Impassioned Plea from A Thai

[Guest GaySacGuy]

This was forwarded by a friend, and appeared on TravelMole.com and found it quite interesting. Also talked to a Gay Hotel manager in Bangkok, and he said by the 10th if everyone that wants out gets out, he will have lowest booking of the year.

 

02 December, 2008 Adjust font size:

 

An Impassioned Plea From a Local Thai Over the Closure of Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok

Tuesday 02 December 2008

Bangkok

 

Open Letter

 

My hotel has 400 rooms and employs close to 600 people. They support a large local group of suppliers who in turn provide jobs for more than 2000 people and their families.

 

My hotel is a centre for meetings and conferences and has a reputation for authentic food at affordable prices. It particularly appeals to Thai guests and diners. The hotel is a hub for many groups of people both international guests and Thai visitors. Our usual hotel occupancy is over 80% between September-December each year.

 

Tomorrow, my occupancy is 7%. There are no new bookings. All the remaining guests just want to get home and return to their families and businesses. Some of my guests are deciding to take a bus journey of some 20 hours to go south by bus to Malaysia. A grueling and uncomfortable journey. By closing the airport you have cut the lifeline of so many. With close to 250,000 international visitors now stranded in Thailand, they have to endure hardship and discomfort never before experienced in the modern history of Thailand's vital tourism industry.

 

I appeal to you, from one small hotel in a sea of many thousands of hotels, who rely so much on tourist arrivals from overseas, we need to re-open the airport now; we need to protect the livelihoods of the hotel staff and their families and the support teams that enable us to operate. Without guests we will soon have to ask our staff to take unpaid leave and try to batten down the hatches and cut costs. We can only do this for a matter of weeks before we have to take more severe action and let people go.

 

Whatever it is you now want please think about the effect you are having on your friends and neighbors and the country. The industry that means so much to so many is in serious trouble. The courts have given you what you asked for and for the protests that are ongoing at Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang Airports; please consider that your actions are having a devastating effect on Thailand's economy, not just today, but tomorrow and in the future.

 

Please carefully consider your actions, the people you are trying to influence, are not your neighbors and friends, but they are the ones that will in the end be the most effected by your actions. Please end the blockade now. The industry has been battered from demonstrations back in September until now and the world economies are not strong. We live in a very fragile world and we have to be careful lest we cause irreparable damage. Please allow the airports to re-open and let the lifeblood of Thailand's Tourism industry and businesses once again flow.

 

Don’t leave it too late ....please.

 

Andrew J Wood

President-Skal Int'l Bangkok/

Skal Int'l Councillor-Thailand/ Skal Asian Area-Director of Development

[PattayaMale]

This would be the first "local Thai" with the name Andrew J Wood I believe.

 

It reads to me like this is a NON Thai that has come to Thailand where wages and regulations for business ownership are much lower than in many western countries.

 

I feel the appeal could have been much shorter. "Don't worry about changing Government for the benefit of all Thais' future, stop protesting, my hotel is loosing money". However many hotels were facing real problems before the protests

 

I do feel sympathy for all that are financially having problems. In many countries people are loosing their homes and jobs. Even though there can be no doubt the action of taking over the airport has hastened problems for some.

 

One of the local hotels in Pattaya which has a large gay following sent out emails to those that had booked rooms and almost all assured that they were still going to come for holiday this year. Those hotels catering to Western families will most likely have the biggest problem I feel

 

 

[Guest luvthai]

A 400 hundred room hotel employing 600 people? Doesn't seem logical.

[Guest GaySacGuy]

A 400 hundred room hotel employing 600 people? Doesn't seem logical.

 

I think that 600 is probably reasonable for Thialand. Considering that they have restaurants, conference rooms, banquets, parking, security, etc., that isn't a real high number here. I was in a small Kentucky Fried Chicken, and counted 12 workers and two supervisors at 11:00 a.m. with very few customers.

[PattayaMale]

Actually when I read te post I thought the number was low. I think most good hotels may have a ration of 2:1 as a minimum.

[Guest aot87]

is this the andrew wood , who in the past was the manager of the royal cliff

[Guest]

I was recently in the JW Marriott in Bangkoki. I was there for 5 full nights and 6 days. I was on a top floor. I was in and out 15-20 times a day. Not once did I ride an elevator with another person. Not one time. It reminded me of the week I was in NYC after 9/11. The hotel was that quiet.

 

I am currently in a nice hotel in Chiang Mai and they are the same. Very quiet.

[KhorTose]

I was recently in the JW Marriott in Bangkoki. I was there for 5 full nights and 6 days. I was on a top floor. I was in and out 15-20 times a day. Not once did I ride an elevator with another person. Not one time. It reminded me of the week I was in NYC after 9/11. The hotel was that quiet.

 

I am currently in a nice hotel in Chiang Mai and they are the same. Very quiet.

 

I just flew out of Chiang Mai after 27 great days, and I concur with the slow high seasonal turnout. I have never seen so few people in the city during this normally busy time of the year. While you are in town I do recommend a trip to Doi Sutep, and the elephant farm. Pick up a copy of Chiang Mai City Life or Chiang Mai Mail for current events. Enjoy, you lucky guy.

 

[Guest Steve1903]

Always gets me down hearing that the tourist numbers are so low in LOS. I don't suppose the PAD people care that their non democratic actions are hurting their fellow countrymen.

[Guest GaySacGuy]

The sad part of this to me is that most of the "herd" that was doing the protest don't even realize what they have done to the country. They were definitely on a herd metallity, and were having a good time partying with their friends.

[Guest Steve1903]

Well I'd have had the water cannon on them within the first hour. Failing that it would have been rubber bullet time. I've no time for pandering to obstructive protesters. Hangings too good for the likes of them, it's a good kick up the arse they need.

[Guest GaySacGuy]

These demonstrations, as learned by several US police agencies, must be nipped in the bud...You must stop them before they get started. Once you allow the protest to start, you have lost. As with airports...once they were in, it was over.