Siolim Adventures Co., Ltd., is the parent company for two of its main brands; Jabudays Yacht Charters & Cruises and Jabu Events.  The company was founded by brothers Vishal Sood & Varun Sood along with their Thai partners in 2007 and is registered in Phuket, Thailand.  The company has been a TAT licensed organization since its inception.    Jabudays Yacht Charters & Cruises was created with a vision to offer tourists coming to Phuket and southern Thailand a truly memorable experience out on the water, what we call a “Jabuday”.  At Jabudays we have a saying, “It’s about the journey as much as it’s about the destination” and this pretty much sums up what Jabudays set out to achieve.

The company started with a single 24m motor sailing yacht in its fleet, at the time the largest yacht in Phuket available for charter and now boasts over 70 boats and yachts in its fleet based across various destinations of Thailand which include Samui, Pattaya & Krabi.  From organizing plain jane cruises Jabudays innovated and offered more than just a cruise on its yachts being somewhat of a trendsetter.  Jabudays was the first yacht charter company in Thailand to offer onboard spa & entertainment services on its boats and yachts in Phuket.  Entertainment services included Bands, Singers, DJs, Dancers, Performers and others.  Guests could now enjoy a relaxing massage as they cruised past some stunning scenery.  Besides entertainment Jabudays were also the first to offer water sports on their cruises so guests could now enjoy jet skiing, para sailing, diving, banana boat & doughnut rides, water skiing and other sports along with their cruises.  Jabudays also started customizing the cruise programs, another first as till now charters would operate on a fixed program basis.  With Jabudays cruises guests didn’t have to start their cruise at early morning unearthly hours and could relax before they set sail.  Besides the programs Jabudays also offered customized cuisine options and tied up with some of the top chefs on the island of Phuket to offer some mouth-watering meals on board.  Jabudays was also the first charter company in Thailand to change the way yachts are priced.  Initially yachts were offered at fixed rates while Jabudays started a pricing policy based on the number of guests, this made yachts more affordable for guests as well as increased the utilization of yachts and minimized their down time.  The pricing policy along with add on services being offered with cruises was soon followed by most charter companies.  At Jabudays we feel nice about improving the guests experience across the board no matter which company guests charter their yacht from.  This is the experience we endeavoured to create and it is this memorable experience that we call a “Jabuday”!

Jabu Events was set-up soon after Jabudays as the company recognized a need for high end event management & entertainment services for its discerning clients.  Jabu Events offers its event management expertise to Jabudays so Jabudays can successfully execute top quality events held on yachts, secluded beaches, exotic islands or luxury resorts in the area.  This combination of knowledge of yachts along with event management skills help Jabudays understand the possibilities and the best and most efficient way to execute complicated events held on the water.  Since its inception Jabudays has organized weddings on yachts, on secluded pristine beaches, team building programs where participants camp overnight on deserted islands as well as press conferences, product launches and incentive programs onboard its yachts.

Vishal Sood is an ex Associate VP at Viacom and his role at his last job prior to setting up Jabudays was as Head of Production & Operations at MTV, VH1 & NICK in India.  He has 15 years of experience in the film & TV industry in India having worked for reputed organisations such as BBC and Channel 4 UK, besides having worked with some international celebrities such as Meera Nair on her Hollywood acclaimed film “Monsoon Wedding” and with Amir Khan on his film “Mangal Pandey” besides others. His extensive knowledge of entertainment, event management, operations, marketing and since 2007 on yachts has proved to be invaluable for the company and have helped the company be in good stead.

Varun Soon, an MBA from the prestigious INSEAD in France is the Managing Partner for Capvent, a private equity fund.  He is also the MD of Siolim Hotels Pvt. Ltd, which own and operate the well-known heritage boutique hotel “Siolim House” in Goa.  Siolim House a 400-year-old manor restored to become a small hotel was recognized by UNESCO for best restoration in Asia-Pacific in the year 2000.  The hotel also finds special mentions in various travel guide books such as The Lonely Planet and The Rough Guide.  His extensive knowledge on hospitality, finance and business development have proved to be an invaluable asset to the company in realising its goals.

It is this mix of skills and experience in yachts, hospitality, finance, entertainment, event management and operations that the founders of the company possess which help with realising Jabudays’ goal which is for each guest to come onboard and have a Jabuday!