Why is Phuket so expensive?
 

I don't understand why 3-star hotels are averaging $100-$200/ night for late november? In the USA I rarely pay more than $50/night using sites like hotwire.com . But here I am going to a third world country and paying almost triple :mad:

I wouldn't call Thailand a third world country - this opinion is based on having lived for several years in both the USA and Thailand.

November is the start of the hotel industry high season and prices are significantly higher as the holiday period begins. With a bit of searching around and visiting sites such as www.asiarooms.com and www.wotif.com you can usually find some good deals.

Thailand is most definitely 3rd world outside of Bangkok and the resorts.

Why so much? Because you are booking from overseas at a place popular with people from overseas

Tourist season expect to pay US$200++, and the ++ is usually 21%, so it adds up very quickly, veggie_lover, the other thing is that most of the hospitality infrastructure in Thailand is recent compared to our homelands. I use Hyatt and the US citizens post about doing FFN at $50per night and I think WOW how good is that, opulent Grand Hyatts in Asia pacific start at AU$400++. What can I say, Americans have all the fun, but remember it was the Aussies who insisted they put tea and coffee machines in their rooms ;), regards bkkrop

Best to avoid HKT in Dec and Jan if you don't want to pay top dollars. It is high season and tourists are still flocking in !

Not only that this is the region's high traveling season, Phuket is one of the best islands in the world for "the developed world" vacationers. http://www.concierge.com/tools/trave...choice/islands

Also, the 2008 Phuket King's Cup Regatta is held between November 29 and December 6, 2008, http://www.kingscup.com/, and, hence, the "high" rates.

In the US (Vegas), I pay around $300/night at the Venetian which is supposedly a 5-star property. All I get there is a large room (so-called suite) with hardly any service, if any. If you pay that much in Phuket (or any where else in Thailand) you will feel the difference, the luxury, and what a 5-star hotel/resort supposed to be like.

Try thaihoteldiscounts

You can email them with your particulars and budget. I am sure you can find a nice, clean hotel room for less than $50. :cool:

Think of Phuket as Thailand's (or even South East Asia's) Hawaii. Yes, you pay top dollar to stay in a nice hotel on a nice beach because that's where everyone else wants to be too. However, you can save a LOT of money staying in a budget guest house inland. One of my favorite places provides a hard mattress, a fan and a cold shower ... all for less than ten bucks a night.

It's called supply-and-demand.

Really $100-$200 is very cheap in my opinion. In Europe or most part of the world I never see hotels under $200. Only in the US can you indeed find $50-100 stays at Starwoods or Hiltons. Very very very cheap.

ratestogo.com
 

Try ratestogo.com

Bunk beds in a hostel (Backpacker Hostel) in town for $10

Single bed for $25 and double can be had for $30 at Patong's Lamai Apartment

3-star delux room including breakfast, tax and service at Patong's Leelawadee Boutique Hotel goes for $50

http://ratestogo.com/

ratestogo.com = hotelclub.com
 

And if you sign up and become a member with hotelclub.com (same company as ratestogo.com) through this online offer, you can knock off another $50 of your total hotel bill. After becoming a member, you may sign on to both sites with the same name and password and enjoy the free $50!

http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=888797

Thanks to roadtripman for this nice find!

Most of the world? Where do you go? You only find rooms that high at Ritz and Four Seasons in many places. $100-200 is high for Canada, USA, Mexico, Central America, about 95% of South America. Africa, most of SE Asia, China, etc.

I agree with OP, Phuket is a total ripoff.

:rolleyes:

that would certainly be nice if true.

many chain hotels are overpriced, everywhere.

if youre not looking at luxury hotels, look at boutique hotels and private rentals. there are tons of both on phuket.

calling phuket 3rd world, and the hotwire comparison also arent very logical IMO. from my perspective, if OP never pays more than $50 for a hotel in US, i would think they stay in hostels a lot. (until recently, $50=€33=£25)

re 2nd quote, whatever averages you are using for hotel prices, especially for FS/RC, are completely wrong.

If you think Thailand is a third world country then you really have not been to a third world country. Yes there are deprived areas in Thailand but nothing compared to countries which are third world.

Phuket is the main luxury resort island in Thailand although Koh Samui is rapidly catching up. Phuket is not a budget island although a good search should come up with a $50 hotel. As others have mentioned november to february is also high season in Phuket.

I can't speak to average hotel rates in Phuket, since I'm no expert. But I did a fair bit of searching around for options for an upcoming trip to Phuket that my partner and I are doing (Dec. 3-8). What I found was that there were plenty of cheap options, but the nicer and better-located properties were averaging between $150-250 a night (with the higher end of that scale at the real luxury properties popular with Westerners - and a few of the super-luxury spots charging well above that).

The comparison with the U.S. seems odd. I'm not sure where the OP is staying in the U.S. and getting rooms for $50. Maybe Des Moines? Fresno? I travel often to big cities in the U.S. that are popular with tourists and I'd say I pay $125 or more for a clean, but simple hotel in SF, $200 or more for something in NYC, and recently paid $149 and was thrilled to have it in Philadelphia Center City. These were all perfectly fine hotels, but nothing fancy. In comparison, the hotels in that price range in Phuket seem to have large rooms, include a lavish breakfast, are usually on the beach, and have spas on property, etc. A room of similar quality in a major U.S. destination would be $300 or more. So let's compare apples with apples. Phuket may be expensive for Thailand, but it's still cheap for the overall quality/location of the properties, from what I've seen.