Hotels step up discount and promotion packages

"Many hotels have already extended their promotions introduced some months after the closing of the two airports in Bangkok late last year," Thai Hotel Association president Prakit Chinamourphong said yesterday.

Occupancy is heading down to 30 per cent this month - half of the 60-per-cent rate seen last April, he said.

Niramon Makornpruttipong, regional manager for administration and member-support services at Best Western International, said the hotel chain was offering 20-40-per-cent discounts at all of its properties in the Kingdom for the rest of the year.

Like other players, Best Western is also throwing in more amenities.

Erawan Group president and CEO Kasama Punyagupta said the impact of the recent riots was like that of the airport blockades last year.

"Hotels have been running 50-60-per-cent full, which is 10-15 percentage points off last year's level," he said. "Over the next four weeks, this most recent political unrest will no doubt put pressure on hotels' occupancy rates in a similar pattern as to what happened after the airport closures."

The recently opened Le Meridien Chiang Mai is reportedly cutting room rates more than 50 per cent in order to draw tourists.

The Le Meridien Khao Lak Beach & Spa Resort is selling a holiday package to locals and expat residents for Bt2,199 net per room per night.

The deal includes daily breakfast for two, a 20-per-cent discount on food, 30-per-cent off of spa treatments and 20-per-cent less for airport transfers. This offer also comes with various stimulating recreational activities.

The Ambassador Hotel Bangkok is offering three nights of accommodation for the cost of two until October, while the Zeavola Resort on Krabi's Koh Phi Phi is offering a complimentary choice of a 60-minute massage for one or two persons per stay until June.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) yesterday announced a new campaign called "12 months, 7 Stars, 9 Suns" to boost domestic tourism all year round.

TAT chairman Weerasak Kowsurat said the TAT's board was reviewing if it would change the advertising agency for foreign markets from McCann, as well as the marketing theme. He said some foreign tour operators had stopped selling packages to Thailand.

To allay possible concerns over the recent swine-flu scare in Mexico, 21 TAT offices worldwide have issued a statement on Thailand's precautionary measures, using this opportunity to buff up the Kingdom's tourism image.

Today, Tourism Minister Chumpol Silapa-archa will present a tourism rescue package that includes insurance coverage for foreign tourists and preventive measures against the flu.

Following the Songkran riots, 29 countries and territories issued travel alerts for Thailand. Only three - France, Italy and Hong Kong - have downgraded their warnings.