Phuket resort sacks 400 staff ahead of sale
Mystery surrounds the future of the Evason Phuket resort after almost 400 of its workers were sacked this week.
The Phuket Insider’s Bill Barnett, of C9 Hotelworks, said the closure of the 260-room hotel has triggered concern in the island’s hospitality sector.
He said expectations are that this is a lead-up for a transaction of the property, which is being offered for sale by Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels.
While the property has been in the market for over a year, Barnett said the triggering point of the sale was the takeover of the Bangkok-based Six Senses Group by Pegasus Capital earlier this year.
Under the terms of the deal, Pegasus acquired all of the Six Senses and Evason branded resort and spa management contracts.
The Soneva brand and resorts, as well as the company’s real estate assets and holdings, were not included in the transaction.
At the time of the transaction, Craig Cogut, founder, Pegasus Capital Advisors, said, "The brand has a great heritage, and we believe it is strongly positioned to grow.
"Going forward, the new Six Senses will be a debt-free company with committed capital for expansion into new and within existing international markets."
The Evason name was created by Sonu Shivdasani, chairman and CEO of the Soneva Group, who named both Evason and Soneva after his wife Eva and himself.
Ian Jarrett
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