Buffet Breakfast Price Increases

[tropo]

Apex and Lek hotel have always been had the same price.They started the buffets approx 10 years ago so it would hardly being called a promotion in 2006.I only called it inflation because that's how you called in the post I replied to.

Ok, so if they started the buffet 10 years ago - I had no idea - what was the price then? You say they jumped from 80 baht in 2005 but you don't mention the 2001 price. Perhaps you failed to mention the 2001 price in an effort to distort your inflationary figures?

Either way, a continuous promotion going for many years is not uncommon. It is often used by hotels to get people into the establishment in a effort to sell more room nights. They may take a loss at the buffet as they consider it a marketing tool.

[Lancelot]

Whether the buffet price increases are justified or not, my hunch is that inflation, especialy food stuffs, is going to steadily increase. China, India and other emerging economies are experiencing rapid increases in food as well.

I was burned out on the Lek/Apex breakfast buffets any way so the price increases are good for my waist line

[janverbeem]

Apex and Lek hotel have always been had the same price.They started the buffets approx 10 years ago so it would hardly being called a promotion in 2006.I only called it inflation because that's how you called in the post I replied to.

Ok, so if they started the buffet 10 years ago - I had no idea - what was the price then? You say they jumped from 80 baht in 2005 but you don't mention the 2001 price. Perhaps you failed to mention the 2001 price in an effort to distort your inflationary figures?

Either way, a continuous promotion going for many years is not uncommon. It is often used by hotels to get people into the establishment in a effort to sell more room nights. They may take a loss at the buffet as they consider it a marketing tool.

I said approx. 10 years so that also can be 9 1/2 years.I had the exact starting date and price marked on my calendar but it must have gonne lost over the years.

By the way I calculated the inflationary figure,because you said that needed be taken into consideration as it would justify the price increase,and based myself on the price in 2005 posted onhere by another member.For your information,since 2005 they increased the price at least 2 times already 80>110>150.And if you say it was 100 Baht in 2006 that means 3 price increases in 5 year.

So if you say that the didn't take inflation into consideration for many years than you are plain wrong once more.

[Darrel]

Actually there was a buffet breakfast upstairs at the original Lek building 20 years ago. I seem to remember that is was 40B or so, and I think that the Boat cheapy was about 15. So long ago that I cant remember clearly.

If you take the 2005 price and today's price, and convert them into farang currency, the price has multiplied by a factor of 3.

This seems quite high, and in any normal person's book a one-off overnight increase of 40% is pretty astounding.

As I said, I dont go to Lek or Apex so I'm not bothered personally about it. I did calculate that at today's price I could eat breakfast there every day for well over 1000 years without emptying my bank account., which is something to think about. Not sure I would want to though!

[gk10002000]

yeah. I ate at Apex and then the Lek this week. The breakfast buffets were poorer than they used to be. They were an OK deal for the price before, but now the price went up, and the quality went down some more. I used to enjoy the bacon, but now, you get the bacon wrapped around a hot dog or something like that. Granted they both may be pork products or have some pork in them, but no hotdog for breakfast please. And the "scrambled" eggs were wetter and runnier than ever. I could not touch them. I think they have gone to using those egg products that come in juice cartons. And as somebody pointed out, the two were almost identical. Oh well. Two more things that have changed and the less to my liking.

[Darrel]

Diana Inn (110B), Diana Dragon (105B) and Casa Pascal (165B) all have real bacon.

They also all use real eggs. Only Diana Inn pre-cooks the fried eggs; the others cook them to order, as they do for omelettes.

All of them have that "orange" juice.

[tropo]

If you take the 2005 price and today's price, and convert them into farang currency, the price has multiplied by a factor of 3.

This seems quite high, and in any normal person's book a one-off overnight increase of 40% is pretty astounding.

There is no such thing as "Farang currency" because different currencies go in different directions. Comparing currency exchange rates of 20 years ago is totally meaningless.

Considering you've gone back 20 years, why not give us a "farang currency" comparison of the buffet value to the year 1997 when the baht plummeted in value.

[RabC]

I really do not understand this fascination for queuing up for food that has been left cooling in trays, I stopped doing that once I left School. Give me something cooked fresh for me and presented on a plate. Maybe I am just not a glutton or cheap charlie.

Edited May 24, 2011 by RabC

[prakhonchai nick]

Does it really matter how much it has gone up? If it is too expensive for you go elsewhere or cook your own breakfast at home.

[davyboy]

I really do not understand this fascination for queuing up for food that has been left cooling in trays, I stopped doing that once I left School. Give me something cooked fresh for me and presented on a plate. Maybe I am just not a glutton or cheap charlie.

+1

[morphic]

I thought the Apex was okay at 180 baht for dinner if I wanted a heavy meal with desert and didn't want to wander around Pattaya looking for something better.

But then I noticed it seemed to be getting more and more crowded with large groups of Russians in particular. The crowds really put me off and I stopped going. At 250 I will be trying even harder to avoid it.

The reason they felt able to raise the price so much was precisely because of the crowds and that pretty much sums up Pattaya these days. I don't like the way things have changed, I don't like it getting ever more crowded, ruder, more expensive.

The trouble is I feel stuck between a rock and hard place now. Pattaya isn't what it was but at the same time I don't know of any other location either in Thailand or elsewhere that will provide what I want. Maybe its time to start doing some legwork again, look at some other countries. I have been put off Cambodia because of its dangerous reputation and association with the unseemly extreme of the male sex tourist market, but maybe its changed for the better now?

[BugJackBaron]

I thought the Apex was okay at 180 baht for dinner if I wanted a heavy meal with desert and didn't want to wander around Pattaya looking for something better.

But then I noticed it seemed to be getting more and more crowded with large groups of Russians in particular. The crowds really put me off and I stopped going. At 250 I will be trying even harder to avoid it.

The reason they felt able to raise the price so much was precisely because of the crowds and that pretty much sums up Pattaya these days. I don't like the way things have changed, I don't like it getting ever more crowded, ruder, more expensive.

The trouble is I feel stuck between a rock and hard place now. Pattaya isn't what it was but at the same time I don't know of any other location either in Thailand or elsewhere that will provide what I want. Maybe its time to start doing some legwork again, look at some other countries. I have been put off Cambodia because of its dangerous reputation and association with the unseemly extreme of the male sex tourist market, but maybe its changed for the better now?

re: price increase: I think it may also be that there were not enough people. Apex had many vacant signs last high season - something that never happened in the past.

If you are a dedicated Apex goer , check to see if you can get a discount for a pack of ten tickets. -10 for 180 each as before. I saw something like that for breakfst at the Lek.

re: cambodia: * crickets* Dude, if you want western food with good value for money just go. It's only slightly more dangerous than Thailand(mostly because of the mines) and the biggest annoyance is the touts..

[Darrel]

It didnt take long for Casa Pascal to jump on the bandwagon.

The brunch buffet has gone from 165B net to 175B + tax which makes a total of 187.25

On the discount card they now note 175B whereas previously they noted the full 165B. Not sure what effect that will have when it comes to redemption. Presumably they will deduct it before adding tax.

They have added three larges bottles of revolting brand-name fizzy drinks to the buffet, but havent improved the orange juice. To me this seems a down-market step, and somewhat out-of-place in a relatively high quality buffet.

[cardholder]

I really do not understand this fascination for queuing up for food that has been left cooling in trays, I stopped doing that once I left School. Give me something cooked fresh for me and presented on a plate. Maybe I am just not a glutton or cheap charlie.

Agree.

I would rather pay 200 Baht for a good breakfast than 100 Baht for a crap one.

I will avoid buffets wherever possible

[vpi78]

Actually there was a buffet breakfast upstairs at the original Lek building 20 years ago. I seem to remember that is was 40B or so, and I think that the Boat cheapy was about 15. So long ago that I cant remember clearly.

If you take the 2005 price and today's price, and convert them into farang currency, the price has multiplied by a factor of 3.

This seems quite high, and in any normal person's book a one-off overnight increase of 40% is pretty astounding.

As I said, I dont go to Lek or Apex so I'm not bothered personally about it. I did calculate that at today's price I could eat breakfast there every day for well over 1000 years without emptying my bank account., which is something to think about. Not sure I would want to though!

Well relax because the price is only 110 baht at the Lek not 150 baht. You can even get 10 coupons for 1000 baht so you should be good for 1500 years.

[Darrel]

Well relax because the price is only 110 baht at the Lek not 150 baht.

They put the price back down? I dont think so.

I wont be going there anyway, no matter what the price is. I just dont like it and there are better places within a couple of minutes walk.

[MRTELLYOUSTRAIGHT]

After reading this depressing thread and highlighting the riff raff that appear to be here, moaning about food coupons and a few lousy baht price increases it just shows you that Pattaya is a "million miles away" from quality tourist status.

[poanoi]

I really do not understand this fascination for queuing up for food that has been left cooling in trays, I stopped doing that once I left School. Give me something cooked fresh for me and presented on a plate. Maybe I am just not a glutton or cheap charlie.

The problem with that approach is the guaranteed bacon deficit, and generally under-sized.

and the problem with Apex is it doesn't taste well.

The only large and tasty bacon-potato based breakfast i ever saw with enough bacon not to get grumpy was Tommy's behind Buffalo bar,

but unfortunately it was a toss whether he would have open or not, which obviously is a turn-off for a routine thing like having breakfast.

My solution is to have my gf cook for me with the right amount of bacon, and if she wasn't around, i'd eat thai food.

Edited July 24, 2011 by poanoi

[Ulysses G.]

It didnt take long for Casa Pascal to jump on the bandwagon.

The brunch buffet has gone from 165B net to 175B + tax which makes a total of 187.25

They raised the price 10 baht? My God, what is the world coming to!

[DavidARoss]

Nobody come to Udon Thani for breakfast as it will cost you close to 200 Baht or over with cold coffee.

[poanoi]

No, that's ~22 baht

[Darrel]

They raised the price 10 baht? My God, what is the world coming to!

No, they raised it by 22 Baht. I posted the information because it was relevant to the thread, not because I particularly care.

Why do people imagine that if someone makes a post about something it must mean that the subject is of paramount importance to them?

[Darrel]

The problem with that approach is the guaranteed bacon deficit, and generally under-sized.

and the problem with Apex is it doesn't taste well.

The only large and tasty bacon-potato based breakfast i ever saw with enough bacon not to get grumpy was Tommy's behind Buffalo bar,....

Diana Inn (110B), Diana Dragon (105B) and Casa Pascal (187B) all have unlimited quantities of bacon and potatoes.

[Darrel]

Nobody come to Udon Thani for breakfast as it will cost you close to 200 Baht or over with cold coffee.

That sounds a bit crappy. I was there about 25 years ago, but the coffee was hot then.

I think that Pattaya is probably the easiest/cheapest place in Thailand for both local transport and farang food. And there is plenty of reasonably priced Thai food in town also, even if it does cost 30B here instead of the 20B it would cost up country.

[vpi78]

Well relax because the price is only 110 baht at the Lek not 150 baht.

They put the price back down? I dont think so.

I wont be going there anyway, no matter what the price is. I just dont like it and there are better places within a couple of minutes walk.

Yes, it is 110 baht. You obviously have not been there recently any way.

[Darrel]

Yes, it is 110 baht. You obviously have not been there recently any way.

The huge sign outside read "150Baht' this morning. Just as it has every day since they and the Apex increased the prices.

I never go inside, but I do walk past several times a day.

[janverbeem]

Yes, it is 110 baht. You obviously have not been there recently any way.

The huge sign outside read "150Baht' this morning. Just as it has every day since they and the Apex increased the prices.

I never go inside, but I do walk past several times a day.

Of course, Lek and Apex raised the price at the same time to 150 Baht,since it is the same company who provides the buffet to both hotels.Some memners should better check before they tell others that they are wrong.

[taff33]

What's wrong with "Crazy Daves"some of you people don't know how to live,all you want is some high class named eatery and you are happy.Get out and slum it for a change.

[vpi78]

Yes, it is 110 baht. You obviously have not been there recently any way.

The huge sign outside read "150Baht' this morning. Just as it has every day since they and the Apex increased the prices.

I never go inside, but I do walk past several times a day.

Of course, Lek and Apex raised the price at the same time to 150 Baht,since it is the same company who provides the buffet to both hotels.Some memners should better check before they tell others that they are wrong.

Of course I stayed there last month (mid-June ... yes this year/2011) and had breakfast most days at the Lek. It was 110 Baht. If it is any different now, it happened within the past month.

[Darrel]

Of course, Lek and Apex raised the price at the same time to 150 Baht,since it is the same company who provides the buffet to both hotels.Some memners should better check before they tell others that they are wrong.

I cant work out whether you are agreeing with me or not.

Edited July 25, 2011 by Darrel