After a week's closure during the riots, Bangkok hotels - including the Siam City Hotel and the Dusit Thani - began gradually opening their doors this week.
The Siam City Hotel reopened to guests on Monday and expects to close the week with 15-per-cent occupancy. For the month, the hotel expects the occupancy to be only 25 per cent, with a slight increase predicted for June and July.
Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi, the hotel's executive vice president, expects food and beverage customers to return next week and already has a wedding banquet and large dining parties booked in the facilities.
The hotel, located on the corner of Sri Ayutthaya and Phya Thai roads, was forced to close, due to military blockades at both ends of the main street. Despite damage to public buildings just a block away at Victory Monument and in Din Daeng district, the hotel's immediate vicinity remained unharmed and relatively peaceful throughout the ordeal.
"The after-effects are obviously being felt, not just from overseas travellers but local patrons as well. They are staying in their offices and homes this week and not venturing out," Marisa said.
Conversely, the Siam Group's Pattaya properties - the Siam Bayview Hotel and the Siam Bayshore Resort & Spa - have enjoyed much improved occupancy rates over last year despite the prolonged protests.
"We have been performing better than expected this year with a 20-per-cent increase in business over last year thanks to Thais making frequent quick trips to the seaside. It's just now that the effects are being felt and we anticipate a difficult few months ahead," said Marisa.
The group's strategy is to strengthen marketing programmes targeting the local sector.
"As an independently owned and operated Thai hotel company, local consumers have a strong personal bond toward our brand and are among our strongest supporters," Marisa said.
The group will launch a special "Love Thailand, Love Siam" package next month with all-inclusive rates valid until July 31. The group is also prepared for the opening of its new 39-room boutique hotel on the Chao Phya River in July.
The Dusit Thani Bangkok reopened on Tuesday, as guests decided to stay at the hotel as soon as the events of last week were over. Dusit International CEO Chanin Donavanik vowed the hotel, which celebrated its 40th anniversary this year, would come back even stronger.
Andrew Cornelio, the Dusit Thani's director of sales and marketing, said it was heartening to receive so many well wishers not only locally but from around the world.
"It restores our faith in our mission with so many loyal customers. We look forward to seeing more guests return to the hotel as word spreads of our reopening," he said.
One of the first guests to book for the Tuesday reopening was Keith Gilmour of Seaweld Engineering. He said that when he found out the hotel was reopening, he decided to change his booking from another hotel as the Dusit Thani is his favourite.
Another guest, Sunantha Wuthisakul of Thai Orchid/Iran Air, said: "If I'm going to be a part of the process of rebuilding confidence in Thai hotels - as we all should be - I'd rather do it right here."