Hotels in Thailand are Taking Advantage of Foreign Tourists

Some hotels in Thailand are taking advantage of tourists from overseas, deceiving them about reservations while forgetting to arrange for transportation to and from the airport, and forcing them to buy a new package when they arrive.

Several hotels misled visitors and only booked them for the room, Apisamai Srirangson, a spokeswoman for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, said on Monday.

Although both the RT-PCR Covid-19 test and the limousine service from the airport to the hotel were included as conditions of entry on a Thailand Pass, there was no charge for the tests.

The applicants for QR approval for a Thailand Pass used the hotel’s misleading information to obtain approval via the foreign ministry’s web portal for a Thailand Pass.

A new package had to be purchased upon arrival or they would be denied entry.

Dr. Apisamai said some hotels refused to refund visitors who canceled their room reservations and bought a package elsewhere.

Hotel operators deceptive practices

On Nov 1, when the kingdom reopened to visitors, the Thai Pass replaced the Certificate of Entry (CoE). Before boarding a flight, visitors must be full-vaccinated, have a clean RT-PCR test within 72 hours, and have US$50,000 in health insurance.

As part of the “Test and Go” program, visitors from 61 countries and two territories must take a limousine directly to their hotel without a stopover, and they must be tested immediately for Covid-19 by hospital staff, said Dr. Apisamai.

Visitors booked hotels via websites and did not purchase limousine service, RT-PCR Covid-19 testing, or antigen test kits, she said.

Thailand had notified hotel booking websites in advance of the conditions, and told them that passengers without a limousine service and Covid-19 testing would not be allowed entry, she said.

Some hotels advertised packages that included limousine and Covid-19 testing, but visitors could also reserve only rooms and seek RT-PCR testing themselves. This shows the hotels intentionally misled visitors.

The condition led to visitors buying incomplete packages, later canceling their reservations, and in some cases not receiving a refund,” Dr. Apisamai said.

The ministry’s web portal allows travelers to apply for Thailand Pass, provide documentation, and receive a QR Entry Code or Thailand Pass ID by email, which is needed for entry to Thailand.

Source: Bangkok Post