Le Royal Meridien Phuket Yacht Club is seeking to combat Phuket's traditional seasonality problems by capturing a greater share of regional traffic during off-peak periods. Resident manager Denis Thouvard said, "We already have a strong leisure market from Europe and are opening the market to the region for short stays during the low season. A lot of effort is spent on nationals and expatriates in the region, especially from Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea." Eighty- to 85 per cent of the hotel's clientele now comes from Europe.
Le Meridien Hotels & Resorts won the management contract of the Phuket Yacht Club in January, poured in 45 million baht in refurbishments, and reopened the hotel in October, with the grand opening scheduled for December 17. Thouvard is projecting a 65 per cent occupancy in 1998. While the hotel relies on a strong repeat visitorship and FIT bookings, it is also looking at more bookings from travel agents.