Thailand’s Version of Fawlty Towers – Stand By Airport Hotel – Phuket

Having booked a room for a short stay at this hotel through a tried and tested hotel booking website we arrived in expectation that our room would be ready as booked.

Upon arrival we saw a hotel which was different from the photos on the website. The photos on the website were obviously taken a couple of years ago when the hotel was brand new. Now the facade of the building and common areas indicate a lack of routine maintenance. While the pool water was clear a pool light was detached from the wall and water was dripping from overhead pipes (hopefully only air conditioning units) into it. The surrounding dining area was dirty with rubbish remaining on tables for hours.

However, I digress, when we arrived we were greeted by the attendant with words to the effect “oh no, no rooms, wait five minutes”. This did not bode well particularly when there were other guests also in the same small reception area who had booked on the same website and told us that there were no rooms.

Five minutes or perhaps ten minutes later the boss arrived and explained to us that his hotel no longer had a relationship with this or any other website and we would need to cancel our room. He made a call to the hotel website call centre and we were able to cancel our room. While doing this he was able to find us a single room for the four hour wait we had until our flight, so seven of us ventured upstairs to a single room.

In terms of accommodation the room was clean and comfortable. The wifi was quick and the bed and linen comfortable/adequate. There is a tv, a really cold air-conditioner and a balcony. The bathroom is basic and has an open shower and toilet/basin area, so if you aren’t careful when having a shower you can get water all over the toilet. The water pressure in the shower is poor in that it is almost a trickle.

The hotel is ideal for a short stop over between flights but be wary of whether you will actually have a room if you book in advance.

The hotel is actually known as the Ztand by Airport Hotel.

If there hadn’t been the muck up with the booking, and the condition of the public areas this hotel would have rated higher than the one star that I have given it.

Category: Hotel, TravelHq