Patong Beach To Be Restored Within Three Months

[george]

Phuket’s Patong Beach to be restored within three months

PHUKET: -- It will take at least two months – during this peak tourist season -- to restore the hotels and business premises along the popular Patong Beach, according to the Phuket Tourism Association.

Phuket’s main tourist centre was decimated by Sunday’s Tsunami.

At least a dozen hotels on the Patong beachfront and countless shops and stores, have been severely damaged, the chairman of the Phuket Tourism Association, Pattanapong Ekwanij, said.

The disaster is also expected to erode investor confidence in Phuket’s real estate sector, said Thanit Prateep Na Thalang of the Phuket Realtors’ Association.

Operators in the high-end tourist market resort projects in particular are concerned about the shaken confidence among potential buyers, the majority of whom are foreigners, he said.

--TNA 2004-12-28

[gregor200]

Letter from KataThani (KataNoi) from today

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Dear friends of Katathani and all the staff,

Thank you very much for all the e-mails we received, during the last 48 hours, expressing your concerns and best wishes. We have not been able to communicate because our telephone system is down, even mobile phones did not work for certain periods. Staff and guest alike have been great throughout the crisis and we thank them for their considerable support.

I would like to update you on the condition of Katathani Phuket Beach Resort following the earthquake off Indonesia on Sunday, 26 December, as you are no doubt aware the west side of Phuket has been effected. Although Katathani has suffered some damage, we are more fortunate than most. A small number of guests did receive some relatively minor injuries, mainly cuts, grazes and bruises but no serious injuries. Most of the staff are back to work and do an excellent job in assisting our guests, while cleaning up the property together.

Most of our rooms are unaffected. Some of the ground floor rooms at Thani have been damaged, mainly due to breakage of glass. Gardens and swimming pools have also been effected but will be brought up to normal condition within a few days. The KataBhuri has not been effected in anyway and Kata Noi beach itself is in perfect condition.

To get an update for yourself on what the property currently looks like, please log on to www.katathani.com. We have pictures taken today and will upload it to the website anytime soon.

We all appreciate your thoughts and well wishes and looking forward to welcoming you back in the future.

Wishing you a peaceful New Year on behalf of all the staff.

Yours sincerely,

Uwe Lukas

Hotel Manager

[etxkgh]

Letter from KataThani (KataNoi) from today

------------------------------------------------------

Dear friends of Katathani and all the staff,

Thank you very much for all the e-mails we received, during the last 48 hours, expressing your concerns and best wishes. We have not been able to communicate because our telephone system is down, even mobile phones did not work for certain periods. Staff and guest alike have been great throughout the crisis and we thank them for their considerable support.

I would like to update you on the condition of Katathani Phuket Beach Resort following the earthquake off Indonesia on Sunday, 26 December, as you are no doubt aware the west side of Phuket has been effected.  Although Katathani has suffered some damage, we are more fortunate than most. A small number of guests did receive some relatively minor injuries, mainly cuts, grazes and bruises but no serious injuries. Most of the staff are back to work and do an excellent job in assisting our guests, while cleaning up the property together.

Most of our rooms are unaffected. Some of the ground floor rooms at Thani have been damaged, mainly due to breakage of glass. Gardens and swimming pools have also been effected but will be brought up to normal condition within a few days. The KataBhuri has not been effected in anyway and Kata Noi beach itself is in perfect condition.

To get an update for yourself on what the property currently looks like, please log on to www.katathani.com. We have pictures taken today and will upload it to the website anytime soon.

We all appreciate your thoughts and well wishes and looking forward to welcoming you back in the future.

Wishing you a peaceful New Year on behalf of all the staff.

Yours sincerely,

Uwe Lukas

Hotel Manager

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

A marked lack of respect for the deceased , no condolances at all ?

Only worrying about the cash continuing to come in ?

I would urge every member of the forum to boycott this establishment .

[Darknight]

Easy gentlemen,

Keeping his business open and paying his staf wages will also help them recover. Although not to many advertisements need to appear anymore

[Johpa]

Phuket’s Patong Beach to be restored within three months

PHUKET: -- .....

The disaster is also expected to erode investor confidence in Phuket’s real estate sector, said Thanit Prateep Na Thalang of the Phuket Realtors’ Association.

--TNA 2004-12-28

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Considering that many of the land owners obtained the title deeds to their land illegally or fraudulently, as those of us who remember the now forgotten Phuket land scandals of the 1980s, I am sure the real estate sector will snap back with the same cast of characters in the lead or a new crop of MPs taking the lead.

[HumbleFlyer]

It appear that the water didn't reach 2nd road. Lots of debris along geach road in the area from Bangla to Soi Seapearl. The beach front hotels like Patong Bay and Cabanas got trashed.....The Patong Bay own is the mayor of Patong and said so in a speach. From the pics and info like Ocean/Super Market where the basement was under water and many hotels will be demolished. Seems that the business on Soi Seapearl, Bangla did ok whilst the others got more that wet. I haven't hear any reports on the North end of town but I bet the resturants, small houses on the ocean side of the road also suffered greatly. No reports on how far the water went up the north boundry road leading out of tow but a hill starts right away so that may have helped! I jyust looked over a list of hotels and most are OK. Again, those on the beach and in the south of town where the ocean is right across the street had some damage but not all were a loss.

What can we to.....Make it Patong for Songkran. Send you warm thoughts with an e-mail for a Songkran reservation.