Krabi Villas Are Much More Than Just A second Home.

Vacation villas hold a certain appeal that even five star resorts cannot match; indeed many discerning travellers choose only to stay in this kind of property. Managed, well-appointed homes can offer all the facilities and services of a high end hotel (and often more!) but with the added luxury of privacy allowing for total relaxation, knowing you will not have to sit next to that annoying family in the restaurant, or fight for a place on a pool lounger.

For the owners, the benefits are also clear: a return of 60% of the nightly rack rate; flexible usage dates of their visit are simply blocked out on the calendar as requested; plus the knowledge that their property is being professionally managed and cared for in their absence.

As tailored holiday experiences become the norm, this segment of the travel market is growing rapidly: a survey by Thailand Property Report in December 2009 reported that virtually every big villa [in the Andaman region] is rented throughout the peak season, and this is despite of a doubling in supply of finished villas since 2008 and despite the overall 20% downturn in tourist numbers year on year.

But the luxury sector is very particular: it is not sufficient simply to build a large house and swimming pool and put it up for rent. The ideal holiday villa will be designed as a future rental property from the outset. The architects and engineers at Ton Company, a local firm with many years of experience in the design, construction and management of such villas, will for example factor in essential elements such as adequate technology, power supply and owners storage facilities, as well as use their knowledge of what works for this market at the planning stage all the while taking into account the owners own ideas of what would make their dream home.

Construction can then be overseen in full by a dedicated project manager and foreman, with the owners being kept updated on progress via email reports and Skype. Once the villa is completed, the maintenance and marketing of the property can also be managed by the same company, ensuring both strong branding and a continuity of service that will benefit both the owners and the guests in the villa, as the team will literally know the house inside and out.

We feel we really are a one stop shop, says Pierre-Yves Loriers, the managing director of Ton Company. From finding a good plot of land all the way up to changing the sheets on the bed, the customer can deal with a single set of people, which allows us to build a strong relationship and really understand their needs over time.

Give your home a touch of Thai hospitality
Surinthorn Kunsiri (Kae) is the Villa Manager for all the properties administered by Ton Company Ltd. Originally from the north of Thailand, she gained customer service experience at a five star resort in Bangkok, before moving to Krabi 4 years ago. Her team of 8 handle all of the rentals, from the first customer enquiries to the care and service provided during their stay.

I take the bookings for all of our properties and, once confirmed, I start to build a relationship with the guests to see if they have any special requirements for their stay. Often they are only looking for some general travel advice; but we have also organised a particular wine to be flown in from Chiang Mai; or a returning customers favourite fruit and tea to be there when she arrives.

The villa rates include airport transfers by luxury van so when the guests arrive at the property, my staff are there to provide a welcome drink and fruit. I will then introduce everyone, and give them a tour of the house everything from how to work the remote control to the Jacuzzi.

The guests are given a mobile phone so they can contact me for anything then they are left in peace! We will only disturb them for cleaning, which can be done at a time of their choice, or if they call us first, for example if they would like the free tuk-tuk service to take them down to the beach.

Some guests also like us to organise breakfast for them, do grocery shopping, or provide a Thai chef to cook them dinner. This we can do, as well as any other service they may need a massage by the pool, or tailor-made sight-seeing excursion, just like a five star hotel.

One of the nicest things we have done is to organise a surprise birthday event, with all of the guests staying in different villas prior to the party. That was a lot of work, but also a lot of fun. I really enjoy my job. I do often get strange requests - and at odd hours - but I like the challenge and most of all, I enjoy making people happy.