News Forum - Foreigners may have to pay more for hotels than Thais

[Thaiger]

Dual pricing could be coming to a hotel near you. That’s if a proposal from the tourism ministry and Tourism Authority of Thailand gets the go-ahead. Yes, despite Thailand tourism officials’ express wish to attract as many foreigners to Thailand at this time, there are plans to increase hotel prices to pre-pandemic levels to boost the recovery of the hospitality industry. But only for foreigners. Many hotels have been discounting their room rates to help attract as many customers as possible. But, under the proposal, only foreigners coming to Thailand will find their hotel rooms more expensive. Local Thais will […]

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[TheDirtyDurian]

Way to go Thailand!

[KaptainRob]

I can't understand some Thai thinking - house and car f/sale prices are always inflated, especially houses.  Private cars can often be seen advertised at more than new price, eg a 13 month old Fortuner appeared as if they'd added insurance, service and detailing costs to the ask 

As for hotel prices, most big hotels are owned (or co-owned) and managed by Westerners and they would capitalise by discounting to draw custom away from Thai owned (smaller) hotels and guest houses if they attempted raising prices.

Thailand keeps on shooting itself in the foot despite a looming recession.

[DoUKnowWhoIAm]

When business is going bad, Thais increases the prices.... people keep saying don't believe this old cliche

[Prosaap]

And they are the so-called smartest people here 

[Mazz11]

Once again some Muppet has come up with a ridiculous thought bubble that will do nothing but further damage the reputation of Thailand as a tourist destination.

I can guarantee that no thought has been put into how this can possibly be implemented without creating more layers of bureaucracy.

How will they identify who is booking the room. Maybe demand a copy of passport when booking online to prove your nationality. Who in their right mind will offer up that kind of documentation online to a business in another country?

I will just get my girlfriend to book accommodation, as a Thai citizen she will get the cheap price.

[ThaiEyes]

If this gets out, no matter the actual truth, I think Thailand will suffer in hotel bookings from ANY foreigners. 
The choice of words is everything here. And as an expat, I am personally concerned. 

[Scribble]

My very very first impression of Thailand apart from the drive from the airport was checking into a hotel with my new girlfriend who had booked the room for my first visit.. "oh you stay with foreigners you need to pay more, foreigner room rate".

Haven't seen it in 12 years since so assumed it had been stopped. That hotel probably wanted it but most reception staff will not want the confrontation on arrival when this happens.

Depending on how it works it will be us expats arriving who get annoyed as tourists may be oblivious to the dual price. Or can we show our visas like we can at national parks and get the Thai rate (depending who's on the till that day).

[Prosaap]

Will be fun if western media pick this up the world needs a good laugh 

[TheDirtyDurian]

  On 7/7/2022 at 4:55 AM, Prosaap said:

Will be fun if western media pick this up the world needs a good laugh 

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Cue YouTubers livestreaming dual pricing in action at check-in. 

Should make for some hilarious footage....

[kalyan]

not a good move, complete wrong timing !

another srilanka is coming up !

[JanSiThep]

It should be up to business to determine their prices. If they want to offer their accomodation at a lower price to attract customers it is their decision. If you look on booking sites i guess most prices are not too much discounted anyway.  People know how much a room is worth. You can't sell a 600 baht room for 2000 baht.

Thai nationals can join varies stimulus packages to get huge discounts. At the moment there is already double pricing. I know Thai people who could stay at a 5k per night resort for half the price. I can't affort these prices. 

If you want to brand your country in a certain way you should have the pre requisites in place. Attract business in the premium range, infra structure in place ( not the old busses and trains), end the problems in the service industry (taxi's overcharging in phuket). Expensive national parks with dirty toilets etc.

And how to put this in practice? Dual booking sites? One for Thai nationals only run by the goverment? 

And for the pm who was happy about the current figures of arrivals, i think most are visiting family and the ordinary people who love Thailand who bring in the money. I think goverment is mistaken how much these ordinary people can spent.

And from own experience. I had pre pandemic family over who stayed in hotels for 5-6 k a night. However they found excursions of 8k ridiculous if you could do it for half the price. And they didn't want to eat every night in a big fancy restaurant but a local restaurant with mostly the same service. People come to enjoy the local Thailand not to sit in a limousine.

And at last, the midrange rich are also having trouble these times. And for the very rich they have their own tropical island.

[BKKTIM]

Easy solution… use dual price tipping until you’ve recovered the amount you were charged.

[Giltee]

  On 7/7/2022 at 4:45 AM, Scribble said:

My very very first impression of Thailand apart from the drive from the airport was checking into a hotel with my new girlfriend who had booked the room for my first visit.. "oh you stay with foreigners you need to pay more, foreigner room rate".

Haven't seen it in 12 years since so assumed it had been stopped. That hotel probably wanted it but most reception staff will not want the confrontation on arrival when this happens.

Depending on how it works it will be us expats arriving who get annoyed as tourists may be oblivious to the dual price. Or can we show our visas like we can at national parks and get the Thai rate (depending who's on the till that day).

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I showed my Thai ID card at a national park to an army dressed woman recently and was told unless I had a Thai passport I had to pay tourist prices. It was 40 baht for my wife, 300 for me and 30 for my car. As a matter of principle I told her to stick it and left. 

[Giltee]

I’m an expat living here and have been told I have to pay tourist prices even though I have a Thai ID card and house book. This kind of blatant price gouging of visitors will lose business in the long run

Earlier this week, Deputy Thai PM and public health minister, Anutin Charnvirakul compared Thailand to popular luxury brand, Louis Vuitton.

“We cannot let people come to Thailand and stay because it’s cheap. Hold your ground. Sell premium. The more expensive, the more customers. Otherwise, Louis Vuitton wouldn’t have any sales.”

This kind of attitude is the problem here and until these people in power are gone it’s going to continue. 

[Chaimai]

  On 7/7/2022 at 6:11 AM, Giltee said:

I’m an expat living here and have been told I have to pay tourist prices even though I have a Thai ID card and house book. This kind of blatant price gouging of visitors will lose business in the long run

Earlier this week, Deputy Thai PM and public health minister, Anutin Charnvirakul compared Thailand to popular luxury brand, Louis Vuitton.

“We cannot let people come to Thailand and stay because it’s cheap. Hold your ground. Sell premium. The more expensive, the more customers. Otherwise, Louis Vuitton wouldn’t have any sales.”

This kind of attitude is the problem here and until these people in power are gone it’s going to continue. 

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Is khun Anutin aware that sales of copy Louis Vuitton goods are significantly higher than originals  -  especially in Thailand!

[HolyCowCm]

  On 7/7/2022 at 6:06 AM, Giltee said:

I showed my Thai ID card at a national park to an army dressed woman recently and was told unless I had a Thai passport I had to pay tourist prices. It was 40 baht for my wife, 300 for me and 30 for my car. As a matter of principle I told her to stick it and left. 

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Just happened to me a Maya Bay entrance. Use my pink card and they pointed to my kids Thai Id and said only Thai ID. But they have recently reduced the fee from 400 to 200 so it wasn't that bad. 

[HolyCowCm]

  On 7/7/2022 at 6:11 AM, Giltee said:

I’m an expat living here and have been told I have to pay tourist prices even though I have a Thai ID card and house book.

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Me too, and just as I wrote the poster before you, it just recently happened to me at Maya Bay entrance. My kids no problem, but they pointed to my kids Thai ID's and said thi Id, and so the Pink Thai Id no was good.

[BIGGLES]

These kind of proposed  policies will not see the light of day in the real world.

When guest house owners and small independent 3* hotels try it, people with any savy, will just go somewhere else, to do a deal, quite likely as close as next door. 

Tourists need to stop being pussies, take advantage of the fact these people are skint and on the bones of their arse, because they will do it to you.

When you find a place or people being fair with you, be fair with them.

MONEY TALKS, we have it and they want it.

Don't con yourself with the mindset of: Well I'd pay this back home. You're in a third world country, only pay third world prices! Why travel half way round the world to pay the same or more, than you would back home?

WAKE UP!

Edited July 7, 2022 by BIGGLES

[TheDirtyDurian]

  On 7/7/2022 at 6:06 AM, Giltee said:

I showed my Thai ID card at a national park to an army dressed woman recently and was told unless I had a Thai passport I had to pay tourist prices. It was 40 baht for my wife, 300 for me and 30 for my car. As a matter of principle I told her to stick it and left. 

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You showed your pink Thai ID card for foreigners. 

Presumably obtained through having a yellow tabien bahn for foreigners...

Do you understand yet..... You are not Thai. 

[TheDirtyDurian]

  On 7/7/2022 at 6:41 AM, BIGGLES said:

These kind of proposed  policies will not see the light of day in the real world.

When guest house owners and small independent 3* hotels try it, people with any savy, will just go somewhere else, to do a deal, quite likely as close as next door. 

Tourists need to stop being pussies, take advantage of the fact these people are skint and on the bones of their arse, because they will do it to you.

When you find a place or people being fair with you, be fair with them.

MONEY TALKS, we have it and they want it.

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Very true. Real world economy and Thai world are not the same!

[ThaiPadawan]

It’s true. The Thai government is as stupid as we think they are. They must have the feet of a centipede because all they ever do is shoot themselves in the foot with their nonsensical ideas. 

Edited July 7, 2022 by ThaiPadawan

[Tea]

That'll look real good displayed on the online booking service apps..."Select your room type...and the price according to your nationality."

[Mike]

This is nothing new.  Hotels have been quietly doing this for years.  My wife always calls and gets a cheaper rate from a hotel than I get when calling.

It would be better for them to continue like this in a hushed fashion instead of advertising it to the world.

[HolyCowCm]

Well, they might as well add on another tax to the airfares and then why stop there and so why don't they add on to have double pricing for foreingers who shop at supermarkets and the hypermarkets. Register will have two sequences, one for foreinger and one for a Thai.

Better yet, also charge foreingers to get into malls and the chain restaurants as we take up space and it must be paid for becasue if not we are lowering their hi-so standards according to these officials.

Oh, don't forget about automobile insurance and the petrol gas pumps and the schools that we send our 1/2 Thai half and half other nationality children to as well. How about charge the Thai wife for marrying a foreinger yearly tax, sort of like a - you have to pay for lowering your coveted Thai status to that of disgracing yourself of beign with a foreinger. Never mind the foreing women married to Thais as they are women and the Thai man sort of owns them. But the foreingers who are here with their foreing girlfriends or wives, they must be charged triple. 

How about a foreinger yearly or weekly or mointhly air tax?