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How to select a hotel


khunsanuk

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When selecting a hotel there are a couple of things you have to look for, besides the obvious ones, like price & quality, the three main points are:

 

  • location
  • guest policy
  • security

 

Location

 

Do you want to be right near the action? Or do you prefer to be a bit further away? Both have their advantages as well as their disadvantages.

The obvious advantage of being close to the action is that you don't need to rely on transportation to get to and from the hotel, most everything will be within walking distance. This could save you a lot of time and money. The downside to being in the thick of it is that you could very easily run into an ex-barfine and if you like to butterfly than this could cause problems.

By moving a bit further out you can get rid of the 'in-your-face' stuff a bit, and if you stay close to the skytrain, transportation shouldn't be that big of a problem. (This only really applies to Bangkok, transportation in the other big tourist cities is less of a problem.)

 

Guest policy

 

If you intend to have 'guests' stay over, and since you signed up for this site, I am fairly sure you are, you should find out the hotel's guest policy before booking.

Some hotels don't hassle you about it at all, others will charge you a 'joiner fee' (a fee of usually between 100 and 500 Baht, although it can be much higher as well, payable for every night you have a guest sleep over), and yet others will not allow any people to stay in the room that weren't registered when the room was booked.

Most of the hotels close to the nightlife areas have a fairly open approach to guests, whereas most upper class hotels will not allow guests (a noticable exception here is the JW Marriott). Hotels on Patong Beach are notorious for charging (sometimes outrageous) joiner fees.

Part of the guest policy might also involve the girl's ID being checked, or even kept by the guard. Some people consider this a big invasion of the girl's, and their, privacy, but I think there is something to be said in favor of checking. It gives you a bit more security in the case of any problems.

Note: The joiner fee can sometimes be avoided by registering the room for double occupancy.

 

Security

 

Since you are most likely having 'guests' sleep over, security is an issue. Although I have personally never experienced any problems when girls slept over, it is probably better to safe rather than sorry.

Check if your hotel has a safe in the room or a safetybox, and if it does, use it. Keep your valuables in there and take out only as much money you need for the evening/night.

 

Hotel staff

 

If you intend to spend more than just one or two days in a hotel, it is probably a good move to tip the cleaning ladies. By doing this early on during your stay, you can get better than usual service (extra towels for instance).

It usually pays off to be on good terms with the staff in a hotel, which doesn't necessarily mean lots of tips, a joke or some small talk will go a long way.

 

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