bocastephen

They don't control what you see and how, quite the contrary. This is not North Korea. They want to ensure everyone has a good experience, is able to see the highlights offered by the country and its unique architectural and cultural heritage, and prevent overcrowding, damage and other problems experienced by countries that don't have any control over tourists.

You are welcome to walk around and explore on your own time and see what you want to talk to whoever you want - but there will be private guides taking you to specific sites, which are the places most people who visit Bhutan want to see and experience. They are there to give you a historical perspective, talk about the site, take you around the highlights and offer language interpretation.

As a comparison, I recently visited the Vatican Museums - there is no way I would have gone there as a member of the general public, standing in line for hours, then rushing through the galleries without a clue as to what I was looking at. Having a Vatican guide and a reserved entry time made the entire experience more enjoyable, rewarding and educational. The same logic applies to visiting the many cultural sites in Bhutan - and ensures the sites are uncrowded and enjoyable.

platbrownguy

^

Thanks for all the info. Bhutan is now on my list too. I'm sure they don't want to be like India either. If I had a country with so many treasures, I imagine I'd do the same thing Bhutan is doing.

FWIW, I don't see the tourist tax as anything remotely resembling a resort fee. I see it as a very high government-imposed tax. I don't think it inconsistent at all to rant against a $10 resort fee while defending a $330 tax.

EuropeanPete

Please do read up on Bhutan - the tourist tax is very well documented and is undoubtedly one of the most sustainable and best organised approaches of any developing country. In any case, it has nothing to do with Starwood.

5DMarkIIguy

From Amankora,


FIT surcharge of US$30 per person per day
Government royalties of US$65 per person per day (except Indian nationals)
A one-time Sustainable Tourism Fund charge of US$10 per person
A one-time visa application fee of US$40 per person will be charged at time of booking

It should be $95/day/person. Not sure where they are getting the $170/day/person or 165/day/person number from.

5DMarkIIguy

From Uma by COMO,

Please note that the above Room rates are exclusive of the following fees applicable for travels to Bhutan:

USD $40 per person - Visa Fee
USD $65 per person per day - Daily Sustainable Tourism Royalty fee
USD $40 per person per day – FIT Surcharge for 1 travelling person to Bhutan (from any sector)
USD $30 per person per day – FIT Surcharge for 2 travelling persons to Bhutan (travelling from the same sector, staying the same number of nights and accommodation)
Waived FIT Surcharge – Minimum of 3 travelling persons to Bhutan (travelling from the same sector, staying the same number of nights and accommodation)
Waived Visa, Royalty fee, and FIT Surcharge for Indian, Bangladesh, and Maldivian nationals
- See more at: http://www.comohotels.com/uma/bhutan....NJTtwReF.dpuf

remymartin

What's missing from the above examples is the tour guide. In that case, these properties should make the guide optional, too!

5DMarkIIguy

The rate includes guide for these hotels, I believe. The way this hotel is presenting the tourism fee is suspicious. Break it down.

llandaff

I think the hotel is going to have to do a much better job of explaining how tourism usually works in Bhutan.

As far as I can ascertain, up until ~2012 there was no outside hotel investment allowed; all tourists had to book through registered tour operators and pay a minimum fee of $250 per day(current price for parties of 3 or more). This included accommodation, food, tour guide, transportation and government tax and is still the way most tourists will book their travel.

Now that outside hotel investment has been allowed, you can book your accommodation directly but the minimum fee still applies so the hotel still has to provide the guide service, transportation, etc. which is what the extra $160 is (I assume that the differential of $90 is what is usually included in the $250 for 'standard' accommodation).

It makes sense if you are researching a vacation tour of Bhutan; not so much if you fancy a short few days in Thimphu because you stumbled across Le Meridien on their website.

bocastephen

The original 250 fee did not cover food or accommodation - that was extra and paid separately, but it included the entry tax, guide services, tour services, etc.

The fees are mostly to ensure consistency in the traveler experience, but also to keep away drunken backpackers and other miscreants who would create problems and/or cause damage.

llandaff

I'm in the midst of booking through a tour operator and the $250 includes standard accommodation (3* hotel) and food. If I want to upgrade my accommodation then I can pay extra. The upgraded hotels will usually also charge extra for food.

bocastephen

Probably due to the change in the tourist tax structure. Although we cater to luxury clientele, we tend to bypass the Amankora and send guests to the locally owned and far more traditional Zhiwaling Hotel http://www.zhiwaling.com/ which offers a far better experience. If you can squeeze it into your budget, it's a worthwhile experience and they work with the best local guides.

I do stand corrected - the old $200 fee did include hotel room and food, but only at certain hotels that we never looked at because they were 3* and below, hence the fee structure for our clients was always different.

While I remain a loyal Starwood customer and brand advocate, Bhutan is one of those places where staying "local" is more important than points and stay credit.

llandaff

Totally agree. We will go ahead with our planned first Bhutan tour (the Zhiwaling looks wonderful but we are leaning toward the Nak-sel as it's more affordable); however, we will probably look at going back for some shorter stays at the SPG hotels in Paro and Thimphu when we are more familiar with Bhutan.

makin'miles

I'll be interested to see a stay report, particularly on the Paro property once it opens, as it seems to be a bit more rural. They have the potential to be outstanding properties, and in some cases property owners who contract with SPG do 'local' extremely well.

pegloff

FWIW - Just booked with a local tour operator for March/April this year, and they offered to upgrade to the Le Meridien for a pretty reasonable rate.

Per the tour operator, the promotional rates are available until August of this year, and range from US$250 to 600 per night.
Includes breakfast, and a 15% discount on other meals/beverages.

I agree that staying at local properties is probably the better experience - but we feel that two nights of 'western luxury' might be a nice change in the middle of a 14 day trip in the region.

lcpteck

I'm guessing no stay/night credit I guess since it's not via the official channel.