Phuket Resort Gives Each Staff RM12.8k Bonus as Thailand Hotel Operators Saw Booming Sales in 2023

Thailand recently took the crown as the ASEAN country with the most international tourists in 2023, with the 28.09 million arrivals recorded being an impressive 153.94% increase from the year prior.

Naturally, this is great news for the country’s tourism industry, which accounts for around 18% of its gross domestic product (GDP) after years of struggling through the pandemic.

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Based on the bonuses that hotel operators in Thailand are giving their staff members for the end of 2023, it looks like the tourism industry in the country is more than thriving.

For example, JW Marriott Phuket recently announced that it is giving each staff a whopping THB95,733.22 or approximately RM12,808.50 bonus through the hotel’s earnings in service charges from customers.

In case you’re not familiar, on top of the government tax, hotels and some restaurants in Thailand include a 10% service charge which will be shared with its employees and is usually a sizeable part of their remuneration package.

JW Marriott Phuket’s THB95,733.22 payment to each of its staff is the highest amount in Thailand and broke the hotel’s own record from the year prior of THB79,980 (RM10,699). This was shared by the Hotel Service Charge Update Facebook page which lists all the service charges earned by hotels in Thailand.

The hotel with the second-highest service charge earnings is Anantara Layan Phuket which gave each employee THB71,715 (RM9,594).

Meanwhile, making up the top 5 are Four Seasons Koh Samui (THB69,787 or RM9,336 for each employee), Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle Chiang Rai (THB65,931 or RM8,820 for each employee) and Amanpuri Phuket which also gave a 1.5-month bonus on top of the THB63,973 or RM8,558 service charge earnings to each staff.

Based on the service charges earnings shared by Thai hotels, it looks like hotel operators in Phuket have been the most successful in the country as besides JW Marriott Phuket, Anantara Layan Phuket and Amanpuri Phuket, 7 other hotel operators in the island handed out more than THB40,000 bonus or ~RM5,351 to their employees.

So, what do you guys think of the bonuses given by Thai hotel operators to their employees? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!

Also read: Thailand Overtakes M’sia as ASEAN Nation With Most Global Tourists Thanks to M’sians Visiting the Country