A guest friendly hotel is a hotel who does not charge you extra when you bring a guest to your room. This guest was not registered at the time of booking. The person could be your friend, girlfriend or a relative who decided to stay with you for a night or nights.
When I am booking packages for Thailand this is the most asked question. Does the hotel have a joiner fee? There are various terms used – girl friendly hotel, guest friendly hotel or joiner fee free hotel. In the end, nobody wants to pay or it is a deciding factor to book a hotel. Most of the resorts do not encourage bringing a guest for the night. The reason being resorts generally cater to families or their room rents are high. The Hilton Hotel in Pattaya, on the other hand, allows up to two guests.
Hotels are in the business of giving you the best services and make you happy. Happy guests become loyal customers who bring in more business. Good hotels will not even ask you if you have an extra guest. However, due to security reasons, you should inform the security personnel. This would be more applicable in case of a person you do not know.
This however opens the debate, hotels are in the business of service. The guest privacy is the utmost importance. If a customer does bring in an extra guest, the hotels should not have a problem. However, the hotel can deny if they have any doubts about the guest behavior. Some customers bring four-five people and create a nuisance, the hotel can deny entry. That also goes for a single guest. The big brands have clear-cut policies about bringing the guest. The problem comes with hotels that are not clear, their staff create problems just to get extra money.
I usually book a double occupancy room even if I am staying alone. It helps to reduce any confrontation from the hotel or the rude staff. The plus side is you get two breakfast coupons, so you and your guest can have breakfast too.
Places like Dubai, China, India come with a warning. They might allow but with a hassle, best avoid these locations until you know the manager. China is changing policies where you bring a guest before 10:00 PM, but it is still a grey area. Hotels in Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Thailand have many options for a guest friendly hotel.
A scenario where you have check-in a hotel that has a joiner fee policy, the charges vary. You have to pay anywhere between Rs.1000-5000/- per night. The fee depends upon the grade or cost of the room you have hired. They will even charge you for the breakfast, even if the room is double occupancy.
Eccentric Blogger, Traveler and Consultant.
