The new Holiday Inn Pattaya has opened for business. This multi-story 367-room property is located along on Beach Road in North Pattaya within walking distance of numerous shops, restaurants, bars and massage parlors. The hotel has special features aimed at attracting family vacationers. The hotel is across the busy road from the beach but most visitors will prefer using the hotel’s swimming pools rather than the disappointing beach area.

All guestrooms and 14 suites have great views of Pattaya Bay – see the picture - and have ocean-facing balconies. The amenities include satellite television with a wide range of international channels, pay-per-view movies, a work desk with high-speed Internet access, spacious bathrooms with a hairdryer and bathrobes, refrigerator, coffee and tea making facilities and a minibar. The recreational facilities include a fully-equipped gym, three outdoor infinity pools and the Tea Tree Spa which offers a varied assortment of treatments. Dining include a retro-Cuban lounge, pictured here, and a modern Italian restaurant. Children are well catered for with the Kids Eat Free program, special suites for children, a kid’s pool and a Kid’s Club that offers exciting games and activities.

Contact details: No 1 Beach Road, Pattaya, 94000 Thailand. Tel +66-0-38725555. Fax: 66-0-38725556.

Thai flights to cost more: Thai Airways International has increased its fuel surcharge on some of its international flights. The airline has adjusted its fuel surcharge on air tickets issued by its sales and ticketing offices worldwide for all classes of travel as follows: Return flights routed Bangkok-Europe (including Israel): London, Paris, Frankfurt, Munich, Rome, Milan, Athens, Moscow, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Oslo, Zurich, Madrid, and Tel Aviv, at a fuel surcharge of US$86.50 per sector from previous rate of US$76.50. Return flights routed Bangkok-Australia: Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, at a fuel surcharge of US$74.50 per sector from previous rate of US$64.50. Return flights routed Bangkok-Perth, at a fuel surcharge of US$57 per sector from previous rate of US$47. Return flights routed Bangkok-New Zealand, at a fuel surcharge of US$86.50 per sector from previous rate of US$76.50. On return flights routed Bangkok-Los Angeles, a fuel surcharge of US$104.50 per sector from previous rate of US$89.50 per sector.

More Méridiens: Méridien has added three new properties to its Thailand to its portfolio - Le Méridien Bangkok, Le Méridien Chiang Mai and Le Méridien Chiang Rai.

Le Méridien Bangkok: Located on Suriawongse Road just steps away from the famous Patpong Night market, Le Méridien Bangkok is a modern 24-story tower with 282 guestrooms and suites which feature floor to ceiling windows. The hotel has Latest Recipe, an all day dining concept, Bamboo Chic, a contemporary Asian fusion concept, a spa by Le Méridien with seven circular treatment rooms, and a fully-equipped fitness center and outdoor pool.

Le Méridien Chiang Rai Resort: Centered between two majestic 100-year-old rain trees, Le Méridien Chiang Rai Resort is located in Thailand’s premier hillside resort community in the country’s northernmost province. Owned by the Rain Tree Hotel Company, the brand-new resort is a 10-minute drive from the Chiang Rai International Airport, five minutes from the town center and a one-hour drive from the Golden Triangle, where Myanmar, Laos and Thailand converge. The 159 spacious and contemporary guestrooms and suites have expansive private balconies. The property has a full service spa, three world-class restaurants, a state-of-the-art gym and a three-tiered, outdoor swimming pool.

Le Méridien Chiang Mai: This hotel is on Chang Klan Road in the heart of downtown Chiang Mai and has 384 guestrooms. You can read more about this property on the Chiang Mai Hotels 3 page on this website.

Most of the hotel’s 384 guestrooms overlook the Doi Suthep Mountain and all have broadband Internet and high-definition LCD televisions. The property has two restaurants, a modern health club, a multi-sensory spa and an outdoor swimming pool with panoramic views of Chiang Mai. There is more than 1,900 square meters of function space for seminars, banquets and conventions.

The Phuket Tourism Association has forecast that Phuket hotels will see average occupancy rates dip to as low as 25-30 percent this summer compared to 60 percent in the summer season of 2008. It had been predicted that revenues would be down 50 percent compared to last year. Political instability, the global economic crisis and the swine flu virus were the reasons given for the drop. Only tourists from Australia, the Middle East and India are expected in strong numbers this summer.

Oslo-Bangkok Flights: Thai Airways International is to start direct flights between Bangkok and Oslo, Norway. The service, to be inaugurated on June 15, will use A340-500 aircraft, with 60 business class seats, 42 premium economy seats and 113 economy class seats. The flights will operate five days per week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday) with an 11-hour flight time.

Seven new hotels for Thailand: With all the bad economic news from around the globe, it is good to get some good tidings. Carlson Hotels Worldwide - Asia Pacific has announced it will open seven new hotels in Thailand.

Martin Rinck, President and Managing Director of CHW-AP said: "Thailand's hospitality market remains buoyant despite a number of challenges and continues to hold enormous potential for accelerated growth."

The new hotels will add more than 1,500 hotel rooms in Bangkok and Phuket by 2010. CHW-AP currently manages the recently opened Park Plaza Sukhumvit Bangkok (the picture on the right shows the rooftop swimming pool) and has a franchise property, the 448 room Radisson Hotel Bangkok.

"We will be introducing our luxury Regent brand in Bangkok and Phuket, which will be signature hotels in the expanding tourism offerings of these cities. These projects will also contribute to the generation of career and training opportunities for Thai nationals in the hospitality sector," Rinck said.

                                                                            
Best Western is to open a new resort just beyond the boundary of one of Thailand’s most spectacular national parks, Sam Roi Yod Marine National Park.

Best Western Sam Roi Yod will be a full-service, 76-room resort property in Pranburi, about 35 kilometers south of Hua Hin. It is scheduled to open in December 2009.

The resort is set amidst a natural coconut grove at Sam Roi Yod Bay, just three minutes from the beach and adjacent to the park. Amenities will include a swimming pool, three restaurants offering Italian, Mediterranean, Thai and South American cuisine, spa, fitness facilities, tennis court, open air ballroom and business center.
Best Western will also open its fourth resort in Phuket in September 2009. The Sawazdi Patong Hotel adjoins the Jungceylon complex in Patong. The resort will have 146 fully-appointed deluxe rooms, swimming pool and a large sundeck and poolside bar. Dining options include an all-day coffee shop with live music and barbecue seafood in the evenings at the poolside terrace. Other facilities include a fitness room, sauna, spa, games room, business center and a children’s recreation area.

New hotel for Hua Hin: The Best Western Green Garden Resort, with 60 plus rooms, is scheduled to open in 2010 and will be on Petchkasem Road, the main highway running through Hua Hin, within walking distance of the beach. This will be the first Best Western in the area.

The Boathouse Wins Again: Phuket’s Boathouse Wine and Grill has won another Best of Award of Excellence from the Wine Spectator Magazine. The resort has now won this award for three consecutive years. The Boathouse remains the only resort in Thailand to have received this award. You can read more about The Boathouse on the first page of Phuket Hotels.  

Free nights if it rains: Phuket’s five-star Indigo Pearl resort has come up with a program to entice travelers during the island’s rainy low season. If it rains for three consecutive hours everyday, guests will get a voucher for one free night. For example, if it rains for three consecutive hours per day for two days the guests will get two free nights – with breakfast included. The aim is to attract those who have the belief that rainy season means it rains all the time. Having spent many rainy seasons in Phuket, I doubt the hotel will part with many vouchers. However, it may bring travelers to the island when business is slow. The Indigo Pearl is located on Nai Yang Beach, a 10-minute drive south from Phuket International Airport. The picture shows one of the hotel swimming pools. There is more information about the resort on this website on Phuket Hotels 3.

New flight from Bangkok to Hong Kong: AirAsia now has direct daily flights between Hong Kong and Bangkok using the Airbus 320. The flight will depart Bangkok at 4.30pm and arrive in Hong Kong at 8.15pm. The return flight leaves Hong Kong at 8.50pm arriving in Bangkok at 10.50pm.

Great news for swimmers in Chiang Mai: A new swimming club named the Center of the Universe has opened just seven kilometers from downtown. The club offers annual memberships for long-term Chiang Mai residents as well as temporary one-day memberships for visitors to the city. In addition to the vast 25-meter long lap pool there is a separate children’s pool and toddlers pool. The facility is set in lush tropical gardens and has a reasonably priced restaurant and bar. The pools have a modern salt chlorinator system, which means softer and more buoyant water, and less likelihood of skin irritation, some people suffer when swimming in a pool using granular or liquid chlorine. The pools are wheelchair friendly with ramps from the car park to the main entrance and specially designed toilet and showers.  Access to the main pool is via a series of shallow steps and handrails, with staff on hand to help if necessary. For more information: www.therealcentreoftheuniverse.com  

Going Green at the Evason Phuket: The 260-room Evason Phuket is to become one of the first resorts in Asia to implement a biomass combustion system as an alternative energy source. The installation will operate on plant material only, which is harvested from the 64 acres of tropical parkland in which the resort is set. The energy system will have the capability of running a 20-ton absorption chiller air-conditioning unit.
The plant, which will use 140 kilograms of organic rubbish per day, has been funded in part by DANIDA, the Danish Embassy Supporting Program Institute.
Other improvements: All the ugly electrical cabling has been moved underground, and quiet and non-polluting electric vehicles are being phased in to replacing the gasoline-consuming tramcars, which traverse the property. For more information on the Evason Phuket, go to the Phuket Hotels page on this website.

Hilton Hotel planned for Pattaya: A new 300-room upmarket hotel is scheduled to open early in 2010 in Pattaya. The Hilton Pattaya will be part of the new Central Festival Pattaya Beach complex, one of the largest beachfront-shopping complexes in Asia. The development will have over 200 leading international shops and restaurants in a seven story shopping mall that will be anchored by a Central Department Store. The complex will also feature a 10-screen movie theatre and a 25-lane bowling alley.
There will be a hotel entrance on the ground floor but the main lobby of the hotel will be on the seventh floor. The hotel rooms will be in a 15 storey tower above the lobby. The 25th floor restaurant will serve as a premium sky restaurant overlooking Pattaya Bay.
The hotel will have full MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions) facilities as well as a health club, spa and swimming pool.

Swiss Park Gets New Owners: InVision Hospitality, a Thailand-based consultancy and management company has acquired the Swiss Park Hotel on Bangkok's Sukhumvit Soi 11.Swiss Park Hotel is a 108-room full-service hotel. The new owners plans to expand and modernize the number of rooms with a completion date in the last half of 2009. Renovations of the existing rooms and public areas will be in two phases. The hotel will remain open and serving guests during the renovations, which are estimated to cost around 150 million Baht. Once renovations are completed, the hotel will be re-launched as Glow Hotel @ Sukhumvit 11.

Bangkok Airways frequent flyer program FlyerBonus has added Marriott Hotels Thailand as its latest hotel partner. Points accumulated per stay are: 20 points for JW Marriott, 15 points for Renaissance and 10 points for Courtyard by Marriott. Members can also redeem points for free room accommodation at participating hotels that includes: JW Marriott Hotel Bangkok, JW Marriott Phuket Resort and Spa, Renaissance Ko Samui Resort and Spa, Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok, Courtyard by Marriott Phuket at Kamala Beach, Courtyard by Marriott Phuket at Patong Beach, Courtyard by Marriott Phuket at Surin Beach and Courtyard by Marriott Hua Hin at Cha-am Beach.

Fees to National Parks Cut: Thailand’s National Parks Department has cut the entrance fees for foreigners to national parks across the nation in a bid to lure more overseas tourists.The reduction came after the department received complaints from foreign visitors that the fees are too high. Entrance fees for adult foreigners have been cut from 400 to 200 baht for the most popular parks, and by 75 percent for the less popular ones. Among the most popular sites where the fees were cut by half include the marine national parks at Ko Lanta in Krabi and Ko Chang in Trat. Entrance fees for the top national parks in the North and Northeast such as Doi Suthep-Pui and Doi Inthanont in Chiang Mai, Jae Son in Lampang, Khao Phra Viharn in Si Sa Ket have also been cut by half.  

Room Service With A Thai Difference: The acclaimed Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi Chiang Mai has come up with another innovation to attract clients to its incredible resort. (You can see details of the hotel on the Chiang Mai hotels page).
The property is offering very special in-villa dining experiences. There are three menus to choose from each containing an array of appetizers, meat dishes served from a grill and tasty desserts to finish with.  Added attraction for a special night to remember is your own personal cultural performance with Thai dancers performing a combination of traditional northern Chiang Mai and Lanna dances. The evening ends with the northern Thai tradition of releasing Kom Loys – hot air balloons - into the night sky, a practice Lanna people believe brings good luck. Prices start at 2.500 Baht per person plus service and taxes.

                      
More to do in Khao Lak: Le Meridien Khao Lak Beach and Spa Resort has opened a new sports centre featuring a 28-meter golf driving range, an archery range, an 18-hole mini golf course and a boxing ring with ropes and a foam padded flooring. This upmarket resort already has two tennis courts, a fitness center and three wonderful swimming pools. The lagoon pool is pictured here with the beach behind it. With all the wonderful things to do here, fine restaurants and bars, we still think the highlight of this resort is the vast expanse of Bangsak Beach in front of the property.

Flights to Krabi: Tiger Airways is to resume operations to Krabi four times a week with effect from October 25, 2009. Prices start at  Sin$20 one way, excluding taxes and charges. Tiger Airways is Singapore’s largest low fare airline and currently flies to 31 cities in nine countries - Singapore, Australia, Thailand, Vietnam, India, Macau, China, the Philippines and Indonesia.

SPECIAL DIVE PACKAGES: Centara Hotels and Resorts is offering a collection of Scuba dive packages, at its resorts in Phuket, Samui and Krabi. All three areas are an hour’s flying time from Bangkok. The packages are available for beginners as well as experienced divers. Beginners start their training in a resort swimming pool, like the one pictured on the left which is at the Krabi resort. Resorts where the packages are available are Centara Grand Beach Resort Samui, Centara Villas Samui, Centara Karon Resort Phuket, Centara Villas Phuket, Centara Kata Resort Phuket and Centara Grand Beach Resort and Villas Krabi. The packages, starting at under 2.000 Baht per person include a choice of dive options, hotel accommodation for four nights including a daily American breakfast and all taxes, airport transfer to and from resort, welcome drink on arrival, fruit basket in room and transfer to and from the dive boat.

The Oakwood Residence Thonglor Bangkok is now open for business with some attractive introductory rates. The eight story luxury apartment block is located on Sukhumvit Road at Soi 55, an area lined with upmarket malls, fine restaurants and good nightlife. There are 67 fully furnished units, including studios, one, two and three bedroom apartments. The facilities include a rooftop pool, a residents lounge, restaurant with alfresco dining, fitness center, 24-hour front office and security and laundry and dry cleaning services. All of the apartments have a balcony and underground parking is available.  Opening rates range from 2,800 Baht a night for a studio to 9,500 Baht a night for a three bedroom apartment. The rates do include breakfast but not service charges and taxes.