Traveling to Thailand - Mission Impossible

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Jun

Re: Traveling to Thailand - Mission Impossible

Post by Jun »

Gaybutton wrote: Sat Nov 14, 2020 7:17 pmIt seems obvious to me - if the slightest thing goes wrong, you just lost your money and the hotel will be keeping it.
Agreed. Whilst I MIGHT get lucky and pick a hotel with a good attitude and flexible interpretation of their own T&Cs, there's no way I'm going to assume that.
We also remember one of the officials proudly announcing "no refunds" when they cancelled the first batch of Chinese tourists. Such obnoxious practices reduce trust.
Gaybutton wrote: Sat Nov 14, 2020 7:17 pmI would think you must really want to go to Thailand very badly to go through all this and risk losing a lot of money.
I'm only going to proceed if my financial losses are capped at a reasonable level. At the moment, this test is not satisfied.

I note some ASQ hotels are discounting prices from their original levels, but in my view, the prices are not that bad, if we account for the room, 3 meals a day, 2 COVID tests and a private transfer from the airport. So demand cannot be that high.

What they need to do to get my business is offer reasonable terms for re-scheduling up to and including the proposed date of arrival.
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Re: Traveling to Thailand - Mission Impossible

Post by gerefan »

Jun wrote: Sat Nov 14, 2020 7:04 pm
Now, FREE MODIFICATION is very nice, except the 48 hour limit renders the offer almost useless in case of an enforced delay.
Have you looked at the hotels which only require a down payment and the rest on arrival?

Here is an example. 5000bt down rest on arrival. Book by end November. I have Emailed them and they confirmed I could pay the deposit now and the rest on arrival on 8 December. Still working on it!

Unfortunately not the cheapest but I’m sure there are others.

https://www.hotels-g.com/bangkok/altern ... e-bangkok/
Jun

Re: Traveling to Thailand - Mission Impossible

Post by Jun »

Thank you. I'm currently looking in the up to 45,000 baht price point. I've not yet found one of those that caps my liability at 5000 baht, with the standard T&Cs.

Haggling over terms looks like it might be productive. I asked one about their terms, since their deadline for changing bookings was before I would get the pre-flight covid PCR test result. They then declared they had sent me the "old terms" and a late change would be possible, at 24 hours. Or less if something happens to prevent my flight.
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Re: Traveling to Thailand - Mission Impossible

Post by Gaybutton »

Jun wrote: Sat Nov 14, 2020 7:49 pm I note some ASQ hotels are discounting prices from their original levels, but in my view, the prices are not that bad, if we account for the room, 3 meals a day, 2 COVID tests and a private transfer from the airport. So demand cannot be that high.
I hope you find what you're looking for. I wouldn't want to go through the 14 day quarantine myself, but apparently you are willing to do it. I just hope you won't be disappointed with what awaits you once you are released from quarantine.

If indeed you are able to find what you are looking for regarding ASQ hotels, please post the name and contact details in case others wish to do the same as you are trying to do.
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Re: Traveling to Thailand - Mission Impossible

Post by Gaybutton »

Now it is being reported that some Thai embassies may have dropped the 500,000 baht in a bank account for 6 months requirement. I wouldn't mind if Thailand drops the 800,000 baht requirement for the retirement visa, but that's a different subject.

It's all very confusing. At least it is confusing me. Read the article and see if you can sort out what is going on and where it's going on - if anything truly is going on at all:

https://thepattayanews.com/2020/11/19/f ... rist-visa/
Jun

Re: Traveling to Thailand - Mission Impossible

Post by Jun »

I don't mind the bank balance requirement, but wish they would drop some of the other items:

e.g. Have visa OR COE but not both
Delete requirement to book flights before visa
Make it an e-visa, so delete requirement to post passport to embassy
Allow quarantine to continue in hotel, even if Covid test is failed (people are currently sent to hospital in case of test failure, whether they have symptoms or not)
Someone showed a screenshot of a rule where the required $100,000 medical coverage must be stated in USD. They should delete the USD requirement. All they really need is cover clearly in excess of $100k if stated in another currency. Where they will come unstuck is with a policy that has sufficient coverage, but where the insurance company uses devious wording to avoid liability.
We need a covid test AND a separate "fit to fly " document. I suggest they delete the fit to fly, as we don't need that during normal times and the covid test covers the exceptional circumstances.
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Re: Traveling to Thailand - Mission Impossible

Post by Gaybutton »

Jun wrote: Thu Nov 19, 2020 3:46 pm Allow quarantine to continue in hotel, even if Covid test is failed (people are currently sent to hospital in case of test failure, whether they have symptoms or not)
I disagree with you on that one. I would think if someone fails a Covid test, a hospital is where he belongs, not a hotel. I would not want to be quarantined in a hotel knowing someone else in the hotel has tested positive for Covid. And if it were me who tested positive, I would want to be in a hospital getting proper treatment, not in a hotel.

That would also put the hotel in a difficult position. If I am checking in to a hotel where I have to be quarantined for the next 2 weeks and I ask the management whether anyone staying in the hotel is positive for Covid, or ask that same question every day I'm staying there, I would have to be told the truth, lied to, or told they don't discuss anything about other guests - and none of those answers would make me feel safe in that hotel - especially if several people staying there test positive for Covid.
Jun

Re: Traveling to Thailand - Mission Impossible

Post by Jun »

Under current ASQ rules:
1 A hotel may not mix ASQ and ordinary guests in the same building
2 They have to satisfy questions about the ventilation system etc
3 The inmates are only allowed out of their cells for exercise after passing a test & typically for a maximum of 45 minutes

So I think the risks of covid transmission are well controlled, even if someone fails a test in quarantine.

I believe less than 15% of people infected with covid need treatment under normal circumstances
Since being sent to hospital after failing a test is not an emergency in most cases, then the "emergency medical cover" in most travel insurance policies will typically not cover this.
So instead of having a western style policy with £5m or £10m of medical cover, we need to buy one of the Thai policies with $100,000 of cover.
Now whilst the Thai policy MIGHT cover being sent from ASQ to quarantine, I'm not quite sure how far it would stretch in case of a major medical incident during the trip.
They do not make this easy, particularly for those of us who prefer valid insurance cover.

What they will get is people who travel to Thailand with policies which apparently provide cover, but when it comes down to it, will not pay for a non-emergency hospital admission.
Jun

Re: Traveling to Thailand - Mission Impossible

Post by Jun »

Reading up on ASQ experiences, a couple are memorable:

1 A person who spent the entire 15 day quarantine in a cheap hotel room with NO WINDOWS

2 Another person who was asked what time he checked out of ASQ on day 15. The answer: "6:05 am. We're allowed to leave at 6:00 am and it took 5 minutes to get out of the hotel"
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Re: Traveling to Thailand - Mission Impossible

Post by Gaybutton »

Jun wrote: Thu Nov 19, 2020 6:24 pm Since being sent to hospital after failing a test is not an emergency in most cases
Do what you want. As for me, if I am diagnosed with Covid, that's an emergency - and I'll be in a hospital getting treated for it - immediately. If I'm going to be a statistic, I prefer to be counted among those who got it and survived, hopefully relatively easily. I certainly would not recommend fooling around with it or taking any chances, especially based on assumptions. I wonder how many people have said, "I'm not worried. I'll be fine." and that turned out to be famous last words.

In my opinion, treating it as if it is not an emergency - tell that to the 1.3 million people who already have died from it.
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