Should I Book A Hotel In Advance?

[AD1985]

Hi all,

I am going to Bangkok on a student visa in a couple of weeks. I need to find a place to stay around my campus and my university recommends going there first and finding out where the other students are staying.

This means I need a hotel room for a couple of days. Is it important to book in advance or is this not necessary in bangkok?

Thanks

[anthonyu]

It depends on which university you'll be going to. Bangkok's a chaotic town to navigate around and there's pros and cons on booking ahead depending on where you're going to be staying in the first place. Chulalongkorn is in the middle of town so its easy but Thamassat Rangsit campus or ABAC can be in the middle of nowhere and you'll have a hard time finding a hotel around those areas. If you can provide more information it'll be easier to answer your question.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

I need to find a place to stay around my campus and my university recommends going there first and finding out where the other students are staying.

Yes I agree with that advice; or perhaps not even so much 'where other students are staying', but more what you feel is your own preference after staying in Bangkok for a couple days.

This means I need a hotel room for a couple of days. Is it important to book in advance or is this not necessary in bangkok?

This depends on the type of accommodation. If this is mid to higher range hotels then YES, book in advance through the booking sites like Agoda or Asiatravel and so on.

However if this is budget traveller / backpacker style accommodation, then you cannot even book those reliably on the internet and especially not at those booking sites. So in the lower range you can just check some websites or travel guides and show up. (doesn't hurt to contact the place in advance if possible, but that won't be a guaranteed reservation and you won't be required to pay in advance) Heck, it's low season anyway, you'll be okay.

Where are you studying? In Bangkok location means everything or you will kill yourself getting to places and back.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

OH, and note that there are also Thai language 'apartment finder' websites that are VERY useful in sourcing longer term (or even per day/week) accommodation. You'll need help from a Thai speaking (reading) person to navigate those though.

[AD1985]

I'm studying at ABAC (Assumption university) Not sure which campus yet.

[AD1985]

I am not looking for anything fancy so based off of what winnie said I will just book a hotel once I get to bangkok. The comment about ABAC being in the middle of nowhere concerns me a bit since I don't know the area and thoguh both campuses were located in bangkok, I guess I'll see waht the situation is like there.

[Kerryd]

I would recommend finding a map online and getting (a little) familiar with the place before arriving (Bangkok is a huge city). Then, get here, get a hotel in the general area you expect to be in, but only book it for 4-5 days (maybe a week).

That will give you a chance to acclimatize a bit and look around for something more suitable. If you book a hotel for a longer period (and pay in advance), you may have trouble getting your money back. If it turns out you are happy with the place you are in, then negotiate a longer stay (and reduced price).

[anthonyu]

Sorry to get you alarmed there. ABAC main campus isn't as far away as I made it out to be. It's actually not bad in terms of travelling time from the city if you take the expressway. Should be able to do the trip in 30 mins during non-peak hours. The other campus is in Hua Mak which is pretty close to the city area but very congested with traffic so its conceivable you could take longer to go to the campus that's closer to you. Prob best to find out which campus you'll be in first and then decide.