Unhappy ending: Bangkok’s biggest massage parlour brothel Poseidon is set to become a hotel after Covid-19 obliterated its business
- Poseidon, Bangkok’s largest brothel, suffered a significant loss amid pandemic
- Visitor numbers collapsed after the business was forced to shutter for months
- The popular Thai massage parlour is known for its luxurious in-house facilities
- It plans to turn into a three-star hotel in a bid to survive the post-virus economy
The biggest brothel in Bangkok is throwing in the towel to become a hotel after its business has been hard hit by Covid-19.
The 11-storey ‘Poseidon’ massage parlour in Thailand’s capital boasted an in-house nightclub, restaurant and hundreds of luxury themed rooms filled with king-size beds and jacuzzis.
Girls wore different badges according to their desirability and prices starting at 3,200 baht (£77) for a couple of hours in a private room – with membership schemes for loyal customers.
But dejected owners of the brothel will now rip out the garish furnishing and change the building into a drab three-star hotel. Many guests will be unaware of its seedy past.
Girls wore different badges according to their desirability and prices for a couple of hours in a private room. Workers at the Thai brothel Poseidon are pictured waiting to be picked up
Despite Poseidon’s luxurious appeal, its visitor numbers have collapsed since March last year when a travel ban was introduced, shuttering ‘high risk’ businesses.
The venue had reopened but was closed again for a second time at the end of December amid another surge of coronavirus infections in the country.
A source at the State Railway of Thailand (SRT), which owns the land and overseas the lease, said the Covid-19 pandemic had killed the massage parlour’s income. They now want to change their line of business to adapt to the new economy.
The source said: ‘Poseidon is on a large plot and their lease will expire in February 2024. They have requested a renewal of the 30-year lease along with a request to modify the 11-story building.
Despite Poseidon’s luxurious appeal (pictured), its visitor numbers have collapsed since March last year when a travel ban was introduced, shuttering ‘high risk’ businesses
‘Currently, they operate a massage parlour business but the Covid-19 outbreak has caused a downturn in business as there are no tourists. They have a budget of 200 million baht to turn the building into a three-star hotel business.’
As of Tuesday, Thailand has recorded 12,594 Covid-19 infections and 70 deaths.
A second wave started in mid-December when hundreds of Burmese migrant workers at a seafood market tested positive.
Cases have since spread to more than 45 provinces, prompting lockdowns and mass closures of businesses in some regions.
The state department owns the land which a number of high-profile businesses are built on along the city’s Ratchadapisek Road, including SCB bank, The Street shopping mall, Emerald Hotel, and Bangkok Criminal Court.
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