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Booking & Reservation frequently asked questions

How do I reserve and book a room at ThaiHotels.com?

Online booking and reservation of accommodation in Thailand at thaihotels.com/siamtravel.com is very easy indeed:

Step 1: Selection of your hotel

a. Select a hotel from the our list of hotels & resorts at your chosen destination.


b. Look up the rates for the number of rooms of each type (Single, Twin, Double, Triple) which apply for the period of your stay. These will be the best rates you'll find anywhere (up to 75% off published hotel rates). Then select a hotel room grade (Example: Sea View, Standard, Superior etc.). The pages and forms are self-explanatory and easy-to-use.

c. Submit basic contact information (Name, E-Mail and Phone Number, no Passport number or address details as other sites require). You will receive a detailed confirmation of your inquiry via Email.


Step 2: Availability check by ThaiHotels.com

We will then check the hotel(s) availability and advise you about the results via Email. This can take a few hours or longer, depending on Thai office times at hotels and discount brokers, as well as our office. We will reply to all requests within 24 hours. On weekends and Thai holidays there can be a slight delay in checking availability, which we will inform you about.

Step 3: Reconfirm reservation by submitting deposit

a. Arrival in more than 21 days

If rooms are available, we will reserve and hold them for a few days at first. If your check-in at the hotel is in more than 21 days , we will send you a Reservation Confirmation Message via E-Mail message, which again details your reservation request and kindly asks you to reconfirm your booking within 48 hours (two days). This is done by submitting a deposit of  5 percent of the room charge for all rooms with a 500 THB minimum.

Reservations for December and January of each year (high season/peak season) usually require a higher deposit of at least one night's accommodation to secure the rooms. This might even be higher in some cases for very popular hotels and destinations. We will advise in each case as to the deposit amount.

If we don't receive payment of the deposit within the said 48 hours, we will send you another reminder to submit payment within 24 hours . If we don't receive the deposit payment within the said 24 hours, your booking will have to be cancelled, i.e. we usually can't guarantee availability of these rooms any longer.

Upon receipt of this deposit payment, we will reconfirm your reservation with our suppliers and the hotel. It is at this point that your reservation is secured and that we guarantee the rooms.

Of course you have the option to pay the total amount, upon which we will issue the hotel voucher for your stay and send it via Email attachment in PDF format. Immediate full payment is always advisable when you're already leaving for your trip to Thailand and don't have access to a personal computer.

21 days before your check-in date , we will send you a payment reminder for the rest of the booking amount. Payment of the remainder should then be submitted within 48 hours (two days) as detailed in the reminder message. If we don't receive payment of the remaining amount within 48 hours, we will send you another reminder, upon which payment has to be made within 24 hours. If we don't receive payment within the said 24 hours, your booking will have to be cancelled and our cancellation policy applies.

b. Arrival in 21 days or less

If your arrival is in less than 21 but more than seven days, we will send you a Reservation Confirmation Message, but the full amount has to be paid within 48 hours (2 days) after the send-date of this message. If we don't receive payment by this date, we will send you a reminder, upon which payment of the full amount has to be submitted within 24 hours. If we don't receive payment within the said 24 hours, your booking will have to be cancelled.

Bookings within seven days of arrival require payment of the full booking amount within 24 hours and we cannot send another reminder, i.e. we usually can't hold the rooms for more than one day. 

For all payments due you will receive details E-mail messages containing all relevant information. Our payment gateway always calculates the due amount automatically. You can always contact us if there is any problem with the payment so we will hold the rooms longer as the case may be.

You can make all payments easily and securely by using our secure credit card interface provided by Siam Commercial Bank and Kasikorn Bank (former Thai Farmers Bank). If you don't want to send your Credit Card details over the Internet you can fax this information to us using our Credit Card Fax Form.

And of course you have the option to send your payment via international Telex Transfer. Please refer to http://www.thaihotels.com/payment/ for details.

These conditions are subject to change without prior notice.

Step 4: Payment of remainder and voucher issuing

Once we receive the full amount due, will then send you a hotel voucher (by E-Mail Attachment, in Portable Document Format (.pdf), which you can open and print with the Adbobe Acrobat Reader).You have to present this voucher at the hotel reception upon check-in.

When do I have to pay for my room?

To obtain a confirmed reservation of the rooms payment of the due amount  (deposit or full, see above for details) is required within 48 hours after we send you the reservation confirmation message, which states that the rooms are available. This message will also state the exact amount due. If we don't receive your payment by the set date, we will send you an Email reminder. You then have to submit your payment within 24 hours, otherwise the reservation will have to be cancelled. Payment of the full amount must be submitted within 48 hours if your booking is within  21 days prior to your check-in date and within 24 hours if your arrival is within 7 days.

Any booking, that concerns the period from 20 December to 10 January, has to be fully paid before 15 November, otherwise we will release the reservations made without further notice and any deposit payment made will be forfeited.

These conditions subject to change without prior notice.

Do you charge any commission or fees for credit card payments?

The amount due, which we quoted in the reply E-mail that you receive when you submit your booking request (in the field "Grand Total:"), is the net amount, i.e. there are no additional charges for you unless there were any subsequent changes made to your booking upon your request. Also, the amount due is the same regardless of which payment option you choose. This means that we are entirely responsible for the charges incurred by the credit card processing on the side of our bank, so there is no commission that you have to pay. We pay this amount to our bank.
However, there may be a charge levied by the credit card issuer (Visa or MasterCard) for use of the credit card abroad. This amount is usually 1% of the transaction amount, but may vary from country to country where the card is issued. This is a charge we have nothing to do with, it's entirely between you and the credit card company.

For Telex Transfer Payments, there is a fee which varies from bank to bank and in different countries. This fee is entirely your responsibility, i.e. the payment is only duly completed when we receive the invoiced amount in full and in Thai Baht credited to our bank account.

Is online booking at ThaiHotels.com secure?

We strictly adhere to industry-standard best practices to ensure that your credit information, and, for that matter, any information you submit to us is secure and shielded from any abuse whatsoever. As for your contact information, we only require your name, Email address and phone number to process your reservation. As you may have seen, other web sites require data such as your age, profession, passport number etc. Not us. We only require the most basic contact information so that we can get back to you should anything go wrong.
As for your credit card information, we have established a secure payment gateway in cooperation with Siam Commercial Bank, one of the three largest banks in Thailand. Your credit card information goes right to the bank via a SSL (Secure Socket Layer) secured and encrypted connection.

Except for urgent bookings, we don't store any credit card on our servers. With urgent reservations we store credit card information in an enterprise level database encrypted with the latest encryption technology (Triple DES) and only for a limited amount of time.

You can also send your credit card details via fax using our Credit Card Fax Form, which does not involve the Internet, or you can call our office and our friendly staff will be happy to write down your credit card details.

Our payment gateway fully supports the Verified By Visa security features which make online payment more secure than ever before.

Verified By Visa, click for more info 

For the Telex Transfer, this payment option is fully insured and guaranteed by the participating banks. This system is long established and 100% secure.

What about your track record and reliability?

Over the past few years, we have become one of the leading reservation engines for accommodation in Thailand due to the ease-of-use of our web site, our low prices and the reliability of our services, through which we have built a loyal base of return customers.
Even if anything should go wrong:
We are a bonded travel agency registered with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (http://ww.tat.or.th). Any substantiated complaints lodged with this Thai government agency entitles you to a refund, which will be taken from our bond and forwarded to you by the TAT.
You can also lodge a complaint with your credit card company which will usually refund the money to you and then deal with us through our bank. Every credit card company has a form for refund requests (so called charge-back requests), for example for services not provided etc.  This is a very efficient way to get your money back without any help from the courts as we as the merchant have to substantiate that the services were duly provided. If the charge-back request is not justified, your credit card will be charged again by the credit card issuer.
 
Please be assured that we source our rooms and services only from the most respected and market-leading travel operators in Thailand who have been in business for many decades. In several years of operation, there has not been a single complaint about our service with the TAT nor a credit card charge-back, nor will you find any negative comments about our company on any Internet forum. We have served many thousands of satisfied customers over the years, most of whom rely on our services every time they travel to Thailand.

Can I change my booking after payment?

Yes. Please advise regarding all amendments via Email as soon as possible.

Extensions and amendments. 
If you extend your stay, i.e. the number of nights or rooms, you can just place another order for the extension. By using your Email address and the password that we issue you, you can just log in without having to submit your contact information again.
If your require fewer nights or rooms, the difference to your original booking will be refunded. An administration charge may apply.

Within 7 days of check-in: Amendments can be made on a case-by-case basis. In the last seven days before your arrival, we cannot guarantee that amendments can be made or the amount that can be refunded.


What is your hotel room cancellation policy?

See our Cancellation Policy

I called the hotel and there seems to be no record of my reservation. How's that?

Since we source many of our rooms from wholesale agents, the hotel might not have a reservation record under "thaihotels.com" or "siamtravel.com" or even Olima Co., Ltd. Your name should be on file at the hotel, though. Please be aware that Thai staff may have severe difficulty understanding your name when you say it on the phone, because many sounds are unfamiliar. You should spell your name letter by letter using this alphabet.  

Are children charged the full room rate?

Child rates vary from hotel to hotel. Usually there is no charge for one child under 12 years of age when sharing their parents' room with an extra bed (rollaway). Breakfast is usually at 50% discount.
Rates are normally reduced for children under the age of 12 years. We can in any event check the child rate at your request and confirm the same on the E-Mail Reservation Confirmation Message (RCM) sent to you after your initial inquiry for a room.


What if I wish to extend my stay?

To continue to take advantage of our low rates, you should place another booking with us. You can just walk into an Internet cafe at your holiday destination in Thailand, which will find literally at every corner, and place another reservation request online. If you book directly at the hotel for the extension period, you will be charged a different rate to our prices, which will usually be significantly higher.


How do I check-in at the hotel?

Simply present your hotel voucher to the hotel's reception staff for confirmation of your reserved room. If for any reason you should need a duplicate, please do not hesitate to contact us giving your Booking ID.

When can I check in?

The common policy of hotels in Thailand is that check-out is before noon (12:00), check in time from 14:00 (2 p.m.). Please note that if your intercontinental flight arrives in the early morning, you should book the preceding night to be guaranteed access to your room. Early morning check-in for the coming night is usually not granted by hotels in Thailand.

What if the hotel I require is not listed?

We are able to offer other hotels not listed on our web site. If the particular hotel you require is not listed, please e-mail us using the contact us form giving information on the hotel name, location, check in/out dates, room type and number of rooms. We will then try and secure you a competitive price for this hotel.

Is Thailand a safe travel & holiday destination?

As all guidebooks will tell you, Thailand is one of the safest travel and holiday destinations in the world. Thai society is famous for its unparalleled tolerance and love of a peaceful community. This has its foundation in a tradition of thousands of years of living the Buddhist middle path and the fact that there was always a bowl of rice for everyone. Besides that, Thailand is a hierarchical society with the beloved King H.M. Bhumipon Adunyadeth as its guiding light. This leads - in spite of social inequality - to great social stability and conflict resolution without violence. Foreign visitors are always treated with respect and friendly curiosity. While Thailand is certainly not free of crime, traveling in Thailand is safer than in most developed countries, this is especially true for single woman travelers and those who might be ostracized in less tolerant societies.

What about that "rainy season"?

What most guide books are wrong about but still keep copying from each other is that Thailand has a distinct "best season" for visiting the country. While it's true that Thailand is an ideal escape from the winter of the northern hemisphere into a perfect climate of sunshine and balmy temperatures from November to early March, more and more visitors are now discovering that Thailand is an ideal year-round destination. Rainy season does not mean that it rains all day or even every day. Mornings are usually sunny and afternoon rains are short showers which don't hinder most activities. Stories about high temperatures at high humidity are simply false, air and water around 30°C is the norm, not much higher than in the cool season. The air is clearer because it gets washed clean by the rain, which makes breathing much easier in Bangkok and visibility much better in the mountains, by the sea and in the national parks. Prices can be much, much lower than in the peak season, especially in the busiest destinations such as Phuket and Samui. The whole atmosphere is much more relaxed while most restaurants, hotels and shops remain open year-round. You will get more space and better service at lower prices at all establishments of Thailand's world famous hospitality and service industries in the monsoon season, when Thailand insiders visit the Kingdom.