The consortium plans to submit a petition to the Administrative Court to temporarily protect operators who are unable to apply for hotel licences within the time frame, allowing them to continue operations, reports the Bangkok Post.
Chinnawat Udomniyom, president of the consortium, said unlicensed hotels have a short period of time left to apply for licences.
The Interior Ministry’s regulation, which temporarily allows other types of buildings that do not meet the definition of hotel under the Hotel Act, but opened before Aug 19, 2016, to register for hotel licences until Aug 18.
Under these regulations, buildings must have strong foundations and fire safety measures in place.
Last December, an environmental ministerial regulation specific to Phuket was also issued.
Under this rule, buildings opened before Aug 19, 2016 are exempt from certain requirements, such as surrounding vacant space and setbacks.
The new rule only requires an Initial Environmental Examination report for buildings with at least 2,500 square metres of usable area or 50 rooms.
Mr Chinnawat said over the past two years, many operators have modified their buildings to comply with the regulations, but the application process was delayed based on the discretion of local officers in interpreting the law.
He said many officers are unsure about the exemptions applicable to small hotels, and their inspection processes take longer than they should.
To address this issue, Phuket province launched its urgent field hospital scheme, in collaboration with private operators and other related organisations, to accelerate the hotel licence application process.
Mr Chinnawat said the consortium will help select 20-50 operators with the highest potential to apply for hotel licences as a pilot group under this programme. The working committee for the scheme will be chaired by the deputy governor of Phuket, he said.
Advisory teams will instruct operators on how to apply for licences, including representatives from the Provincial Public Works and Town and Country Planning Office, along with the National Anti-Corruption Commission Region 8 office, noted Mr Chinnawat.
“The committee is prioritising tourist safety measures,” he said.
Mr Chinnawat said all members want to be regulated. The consortium has over 250 small hotel members, but only a few have hotel licences.
The government should consider extending the application deadline for several more years, or draft a new bill specifically for small hotels, he said.
There are many small hotel operators in other provinces unable to register due to obstacles in their city’s environmental or planning laws, unlike Phuket, which eased its environmental regulations, said Mr Chinnawat.
“Small hotels are important in driving tourism and spreading wealth in local communities,” he said.
He said the consortium urges all small hotel operators in Phuket to register under the scheme to be included in data collection.