Must Read Pattaya: 70% of hotels are illegal but new laws will be good for business and tourist safety

[gavlar]

17 hours ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

Act. They will then have until August 2021 to ensure they have the correct licenses. 

August 2019 would have been better from a safety point of view....

[madmitch]

Prayuth's government does not give a toss for small business owners, many of whom could lose their livelihoods if they're strict about this.

 

For many it'll be impossible to comply with all the licensing regulations. Smaller places don't have room for fire escapes, for example.

 

I personally believe this is driven by large hotel groups whose income is down as, despite figures that seem to be saying the opposite, they are not having a good time. I've stated many times that despite arrival numbers being up, average stay is well down, meaning the number of hotel nights sold is less than previously. Not to forget competition from new hotels and Airbnb.

[madmitch]

6 minutes ago, gavlar said:

August 2019 would have been better from a safety point of view....

Maybe, but it's going to take the authorities a very long time to inspect every guesthouse, hotel and short-term rental operation. Also they should give time for business owners either to comply or find something else to do with their lives. We are not talking operations owned by the wealthy here; they're already licensed.

[cheapcanuck]

I can see Pattaya hotel prices increase in the next year. Another nail in the tourism industry's coffin.

[BestB]

2 minutes ago, madmitch said:

Maybe, but it's going to take the authorities a very long time to inspect every guesthouse, hotel and short-term rental operation. Also they should give time for business owners either to comply or find something else to do with their lives. We are not talking operations owned by the wealthy here; they're already licensed.

In theory they had given some 3 years. In practice they can give 10 years and it will not change anything as how to get something when you can not comply with idiotic regulations of having building permit being for hotel when your building was built 20-30 years ago. 

 

Width of stairs the same for 300 room hotel as 30 room . 

[BestB]

3 minutes ago, cheapcanuck said:

I can see Pattaya hotel prices increase in the next year. Another nail in the tourism industry's coffin.

Not only Pattaya , nationwide. And not just increase but go insane if they follow through with shutting down more than half 

[SteveB2]

Just in case anyone needs to know the full process needed for opening an Hotel together with the Royal Decrees, here it is

 

Opening an Hotel - The legal process: http://enlighten.co.th/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/การขอใบอนุญาตประกอบธุรกิจโรงแรม.pdf

 

See attachments for the Royal Decrees.

 

BTW - I was over at Pattaya City Hall (Building #2, Floor 4) yesterday going through the application paperwork.

 

The same office that does the public health inspections of restuarants also does the hotel safety inspections.

 

Registration Costs are reasonable, and begin at around TH10K for a small hotel.

 

You don't need a lawyer to process the application - any decent Thai CPA should be able to do it for you.

 

• The hot topic during the last few weeks is the need to register all guests within 24 hours on the immigration computer system, else you will be fined.

 

Hope this info helps 

Hotel Act 2551 ประกอบธุรกิจโรงแรม.pdf Hotel Act 2547 พระราชบัญญัติโรงแรม พ.ศ. 2547.pdf

[jkcjag]

17 hours ago, redsongthaew said:

If 70 per cent of the hotels are closed, will there be enough hotel rooms left? Once the legal hotel rooms are filled up, where are people going to stay?

 

It might be good for the hotel industry, but all of the people not arriving because they have nowhere to stay won't be good for other businesses.

Why would 70% close...they just need to register and comply with safety standards I expect. It can't be that difficult if they want to offer such services. Other countries mange it.

[Shine 919]

What is legal here, 

[hotchilli]

19 hours ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

In 2016, Deputy Prime Minister Tanasak Patimapragorn revealed that around 60 percent of hotels throughout Thailand were operating illegally.

A damning report !

[Surasak]

We Expats think logically. What other logical thinking takes place in LOS. In 30 years of experience of Thailand I have rarely come across it.

[BestB]

1 hour ago, jkcjag said:

Why would 70% close...they just need to register and comply with safety standards I expect. It can't be that difficult if they want to offer such services. Other countries mange it.

No it’s not about being registered it’s about obtaining hotel license which is not possible 

[BestB]

1 hour ago, SteveB2 said:

Just in case anyone needs to know the full process needed for opening an Hotel together with the Royal Decrees, here it is

 

Opening an Hotel - The legal process: http://enlighten.co.th/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/การขอใบอนุญาตประกอบธุรกิจโรงแรม.pdf

 

See attachments for the Royal Decrees.

 

BTW - I was over at Pattaya City Hall (Building #2, Floor 4) yesterday going through the application paperwork.

 

The same office that does the public health inspections of restuarants also does the hotel safety inspections.

 

Registration Costs are reasonable, and begin at around TH10K for a small hotel.

 

You don't need a lawyer to process the application - any decent Thai CPA should be able to do it for you.

 

• The hot topic during the last few weeks is the need to register all guests within 24 hours on the immigration computer system, else you will be fined.

 

Hope this info helps 

Hotel Act 2551 ประกอบธุรกิจโรงแรม.pdf 94.38 kB · 0 downloads Hotel Act 2547 พระราชบัญญัติโรงแรม พ.ศ. 2547.pdf 168.81 kB · 0 downloads

Let us know when you get approved and issued with hotel license ????

[fforest1]

47 minutes ago, BestB said:

No it’s not about being registered it’s about obtaining hotel license which is not possible 

Exactly......Every one needs to read the FULL LONG LONG LONG ASS list to get a hotel licence......Virtually no hotel can meet all the requirements...This whole licence thing is a complete scam.....

[fforest1]

Tourist will be paying 5000 baht a night MINIMUM....if they shut all the cheaper hotels down.....Hell you might be lucky to even find a 5,000 baht a night room.....

[SteveB2]

43 minutes ago, BestB said:

Let us know when you get approved and issued with hotel license ????

Clarification of our application for registration under the hotels act:

 

We run a technician training center that occasionaly provides accomodation for visiting students (both Thai and international) attending courses at our engineering company's premises.

 

We were granted examption for registration as a hotel under the following rules quoted from both Royal decrees as follows:-

 

• We have rooms available for visiting students attending training out our technician training center
  • Royal Decree 2547, page 2, (Sec.1) 'Exemption of registration for providing a place for students to stay 'purposes of education'
  • Royal Decree 2547, page 2, (Sec.1) Exemption of registration for providing a place for student 'has not a profit or income to share'
  • Royal Decree 2551, page 7, (Sec.Notes) Exemption of registration for providing a place for student 'Requires that a small lodging facility which has no more than four rooms'
• Still need to TM30 register when any foreign (non-Thai) students are staying on premises within 24 hours of arrival.

I'll visit Jomtien Immigration this afternoon to confirm all is above board with the Head of Immigration on the 2nd floor.

 

Again, I hope this information helps 

[fforest1]

3 minutes ago, SteveB2 said:

Clarification of our application for registration under the hotels act:

 

We run a technician training center that occasionaly provides accomodation for visiting students (both Thai and international) attending courses at our engineering company's premises.

 

We were granted examption for registration as a hotel under the following rules quoted from both Royal decrees as follows:-

 

• We have rooms available for visiting students attending training out our technician training center
  • Royal Decree 2547, page 2, (Sec.1) 'Exemption of registration for providing a place for students to stay 'purposes of education'
  • Royal Decree 2547, page 2, (Sec.1) Exemption of registration for providing a place for student 'has not a profit or income to share'
  • Royal Decree 2551, page 7, (Sec.Notes) Exemption of registration for providing a place for student 'Requires that a small lodging facility which has no more than four rooms'
• Still need to TM30 register when any foreign (non-Thai) students are staying on premises within 24 hours of arrival.

I'll visit Jomtien Immigration this afternoon to confirm all is above board with the Head of Immigration on the 2nd floor.

 

Again, I hope this information helps 

Come on your far from the line of fire.....Your more of a apartment than a hotel...

[Gandtee]

21 hours ago, keith101 said:

I thought that the NCPO was no longer around since the election which would maybe mean that article 44 could no longer be used but I am possibly wrong and I am sure I will get told otherwise .

I thought the same.

[taxin]

20 hours ago, redsongthaew said:

If 70 per cent of the hotels are closed, will there be enough hotel rooms left? Once the legal hotel rooms are filled up, where are people going to stay?

 

It might be good for the hotel industry, but all of the people not arriving because they have nowhere to stay won't be good for other businesses.

Where did it say 70% of hotels will be closed ? I have not read this anywhere.

[BestB]

48 minutes ago, SteveB2 said:

Clarification of our application for registration under the hotels act:

 

We run a technician training center that occasionaly provides accomodation for visiting students (both Thai and international) attending courses at our engineering company's premises.

 

We were granted examption for registration as a hotel under the following rules quoted from both Royal decrees as follows:-

 

• We have rooms available for visiting students attending training out our technician training center
  • Royal Decree 2547, page 2, (Sec.1) 'Exemption of registration for providing a place for students to stay 'purposes of education'
  • Royal Decree 2547, page 2, (Sec.1) Exemption of registration for providing a place for student 'has not a profit or income to share'
  • Royal Decree 2551, page 7, (Sec.Notes) Exemption of registration for providing a place for student 'Requires that a small lodging facility which has no more than four rooms'
• Still need to TM30 register when any foreign (non-Thai) students are staying on premises within 24 hours of arrival.

I'll visit Jomtien Immigration this afternoon to confirm all is above board with the Head of Immigration on the 2nd floor.

 

Again, I hope this information helps 

You do not need to visit immigration.

 

Exemption order is real and sufficient enough ????

[BestB]

40 minutes ago, taxin said:

Where did it say 70% of hotels will be closed ? I have not read this anywhere.

Well if 70% are illegal then it would be closed down for breaking the law under prayuts 44 

[Megasin1]

Definitely TIT, where they say that 70% of hotels are illegal, but they will remain open anyway.....LOL

Life doesn't matter, your life doesn't matter. If the hotel burns down and people can't escape because there was no code, their lives don't matter.

The only thing that matters is that a lot of money previously exchanged hands and if you push them too hard by closing them they will all start to squeal about how much and to whom. You can argue relentlessly about unsuitable codes etc. but at the end of the day the result is that probably with the exception of American and European hotel chains if you stay in any hotel in Thailand you are probably placing your family and yourself at some sort of greater risk. The only thing you can ever do in Thailand, just like driving, is reduce the risk as much as possible. 

[lvr181]

21 hours ago, PatOngo said:

Only 20,000! No wonder they slipped under the radar!

The radar was turned off or it was covered up by brown envelopes?

[eddysmit]

21 hours ago, BestB said:

Of course it would be good when 70-90% of rooms will

be gone allowing remaining 10% to charge whatever they want.

 

only little thing these leading hotels and business people have not considered was that those who can afford 5 star hotel always stay in 5 star hotels and those that can not afford it , still will not be able to afford it and simply will not come. 

 

How good is it going to be for business then?

Exactly, this sounds like the few 'big boys' are thinking they will score well and clean up, when in fact they are driving away the main Pattaya supporters,all will eventually lose out.

[Traubert]

2 hours ago, Megasin1 said:

Definitely TIT, where they say that 70% of hotels are illegal, but they will remain open anyway.....LOL

Life doesn't matter, your life doesn't matter. If the hotel burns down and people can't escape because there was no code, their lives don't matter.

The only thing that matters is that a lot of money previously exchanged hands and if you push them too hard by closing them they will all start to squeal about how much and to whom. You can argue relentlessly about unsuitable codes etc. but at the end of the day the result is that probably with the exception of American and European hotel chains if you stay in any hotel in Thailand you are probably placing your family and yourself at some sort of greater risk. The only thing you can ever do in Thailand, just like driving, is reduce the risk as much as possible. 

I dont think they mean that 70% of hotels in Thailand are going to spontaneously combust.

 

I think they mean all their paperwork isn't in order.

[BestB]

2 minutes ago, Traubert said:

I dont think they mean that 70% of hotels in Thailand are going to spontaneously combust.

 

I think they mean all their paperwork isn't in order.

No. what they mean is 70% even though its more like 90% are illegal because do not have hotel license and most are unlikely to be able to obtain one unless they reconsider regulations 

[Traubert]

6 minutes ago, BestB said:

No. what they mean is 70% even though its more like 90% are illegal because do not have hotel license and most are unlikely to be able to obtain one unless they reconsider regulations 

Licence = paperwork, no?

[BestB]

Just now, Traubert said:

Licence = paperwork, no?

License is only 1 piece of paper, Lots of paperwork, pieces of paper needed to get that 1 piece ????

 

And even if you have all your paperwork in order, still does not guarantee you will get the miracle 1 piece of paper called hotel license .;)

[bluesofa]

On 6/25/2019 at 3:53 PM, Jonathan Fairfield said:

Pattaya: 70% of hotels are illegal but new laws will be good for business and tourist safety

Does this mean it will be illegal to lock and chain up closed fire exits in the future?

[GeorgeCross]

6 hours ago, BestB said:

Not only Pattaya , nationwide. And not just increase but go insane if they follow through with shutting down more than half 

 

and what do they do with for instance Patong on New Years Eve its virtually impossible to get a room legal or otherwise at that time. if they shut down half the available rooms, where is everyone going to go? sleep on the beach lol?!