reader Posted January 28 Posted January 28 From The Nation A hotel in Phuket has broken the record by handing staffers the highest amount earned in service charge as Thailand’s tourism industry bounces back after the pandemic slowdown. According to Hotel Service Charge Update, JW Marriott Phuket broke the record in December 2023-January 2024 by giving every member of staff a bonus of 95,733.22 baht in service charge. It broke its own record of 79,980 baht handed out a year earlier. Coming in second was Anantara Layan Phuket with 71,715 baht, followed by Four Seasons Koh Samui (Surat Thani) with 69,787 baht, Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle (Chiang Rai) at 65,931 baht, and Amanpuri (Phuket) at 63,973 baht, which also paid a 1.5-month bonus. The report added that seven other hotels in Phuket handed out more than 40,000 baht to staffers for service charge during the December-January period, with many adding an on-top bonus. William Heinecke, chairman of Minor International Pcl, which operates JW Marriott Phuket, said that he believes some 35 million foreigners will arrive in Thailand this year. This number is still less than 39 million arrivals in 2019 before Covid-19 hit the region. “The tourism industry is bouncing back thanks to the influx of Chinese tourists, who topped the foreign arrivals chart this month,” he said. “Although we may not see as many tourists as before the pandemic, travellers are now spending about 20% more compared to 2019.” He said the trend of increased spending has prompted Minor Group to shift its focus from promoting mass tourism to quality tourism. By offering more premium services and better quality rooms, the group is targeting a more upscale group of foreigners visiting Thailand. vinapu 1 Quote
Keithambrose Posted January 29 Posted January 29 Seems good news, though I presume prices will increase! vinapu 1 Quote
reader Posted January 29 Author Posted January 29 Agree that it's heartening to know that at least some hotels share the service fee with employees instead of adding it to the bottom line. Hotel prices continually fluctuate but an industry-wide practice known as yield management pricing is the determining factor. The service fee component has in Thailand has remained at 7%. Airlines use the same principle and can enhance total fares with a plethora of fees (fuel, baggage, seat selection, etc). From Wikipedia: Yield management is a variable pricing strategy, based on understanding, anticipating and influencing consumer behavior in order to maximize revenue or profits from a fixed, time-limited resource (such as airline seats, hotel room reservations or advertising inventory). As a specific, inventory-focused branch of revenue management, yield management involves strategic control of inventory to sell the right product to the right customer at the right time for the right price. This process can result in price discrimination, in which customers consuming identical goods or services are charged different prices. vinapu 1 Quote
dscrtsldnbi Posted January 29 Posted January 29 I've stayed at this JW Marriott several times, and it is a very good and extremely well-run property. Interestingly, there is an Anantara just - literally - next door to it, but it is not the one that came second in this "competition". Quote
reader Posted January 29 Author Posted January 29 if your referring to the HSCU, this Facebook link suggests individual properties voluntarily report on this site. https://www.facebook.com/hotelservicechargeupdate/ Quote
Keithambrose Posted January 30 Posted January 30 11 hours ago, reader said: if your referring to the HSCU, this Facebook link suggests individual properties voluntarily report on this site. https://www.facebook.com/hotelservicechargeupdate/ Yes, I was. Like all these surveys, they may not be all that accurate. I am friendly with the General Manager of the Meredien in Bangkok, and when I am back in March, I will ask him about this. He did tell me that they have serious problems getting staff, so perhaps bonuses are indeed on the up! Quote
reader Posted January 30 Author Posted January 30 If the birthrate continues to decline and occupancy rates continue to rise, authorities will be forced to reconsider what jobs can be legally performed by foreigners. Quote
Keithambrose Posted January 31 Posted January 31 20 hours ago, reader said: If the birthrate continues to decline and occupancy rates continue to rise, authorities will be forced to reconsider what jobs can be legally performed by foreigners. The GM of the Meridien told me that they now have staff from all over Asia, including Nepal. Quote
reader Posted January 31 Author Posted January 31 2 hours ago, Keithambrose said: The GM of the Meridien told me that they now have staff from all over Asia, including Nepal. That's encouraging to hear. I suspect job descriptions are subject to more liberal interpretation in order to satisfy industry requirements. Quote
Keithambrose Posted January 31 Posted January 31 2 hours ago, reader said: That's encouraging to hear. I suspect job descriptions are subject to more liberal interpretation in order to satisfy industry requirements. Yes, indeed. I suspect that with all the new hotels coming, in Bangkok One, the problem can only get worse! Quote
