New condo builds at the airport - now I understand

[simon43]

Over the past year, I've watched with some curiosity as many new and large condo buildings have started (and recently finished) construction in the vicinity of the airport.

According to my local knowledge, there isn't the demand by local Thais to buy condos of this quality (quality in this case means better quality than the monthly rent rooms in the area). Nor are there any foreigners living in the area who might buy these condos.

As of yesterday, the reason for at least some of these new condos became clear - they are 'private' hotels for the Chinese tour groups.

Here is one such 'hotel' on the road adjacent to the airport - complete with Chinese tour bus outside.

This building is called 'The Sixteen - Nai Yang Beach Hotel'. I wonder if the existing, legal hotel called 'Nai Yang Beach Hotel' will complain about this name.

Here is another new 'hotel' up on the hill near to the airport, and only 300 metres from my hotel. Quite why it claims to be at Nai Yang Beach is beyond me. Or maybe it is promoting the view of the beach, some 2Kms away.

You won't find these 'hotels' listed on booking.com or Agoda. I doubt very much if they are legally-registered as hotels. (No doubt, this is the type of hotel that the Thai Hotels Association have been moaning about).

(I should emphasis that I do not have any personal grudge against these new businesses - they don't affect my own occupancy levels - I'm busy building extra guest rooms to cope with the high demand).

I wonder how many more of the soon-to-be-completed new condos at the airport will suddenly morph into 'hotels'.

[Don Mega]

If it was a private hotel for Chinese tour groups why would they have a website that anyone can book a room via ?

http://www.the16naiyanghotel.com/

Also that S4 one is on Agoda.

http://www.agoda.com/s4-nai-yang-beach-phuket/hotel/phuket-th.html

Edited January 16, 2016 by Don Mega

[LivinginKata]

If it was a private hotel for Chinese tour groups why would they have a website that anyone can book a room via ?

http://www.the16naiyanghotel.com/

Also that S4 one is on Agoda.

http://www.agoda.com/s4-nai-yang-beach-phuket/hotel/phuket-th.html

But Simon says these are not listed on hotel booking sites ??

[bearpolar]

wow, 12k baht per night.

It's just there for show obviously. They dont want any booking customers.

Reminds me of all the weird hotels in middle of small sois in phuket town.. no one but chinese.. No thai would every stay in such a retarded area.

[simon43]

I stand corrected about the S4 hotel - it is indeed on Agoda.

For both of these hotels, the only guests that I've seen are Chinese tour groups.

Agoda says the hotel is 0.3Km from the airport, 4 minutes walk - which is totally incorrect - the map location is false.

I doubt very much that this hotel is open to anyone - the room rate on Agoda for tomorrow night is 12,744 THB - a room of this type would normally be sold at about 1,500 baht.

As for the 16 hotel, it has a website and no, you cannot book! - the booking page does not exist

[bearpolar]

say what you want, the chinese are clever. They get the numbers of arrivals up for the govt and keep 100% of every single money transaction(outside of king power) to themselves. Chinese are happy, they get to see chinese concrete in an other country and 5mins of non-chinese beach and the thai elite gets A+ on their yearly govt report card.

They probably had half chinese/thai orphelins doing the manual labour on those hotels or a chinese expat's company did it with the help of burmese workers

Edited January 16, 2016 by bearpolar

[NamKangMan]

I know exactly what the Chinese are doing, and it is working well.

It's 12,000 baht for use of the coach bus for 12 days / nights - the room is for free.

[grumpyoldman]

I know exactly what the Chinese are doing, and it is working well.

It's 12,000 baht for use of the coach bus for 12 days / nights - the room is for free.

[Goldieinkathu]

How long before other hotels protest?

Going to be busy on the highways with taxi groups, hotel groups, massage and beach worker groups and lets not forget the rubber growers!

[Don Mega]

I stand corrected about the S4 hotel - it is indeed on Agoda.

For both of these hotels, the only guests that I've seen are Chinese tour groups.

Agoda says the hotel is 0.3Km from the airport, 4 minutes walk - which is totally incorrect - the map location is false.

I doubt very much that this hotel is open to anyone - the room rate on Agoda for tomorrow night is 12,744 THB - a room of this type would normally be sold at about 1,500 baht.

As for the 16 hotel, it has a website and no, you cannot book! - the booking page does not exist

I just booked a room through the website.

Edited January 16, 2016 by seedy
personal details

[stevenl]

Why wouldnt these hotels be legal? They're very visible, much cheaper to be legal.

[schlog]

Maybe only a topic like the one about being sick and want a beach....to advertise the own fire sale of his "resort"?

[seedy]

One Post Edited - personal details. While I am almost positive that the poster did not use his own personal details, the Forum rule is in place to protect everyone

18) You will not post phone numbers, email addresses, business names, or web/Facebook/Twitter/Google+ addresses in posts or signatures. Web addresses to personal non-commercial sites sites/blogs, or Facebook/Twitter/Google+ addresses, may be posted in a member's profile page.

[bearpolar]

I stand corrected about the S4 hotel - it is indeed on Agoda.

For both of these hotels, the only guests that I've seen are Chinese tour groups.

Agoda says the hotel is 0.3Km from the airport, 4 minutes walk - which is totally incorrect - the map location is false.

I doubt very much that this hotel is open to anyone - the room rate on Agoda for tomorrow night is 12,744 THB - a room of this type would normally be sold at about 1,500 baht.

As for the 16 hotel, it has a website and no, you cannot book! - the booking page does not exist

I just booked a room through the website.

16th.jpg

404 ERROR Look like it's empty here!

We’re sorry, the page you were looking for doesn’t exist.

You booked a room through a non existing page?

their agoda works though, 1600~ per night for sixtheenth

Edited January 16, 2016 by bearpolar

[Don Mega]

I stand corrected about the S4 hotel - it is indeed on Agoda.

For both of these hotels, the only guests that I've seen are Chinese tour groups.

Agoda says the hotel is 0.3Km from the airport, 4 minutes walk - which is totally incorrect - the map location is false.

I doubt very much that this hotel is open to anyone - the room rate on Agoda for tomorrow night is 12,744 THB - a room of this type would normally be sold at about 1,500 baht.

As for the 16 hotel, it has a website and no, you cannot book! - the booking page does not exist

I just booked a room through the website.

16th.jpg

404 ERROR Look like it's empty here!

We’re sorry, the page you were looking for doesn’t exist.

You booked a room through a non existing page?

their agoda works though, 1600~ per night for sixtheenth

Click on the rooms button ---> pick room ---> input dates ---> check availability ---> book now.

so this one is one Agoda as well.... seems Simon was well off the mark then.

And for Seedy, I removed the "personal" details.

Edited January 16, 2016 by Don Mega

[bearpolar]

so simon was the victim of a terrible 20 yo web designer

I couldnt find where to book on the website either, or the places to book are all blocked by my protection addons.

[Don Mega]

yeah booking button does not work for me either.

[simon43]

.to advertise the own fire sale of his "resort"?

LoL - that must be why I'm building more guest rooms to keep up with the demand

If you did manage to book a room online, then you have more money than sense. Their room rate is much higher than those offered by comparable hotels in this area, (and I don't include my own hotel as comparable - it is a different style of accommodation).

But this is going of-topic. My OP was to highlight the construction of condos (which is what the planning permission paperwork displayed outside the building site said when I last checked), and then using them as hotels for Chinese tour groups.

BTW, S4 is telling some 'porkies' when it claims to be 0.3Km from the airport, just 4 minutes walk. Their map location on Agoda is way off

Update - I'm repeating myself about the map error, must be old age.

Edited January 16, 2016 by simon43

[Don Mega]

you clearly stated these are bogus hotels and neither of them exist on agoda nor could you not book a room on their website... you have been proven wrong on all 3 counts and now you claim " off topic"....

Bwahahahaha....

Anyways back to the new topic...

How do you know their building permissions were not changed from condo to hotel at a later date... after all everything else you have claimed so far has been proven to be false.

[simon43]

How do you know their building permissions were not changed from condo to hotel at a later date... after all everything else you have claimed so far has been proven to be false.

I sense your 'outrage' at my comments might be because you have some financial interest in these projects

Did you manage to book a room on their website? 'Cos I couldn't (I got a 404 error). No big deal, quite common for Thai websites.

I live and build hotels in this area for 14 years. I know which hotels in this area are 'legal' and which are 'condos'.

As a general comment, there are many illegal 'hotels' listed on Agoda.

[sebastion]

Simon sees that his lucrative airport hotel getting some competition and is worried what that might bring.

Nothing is forever.

[TheCruncher]

Simon sees that his lucrative airport hotel getting some competition and is worried what that might bring.

Nothing is forever.

I thought he has only 6 rooms or so, so wouldn't that be called guesthouse instead of hotel?

[Guest]

New hotels popping up near the Airport.

Was there anything else on this topic?

[simon43]

Was there anything else on this topic?

Nothing else. I'm done

[phuketrichard]

why do u say there condos " This building is called 'The Sixteen - Nai Yang Beach Hotel'.

look like hotels to me

Chinese are VERY smart.

there building their own hotels, restaurants, shops, (think those huge jewelry shops) they run their own tour companies, own tour guides etc etc

all to keep the Chinese in check

8 million expected this year... how much $$ will Thai's make off of that?

[Valentine]

why do u say there condos " This building is called 'The Sixteen - Nai Yang Beach Hotel'.

look like hotels to me

Chinese are VERY smart.

there building their own hotels, restaurants, shops, (think those huge jewelry shops) they run their own tour companies, own tour guides etc etc

all to keep the Chinese in check

8 million expected this year... how much $$ will Thai's make off of that?

There would have to be Thai partners involved as there is a hideous amount of money being made which goes to a select few. The focus on getting numbers through the Chinese hordes is to the detriment of all the street level businesses which cater to the tourism industry. The business model will ensure all those fancy establishments recoup their investment in a very short time.

What about the big condo going up by the traffic lights near the airport, surely that is not for the Chinese over nighters?

[simon43]

What about the big condo going up by the traffic lights near the airport, surely that is not for the Chinese over nighters?

If you mean The Terminal project, the local OrBorTor told me that the investors are a Chinese company, who are building a complex with hotel for Chinese, restaurants for Chinese, souvenir shops selling (fake) Phuket souvenirs made in China, plus condos for sale (not sure who will buy the condos...)

[Don Mega]

Your local OrBorTor is very forthcoming with information.

Should ask him/her are the 16th a S4 buildings illegal hotels or not.

Edited January 17, 2016 by Don Mega

[Felt 35]

why do u say there condos " This building is called 'The Sixteen - Nai Yang Beach Hotel'.

look like hotels to me

Chinese are VERY smart.

there building their own hotels, restaurants, shops, (think those huge jewelry shops) they run their own tour companies, own tour guides etc etc

all to keep the Chinese in check

8 million expected this year... how much $$ will Thai's make off of that?

Great, why not make a manmade island to them where they can land nighttime, eat mama noodles, take some selfies and before noon send them on their way back.

[Old Croc]

why do u say there condos " This building is called 'The Sixteen - Nai Yang Beach Hotel'.

look like hotels to me

Chinese are VERY smart.

there building their own hotels, restaurants, shops, (think those huge jewelry shops) they run their own tour companies, own tour guides etc etc

all to keep the Chinese in check

8 million expected this year... how much $$ will Thai's make off of that?

Great, why not make a manmade island to them where they can land nighttime, eat mama noodles, take some selfies and before noon send them on their way back.

They've got one, it's in the Spratlys