InterContinental Hotels: Priority Club & Inter-Continental Ambassador - HI Phuket over Xmas

i am hoping to meet my family halfway in thailand next Xmas (I'm in Sydney they're in London).

i've looked at HI phuket, they are already filling up (all family suites/kids rooms are gone and the rest are far more than i'd expect in thailand).

the friends and family rate doesn't come up for this hotel (esp at this time) - are there any other codes i could try?

there will be 6 adults and 5 kids so we will have 5 rooms for almost 14 nights so its a pretty significant outlay.

alternatively the new Radisson in Phuket looks pretty good - anyone stayed there? my brother who's highly involved in the booking isnt into any schemes/programs.

all thoughts or experience of the hotel/others nearby appreciated

thanks!

I stayed at this resort for a week during Christmas 2009.

I made the booking during June last year when rates were around 5500 THB
(£105 or US$160) adv purchase B&B.

I am shocked that this year the prices are twice as much for advance bookings.

It's certainly a beautiful property and the Busakorn wing has a much nicer and quieter pool.

The restaurants are exceptionally good and reasonable value compared with local alternatives.

Every time you leave the hotel the taxi touts will be shouting at you, but this is all part of the local charm.

We checked out on Boxing Day and the Busakorn Wing was 100% occupied because I overheard a guest unsuccessfully trying to book an extra room.

I would never pay 9300 Bt for a basic room, but 10,640 Bt for a Studio Pool View with a guaranteed platinum upgrade to a Villa Pool View is more attractive but still high (It's not a real Villa but a room in a separate wing next to the Busakorn Wing)

I can see your problem because you need 5 rooms the cost is eye watering.
How about looking for alternative resorts with 2 bed Villas or Bungalows?

When looking for the best rates I always check

http://www.skyscanner.net/hotels/?currencyCode=AUD&tabId=Details&rateTabId=rateViewSimple&languageCode=en

and

http://www.agoda.co.uk/asia/thailand.html

is it guaranteed upgrade to pool villa?

the email i got from them wasnt very helpful (after over a week before responding) and certainly didnt offer any upgrade/plat benefits despite me asking what they might be

if we book 2 standard rooms as well as 2 studios, any likelihood they'd let us all be in busakorn wing?

i havent yet found any 2 villa type places. i'm amazed at how many are already sold out and/or extremely expensive for SE Asia

But it dies sound lovely here and i'm keen..

Usually upgrades are 'subject to availability upon checkin' but individual hotels may use discretion. I emailed them before booking last year and they promised to upgrade me 1 room level and then altered the room type on my reservation.

If you need 5 rooms for 13/14 days it gives you plenty of bargaining power, make a shortlist of 3 hotels and email them telling them you want a special deal.

hi - the buskaron wing has just been completely revamped and looked fabulous when we were there a few months ago - be aware that its not set up for kids -unless they have rebedded the rooms - only one bed per room - will allow a cot but if you have young kids and are planning twin rooms - this may not be the best choice. Another hotel to look at is the marriott patong - directly across the road - the kids club is better but the pool(s) are worse - if you look at a marriott thailand card (see other threads under marriott) - you can certainly do it very cheaply...good luck!

thanks for the tip re the marriott and card - we had a couple of nights at the BKK marriott last year and it was great (i think we were actually talking about sharing a card at the time, i never got around to getting one). as we are staying for 2 weeks and it looks lie the vouchers are valid for 3 days and 3 days, do you think we can use the 20% off at this super peak time? we'd probably need to buy 4 of them to cover the whole party (6 adukts 4 kids and 1 baby)..

there are actually a few marriotts in Phuket - would one of the others be better than staying in phuket if we do end up going down that path?

While the HI Phuket is a nice property the price levels you describe are insane and IMHO not worth it at all. I used to stay there for 2500 - 4000 THB and would never pay 10K THB for a room. You can stay at the brand new IC Hua Hin for 10K THB a night per room and that place is awesome.

Also the beach in Patong is not Phuket's best and if you are there with lots of kids then the proximity of the hotel to the 'entertainment area (soi bangla)' with all the bars etc. is not something I would necessarily recommend.

If you are fond of Mariott I think there is a Courtyard in Surin which beach wise should be nice or in Kata (also okay but some Phuket buffs may have more info). Yes there is also a Courtyard in Patong but in general I don't think Patong makes fo rthe best familiy vacation unless you like the hustle and bustle.

Thanks - i was wondering about Hua Hin, haven't been there - is there much to do/see/have fun for kids (and adults)?

i'm not wedded to Phuket, though wouldn't mind a few days in Phi Phi. Would need to persuade family on other side of the world tho..

While the HI Phuket is a nice property the price levels you describe are insane and IMHO not worth it at all. I used to stay there for 2500 - 4000 THB and would never pay 10K THB for a room. You can stay at the brand new IC Hua Hin for 10K THB a night per room and that place is awesome.

Also the beach in Patong is not Phuket's best and if you are there with lots of kids then the proximity of the hotel to the 'entertainment area (soi bangla)' with all the bars etc. is not something I would necessarily recommend.

If you are fond of Mariott I think there is a Courtyard in Surin which beach wise should be nice or in Kata (also okay but some Phuket buffs may have more info). Yes there is also a Courtyard in Patong but in general I don't think Patong makes fo rthe best familiy vacation unless you like the hustle and bustle.

I recently booked one up from basic room. i called them and asked what a platinum upgrade would be they said one grade
I checked my booking a week later and i had a pool view villa.
on checkin I indeed had a pool view villa.
its very nice.

While the HI Phuket is a nice property the price levels you describe are insane and IMHO not worth it at all. I used to stay there for 2500 - 4000 THB and would never pay 10K THB for a room. You can stay at the brand new IC Hua Hin for 10K THB a night per room and that place is awesome.

Also the beach in Patong is not Phuket's best and if you are there with lots of kids then the proximity of the hotel to the 'entertainment area (soi bangla)' with all the bars etc. is not something I would necessarily recommend.

If you are fond of Mariott I think there is a Courtyard in Surin which beach wise should be nice or in Kata (also okay but some Phuket buffs may have more info). Yes there is also a Courtyard in Patong but in general I don't think Patong makes fo rthe best familiy vacation unless you like the hustle and bustle.

Check out latestays.com. after all the trouble in thailand recently I just stayed at a poolside Busakorn (best) wing for 3000 baht including taxes. If you are with the kids, Cha Am (near Hua Hin) is a nice option for fewer points. It has a putt putt, 3 beautiful pools and great golf courses nearby. The kids can take a pony ride on the beach. No in your face bar girl type scene there. If you want to get away from it all, then try the HI resort at Phi Phi Island. it is not crowded and beautiful. A longtail boat ride to secluded beaches, although the beach at the HI is pretty sparsely populated. That being said, the HI at Phuket is overpriced in high season. You can stay at many places around that hotel for a lot less, but the ambience will not be as good. Surin beach was mentioned, but is very far away from it all. Watch out for the roving dogs on the beach in the morning there. Remember that the beaches at Hua Hin and Cha Am are gulf beaches and cannot compare to the beaches on the Andaman sea such as Phuket or Phi Phi.

Used to stay at the busakorn wing at least twice a year, have not been back for two years, the prices are insane, I wonder who provides the main customer base these days..............probably rich Russians...........Meusburger used to be my favourite Holiday Inn Manager......primarily because he appreciated the value of repeat guests......now it seems he may have lost the plot.......exploiting short term rich pickings!