The Phuket Luxury Report highlights Phuket’s transformation into a luxury hub with top-tier real estate, hospitality, and elite lifestyle services.
PHUKET, THAILAND – Phuket has changed dramatically in recent years. Fringed by the Andaman Sea, the tropical oasis has evolved from a popular beach resort destination into one of the world’s most attractive luxury residential markets, with elite luxury consumer brands, Michelin-dining and international quality education and medical care fueling the interest.
Confirmation was unveiled today courtesy of The Phuket Luxury Report, produced by C9 Hotelworks, the award-winning Phuket-based tourism, hospitality & real estate consultancy, which shone a light on this transformation at the “LivePhuket: A Global Luxury Lifestyle Destination” event held with Property Guru International (Thailand).
A 90-minute event saw Bill Barnett, Managing Director of C9 Hotelworks, reveal the key findings from The Phuket Luxury Report as factors such as competitive pricing, infrastructure enhancements, and lifestyle preferences create soaring demand.
“The island is the birthplace of two global luxury hospitality brands – Aman Resorts and Banyan Group. It’s luxury-lifestyle support demand generators include a private jet terminal, five award-winning ultra-luxury hotels with average room rates exceeding USD1,000 a night. There are four international-standard marinas that host superyachts. There are 13 international schools and a growing number of best-in-class hospitals,” said Bill Barnett, Managing Director of C9 Hotelworks.
Ravi Chandran presenting Gardens of Eden at the event – a leading nature-inspired luxury project in Phuket on Bangtao Beach developing 30% of its land area and reserving 70% for parks, lakes and gardens.
Key highlights are developments by the pioneering Banyan Group, the developer of Laguna Phuket, a 1,000-acre integrated destination community with now draws 1 million visitors a year and comprises 8 world-class hotels and resorts, an award-winning golf course, BDMS wellness clinic, its own international pre-school kindergarten – in addition to 3,000 private homes, and Gardens of Eden, a green-inspired luxury wellbeing space in Bangtao seeing intense interest from a new generation of investors, in a top-grade sector valued at more than USD 10 billion (THB 337 billion), according to the report.
Examining the factors impacting the rise of the luxury sector in Phuket was a line-up of top experts. A series of moderated discussions covered topics including Insights from Phuket’s Luxury Developers, featuring Stuart Reading, Deputy CEO of Laguna Resorts (part of Banyan Group), and Ravi Chandran, Corporate Affairs Director at Gardens of Eden; and Luxury Brands, represented by Wilaiporn Pitimanaaree, Senior Vice President of Central Pattana, Praiya Laparojkit, Executive Director of Mercedes-Benz Phuket, and Thiti Samuthrat, Assistant Hospital Director of Bangkok Hospital Phuket; Roman Gorin, Managing Director of Gardens of Eden. Providing Food for Thought about the rise of Michelin-rated cuisine in Phuket was Marco Turatti, Executive Chef of InterContinental Phuket Resort, Parkorn “Tan” Kosiyabong, Chef & Owner, GOAT Bangkok and LAAD Phuket, and moderated by Sumi Soorian, Senior Advisor, Phuket Hotels Association.
Bill Barnett, Managing Director of C9 Hotelworks, added: “In the post-pandemic era, Phuket’s real estate has shown exponential growth in the multi-million-dollar luxury residential sector. This trend is rooted in changing lifestyles, with an emphasis on space, international services and a rich and diverse way of life. Live Phuket is at the forefront of change in the values of global citizens.”
Ravi Chandran, Corporate Affairs Director at Gardens of Eden, said: “Phuket is one of the most exciting luxury markets worldwide, attracting a new generation of lifestyle-conscious families and individuals seeking investments that suit their needs. At Gardens of Eden, we are developing a new precinct of lifestyle living on your doorstep with parks, lakes and well-being recreation activities covering over 70% of our space located steps from Bangtao Beach.”
Stuart Reading, Deputy CEO of Laguna Resorts, part of Banyan Group, stated: “Banyan Group is ranked fourth globally in the branded residences sector, and has been instrumental in pioneering tourism and branded residences in Phuket. From the launch of the world’s first Banyan Tree resort in Phuket in the 1990s to the current real estate boom and our comprehensive range of real estate offerings, including our latest ultra-luxury Banyan Tree Residences, this island has been an unparalleled success story and we are proud to have been a key part of it.”
Wilaiporn Pitimanaaree, Senior Vice President of Central Pattana, said: “We have noticed a significant rise in demand for premium brands and recently launched a dedicated luxury floor at Central Phuket Floresta, which showcases leading labels including Prada, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Rolex and more. This is a strong reflection of Phuket’s upmarket shift which is now being witnessed all across the island.”
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