Bangkok Hotels

[QUOTE=Tansak KTV]How are the thai hotels dealing with this? Are they paying booking.com quarterly or they pay a flat fee to be listed or what? If paying quarterly that's gotta play hell with the tax issues...

Pay directly at hotel but do you pay the deposit fee or are hotels left in the lurch for no shows?

Just wondering what the catches are as it sounds like a nice deal.[/QUOTE]

From their (booking.com) website:
[QUOTE=booking.com]
[b]Hotel Partners Program[/b]
...
Booking.com was established in 1996 and since then numerous hotels have profited from our successful commission model.
...
[b]Commission-based model[/b]
No registration fee, no fixed costs - you only pay a commission fee for revenue generated. We do not charge reservation or cancellation fees!
...
[b]Guests pay at the hotel[/b]
All bookings are guaranteed with a credit card and guests pay directly upon checking out of the hotel. At the end of each month hotels will receive a commission invoice from Booking.com.[/QUOTE]

I don't know much more than this about booking.com, but one of my friends operates a small resort in Koh Samui and works with another reservation website. If I am not mistaken, the reservation company gets a 15% commission on revenue generated via its website.

[QUOTE=Goyave]If I am not mistaken, the reservation company gets a 15% commission on revenue generated via its website.[/QUOTE]Yeah I see that also and was looking at some of their fine print excuse my morbid curiosity I just wonder how they handle the taxation issues in selected countries. A taxed base receipt on what a customer pays (unless the commission is stated on the receipt), less a commission, I wonder how the tax man feels about some of the documentation process in select countries.

And a hotel that does not charge or hold a cancellation policy for everyone who books here... wow that sounds risky to me from the hotels standpoint. I'd reserver up 100 rooms and just no show to upset competition hahahahaha

But great for us it looks like :D :D

[QUOTE=Tansak KTV]Yeah I see that also and was looking at some of their fine print excuse my morbid curiosity I just wonder how they handle the taxation issues in selected countries. A taxed base receipt on what a customer pays (unless the commission is stated on the receipt), less a commission, I wonder how the tax man feels about some of the documentation process in select countries....[/QUOTE]I don't know the specifics of the whole process, but on the hotel side, I guess that they charge the regular price (including local tax) to the customer and pay the monthly commission bill (including local tax) to the reservation company such as they would do with any bill for promotion or advertising purposes.

And for the reservation company, the taxes are probably managed similarly as in any company operating internationally.

I don't know how many fake or cancelled reservations they have in average, but it should not be too much, I suppose. As you must provide your credit card information to make a reservation, I presume that there is an alert system in place which can detect if a customer cancels his/her bookings too often. And hotels usually don’t put all their eggs in the same basket: only a certain percentage of their rooms may be booked through reservation agencies and websites.

Just book via wotif and the mystery hotel at B2, 099 is President Palace for this Monday. Looks the deal in still on.

I've not tried booking.com but will check it out. I hate when bookings are charged to your card and when you make changes to your trip, then you get hit with cancellation charges. I'd usually try to book once my trip is certain and only if the rates are very good like the wotif mystery deals. Agoda was charging higher for P. Palace for this trip. I rather deal with hotel, the last time I asked President palace, the receptionist was non committal. It is win win if hotels can give the same rate as the internet rates, some agree to it, some don't. Anyway thanks for the tip on booking.com

[QUOTE=Tansak KTV]How are the thai hotels dealing with this? Are they paying booking.com quarterly or they pay a flat fee to be listed or what? If paying quarterly that's gotta play hell with the tax issues...

Pay directly at hotel but do you pay the deposit fee or are hotels left in the lurch for no shows?

Just wondering what the catches are as it sounds like a nice deal.[/QUOTE]I use booking.com all the time. No catches. They just book it, you then pay the hotel.

Save good money on Grande Centre Point Ratchadamri and a host of others in Bangkok this way. It is also good for booking Cambodia, Hong Kong, KL, Singapore, etc. as well. But, you have to do your homework, booking.com represent only SOME of the best prices on SOME hotels.

The deals are worked from facility to facility, they get a little kickback from the hotel itself, not much. So the better deal they get, the better deal you get. In the case of the cheapest rates, the hotel will charge your credit card even if you never arrive. Most people go for the cheapie rates, so both booking.com and the hotel itself have a good guarantee of the money, whether you show up or not. That's all.

The restrictions work fine for me because my calendar is so non dynamic, I know where I will be both two days from now and two months from now, and I had damn well better be there or it fucks everything else up later. No, I don't have time to get sick, so I don't. Another nice thing about booking.com is you can book your room the same day and the reservations are immediate, no messing around with credit card lag like Agoda and others.

Booking.com is just another arrow in the quiver, but it is a good one.

[QUOTE=NicFrenchy]If by "girl Friendly" you mean that they will not charge you a "joiner" fee, then I think you better look elsewhere (as suggested by Acerboy).[/QUOTE]Thanks for the answers. So I reject Fortune Hotel and think about Furama Xclusive Asoke. Its location is unbeatable but looking at Mick's map I don't see the letters: GF(girl friendly). Does the hotel apply a "joiner" fee policy?

And generally any disadvantage to stay there?

[QUOTE=Wandere]Would someone know which Accor Hotels in Bangkok are Gf?

Cheers![/QUOTE]

I used Grand Mercure Asoke Residence last year in one of the Accor sales - definitely GF. At the time some other posters said some of the others were not, so you have to check on each hotel.

[QUOTE=Acerboy]Between the Dynasty Grande and Citadines 11, well dynasty is near soi nana, you can crawl there. Citadines is approx. 250meter from the Nana BTS station. In terms of stars, I guess Citadines is higher and newer, also service apartment type. Dynasty usually doesn't provide breakfast with room rates. Not sure where federal is although I could google it. I'll pick Citadines unless Dynasty is so much more cheaper, say Bhat400 or more.


Actually, would anybody possibly know between which of the 2 hotels I'd likely be able to get some American football on the TV?

There's a Patpong girl I want to meet before she goes to work .. does anyone know of a nice curtains motel in that area, but not so near that she'll be spotted and get hassled by the bar?

[QUOTE=Rocksoff]There's a Patpong girl I want to meet before she goes to work .. does anyone know of a nice curtains motel in that area, but not so near that she'll be spotted and get hassled by the bar?[/QUOTE]

If she's a prostitute (which by the sound of it, she is) she will know ALL the short time places in the area, just ask her

[QUOTE=Travel Spirit]Thanks for the answers. So I reject Fortune Hotel and think about Furama Xclusive Asoke. Its location is unbeatable but looking at Mick's map I don't see the letters: GF(girl friendly). Does the hotel apply a "joiner" fee policy?

And generally any disadvantage to stay there?[/QUOTE]Furama Xclusive Asoke has imho a great value for money.

I could get a room for like 1500 baths per night online and the room was really nice. It's a new hotel, free wifi, free LAN, breakfast included.

Unless you want a large pool to swin, I don't really see what could prevent you from going there.

The Furama Shuk. On Soi 1 is OK too even though it's a bit deep in the soi (it's located on Soi 1, the next soi after Nana).

Come on, you would have to be a complete idiot if you wanted to visit Bangkok to swim. Who the hell needs a pool.

Go most of Thailand you can happily swim in the sea, but Bangkok and Swimming Pool are not at all in the interest of mongers.

If you have the energy to go swimming you are not fucking enough !!

[QUOTE=Escort Fan]Furama Xclusive Asoke has imho a great value for money.

I could get a room for like 1500 baths per night online and the room was really nice. It's a new hotel, free wifi, free LAN, breakfast included.

Unless you want a large pool to swin, I don't really see what could prevent you from going there.

The Furama Shuk. On Soi 1 is OK too even though it's a bit deep in the soi (it's located on Soi 1, the next soi after Nana).[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=The Pro]Come on, you would have to be a complete idiot if you wanted to visit Bangkok to swim. Who the hell needs a pool...Go most of Thailand you can happily swim in the sea, but Bangkok and Swimming Pool are not at all in the interest of mongers...If you have the energy to go swimming you are not fucking enough !![/QUOTE]One of the pleasures of living in Bangkok is having a nice pool to take a dip in after a hot day. Even better is a big pool, say 25 meter, where you can swim like a fish. Finding a working gal who like to "wi-nam" is an additional pleasure in itself. She'll thank you for the cooling swim and then boff your brains out afterward.

I lived on an island in the Andaman for a number of years, but I no longer like to swim in the ocean in Thailand. It is a cesspool of sewage and other pollution.

[QUOTE=The Pro]Come on, you would have to be a complete idiot if you wanted to visit Bangkok to swim. Who the hell needs a pool.

Go most of Thailand you can happily swim in the sea, but Bangkok and Swimming Pool are not at all in the interest of mongers.

If you have the energy to go swimming you are not fucking enough !![/QUOTE]Yes I'm not fucking enough and that's an under statment!

However I can't help to like swimming with all this heat and some hotels got some really nice pool side, ie: Swiss Hotel Nai Lert Park or even the smaller pool yet pleasant one of the Sheraton Grande or the one from Hilton Millenium.

The sea side in Pattaya isn't extactly impressive! I like my water more blue!

[QUOTE=The Pro]Come on, you would have to be a complete idiot if you wanted to visit Bangkok to swim. Who the hell needs a pool.[/QUOTE]Good grief man, what mind altering drugs are you taking? Whatever they are, I don't want any. You have no idea what you are missing.

For your consideration: It's 9PM, you have two uranium dioxide melt down smoking hot chicks wrapped in towels sitting by the hotel pool with you, a bottle of frozen Sauza anejo tequila, a couple of frosty malt beverages, and a basket of fresh strawberries at your side. Time for a quick swim in the pool, and a nice long dip in the oversized outdoor jacuzzi.

Items required: Tequila, strawberries, brewskis, outdoor pool + jacuzzi, and of course, poontang.

You want to get the best lay of your life? There's the recipe.

Not only are you relaxed, having loads of fun and sporting a diamond cutter, the chicks are goofy, wet, and hornier than a pair of 'in-season' gerbils on a springtime full moon night. They simply can't wait to get you back in the room for the [i]coup de grace[/i]. Lots of giggles, then lots of insanely satisfying group grope bonking. This is also conducive to the best night's sleep you could possibly ever imagine as well.

Hmm. Time to rethink your statement there "The Pro"? Heh.