How we review
Every hotel and venue on ThaiDark is reviewed the same way: first-hand where possible, well-sourced otherwise, and always dated because Thailand changes fast. This page explains what our labels and numbers mean so you can trust them, and check them.
What "guest friendly" means
A guest-friendly hotel is one that lets a registered guest bring an overnight visitor to their room, either free or for a stated joiner fee. We report each hotel’s policy as it is listed in traveller directories and confirmed where we can, and we label it plainly: no joiner fee, joiner fee with the amount, policy unconfirmed, or not guest friendly. Policies change without notice, so we always tell you to confirm at check-in. We never present a guest-friendly label as a guarantee.
How we rate
Our own editorial rating out of 5 reflects what we think of a place for this kind of trip: location, value, and how the room and staff treat a guest-friendly booking. The Agoda score out of 10 shown on hotel pages is a third-party guest rating from Agoda, not ours; we label it as Agoda’s and show the review count so you can weigh it yourself.
Prices and dates
Prices are in Thai baht and reflect what we saw or what was listed at the time of writing. Every review carries a published date, and an updated date when we revisit it. Drink prices, joiner fees and room rates all move with the season and the exchange rate, so treat every figure as a dated snapshot, not a fixed price.
Sourcing and independence
First-hand or well-sourced, with no rewritten press releases. We earn a commission when you book a hotel or flight through our links, at no extra cost to you, and it never changes a rating or a guest-friendly label. We keep respect for the people who work in these places, always.
Corrections
Found something out of date or wrong? Tell us and we will fix it and re-date the page.
