An invitation to Sleep With Me
PHUKET: A newcomer to the island’s hotel industry, “SLEEP WITH ME Design Hotel @ Patong” is comprised of 258 guest and suite rooms, overlooking the high-rises of Patong Bay. Located in the heart of Patong, close to Jungceylon Shopping Center, “Bangla Road” walking street and only a three minute walk to the beach, the hotel offers modern facilities, personal service and international standards of comfort.
However, the hotel has its own individual character while reflecting the local flavor. Rooms are designed with the diverse needs of today’s world traveller in mind. Whether they are business, leisure, families, groups, or couples, they will find the details and amenities are suited for everyone.
The Gazette spoke with GM Sittichai Tanakorncharoen as he busily prepared the hotel for the upcoming high season.
How has the initial response been?
We have been taking reservations since October this year and the feedback from our guests is very good. We also have very positive feedback from social media and all channels where we advertise our hotel, and best of all, the hotel is already almost fully booked over the new year period.
What is the concept of the hotel?
We would like to make this branch a model for future hotels by the SLEEP WITH ME group. That’s why we are trying to bring modern hotel design concepts with high technology equipment and facilities to ensure we manage the hotel efficiently for the convenience of our guests and staff. We are also guided by the concept of environmental responsibility at the same time.
What was the thinking behind the hotel’s humorous name?
Well, “SLEEP WITH ME” Hotel may sound a bit funny, a bit strange, a bit sexy, even a bit naughty… or just normal, we leave it up to our guests’ imagination.
Is the hotel part of a group of hotels, or have the owners had a history in the business?
Our owner, Khun Theerapan Choprasertchok, became interested in the hotel business after developing his immovable property business, Baycliff Co Ltd. That is how the project started and I am responsible for the whole project and managing hotel operations. Our target is to expand our brand and to develop a portfolio of hotels in the future.
What type of guests are you aiming to attract?
We are mainly focusing on leisure guests, which are normally couples travelling. However, we also hope to get many MICE, corporate and airline guests as well.
What unique features does the hotel have that help it stand out from the competition?
We trust strongly in our sales, marketing and public relations structure, as well as our year-round flexibility. I believe that all these will help us remain a successful business no matter what the economic conditions.
Tell me a bit about the design and furnishing of the hotel, what themes have influenced them?
We have created a hotel ‘story’ to make us different as well as an attractive hotel design and unique theme colors that we selected to build up brand awareness. We also use the sheep mascot to link us to our guests to make their stay more memorable in order to encourage them to return.
Please tell me about the dining options at the hotel?
Because of the large number of rooms, we expect to have about 500 people a day, so we also see how important it is to our guests to have multiple dining options during their stay. With this in mind, we decided to build five different theme restaurants which are: ‘SMILE WITH ME’ lobby bar; ‘SABAI WITH ME’ all-day dining; ‘SWAY WITH ME’ garden restaurant and bar; ‘SWING WITH ME’ the chill out bar; and ‘SANOOK WITH ME’ pool bar and sky lounge.
How many staff do you employ?
We have about 200 staff members who we selected for their positive attitude and thinking.
Why this location?
Well, its proximity to Patong’s most popular facilities such as Jungceylon Shopping Center, Bangla Walking Street and Patong Beach. I think these would be the most attractive reasons for our guests to choose to stay with us.
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