News Forum - Bill Heinecke suggests Thailand charge foreign tourists extra 300 baht per night

[Thaiger]

Hotels in Thailand should charge foreign tourists an extra 300 baht (US$8) per room per night to aid the economy’s post-pandemic recovery, suggests outspoken American-Thai hotel tycoon and billionaire Bill Heinecke. Heinecke is the founder of the Minor Group, which runs more than 500 hotels worldwide. In an open letter addressed to Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, Heinecke said the extra pennies would… “help Thailand’s hospitality sector survive this difficult environment of depressed demand and rising costs.” Heinecke said that hotels needed the extra money since the tourism industry is battling against high inflation, high costs of raw materials, and […]

The story Bill Heinecke suggests Thailand charge foreign tourists extra 300 baht per night as seen on Thaiger News.

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[jobapps]

note he's a billionaire . thats why, can we get exemption with a work permit or will this rule apply to anyone who looks like a foreign tourist.

We aren't all billionaires .. 

[Shade_Wilder]

1 hour ago, Thaiger said:

Hotels in Thailand should charge foreign tourists an extra 300 baht (US$8) per room per night to aid the economy’s post-pandemic recovery, suggests outspoken American-Thai hotel tycoon and billionaire Bill Heinecke. Heinecke is the founder of the Minor Group, which runs more than 500 hotels worldwide.

Yet another A-H*** BILLIONAIRE trying to socialize his losses on the backs of people who actually pay taxes.

Hey Bill! You didn't offer to help out with extra, higher taxes when times were good, did you?

It is the same old rich guy BS; try to socialize the losses and privatize the profits.

I am a Free Market Capitalist as I think it works best, but I hope for a revolution just to see this guy, and others like him, up against the wall.

 

[Faz]

No need to increase hotel prices.

Tourism up to 18M this year and 40M next year.
Bill never read the TAT reports! 

[Marc26]

3 hours ago, Shade_Wilder said:

Yet another A-H*** BILLIONAIRE trying to socialize his losses on the backs of people who actually pay taxes.

Hey Bill! You didn't offer to help out with extra, higher taxes when times were good, did you?

It is the same old rich guy BS; try to socialize the losses and privatize the profits.

I am a Free Market Capitalist as I think it works best, but I hope for a revolution just to see this guy, and others like him, up against the wall.

Although I don't disagree with you all that much

 

He also is, I believe,  the # 1 employer of Thais in Thailand or in the top 3

 

He also, personally, very charitable 

 

But as you said, he didn't pay extra when he pulling in all his profits 

 

He's actually pretty damn amazing businessman and built it all by himself 

[BigHewer]

What a surprise. A billionaire entrepreneur suggesting a flat tax to fix a revenue problem. 

Copying Malaysia’s 10 ringgit per night tax in place at the moment, except 300 baht is four times that.

Stupid idea.

[Guest1]

3 hours ago, jobapps said:

note he's a billionaire . thats why, can we get exemption with a work permit or will this rule apply to anyone who looks like a foreign tourist.

We aren't all billionaires .. 

With a wp, are you sure you're staying in a hotel, 365/year?

Also longterm stayers are pretty certain not staying, if a room for  10k/15k a month becomes a 19k/24k "offer"

[Pinetree]

He needs to shut the F... up.  I've only heard a few of the things he has had to say and he's managed to piss me off on each occasion.   Money doesnt entitle you to claim infinite wisdom.  A few of the world's billionaires need to take that fact on board. 

[MrStretch]

This isn't a new approach to tourism revenue generation.

Malaysia has been charging 10RM per hotel room night for several years.

Again, I think Mr. Heinecke has gone local with the idea that ****ing the farangs is okay.

If such a stupid idea was put forth, those of us that have resident visas should be exempt from such idiocy, but we won't be. 

"**** the farangs!"  It should be TATs new and most accurate ever slogan.

[SaiGonnads]

Bill Heihnecke needs a proverbial kick in the head and a serious recall on the post-Covid World that travellers are now already paying flight and travel premiums in.

Hotel surcharges are the bread and butter of the United States hospitality ethos, and are precisely why the budget traveller comes to Southeast Asia to avoid them, and instead put their capital into the economy through local commercial retailers and restaurants.

[Loong]

Some of the posters here seem to think that this is some kind of tax. It isn't, it would just mean more revenue for the hotels.

There is absolutely nothing stopping him from raising the rates by 300 Baht per night in his hotels. He just doesn't want to do it alone because customers may go elsewhere.

[KaptainRob]

24 minutes ago, Loong said:

Some of the posters here seem to think that this is some kind of tax. It isn't, it would just mean more revenue for the hotels.

There is absolutely nothing stopping him from raising the rates by 300 Baht per night in his hotels. He just doesn't want to do it alone because customers may go elsewhere.

I won't be staying at Anantara at 6,000 a night though some would say 6,300 is a pittance, extra.

On the other hand, if my central BKK city stopover hotel at 670 baht per night went to 970 baht, I'd be looking elsewhere.

I'm happy to pay the going rate for the service offered, but this article is BS and amounts to a pile of ...

[Chatogaster]

1 hour ago, Loong said:

Some of the posters here seem to think that this is some kind of tax. It isn't, it would just mean more revenue for the hotels.

There is absolutely nothing stopping him from raising the rates by 300 Baht per night in his hotels. He just doesn't want to do it alone because customers may go elsewhere.

 

Your post makes perfect sense assuming ordinary room rates (i.e., the difference would be huge percentage-wise during comparisons), but after seeing that the price for a small room at mariot in bkk can manage to have a price tag of THB 31,720.15 for a single night (with many restrictions, like not being allowed to light a cigarette or bringing in a pet lion), I doubt he'd be worried that an unilateral price increase of THB 300/night might scare customers away (brand-loyalty gives plenty of time to adjust timely if there are signals of a decline). He just seems to be oblivious of the fact that for the majority of tourists (which are not within his target group, but still hugely important for TH) THB 300 amounts to a substantial and even show-stopping increase (as in: "let's go somewhere else").

PS: I don't have a pet lion.

 

[HolyCowCm]

This guy needs to shut his trap. If he wants Thailand to have money then he should give it out of his own pocket and not mine. 

[Rookiescot]

So the way to solve suppressed demand and income is to put the prices up on the very people you want to attract? 

Other destinations are available. 

[Marc26]

1 hour ago, Chatogaster said:

 (with many restrictions, like not being allowed to light a cigarette or bringing in a pet lion),

Holy shit, you seem you like to party!!   5555

[Marc26]

2 hours ago, KaptainRob said:

I won't be staying at Anantara at 6,000 a night though some would say 6,300 is a pittance, extra.

On the other hand, if my central BKK city stopover hotel at 670 baht per night went to 970 baht, I'd be looking elsewhere.

I'm happy to pay the going rate for the service offered, but this article is BS and amounts to a pile of ...

Out of all the hotels I stayed in May/June, his hotels had the best deals and seemed to be hurting the most with the resorts almost empty

 

His Avani brand had massive deals and still does

 

So they must be hurting

 

Staying at Avani Atrium in December simply because of the price............

[Pinga]

The guy needs to shut up. Let the market do its thing and let hotels price according to demand, not some rule he wants because it'll make HIS hotels more attractive (if cheaper hotels are forced to raise prices). Just another greedy billionaire.

[KaptainRob]

8 hours ago, Marc26 said:

Out of all the hotels I stayed in May/June, his hotels had the best deals and seemed to be hurting the most with the resorts almost empty

His Avani brand had massive deals and still does

So they must be hurting

Staying at Avani Atrium in December simply because of the price............

Son and GF got a sub 4k per night deal at Anantara Riverside for week after next, that's less than US $1,000 for a week.  I'm betting the place is less than 50% occupancy as normal rates are 6k baht p/n.

[Havana]

Good idea Heinecke but I think 3000 would be better but let's have a level playing field and every Country does similar then no bugger goes anywhere. It's easy to make suggestions like Heinecke when you are stinking rich.

[HiuMak]

Looks like someone needs extra limelight for himself and his business?

[BigHewer]

11 hours ago, Rookiescot said:

So the way to solve suppressed demand and income is to put the prices up on the very people you want to attract? 

Other destinations are available. 

Exactly. Bring the numbers in by incentivizing, not disincentivizing. 

TAT talks the big numbers every other week. Enacting this suggestion would be an act of self-sabotage.

[Wackamole]

Him coming up with this number is hilarious honestly. Especially when you consider the fact that you're supposed to show 10k baht to IO for a 30 day stamp and 20k for a 60 day visa, that now leaves you with 30 baht a day.

 

[thaicm]

Let's see...a mega-rich guy who owns 500 hotels thinks foreigners should pay an extra 300 baht per night, presumably for Covid recovery, and all the money should go to the hotel owner.  This sounds remarkably like trickle-down economics, an oft-repeated disastrous policy that created the extreme wealth gap that is destroying the American economy.  Simply put, the rich don't need to get richer, it's the people at the other end of the scale who need help.

[Vigo]

If he wants to charge the money on his rooms, then that's his choice. He shouldn't coerce others who manage their properties differently to raise their rates. He's bullying. Thailand tourism is in bad shape and doesn't need additional costs imposed because some wealthy man  isn't making his obscene profit target.