This is a question I get asked a lot, ‘Should I stay at an AirBNB condo or a hotel?’ – I want to give you some pointers so you have all information to make the decision yourself.
Is AirBNB illegal in Thailand?
Before I talk about the pros & cons of each type of accommodation, I want to talk about the legality of AirBNB in Thailand.
You might have read some headlines stating that AirBNB is illegal in Thailand.
NO, IT IS NOT. AirBNB is perfectly LEGAL in Thailand!
… BUT the room you book is most likely illegal.
You see, when you book a regular condo in Thailand (outside of AirBNB), you will notice that most require a minimum stay of 1 month.
That’s because anything less than that, THEY (the condo company) would require a hotel license. For daily & weekly rentals that is.
The same is the case with AirBNB.
If someone rents out his condo via AirBNB, they would need a hotel license, which in 99.999% of cases they don’t have.
That’s one part. The other part is the condo management itself, which might not allow individual condos to be rented out to third parties via AirBNB.
Some condos even have signs stating that AirBNB is not allowed and that they will report it.
THEORY VS. REALITY …
In practice, I have never had issues – despite all of this. And the same applies to anyone I have ever talked to.
This is also the reason why when you book an AirBNB condo, the owner will often times say in case you need something or have an issue, don’t talk to anyone at the condo building, contact me directly.
That’s the reason why.
The Main Question: AirBNB or Hotel?
In terms of price-value, AirBNB is almost always better than a hotel. You can get a fantastic condo, with gym, with swimming pool for less than $40 per night.
However, there are more hotels to choose from.
With AirBNB, you have complete privacy. It’s as if you own the condo. Nobody asking you about the girls you bring and that can be a benefit – particularly if you value privacy and also because it’s less awkward if you bring normal girls.
The obvious downside is safety. If you bring working girls, you have to take of it all – nobody is checking the girl’s ID and calling you afterwards to check if everything is okay. At a hotel, this is the standard.
Also, at a hotel, you get room cleaning, etc.
At an AirBNB condo, you can get additional amenities such as a kitchen, etc. If you stay in Thailand longer than a month, you can book a condo on site – without AirBNB and get better deals. No AirBNB fee.
To sum up, here are the pros & cons of both options:
AirBNB
- Price-Value
- Complete Privacy (Regular Girls, Freelancers)
- Amenities (Kitchen, Gym, Pool)
- No ID Check-In For Girls (Less Awkward For Regular Girls)
- No ID Check-In For Girls (Less Security)
- No Daily Cleaning
- Not As Many AirBNBs As Hotels To Choose From
- Difficult To Book Short Notice (e.g. 1 Day Before Check-In)
HOTEL
- Every Girl Needs To Deposit Her ID (Safety)
- Daily Room Cleaning
- Thousands Of Hotels To Choose From
- Can Book Short Notice – Even On Day Of/Hours Prior To Check-In
- Most Hotel Rooms Lack Certain Amenities (Full Kitchen, etc.)
- More Awkward To Bring Regular Girls (Online Dating, etc.)
If you know what you plan on doing, you can combine both and take advantage of their respective benefits.
For example: If you plan on going to the Red Light Areas on the weekend, you book a hotel close-by. During the week, you can stay at an AirBNB. You can combine the two options any way you want.