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  1. #1
    Thailand Expat
    Simon43's Avatar
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    New guest rooms - Indian style

    So as ex #2's hotel business (The Country Resort in previous construction threads), heads towards an early demise, solely due to her and family's incompetence and laziness, - I find that my own little B&B (The Thai Style Resort in the construction threads), is doing very well, even though it only opened last November.

    Here is a quick comparison of income for the 2 businesses from Nov 2014 - May 2015:

    Ex #2 (8 guest rooms) ==> 0.91 million baht
    My place (4 guest rooms) ==> 1.2 million baht

    My outgoings are lower as well (just 1.5 staff).

    I need to build more guest rooms!

    I am allowed by my building permit to build 3 more guest rooms, but I intend to build 2 more 'rooms' before the next high season.

    So what should I build???

    Here is a photo of the area of the garden where I propose to build:



    The area is between the gazebo and the wall.

    Now I could build similar rooms as I built last year ==> wooden doors, louvre shutters, wide terrace (see the photos in the construction thread).

    But I want to provide guest accommodation that is highly original and in demand because of the 'novelty' factor.

    I am also not keen to build in similar style as before, because this means that I have to use ex #2's brother as the builder. (I could refuse to use him, but that would create some family headaches).

    This guy can build basic structures. He is cheap because he is a dickhead, and I have to watch him like a hawk. He steals my tools given the chance (I am on my 6th power drill over the past few years...)

    He is also trying to offer one of his distant daughters to me as a gik, (she is 18+, see some other thread about this), and this sounds like a whole lot of hassle

    So what do I build?

    Right folks, call me Mr Mad-As-A-Bat Simon, but this is my idea:



    which is the interior of one of these:



    I'm going to build Red Indian style

    It's a Sioux-style teepee (or tipi or wigwam) that is made by a company in the USA.

    Nomadics Tipi Makers

    This is no childrens' play-tent. Note the size of the boy in that photo and then check out the furnishings/layout in the first photo. For single-night accommodation for 2 adults, this is a very reasonable size.

    Advice - you should visit that website and read the detail before dismissing my idea as crazy

    My plan is to buy two of these tipis, complete with custom silhouette paintwork on the tent material (characters from the Ramakien),and install them in my garden.

    I checked out some of the links from that website for resorts which already use their teepees. 2 things interested me:

    - There were no resorts listed in Thailand
    - The 'room' rate for staying in a teepee was not for Cheap-Charlies. This was a novelty but luxury accommodation.

    The teepee material is extra strong cotton, treated against mildew etc, with a lifetime of perhaps 10 years. This is fine by me because the purchase price of each teepee is about $2,500 (including a friggin 30% tax to import them into Thailand).

    A few advantages to using teepees:

    - I only have to construct the base platform on which to secure the teepee. So this will totally minimise any construction work that the BIL has to do.
    - Small amount of construction = low cost and quick to complete
    - Novelty factor. I think my Chinese/Japanese guests will love them
    - Mobility. If the ex and family gang up on me to 'steal' my resort, I'll take me and my 2 wigwams somewhere else!

    One important point concerns the bathroom facilities. Because the teepee is quite large, it is actually possible to construct a bathroom area within it, separated from the sleeping area by a wall that rises up to touch the slope of the teepee cover.

    The teepee material will move slightly in the breeze, so I cannot seal the joint between that wall and the teepee material. However, the sound of ablutions will be masked by the constant noise from the fountains, frogs and crickets in my garden.

    This teepee will have air-con, mounted on the partition wall.

    I will have to make a few mods to the teepee, to ensure that mozzies cannot enter. So I will add a mozzie net material around the base of the teepee, and the same at the smoke vent.

    I have already measured out the area and am all ready to start work.

    I could describe more in this first post, but I'll do that in the follow-up posts after forum members have recovered from incredulous laughter at my insanity
    Groping women when you're old is fine - everyone thinks you're senile

  2. #2
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    Kurgen's Avatar
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    You're as mad as a bag of cats.

    Go for it and good luck.

  3. #3
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    I'd go with the Mongolian yurt look...
    Cozy.





  4. #4
    Hangin' Around cyrille's Avatar
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    I'm getting the impression that axes left lying around might not be the best idea.

  5. #5
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    Kurgen's Avatar
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    Why not go for the Seppo trailer trash look?

    Fuck even trying to post a pic on here.

  6. #6
    The Pikey Hunter
    Gerbil's Avatar
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    How about an igloo?


  7. #7
    Thailand Expat
    Kurgen's Avatar
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    Tree houses, no ground rent!

  8. #8
    Philippine Expat
    Davis Knowlton's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kurgen View Post
    You're as mad as a bag of cats.

    Go for it and good luck.
    What he said^.

  9. #9
    Thailand Expat
    Stinky's Avatar
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    Cardboard boxes are cheap? And an accepted form of housing all around the world!

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Stinky View Post
    Cardboard boxes are cheap? And an accepted form of housing all around the world!
    Yep.
    Pure class.




  11. #11
    Thailand Expat
    Stinky's Avatar
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    Ooh wall's AND roofs, nice

  12. #12
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    Kurgen's Avatar
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    Just don't splash when you pee

  13. #13
    Custom Title Changer
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    In the first picture Simon, instead of having a fire pit, have a shower with the same rock ring around it with a drain underneath. Let your guests know that you have several native American ladies that will help explain the workings of the teepee for your guests....the Japanese and Chinese would enjoy learning about how native Americans cleansed themselves....

  14. #14
    Thailand Expat
    Simon43's Avatar
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    instead of having a fire pit, have a shower with the same rock ring around it with a drain underneath
    Possibly, but until I actually erect the teepee, it is a little difficult to visualise exactly where the bathroom will be installed. In the centre would be quite novel, but I might not have enough room on one side for the bed.

    I will create the cement foundation plinth first, but not complete the floor area cement/tiles inside the teepee until I have erected it and then worked out positions for the bathroom, plumbing pipes, floor electrical switches etc.

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by Simon43
    My place (4 guest rooms) ==> 1.2 million baht
    Get real, BS needs to be at least in the realms of believably.

  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by jamescollister View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by Simon43
    My place (4 guest rooms) ==> 1.2 million baht
    Get real, BS needs to be at least in the realms of believably.

    Booked solid that's 1500 Baht/night.

  17. #17
    Pronce. PH said so AGAIN!
    slackula's Avatar
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    I thought your place was aimed at people with early/late flights who needed somewhere economical and clean and close to the airport?

    Is TripAdvisor suddenly full of guest comments about how much they wish they could have slept in a fukkin' wigwam before getting up at the crack of dawn for a long haul flight in cattle class back to Europe or how much better their Thai holiday would have been if only they could have spent the first night blundering about in a kitschy replica bronze age dwelling to relieve the hassle of the 14 hour boarding delay when the Frog air traffic controllers went on strike again?


    Quote Originally Posted by Simon43
    So what do I build?
    Have you thought about getting in an international management company?

    BUTLINS!
    .:Bognor Regis:. .:Minehead:. .:Skegness:. .:Phuket:.

    bibo ergo sum
    If you hear the thunder be happy - the lightening missed.
    This time.

  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by Simon43 View Post
    So as ex #2's hotel business (The Country Resort in previous construction threads), heads towards an early demise, solely due to her and family's incompetence and laziness, - I find that my own little B&B (The Thai Style Resort in the construction threads), is doing very well, even though it only opened last November.
    Relax your two tents...

  19. #19
    I am in Jail

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    What the rooms are no smoking, what room its gone.

  20. #20
    ความสุขในอีสาน
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    How are you gonna bolt and aircon unit on to the sides of a tent ??

  21. #21
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    Is it an airport hotel also ? Are you sure that customers are interested by anything different and not just a standard room ?

  22. #22
    Thailand Expat
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    Showing off in front of your ex wife.

  23. #23
    Thailand Expat
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    Some good comments.

    My place (4 guest rooms) ==> 1.2 million baht
    Get real, BS needs to be at least in the realms of believably.

    Booked solid that's 1500 Baht/night.
    My little B&B is normally booked solid. High season rates are up to 2,500 baht per night, with low season down to about 1,000 baht, but it averages out over the year at around 1,500 baht.

    I did a similar income check on ex #2's place and also on ex #3's place.

    My average room income per month is about 42,000 baht
    Ex #3 (Airport Overnight Hotel) is 30,000 baht (she is a cow, but works hard and is not mad like #2)
    Ex #2 (24/7 Hotel) is only 18,000 baht, ==> pitiful, could be double that income if she cared a toss about her business which was handed to her 'on a plate'.

    (These figures taken from the Channel Manager software that manages room bookings and income).

    How are you gonna bolt and aircon unit on to the sides of a tent ??
    Damn hard! The partition wall between sleeping and bathroom areas will be where the aircon is located, with the flat screen TV below it.

    Are you sure that customers are interested by anything different and not just a standard room
    The number of small hotels being built near to the airport has increased significantly, and now there are more rooms than guests. So one has to differentiate one's accommodation from the masses in some way. You can provide good customer service, but after that, what else?

    Guests tend to book, based upon the initial photos on the travel website. So if the main photo shows a cosy interior, but in unusual style, then the person's interest will lead them to view more details of the hotel.

    Because 99% of my guests only stay for their first or last night in Phuket, these teepees will offer a unique style of accommodation that is totally different from the run-of-the-mill hotel in Phuket.

    BTW, checking out the teepee resorts worldwide that are listed on the teepee website, a typical room rate (tent rate?) per night is around 2,000 baht.

    As an additional bonus, guests can savour the uniqueness of my Basil Fawlty wit.

  24. #24
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    this is a nice look Simon. Sure to attract those from Russia...

  25. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by Takeovers View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by jamescollister View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by Simon43
    My place (4 guest rooms) ==> 1.2 million baht
    Get real, BS needs to be at least in the realms of believably.

    Booked solid that's 1500 Baht/night.
    Each night has three two hour slots at 500 baht a slot

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