Tourists complain of sky-high prices in Rayong

RAYONG: -- Visitors to the eastern province of Rayong have submitted a complaint to the local Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) office complaining of hoteliers and restaurateurs doubling their prices over the Songkran vacation.

Officials from the TAT’s 4th regional office said that they had received a huge number of complaints accusing hotels, guesthouses and resorts of not only putting their prices up by 100 percent, but also providing sub-standard service and raising restaurant bills.

Visitors to one resort complained of having their hotel rooms broken into, while hotel staff looked on and refused to take responsibility.

The TAT warned that hoteliers engaging in such practices were severely damaging the province’s tourism reputation, while noting that they had issued warnings to hoteliers in the past, but their pleas had been ignored.

--TNA 2005-04-15

Of course, Thailand will soon become a "Hub" for respectable, well-heeled tourists.

In your dreams, Toxin.

It happened to us before on another holiday, I learned not to travel to that side unprepared. Book your room in advance, it's a great rip-off when you have to get a room while driving around. They actually actively discourage people from traveling there by employing these tactics. They surely succeeded in our case, we choose to go elsewhere....