Guesthouse, Hotel, Condo, Apartment, Room, Studio?

[talexndr]

Good morning!

I used to think I knew the meanings of guesthouse, hotel, condo, apartment, room and studio but things seem to shift in Asia. Perhaps someone can set me on the right path?

I arrive in the middle of the night at the end of October. I need a place in Bangkok for a few weeks to two months while I look for work. In-room bath, air con, easy walk to a subway or skytrain stop, internet access (wireless?) would be great. Nothing fancy. Just clean and not far from the working/business center of Bangkok. No lease. No deposit.

What would it even be called? Condo/apartment I thought requires deposits (which I don't want to do for such a short time). Rooms in someone's house I'm not interested in. Hotel or serviced apartment may be a bit much. I don't need someone in my room everyday with a flower and a chocolate. Guesthouse then? Is there a website for guesthouses with long stays? 5-10k price range. Mr. Roomfinder looks great for condos but first I need something more temporary.

Finding work (teaching English of course) I will then find a place to live with an easy commute. I assume that is a condo? I never see the word apartment. Is a condo that is NOT a studio called a one-bedroom? Or is a studio called a one-bedroom there?

My god, I'm learning my native language English on a Thai expat website? How odd is that...

Thank you for any clarifications, web portals or recommendations!

[Lormaak]

A guesthouse is a very basic / cheap hotel. They come with varying levels of facillities and services. Take a walk along Khao San road and surrounding area and you'll see a variety of GHs from 150B per night boxes (toilet outside, no air) to 1000B places which are like quite nice B&Bs.

An apartment building is just for rent. The whole place is centrally owned. They often have a variety of room types available, and the rooms are similarly decorated and furnished. Some will let you stay by the day (like a hotel), some for a month, and some require 3 months or longer. For long stays they usually require 2-3 months rent as a security deposit. Some are serviced a la a hotel, and some are not. They usually charge a lot for utilities. 5+ baht/unit for electricity, as opposed to <3 for govt.

A condo building has each unit owned individually. They are like flats in the UK. Each one is furnished uniquely (owners responsibility), and some are unfurnished. There aren't so many for rent as most owners live in them, but a lot of people buy them to let, and sometimes companies buy up several units and rent them out. Utilities are usually paid direct to the companies so are the cheapest. If you get a nice landlord/landlady, they are usually your best bet for long term stays. But contracts are usually 6 months or longer.

Studio means bedsit. You open the front door and you're in your bedroom, living room and kitchen. They have a separate bathroom. One bed means two rooms + bath. And so on....

No lease/ No deposit. Then you're looking at cheap guesthouses. 10k a month is 330B/day. You ain't gonna get much for that. Some GH's may do monthly deals...you'll have to ask. But... GHs are usually cleaned regularly ie someone in your room.

If I've left stuff, out please add it. If I've made errors, please correct me.