Maybe my question can sounds strange: i move to Bangkok for few days for process some documents and i checked in into a 3 stars hotel. At the reception the boy that take care of the process asked me for 600 thb as deposit for the room key. Is this normal in Thailand or just some hotels do that? And what this mean? If i lose or keep the key they will keep the 600 thb.

Yes 

1 minute ago, madmen said:

Yes 

Ok Madmen thank you. So now i can keep the key if i want..........

1 minute ago, Ermanno said:

Ok Madmen thank you. So now i can keep the key if i want..........

Why would you do that?

I have never in my life been asked for a "key deposit".  Million years since I stayed anywhere used keys also.

 

Just now, RJRS1301 said:

Why would you do that?

I have never in my life been asked for a "key deposit".  Million years since I stayed anywhere used keys also.

 

I will not keep the key of course: just kidding. And for me is first time that i was asked for this kind of deposit.

4 minutes ago, RJRS1301 said:

Why would you do that?

I have never in my life been asked for a "key deposit".  Million years since I stayed anywhere used keys also.

 

I'm in a hotel now that took a deposit. Most of them in Pattaya do unless it's 5 star. If they insist on you paying cash you better believe there will a cash deposit 

Edited February 12, 20206 yr by madmen

Perfectly normal. Covers your drinks from the fridge in case you fail to mention them when you leave.

Are you traveling on a tight budget....?

1000 to 2000 Baht deposit.

Quite usual. Just not labeled specifically as "key" deposit.

2 hours ago, transam said:

Are you traveling on a tight budget....?

No Sir: i just move to Thailand for start a new job and i am in Bangkok for process some documents. Just sounds strange a deposit for the key as i was never asked before.

Some do but most I stayed never asked. I know even some guesthouses with dorms at 140 baht a night but a deposit of 200 baht for keys. Always to be returned tho.

1 hour ago, Ermanno said:

No Sir: i just move to Thailand for start a new job and i am in Bangkok for process some documents. Just sounds strange a deposit for the key as i was never asked before.

Hotels are changing to programmable "card" keys, one of the reasons is lost or forgotten keys that have to be replaced/new copy made. Most hotels require you to hand the key to the desk clerk when you leave the hotel and collect on return so the key is accounted for.

 

If a hotel is getting p_ssed off with replacing keys then I can see why taking a deposit is a good idea for forgetful or don't care patrons..????

Definitely not "normal" at all. In 20 years of coming to Thailand, I've never been asked to pay that. It must be that they think you look like the kind of person who will try to remove the TV from the wall and steal it in your suitcase.

I get the mrs to book, never ask for my passport or deposit

Many hotels, worldwide, will either require a cash deposit, pr a credit card deposit. None, at least where I have stayed, have called it a "key" deposit. 

Never had a problem getting refunded. However, if I were staying at a 3 star, in Thailand, I would definitely ask for a receipt. 

There is only one key to an hotel safe,

the deposit pays a locksmith

to drill out the lock if key is lost.

I, 'Ting Tong Farang', did lose my key, and

watched as the lock was drilled out.

 

5 hours ago, Ermanno said:

at the reception the boy that take care of the process asked me for 600 thb as deposit for the room key.

Sometimes but rarely, it's usually easier to just choose another hotel.

I would just say no.

 

The last 30-40 hotels I stayed at with Booking.com, Agoda, AirBnB haven't asked, and wouldn't have got.

I doubt the entire door in a Thai 3* hotel would be worth 600bht.

Edited February 12, 20206 yr by BritManToo

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

Sometimes but rarely, it's usually easier to just choose another hotel.

I would just say no.

 

The last 30-40 hotels I stayed at with Booking.com, Agoda, AirBnB haven't asked, and wouldn't have got.

I doubt the entire door in a Thai 3* hotel would be worth 600bht.

At my hotel in Asoke they ask for 1000฿ deposit, which they hand back to me when I check out a day or 5 later ... And the problem is ... ?

2 hours ago, Curt1591 said:

if I were staying at a 3 star, in Thailand, I would definitely ask for a receipt.

Which I get without asking.

2 hours ago, BritManToo said:

The last 30-40 hotels I stayed at with Booking.com, Agoda, AirBnB haven't asked, and wouldn't have got.

I doubt the entire door in a Thai 3* hotel would be worth 600bht.

 

That's probably because they have your credit card information.  They don't need to ask for a deposit because they put a lock on that amount on your CC.  To you, it's seamless.  But there's a lot going on in the background that you don't see.  I've also had hotels that informed me there would be a deposit added to my card, and would I prefer to pay that in cash?   

 

Let's face it.  A lot of cash travelers leave without checking out, stealing towels and goodies from the mini bar, leaving behind damaged amenities, or just forgetting to return the key.  If a hotel is working on cash, it's not unusual at all for them to ask for a deposit to cover contingencies like the mini-bar, lost keys, etc.  Some just call it a cash deposit.  Apparently, the hotel in the OP calls it a key deposit.  

 

Edited February 12, 20206 yr by impulse

2 hours ago, talahtnut said:

There is only one key to an hotel safe,

the deposit pays a locksmith

to drill out the lock if key is lost.

I, 'Ting Tong Farang', did lose my key, and

watched as the lock was drilled out.

All the ones I have seen in the past twenty years have been digital, easy to open by just about anyone!

3 hours ago, impulse said:

Apparently, the hotel in the OP calls it a key deposit.  

 

When i wrote that they ask for key deposit i literally mean it: they told me the 600 thb was a cash deposit in case the keys were lost. And is not a card key, a simple one.

8 hours ago, Ermanno said:

No Sir: i just move to Thailand for start a new job and i am in Bangkok for process some documents. Just sounds strange a deposit for the key as i was never asked before.

Let's  just say "trust"  is  in very short  supply  in Thailand.

11 hours ago, RJRS1301 said:

Why would you do that?

I have never in my life been asked for a "key deposit".  Million years since I stayed anywhere used keys also.

 

Every hotel I stay at takes a deposit. They do it on my credit card. Hilton, Novotel, Marriot, Centara etc. all take a deposit. It isn't just for key, for  for room charges, incidentals, damage etc.

33 minutes ago, Ermanno said:

When i wrote that they ask for key deposit i literally mean it: they told me the 600 thb was a cash deposit in case the keys were lost. And is not a card key, a simple one.

 

I'll betcha if there were towels missing when you checked out, it would have quickly become a "towel deposit", regardless of what they called it.  It's a perfectly reasonable policy to make sure you turn the key back in and check out so they can have someone check the room for any theft or damage.

 

If you do lose (or keep) the old timey key, they have to change the lock. Even if they're just moving it to a different door, that costs money.

 

Edited February 12, 20206 yr by impulse

31 minutes ago, gunderhill said:

Let's  just say "trust"  is  in very short  supply  in Thailand.

 

As if hotels all over the world don't do the same...  Most guests pay with a credit card and the hotels lock up the funds so the customers never see what's happening in the background.

 

5 hours ago, geriatrickid said:

Every hotel I stay at takes a deposit. They do it on my credit card. Hilton, Novotel, Marriot, Centara etc. all take a deposit. It isn't just for key, for  for room charges, incidentals, damage etc.

The poster was specificaly speaking of a "key deposit"

Use credit card they hold an usually one dollar, but have the details, if you fail to pay or steal from them, amount against your credit card, but not a specific key deposit

 

On 2/13/2020 at 12:32 AM, impulse said:

As if hotels all over the world don't do the same...  Most guests pay with a credit card and the hotels lock up the funds so the customers never see what's happening in the background.

Exactly! I have one credit card that I use only for hotel "deposits" its the only reason I keep it as always pay with debit card.