Thai luxury hotels offer huge discounts to save tourist season battered by Iran war

A cornucopia of bargains is lighting up booking sites for Thailand, where five-star luxury hotel rooms are going for huge discounts during the peak holiday season – the unplanned spin-off from the Iran war which threatens to hit international tourist arrivals at a crucial time of the year. At the same time, the surge in diesel costs caused by the choking of the Strait of Hormuz has forced many Thais to pause or scrap domestic travel plans, fearing such expenses will continue to rise during the annual Songkran holiday which starts on April 13. That has revived memories of the Covid-19 pandemic era for some tourism businesses, who say bookings are anaemic, while a market in resales of hotel rooms, glamping tents and mountain resorts has emerged for people whose holiday plans lie in tatters as the war hits them in their pockets. The US-Israel joint assault on Iran has been a disaster for global travel, with airspace sporadically closed or restricted over the United Arab Emirates, the world’s largest hub for global air travel, as Iranian drones and missiles are aimed at the emirate. The closure of Hormuz, a passage for a fifth of the world’s energy supply – most of it destined for Asia – has jacked up the prices of long-haul flights. Airlines have warned passengers they will have to absorb the costs of longer flights – diverted to avoid the conflict zone – and the jet fuel spike caused by the oil restrictions. Data from the International Air Transport Association showed that refined fuel needed for aviation soared from US$95 per barrel on February 20 to US$197 one month later as the war intensified. But for those willing to pay the mark-up, bargains await once in Thailand. On Trip.com and Booking.com, rooms at the Peninsula hotel, a five-star highlight along the Chao Phraya river, are going for under the normal 10,000 baht (US$300) a night, a price virtually unheard of during Thailand’s finale to peak season before the monsoon starts. On Agoda.com, the downtown five-star Rosewood Hotel is discounted by 16 per cent to 10,000 baht, while the Sofitel is offering rooms at about 6,000 baht – a 60 per cent discount. Thais get an extra bump at the city’s five-star Mandarin Oriental, which is doing a special promotion starting at 9,150 baht, a third of its normal price for a deluxe room. Meanwhile in Phuket, guests who book now can enjoy the clifftop villas normally reserved for the A-list – from Beyonce and Snoop Dogg to Rita Ora – at the Sri Panwa, where its five-bedroom ocean view residence is now a more appetising 120,000 baht a night, down from the previous 200,000 baht. The lower prices, however, are a bane to tourist operators hoping that 2026 would mark a return to near pre-pandemic levels of travel. In Khao Yai, a forest area a few hours east of Thailand that is popular for eco-resort getaways, businesses are bracing themselves for hardship. “Footfall is down and the stillness is unsettling – it reminds me of the pandemic years,” said Natjira Subperm of the Khaoyai Tourism Association. “When the economy contracts, discretionary travel to higher-cost destinations takes an early hit, and we’re feeling that directly.” Around one-fifth of Thailand’s economy is generated by tourism, with millions employed in hotels and the informal sector that feeds a vast tourist-facing nightlife, massage and souvenir economy. With the key mid-year visitor market in turmoil, Thailand is expecting up to 3 million fewer overseas tourists this year. Tourism authorities have warned that a prolonged crisis could trim 10 per cent from the 2026 forecast of 35 million visitors. Thailand enters its low season in May, where visitor numbers tend to tail off and prices drop until November. April is the last chance for hotels, resorts and restaurants to get a financial bump from Easter arrivals, many of whom stay through Thailand’s Songkran festival, which becomes a giant water party in the tourist areas. But the Iran war is casting dark economic clouds. Diesel surged 6 baht a litre on Thursday, after the Thai government ended its subsidies that had cost tens of millions a day since the Iran war began at the end of February. Some hard-pressed holidaymakers are also desperately trying to offload hotel rooms they cannot afford to take up – a practice known as revenge-selling in Thailand. “A revenge-price cut because fuel is so expensive,” said Facebook user Wipaporn Rod on a hotel exchange page, declaring her “Price dump – for a riverside glamping room in Kanchanaburi from 3,990/night to just 1,400/night”. The Iran war has deflated Thailand’s lofty hopes for tourism this year. The country launched its largest promotional campaign fronted by Thai-born K-pop idol Lisa of Blackpink, which helped boost visitor numbers earlier in the year and saw a healthy return of Chinese visitors over Chinese New Year – 11 days before the war broke out.

Thai luxury hotels offer huge discounts to save tourist season battered by Iran war

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}While the lower prices may be a boon for visitors, businesses say ‘the stillness is unsettling’ as they brace themselves for hardship

While the lower prices may be a boon for visitors, businesses say ‘the stillness is unsettling’ as they brace themselves for hardship