Here, Susan Bambridge, Director of Marketing & Sales Holiday Inn Resort Phuket Area Director of Marketing & Sales Holiday Inn Resorts, Thailand and Maldives Holiday Inn Resort Phuket, explains to The Phuket News what the resort’s history means to them and what lies in store for the iconic resort.
How did the resort originate? Whose idea was it and how was the Holiday Inn partnership was forged?
In 1976 Phuket airport became international and during the 1980s visitor numbers to the island began to rise rapidly. Phuket accommodations moved more upmarket in the late 1980s with the construction of more salubrious brand-name beach hotels such as Club Med in Kata, Holiday Inn in Patong, the Phuket Yacht Club in Nai Harn, Le Meridien in Karon, the Chedi and Amanpuri in Surin and the Laguna Resort, built on old mine lands in Bang Tao.
The Holiday Inn Resort Phuket opened on July 23, 1987. It was the first international resort in Patong and just the second international resort in Phuket.
The resort was built by AF Global Limited in 1987, who had then the tremendous foresight to foresee the emergence of Phuket, and especially Patong Beach, as a truly global tourism destination. Listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange, AF Global Limited focuses on hospitality and investment holdings, maintaining operations in Singapore, China, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and the United Kingdom.
AF Global Limited will continue to invest in Phuket and is currently developing an iconic luxury beach resort in Rawai on one of the last remaining seafront plots on the island.
What key challenges has the Holiday Inn Phuket faced in Patong over the years and how did the resort overcome them?
Thailand and Phuket were one of the countries that were hit by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and subsequent tsunami. The west coast of Phuket endured flooding and the tsunami caused damage to almost all the major beaches such as Patong, Karon, Kamala and Kata beach. The key challenge throughout the impact was how to bring back the confidence in tourists to travel to Phuket, which took some time to recover.
What key challenges lay ahead for the resort, and how is management preparing to respond to them?
Accepting and adapting to change is key for survival. We have been managing change no matter how disruptive it is by developing solutions that support business models and overcome challenges that may hinder long term success.
The key challenges we have been facing include slow global demand and last-minute booking trends as well as how the hotel management prepares for the future growth along with Phuket competition in the hotel industry. How we fare with all this depends on recognising trends which will drive future travel habits and consumer expectations.
We are well aware that by choosing the right tools we are able to analyse and react to trends in real time. In order to do this effectively, we have put people at the centre of success including leadership development, team coaching and customer relationship management.
We have been striving to leverage an increased awareness of guests’ expectations, re-imagined technology strategy as well as differentiated offerings to provide unmatched travel experiences to deliver Patong’s best resort experience to our guests. Returning guests are provided with personalised services to ensure a memorable stay experience.
Customer experience will drive more loyalty than points and miles.