Hua Hin/Cha-Am: Top end hotels were nearly full for long weekend - but cheap ones more than half empty

 

Picture: ThaiPBS

 

Thai media Thai PBS reported that three to five star hotels in Hua Hin and Cha-Am were nearly full during the long weekend that just passed. 

 

But cheaper establishments were only at about a third of capacity and guest houses just a fifth. 

 

While hoteliers and vendors reported that Thais were being very thrifty after the release from lockdown. 

 

Manageress at The Regent Cha-Am Beach, Suneephan Bopho said that they had just opened after three months of temporary closure during the pandemic. 

 

Picture: ThaiPBS

 

They were 100% full during the four days of the long weekend that ushered in Buddhist Lent.

 

They were offering 50% discounts and money off meals as well as following all the Covid-19 rules and protocols.

 

One tourist from Bangkok spoken to by the media said they had booked a month ago and were on a special deal. They needed to watch their spending.

 

Wasana Srikanchana, chief of the Hua Hin and Cha-Am tourism association, said that in the three to five star hotel range, rooms were booked during the long weekend to 80-90% of capacity. 

 

Picture: ThaiPBS

 

Guests were on old deals and Covid-19 deals. 

 

Things were less encouraging in the cheaper range. Small hotels both offering and not offering breakfast had only 30-40% of rooms filled. 

 

Guest houses were only at 20% capacity. This was because there were no foreigners among the tourists, said the report.

 

On Hua Hin beach there was a continuous stream of visitors, they said. 

 

But vendors said that people were not spending much probably because it was the start of the school term and everyone was cautious about their budgets. 

 

Source: ThaiPBS

 

 

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The mid to high end hotels have been offering very attractive discounts whereas the cheaper hotels weren’t.  When the price differential becomes smaller, people will upgrade.  

Bangkok Thai's stay in 5* hotels!    They've still  got plenty of money and just shows again the huge disparity between Bangkok & even Pattaya, where the poor & unemployed, still queue for free food hand-outs!!

consumerism dam it!

On 7/9/2020 at 7:40 AM, Airalee said:

When the price differential becomes smaller, people will upgrade.  

I don't think the high-end hotels will ever drop their prices low enough that it becomes a free-for-all.  Notwithstanding, the OP's headline answers its own question.  People with money still have money and can afford a weekend at a top hotel and those at the lower end of the market haven't the available funds for a weekend in Hua Hin, even in the cheapest hotels.  

 

This is the new normal and for some considerable time to come and only the strongest [richest] hotels will survive.

2 hours ago, torturedsole said:

I don't think the high-end hotels will ever drop their prices low enough that it becomes a free-for-all.  Notwithstanding, the OP's headline answers its own question.  People with money still have money and can afford a weekend at a top hotel and those at the lower end of the market haven't the available funds for a weekend in Hua Hin, even in the cheapest hotels.  

 

This is the new normal and for some considerable time to come and only the strongest [richest] hotels will survive.

These look like pretty steep discounts on high end hotels to me...

 

Perhaps this will shut some of the  "TVF experts" up? As we are often  told by these people;

 

1. Thai hotels never reduce their prices when demand is low. they are greedy, stupid, blah blah blah.

- Well they reduced their  rates. In fact they often do it during certain periods of the year.

 

2. The Thais are all on their rumps, bust, poor, broke. 

- The Thai demographic that visited  Hua Hin,  has money. Not always crazy money, but enough that they can still take a fun weekend at the  quality playground of Bangkok.

 

Hua Hin has always attracted a better quality demographic.  

 

4 hours ago, Airalee said:

These look like pretty steep discounts on high end hotels to me...

 

Just because they're advertised on Agoda does't always mean that they're available, even if you actually book them

 

We had to go to Bangkok last weekend, we booked a half decent hotel near were we needed to be, only for the hotel to send us a meesage that they were closed and that we needed to contact Agoda to cancel the booking.

 

We cancelled and booked another hotel, a Sheraton on Sukhumvit, only for them to also advise that they were closed.

 

We ended up booking a Holiday Inn directly, were we paid 1,800 Baht for an Exective room, taking full use of the Lounge benefits, the hotel was practically deserted.  

3 hours ago, theoldgit said:

 

Just because they're advertised on Agoda does't always mean that they're available, even if you actually book them

 

We had to go to Bangkok last weekend, we booked a half decent hotel near were we needed to be, only for the hotel to send us a meesage that they were closed and that we needed to contact Agoda to cancel the booking.

 

We cancelled and booked another hotel, a Sheraton on Sukhumvit, only for them to also advise that they were closed.

 

We ended up booking a Holiday Inn directly, were we paid 1,800 Baht for an Exective room, taking full use of the Lounge benefits, the hotel was practically deserted.  

It looks as if Holiday Inn is also discounting quite heavily.

 

 

On 7/22/2020 at 2:49 AM, torturedsole said:

I don't think the high-end hotels will ever drop their prices low enough that it becomes a free-for-all.  Notwithstanding, the OP's headline answers its own question.  People with money still have money and can afford a weekend at a top hotel and those at the lower end of the market haven't the available funds for a weekend in Hua Hin, even in the cheapest hotels.  

 

This is the new normal and for some considerable time to come and only the strongest [richest] hotels will survive.

I like to keep an eye on the 4 seasons here in Chiang Mai. Agoda listed at over 30,000, was 25,000, and is just over 10,000 now.

We where trying to book a house at Chiang Mai Grace for a family of six ( last time paid 15,000 a night ). They aren’t answering the phone, and we’ve driven by several times to find the offices locked and empty.