Bangkok Hotels Feel Economic Stress

While Phuket hotel performance remains relatively stress free, given the beneficial timing of high tourist season, the same cannot be said for Bangkok.
I spoke to Jesper Palmqvist from STR Global in Singapore who reports that January saw year-on-year occupancy drop 26% in the capital.
More so the impact in February grew worse with a nosedive of 34% compared to the same month in 2013, though thankfully average room rates only retracted by 1.8%.
The economic impact to Thailand's hotel sector from the ongoing political situation remains a dark spot on the country's horizon, and while the resort markets have seen risk reduced by direct flights the overall trading picture for the year remains up in the air.