Want To Run Yoga Retreats - Many Questions

[fractrain]

This can get complicated so I'm going to try to keep it simple and direct. Please help us find the right place?

Here are our needs.

1. We have to find any hotel/guest house, possibly in the Chiang Mai area, which has at least 20 to 30 rooms and dining facilities and some open area. If they have a huge hall for yoga it is good... otherwise, I can invest in building something simple on their land.
2. The right place would perhaps normally charge 400-500 baht max but since we would want 30 rooms for 32 days per retreat.... and perhaps 6 courses one after the other (fully booked for 6 months in other words) we expect the 400-500 baht to be slashed substantially given the security that we could pay in advance. So... it's a lot of profit for any hotel or guest houses to have groups like us, rather than waiting for unsure tourist season and looking for individual bookings.
3. We can also give them a food contract. That means we give them our menu (Indian food, mainly Satvic - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sattvic_diet) and they have to make and serve, and we can pay them per person/per month. 30 people x $150/month per person = we would pay up to $4500/month for the food prep & service. Alternatively we could bring in our own food people.

We have to find out the places, which are not super popular or busy with tourists and like I said usually charge not more than 4-500 baht per night. Perhaps they are a little distance away from popular tourist areas where there are not so many tourists... so they will be able to offer us a cheaper price especially as we are offering this much solid booking and paying in advance.

I am thinking some places closer to Chiang Mai .... but a little away and less touristy, at the same time reachable from Chiang Mai easily.

Ideally it is away from the highway - note a peaceful environment will be a benefit & important to our guests.

Do you know any of these places? Somebody we should talk to? Anything helpful?

Thank you

[fractrain]

Or please suggest a better place to ask

Thanks!!

[daveyravey]

It would be very risky for a business to put all its eggs in your basket and your attitude is already that you are doing them a favour. If you have such a good thing going, then build your own place.

[endure]

Work permits?

[fractrain]

Work permits?

Yes, but this topic is about finding a location.

[fractrain]

It would be very risky for a business to put all its eggs in your basket and your attitude is already that you are doing them a favour. If you have such a good thing going, then build your own place.

Thank you. I honestly think it's more risky for us to pay in advance and expect the business to fully honour it. Paying in advaouce IS doing them a favour. If they are fully paid for months of bookings it's not a risk for them. But that is besides the point.

I'm trying to get some information from a friend and every response is valuable yes, thank you.

[jaapfries]

Fully understand what you're trying to accomplish.

What a shame you're only considering the Chiang Mai area; because I may have the perfect spot, near a Lake, just outside of Pattaya . . . . .

If interested, just PM me.

Cheers,

JaapFries

[fractrain]

No, it needn't be Chiang Mai area really.

[Shah Jahan]

There are dozens of fully functional resorts of all service levels in Pai that are completely empty 10 months out of the year. If you stayed away from December I am sure it would be easy to find a good one willing to hand over the keys... Best way is to show up and poke around. with a bike or car loop around the valley and just stop at one you like. they are all empty.

and ...if you want Sattvic food, better do some serious supervision and QC and followup in the kitchen... they may think it doesn't taste good enough and throw in some MSG or pork when your not looking.

[Pingis]

I don't know them, but Tiger T R D arrange tourist actions as e g rock climbing around Chiang Mai. If they don't find your business disturbing theirs, they perhaps like to tell you what they have found,

and perhaps you even can find some customers to each other.

[alexanderthai]

I have a place in Pattaya.