Is the Meridien 'guest friendly'?
Any hassles taking a guy back?

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-- Scroll-back to the thread entitled: 'ADVICE ON HOTELS IN SILOM, PLEASE.', it should go some way to answering yr. query.

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The quick answer is yes, they are guest friendly.

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... and very good rates at the moment. They have king size room on internet from 2,500 bt.

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-- Rather then OPEN yet another new thread I'll ADD on to this existing thread with the fl. -

SUNFLOWER PLACE.,
- addr.:39/17-19, Soi Anuman-Rajdhon,
Surawong rd.,
Bang rak, BKK. 10500.;
- loc'n. in the sub-soi off Soi Naras Thiwat 1., (aka. Soi Anuman.), that begins between SOLID BAR & the former KHUN SWEET CIGAR, (SUPER A. is in the same sub-soi.), next door to the premis of the former SLYPER X A GO-GO BAR.;
- tel./'fax.: +66(0) 2235 9080./81.;
- e-mail: > booking@sunflowerplace.com <
- web: > Sunflower Place - Bangkok hostel <

-- Rates, svces. etc. -
1. - Budget: 2xsngl. beds, (from brochure's photo.), at 980.Bh. nett per diem;
2. - Dble.: 940.Bh. nett per diem;
3. - Check IN/OUT: 14.hrs./11.oo.hrs.;
4. - Adm'm. by key-card, for wch. a refundable 200.Bh. deposit is charged on arr'l.;
5. - There are the usual air-cond., Wi-Fi. access in each room, en-suite bathrooms, & elevator to each fl..
6. - NB. that there are neither IN-room nor at Recept'n. Safe/Security Boxes!
7. - No meals served - but there is a small eatery straight across the sub-soi;
8. - When I looked-in recept'n. was staffed by a couple, (maybe married?), both of whom spoke perfectly adequate English and seemed eager to please.
9. - O'night. guests may not be taken-back to the Budget Rooms, but are alright for the Dbl. rooms!

-- E&OE. as I've not stayed there.

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A few weeks ago when I was there, I was told there was no "joiners fee" for the type of room I had - 21st floor. My boy was a bit intimidated by the long walk from the entrance and across a huge expansive space to the elevators located past the reception desks. Security checked his Thai ID but did not keep it. We enjoyed the hotel very much expecially the rainshower option in the bathroom.

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-- True, for Le MERIDIEN there is no 'Joiner's fee.'.

-- Earlier this yr. a visiting & teaching professor friend of my Enthusiastic & American Friend invited one of the latter's young men to spend a fortnight, (2 wks.), with him visiting BKK., PATTAYA & PHUKET;
- In PATTAYA they occupied a top fl. suite at THE AMBIANCE HTL.;
- While here in BKK. they stayed on the 17fl. of Le MERIDIEN and availed of all the facilities on offer; especially the open air & 6fl. sw. pool, where E&AF., tee rak & I joined them - at no extra charge - a couple of times;
- Subsequent feed-back suggested that the Thai boi, (who hails from I-San.), didn't really enjoy it - too luxurious for him, ( a pt. with wch. my E&AF. & I agreed.),;
-- The Thai boi was bought some new clothes, an earpiece or whatever for his cell-'phone. and was given a final TIP. of just 3K.Bh.! E&AF. & I reckoned that the costs of air-fares & of other tpt. within TH., htls'. accn. etc. etc. were taken into account before leaving that departing gratuity.

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3,000 for two weeks? That is very sad.

Don't these people realize that boys have to pay their rent, feed themselves, pay their phone and utilities bills...and that they can't do it with fancy meals and air flights?

That, and the assumption that having a fancy holiday with a customer is actually a treat, rather than work.

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3000baht will help pay towards the room & some meals...some boys are not as lucky.
anyway we are not privy to the arrangements made between the boy & his patron...

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1. - As you write: '... the room and some meals ... .'; true - but this is not the so-called HIGH season with plenty of tourists to pay money-boiz after the money for the some meals has been eaten-up.
2. - True, we are not privy - but I know that 35YO. man well-enough to chat comfortably with him and that he had expectations, being a money-boi, of cash rather than airline flts., expensive hotels and suchlike.
- Possibly the visitor, being a friend of a farang who lives & works in TH. and who has been one of those who have helped to supported this particular money-boi for several yrs., should have sought his farang friend's counsel first as to TIPs. and to other expectations.

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3,000 thb for 2-weeks of work can best be described as slave-labor.

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-- The 'Should I pay the boy - as well?' thread. - 28 mar 09. - has several respondents' POVs. on this matter.

-- Hiding somewhere or other in my mind is a vague memory that it was Khun Peterinmypants who offed a masseur from SENSO MASSAGE for a week or MORE and at a not inconsiderable outlay*.

-* Massage Venues - 'Offing 'Senso.' boys.' - #241. dtd. 09 oct '08. for those wanting a ref..

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At the risk of repeating previous posts, the average Thai worker earns 8,000 to 10,000 baht per month. 3,000 bt is clearly below that rate and pretty mean for the services required and presumably rendered. A reasonable remuneration would have been in the range of 10,000 to 20,000 bt for the 2 weeks. Call boys / escorts in the West are getting $200 - $300 AN HOUR (10,000bt) !

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Maybe we don't know the full story. Also, I think the Thai guy should, after not getting money each day, have discussed the money aspect. I would never assume that there is a tip "at the end." The Thai guy should have insisted on more. The biggest mistake here was the professor using the other farang to provide the Thai guy. The professor just used everyone. Now the other farang is part of why his Thai friend was stiffed. But I refuse the believe that the two farangs did not thoroughly discuss what the Thai guy should have been paid--so there might be more to this (like the non-professor farang already provides the Thai guy with a nice allowance). The biggest mistake is associating with farangs who put on the useless "help me" act and end up using everyone. If the professor couldn't find his own Thai guy on his own, I would have said "tough."

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-- Too true - you do not, (neither do I, come to that, since I wasn't privy to any conversations between the visiting Professor and the Thai boi.), but I have little reason to doubt my E&AF. whose account & comments I've heard and queried at no little length.
- As to any conversations between the two farangs I sha'n't make any assumptions.

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