More hotel raids expected as tourist season hots up in Chiang Mai

[impulse]

They never seem to mention what happens to the guests when the hotel is closed down on the spot.  I hope they offer some kind of re-booking assistance.

 

It's one thing to enforce the law and punish the owner, but what happens to the people who saved up all year for their 2 weeks in paradise, and now have to book a room, last minute, on a Friday?  I can only guess whether they even get a refund from the owner who is now financially screwed.

 

I can't imagine they post wonderful holiday stories on their blogs, or recommend the experience to their friends back home.  Or come back next year...

 

Edited December 9, 2016 by impulse

[bubba]

3 hours ago, bubba said:

That's funny...just had a look at booking.com and while Pause and Play do not have availability over the weekend, you can book rooms there for next Monday.

 

 

Perhaps because that "big backlog" somehow suddenly got shorter?

[saminoz]

4 hours ago, fstarbkk said:

The government announced yesterday that 600 of 953 Hotels in CM are operating without the proper license. Ask yourself why this is suddenly a priority issue, in the wake of the Malin Sky affair.

 

Fair enough, but if some bigwig's son hadn't gotten beaten up in that affair, would they even be bothering now?

Edited December 9, 2016 by saminoz
typo

[SiSePuede419]

"2,000 baht a night"

 

I've never paid more than 240.  Except when I stay in BKK, then I pay 1400.  

 

But that's for a modern architecture hotel--floor to ceiling glass window, modern style bathroom with----get this---a shower stall so the whole bathroom floor doesn't get wet when showering.  

 

Does this hotel have that?  

 

555, no this venue is for "geniuses" who think they know everything about everything ?

[Mooner]

Be interested to see this 240 baht hotel.

[Homburg]

13 minutes ago, Mooner said:

Be interested to see this 240 baht hotel.

Not sure I would!

[Puwa]

There are some real gems in this thread like: 

- A licensed hotel will have passed safety checks

- A licensed hotel will have insurance to cover mishaps to guests

- The police are simply enforcing the law

 

I'm not mocking the posters who made those comments because I wish they were correct. On one hand, it's good that you have some faith in the idea of a compact among businesses, customers, and regulators-- indeed this is not fantasy but a reality in many parts of the world. On the other hand, I have seen little evidence to suggest that Chiang Mai in particular, and Thailand in general, holds the same beliefs. If 2/3rds of Chiang Mai's 1000 hotels operate without a license, the police will awfully busy checking up on them one by one.

[Jiggo]

So it only takes a Major Generals son to get beaten up to inforce the law's in LOS......

Edited December 9, 2016 by Jiggo

[Get Real]

7 hours ago, Sparkles said:

You are 100% right.Poice and Army have no right to get involved unless its believed to be a terrorist or criminal related activity going on within the hotel.

Massive over kill.

Isn't there a Government Department that could have dealt with this in a discreet and proper manner.

If you were unlucky enought to be a guest what sort of message does it send out that Police/Army are required.

High or low season is irrelevant and I doubt,as a guest, you would ever return

 

 

 

Police and the army have no right to get involved??? Where did you find that out. This is Thailand! Not the same laws and way of working like in your home country. I just supposed you took the information from there.
Here they have all the right in the world to get involved. They are the ones that have this part of work under their wings.

[louse1953]

5 hours ago, Docno said:

That's all very well and good if the government is running efficiently. But I have some sympathy for the owner if the proper paperwork has been submitted in a reasonable timeframe and hotel is ready to go, and you're told that you cannot get approvals because of a backlog. This should not be an issue ... it means that there is something wrong on the government side (bad processes, insufficient personnel, etc.). Can you imagine how much money the owner would be losing on a weekly basis due to this government backlog?

Has the hotel passed any safety compliance checks.That's what they mean by paperwork.Imagine there was a fire,the owner would be off like a shot.

[louse1953]

5 hours ago, Homburg said:

Sometimes translating from Thai to English can be tricky. One example is the Thai for "there is a big backlog" actually translates into English as "there is not enough in this envelope".  

This is not the West:  Without the requisite "paperwork" in the envelope the licence will never be issued, and even for those establishments that have a licence, unless they have powerful friends then it is inevitable that the BIB etc. will find some "problem" with the licence so that they can still get their tea money.  TIT. 

If you have evidence of this,tell the General,if not it is an urban myth.

[fstarbkk]

6 hours ago, impulse said:

They never seem to mention what happens to the guests when the hotel is closed down on the spot.  I hope they offer some kind of re-booking assistance.

 

It's one thing to enforce the law and punish the owner, but what happens to the people who saved up all year for their 2 weeks in paradise, and now have to book a room, last minute, on a Friday?  I can only guess whether they even get a refund from the owner who is now financially screwed.

 

I can't imagine they post wonderful holiday stories on their blogs, or recommend the experience to their friends back home.  Or come back next year...

 

 

The first hotel that got closed, arranged for alternate accommodations for all the outstanding bookings. Guests already checked in were allowed to stay until their scheduled checkout date. Not sure how the Pause & Pause and play handles their situation. 

[cncltd1973]

Funny how this is the take away from a general's son getting beaten up by some bouncers

[anon4637435435]

13 hours ago, Docno said:

That's all very well and good if the government is running efficiently. But I have some sympathy for the owner if the proper paperwork has been submitted in a reasonable timeframe and hotel is ready to go, and you're told that you cannot get approvals because of a backlog. This should not be an issue ... it means that there is something wrong on the government side (bad processes, insufficient personnel, etc.). Can you imagine how much money the owner would be losing on a weekly basis due to this government backlog?

A lot of government departments purposely drag feet in the hopes of bribes to get things speeded up. Nothing new.

[MaxLee]

17 hours ago, fstarbkk said:

The government announced yesterday that 600 of 953 Hotels in CM are operating without the proper license. Ask yourself why this is suddenly a priority issue, in the wake of the Malin Sky affair.

 

 

Just getting rid of some sacrificial lambs here,..... nothing more to see...

[Sparkles]

14 hours ago, Get Real said:

Police and the army have no right to get involved??? Where did you find that out. This is Thailand! Not the same laws and way of working like in your home country. I just supposed you took the information from there.
Here they have all the right in the world to get involved. They are the ones that have this part of work under their wings.

I know how things work after 17 years here in Thailand.  I am well aware of the powers that be and how they can get involved.Only pointing out business registration should be handled by local tessabon authorities.My home countries regulations/laws are irrelevant as is your post.

[Get Real]

4 minutes ago, Sparkles said:

I know how things work after 17 years here in Thailand.  I am well aware of the powers that be and how they can get involved.Only pointing out business registration should be handled by local tessabon authorities.My home countries regulations/laws are irrelevant as is your post.

Ok! I have 16 years here myself. Still if you know how things work, how can you then write the police and the army have no right. It was you writing, not me. After that try with an explaination around what you really wrote. hmmmm?

[Sphere]

21 hours ago, bubba said:

That's funny...just had a look at booking.com and while Pause and Play do not have availability over the weekend, you can book rooms there for next Monday.

 

Operating as Pause, Pay and Play?

[Sparkles]

4 minutes ago, Get Real said:

Ok! I have 16 years here myself. Still if you know how things work, how can you then write the police and the army have no right. It was you writing, not me. After that try with an explaination around what you really wrote. hmmmm?

Get Real you are like dog with a bone aren't you ?Business registration and compliance of businesses are the responsibilities of the Tessaban.If you were starting a business thats where you would go and it would be they undertaking safety checks and all the other relevant requirements including registration.To make your day lets say "Army and police have no place to intervene" unless there is suspected criminal or terrorism activity Over and out

[Docno]

14 hours ago, louse1953 said:

Has the hotel passed any safety compliance checks.That's what they mean by paperwork.Imagine there was a fire,the owner would be off like a shot.

We don't know. And I was never saying that the owner was right. But I was saying that a business owner shouldn't be made to lose revenue because of a backlog on the government side. [That doesn't justifying opening without proper safety checks]. The thing is that a hotel isn't set up overnight... there would be a good amount of time to process paperwork, schedule inspections, etc. But (if the owner is to be believed) it was a backlog on the government's side that prevented this from happening...

[mcfish]

We don't know. And I was never saying that the owner was right. But I was saying that a business owner shouldn't be made to lose revenue because of a backlog on the government side. [That doesn't justifying opening without proper safety checks]. The thing is that a hotel isn't set up overnight... there would be a good amount of time to process paperwork, schedule inspections, etc. But (if the owner is to be believed) it was a backlog on the government's side that prevented this from happening...

And what about the other 60 unlicensed, I guess they all dutifully filed there paper work as well lol. Don't be so gullible, one of the perks of not filing is NOT PAYING TAX!

Sent from my SC-01D using Tapatalk

[elgordo38]

21 hours ago, brain150 said:

 

Slavery was legal

Discriminating jews in Nazi Germany was legal

Torture in the US is legal

Killing people with drones is legal [in the US]

 

... Laws should always be questioned as they are rarely good for the people !!!

Laws should always be questioned as they are rarely good for the people !!! Yes your right and they need a whole bunch of new ones especially ones controlling the media social and otherwise.

[elgordo38]

20 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Perhaps nothing is fixed or improved in C M because the fees the local government should be getting are non existent.

The city is falling apart and nothing is done for the public infrastructure.

And the little public infrastructure left is cluttered up with parked motorbikes. 

[Get Real]

1 hour ago, Sparkles said:

Get Real you are like dog with a bone aren't you ?Business registration and compliance of businesses are the responsibilities of the Tessaban.If you were starting a business thats where you would go and it would be they undertaking safety checks and all the other relevant requirements including registration.To make your day lets say "Army and police have no place to intervene" unless there is suspected criminal or terrorism activity Over and out

So, in your humble opinion the registration office also oversees that the law is followed. Sounds same like giving a 7-Eleven employee the right to say what Big C should sell. However you might be right, but the law says different. How do you get that together?

[fish monger]

On ‎9‎/‎12‎/‎2559 at 2:42 PM, AlphMichaels said:

"Hots up".  OK then.

Yeah....I always get HOTS UP right around high season....I also get all HOTS UP when I see that editors are fairly lacking at their jobs....

[fish monger]

So if she was closed down, "albeit temporarily", where did the tenants of the 54 rooms wind up going...?  Were they simply told to get out...? Were they given a refund of 2,000 baht...?

Edited December 10, 2016 by fish monger

[CharlieK]

On 12/9/2016 at 11:19 AM, Sparkles said:

You are 100% right.Poice and Army have no right to get involved unless its believed to be a terrorist or criminal related activity going on within the hotel.

Massive over kill.

Isn't there a Government Department that could have dealt with this in a discreet and proper manner.

If you were unlucky enought to be a guest what sort of message does it send out that Police/Army are required.

High or low season is irrelevant and I doubt,as a guest, you would ever return

 

 

 

 

The army was there to make sure the police did not take any kickbacks!

[callaway]

On ‎12‎/‎9‎/‎2016 at 1:21 PM, SiSePuede419 said:

"2,000 baht a night"

 

I've never paid more than 240.  Except when I stay in BKK, then I pay 1400.  

 

But that's for a modern architecture hotel--floor to ceiling glass window, modern style bathroom with----get this---a shower stall so the whole bathroom floor doesn't get wet when showering.  

 

Does this hotel have that?  

 

555, no this venue is for "geniuses" who think they know everything about everything ?

240 baht? Is that for paying the unwashed beggar under the bridge for the right to sleep next to him in the dirt? And 1400 tops in BKK. You do not mind sacrificing anything thing for comfort do you. Its the same with you high faluting rich kids. Ever have a bed bug problem from these high class establishments? And having a glass screen around a shower? That is so hi-so and a amazing idea. Who would have thought of that? 

[gk10002000]

On 12/8/2016 at 7:33 PM, CNXBKKMAN said:

Police and soldiers raid a hotel because it doesnt have the right paper work. Surely this is the job of the local government? How many people are now unemployed? How many tourists have booked this place and may not even get a refund? They have to book somewhere else or not visit at all? The low season would have been a better time to start closing hotels down imo.

Unfortunately the military and the dictator is in charge.  And the police are not under civilian control.  The internal power divide among agencies would probably make a good book in itself

[Chicog]

On 12/10/2016 at 7:52 AM, mcfish said:

And what about the other 60 unlicensed, I guess they all dutifully filed there paper work as well lol. Don't be so gullible, one of the perks of not filing is NOT PAYING TAX!

Sent from my SC-01D using Tapatalk
 

 

And presumably not having to report that a posse of ISIS terrorists has just checked in.