A digital spin round Pattaya

The web developer has designed the virtual map from thousands of panoramic street-level photographs, allowing anyone with a 'Net connection to travel the streets of the resort.

You can adjust the angle, turning left and right and moving back and forwards. The virtual map will help first-time visitors learn their way around Pattaya as well as giving them the chance to check out hotels, bars and shopping destinations.

Boutique Thai hotels join WorldHotels

Indigo Pearl Phuket and Villa Lawana in Koh Samui are the latest members of WorldHotels, the Europe-based group specialising in boutique hotels.

Indigo Pearl celebrates Phuket's tin mining heritage with a subtle theme that runs through the finest details, from the names of the restaurants and bars to the staff uniforms.

Villa Lawana, on Koh Samui's Chaweng beach, has a stylish contemporary design with a Sino-Thai accent, recalling the history and culture of the region.

"We are delighted to welcome these two new resorts, which extend our leisure and property portfolio in Thailand," says Roland Jeggen of WorldHotels.

Plunging in to save the sharks

The Conrad Maldives Rangali Island has embarked on a three-month sponsorship of a project to study whale sharks in the Indian Ocean.

The resort is now supporting four UK environmental experts as they track the whale sharks along the Maamigili reef to learn more about how they live and how best to protect them.

The team returns to the resort every five days to re-stock on food, fuel, maintenance and rest, as well as give guests an insight into their findings and progress. The resort's Sub Aqua Dive Centre is also supporting the project by supplying scuba-diving and camera equipment.

U Resort gets its man

The soon to open U Chiang Mai resort has named Yothin Uthaphu as its general manager.

Yothin has had an extensive career in the hotel industry, with several years of experience in sales both in Thailand and Vietnam, where he was senior sales manager for New World Hotel Saigon. Prior to this appointment, he was working for the Cha-Da Beach Resort & Spa on Koh Lanta.

U Resort Chiang Mai is expected to be a fresh and stylish addition to the city's hotel scene when it opens next month.