So the big boys are going to put the hammer to the little guys who have a few rooms above their bar or other business. What a nice way for the big boys to increase room rates.

TiT. When business is slow, raise prices.

Of course the government wouldn't have any ulterior motives for its moneyed friends.

This is just enforcing a law/procedure that has always been in place

" Any hotel that has more than 4 rooms or may accommodate more than 20 guests must obtain a license to operate a hotel business from the Department of Provincial Administration for hotels located in Bangkok, or from the Provincial Governor’s Office for other areas."

Pretty simple really

So 80% of hotel rooms owners have been too lazy to register and are currently operating illegally.

Probably don't want to get caught up having to pay income tax or have any hotel inspections.

I wonder if any of their building/liability insurance is valid - ie not covered when operating an illegal business.

" Any hotel that has more than 4 rooms or may accommodate more than 20 guests must obtain a license …."

That's pretty ambiguous seeing that I've witnessed a single room occupied by more than twenty people, especially in national parks.

So mr. inerior minister, what is the thought behind the thought?

Do you have a little quarrel with your TAT colleque?

Or are you simply ignorant?

"Currently there are 80-thousand accommodation rooms operating with appropriate licenses, accounting for just 20% of the total number of 360 thousand hotel rooms in the Kingdom."

Another example of an outlaw nation.

Yes.. a good example of how the implementing of laws to a system that is working will inevitably cost the consumer more.

I like a lax law nation.

1 year in jail for not registering your hotel? But you get zero punishment for killing your guests by poisoning them with illegal and improperly used bed bug spray? Seems fair.

"The move is likely to bump up room prices in hotels by the end of this year or early next year, as a large number of illegal operators will enter the legitimate market when the new code take effect."

Bump up the prices?? Surely the prices in the legitimate market will go down due to the flood of new rooms?

Well kiss goodbye to a lot of backpackers that rely on cheap accommodation then and also internal tourism, if Thais cant get cheap accommodation they aint going to go on tour so much now are they ? ergo downturn in Thai tourism........... real smart .. not

Morons.