However, two key hotels which were among the first in Phuket to be approved by Bangkok have now decided to no longer operate as ALSQs while the ban on international tourists landing in Phuket remains in place.
PPHO Deputy Chief Padungkiet Utokasenee confirmed to The Phuket News today (Oct 19) that seven hotels in Phuket, offering 739 rooms in total, have been already approved. The seven hotels and resorts are as follows:
- Metadee Resort and Villas in Karon, 71 rooms
- Phuket Graceland Resort & Spa in Patong, 343 rooms
- Anantara Phuket Suites & Villas in Mai Khao, 100 rooms
- JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa in Mai Khao, 90 rooms
- The Senses Resort and Pool Villas in Patong, 16 rooms
- Banyan Tree Phuket in Cherng Talay, 40 rooms
- Laguna Holiday Club Phuket Resort in Cherng Talay, 79 rooms
Mr Padungkiet explained that the seven new hotels, once approved, will be added to the list posted by the PPHO.
A report by the Phuket office of the Public Relations Department (PR Phuket) last week noted that once the hotels have been approved the total number of Alternative Local State Quarantine (ALSQ) hotel rooms available on the island will be above 1,400.
Mr Padungkiet today also confirmed that the high-end Trisara resort and the Anantara Mai Khao Phuket Villas resort in Mai Khao have both requested to no longer serve as ALSQ venues.
Both resorts were for months the first and only hotels on the island to be approved by Bangkok to operate as ALSQ venues.
However, he added that both resorts deciding to no longer serve as ALSQs had only a small effect on the total number of ALSQ rooms available on the island. Trisara had previously made 15 guest accommodation units available, while Anantara Mai Khao Phuket Villas had offered 36 villas.
“Trisara explained that they believed that there were now enough other hotels operating as ALSQs and that there were now enough rooms available for people to stay at a resort in Phuket to serve their 14-day quarantines,” Mr Padungkiet explained.
“The management at the Anantara resort explained that they still had their 100 rooms available to serve as ALSQ accommodation, and so they could re-open their villas for regular guests to stay,” he said.
However, a report by PR Phuket last week explained that the decision for the hotels to deregister as ALSQ venues was made due to the fact that both hotels had been designated as ALSQs for months, but were still unable to host a single guest due to the ongoing ban on any international tourists being allowed to land directly in Phuket.