| Phuket Resorts, Property Still Upbeat, Says Departing Laguna Phuket Chief For the man who holds the most significant position in Phuket resort management, yesterday brought the end of one personal era, and the beginning of another. The challenge for many middle-aged resorts on Phuket was similar, he said. ''. It doesn't mean a lack of commitment. Mr Ayling forecast the arrtival of mixed-use developments and more retail, including redevelopment of Canal Village ''to make Laguna Phuket more of a united destination. ''We've still got a lot of land around Laguna Phuket but we need resources to unlock that value. Now the group will be carrying out development plans to enhance Laguna Phuket as a destination. Sometimes you need to take short-term pain for long-term gain. ''Now everything is back to where it should be with our employees. There has also been the sale of two of Laguna Phuket's seven resorts. ''That provides its own challenges. An integrated resort probably takes a bit more effort to keep it integrated. Second homes aren't fashionable any more. ''People do not have equity in their homes, quite the opposite. ''The market dynamics are working against property on Phuket. James Batt, who ran Laguna Phuket for 10 years, was known as the Mayor of Laguna for his outgoing style. Coming from a background in bookkeeping, Mr Ayling, now 45, steered Laguna Phuket through a period of rapid change. After all, he has been paid to gaze into the crystal ball and chart the future for Laguna Phuket, a pioneer in so many aspects of Phuket's development starting with its genesis as a tin mine wasteland in the 1980s. He says Phuket's future is most likely in the three-and-a-half to four-star mass market. When it comes to staff, Mr Ayling said experiments with casual labor were not likely to succeed on Phuket, simply because full-time staff were in such high demand. On property sales on Phuket, he said: ''It's tough. Mr Ayling ascribes to the term that founder KP Ho uses to describe the future of Laguna Phuket as ''unlocking value. ''I took that advice. I may be more rounded, more confident, and I've learned a hell of a lot beyond my finance skills as well. But it is time to try my own hand and see how much I've really learned through the years. He's continuing as a non-executive director at Laguna, putting an end to rumors that there was some kind of falling out. A new Laguna Phuket managing director has yet to be appointed, although it has been recognised for months that Mr Ayling was heading out the door. ''When I took over it was at the start of the property boom,'' he says, looking back on the past six years. Mr Ayling's new role at his own start-up is about helping individuals who have land to come up with concepts and designs and to steer the finance to sales and operations. NuoBello already has one big project, a hotel and 800 properties near the capital in Papua New Guinea, a young country that Mr Ayling knows and loves as much as he loves Thailand. ''We've also spent a lot of time and effort on community relations. Our Corporate Affairs Department has done a fantastic job. ''The doom and gloom in Europe is probably an opportunity to appeal to Europeans who don't want to stay in Europe or Europeans lving and working here who don't want to go back. ''We've sold quite a few properties in the first quarter, done very well, sold 15 properties. By making Laguna Phuket a more desirable place in terms of those coming developments, Laguna aims to enhance its appeal. Vietnam? Laguna is creating a startup resort destination on the coast between Hue and Da Nang. ''Hopefully we will help lead the way in that part of the world,'' he said. Always refreshingly honest, Mr Ayling moved on swiftly from the positives. ''The negatives? It's been tough for the past three years. Phuket Resorts, Property Still Upbeat, Says Departing Laguna Phuket Chief |
Friday, 1 June 2012
Phuket Resorts, Property Still Upbeat, Says Departing Laguna Phuket Chief
