Panviman Changes its Website Again

I guess there is a lot of pressure to deliver when you are in charge of a 5 star hotel in Thailand. I suspect Panviman changes its key management team as frequently as Chelsea Football Club. Each new manager seems compelled to commission a new website. The last one for Panviman needed dealing with as it was hacked, and remained hacked for a number of months.

The latest website for Panviman Resort and Spa in Thong Nai Pan is a thing to behold. It is no doubt expensively put together. The opening page uses a series of full screen video clips sewn together to show what the hotel is like. It is very similar to the opening page of PayPal.

The images start with the corner of the beach that Panviman claims, then the speedboat transfer, then the less glamorous minibus transfer, then various clips of hotel rooms, restaurants, spa and fitness room. The site is successful in drawing the viewer in to the 'world of Panviman on Thong Nai Pan'. Pictures speak louder than words; and videos speak louder than pictures. In a sense Panviman has a jump on Rasananda, Buri Rasa and Santhiya in this respect.

The only downside is that the website needs a decent broadband connection (but less so than old Flash sites) and the impact is diminished by viewing the site on a smart phone (which more and more people are doing because they love their phone).

The biggest criticism is that there is a spelling mistake on every page - namely 'Guest's reviews'. The apostrophe needs to be after the 's' since they are referring to more than one guest. In the review section they use booking.com, Agoda and Review Pro. Trip Advisor is noticeable by its absence, as is the fact that the reviews are handpicked and hand coded: the reviews are not in a dynamic feed. The hotel clearly is vetting comments. The hotel also is reluctant to post links to Trip Advisor where people can book on another site.

This leads on to another point - booking.com are notorious gits when it comes to their 'price parity' clause in their agreement. It has been challenged in European courts and is an on-going blot on the reputation of the hotel booking site. They insist hotels cannot offer cheaper rates on their own website.

And yet the Panviman website offers 10% discounts on 'best available rate' for those contacting the hotel directly. It looks like flouting the rules. Booking.com won't take them to court in Thailand but can sabotage Panviman in other ways. We will see.

Other noticeable changes is that the Cool Sands Pub doesn't feature at all on the new website. This surely spells the end for the expensive restaurant on the beach with buffets and live entertainment. It looks like Cool Sands is a flop - the party scene died in Thong Nai Pan Noi and the attempts to instigate a bourgeois, sedate version of the said scene has fallen on its face.

Indian Bar

The Indian Bar is a business that has been around for quite a while on Thong Nai Pan Yai. The present incarnation of the bar is at the northern end of the village near the beach. It is located among the grassy paths leading down the beach near the middle school and the small wat.

All the times I've been over to Yai I have to put my hands up and say I've never stopped in for a drink at the Indian Bar. It is a big structure  - spiky Thai roof in corrugated metal with the usual open plan feel (no walls). Inside there is plenty of seating. I always guessed it was a place to chill out and play games.

The new website of the Indian Bar hardly makes it clearer what the unique selling point of the place is. As with so many of the websites done for businesses on Koh Phangan the site has bells and whistles but little useful content. There is no menu or price list (a sure sign this site will never be updated) and few pictures of the business.

A little bit of history is revealed by the site. The old spot for the bar was behind Havana Resort which back then was Honey Bungalows. This is interesting because Honey Bungalows in 1997 was the name of Sandee Bungalow on Thong Nai Pan Noi. Honey Bungalow many years ago was my favorite place to stay in Thong Nai Pan Noi. Around 2000 they moved to Yai and then shortly afterwards gave up their lease in Yai so Havana could be built.

Another interesting thing about the Indian Bar website is that it reveals that they have a few bungalows to rent. This is always useful to know if Dreamland or Central is full and you are despairing of finding a place to stay.

Returning back to the theme of bells and whistles and no wheels - the website also has a sophisticated forum, social network plugin which is marvelously underused  - 1 person has signed up. The chances are approaching zero of one of the Thai family who run Indian Bar of regularly administering such a thing. Thumbs down to the site, but thumbs up to Indian Bar for keeping the old hippy vibe of Thong Nai Pan Yai going.

So if you are interested, click here to go to the Indian Bar website.

New Website and the Remains of the Hideaway Bar

Two things of note to write about.

Firstly, the Tanaporn Massage House in Thong Nai Pan Noi goes from strength to strength. Pi Porn and Greg have always offered the best massages and spa treatments in Thong Nai Pan at the best prices. And now they have a website to showcase their massage house. It's a nice wordpress theme with a great Flash gallery page. The website also has a useful prices page. Unlike most of the businesses in the area, they are not afraid to be up front about their costs. Check out the site by clicking the title or the following link below: http://www.tanaporn.com. UPDATE: Tanaporn Massage House is possibly under new management, and the website is down.

Other news is that the Hideaway which used to be at the end of the path where Tanaporn Massage House is located (see map of Thong Nai Pan Noi) has finally been knocked down. All that remains is a pile of bricks and broken concrete and the DJ booth. The booth and its sign leave an eerie reminder of the power of change. I hope the goldfish below the booth were humanely killed.