Increasing visitor numbers to the island, combined with the trends of experiential and generational travel, are turning villas and residences into a growth market for Phuket
Residences at Anantara Layan Phuket Resort
While Phuket has long been an established destination in Thailand, the unrelenting wave of tourist arrivals continues to drive the island’s ever-growing hospitality scene. One bright spot has been holiday villa rentals, a market whose popularity has soared on the back of rising visitor numbers as well as the increased demand for villas as getaways for couples, families and groups of friends.
The flexibility to tailor-make one’s accommodation services without being tied to hotel timings and space is the biggest drawcard for guests opting to stay in villas, observed Exo Travel Thailand product manager Kim Martin Rasmussen, who sees strongest demand for Phuket’s villas coming from luxury agents from the US, Australia and Europe.
“There is a clear trend towards individuality in travelling, with tourists preferring to stay in their own villa or share it with a small group of friends or family members,” said Tobias Fischer, director of business development, Go Vacation Thailand.
“When broken down into the price per person, staying in a villa is often even cheaper, yet more luxurious and exclusive than staying in a hotel,” he added.
Recognising the potential of the villa rental market, which is commonly associated with privacy, exclusivity and bespoke concierge service, Go Vacation Thailand has joined hands with local serviced villa rental company, Thailand Holiday Homes, to roll out a new service featuring villas across major tourist destinations in Thailand. Guests can choose between self-catering or fully serviced options including the hire of cleaning staff and cooks.
Meanwhile, Diethelm Travel Group launched a Spotlight on Villas e-brochure in September last year for its overseas business partners.
Said the group’s Thailand managing director, Hans van den Born: “The market and demand for luxury villas in Phuket and other destinations within Thailand has been growing over the past few years and I do not see that it is saturated at all. Now Phuket has a great variety of villas to offer, not only for the ultra high-end but also more for the mid-range budgets.”
In his latest Phuket Luxury Villa Rental Market report, Bill Barnett, managing director of C9 Hotelworks, wrote that Phuket’s luxury holiday villas have broadly seen upward trading during the low season in 2015 from the corresponding period in 2014, with a shift from the longhaul to regional markets.
“In the past, Asians favoured smaller unit sizes more, while bigger unit configurations were predominantly occupied by European guests,” said Barnett. “A surge in shorthaul multigenerational travel and combination of friends and family is seeing the regional rental market gradually shifting toward larger unit types ranging from five- to eight-bedroom villas.”
Sharing similar observations, Thomas Kaercher, international channel agent at Thailand Holiday Homes, remarked that villa holiday rentals are “an upcoming market in Asia” but few Asian travellers are aware that serviced pool villas are available for rent in Thailand.
He remarked: “For Phuket and the other islands, I foresee the overseas markets (Europe, Australia, the US) will be the strongest for beach holidays longer than eight nights. For Pattaya, it’s the Asian, Chinese, Korean, Japanese as well as the Russian markets, which spend between two to eight nights.”
Many resort companies have swiftly added villas and residences to their portfolio. The opulent Iniala Beach House is home to three villas and 10 bedrooms, joining the top echelons of Phuket’s villa market when it debuted in 2014. Banyan Tree Phuket recently marked its 21st year milestone with its revamp into an all-pool villa resort. In nearby Phang Nga, Aleenta Phuket Resort & Spa has launched the five-bedroom Grand Villa Noi residence.
Keemala Phuket, which opened its doors in December 2015, features 38 keys across four villa types ranging in size between 126m2 to 185m2. While the island’s hospitality scene is becoming “saturated” with “many more projects in the pipeline”, acknowledged the property’s director of sales and marketing Nurat Atibaedya, an increasing array of stylish and diverse offerings the likes of Keemala provides opportunities to woo the luxury travel market in particular.
Last November, Anantara Layan Phuket Resort added 15 sea-facing, three- to five-bedroom pool residences varying from 1,700m2 to 2,200m2 to its inventory of 30 rooms and suites and 47 pool villas.
“These residences are ideal for global leisure family travellers, or couples looking for a different vacation option away from the hustle and bustle,” said Sascha Hemmann, general manager at Anantara Layan Phuket Resort. “We see both domestic and international demand, notably from Hong Kong and the UK.”
This article was first published in TTG Asia, February 5, 2016 issue, on page 18. To read more, please view our digital edition or click here to subscribe.
