Pattaya Songkran: Hotel bookings well down as tourists stay away

[Jim7777]

There are other fun places besides Pattaya where I’m sure hotels are pretty well booked.  We do Songkran up here where I live all three days every year and it’s just as much fun up here in the north eastern area in my city as it is in any decent sized city.  I mean the article is only talking about Pattaya what about Bangkok, Hua Hin, Rayong, Phuket, Chiangmai, and multiple other cities.  Even in my little city I’ve been seeing multiple tourists lately and lots more younger people than usual.  I’m actually looking forward to it this year because I invested more into Songkran this year for the whole family than I ever have before.  It should be a blast as every year as long as I don’t start having back problems like last year among other things.  Happy Songkran to everyone even the people who have given me crap in other topics about what they think they know and think I care about what they think.  Seriously though happy Songkran to everyone.  This year looks like it’s gonna be more prosperous financially.  

[shy coconut]

5 hours ago, SammyT said:

I'm still astounded that tourists (other than those who want to get their end away) actually go to Pattaya - the beach sucks, the nightlife (if girlie bars aren't your thing) sucks and if you believe the media reports, it's full of violent taxi drivers. 

Just to complete the list of clichés, you missed the ladyboy issue

[Kadilo]

Songran in Pattaya used to be fun until the foreigners decided to it was their festival to take over and cause as much mayhem as possible, for as long as possible. 

 

[shy coconut]

3 hours ago, Emdog said:

They forgot to mention & supply stats regarding exodus of expat retirees such as myself that have gotten the heck out of Dodge for the duration of this festiveness

Expats don't generally live in hotels for the majority of the time, so I doubt the 

exodus of these folk has any relevance whatsoever.

[Mavideol]

23 minutes ago, Jiggo said:

Songkran.....grossly overrated experience anyway.

 

couldn't say it better.... spray water and throw white powder at passerby...whowwwwwww what a trill not to mention the risk of accidents when throwing the water  

[from the home of CC]

4 hours ago, BestB said:

As a hotel owner of 12 years, i have to agree, its dead, Dead like i have never seen it before in past 12 years.

 

Usually at this time, my place is at about 80% capacity, today i am at 8% capacity.

 

Have dropped prices even further and still nothing

 

A few restaurants that i know, are closing for 10 days, which they have never done before.

 

So most definitely numbers are down and not little down, but seriously down

 condo owners are renting short term probably at half the rate of a hotel, hard to compete... 

[losworld]

10 minutes ago, Kadilo said:

Songran in Pattaya used to be fun until the foreigners decided to it was their festival to take over and cause as much mayhem as possible, for as long as possible. 

 

A lot of drunken idiots you are correct about that.  I once had some drunk shoot me square in the eye with a water pistol for no reason.  I let it go but the next time it happens the perpetrator will not be so fortunate.  I have noticed that Thais throw for fun and I see a lot of stupid farang throwing to try and hurt someone.

[Kadilo]

Just now, losworld said:

A lot of drunken idiots you are correct about that.  I once had some drunk shoot me square in the eye with a water pistol for no reason.  I let it go but the next time it happens the perpetrator will not be so fortunate.  I have noticed that Thais throw for fun and I see a lot of stupid farang throwing to try and hurt someone.

Over the years the water guns have got bigger and more powerful and its turned into a foreigners cock size contest to see who can get the biggest. 

I too have been shot in the eye whilst riding my scooter at night by a bunch of giggling pissed up men. 

It’s no surprise people are turning away. Leave it to those who enjoy it the way it is. 

It’s  a shame for the Thais. 

[Jim7777]

Happy Songkran to everyone!

[BestB]

16 minutes ago, from the home of CC said:

 condo owners are renting short term probably at half the rate of a hotel, hard to compete... 

I have matched and beat their prices and still nothing. My laundry ie commercial shop I use also say very quite , ie all their clients, hotels in the same boat

[GAZZPA]

hahahaha. what a surprise. Make people feel unwelcome, tell the locals "foreigner bad" time and time again, ignore health and safety for tourists, never clean the place up, ignore reports of violence trying as much as possible to keep it out of the press, in short treat foreigners like crap and they will stop coming. They are not at home, they have gone elsewhere. such stupid people, still less then 2 weeks and myself are family are out of this craphole.... 

[Kadilo]

1 minute ago, GAZZPA said:

hahahaha. what a surprise. Make people feel unwelcome, tell the locals "foreigner bad" time and time again, ignore health and safety for tourists, never clean the place up, ignore reports of violence trying as much as possible to keep it out of the press, in short treat foreigners like crap and they will stop coming. They are not at home, they have gone elsewhere. such stupid people, still less then 2 weeks and myself are family are out of this craphole.... 

Missing you already. 

[tonysilly]

This is what happens when you give bad service, scams and over pricing.  Who cares about cheap charlie Chineses. 

[emptypockets]

6 hours ago, madmen said:

Many are now in air bnb as it just gets bigger and impossible to control and at 3000 baht referral fee Ive already converted quite a few condo owners.

But who in their right minds would expose themselves to 10 days of ice water hammering from buckets ? It gets kind of old after day 3

I hope your referrals are all for 30 days plus or you are not only engaged in supporting an illegal activity but also breaking forum rules by promoting illegal activities.

[GAZZPA]

On March 11, 2562 BE at 6:50 AM, rodney earl said:

After being ripped off by a hospital in Khon Kaen over a long period for 3 operations for the same thing and finally going home and getting the problem fixed in 2 weeks and no operation was needed. I have had enough and I am going home for good where medical care is soo much better and soo much cheaper.!!!

hooray. good for you fella. me too. good luck.

[Jaggg88]

5 hours ago, Phuketshrew said:

But we have just been informed on a previous thread that spending will increase by 2% - So what's the problem?

That's because they put the prices up when it is quiet ????

[emptypockets]

4 hours ago, puukao said:

how many sexpats are there in this world?  OK, maybe 4 billion.  Anyhow, no idiot needs to do this more than once.  and paying for sex isn't that cheap if you factor in currency rates, and then you might get AIDS and die, and who wants to be the 100th guy of the month, and everything is more expensive because they lookk at you like a sucker, and then everyone knows you are a sexpat......   and it's not very nice there anyhow.  

 

but we go there every year, me and my 19 kids and we walk around and hand out condoms...

 

I hope they are the same brand you gave me last year.  They made great water bombs. 

[jacko45k]

2 hours ago, ExpatPH said:

 

And where are all the expats that used to live here for many years?

 

Expats don't hang around for Songkran. If they do stick around they sit it out at home. 

[Captain 776]

Pattaya has a SOLE purpose...........it’s not a family friendly destination, people don’t come for the beach.

Pattaya is a dangerous place during Songkran and especially on the 19th or whatever the date is of the last day.

I lived in Jomtien for 9 yrs before moving up north.

Me and my group of friends always LEFT Thailand from April 10-20 when I lived down there.

[Kadilo]

2 minutes ago, Captain 776 said:

Pattaya has a SOLE purpose...........it’s not a family friendly destination, people don’t come for the beach.

Pattaya is a dangerous place during Songkran and especially on the 19th or whatever the date is of the last day.

I lived in Jomtien for 9 yrs before moving up north.

Me and my group of friends always LEFT Thailand from April 10-20 when I lived down there.

If you left every year during that period how do you know it’s a dangerous time?

[emptypockets]

3 hours ago, Phuketshrew said:

Yep. Hole in one guaranteed at every hole ????

And balls cleaned before teeing off again.

[Captain 776]

6 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

Expats don't hang around for Songkran. If they do stick around they sit it out at home. 

Exactly, just like I said in my previous comment if this thread, for my 9 yrs living in Jomtien, my friends and I always got out of Thailand April 10-20

[Bastos60]

3 hours ago, Kjell Flodin said:

No western tourists want to come to Pattaya at Songkran and get soaking wet every time you leave your hotel.This stupid thing goes on for a whole week, one day is enough. When tourists authorities

understand this perhaps some more farangs will come even during Songkran.

And the many uneducated tourists from Russia and India who end up there during this crazy songkran end up ruining something simple and fun to experience. 
Russians are spraying water until they end their evening around 9-10pm and the indians go apeshit and rent complete trucks and spray from the waterpipe directly from the truck. 

 

It is no fun anymore, and I rather wait until it is over to visit pattaya.

[lkv]

Having been to Pattaya a couple of times, and coming to the conclusion that it's not really a "family resort destination", but more like Soi Cowboy and Nana Plaza x100, I said to myself, I will not go there anymore.

 

However, this special event called Songkranzonic at the Cartoon Network Park made me change my mind.

 

(sarcasm)

[Kadilo]

2 minutes ago, Bastos60 said:

.... and the indians go apeshit and rent complete trucks and spray from the waterpipe directly from the truck. 

 

I bet they don’t spray it on themselves. 

[madmen]

2 hours ago, johng50 said:

yep right, and 5 hours from melbourne where i live, but as my post we trying cambodia end of may

and about august philippines, im afraid thailand well off our list

 

Trying Cambodia and the Philippines ? dude if you booked you blew your cash . The first one is only good for visa runs and the second one is good for nothing 

[newnative]

  The tourist are staying illegally in condos--that's why hotel bookings are down 60%.  Was at Central Festival and Terminal 21 today and both were busy.

[madmen]

42 minutes ago, BestB said:

I have matched and beat their prices and still nothing. My laundry ie commercial shop I use also say very quite , ie all their clients, hotels in the same boat

Think about it , how does your 15 sqm rooms compare to 35 to 45 sqm for the same price with a kitchen, usually a gym and good pool.. How you going to match that? comon you should know this stuff..

[emptypockets]

2 hours ago, Sydebolle said:

I am surprised that anybody at all is going to the city of corruption, pollution and rip offs. Look at the beach in front of the Hilton hotel, the nightly "nuisance" with Khon Thai of the third gender, the inability to take a taxi with a meter, staying at a 5* hotel but shuttle in the back of converted blue cattle carrier overcharging the passengers, the rude or sloppy welcome (if at all) by vendors, the over pricing and the under performing .......

 

I go to Pattaya frequently and have never, ever, experienced any of what you allege. 

I don't do the beach road thing at night so I don't have any experience with the third gender people. I do negotiate with taxi drivers if they don't want to use the meter.  If I pay above the standard fare.... So be it.... I and the taxi driver have agreed on a price. Can't say I've come across a rude vendor anywhere but I tend to be respectful to most people.  Maybe that is the reason. 

I do stay at hotels,  I do eat at nice Thai style restaurants and I love walking street.  Particularly the Hot  Tuna bar.. Love Deep Purple and AC/DC that the band plays. 

All up I would recommend Pattaya to friends for a four or five day stay. 

I also recommend that they ignore the fan room dwelling, no hopers on this forum who find the bad points in everything Thailand related whether they live here or not. Sad old men. 

They would be the same no matter where they lived. 

[BestB]

13 minutes ago, madmen said:

Think about it , how does your 15 sqm rooms compare to 35 to 45 sqm for the same price with a kitchen, usually a gym and good pool.. How you going to match that? comon you should know this stuff..

Why do not you think about it ? You have no idea what I own and what size and facilities and yet here you are passing judgements or advising on what I should know.

 

if this is not trolling , I do not know what is ????