Patong is dead.

[LivinginKata]

The Phuket Events & Offers Forum still keeps on plugging away. Looking at that Forum would give the impression that Patong is vibrant .... oh well ...

[steelepulse]

>>  just about everything that has been done has been based on greed or stupidity, not to mention corruption

 

Correct, greed and corruption  has been the driving force in turning Patong into what it is today and for that matter, the island as a whole.

[billythehat]

4 hours ago, xylophone said:

They say that there are two things certain, death and taxes, but you can add change to that and it is an ongoing evolutionary thing.

 

And on that point, if change evolves into a “more, better, different” outcome then all is generally well, but then again towns, places and cities can change for the worse for a number of reasons, especially if those reasons are not geared towards providing what the “drawcard” was in the first place.

 

I don’t know about other places in Thailand however when I first came here in 2004, there were customers flocking to the beaches, nightlife and beer bars and everything seemed to be working to one degree or another and I never remember any half built/abandoned condominiums or apartments let alone empty shops and shop houses, in fact just about every man and his dog was interested in setting up a business in one way or another (farangs and the beer bars seemed to be the favourite) because money could be made on them.

 

Now a place like Patong is totally reliant upon its customers and just like every good business, a way has to be found to deliver superior customer service/customer satisfaction and all services should be geared to that in order to get increased and repeat business.

 

As other posters have said, what has been done in Patong to provide that increased level of customer service and the answer is: – absolutely nothing. Transport has not been geared towards moving tourists around the place in an efficient and cost-effective manner, no means of public transport, a huge increase in the numbers of taxis and tuk tuks clogging up the inefficient one-way system and which have to pay their monthly dues, and building has gone on without any consideration for infrastructure/services resulting in sewerage overflows, smells and flooding.

 

 Abandoned structures abound and are not only highly visible like the ACE condos and “The Park” eyesores, but can be seen amongst the everyday shops and shop houses in many of the roads here.

 

Then of course you have the fiasco with regards to the beaches and what you can and can’t do on them, when other countries seem to make these things work and laying on a sun lounger under an umbrella with food and drink vendors on hand, was what many people thought of as part of an ideal vacation.

 

So absolutely nothing has been done to increase the customer experience here, in fact just about everything that has been done has been based on greed or stupidity, not to mention corruption and there is only so long that a world-famous tourist attraction can live on its memories, because change which only benefits the powers that be and not the customer base will not succeed.
 

 

“Greed or stupidity” Yep, in a nutshell. I feel sorry for some of the western owners of hotels/guest houses that I have met over the last 16 years who have always gone the the extra mile to welcome and make sure their guests have a great holiday. However, the one thing none of them could do anything about was the immovable object of the Thai mindset mentioned.

[DrDave]

3 hours ago, LivinginKata said:

The Phuket Events & Offers Forum still keeps on plugging away. Looking at that Forum would give the impression that Patong is vibrant .... oh well ...

Phuket Events & Offers is hardly a "forum".  More like a paid advertising blog.

[LivinginKata]

1 hour ago, DrDave said:

Phuket Events & Offers is hardly a "forum".  More like a paid advertising blog.

 

It was tongue in cheek Dave ... and looks like not a well read blog.

[KarenBravo]

......and in the end, when Patong is filled with Indians, Kazakhs and Chinese and those "good ol' days" of high spending Europeans is but a distant memory, somehow, it'll be the foreigners that are to blame.

[SooKee]

12 hours ago, KarenBravo said:

......and in the end, when Patong is filled with Indians, Kazakhs and Chinese and those "good ol' days" of high spending Europeans is but a distant memory, somehow, it'll be the foreigners that are to blame.

 

But they have already planned for that.  They think ahead you know. Wait 'til it happens then put the prices up, that'll solve it.

[LivinginKata]

On 8/22/2016 at 2:45 PM, billythehat said:

 

“Greed or stupidity” Yep, in a nutshell. I feel sorry for some of the western owners of hotels/guest houses that I have met over the last 16 years who have always gone the the extra mile to welcome and make sure their guests have a great holiday. However, the one thing none of them could do anything about was the immovable object of the Thai mindset mentioned.

 

Fantastic observation ... we have been in the long term rental market for 18 years now.  we have always gone the 'extra mile' to take good care of our long term guests.

 

These days when we state our monthly rate then most don't even bother looking, they are off looking for much much cheaper than our prices. Today they all expect at most a 6,000 baht/month price. I suppose they find a basic room for that price, although some previous guests I still am in contact with end up paying 8,000 baht for a much inferior place than our apartments.  Then when they can't make enough money to pay for that ... they leave.  

[xylophone]

33 minutes ago, LivinginKata said:

 

Fantastic observation ... we have been in the long term rental market for 18 years now.  we have always gone the 'extra mile' to take good care of our long term guests.

 

These days when we state our monthly rate then most don't even bother looking, they are off looking for much much cheaper than our prices. Today they all expect at most a 6,000 baht/month price. I suppose they find a basic room for that price, although some previous guests I still am in contact with end up paying 8,000 baht for a much inferior place than our apartments.  Then when they can't make enough money to pay for that ... they leave.  

 

As a matter of interest LiK, are your apartments in Kata or Patong?

[LivinginKata]

1 minute ago, xylophone said:

 

As a matter of interest LiK, are your apartments in Kata or Patong?

 

Not allowed to discuss this on Thaivisa.  Best you PM me.

[NamKangMan]

1 hour ago, LivinginKata said:

 

Fantastic observation ... we have been in the long term rental market for 18 years now.  we have always gone the 'extra mile' to take good care of our long term guests.

 

These days when we state our monthly rate then most don't even bother looking, they are off looking for much much cheaper than our prices. Today they all expect at most a 6,000 baht/month price. I suppose they find a basic room for that price, although some previous guests I still am in contact with end up paying 8,000 baht for a much inferior place than our apartments.  Then when they can't make enough money to pay for that ... they leave.  

 

 

 "we have always gone the 'extra mile' to take good care of our long term guests." - I have no doubt you do go the extra mile LIK, as do many foreign business owners here, the problem is, your good service / product is constantly being undermined by the greed and corruption here, which has finally had an effect on the Phuket tourism industry, which in turn effects your business.

 

If the tourism industry was administered properly on Phuket, in general, everyone in business would make some money, and legitimately, but there have been too many snouts getting into the pockets of western tourists for too many years, particularly with land transport, with many past visitor now detouring Phuket for other destination, and many potential visitors choosing elsewhere to holiday, based on Phuket recent poor reputation.  

 

The whole time, what have business owners, such as yourself, done wrong - nothing.   

 

It's a shame to see Phuket's potential squandered by those in positions of authority, and the corrupt. 

 

It would take a big attitude adjustment, and a change to their protectionism and collusion business model, to turn Phuket around from here, and I don't think they are capable of either.

 

[chercheur888]

23 minutes ago, NamKangMan said:

 

 

 "we have always gone the 'extra mile' to take good care of our long term guests." - I have no doubt you do go the extra mile LIK, as do many foreign business owners here, the problem is, your good service / product is constantly being undermined by the greed and corruption here, which has finally had an effect on the Phuket tourism industry, which in turn effects your business.

 

If the tourism industry was administered properly on Phuket, in general, everyone in business would make some money, and legitimately, but there have been too many snouts getting into the pockets of western tourists for too many years, particularly with land transport, with many past visitor now detouring Phuket for other destination, and many potential visitors choosing elsewhere to holiday, based on Phuket recent poor reputation.  

 

The whole time, what have business owners, such as yourself, done wrong - nothing.   

 

It's a shame to see Phuket's potential squandered by those in positions of authority, and the corrupt. 

 

It would take a big attitude adjustment, and a change to their protectionism and collusion business model, to turn Phuket around from here, and I don't think they are capable of either.

 

Don't worry it seems that a solution is in sight. As most of the S.E. Asian nations have cancelled or reduced their VoA fees, here it was decided to increase the VoA fee from 1.000 to 2.000 TBH per person for 17-18 countries (China is included in that list). Brilliant idea, they believe.

[NamKangMan]

45 minutes ago, chercheur888 said:

Don't worry it seems that a solution is in sight. As most of the S.E. Asian nations have cancelled or reduced their VoA fees, here it was decided to increase the VoA fee from 1.000 to 2.000 TBH per person for 17-18 countries (China is included in that list). Brilliant idea, they believe.

 

Probably the only way the Thai Government can make some money out of the Chinese "zero baht tourists" - visa fees. 

Edited August 23, 2016 by NamKangMan

[billythehat]

15 hours ago, LivinginKata said:

 

Fantastic observation ... we have been in the long term rental market for 18 years now.  we have always gone the 'extra mile' to take good care of our long term guests.

 

These days when we state our monthly rate then most don't even bother looking, they are off looking for much much cheaper than our prices. Today they all expect at most a 6,000 baht/month price. I suppose they find a basic room for that price, although some previous guests I still am in contact with end up paying 8,000 baht for a much inferior place than our apartments.  Then when they can't make enough money to pay for that ... they leave.  

 

 

120-180 quid pm? Incredible that folk would argue about a fee that would maybe only get you 2-3 days in high season at a not so upscale Patong hotel. I know, I've stayed at a few before finding one or two with the right balance of quality and service. The fees you quoted, from a business point of view, would infer that breaking even is indeed a slim scenario and I appreciate that there is only so much a particular business model can be tweaked to take up the slack. During the worst of the recession years the Engineering sector took a severe beating with regard to rates and due to scarce pickings, I was being offerred only 30% of the usual going rate. There was no model to tweak – same skill and experience – it was take it or leave it. After 10 months my business was under severe strain and I almost lost my beautiful house; believe me, I know the worry. However, around 2010 the industry did pick up, rates were normalised and I've never been busier. A lot of pony was spoken about the effects on business post-Brexit but if anything the civil engineering sector (in the UK) is robust with many large consultants saying that they are having very serious problems filling some professional posts. Sorry, a bit off topic there...where was I...oh yeah, a good business model versus the immovable object...depends how long you can sustain the loss and more importantly, the knowledge to know when to cut the line and initiate damage limitation on the remaining finances/resources. It's never anything as simple as to say that one is stuck between a rock and a hard place; there is always an option even though such options are never desirable in these situations but they do let you move on. You and a few others here have witnessed the high water mark but these are different times. Simon the copper made notes about adaptation in the current market but isn't the reality of over-supply of accomodation, greed, stupidity, etc. counter productive to attempts, long term, for adaptation in the hospitality sector?

[simon43]

Quote

 

Simon the copper ...
 

 

 

Not really the 'handle' that I'm happy with 

 

I spoke before about adapting to the 'customer' (ie Chinese).  But there is only so much that you can do to meet the customer's demands for a 'value-for-money' meal or accommodation or transport etc.

 

Construction work at the airport has gone 'crazy'.  New condos (for short-term rental) and small hotels are being built to meet the demands of the Chinese tourists.  

 

Even with the large numbers of Chinese arriving every night, there could soon be an oversupply of accommodation that is intended to meet that particular demand.

 

About the only way that is still available to ensure that your business stands out from the competition is to learn to speak Chinese.  (Seriously, that would definitely be a marketing advantage).

 

I have learnt spoken Mandarin (conversational) some years ago, but although easy to learn, my brain seems too old to retain this knowledge.  

 

Ah well, if I start learning Arabic and Hindi right now, I should be ready for the next influx of tourists, (oops, mustn't forget to learn Kazakh as well) 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 24, 2016 by simon43

[billythehat]

On ‎24‎/‎08‎/‎2016 at 5:21 AM, simon43 said:

 

Not really the 'handle' that I'm happy with 

 

I spoke before about adapting to the 'customer' (ie Chinese).  But there is only so much that you can do to meet the customer's demands for a 'value-for-money' meal or accommodation or transport etc.

 

Construction work at the airport has gone 'crazy'.  New condos (for short-term rental) and small hotels are being built to meet the demands of the Chinese tourists.  

 

Even with the large numbers of Chinese arriving every night, there could soon be an oversupply of accommodation that is intended to meet that particular demand.

 

About the only way that is still available to ensure that your business stands out from the competition is to learn to speak Chinese.  (Seriously, that would definitely be a marketing advantage).

 

I have learnt spoken Mandarin (conversational) some years ago, but although easy to learn, my brain seems too old to retain this knowledge.  

 

Ah well, if I start learning Arabic and Hindi right now, I should be ready for the next influx of tourists, (oops, mustn't forget to learn Kazakh as well) 

 

 

 

 

“Not really the 'handle' that I'm happy with ”

 

Sir, I agree and you are long due for a promotion – 1 pair of parachute wings for you to wear on photo op’s are in the post.

 

The issue of language is a very valid point and I concur that language skills that are not used are usually lost and consigned to the ‘where did I put my keys?’ bin. However, should there be a budget, would employing a Thai who could speak the required lingo be one solution or have I failed to grasp the logistics of running a business there?

 

Well done for attempting the Mandarin language which apart from its complex tones is also a very facially expressive form of communication, a sort of alley cat wail coupled with an expression of someone suffering from bad piles.

 

Finally, it may come down to the business figures; can other businesses support other businesses with regard to visitor spending? The supply chain starts from the bottom with A supplies to B and so on….Biznit 101. The removal of the usual supply trains has caused the rapid demise of various types of businesses reported on TV over the last few seasons.

[xylophone]

As a few of the recent posts have been about Chinese tourists I thought I'd continue in that vein by saying that I did see a party of about a dozen young Chinese folks in Smiley Bar last night and they seemed to be enjoying themselves although not drinking too much. Apart from that and a few walking up and down what was  a busy Bangla Road, they are quite a rarity in the nightlife/party/drinking scene.

 

As has been the case in quite a few of my last posts, the usual suspects were crowded; Monsoon, New York, although not quite as much as previously, and Smiley Bar (70% full) although strangely enough the recently renovated bar at the top of Bangla (almost opposite Jungceylon) although relatively crowded early on, emptied out whilst others were heaving away.

 

Met up with a couple of parties of young Brits as well as a couple of fellow Kiwis and all were very pleasant young folk who stopped to chat and comment on my singing (positively I have to say!).

 

Soi Sea Dragon was busier than I've seen it for some time and one of the girls I know in a bar said that it had been better this year than the previous year, although I found that hard to believe?

 

My bar owner friend in Soi Freedom was disappointed that there were far too many quiet nights for his liking although the Filipino band does do a good job, but I'm not sure that the 20 minute lady-boy show is pulling in the punters!!

 

At one time the owner of the Soi was allowing some of his bars to be rented on a monthly basis because not everyone was prepared (or could afford) to front up with the many millions of key money required and there were too many empty bars, however just recently he has enforced the key money regime and some have paid up, however it remains to be seen what will happen to the others.

 

Back in Nanai Road territory, the Italian restaurant at the south end which closed due to lack of business and then reopened as something else, which again was put on the market due to lack of business, has in fact been purchased and turned back into an Italian restaurant called Lo Scoglio and from what I can gather, the new owners have also leased the small hotel attached to it.

 

I also noticed that the Italian restaurant near the junction of Banzaan and Nanai, just down from the Market Bar which is for sale, has also closed finally and is for sale, although I believe it did shut down for a few months previously, now it's definitely up for sale.

 

The two bars which were in Nanai Road and on the corner of Nanai 8 and which closed due to....yes you've guessed it.....have been partly demolished and are being transformed into? (watch this space).

 

Meanwhile couple of small massage shops have closed along with one another in Nanai 8 and although one could argue that this has been an ongoing scenario due to "change", I cannot ever remember there being this amount of closures in the 10 years I've been living here.

[DrDave]

As a follow-on to xlylophone's post, I noticed that the former U2 bar on Bangla seems to have been taken over by Kangaroo bar next door - both have been fixtures on Bangla for as long as I can remember. 

 

On soi 8, there's an empty lot on the Nanai end that's undergoing some construction. I don't remember what was there previously, but it appears that something was demolished, and now something new is being constructed. Surprising, considering the number of vacant shophouses for rent in the area.  As for the work being done on the building at the corner of Nanai and soi 8, it seems to be a major remodel, with the entire premises being gutted.

 

A little further south on Nanai, I noticed that the vacant property that previously housed the "cool place for cool people" right on the corner (sorry, I forget the real name), has been resurrected as a new bar/restaurant. And so the cycle begins anew.

 

[LivinginKata]

I see some changes over the weekend on the south end of Nanai, don't know if that small dead ending soi has a name - goes to the Asia Garden guest house. In the early days (2+ years ago) most shops were rented, but it a poor location with little foot traffic. The eatery at the road end has changed hands a few time, then closed, that's when just about every other business closed. Last week the restaurant terrace was trying to rent motor bikes, but not it's back to a resturant - think called Bite.  The m/bike people moved 2 doors down (used to be a travel agent) and in between now a property agent (used to be a ladies dress shop). Couple of farangs working out of the property shop. 

[LivinginKata]

On 8/27/2016 at 8:50 PM, DrDave said:

<snip>

A little further south on Nanai, I noticed that the vacant property that previously housed the "cool place for cool people" right on the corner (sorry, I forget the real name), has been resurrected as a new bar/restaurant. And so the cycle begins anew.

 

 

Yes - this is the same soi I mentioned above.  There is still the same sign 'cool place for cool people' but I thought this was for the small outside bar on the right side. And you are correct ... so the cycle begins.  Stupid business plan if no foot traffic in a remote area..

 

Looked a bit closer today as I passed ... restaurant is 1 Bite. Looks like a couple more vacant small shops have re-opened.

Edited August 30, 2016 by LivinginKata

[NamKangMan]

5 hours ago, LivinginKata said:

 

Yes - this is the same soi I mentioned above.  There is still the same sign 'cool place for cool people' but I thought this was for the small outside bar on the right side. And you are correct ... so the cycle begins.  Stupid business plan if no foot traffic in a remote area..

 

Looked a bit closer today as I passed ... restaurant is 1 Bite. Looks like a couple more vacant small shops have re-opened.

 

 

"Stupid business plan if no foot traffic in a remote area." - depends who's "business plan" it is. 

 

Maybe it's the new girlfriend's "business plan."   

 

 

[cameraman888]

Patong is overpriced. Food, hotels and taxis are all too much. People told me not to go there but I had to meet a visitor there and everything they said was true. Not worth it. That's why its not busy in my opinion. I was outraged at paying for a taxi ride and no one would use their meter. Paying for a taxi in Bangkok was 125 baht and in Patong for a shorter distance it was 600 baht and no negotiation. People are wising up.

[schlog]

Patong is only overpriced for tourists. You have to know the place and need your own transport then you can get good quality for a fair price. Like lunch set at WC for 249 baht or Ramada hotel for 1500 baht with perfect beds and great australian steaks for 800 baht only to name a bit.

 

But no question times are challenging for business owners in patong. Also the bigger ones start to feel it the hard way.

Two days ago at 7pm were 6 waitresses in front of MK Gold trying to catch patrons. Never saw them desperate this way.

[xylophone]

On 8/30/2016 at 9:07 PM, NamKangMan said:

 

 

"Stupid business plan if no foot traffic in a remote area." - depends who's "business plan" it is. 

 

Maybe it's the new girlfriend's "business plan."   

 

 

 

I'm pretty sure that a lot of these small businesses are bought/opened at the behest of the new girlfriend however thinking about that, the farang would have to be just as stupid as the girl to think that opening up a business where others have failed time and time again because of lack of foot traffic, positioning or not offering something new, would suddenly succeed!

 

It seems to be happening a lot in Nanai Road and the thrice opened Italian restaurant at the south end seems to be doing as much business as it was in its two previous incarnations – – just about zilch.

 

Closer to the action, I have to wonder how long the little "booth/hut" at the back of Jungceylon which sells sausages and fries, will stay open. It's been there about two months now and despite the fact I have spent many hours/days in that part of town I've only ever seen four people buy anything from it and I would bet my last dollar that it is making no money whatsoever, so expect a closure or a sale in the near future.

 

Despite the fact that Patong is supposedly dead, I did notice a couple of "outside people chasers" (the name given to the timeshare touts on motorbikes who chase people with the offer of a "winning" scratch ticket) and a bunch of the white shirted timeshare sales touts seated in a relatively newly opened bar mid Nanai Road. Looks like they have made this one their home now after trying several others over the past few years and from the feedback I've had, the bar owners had better watch the bar tabs because it seems a few of these are run up by these folk, with payment promised when the next commission cheque comes through, and when it doesn't...............

[balo]

1 hour ago, schlog said:

Like lunch set at WC for 249 baht or Ramada hotel for 1500 baht with perfect beds and great australian steaks for 800 baht o

Still too expensive, in Pattaya 180 for western lunch set ,  aussie steak in a good restaurant is 400++ . 

 

[NamKangMan]

2 hours ago, xylophone said:

 

I'm pretty sure that a lot of these small businesses are bought/opened at the behest of the new girlfriend however thinking about that, the farang would have to be just as stupid as the girl to think that opening up a business where others have failed time and time again because of lack of foot traffic, positioning or not offering something new, would suddenly succeed!

 

It seems to be happening a lot in Nanai Road and the thrice opened Italian restaurant at the south end seems to be doing as much business as it was in its two previous incarnations – – just about zilch.

 

Closer to the action, I have to wonder how long the little "booth/hut" at the back of Jungceylon which sells sausages and fries, will stay open. It's been there about two months now and despite the fact I have spent many hours/days in that part of town I've only ever seen four people buy anything from it and I would bet my last dollar that it is making no money whatsoever, so expect a closure or a sale in the near future.

 

Despite the fact that Patong is supposedly dead, I did notice a couple of "outside people chasers" (the name given to the timeshare touts on motorbikes who chase people with the offer of a "winning" scratch ticket) and a bunch of the white shirted timeshare sales touts seated in a relatively newly opened bar mid Nanai Road. Looks like they have made this one their home now after trying several others over the past few years and from the feedback I've had, the bar owners had better watch the bar tabs because it seems a few of these are run up by these folk, with payment promised when the next commission cheque comes through, and when it doesn't...............

 

"I'm pretty sure that a lot of these small businesses are bought/opened at the behest of the new girlfriend" - I agree.

 

"the farang would have to be just as stupid as the girl" - the farang is stupid, the girl is not. 

 

She inflates the price of everything the business needs to start up, and to survive, and she keeps the difference, possibly whilst still getting a monthly "salary" from the farang, as well.  

 

 

 

 

 

[DrDave]

On Bangla Thursday night, things were looking a little grim.

 

MrsDave and I started out a bit early - around 8:00, and aside from the ever-popular Kangaroo (and now Kangaroo 2), about the only bar that had a significant number of customers was Monsoon. Most likely because they have their band start playing early. Tao was, well, Tao. They had a handful of customers early on, and around 9:00 a few more wandered in. I don't know how they can possibly make any money employing an 8-piece band, a number of touts on the street as well as waitstaff, all the while selling Chang bottles for 49 baht (via coupons given out by the touts). Granted, they charge significantly more for other beer brands (i.e SanMig Light for a whopping 180 baht!), but most of the clientele go for the promotional beers. IMHO, the 8-piece Filipino band at Tao pales in comparison to the other bands on Bangla, being more hip-hop oriented. Or maybe I'm just an old fart.

 

After having our fill of "yo, yo, yo, hey, hey, hey" at Tao, we wandered over to Monsoon, which looked to be doing a brisk business. Like Tao, Monsoon's touts were giving out coupons for 49 baht Chang bottles. But, if the table of Chinese girls that walked in after us is indicative of the majority of Monsoon's customers, they may not be making much money as well. These girls each ordered up their 49 baht Chang, and then buried their noses in their cellphones. The beers were never touched.

 

Next up was Smiley. I have to admit, I've walked past Smiley many times and seen good crowds there, but this was the first time to stop in. The band is very good, and they're Thai - which is quite a change from the usual Filipino bands in the area. Maybe it was an "off" night, but from about 10pm until after midnight, only about 3 or 4 tables were taken inside, and maybe another 3 or 4 tables outside. I was really surprised that a bar as nice as this, running a 79 baht Chang promotion, with a good band didn't draw more customers. I hope this can be attributed to just an off night on Bangla.

 

Finally ended up in Soi Freedom to finish the night. There was a definite lack of customers in nearly all the bars. At the end of the soi, near the band, Island bar had 2 customers, and Wave bar had 2 or 3. The band at Soi Freedom is very good (especially the guitar player), but you could somehow feel a sense of discouragement at having to play to an essentially empty house.

 

As for the beach at Patong, it seems that the commercial activities have really ramped up over the past few weeks. The number of jetskis parked on the sand seems to have ballooned, as if staking their territories for high season. I also see that a row of shophouses fronting the beach just north of Bangla has been demolished, and a new resort is being built. On a positive note, I saw that Sheraton 4 Points has taken over the hotel on the north end of the beach road, next to the B-Lay resort. I could be wrong, but I think this hotel was constructed several years ago, but never fully opened. Hopefully, Sheraton will be able to make a go of it.

[xylophone]

Hey DrDave,

 

Seems like I missed you by a day because I was out on the Friday and it was much the same scenario as you describe even though Smiley Bar was a little more full (60%?) And I have to agree with you about the band there, because they are a very good band and the three (now four) singers have great voices and are very adaptable in their range and style.

 

Sounds like Soi Freedom was much the same with perhaps two or three more customers near the band, but that was about it, and I can assure you that getting up on that stage and singing to a near empty soi is a little soul destroying!!

 

I walked home past Tao and there is absolutely no way that that bar is making any money at all, even if it had no rent to pay, it still wouldn't be able to cover the outgoings from what I've seen (and the owner still has to recover 28 million baht spent on the refurbishment and fit out and perhaps the three-year lease).

 

Back to good old Nanai and I noticed that the former "South Mansion" which closed about a month ago has been leased again and is now open as "db Mansion", so someone else is having a crack at reinvigorating a failed business, whilst 100 m south of it on the same side of the road another small hotel/guesthouse is up for lease, with the previous owners moving out as I write this.

 

I think this was the place which was advertising rooms for under 5000 baht (or thereabouts) per month and I'm sure I caught a glimpse of one place advertising rooms at 4500 baht per month, so I don't think there is big money to be made in these little enterprises (duh).

 

The more things change, the more things stay the same?

[NamKangMan]

I see Fiddy's on Soi Sansabai has a small For Sale sign on it.  Maybe it's been there for a while, if so, I just never noticed it. 

 

This place has been around for a long time, and there is nothing wrong with the location.

 

 

Edited September 6, 2016 by NamKangMan

[xylophone]

7 minutes ago, NamKangMan said:

I see Fiddy's on Soi Sansabai has a small For Sale sign on it.  Maybe it's been there for a while, if so, I just never noticed it. 

 

This place has been around for a long time, and there is nothing wrong with the location.

 

 

 

I haven't been down Sansabai for an age now, so obviously I wouldn't have seen it, however as you say it is a great location and it has been around for an age and as I recall it had a pretty steady following, i.e. a lot of repeat business.

 

I know he had been spending some time in the Phillies and wonder if he is looking for a change. Having said that, he has recently had some heart surgery, so I wonder if he's now going to call it a day and take it easy?