Novotel Bangkok full with flood-hit staff

“The number of flood victims has reached 80 families with a total of 250 people. They all relocated to the hotel,” general manager Philippe Le Bourhis said yesterday.
The hotel has been offering its rooms for flood-affected staff and their families since September.
It is operating as usual except for a Chinese restaurant that closed because of declining customers, but it will resume business today.
More locals are coming to stay at the hotel, replacing tourists who are not showing up. This plus staff’s rooms are pushing the occupancy rate to 100 per cent, but the overall return will likely drop this month.
The hotel has been promoting a special rate for flood victims – Bt2,000 per night without breakfast.
Management has been following the situation very closely and knows that the number of victims will keep increasing and the property will run out of rooms to sell, Le Bourhis said.
“Yesterday we refused 20 rooms because besides our own staff, Bangkokians are still suffering from the flood and many choose to stay at a hotel,” he said.
One employee said his house in Rangsit was under water and he moved his family without any of their belongings to stay at the hotel.
“My family and I have been at the hotel for two months. As far as I know, my house is almost totally submerged and I consider myself and my family to be severely victimised by the flood because all my belongings are under water and my salary alone cannot support the whole family,” he said.
Le Bourhis said: “Our staff are suffering, so we are setting an example for other organisations to follow by taking care of them.”
The hotel has also organised activities to relieve the stress of staff, such as inviting local monks to give sermons, taking staff to meditate at a nearby temple and taking them to Lumpini Park to exercise. It is holding other activities for retirees, and sending invitations to the hotel’s customers abroad to donate to flood victims in Thailand through many different channels.