You’ve maybe noticed hotels offering “book now, stay later” deals to get us, hotel and traveller alike, mentally/financially/spiritually to The Future Times … and the glory that 2021 will be has to be. Interested? Here’s what I found available in Koh Samui and Bangkok – some steep discounts indeed.
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Koh Samui Book Now/ Stay Later Deals
First, let’s look at Booking.com. I picked a random night next August because, like everyone else, I believe in my soul that 2021 will be perfect and shiny and we’ll get to use our passports. Late summer 2021? All the more so. (Fingers crossed, fingers crossed).
So click ahead in time through the calendar until your head stops saying “nope, nope, nope” on each new month. I settled on August just for the sake of this example.
The results page you’ll see next is overwhelming, especially so if you’re unfamiliar with the destination. Ready for the magic? With three quick clicks, you’ll filter exactly what you want: good deals and the promise of a vacation, with zero commitment.
On the left side of the results page, select the following:
1. Free Cancellation
Only show properties with free cancellation. Using my placeholder dates of Aug 1, 2021, this narrowed the selection from 448 properties on Koh Samui to 338. Still lots to choose from.
2. Health and Safety (‘SHA’ badges)
Properties that take health & safety measures. Find this next filter in the third section, under ‘Health & Safety’. Click it with a resounding “YUP”. From 338 properties, the options for my placeholder date were reduced to 99.
As I mentioned last week, the Tourism Authority of Thailand is running a “COVID squeaky clean” programme called Amazing Thailand Safety and Health Administration certification (‘SHA’ for short). Qualifying hotels and businesses can display their blue SHA badges for the next two years, so you might see them overlaid on listing photos.
I expect that as more Koh Samui hotels complete their ‘SHA’ applications and receive their certification, the number of properties that appear in this filter will increase – from 99 today closer towards the 338 hotels from Step 1.
(For easy reference, see a running list of Koh Samui hotels that (A) have ‘SHA’ badges and (B) offer free cancellation on Booking.com).
3. No prepayment
An optional third filter: No Prepayment. This will depend on your comfort level rolling the dice on the shiny promise of 2021 – but as adding this third filter gives us 51 hotel options, I think it’s a worthwhile inclusion.
Koh Samui’s Best Hotel Discounts
So, with 51 hotel options – what have we got? Scroll through your results and look for a red line indicating an available discount. Amongst the best deals I found:
- 64% off – The Scent Hotel (pictured, above)
- 63% off – Samui Garden Resort
- 50% off – Chaweng Cove Beach Resort
- 50% off – Samui Resotel Beach Resort
- 50% off – Eranda Pool Spa Villa
- 30% off – Rocky’s Boutique Resort
- 25% off – Royal Muang Samui Villas
- 22% off – Melia Koh Samui
- 20% off – Lub d Koh Samui
- 10% off – New Star Beach Resort
- 9% off – Prana Resorts Samui
Bangkok’s Best Hotel Discounts
In Bangkok, using the same three filters as above, it takes a little more digging to find similar deals but they do exist. A few examples:
- 65% off – Centre Point Silom
- 55% off – Grande Centre Point Sukhumvit 55 Thong Lo
- 50% off – The Siam Heritage Hotel
- 24% off – Chatrium Hotel Riverside Bangkok
Again, none of these options requires any booking payment and all offer free cancellation (often until a day or two prior to the check-in date).
I wouldn’t feel comfortable at this point recommending anything more transactional, but this is a no-commitment way to (A) hopefully save some Future Dollars and (B) promise yourself that there will be a vacation at the end of this, someway, somehow.
If you want a little more introduction to Koh Samui hotels before making your choice, see the following:
Book Now, Stay Later Deals from Hotels Directly
Working from this running list of ‘SHA’ certified Koh Samui hotels, the following resorts are offering various “book now, stay later” deals that run late into 2021.
Note: Almost all Koh Samui hotels have current and short-term offers aimed at domestic travel, many running through Dec 31, 2020, or into February/March. I expect we’ll see many more offers published in the new year and/or as plans to re-open Thailand’s border to international tourism are announced.
Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui
- Make Time to Connect – 20% off
- Enjoy 20% off our room rate with the ability to move your stay date, at no charge, should your plans change.
- Book by November 30, 2020.
- Offer valid for Oct 2 2020 – June 30 2021
- Minimum stay: 2 nights
- Reservation must be made at least 7 days in advance
Kamalaya Koh Samui
- Book Early – Save More
- Save up to 40% when you book before Oct 31 2020.
- Travel anytime before Dec 21 2021.
- Flexible cancellation policies up to 24 hours before arrival.
- Stay 3-6 nights, enjoy 30% discount
- Stay 7-20 nights, enjoy 35% discount
- 20% savings on any wellness program
As mentioned above, I expect there’ll be more offers along these lines as we get towards 2021. Join my email list if you’d like to receive updates. Enjoy!
