|
Fancy dress party held
at Horseshoe Point
Sawittree Namwiwatsuk
Free-style fancy dress was the theme of the Horseshoe Point annual
staff party, held on September 8 with more than 200 staff members from a
variety of departments taking part in the evening event.
 Jate
Sopitpongstorn, managing director of Horseshoe Point, happily announces that
the party is underway.
Managing director of the resort Jate Sopitpongstorn was the host of the
party, which was held at the stabling area of the resort and brought
together staff from departments that included housekeeping, front office,
accounting and stabling.
A buffet table was provided for food, and a stage was set up for live music
and dancing. Sporting events had been held during the morning, and the
prizes were given out in the evening.
Staff members were also invited to perform on-stage, which created great
hilarity, and prizes including a DVD player, a color television, a microwave
and a bicycle were awarded.
Horseshoe Point staff members
provide a stage performance during the party.
Staff members and
administrators from Horseshoe Point
become quite festive during the party.
Fitness business plunges 20-30% in wake of political turmoil
The fitness guests enjoy the
evening.
Vimolrat Singnikorn
The fitness sector of the hospitality industry has fallen by at least 20 percent
in the wake of the recent political turmoil, guests at the Dusit Fitness Center
heard during the center’s annual party for its VIP members on September 8.
 Panthip
Pongkieo and Ratsamee Tammasan welcome guests to the party.
In addition, the fitness business is currently facing intense competition
because of the high number of venues, and prices throughout the sector have been
cut to attract customers.
Panthip Pongkieo, manager of the Dusit Fitness Center in the Dusit Thani Pattaya
hosted the thank-you party for the center’s VIP members, saying at the same time
that there is a planned upgrade for the workout equipment and renovation for the
premises, all part of the program to ensure that the center remains competitive
during these difficult times.
The current political situation has caused a decline in fitness clientele by
between 20 and 30 percent compared to the same period last year, said Panthip.
Furthermore, the Pattaya fitness market currently has a high level of
competition, and many of the outlets have been adopting a discount strategy to
attract business.
Panthip added that although the number of hotel guests using the Dusit Fitness
Center has decreased, the core VIP membership remains at a high level. The
center has, meanwhile, modified its own package of privileges to ensure that VIP
members enjoy quality service.
Queen Sirikit Hospital
celebrates anniversary
High ranking officers mark the
anniversary
of the founding of Queen Sirikit Hospital.
Patcharapol Panrak
August 25 marked the anniversary of the founding of Queen Sirikit
Hospital at the Naval Medical Department, the day being observed with a
religious ceremony attended by Vice Admiral Surapol Phuyanont, director general
of the department, his deputy Rear Admiral Wirot Roothirawat and the assistant
director Rear Admiral Dendecha Pratoompet.
Welcoming the senior officers from the Naval Medical Department, representatives
from the Royal Thai Navy, and leaders from both government and private
organizations was director of the Queen Sirikit Hospital Rear Admiral Nikorn
Petchveerakul.
Rear Admiral Nikorn said that the population covered by the hospital has been
growing substantially, as an increasing number of Navy personnel are being
deployed at Sattahip, and the industrial areas of Maptaput in Rayong Province
and Laem Chabang in Chonburi Province are expanding in size, along with the
increasing number of people living in the East Coast region generally.
The hospital dates its founding to 1992, and the auspicious occasion of Her
Majesty the Queen’s 60th birthday. The Royal Thai Navy felt this was an
excellent opportunity to build the largest hospital in the Eastern region,
taking an area of approximately 400 rai, in order to celebrate and honor Her
Majesty.
The Queen Sirikit Hospital is now the Eastern Central Hospital, supporting the
Eastern region and cooperating with other hospitals in the Eastern provinces.
PILC Annual Holiday Charity Bazaar set for Oct. 4
Loran Davidson
This year the Pattaya International Ladies Club (PILC) Annual Bazaar at
the Royal Cliff Hotel is set to be bigger and better than ever! Last year the
bazaar raised over 500,000 baht which has been used throughout the year to help
many organizations. This year the Bazaar is kindly being sponsored by Crown
Relocations, Premier Homes, Volclay Siam, Transpo International Ltd, Foster
Wheeler and Amata.
 In
March 2008, the PILC helped support the handicapped.
The PILC has been spending the money and these are just a few examples of how
the money helped children in our area:
We have spent monies on a new project in the Mabprachan area, Ban Pak Puen,
which is a home that houses 8 adults with HIV. We have bought furnishings,
painted the home and we also deliver food parcels every month.
We have also started a new project doing monthly food drops to help assist the
families in Kates Project who live in slum areas around the Mabprachan area.
We have supplied many scholarships before the new Thai school year opened in
Pattaya and Rayong Province schools, as well as supply uniforms for many
children who otherwise would have been unable to attend school due to not having
uniforms.
We continue to support the Mercy Center, Goh Pai Kinder and the Fountain of Life
on a regular basis; all these projects are going really well.
We will continue to find new projects and help as many of the underprivileged as
we possibly can. We, the PILC Welfare team, are very grateful for your support.
Please come and see the Welfare team at the bazaar and see for yourselves on the
screen what wonderful projects we have.
PILC also would like to thank the many businesses and individuals who have
kindly donate this year’s raffle prizes. Raffle tickets are on sale from PILC
members or please contact Adene Paykel, special events chairperson 086-149 -
1771.
Your money really counts, so please buy the raffle tickets and come along and
support this year’s bazaar and help PILC to make a difference to so many lives.
Doors open at 10 a.m., entrance fee is 120 baht.
Buying property at PCEC meeting
The regular Sunday meeting of the Pattaya City Expats Club
got underway at the Amari’s Henry J. Beans restaurant on September 7 when, after
the usual morning announcements, MC Stuart Saunders introduced the guest
speakers, Michael Barricelli and Arnawood Iskenderian. These two are Pattaya
Property Agents and have created a newsletter, entitled Pattaya Property
Newsletter.
 Arnawood
Iskenderian advises PCEC members of the right and wrong way to go about buying
real estate in Thailand, while partner Michael Barricelli handles the
presentation.
Michael introduced their topic as “Considerations When Purchasing Property in
Thailand.” Michael noted his corporate background and natural conservative
nature gave him a different perspective from Arnawood, whose background was
property sales. Rather than being contradictory, Michael said these different
perspectives complemented one another.
Michael proceeded to give tips about buying property in Thailand ranging from
“If new to the area” to “Common pitfalls” and “Due diligence.” Michael noted
that when purchasing a property, whether a condo or house, the factors that
should impact on the decision will depend if it is made as an investment or as
residence.
He also went over the means of acquiring the property, such as in your own name
(condos within Thailand’s 49% rule), with a company, by renting, or use of long
term lease. Michael commented on how safe (risky) is it to own property in
Thailand, by noting that all land and condominium ownership is registered with
the government. Further, recently enacted laws, such as amendments to the
Condominium Act and the new provision for escrow accounts, have made the
purchase of property less risky. He noted, however that the new escrow
provisions are not compulsory and if used, will provide some security about the
purchase, but involve higher fees. He said that he expects only the well
financed developers would be agreeable to such arrangements as many others rely
on periodic payments from the purchaser to finance construction. Michael then
went over the various ownership structures available.
Arnawood took over from Michael to cover the purchasing process. He recommended
that you conduct your search using a property agent. Usually there is a 10 to 20
percent earnest deposit required once an offer is accepted. Further there is the
contract negotiation, inspections of the property, and the often needed
transfer, with appropriate documentation, of foreign funds into Thailand for the
purchase.
Arnawood also said that cost should not be the deciding factor on what to buy.
He then went over the considerations one should take when buying, which is
governed by the purpose - investment or residence. The buyer needs to consider
such things as location (car or public transportation), suitability (single
person or family), age of the structure (low or high maintenance needs), and, if
children will be living there, the nearness and availability of schools.
Arnawood also showed a slide that compared the benefits and drawbacks of
purchasing a condominium versus a house. For example, a condominium can be
purchased in a foreigner’s own name, whereas this cannot be done with a house.
He also noted that many condominiums are near to the local beaches, whereas
housing units tend to be further away. He also observed that although higher
price is a drawback for a condominium purchase, they do have a better resale
market than houses.
In conclusion, Arnawood noted that one cannot group all properties into one
basket as there are several markets - low end, middle, high, and luxury.
Currently, he noted that the units in the luxury market are selling quickly
(above 125,000 baht per square meter). He also cautioned that the sales price of
comparable units vary significantly. Thus, he reiterated his comment that it is
a good idea to use the services of a property agent familiar with the market as
they can advise you if the asking price for a unit is reasonable. They also
often know the reputation of the builder and the quality of their construction.
Michael and Arnawood also went over other factors such as due diligence, some
common pitfalls, and things the contract should cover.
The regular open forum followed the presentation with Hawaii Bob Sutterfield
joining Sig Sigworth in conducting the forum. As always, the often humorous open
forum provided answers to questions from the audience about living here in
Thailand following the club’s motto - expats helping expats.
Dusit Thani Pattaya joins a
TAT sponsored event to celebrate
Her Majesty the Queen’s birthday
In addition to flower and ice sculpting and even re-shaping
soap into the form of a flower, the art of fruit and vegetable carving is one of
the many skills that talented Thais have up their sleeve.
 (L
- R) Paskorn Mukmek, Sirinna Mungsalee, Somchai Kampoo, Sopha Krutchalard and
Boonprakong Boonmangam representing Dusit Thani Pattaya.
As part of Her Majesty the Queen’s birthday celebrations, the Tourism Authority
of Thailand organized “The 10th Fruit and Vegetable Carving, Flower and Banana
Leaves Decoration Contest” held at the Grand Mercure Fortune Hotel Bangkok.
The event drew numerous participants who wished to be part of Her Majesty’s 75th
birthday anniversary. Dusit Thani Pattaya was represented by Sopha Krutchalard,
Sirinna Mungsalee, Somchai Kampoo, Boonprakong Boonmangam and Paskorn Mukmek,
who each came up with their own outstanding works of art dedicated to Her
Majesty’s birthday.
|
