Eight five-star hotels along the Chao Phraya River have joined forces to promote their riverside premises as the preferred destination for the meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (Mice) industry in Bangkok.
Several leading hotels along the Chao Phraya have pooled their marketing activities to boost Bangkok’s Mice industry. THANARAK KHOONTON
The eight are the Anantara Bangkok Riverside & Spa, Chatrium Hotel Riverside Bangkok, Mandarin Oriental Bangkok, Millennium Hilton Bangkok, Peninsula Bangkok, Ramada Plaza Bangkok Menam Riverside, Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel & Towers and Shangri-La Hotel Bangkok.
They believe working together will create awareness for the primary location choice in Bangkok. The general managers of the eight hotels said they understood the win-win benefits of their riverside position and the profitable advantage of their unique selling proposition for all partners.
The key aim of the marketing-related actions to be undertaken throughout the year by the voluntary Bangkok Riverside Marketing Partnership (BRMP) will help to strengthen the positioning of the Chao Phraya riverside as a subdestination in Bangkok and promote the riverside for leisure and Mice markets and for their dining venues.
The development has also been initiated in collaboration with tourism stakeholders including the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau and the Thailand Incentive and Convention Association as well as the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration.
Dirk De Cuyper, regional general manager for Thailand and general manager of the Millennium Hilton Bangkok, said the cooperation started at the end of last year.
''We aim to increase the market share of Mice businesses of hotels along the river. Current Mice business accounts for 25%-35% on average here,'' he said.
Mr De Cuyper said the collaboration will help to increase Mice business significantly by 2016.
''We are confident about tourism and the strength of riverside hotels. Normal business will resume by the third quarter thanks to good advance bookings,'' he said.
Apart from the beautiful location, the advantages of riverside hotels are convenient accessibility and outstanding restaurants.
Mice businesses generally make bookings six months to three years in advance, and launching the collaboration now will help to get business in time, said Mr De Cuyper.
Key Mice markets of riverside hotels are China, India, the US, Europe and elsewhere in Asia.
The BRMP website www.bangkokriverside.org provides extensive information about the hotels' activities and events.
Training is offered for partners' Mice sales forces on destination selling, while familiarisation tours and a presence at regional trade shows will enhance the perception of Bangkok's historic and contemporary riverside.