Looking to book our yearly December dive trip from CM to Phuket from 12/26 - 1/4/20 and are finding at least 2x the price in baht from what we paid the previous year at most of the Karon Beach hotels.  What happened?

Bookings way down so double the price hoping the ones that do book will make up the shortfall...i.e. Thai logic 

Try air bnb

Don’t book until much nearer the time when it’s finally penetrated their thick skulls that they’re not gonna get those prices.

I presume you’re looking via hotel booking agencies (Agoda etc). Just booked Ko Lanta for next week and noticed the pricing has been coming down since first looking a few weeks ago. Try Hotelscombined.com which screenscrapes all the agencies. 

Follow up, I just looked at the per day booking price for the same Karon hotel rooms we stayed in for our October 19- 27 dive trip, $85/nt then, $619/nt for the Dec 26 - Jan 4th.  Turns out there is a mandatory 5000 baht per person New Years dinner.  This is nuts.  Will look to adjust dates and wait.

14 minutes ago, nchuckle said:

Don’t book until much nearer the time when it’s finally penetrated their thick skulls that they’re not gonna get those prices.

I presume you’re looking via hotel booking agencies (Agoda etc). Just booked Ko Lanta for next week and noticed the pricing has been coming down since first looking a few weeks ago. Try Hotelscombined.com which screenscrapes all the agencies. 

Ya, Agoda and direct booking at hotels.

IIRC, hotels generally pay around 15% commission to these booking sites so if you can speak directly to the manager or front desk, they would be much happier to cut out the agent.

 

49 minutes ago, petermik said:

Bookings way down so double the price hoping the ones that do book will make up the shortfall...i.e. Thai logic 

Absolutely nailed it!

39 minutes ago, RuamRudy said:

IIRC, hotels generally pay around 15% commission to these booking sites so if you can speak directly to the manager or front desk, they would be much happier to cut out the agent.

 

Perhaps if it is a small hotel and if the owner is in the reception and if he feels like it. I have several times tried to go to the reception and not even been able to get the same price as on agoda. The solution then is to go outside and book at agoda - at one place the manager even suggested I do just that.

14 minutes ago, farang51 said:

Perhaps if it is a small hotel and if the owner is in the reception and if he feels like it. I have several times tried to go to the reception and not even been able to get the same price as on agoda. The solution then is to go outside and book at agoda - at one place the manager even suggested I do just that.

 

Just depends on the manager. Needs to be manager owner to make that decision. I booked a nice place up in Chiang Rai just for one night. We hired a car to tour about. We liked hotel so much we went back another 2 days. Guy (manager and his family own hotel) happy to offer same rate as Agoda as saves him commission and I pay cash money. On the other hand if the manager is a hired hand - forget it.

You're looking at the peak of the peak season.  Unless you need to be here at this time, follow your own advice and book other dates.

1 hour ago, DrPhibes said:

Turns out there is a mandatory 5000 baht per person New Years dinner.  This is nuts.

90 % of hotels will make this blatant rip off standard for new years. 5k Baht for a 250 baht asian buffet, not a bad mark up at all 

Thanks guys for all your help.  Looking at Khao Lek to do the Andaman Sea at this point.  Their prices don't seem to be so crazy and it is the Similans...

6 hours ago, RuamRudy said:

IIRC, hotels generally pay around 15% commission to these booking sites so if you can speak directly to the manager or front desk, they would be much happier to cut out the agent.

 

I have asked this at several hotels regarding a future booking, and most of them say No, must book online.

At one hotel in Pattaya they offered me their own computer to extend for a couple of nights, they would not take the cash!

20 hours ago, madmen said:

90 % of hotels will make this blatant rip off standard for new years. 5k Baht for a 250 baht asian buffet, not a bad mark up at all 

You'll like this one.  When I adjusted the dates (both scenarios covered Christmas) to leave one hotel before New Years, the mandatory New Years dinner disappeared but a mandatory Christmas dinner now appears, ha!

22 hours ago, DrPhibes said:

Follow up, I just looked at the per day booking price for the same Karon hotel rooms we stayed in for our October 19- 27 dive trip, $85/nt then, $619/nt for the Dec 26 - Jan 4th.  Turns out there is a mandatory 5000 baht per person New Years dinner.  This is nuts.  Will look to adjust dates and wait.

Oct 19 is LOW season.
Dec 26th-Jan 4th is PEAK season .

prices are usually double or even tripled+ the mandatory new years eve meal

always been like this

On 11/9/2019 at 10:21 AM, petermik said:

Bookings way down so double the price hoping the ones that do book will make up the shortfall...i.e. Thai logic 

You have no idea, do you? Christmas and New Year is the most popular and overcrowded time for everywhere in the Thailand. This is standard pricing and nothing new. Get over it.

9 minutes ago, muratremix said:

You have no idea, do you? Christmas and New Year is the most popular and overcrowded time for everywhere in the Thailand. This is standard pricing and nothing new. Get over it.

Just book cheap one night, then check locally,but seems you like four star !

New year's is when hotel's all over the place raise prices it is a major tourist season

1 hour ago, kingstonkid said:

New year's is when hotel's all over the place raise prices it is a major tourist season

I can understand 2x, 3x price difference, but about 7.5x low season is nuts.  Thanks for the input everyone.

Turkey, minced pies and Christmas pud, batten down the hatches, lock the gates and stay home....worse than songran

On 11/9/2019 at 12:17 PM, madmen said:

90 % of hotels will make this blatant rip off standard for new years. 5k Baht for a 250 baht asian buffet, not a bad mark up at all 

I once had to take this buffet on samui, 5000 baht pp...but it had aussie steaks as well....ALL guests had to stand in a very long queue after the buffet openened and when i was at the meat department the aussie beef was out of stock already....

 

some indians refused to pay because.. they were vegetarians and after a lot of struggle the police were called....don't know how it ended but it ruined the party which sucked anyway....some singing ladyboys and so were hired for entertainment

Diving in Philippines is way cheaper  ... where my Aussie $ is 30% lower compared to the baht than a few years back my Aussie $ is almost 30% more compared to the PHP a few years back plus its cheaper than Thailand to start with ... my next trip is to the Philippines to dive with the Thresher Sharks in Malapascua Island  ...

On 11/9/2019 at 5:50 PM, wgdanson said:

I have asked this at several hotels regarding a future booking, and most of them say No, must book online.

At one hotel in Pattaya they offered me their own computer to extend for a couple of nights, they would not take the cash!

Not only Thailand, this the norm most country if you have reserved with web site Airbnb or similar, and many Hotel have contract with them

The request regulates the offer as you know, as you also know the tourists are in an incredible "increase" ...???? Here it is vice versa ...

Thailand has always been famous for doing exactly the wrong thing at the wrong time, I remember the year of the Tsunami, many tourists had booked for Phuket were sent to Samui, prices in Samui? EXPLODED, in some resorts / hotels up to three times more than the normal price was paid!

On 11/9/2019 at 10:53 AM, RuamRudy said:

IIRC, hotels generally pay around 15% commission to these booking sites so if you can speak directly to the manager or front desk, they would be much happier to cut out the agent.

 

They can’t do that anymore, if it’s a big outfit, they will lose the booking sites, they are under contract, back in the day , yes , Not Now

57 minutes ago, ICELANDMAN said:

Not only Thailand, this the norm most country if you have reserved with web site Airbnb or similar, and many Hotel have contract with them

Yes , they can’t lose their booking sites , with special deals

2 hours ago, Youlike said:

some indians refused to pay because.. they were vegetarians and after a lot of struggle the police were called..

are you talking about the "high quality/big spenders"" Indians that TAT said they were replacing the westerners  hmmmmm

Arrived 1 day early for  a 1 week stay in Pattaya. 4k for a full week outside season.1 single night at the same place was 3500 at the reception.I almost went trough the roof.Was told by the staff I could book it online much cheaper. Sat down in the lobby and got wifi password of the staff .Got the same room for 800 at Agoda. No I did not bother to call the manager.He has his guidlines also and can only discount if he do own the place. Late november bookings is already 30-40% up from a month ago all over.

3 hours ago, DrPhibes said:

I can understand 2x, 3x price difference, but about 7.5x low season is nuts.  Thanks for the input everyone.

It's been an absolutely terrible low season for hotels in phuket especially the ones without contracts for the big chinese tour buses.....How do they make up this windfall....charge more money...I looked at joining the local golf course here in phuket last year and the membership and daily play rate has skyrocketed....I asked why so high now she said less members so everyone have to pay more...It's the thai way!!!