Guest Friendly Hotels in Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket

A guest-friendly hotel lets you bring a visitor back to your room without charging a joiner fee or refusing her at the door. Reception will usually ask to see or hold her ID card while she's upstairs, which is normal and protects you. Many mid-range hotels near the nightlife areas work this way. Most upmarket and some budget hotels don't.

A joiner fee is a charge some Thai hotels add when you bring an unregistered overnight guest to your room, typically around 300 to 1,500 baht and sometimes charged per visit. It's paid at reception, usually late at night, and often justified as covering breakfast or security; at a cheap hotel it can cost more than the room. Guest-friendly hotels don't charge one. Booking the room for two can sometimes avoid it, so ask the hotel in writing before you book.

Ask the hotel directly by email or message before you book, and keep the reply. Booking sites rarely state the policy, and staff at the front desk sometimes apply it differently. Policies change with management, too. VIP members see our checked list of guest-friendly hotels, with the area, rate and guest policy for every property.

The receptionist usually asks your guest for her ID card, records or holds it, and returns it when she leaves. It takes a minute and confirms she's of age. Be polite and don't try to sneak past. If reception refuses your guest, don't argue: ask what the policy is, use a short-time hotel for the night if you need to and book somewhere guest-friendly next time. If she won't show ID, end the evening there.

A guest-friendly hotel is a normal hotel where you stay for your whole trip and can bring a visitor back. A short-time hotel rents rooms by the hour, usually for a few hundred baht, near the bars and nightlife areas; it's clean enough to use but not somewhere to stay. Short-time rooms are handy if your own hotel isn't guest-friendly, or if you'd rather not take someone back to where you sleep.

Lock your passport, spare cash, cards and any expensive gear in the room safe before you go out, and keep your phone and wallet on you. Carry only the cash you need for the night. A hotel that holds your guest's ID at reception is also your best insurance if anything goes missing.

At many guest-friendly hotels, yes, but ask first, because some limit visitors to one per room or charge for each extra person. Reception will check, and usually hold, both women's ID cards. Make sure both have agreed to the arrangement before you leave the bar, not in the lift. If your hotel won't allow it, a short-time hotel near the bars is the simpler option for the night.

Often not, and they're riskier than a hotel. Renting a condo for less than 30 days is illegal without a hotel license, many buildings ban it, and security can turn you or your visitor away at the door. Each building's management office sets its own guest rules. If you want an apartment, choose a licensed serviced apartment, many of which are guest-friendly, and confirm the visitor policy in writing before you pay.