Bill Barnett

Bill Barnett has over 30 years of experience in the Asian hospitality and property markets. He is considered to be a leading authority on real estate trends across Asia, and has sat at almost every seat around the hospitality and real estate table. Bill promotes industry insight through regular conference speaking engagements and is continually gathering market intelligence. Over the past few years he has released four books on Asian property topics.
  • Property NewsThe Phuket southern shift: More than just real estate

    The Phuket southern shift: More than just real estate

    Over the past two years, Phuket’s real estate market has experienced a remarkable surge, with rising prices and growing demand. As tropical islands evolve over time, certain areas mature and develop, and much of the recent focus has been on the northwest, particularly the Bangtao area. For property buyers, location is often influenced by proximity to key amenities such as…

  • Phuket TravelPhuket evolves into a global wellness tourism leader

    Phuket evolves into a global wellness tourism leader

    Wellness tourism is in great shape. One of the fastest growing areas of the wellness tourism industry, the sector has grown from a niche market for committed health seekers to become a 219 trillion baht (US$6.3 trillion) global powerhouse. At the heart of this revolution is Asia Pacific, which accounts for 30% of the worldwide market and where pioneering destinations…

  • Phuket TravelPhuket transforms into a global luxury hub for the elite

    Phuket transforms into a global luxury hub for the elite

    Phuket has changed dramatically in recent years. Fringed by the Andaman Sea, the tropical oasis has evolved from a popular beach resort destination into one of the world’s most attractive luxury residential markets, with elite luxury consumer brands, Michelin dining and international quality education and medical care fuelling the interest. The Phuket Luxury Report, unveiled at a recent event and…

  • PropertyDriving sales: Thai real estate shifts gears with fashion and wellness brands

    Driving sales: Thai real estate shifts gears with fashion and wellness brands

    Thailand’s real estate developers are expanding beyond familiar hotel brands into the realms of iconic automotive, fashion, and wellness labels, as they seek identities that resonate with luxury property buyers. Listed property group Ananda made global headlines with their ultra-luxury offering, Porsche Design Tower Bangkok, with eye-catching prices reaching 1 million Thai baht per square metre (approximately US$33,000 per square…

  • Thailand HotelsPHIST 2024 calls for sustainable development in Thailand

    PHIST 2024 calls for sustainable development in Thailand

    “They paved paradise and put up a parking lot,” Joni Mitchell once sang—a line that now eerily echoes the over-development plaguing Thailand’s top tourist hotspots. With the recent catastrophic floods in Phuket raising alarm bells, are these disasters a grim glimpse of the future? And is anyone paying attention to the growing environmental crisis? These questions took centre stage at…

  • EventsMind the Gap: Diversity leaders confirmed to speak at hospitality’s biggest gender equality event

    Mind the Gap: Diversity leaders confirmed to speak at hospitality’s biggest gender equality event

    Phuket Hotels Association, the non-profit organisation of hoteliers focused on creating a positive future for Phuket, and C9 Hotelworks, the award-winning hospitality consultancy, has confirmed the final line-up of speakers and moderators for this year’s edition of Mind the Gap: Women & Diversity in Hospitality, including some of the industry’s most inspiring female executives, entrepreneurs and diversity leaders. It can…

  • EventsLeading international and Thai green advocates headline Asia’s leading sustainability tourism event, PHIST 2024

    Leading international and Thai green advocates headline Asia’s leading sustainability tourism event, PHIST 2024

    One of the world’s most inspirational green advocates will headline PHIST this year as Asia’s pioneering sustainability event enters its 8th year. You can register to join the event that advocates for sustainability through the Eventbrite registration website. Unsung hero of sustainability Andrew Dixon, a former banker turned green activist, owner and operator of two private island resorts in Indonesian…

  • EventsPHIST strikes again with Southeast Asia’s biggest sustainable tourism event

    PHIST strikes again with Southeast Asia’s biggest sustainable tourism event

    PHIST (Phuket Hotels for Islands Sustaining Tourism), Southeast Asia’s biggest sustainability event for the travel and hospitality sectors, will return to spark conversation and drive the green agenda this September, with an impressive line-up of key figures and industry innovators led by Peng Sum Choe, CEO of Pan Pacific Hotels Group. Organised by the Phuket Hotels Association, the non-profit organisation…

  • Koh Samui TravelKoh Samui’s tourism renaissance: An island reawakens

    Koh Samui’s tourism renaissance: An island reawakens

    Koh Samui, Thailand’s renowned resort island, is experiencing a remarkable revival in tourism. The island has witnessed a 69% year-on-year increase in visitor numbers during the first four months of 2024, driven by an influx of domestic tourists, the opening of new international markets, and improved air connectivity. In 2023, Samui hosted 3,541,821 visitors, a balanced mix of domestic and…

  • Property NewsPhuket’s real estate world’s collide as off-plan sales flatten in wake of growing resales

    Phuket’s real estate world’s collide as off-plan sales flatten in wake of growing resales

    Phuket’s massive influx of new real estate development is witnessing rising competition from the secondary marketplace. The collision between off-plan property sales and resales is inevitable given the sheer number of units being completed and a growing critical mass of older properties. Comparing primary and re-sale transactions on the island from the first four months of the year compared to…

  • TravelPhuket Hotels Association goes live with ‘absolutely fabulous travel sale’ to raise funds for Thai hospltality students

    Phuket Hotels Association goes live with ‘absolutely fabulous travel sale’ to raise funds for Thai hospltality students

    Phuket Hotels Association, the non-profit organisation of hoteliers focused on creating a sustainable future for Phuket, has announced that its “Absolutely Fabulous Travel Sale” is back with an amazing array of prizes, including heavenly hotel stays and aspirational travel experiences all around the globe. The annual online auction is a charitable initiative, with all the proceeds being donated to the…

  • Phuket TravelPhuket tourism market edging towards recovery in 2024

    Phuket tourism market edging towards recovery in 2024

    Phuket’s tourism industry is undergoing an ongoing rebound, with last year’s airport passenger arrivals edging towards pre-pandemic figures according to a new report from consulting group C9 Hotelworks. While hitting 7 million, it was still short of the 9 million mark set in 2019. This year the trend is continuing with 1.62 million arrivals to date in February, compared to…

  • Property NewsInside the numbers: the potential of a Phuket property bubble

    Inside the numbers: the potential of a Phuket property bubble

    One of the most common questions I am asked these days is about a potential Phuket real estate bubble. While it’s a popular buzz term, so many who ask the question don’t understand what a bubble is. The most notable real estate bubble in recent history was the subprime housing crisis in the United States in 2007. In other sectors,…

  • Property NewsPhuket’s branded residences supply tops USD2.3 Billion

    Phuket’s branded residences supply tops USD2.3 Billion

    Phuket has seen an unprecedented onslaught of overseas buyers transform the island into the largest leisure-branded residential real estate market in the world. The current supply of branded properties has now eclipsed a staggering USD2.3 billion and is expected to grow further according to new data from hospitality consulting group C9 Hotelworks. One of the most compelling storylines of Phuket’s…

  • Property NewsAccor partners with Tytans Properties Development to unveil world’s largest Pullman in Cebu

    Accor partners with Tytans Properties Development to unveil world’s largest Pullman in Cebu

    Accor, one of the world’s leading hospitality groups, continues its rapid expansion in the Philippines with the signing of Pullman Mactan Cebu Hotel & Residences, which is set to become the world’s largest Pullman property. The signing of the beachfront destination represents a milestone for mixed-use lifestyle real estate in the Philippines, as a new generation of integrated resorts emerges…

  • Thailand HotelsBanyan Tree Founder developing USD2 billion international commmunity in Bangtao Phuket’s emerging Thonglor Lifestyle District

    Banyan Tree Founder developing USD2 billion international commmunity in Bangtao Phuket’s emerging Thonglor Lifestyle District

    The resort island of Phuket which once was highly tourism dependent, has quickly evolved into a global hotspot as an international community for a rising tide of global citizens. Taking flight is a migration megatrend that is being driven not only by geopolitical events worldwide but a series of other emerging segments. Those highlighted in C9 Hotelworks latest research include…