Royal Garden's renovation almost completed

CPN's Central Festival Beach Pattaya is located facing both Second Road and Beach Road like Royal Garden Plaza while SF's community mall is just across Second Road opposite Soi 13.

MINT has spent 200-300 million baht in 2008 and 2009 to make over its Royal Garden Plaza for the first time since its establishment 15 years ago, said Aongorn Somprasong, group general manager for retail and entertainment.

The facelift will add international fashion and food brands on the ground floor open 24-hours a day. To compete with Central's excellent Food Court he company has also modernized its food court into "Food Wave", a higher-end dining area on 400 square metres to serve private customers, functions and parties. Food Wave will provide indoor and outdoor service with various international food outlets similar to its previous offerings, but much more attractive to patrons.

Louis Tussaud, a wax museum, will open on the second floor in October with space of 600 square metres.

"Louis Tussaud will enhance our entertainment offerings and will be a must-visit destination popular 'Ripley's Believe It Or Not!' and the Haunted House," she said. "The new wax museum will extend the time that customers spend at Royal Garden Plaza beyond the normal two hours."

More competition from Central Festival, the closure of Suvarnabhumi Airport late last year, the Red Shirt take over of PEACH during the Asean Summit in April, and the fear of H1N1 flu have reduced visitors to Royal Garden Plaza by 30-40% in the first four or five months of this year With the facelift, however, MINT is confident the number of visitors will return to its normal level. Royal Garden Plaza usually attracts about 800,000 visitors and has sales of about 400 million baht each year. Lost business from lower numbers of tourists will be made up with more local shoppers.