Gay Hotel

[Jun]

The "Lonops Gay Hotel" has been mentioned on another board.

https://gay-hotel-pattaya.com/our-gay-resort/
Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/R9NsQeGb73LZXk23A

Has anyone ever heard of this ?

It's not the kind of thing I look for. I prefer to be within walking distance of the main attractions, rather than on the darkest end of the dark side .
The prices seem quite high relative to the location and what I see in the pictures.

Obviously some people do look for this kind of thing, as they stay in business.

[atri1666]

Yes i heard of this but even for free would not stay there. I need a place near the action.

[Gaybutton]

I need a place near the action.

Apparently this hotel's clientele caters to those looking for precisely the opposite.

[Jun]

I would have thought it should be possible to create something equally quiet within a 1 mile radius of Jomtien Complex.
Then any there are more options.

However, presumably they find some customers wanting to pay a full price for dated accommodation that's far from the action ?

[Gaybutton]

accommodation that's far from the action ?

Obviously there are people who are not interested in that kind of action. Not everyone wants to spend their time in bars. Also, who says the customers are necessarily spending their entire holiday in that hotel? They might very well be spending some of their time there and also spending some of their time near the action.

Far be it from me to tell others how to spend their money, but if it were me, I would not have invested in opening a gay hotel on "The Dark Side". There are no gay bars that I know of on "The Dark Side". I would have thought it would be far less expensive and far less risky, with potentially much more profit to invest in opening the first gay bar on "The Dark Side", but whoever invested in that hotel apparently knew what he was doing.

[Jun]

I would have thought it would be far less expensive and far less risky, with potentially much more profit to invest in opening the first gay bar on "The Dark Side", but whoever invested in that hotel apparently knew what he was doing.

There are very few locations in Thailand with successful gay bars. Even a resort the size of Hua Hin had just one open gay bar on my last visit.

As for that hotel, perhaps he's just taken over the rental of existing premises, with minimal investment.

I think they're charging around 2000 per room. I'm not sure if that's a realistic price, but a bar would have to sell about 30 beers to get that.

On the other hand, I also don't see many successful & enduring gay hotels.
Typically these have been charging more than ordinary hotels & who wants to pay significantly more to stay in a gay hotel, when almost every other hotel in the country is gay friendly ?
If the hotel were full of other gay farang, all with an entourage of cute naked lads at the pool, perhaps some premium is worth it.
AFAIK that's just a fantasy & I'm struggling to think of real reasons to pay a premium to stay in a gay hotel.

[TomUK]

It is not a hotel. It is more like a resort.

I stayed there once in 2008.

They have 4 bungalow style bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms next to their own house. A private swimming pool is available to all guests. When I stayed there Lothar, the German co-owner, picked me up from the airport in Bangkok. They charged a fee for this, but I can't remember how much it was. While I was there either Lothar or his Thai partner Nop would give their guests a free lift to the main entertainment areas in Pattaya. For the return journeys they gave us the contact details for a local taxi company, which would take us back to the resort for a fixed fee. One evening we went with all the guests together for a night out in Boyztown. German breakfast was served at a communal table for all guests together. It was easy to get to talk to other guests and share experiences.
It is not a problem to bring a guest. When I was there I met a guy from Isaan and the next morning they even asked me why I didn't bring him with me. So that's what I did the following night.
As far as I remember the resort is in a quiet residential area on the dark side. I liked that. The only downside is that it is far from everything and transport needs to be arranged.
When I stayed there the majority of the guests was German speaking, but since both Lothar and Nop speak English, nobody should have any communication problems.

[Gaybutton]

I stayed there once in 2008.

Thank you TomUK. As we can see, they have been in business for many years and are doing well. While it doesn't appeal to some, obviously it appeals to many others.

[atri1666]

They started in 2002.

[Jun]

Well, if they survive for 22 years, clearly they are doing better than some of the other gay hotels that have come & gone over the years.