The Bangkok hotel market recorded strong numbers for the peak Q1 2011 period indicating that the troubles of last year have been largely left behind according to the latest Bangkok Hotel Market Report from Colliers International Thailand.

Patima Jeerapaet, Managing Director of Colliers noted the strong rise in occupancy for Q1 to similar levels recorded in the same quarter of 2010. "Clearly the resumption of long term bookings are now taking effect and you could say it is business as usual for the industry", he said. However Mr Patima did warn that future new supply, especially in the Upper and Luxury end of the market will keep hoteliers on their toes. "Developers are still clambering to establish higher scale hotels and this will mean that tourism growth will need to continue apace to absorb new supply", he warned. It is anticipated that around 6,000 rooms will be supplied in the Upper/Luxury segment over the course of the next two years according to the report.

The ability for Thailand to bounce back after adversity is a unique quality for the country according to Jean Marc Garret, Director of Hospitality for Colliers. He dubbed this the "darling effect" as tourists are long accustomed to the travails of the country and are rather sanguine to these due to familiarity. "It takes years for some tourism markets to recover after a tragedy, witness the time it took for Bali to return to normal after the bombings", he pointed out. Mr Garret stressed that Thailand has a high level of returning visitors, around 60%, compared to other countries.  "In Thailand people know what is really happening compared to the news reports and will return after just a few months", he said.

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