The Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel on Bangkok's Sukhumvit Soi 22, owned by TCC Hotel Group, will be closed from Oct 2 for a 3-billion-baht renovation.
Imperial Queen’s Park, one of the biggest hotels in Bangkok, will close for renovations and rebranding. PATTARAPONG CHATPATTARASILL
When it reopens at the end of 2015 — in time for the opening of the Asean Economic Community — the 1,260-room hotel will be known as Bangkok Marriott Queen's Park.
It will be managed by US-based hospitality company Marriott International, which last year signed a contract to run six other TCC hotels across Thailand, including Imperial Adamas Phuket Beach Resort and the Ritz-Carlton in Bangkok.
"TCC Hotel Group is confident in the potential of Thailand’s tourism industry, which will expand further to support regional integration," the group, owned by billionaire Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi, said on Thursday.
It said the temporary shutdown would have minimal impact on the more than 800 employees of the hotel.
Prapansak Bhatayanond, an adviser to Mr Charoen, said the staff are free to stay.
But if they choose to leave, the company offers severance packages that cover compensation by law plus special offers including two months' pay from the company and another four months from the chairman.
Those who opt to stay will receive training for skills to prepare for the AEC.
"We are deeply concerned and realise the value of staff who have been working with the company for a long time, so we will take care of staff continuously unless they prefer to leave," said Mr Prapansak, a former president of the Thai Hotels Association.
TCC Hotel Group on Thursday called a meeting, which was attended by about 600 employees, to explain the operation suspension and severance packages.
The meeting was called after reports of staff dissatisfaction with the packages.
But Mr Prapansak said the offers are fair and exceed legal requirements, with employees having until Sept 15 to make up their minds.
