Lavender Lana Hotel Update

[elephantspike]

This is the latest update from Lavender Lanna Hotel:

Hotel and all outlets are located at:

6 Bunneungrit Road (next to Ram One Hospital at corner of moat)
Chiang Mai Thailand 50200
053 211 100 (phone)
053 213 899 (fax)

Lavender Lanna Hotel
Lavender Lanna Hotel is Asia's biggest gay hotel with 110 rooms on eleven floors and offers a number of outlets for gay men. Lavender Lanna Hotel offers comfortable rooms at a value price from 750 baht to 1850 baht and all of the rooms offer modern hotel amenities including air-con, minibar, satellite TV, free toiletry items, 24-hour room service, and more with most rooms offering incredible views Chiang Mai and the mountains. The hotel has a swimming pool with a pool bar, steam room, fitness room, tour desk, hair salon, massage and spa, two restaurants, lobby bar, and Power Boys Chiang Mai nightclub. The hotel also offers free shuttle service every day to the gay sauna and to the gay bars in the Chang Puak area of Chiang Mai. Credit cards accepted. http://www.lavenderlannahotel.com

Power Boys Chiang Mai
Power Boys Chiang Mai is one of the most upscale gay bars in Asia and is the biggest gay show bar in Thailand. There are three high-energy shows each night at 9:30, 10:30, and 11:30 featuring the professional Lavender Cabaret troupe and the Men of Lavender Male Revue. There is a separate area called the VIP Room where the male revue performs all night even during the shows. Power Boys Chiang Mai offers a full bar, professional service, a waterfall patio, a gift shop, and free tequila shots every night after each show. The bar is open daily from 8pm to 2 am. Credit cards accepted. www.powerboyscm.com (http://www.powerboyscm.com)

Lavender Salon and Massage
Lavender Salon and Massage is open daily from noon to 1am and is located on the second floor of the Lavender Lanna Hotel. The salon offer haircuts, color treatments, pedicures, manicures, signature shaves, and discreet body hair removal. The massage offers a full range of massage and salon options from a large number of cute male masseurs. The facility offers large VIP massage rooms with air-con, minibar, full toilet and shower facilities, and music and aromatherapy selection. Free transportation is offered in the Chiang Mai area and salon and massage guests get free use of the pool, steam room, and fitness facility. Two restaurants with full bars also available. Credit cards accepted. http://www.lavendersalonandmassage.com

Lavender Lobby Restaurant
Air-con restaurant in lobby of Lavender Lanna Hotel open 24 hours per day serving steaks, pizza, pasta, Thai and Chinese food, espresso, and desserts. Also has a full bar. Restaurant has two outdoor patios including one patio overlooking the old city walls and moat. Food also available poolside. Happy hour daily from 3pm to 6pm. Credit cards accepted. http://www.lavenderlannahotel.com

Lavender Swimming Pool
The swimming pool at the Lavender Lanna Hotel is open to outside guests for 20 baht entry and free to massage and salon customers. Facilities include poolside bar, steam room, fitness room, and two large upper decks for sunbathing, relaxing, and cooling off. Full menu from lobby restaurant available. Cute pool attendants and foot massage, manicures, and pedicures available. Water volleyball, badminton and poolside BBQs also on offer. Happy hour daily from 6pm to 8pm. Credit cards accepted. http://www.lavenderlannahotel.com

Sounds like fun and a good addition to the Chiang Mai gay scene. I plan to visit in February. Hope to read about other member's reviews before that time.

[Beachlover]

Hey... does anyone know if there's any clubs or bars Thai boys hang out in Chiang Mai?... I mean non gogo/host bars. Like in Bangkok there's DJ Station and a heap of others... what about Chiang Mai?

[TrongpaiExpat]

Lavender Lane Hotel seem a little too ambitious for Chiang Mai. If this board is any indication there's not much interest in Chiang Mai. Posts on Chiang Mai are few, get low view numbers and low responses.

Also, lets not forget the welcome the Chaing Mai Pride was given by local Red Shirt group number 51. This venue just might be a little too out there for the usual low key and off the radar style of Chiang Mai.

Time will tell, good luck to them.

[llz]

This venue just might be a little too out there for the usual low key and off the radar style of Chiang Mai. Time will tell, good luck to them.
This is exactly what a Chiang Mai gay activist is thinking and telling on all TVs : too visible (near wats, school and hospital), and giving a too restricted image of Chiang Mai city through the wide advertising all over the world. (Of the course the guy could have a hidden agenda behind his allegations so I guess we have to take them carefully).

For those who can read and/or speak thai, there is a Khao Sot topic about this and a link to a Channel 3 TV interview (some shootings about the place too) :
http://news.mthai.com/general-news/57179.html
Also a thread running on the Chiang Mai Forum on Thaivisa :
http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Gay-Scandal-Brewing-t298743.html

I hope this enterprise will succeed and will contribute to strengthen the actual scene.

BTW I just got the news on http://asiancoop.com/that the new Adam's Apple should open on October 9th ... they promise 80 young handsome boys (40 each night).

[Beachlover]

Lavender Lane Hotel seem a little too ambitious for Chiang Mai. If this board is any indication there's not much interest in Chiang Mai. Posts on Chiang Mai are few, get low view numbers and low responses.

Also, lets not forget the welcome the Chaing Mai Pride was given by local Red Shirt group number 51. This venue just might be a little too out there for the usual low key and off the radar style of Chiang Mai.

Time will tell, good luck to them.

Well... the same could be said for Phuket... most of the posters here seem to be Bangkok or Pattaya based.

I think it'd be awesome to have a bigger gay scene in Chiang Mai. The challenge is what comes first?... the chicken or the egg? To attract more gay visitors, you need to have enough of an offering.

Chiang Mai boys are cute as... :-) ... unbelievably han-sam.

I think it's a great idea. Chiang Mai is a beautiful part of the country. Infinately a more desirable location than Pattaya with it's resident sleazebags.
I wish this venture every success and if I ever choose to visit Thailand again (if it ever stabilizes and drags itself out of the fucked up mess it's in) I would certainly consider staying at this hotel.

[Beachlover]

http://www.lavenderlannahotel.com/index.htm

The website really needs more photos. The existing photos hardly show enough of the hotel at all and to make it worse... they are tiny. People want to see more of what the rooms are like inside. And what the other facilities like the swimming pool are like.

I had a friend who lives in CM check the lavender Lana out for me as I thought of trying to stay there in Mid October. He said he saw about 30 workers working on the facility but that they had a lot to do and doubted it would really be ready. If the work is still going on he felt there might be a lot of noise in the early morning.

I did email the hotel 3 days ago to see what facilities they thought would be available but have not received a reply yet. When I do I will let the board know what they say.

[bao-bao]

Awww... Got my hopes up for nothing there, Spike. I saw the thread topic and thought maybe YOU were here, too.

Haven't visited the Lavender Lanna (and probably won't during this time here - too many other places to explore) but Chiang Mai is wonderful.

I'd forgotten how lovely the surrounding area can be... and the "walking scenery" is absolutely stunning. :cheers:

[Smiles]

This was posted on Pattaya Passion in August (and trust me, this is the most vicious review I've ever seen on Passion :blackeye: ). Seems to basically confirm what PattayaMale says.
Had to copy it word for word because without registering the link is useless.


Re: Lavender Lanna Hotel: In the heart of Chiang Mai
┬л Reply #7 on: August 24, 2009, 02:47:07 PM ┬╗

Here is the first report from my friend...

Quote
My two-night stay at the Sri-Tokyo (soon to be Lavender Lanna) was not one I would want to repeat in a hurry. The hallway and room refurbishments had not begun and, although friendly, the staff lacked the necessary training to run a hotel of the standard that the Lavender Lanna promises to be.

I sent a detailed report to the managing director of the hotel, to which I received an intelligent and swift response. In brief, room and hallway renovations will begin soon and will be completed by 1st November. They are currently working with mostly inherited staff from the Sri-Tokyo, but are actively recruiting new staff including all department heads.

Although the rooms are heavily discounted at present, I really would advise against visiting the hotel until after the Lavender Lanna launch on 1st November. I fully intend to revisit the hotel to see the difference in their staff and facilities. The hotel management certainly feel that they will be able to deliver great value for money and a number of very nice facilities designed especially for gay men.

http://www.pattayapassion.com/forum/ind ... pic=1366.0 (http://www.pattayapassion.com/forum/index.php?topic=1366.0)

One wonders if any negative reviews will allow to remain posted here, seeing as the hotel is an advertiser.

As the publishers of Thailand's oldest and largest English language entertainment magazine for gay men we have spent the last few months really doing in depth studies on trends, opportunities and marketing strategies of gay-friendly venues in Thailand to do all we can to help our advertisers be successful as the economies of the world begin to recover.

In the next five monthly issues SPICE! magazine, a friend of Sawatdee Gay Thailand, will publish our findings, starting interestingly enough with Chiang Mai and focusing on Lavender Lanna and other unique places to go for a good time and a bit of pampering.

I must admit, what I saw in Chiang Mai, which used to bore me compared to Bangkok and Pattaya, really surprised me. The Chiang Mai club owners held a Meet and Greet for SPICE! magazine organized by Lavender Lanna but held at a would -be competitors bar. More than 150 people came to meet us including the local press. Everyone was so friendly, upbeat and positive about what Lavender Lanna and the new Adam's Apple openings will do to bolster the city's gay scene.

The sense of shared interest to promote Chiang Mai as a gay destination venue - in addition to all its other attractions- was paramount on everyones mind.

This was the most cohesive group we saw as we met gay venue owners in every major city during the last two months.

The findings are that the Lavender Lanna Hotel and associated businesses will bring many more gay tourists to ALL of the good businesses in Chiang Mai. Why? Because the owners and managers there at the Lavender Lanna Hotel insist on sharing ideas to help all. They even are organizing shuttle vans to take Lavender Lanna hotel patrons to other well-known gay bars. Unheard of until now. And believe me, many associated businesses also will profit from the increased tourism. Petrol stations, the night bazaar, restaurants, and the like.

Conclusion: Lavender Lanna is a destination. Hotel conversions are a bitch and most guys I know who undertake one say they would rather build from scratch, but the Lavender Lanna group has enlisted excellent design engineers and interior design professionals to assure it looks like it should. Once final renovations are in place in late November the buzz all around the gay world will be about what the team there was able to achieve at Lavender Lanna Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Gay men will be seen as men who are gay. More mainstream support will pour in. Their business acumen will prove to doubters and detractors alike and prove there will always be gays so there should always be quality gay venues where like minds can meet, have fun and relax. Lavender Lanna, in my opinion could be the first of many destination resorts for gay men all over Thailand so it is imperative the we all give them our support, or at least a chance to prove themselves.

Chiang Mai is a beautiful part of the country. Infinately a more desirable location than Pattaya ...

Agreed


...with it's resident sleazebags.

Who, presumably, will be replicated in Chiang Mai if it becomes such a success - probably just what many there are hoping to avoid.




Gay men will be seen as men who are gay.

Rather than what???

[Brad the Impala]

Gay men will be seen as men who are gay. More mainstream support will pour in. Their business acumen will prove to doubters and detractors alike and prove there will always be gays so there should always be quality gay venues where like minds can meet, have fun and relax. Lavender Lanna, in my opinion could be the first of many destination resorts for gay men all over Thailand so it is imperative the we all give them our support, or at least a chance to prove themselves.

Is this the same journal that has some slapper schlepping round the world, for whose trolling the magazine solicits readers subsidies?

All the best to Lanna and all that.

It's a hotel for gods sake. Looks like we're starting a new cycle: gushing to bashing to bankruptcy.

Thanks for all of the nice wishes and comments.

We hope most of our construction is done by the first part of October and that many of our outlets are open by then. We will announce the opening of the various outlets when we are sure our construction people can deliver. They have been on target so far.Our Grand Opening is scheduled for mid-November.

Our goal is to have a hotel that will offer comfortable rooms at a value price with many outlets created especially with gay men in mind. We realize we will not be for everyone and that some people will prefer more upscale rooms and amenities and some will prefer a smaller and more intimate hotel. Chiang Mai offers all types of hotels and levels of services and amenities.

We are gay-owned and gay-operated with about half of our staff being gay. Our hope is that we will provide services that appeal to a majority of gay men and that no matter where one stays in CM that most gay travelers will find themselves at one of our outlets at some point during their stay.

Also, we always welcome feedback and realize that not all feedback is good. We cannot improve without feedback, and our Managing Director is usually quick to respond to guest feedback and realizes that there is a lot of opportunity to be had in turning a negative experience into a positive one. We know that even on our best days we will make mistakes and hope to always have a chance to make them right.

Thanks to SPICE! for their continued support of our business. The new owner is a big media player in Thailand with a lot of great things in store, and we are happy to have them as our major media partner. Also, thanks to Khun Robert here for all of his support. We realize how important these boards are in the Internet age and what great value they offer to gay businesses in Thailand.

As an FYI, Adam's Apple opened last Friday to a very packed house. It is a nice, upscale bar with a lot of cute go-go dancers and an interesting show. It is a great addition to the CM scene, especially with the Metro Bar downstairs (same owners). In that one block they are now four gay bars/restaurants with Lotus Hotel Garden Bar and The Spirit House in addition to the ones above (and rumors of one more to open by November).

Also, in CM, most young gay Thais go to Mandalay, a late-night disco, and on the Thursday gay night, it is packed with hundreds of gay Thais. However, they charge non-Thai guest a 300 baht cover charge. There are other disco popular with gay Thais that don't charge a cover. CM also has four gay late-night karaoke popular with gay Thais and all have cute hosts. CM has a very large gay Thai population because of the many Universities here and has a large professional population of gay Thais as well.

We hope everyone discovers or rediscovers Chiang Mai as it is a beuatiful city with so much to do and a much bigger gay scene recently with some really nice upscale venues (and downscale venues also depending on one's preference). We are pleased to have Asian Plus Travel to operate our tour desk as they are a long-time gay travel and tour business in CM (formerly Bird Tours). We are also working out the details of a weekly gay day trip on Thursdays with some of the Power Boys staff along. Check out http://www.asianplustravel.com.

Thanks again for the comments. We hope to see you all in CM.

Bird and Iain
Lavender Lanna Hotel

Advertising is certainly important to the success of most ventures. It appears that Lavender Lana Hotel understands this. However, the type of advertising they PAY for, is just that; PAID ADVERTISING.

In a post in this thread, I wrote that I emailed the hotel to find out what facilities might really be available in mid Oct. I said I had NOT received a reply...........and still have not. Should I not expect that after hotel personel replied to this thread, they would have noticed that they did not reply to a potential customer?

Yes, holding a cocktail party for the owner Spice (to get good publicity) is important, but word of mouth from customers should be right at the top their priorities.

By the way, how active of a poster is Spice on this board?

[Beachlover]

Thanks for the report on gay life in Chiang Mai hotel owner... sounds interesting.

Do you need to speak Thai to get around Mandalay?...

OMG I can't think of anything worse than being stuck on a day trip with a bus load on mincing gays.

I can. Being stuck on a day trip with the farangs who would go on a day trip with a bus load of mincing gays!

[elephantspike]

Passing along the latest here:

Power Boys Chiang Mai is proud to present the first official photo of our Lavender Cabaret Team. Every night, our beautiful lady boys and handsome men will put on three fun, high-energy shows at 9:30, 10:30, and 11:30. Our shows are always free, and there is never a cover charge.

Power Boys Chiang Mai will open on Monday, October 5th for our soft opening with the Grand Opening for Power Boys and Lavender Lanna Hotel to take place November 20-22. Starting October 5th, we will open nightly at 8pm. Our male revue will be on stage at 8pm every night, and we will offer happy hour daily from 8pm to 9pm with 99 baht baht well drinks and domestic beer (drinks normally 150 baht with a price range up to 25,000 baht for ultra-premium bottle service and champagne).

PBCM is located at the bottom level of the Lavender Lanna Hotel. The hotel also offers a number of other outlets expected to open in the first week of October including a 24-hour restaurant, a massage and salon open until 1am nightly, a swimming pool complex with steam room and fitness room and open to outside guests for 20 baht entry, and will soon open a beautiful rooftop restaurant named Lavender Sky.

For more information, please visit our websites at http://www.powerboyscm.com or at http://www.lavenderlannahotel.com

[attachment=0:364mn8gl]cabaret staff.jpg[/attachment:364mn8gl]

Get rid of the "beautiful lady boys" and you might have an ice cube's chance in hell of my visiting.

Well, here I am checked in at the Lavender Lanna, sitting in the hotel lobby seeing my room, one of the ones which is supposedly refurbished, still doesn't have internet access. They swear it will be on Monday, not sure I'll be able to last that long. The good: the room is a decent size, as is the bathroom. The lobby is beautifully decorated, the staff is friendly and there are some real cuties.

The bad: the mattress is like a slab of concrete, the room is painted an institutional beige, some pains have been taken to decorate but unfortunately it's all lipstick on a pig. There is actually fluorescent lighting in the room but not in the bathroom which needs it seeing it's as dark as a tomb. The occasional chairs in the room haven't been replaced, unless that large stain was new but I'm not counting on it.

I could go on and on listing deficiencies, I have a background doing this type of work but I don't want to just be naysayer, I would seriously recommend not checking in until they formally have their grand re-opening. To be honest I feel a bit ripped off in that they are actually checking guests in at this point.

I plan on staying in CM for 2 months and renting an apartment, I'm torn between toughing it out here and getting an apartment toute suite or just moving tomorrow and take my time in the apartment search.

On a final note it's 11:00pm and the grinding of the saws is giving me a migraine.

Oh dear.

[HIGHRISE]

Well, here I am checked in at the Lavender Lanna, sitting in the hotel lobby seeing my room, one of the ones which is supposedly refurbished, still doesn't have internet access. They swear it will be on Monday, not sure I'll be able to last that long. The good: the room is a decent size, as is the bathroom. The lobby is beautifully decorated, the staff is friendly and there are some real cuties.

The bad: the mattress is like a slab of concrete, the room is painted an institutional beige, some pains have been taken to decorate but unfortunately it's all lipstick on a pig. There is actually fluorescent lighting in the room but not in the bathroom which needs it seeing it's as dark as a tomb. The occasional chairs in the room haven't been replaced, unless that large stain was new but I'm not counting on it.

I could go on and on listing deficiencies, I have a background doing this type of work but I don't want to just be naysayer, I would seriously recommend not checking in until they formally have their grand re-opening. To be honest I feel a bit ripped off in that they are actually checking guests in at this point.

I plan on staying in CM for 2 months and renting an apartment, I'm torn between toughing it out here and getting an apartment toute suite or just moving tomorrow and take my time in the apartment search.

On a final note it's 11:00pm and the grinding of the saws is giving me a migraine.
I desperately want this place to be successful. Of course, all of the negative comments on this sight, well before their grand opening, won't help a bit. Liam, I'm happy to hear that the saws were grinding at 11:00 p.m. This shows that they're working hard to complete the project on time. I'm hoping that someone (Liam?) will post some pictures of the rooms, pool area, etc.

[Beachlover]

Liam, I'm happy to hear that the saws were grinding at 11:00 p.m.

I doubt Liam is LOL.

[Beachlover]

Oh dear.

Big grin between those big ears huh?

[Beachlover]

some pains have been taken to decorate but unfortunately it's all lipstick on a pig.

ROFL... "lipstick on a pig"... nice one.

Thanks for the review. I can understand them opening early for cash flow reasons... but really, this doesn't sound pretty. I hope they're charging a well discounted rate.

Hope you can post some pics.

How big is the swimming pool? How's the view from the room? Is there a good work desk in the room?

[TrongpaiExpat]

What about the protests? Any problems? 3 posts from "Lavender Hotel" and not a single mention that this new venue has had controversy with some local political groups. Maybe they're waiting for the grand opening? They set the pattern with the attack on the Gay Pride Chiang Mai and got a lot of press, local and international. They may not let this opportunity slip by.

Still, too ambitious for Chaing Mai. Personally, I love Chiang Mai and Northern Thailand and might some day move there but I am in the minority. Such a venue does not appeal to me. There's so many other options in the North that are not "gay packaged" hotels and your more than welcome at these places.

[HIGHRISE]

What about the protests? Any problems? 3 posts from "Lavender Hotel" and not a single mention that this new venue has had controversy with some local political groups. Maybe they're waiting for the grand opening? They set the pattern with the attack on the Gay Pride Chiang Mai and got a lot of press, local and international. They may not let this opportunity slip by.

If there has been so much negative press, I guess we just need to take your word for it. Where are the links to all these "local and international" articles? I've read everything I can find about this hotel, and this is the first I've heard of "the protests!" It seems the previous poster has an urgent desire for this business to fail. WHY?!

[TrongpaiExpat]

What about the protests? Any problems? 3 posts from "Lavender Hotel" and not a single mention that this new venue has had controversy with some local political groups. Maybe they're waiting for the grand opening? They set the pattern with the attack on the Gay Pride Chiang Mai and got a lot of press, local and international. They may not let this opportunity slip by.

If there has been so much negative press, I guess we just need to take your word for it. Where are the links to all these "local and international" articles? I've read everything I can find about this hotel, and this is the first I've heard of "the protests!" It seems the previous poster has an urgent desire for this business to fail. WHY?!

From page one:
link (http://news.mthai.com/general-news/57179.html)

Ch 3 TV had something on the news as well, if you want to "take my word" or give google a shot.

The mention about local and international press was a reference to Red Shirt group number 51, Chiang Mai, attack on the 2009 Gay Pride. It was covered in a lot of news sources but I am not going to search them all for you, you don't seem like a nice fella.

Bangkok Post (http://www.bangkokpost.com/blogs/index.php/2009/02/24/rak-chiang-mai-51-a-pride-or-a-disgrace-?blog=63)

I do wish this new business all the success in the world.

[Beachlover]

I'm wondering... is the North West (Chiang Mai etc.) more homophobic than other areas on Thailand?....Not that Thailand is very homophobic at all.

[TrongpaiExpat]

No way to really know, but I don't think that this Red Shirt group was really homophobic. On an individual basis I bet most don't give it much thought. They (some organizer) just attached their wagon to an issue that would get some international attention. The Photo op with a Red Shirt protester holding a banner saying 'Gays go Home' was just the sort of photo that makes good copy.

Thailand is one of the most Gay friendly countries in the world, IMHO.

[Beachlover]

Thanks TrongpaiExpat... the protest made it APPEAR this area is far more conservative than Bangkok. I was wondering if this was the reality... or just perception.

Well, after my bitch session I thought it was only fair to give an update...I met with the owner, or rather he introduced himself to me and we had a really nice chat. He has some great plans for the hotel and hopefully everything falls into place. It sounds like while the word "premier" in my head sounds upscale, his idea was more that it was putting together a venue which is one stop shopping for all your entertainment needs: nice rooms, boys, massage, entertainment, drinks......

Every time I turn around it seems like yet another thing has gotten accomplished; elevators refurbished, new floors done, new aircons being installed, flowers planted and I've seen new furniture for the rooms which is funky and pretty cool looking and most importantly stain free. At least for now!

I'll be back for the opening to check out the entertainment, they are already in rehearsals and I snuck a quick peek today.

[HIGHRISE]

Well, after my bitch session I thought it was only fair to give an update...I met with the owner, or rather he introduced himself to me and we had a really nice chat. He has some great plans for the hotel and hopefully everything falls into place. It sounds like while the word "premier" in my head sounds upscale, his idea was more that it was putting together a venue which is one stop shopping for all your entertainment needs: nice rooms, boys, massage, entertainment, drinks......

Every time I turn around it seems like yet another thing has gotten accomplished; elevators refurbished, new floors done, new aircons being installed, flowers planted and I've seen new furniture for the rooms which is funky and pretty cool looking and most importantly stain free. At least for now!

I'll be back for the opening to check out the entertainment, they are already in rehearsals and I snuck a quick peek today.
Thank you so much, Liam, for the update. After our last communication, I took a big gulp and made a reservation for mid November. I have sent a few emails to the hotel, and have been impressed with their very prompt and thorough responses. It's good to hear some actual positive feedback. I reacted as I did previously because I was kind of fed up with the overwhelmingly negative postings on this sight. Anyway, I'll be staying at the Lavender Lana Nov. 13-17.