I would say Pattaya has around 5 decent "gay" hotels now. When I think of BKK, there is the Tawana Hotel that is a decent place- that's it. I know there are a couple 2 star small hotels in Silom that are "gay" establishments. Why doesn't BKK have more?
Don't forget Babylon.
I think the reason could be is that many are happy to stay at a gay friendly hotel that does not have a joiners fee. I try not to stay at gay hotels because a lot of my Thai frends do not want to be seen visiting a known gay hotel or bar.
These are the good'ol days
Tawana is really not a gay hotel - may be you mean Tarntawan. There are also Babylon and Vincents and Om Yim and Aquarius and the BBB Inn as gay places.
Sunee Plaza > There is no better place to stay
Thrillbill:
Do you mean the Tarntawan, rather than the Tawana?
Also, you don't specify what your criteria or definition of a "gay" hotel is. Do you mean gay-owned or do you mean large percentage of gay clientele?
Because I count many more heavily gay clientele hotels in BKK than one. What about the other nearby hotels and the many that have been reviewed here previously?
If you mean gay-owned, I think the two areas just have different development models and histories.
If you burn your neighbors house down, it doesn't make your house look any better. - Lou Holtz
You have obviously never sat in the sauna or steam room at the Pinnacle Lumpinee Hotel? Or the one at The Rose if you are patient.Originally Posted by thrillbill
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Yes, I meant Tarntawana Hotel. It would be nice to have a couple up scale "boutique" gay resort around BKK where you could relax around the pool with your bf and not worry about offending some staight couple or have a bunch of kids screaming around the pool. True, there is Babylon but it is more of a sauna than a hotel. Vincents, Om Yim and BBB are too small to have a pool.
By definition, there is no worldwide chain of gay hotels, so such an establishment will tend to be a one-off that has been set up by one or two individual entrepreneurs. Most travellers demand accommodation that is quite central to a city's attractions and I suspect that, for most businessmen planning to enter the hospitality industry, buying a property along with the associated overheads in central Bankok would be too expensive - whereas central Pattaya would be affordable.
"The fruits of peace and tranquility... are the greatest goods... while those of its opposite, strife, are unbearable evils. Hence we ought to wish for peace, to seek it if we do not already have it, to conserve it once it is attained, and to repel with all our strength the strife which is opposed to it. To this end individual[s]... and in even greater degree groups and communities are obliged to help one another... from the bond or law of human society." [Marsilio dei Mainardini (c.1275-1342), Defensor Pacis]
If I was into sitting around a pool with a boyfriend, I would have no desire to do it in BKK. Given how cheap it is to travel around Thailand, why not just hop on a plane and go to a private beach resort where you would not have to worry about what the other guests think or noise? I can even think of such places within easy driving distance of BKK.
But if I had to stay in BKK, I can also think of several hotels that are secluded enough have a number of gay guests, and have a pool. The Pinnacle Lumpini, Swiss Lodge, Rose, and others come to mind.
If you burn your neighbors house down, it doesn't make your house look any better. - Lou Holtz
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I work in the "industrial zone" of Thailand so do not live in BKK, so many of us faramg gays like to go to BKK on weekends. Pattaya does not offer gay bars such as u find on soi 4 (in Pattaya u have only go-go boy bars or Panorama with the commercial boys). BKK is more like a Western city with a "gay" section in the town where you can sit around and have a drink, socialize with other gays (working or visiting in BKK) without the nuisance of, "Missssssster, where u come from. I like you..." crap.) A good mix of farangs and Thais working in BKK --not just into the commercial scene like in Pattaya. Then u have the gay dance clubs such as DJ Station or GOD. (Pattaya doesn't have a place that compares to these two except NAB which is caters to large groups drinking on their bottle of whiskey glued to their round tables. ) So that is the question about decent "gay" hotels in BKK. Of course when u are on holiday, you can go to Phuket or other places. By the way, Pinnacle Lumpini, Swiss Lodge do not have pools to relax around. Yes, Rose hotel does but it is not a "gay resort". And the last time I was there, there were plenty of couples around the pool . :violent1:
Swiss lodge (on soi convent ) does have a small pool --its never busy and most times i was there i was the only one there -- Its a perfect way to relax as the Bkk day/afternoon draws to a close and another night beckons in Dj and God !!
The Swiss Lodge i have been staying in for years (i moved for a while to Ibis Sathorn but you can get really good rates (1750 odd ) in the Swiss L again) ,and its very gay friendly --they never blink an eye if the two of us have a guest or 2 coming back in the early hours --
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