Phuket operators seek extension to legalise hotels

Phuket tourism operators have asked the Interior Ministry to extend a consultation scheme for unregistered accommodation businesses and revive a lapsed regulation that allowed some non-hotel buildings to apply for hotel licences.

The calls came after Deputy Interior Minister Worasit Liangprasit visited Phuket last week and met operators. He pledged to regulate the hotel sector and tackle the use of nominees.

The ministry's consultation and problem-solving clinic for hotel and entertainment businesses was set up to provide advice and guidelines for unregistered operators. Its registration period has already ended on July 10.

Fear of closure holds back registration

Sarayuth Mallam, president of the Phuket Tourist Association, said some unlicensed operators want to bring their businesses into compliance but are reluctant to join the clinic programme because they fear arrest and immediate closure.

He said the government should reassure them that they will be offered advice and a period in which to alter their properties, rather than facing instant prosecution.

However, Mr Sarayuth said there should be no relaxation of core safety requirements. He cited adequate fire extinguishers and fire exits, as well as concerns over alterations that exceed legal and engineering limits.

"We don't want to see casualties in hotel fires in Phuket like in previous cases, which stemmed from insufficient safety facilities. Such incidents greatly impacted the province's tourism image," he said.

Mr Sarayuth estimated that about 70% of Phuket hotels remain illegal. Some operators have upgraded their premises, he said, but still struggle to secure building certification under the Building Control Act, which is required before a hotel licence can be issued.

He also said small and medium-sized businesses had in some cases been asked for bribes to obtain certification, and called on the government to address such corruption.

Daily condo rentals in focus

For foreign visitors and expats booking short stays, the debate could have practical implications for safety standards and the availability of legally registered accommodation. It also highlights the legal risks around daily rentals in condominiums and housing estates.

Mr Sarayuth said operators who deliberately avoid registration should face strict action, particularly hotels run through nominees and daily rentals in condos or housing projects, which he said are against the law.

He said many such operators were foreigners who bought multiple condo units or houses in one project and turned them into daily accommodation competing with hotels.

"In this case, they should all be arrested, as their revenue did not benefit any locals," he said.

Push to revive expired building rule

Chinnawat Udomniyom, president of the Phuket Boutique Accommodation Consortium, also called for an extension of an Interior Ministry regulation that expired last August.

The regulation had temporarily allowed buildings that did not meet the Hotel Act's definition of a hotel, but had opened before Aug 19, 2016, to register for licences. Mr Chinnawat said it should be extended for several more years while a new Hotel Act, now under parliamentary consideration, is awaited.

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12 August 2026

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