

So yes there are going to be a reduction in numbers but in my opinion there have been too many travellers in recent years, it's pushed up prices from what should have been 2-3 dollar rooms to 6-7. Most of the guesthouses seem to be "me too" places who just happened to be in the right area and converted part of the property.

Time for a shakeout.