Phuket pushes forward

Thailand's CEI industry is in confident mood as Phuket prepares to welcome the high season, after enduring a drawn-out low season no one will ever forget. While the island's leisure economy is still suffering as a result of the devastation wrought by last December's tsunami, a number of hotels such as the JW Marriott Phuket are expecting a strong Christmas and New Year period. CEI figures are confident corporate delegates will once again descend on the destination in great numbers. When they get there, they will discovery that Phuket is now largely rebuilt. The final missing piece in the jigsaw puzzle, Le Méridien Phuket Beach Resort, came back on line on August 15, while the Amari Coral Beach Resort has also reopened its doors. Classical…Dusit Laguna Phuket The other major players on the island, the Sheraton Grande Laguna Phuket Hotel and Resort, Hilton Phuket Arcada Resort and Spa and Dusit Laguna Phuket Resort and Hotel, were structurally unaffected by last December's tsunami. Not surprisingly, the Sheraton's CEI business picked up substantially in the wake of tsunami, with its main rival, Le Meridien, being out of action for so long. "We are back in business, and the hotel looks fantastic," says Philippe Seigle, regional general manager for Le Méridien Phuket Beach Resort. "We have spent a number of months preparing for the opening, and I'm sure that all our visitors will be delighted with the fresh new look that we have given to this fabulous hotel." Seigle says that during the closure the hotel was able to undertake several refurbishment projects that would normally not be possible in a functioning hotel. "This is one of the best hotels in Asia, considered a second home by thousands of repeat guests. I can assure them that their favourite paradise in Phuket is back — and it is better than ever," he says. Le Méridien has completely refurbished its reception, main lobby, swimming pools and several restaurants. Public areas of the hotel now have a contemporary Thai style. Malinee Kitaphanich, corporate meetings and incentives director for the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau, has no doubts about Phuket's long-term future. "Phuket will definitely bounce back," she says. "A number of meetings and incentives are already coming back, especially from India and China. It's a good time for them to go there — there's great prices." "It's a buyer's market on Phuket," adds David Barrett, Bangkok-based executive manager of Diethelm Events. Barrett says the closure of Le Méridien had a profound affect on Diethelm's business, with the company forced to look to other properties. "The Sheraton has done really well out of Le Méridien's closure. Those two properties are the main CEI venues in Phuket, and with Le Méridien closed, the Sheraton picked up most of its business. The Evason also did quite well," he says. Meg Evans, director of marketing, Thailand for JW Marriott Hotels and Resorts, is adamant that it is a misconception to speak of Phuket's "recovery". "What we have to get across is that much of the structural damage was small-scale and the deluxe hotels, including our Phuket property, were fully operational within days. However, the impression given in much of the international media was of massive destruction. This simply isn't true." "We need to go out with confidence and show that Phuket is as ready as ever to welcome corporate groups and events back to the island," she says. Werner Senft, area director of sales and marketing, Le Meridien Thailand Resorts, also believes the group's four resort properties, two of which are on Phuket, will see a resurgence. "Le Meridien at Khao Lak, which is just over an hour from Phuket, is scheduled to reopen in October and our property in Koh Samui, Le Royal Meridien Baan Taling Ngam, has been registering strong business while the Phuket Beach Resort has been closed, although its size is certainly not on the same scale for meetings," he says. While it may have been a rough year for Phuket, the sheer quality of the meetings and incentives products on offer suggest the island will soon be back on track.