The study of design & improvement of facilities in guest room units for Japanese residents : a case study of serviced apartments in Sri Racha District, Chonburi Province
Abstract:
The establishment of the Eastern Seaboard Industrial Estate and Laem Chabang Port in Sri Racha district, Chonburi province, has given rise to serviced apartment business catering to expatriates such as the Japanese. However, the design and facilities in guest room units were found lacking. This study therefore aimed to analyze serviced apartment projects in the area. The 25 samples consisted of 12 studio-type rooms, 9 one-bedroom suites and 4 two-bedroom suites in 8 projects. Selections were made by purposive sampling, random sampling and snowball sampling. The methods used were observation, field notes, photographs and interviews with project managers. The data collected was analyzed and compared with corresponding residential building standards, especially those of categories 3 and 4 for 3-star serviced apartments as specified by the Ministry of Tourism & Sports so that interested persons can use the results as guidelines for investment, design, and improvement of fixtures and fittings in serviced apartments. The study found that the 40-55 sq.m. studio-type apartments comprised 4 areas: a multi-purpose area (living area and sleeping area), bathroom, kitchen, and 4-5.7 x 6.5-10.35 m balcony. The one-bedroom suites consisted of 5 areas namely the multi-purpose area (living area), multi-purpose area (bedroom), bathroom, kitchen and 7.40-8.10x7.60-9.15 m balcony. As for the two-bedroom suites, the samples were limited and their designs and layouts differed widely; therefore, the data was not conclusive. Problems were often found in the kitchens and bathrooms. The kitchens were smaller than the size required by the standards, and they also served as entry and exit point of the room, hence they were dirty and prone to damage. The problems found in the bathrooms included blockage, leakage, and damaged fixtures and fittings. The facilities provided in the sampled serviced apartments were not up to the Tourism Authority of Thailands standards for tourism accommodation (serviced apartments) for 3-star apartments categories 3 and 4, which constituted most of the residential projects in the study area. Suggestions for fixtures and amenities in the room included a fire escape route plan on the door, storage cabinet, kitchen sink with a dish rack, electric stove or microwave, 8 clothes hangers/room, mini bar, shower or bath tub with a shower curtain, toilet roll in a waterproof container, sanitary bags, 2 shower caps/room and a trash bin in the bathroom. In conclusion, based on the results of the study, it is recommended that existing and future serviced apartment projects in the study area should be improved in terms of the kitchen area size and the facilities stated above. It is also recommended that the infrastructure design and facilities provision guidelines be observed in the investment, design and improvement of the projects to meet the standards.