Sino-Portuguese style hotel planned for Patong Beach

Pobchai Jivavisitnon, owner and managing director of Novotel Phuket Resort and Novotel Phuket Vintage Park, said the new project had been registered under Ocean Wing Co. The hotel will be located on a plot of almost 5 rai (8,000 square metres), and will have about 239 rooms with the full facilities expected of a five-star hotel. 
It is expected to open at the end of next year or early in 2019.
“We will apply the ‘original Sino-Portuguese’ concept for this hotel project, which will cost about Bt1.5 billion to develop,” Pobchai said. 
“Phuket itself has a long association with European nations such as Portugal, Great Britain, Holland and France, so this results in a fascinating culture mix of European and Chinese buildings, which is a [characteristic] architecture style of Phuket island. 
“I am expecting this hotel to be a new jewel and landmark of Patong, as the property will have different room categories to serve the needs of different types of guests such as families, youngsters, honeymoon couples and the elderly,” he said. 
Pobchai said the five-star brand “MGallery”, which is under the Accor Group, had been chosen for the hotel. MGallery is a collection of boutique hotels dedicated to literature and culture, each inspired by their own stories. Accor is a world-class hotel chain that has a very strong network as well as a membership programme.
He added that Phuket was already a world-class destination and Patong was the most famous beach resort on the island. Patong has a beautiful white-sand beach and the most concentrated area of tourist accommodations, shops, nightclubs, restaurants and attractions. 
There are many hotels ranging from budget to luxury and a high number of tourists every year, so investing in Patong is always a good opportunity, but you have to weigh carefully between the investment cost and the expected return, he said. 
Despite the situation surrounding “zero dollar tours”, Chinese tourists still play an important role in the momentum of the Phuket tourism industry, as the number of Chinese guests rises constantly. 
The Russia market is on the verge of making a comeback in Phuket, the India market is increasing nicely, he said. 
The MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions) market is also growing, with numerous hotels in Patong and nearby areas concentrating on improving their meeting facilities to serve this kind of market. 
“Since the government has issued tax incentives that aim to support travel within the country, I hope this will increase the number of Thai tourists coming to Phuket,” Pobchai said. 
“As far as I can see now, the competition of the hotel business in Phuket is always intense, and with many new hotels opening every year and all the pricing strategies they are using to compete with one another, this sometimes creates problem of decreasing room rates,” he said. 
“However, I still believe Phuket will remain a famous destination for tourists and investors, both Thai and foreign.”