My family has recently acquired about 15 acres of land in Vientiane. Its just south of the city on an oxbow of the Mekong. Some of it borders the Mekong river and it will border a recently purchased plot, which was purchased by the Chinese, for a resort.
The land is non continuous, but all are acreage plots from 1.5 to 5 acres each.
The plan is to build on it right away. My cousin is there right now making sure all the people are in place to make this happen as from what I understand connections are everything in Laos.
What we have discussed so far:
- Start small with a higher end backpacker type of place. Modern design, cool architecture, private garden type villas. Main building with a cafe/bar and reception.
- Use modular construction so the place can be added to when capital comes in.
- Due to military/ police connections, we can put in a nightclub if we want to.
What we have so far:
- The land.
- Family connections in government
- Architect/engineer and design
- Approval to build a hotel/guesthouse/resort
Questions:
- Laos seems to be an overlooked place in SEA. What are some suggestions to be a destination place without having to lure in guests with drugs, etc.
- Who are the main tourists. Is there anything to indicate that Laos could be a destination for couples?
- Chinese are investing heavily into Laos, as are other Asian countries, so perhaps a business style hotel with office space, meeting space, etc that can cater to the longer term business traveler (architects, engineers, designers, etc) from China/Taiwan, Korea and Japan.
- Boutique getaways seem popular in Laos, if anyone has any experience with these type of high end guesthouses, please tell.
I am hoping to tap into the hivemind of RVF. For logical reasons, this is the first and most trusted place to get advice, intel, etc. From the men I have met in real life, even if they have never been to Laos, I am still hoping for their input.
The land is non continuous, but all are acreage plots from 1.5 to 5 acres each.
The plan is to build on it right away. My cousin is there right now making sure all the people are in place to make this happen as from what I understand connections are everything in Laos.
What we have discussed so far:
- Start small with a higher end backpacker type of place. Modern design, cool architecture, private garden type villas. Main building with a cafe/bar and reception.
- Use modular construction so the place can be added to when capital comes in.
- Due to military/ police connections, we can put in a nightclub if we want to.
What we have so far:
- The land.
- Family connections in government
- Architect/engineer and design
- Approval to build a hotel/guesthouse/resort
Questions:
- Laos seems to be an overlooked place in SEA. What are some suggestions to be a destination place without having to lure in guests with drugs, etc.
- Who are the main tourists. Is there anything to indicate that Laos could be a destination for couples?
- Chinese are investing heavily into Laos, as are other Asian countries, so perhaps a business style hotel with office space, meeting space, etc that can cater to the longer term business traveler (architects, engineers, designers, etc) from China/Taiwan, Korea and Japan.
- Boutique getaways seem popular in Laos, if anyone has any experience with these type of high end guesthouses, please tell.
I am hoping to tap into the hivemind of RVF. For logical reasons, this is the first and most trusted place to get advice, intel, etc. From the men I have met in real life, even if they have never been to Laos, I am still hoping for their input.