Accommodation arriving after midnight at airport

[windsors420]

For the first time since the pandemic I'm traveling to Thailand from New York City. I've never arrived after midnight before. My plane is scheduled to land at 12:30 a.m.  My concern is how I should get a hotel when I arrive. I really don't want to pre-book because I worry about flight delays. Of course if I lost $50 or so for a missed booking I won't go bankrupt, but my cheap soul is in horror at that. Is it possible to easily  find a place to stay after midnight or should I pre-book and risk the loss? I won't have a SIM card unless one can be purchased that late at night, so calling hotels when I arrive might be difficult. Should I just arrive at one of the hotels I've used in the past with my fingers crossed?

 

[Billy Shears]

Searching for a room at 2 am doesn't sound like a good idea to me.

Edited December 7, 2023 by Billy Shears

[SlowlyMan]

Pre-book of course.  Why do you think a flight delay would cause you to loose the booking? Even if your flight was 12 hours late, you'll still need a room.

You don't mention your date of travel. If it's during high or peak season, you'll be dragging your bag all over town looking for a room. Sounds like a great way to start a holiday.

[Greg_B]

If you arrive on the 15 Dec @ 0030, then you book a room starting 14 Dec.

Now you have a room paid for and no worries

[LeoTex]

Most of my flights arrived at 11:45 PM.

I just book like what @Greg_Bsaid for in case the the arrival date airport arrival date.

For you it would be the previous date. 

I get to the hotel in Pattaya about 2:00 am and have a room waiting for me. 

[forqalso]

If your phone supports eSIM, you can set it up online now. Here’s a link to dtac’s website https://esim2fly.com/product/dtac-tourist-esim-thailand-8day/. I already had a Thai SIM card, so I  never used it but it looks pretty straightforward. I assume other carriers have similar offerings on their websites.

[Woodacre]

Because you have not arrived so late before you may be overthinking this.  Many international flights are arriving at this late hour so there may even be lines at immigration and taxi stand.  But no big deal about late arrival. You can exchange money, get a sim, and regular taxis are reasonably priced. I do suggest you insist that driver turns on the meter before pulling away - if he resists just say no. Yes,  you should book the hotel in advance.

[BlooBell]

I don't mean to antagonise but what are you hoping for here?

This is an entirely personal choice that has nothing to do with Thailand or Pattaya.

Do you want to be walking the streets at 3am finding a place to sleep or not?

What are you hoping for from bunch of strangers on the internet by way of swaying your decision?

Honestly not trolling, genuinely want to know you're thinking, especially as you're not a noobie to Pattaya. 

 

 

[momo5]

On 07/12/2023 at 15:24, Woodacre said:

Because you have not arrived so late before you may be overthinking this.  Many international flights are arriving at this late hour so there may even be lines at immigration and taxi stand.  But no big deal about late arrival. You can exchange money, get a sim, and regular taxis are reasonably priced. I do suggest you insist that driver turns on the meter before pulling away - if he resists just say no. Yes,  you should book the hotel in advance.

Yes, he is. 
 

And yes, he should book in advance. 
 

I often arrive very late to my destination and just ensure the hotel is informed of my intended arrival so they don’t release the room thinking I’m a no show.  Never had a problem this way. 

[Shitstain]

Head to a cheap short time hotel and crash until the morning. 

[Arnie85]

A cheap short time for long time is going to work out the same as a hotel anyway!

[LeoTex]

2 hours ago, Shitstain said:

Head to a cheap short time hotel and crash until the morning. 

I'm also a little confused here. 

Why not have a reservation and check into the hotel you're going to be staying at?

[Greg_B]

2 hours ago, Shitstain said:

Head to a cheap short time hotel and crash until the morning. 

Kinda like taking a taxi from the airport to the bus station, to get to Pattaya...

[Touchagrey]

I’ve done the New York to Pattaya trip, landing at midnight a number of times. From the time you leave your home to the time you arrive in Pattaya is close to 30 hours and you’ve jumped 11 or 12 time zones. To the extent you’ve got any remaining energy, don’t spend it looking for a hotel, better to get freshened up as best possible and find a companion to finish the long day with.

Swampy is plenty busy at midnight. The basement currency exchanges are closed, but exchange and ATM inside and outside bag claim are open at slightly less favorable rates. I tend to exchange about $100-$150 US… car service + ST + some spare baht until I can hit an exchange in Pattaya. SIM card stands are open 24/7, but eSIM purchased beforehand online saves having to stand in line after the long flight. My experiences are that reservations with the good car services will monitor your flight and have a driver waiting at the arrival of a late flight. No more expensive than a taxi and one less time burn on your way to Pattaya.

[slick458]

I'm getting in at 11:30P.M. so I just booked that for the day I'm getting in then e-mailed the hotel to let them know and they said they it's no problem they would hold my room for me. I would suggest if you go this route you double check they have a 24hr check in. Looked at some hotels where the front desk closed at a certain time.

[Luv2Phuket]

I ended up canceling the trip, but, when I had a late night arrival, I was going to do the first night at Holiday Inn Express (absurdly cheap using IHG points), then move to my "primary" hotel the next day.

I'm not an "up until 4 a.m." guy, and I made the mistake on a prior late night arrival of trying to go out and have some fun.  By the time I got out and about, it was around 3 a.m.  IIRC, I went to be shortly before the sun came up.  That fucked me up for days, so I know if I ever have that schedule again, I'll just get some sleep and "start my trip" the next day.

Since you're in NY, no excuse not to get the Schwab ATM card (or some equivalent, like Fidelity) -- no foreign transaction fees, and it refunds the ATM fees charged by the Thai banks.  That way, currency exchange booth hours are meaningless.  You just hit up the ATM at BKK to get your initial "stake."

And, to add another log on the fire, you would be CRAZY to plan to "find" a room after arrival.  That is a disaster waiting to happen.  As others have suggested, just be sure the hotel/property has late night check ins.

[Bonkabit]

On 08/12/2023 at 03:15, windsors420 said:

My plane is scheduled to land at 12:30 a.m.  My concern is how I should get a hotel when I arrive. I really don't want to pre-book because I worry about flight delays... should I pre-book and risk the loss?

Yes, prebook to be sure after a long trip from USA.

There are many hotels near the airport with shuttle bus transfers, check Trivago.com.au

My next trip, 9-10 hours in plane from Oz, I've booked Sinsuvarn Airport Suite Hotel. Two Sangsom sodas, good night's sleep and then Bell Bus to my hotel in Pattaya next morning.