I think when Conrad Hilton used the words 'location, location, location' to describe the most important attributes for a hotel, he probably didn't mean it in the context that is being played out in Bangkok today, Yeoh Siew Hoon visits a city that's being torn in half.

Bangkok has become a city of two zones, two cities – affected and unaffected. And hotels in the affected area of Ratchaprasong have had to shut down and send their employees home.

The Four Seasons seems to be one of the few that remain open although the hotel has shut down entire floors as well, according to news reports. The Grand Hyatt Erawan, Intercontinental and the Holiday Inn have asked whatever few guests they have left to leave.

And with the situation remaining tense, and the red shirt brigade threatening to take over Silom, who knows which other areas could be affected – depending on how well the army can hold back the protestors.

The old joke that "this is like a party" is wearing thin with even the most optimistic Bangkokians now ready to accept that this deadlock, if not resolved soon, could strangle their city to death. Problem is, there doesn't seem to be an easy solution with no compromise in sight.

It's a political crisis that has divided families, split colleagues and destroyed friendships, and not to mention taken lives.

The people I spoke to seem resigned to the fact that something is going to have to give and, for the first time, I felt a disenchantment settling in even among the most die-hard Bangkokians. Some have joined the no-colour rally, representing those who just want an peaceful end to the situation.

Hotels and shops in the Sukhumvit area continue to operate as normal and as a visitor to Bangkok, if you stay in this area, you wouldn't know that there was anything going on – except that everything is rather eerily quiet. Spas are empty and bars and restaurants seem devoid of their usual buzz.

Chananya Phataraprasit, chairman of East West Siam, says her company is now telling clients to avoid Bangkok. "We tell them that unless necessary, not to come to the city and we tell them to stay in the Sukhumvit area."

Operating in such a crisis mode means "being watchful". "We just have sit, watch and wait this out, there's not much we can do. Last year, we cut our costs as much as we could and we expect this year to be the same as last year, business wise. Our business to Phuket and the north is still holding up," she says.

At the Rose Garden resort, situated 45 minutes outside the city, chairman Suchada Yuvaboon says the situation is tough with even local travellers staying at home. "Last year, at least, we had the domestic market for meetings; this time, that market has dropped. All we can do is wait and see what happens. We've asked our staff to come up with ideas on what we can do to ride this out."

Shrugging her shoulders, she said, "It's part of a democratic process that Thailand has to go through."

Asked what it's like to be a hotelier in Bangkok today, general manager of Rembrandt Hotel, Eric Hallin, said, "It's no difference from being a hotelier anywhere. It's a job, you either like it or hate it and most of us are in love with our jobs and are passionate about our guests.

"The situation is sometimes up, sometimes down. Our occupancies were going up – we were busy October to March – but then with the recent problems, it's dropped, and dropping.

"Everyone faces different challenges, you just have to look at the bright side."

Yeoh Siew Hoon, one of Asia's most respected travel editors and commentators, writes a regular column on news, trends and issues in the hospitality industry for 4Hoteliers.com.

Siew Hoon, who has covered the tourism industry in Asia/Pacific for the past 20 years, runs SHY Ventures Pte Ltd. Her other writings can be found at www.thetransitcafe.com. Get your weekly cuppa of news, gossip, humour and opinion at the cafe for travel insiders.

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