Upscale pool villa planned for Koh Tao

Rumleuk Assavachin, owner of 19-year-old Ban's Diving Resort, plans to develop an all-pool villa resort with 50 to 60 keys on a 16,000m2 plot of land, located 10 minutes by car from Ban's on the same Sairee Beach.

Rumleuk said there was increasing demand for high-end pool villas. One of the few upscale resorts on the island commands more than 10,000 baht (US$308) a night for its pool villa.

Rumleuk's pool villa project, now being designed, will open within the next two years.

"I'm looking at outsourcing professional management for the new project to ensure it offers high-end...standards," Rumleuk said.

Meanwhile, the 150-room Ban's will add 20 new rooms next year, which will charge rates of just above 1,000 baht a night.

The resort, which typically runs at high to peak occupancy year-round and fetches room 200 baht to 3,500 baht a night, has been enjoying an annual business growth of 20 to 30 per cent since its opening in 1992.

(Sources: Sirima Eamtako, Koh Samui, TTGAsia)