Long Stay Rates in Thailand

[TotallyOz]

I was in touch with a hotel in Thailand to negotiate a long stay rate. They did give me a good deal off their regular rate but it was what they give to all who stay over 14 days. I told them I was going to be 60 days and asked for a better deal. They declined. They do have rooms open. Most hotels around the world negotiate good rates for longer stays but it seems harder in Thailand then anywhere. Why?

[firecat69]

I'm sure you have thought of this, but ask for more freebies(laundry, meals, sodas, limos)  Sometime easier for them to give that up then the daily rate which the bosses look at.

[ceejay]

I have only limited experience of booking for long stays, and I guess at places lower down the star rating scale than Michael typically uses, but while I was looking for a place for 5 months in Chiang Mai, starting at the beginning of last November, I found a good deal of variability.

Some places (like the Dome, where I ended up) are in that business and discount really deeply (60% reduction) if you rent on what are basically serviced apartment terms, with water and electricity billed separately, cleaning and linen change done once or twice a week, no food etc. One place (the Chiang Mai Lodge) offers rooms at an 80% discount to its hotel rates if you provide your own linen and do your own cleaning. I guess though that spending an hour or two a week with his hair wrapped in a headscarf and a mop and bucket in his hand is not what Michael has in mind.

Some mid range to budget hotels and guest houses offer similar deep discounts for letting rooms on a semi serviced basis, even though they don't advertise themselves as being in that business.

Places that only provide a fuller service are more reluctant to discount, 20% or so for a month or longer being the maximum.

It depends on the season too. The receptionist at Chiang Mai Lodge was reluctant to let a room at the lowest rate for a let starting on the 1st November, because that was the start of high season, but offered me one if I paid the deposit and first months rent before the end of October. That makes sense. If you make nearly all your money on 4 months of the year, then it doesn't make much sense to be deep discounting in those months.

[Guest]

Refusing to increase the discount for 60 days could make sense if their profit margin is decreased to a very small level. I'm not sure how much you got knocked off for 14 days.

 

However, I think a large proportion of the hotel costs must be fixed costs, rather than the variable costs from having a customer in one of the rooms. So in low season, it must be more profitable to have you in an otherwise empty room for 60 days.

Did you speak to a manager?

[pong]

look, this is Thailand so that means-and I know it is very, very hard to grasp for many of you

NO rules, NO fixed percentages (which say very little also- about noone will pay full fare), and its different at any place.

Tipically real/hi-class HTLs do not want such long-time stayers-they make much less money out of them in the side services. As C-jay rightly explains, serviced aprtmts are for that and they are a plenty in ANY tourist town. The cheaper ones do not advertise, are not online, go by word of mouth and repeat custom. The better ones-mainly BKK-often appeal to a certain nation (JPNese, Chinese, Koreans, etc-and thus are also very reluctant to take many others and unseen-they will not want to hurt their known clients). THis is in fact still-believe it or not-a big deterrant for any Thai hotelier- they like to see-and be able to decline- clients, so yes, as about any Thai, they discriminate.

Those huge discounts say nothing by the way: its rent only, the additional costs for electric and water-thats what they get the profit of. In short; Shake off that US-mind to think in %- only go to the final, total price and see what that buys you. Thus ''only''50% discount may in fact work out as better deal as 80% of an initial far too high price with inflated fai-fah=electric. And your boy for the time will be quite willing to do the household cores-as above described. or rent a cleaning lady- 50 bt/hr is ample pay.

[TotallyOz]

Did you speak to a manager?

I am actually friends with the manager but I do not like to go to him for money issues. I know I should if I want a good rate but I don't want to spoil our friendship either over cash.

 

I do like Firecat's idea of other things beyond the nightly rate being negotiated.