Phuket Resorts Jumping on the Mixed-Use Bandwagon

November 26, 2008 at 11:30 AM | by juliana | Comments (0)

This latest news on Phuket resorts comes from Claire Duffet who is traveling through the area.

Phuket, a beautiful island in the Andaman Sea on the coast of western Thailand, has a serious congestion problem. Everyone wants to see it, and there are loads of hotels cashing in on the island's draw.

So it's refreshing that the en vogue trend there is "mixed-use" development. We have a friend studying urban planning at an East Coat Ivy League grad school. She says whenever someone mentions the term, she and her fellow students moan with pleasure.

That's because constructing buildings that aren't for one single purpose avoids the pour-in, pour-out routine that occurs with condos, hotels, or office buildings surrounded by parking lots.

Taj Exotica on Koh Lone, an island right next to Phuket, is set to open in 2009. The resort follows the lead of the island's other mixed-use properties, which include Shangri-La Phuket Resort & Spa, Jumeirah Phuket Private Island Resort, Banyan Tree Golf Resort (pictured above), Dusit Laguna Villas and The Yamu, among others, according to according to the Bangkok Post.

Selling condos alongside hotel room rentals gives fosters a sense of community and the people who stay there develop a vested interest in the place. This leads them to become more preservation-minded about the island, and ultimately helps foster a less harmful tourism industry. Or at least that's the argument these properties make.

And by selling condos and renting suites, they still manage to keep their rooms full while avoiding a term that's as dreaded by some in the hospitality industry as "mixed-use" is loved: "timeshare."

[Photo: stormfall]

HotelChatter

Select a Destination:

Phuket Hotels / Thailand Hotels / → All Tags