BRITISH businessman Paul Mercer is now heading the West Sands operation on Phuket with plans to create the island's largest resort this year and carry the brand into China equally fast.
If current projections evolve on schedule, West Sands will complete its Phase III development and be operating as a 900-unit resort, the largest on the island, before 2011.
Mr Mercer and British Tesco CEO Sir Terry Leahy own the expanding West Sands project, which includes the Splash Jungle waterpark.
The resort and Splash Jungle, eyed by investors as well as Phuket residents and visitors with an interest in Phuket's first theme park, have been making quite a splash recently.
Six experienced expat resort managers departed in February to make way for Mr Mercer. Splash Jungle's January opening prices have since been slashed to boost customers beyond a trickle.
West Sands Finance Director, Kriangsak Prateepvisut, now Mr Mercer's most senior manager, sat down with Phuketwan yesterday and explained the future directions for West Sands.
While Central and City Development Ltd. is the Thai company behind West Sands, the WS brand is envisaged as the focus of rapid expansion into China.
''We have plans for two properties inside China that will be similar to West Sands Phuket and include waterparks, but both properties will be twice the size of the Phuket resort,'' Khun Kriangsak said.
Khun Kriangsak added that the venture into China would depend on the outcome of an auction process but that teams were already being trained on Phuket for the brand's growth.
Phuket would become the Asian headquarters as the West Sands brand expands, he said. ''We would like to be the hub of hospitality in Asia,'' he said.
Thais are noted for being adept at all aspects of the resort business and Khun Kriangsak believes that once West Sands' staff master the Chinese language, Phuket-trained staff can lead rapid development.
With the reduction in prices at the waterpark, more Thais will also be able to spend a day there and see first-hand what's on offer at the resort.
West Sands has already won praise for its ''green'' approach and Khun Kriangsak said this would become more evident, even down to replacing some existing construction materials over time with more suitable products.
Brand awareness would become a priority, with Phuket children likely to enjoy free days at the waterpark to encourage a long-term approach to marketing.
Immigrant workers may also be trained for resort roles as skilled workers become harder to find, Khun Kriangsak said.
Involvement with the local community extends to care of Phuket's diminishing turtle population.
A rare leatherback turtle recently returned to the island and chose to deposit its eggs in the sand on the beach that fronts West Sands.
While some outdated brochure literature refers to West Sand's 500-metre stretch of Mai Khao beach as ''private,'' every Thai knows that all of the country's beaches are public.
There is no such thing as a ''private'' beach in Thailand.
Khun Kriangsak is likely to give West Sands a public image that finishes the feud with neighboring villagers over the future of adjoining groves of trees and access to the beach.
West Sands remains a combination of property sales, plus resort and waterpark, with time share likely to become a more significant element on Phuket and in China.
Phuket Waterpark Slashes Entry Price in HalfIf current projections evolve on schedule, West Sands will complete its Phase III development and be operating as a 900-unit resort, the largest on the island, before 2011.
Mr Mercer and British Tesco CEO Sir Terry Leahy own the expanding West Sands project, which includes the Splash Jungle waterpark.
The resort and Splash Jungle, eyed by investors as well as Phuket residents and visitors with an interest in Phuket's first theme park, have been making quite a splash recently.
Six experienced expat resort managers departed in February to make way for Mr Mercer. Splash Jungle's January opening prices have since been slashed to boost customers beyond a trickle.
West Sands Finance Director, Kriangsak Prateepvisut, now Mr Mercer's most senior manager, sat down with Phuketwan yesterday and explained the future directions for West Sands.
While Central and City Development Ltd. is the Thai company behind West Sands, the WS brand is envisaged as the focus of rapid expansion into China.
''We have plans for two properties inside China that will be similar to West Sands Phuket and include waterparks, but both properties will be twice the size of the Phuket resort,'' Khun Kriangsak said.
Khun Kriangsak added that the venture into China would depend on the outcome of an auction process but that teams were already being trained on Phuket for the brand's growth.
Phuket would become the Asian headquarters as the West Sands brand expands, he said. ''We would like to be the hub of hospitality in Asia,'' he said.
Thais are noted for being adept at all aspects of the resort business and Khun Kriangsak believes that once West Sands' staff master the Chinese language, Phuket-trained staff can lead rapid development.
With the reduction in prices at the waterpark, more Thais will also be able to spend a day there and see first-hand what's on offer at the resort.
West Sands has already won praise for its ''green'' approach and Khun Kriangsak said this would become more evident, even down to replacing some existing construction materials over time with more suitable products.
Brand awareness would become a priority, with Phuket children likely to enjoy free days at the waterpark to encourage a long-term approach to marketing.
Immigrant workers may also be trained for resort roles as skilled workers become harder to find, Khun Kriangsak said.
Involvement with the local community extends to care of Phuket's diminishing turtle population.
A rare leatherback turtle recently returned to the island and chose to deposit its eggs in the sand on the beach that fronts West Sands.
While some outdated brochure literature refers to West Sand's 500-metre stretch of Mai Khao beach as ''private,'' every Thai knows that all of the country's beaches are public.
There is no such thing as a ''private'' beach in Thailand.
Khun Kriangsak is likely to give West Sands a public image that finishes the feud with neighboring villagers over the future of adjoining groves of trees and access to the beach.
West Sands remains a combination of property sales, plus resort and waterpark, with time share likely to become a more significant element on Phuket and in China.
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GOOD LUCK TO THEM THEY NEED TO DO SOME GOOD MARKETING BEFORE ITS TOO LATE.
Posted by barka on March 3, 2010 21:24