Tourism / Hua Hin

Editorial staff

Proud Group will resume its hotel investment in Phuket next year to strengthen its portfolio with more properties.

Proudputh Liptapanlop, the company’s executive director, said that the company has bought two rais of plot next door to InterContinental Phuket Resort for several years. Currently, the company is ready to start building a new hotel next year and expects to complete its construction within the next two years.

At the same time, it will revise its investment plan to build another new hotel in Phuket after its delay hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. Also, the company is conducting a feasibility study to develop a new hotel in some bay, Samui Island in the future.

‘’After the Covid-19, the tourist’s nationality mix was changed, we need to revise our hotel design, size and are studying the hotel chain to be in line with the market and target,’’ Ms Proud said.

She added that 2023 was the good year for her business with a healthy growth both revenue and profit. Though it had the small number of Chinese tourists coming to Thailand, InterContinental Phuket Resort welcomed tourists from new markets such as Middle East. However, she expects that free visa requirement for Chinese tourists will draw back the big number of Chinese tourists to Thailand.

For Hua Hin, the number of tourists both domestic and abroad was at 5.8 million in 2023, higher than the pre-crisis level. However, the international market did not fully recovered. The number of foreign tourists to Hua Hin was 400,000 visitors, compared to the pre-crisis era of one million visitors. The number of Chinese tourists posted a huge drop and a slight drop in European tourists.

She said that InterContinental Resort Hua Hin’s occupancy rate was almost 60% in 2023.

‘’The hotel competition in Hua Hin is very high, based on the number of tourists to visit Hua Hin and hotel room in comparison. The recovery of tourism business in Hua Hin is still slow, when compared to Phuket, but our performance remains strong. During the Covid-19 period, our business in Hua Hin went well with its peak, welcoming local visitors,’’ she said, smiling.

To strengthen performance, the company allocated 120 million baht to renovate and restore its hotel last year and complete its restoration at the end of last year.

‘’The InterContinental Hua Hin Resort unveiled a significant transformation, marking 15 years of excellence as the holiday destination and the hotel leader in Hua Hin,’’ she said.

The InterContinental Hua Hin Resort was restored under the concept of "The Next Chapter of The Legend, Where Nostalgia Meets Seaside Elegance."

It encompasses the entire Beach Wing area, featuring a redesigned lobby that now boasts expanded spaces, including a family board game corner within the new conservatories, a concierge service corner, and an additional room dedicated to group check-ins. All 119 rooms and suites have been refurbished while keeping the reminiscences of the glorious 1920s and the Royal heritage fully intact.

One of the highlights of the renovation is the enhanced breakfast experience at Pirom, featuring "hawker stations" that capture the lively atmosphere of Hua Hin night market, where guests can enjoy a diverse range of local and international cuisines, including authentic Thai dishes . Furthermore, experience the regal flavours of Thai cuisine at Jaras Hua Hin restaurant, or unwind at CoCco Bar, an art Deco-style cocktail bar situated at the beachfront area.

The resort's swimming pool area has also undergone improvements to enhance its aesthetic appeal, now featuring additional private cabanas as well as sunbathing areas along the private beach.

Guests can also explore diverse activities from yoga, boxing, and cooking classes. Also, it adds a new water activity centre which offers stand-up paddleboards as well as canoes for exhilarating water activities at the private beach. The Planet Trekkers Kids Club has been redesigned to cater to family travellers, offering a variety of activities that capture the essence of Hua Hin.

A unique addition to the resort is the "InterContinental Hua Hin Express," a small burgundy red train that provides transportation services within the hotel area which symbolised the golden age of train travel in the 1920s when the first route was established making Hua Hin a destination that it is today. Our vision for InterContinental Hua Hin Resort is to provide an elevated experience for our valued guests, blending charm, history, and the unique characteristics of Hua Hin. This is to take our hotels to the next level. Building new experience to customers is the most important. Our customers did not only visit our hotel due to the hotel’s international standard but also would like to touch with local culture,’’ she said.

Therefore, the company has tried to join hands with local partners related to tourism business in Hua Hin to provide its customers a new experience with new activities. This will draw back existing customers to re-visit its hotel.

“We hope Hua Hin will be in the top of mind for tourists both local and abroad. The overall Hua Hin’s tourism market will be better due to the limitation to travel to Hua Hin will be end in the future after the expressway from Daokhanong to Pakto will be end soon,’’she said, adding that the recent opening double track train from Bangkok to Hua Hin and the coming of international flight to Hua Hin will be easier to travellers to Hua Hin.