Guests are being sued by hotels for leaving bad reviews in Thailand
Be careful how honest you are when leaving a review because you could end up with a lot more than just an unhappy hotelier; you could be sued.
At least that’s the case in Thailand where a woman is facing legal action for giving a hotel a negative review, in the second case of a displeased customer being sued by a resort in Thailand.
A guest named Khing left a review on her deluxe room at the Ozone Hotel located near Khao Yai National Park which indicated she was less than satisfied with her time there.
The hotel’s close proximity to Bangkok means tourists frequently visit the mountain park, a UNESCO World Heritage site that was a filming location for the Leonardo Dicaprio film The Beach.
Khing gave the hotel a 6/10 in her Agoda review, which has since been taken down.
She described the resort as being “too expensive” and that it fell short of her expectations.
“The room did not look new as it was advertised,” Khing wrote, adding that it was dirty and describing the hotel staff as unhelpful.
“I could not call reception from my room, so I had to walk down by myself. Night-shift staffers were not so helpful, but some were welcoming.”
Khing also felt let down by the forested mountain view.
“The room’s view was just okay,” she said, comparing it to other resorts in the area.
Initially, the resort posted a short apologetic response to Khing’s review, but management seemed to have a change of heart when they sent her an official notice with instructions to delete the review and publish a public apology in five Thai-language newspapers for seven days, or pay compensation.
“She was told by the resort to delete the review comment immediately, or else she must pay the resort 50,000 Thai baht ($2,075) per day in compensation and 3 million ($124,500) for the damages,” her lawyer wrote, adding that if she didn’t pay, she’d face a criminal lawsuit.
The case is currently pending and whether Khing will comply with the demands or go to court is unclear.
In Thailand, defamation is a criminal rather than civil matter and even if the criticism is fair or truthful, it does not necessarily protect someone from legal action.
A similar incident occurred in 2020, when another hotel threatened legal action against an American tourist.
The tourist, Wesley Barnes, stayed on the Thai holiday island of Koh Chang, and left repeated negative reviews about the hotel on TripAdvisor and other travel websites, including one alluding to ‘slavery’ occurring at the hotel.
Barnes was arrested following a defamation complaint and spent a weekend in jail. The charges were dropped after Barns issued a public apology where he said he got ‘carried away.’
TripAdvisor went one step further and posted a warning on its page for the hotel.
“This hotel or individuals associated with this hotel filed criminal charges against a Tripadvisor user in relation to the traveller writing and posting online reviews,” the warning began.
“The reviewer spent time in jail as a result. Tripadvisor serves its users best when travellers are free to share their opinions and experiences on our platform – both positive and negative.
“The hotel may have been exercising its legal rights under local law, however, it is our role to inform you so you may take this into consideration when researching your travel plans,” the warning concluded.
The issue of hotel reactions to negative reviews arose discussion around criticism and free speech in Thailand.
Deputy director of Human Rights Watch in Asia, Phil Robertson, spoke to VICE World news recently, where he highlighted the problematic nature of criminal defamation law in Thailand.
“There’s absolutely no excuse for this resort owners’ outrageous and unacceptable effort to censor a critical review of their site,” he said.
“Sadly, only when resort owners like this one understand that their business will suffer because of such actions, will they finally desist from them.”
Featured image: ozonekhaoyai.com
Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au
Khao Yai National Park Khing legal action online review Ozone Hotel thailandLatest News
Collette goes off the beaten track with Canyon Country tour
To be clear TW is not advocating actually walking off the beaten track. Avoid the coyotes. Stay on the beaten track.
Intrepid & Korean Tourism Organisation team up to give agents a cooking masterclass
These guys learnt that Korean cooking is more than just putting kimchi on 2-minute noodles (as we once thought).
Winner, winner! Intrepid reveals the 9 lucky agents that won $2k
Who won the incentive? Which Intrepid trip will they spend it on? What day of the week is it again? Where am I? Huh?
Corporate Traveller reports 42% increase in Easter traffic this year
Business travellers just love Easter! Expect plenty of chocolate stained documents returning to the office on Tuesday.
Turbulent year wiped $384m off Qantas brand value: Report
Meanwhile, eating tuna at your desk can damage your own personal office brand value by several thousand dollars.
FAMIL: Room-Res & Singapore Tourism Board shows agents the Lion City’s roar
Click this article to see a man very impressed by a 20-layer chocolate cake. We're not kidding, he loved it!
Oceania Cruises offers sailors free pre-cruise hotel stay
Looking for ways to make your holidays as long as possible? Look no further.
Bonza launches new website to compliment app, agent portal
Does news about an airline's website fill you with ecstasy, glee and joy? Get your hit of the good stuff here.
MTA agents attends ‘Lunch ‘n’ Learn’ with AMA Waterways
When organising the event, Lunch 'n' Learn beat out Dinner 'n' Divulge and Breakfast 'n' Banter. Understandably so.
Travelmarvel reveals 2025 South America tours
If you spot any typos in the newsletter today it is because TW became distracted Googling images of Machu Picchu.
Tourists from 5 countries could be BANNED from visiting Australia
Anthony Albanese's immigration laws could impact tourism from certain countries.
Just how many passengers will Qantas & Jetstar hop around this Easter?
Airline workers are ready for gleeful Easter travellers! Also prepared for sticky children with chocolate on their face.
Air New Zealand gets ready for bumper Easter weekend
Air NZ gears up for travelling passengers this Easter, while TW looks to beat our egg eating record. 117 here we come!
Four Seasons Yachts reveals first itineraries to the Caribbean & Mediterranean
These trips look so good we wish there were five seasons! Alright, we'll see ourselves out...
FAMIL: Travellers Choice treats top agents to the wonders of Rotorua
This one's got plenty of famil pics and no one looks shockingly hungover in them! Clearly no TW staffers were there.
European Waterways celebrates 50th anniversary with week-long founders cruise
Plan on celebrating your 50th anniversary with a bottle of Moët and fairy bread? European Waterways has better ideas.
100th route! Jetstar celebrates the launch of Brisbane-Avalon with 12 hour sale
Jetstar knocks a ton and celebrates with a sale while TW once scored a ton and celebrated with about 17 beers.
Record-breaking year for NSW as visitor expenditure soars past $50 billion
Enjoy running round the Opera House? Be prepared to elbow even more tourists out the way.
Norwegian Cruise Line makes play for solo travellers
NCL ensuring you don't have to go trawling Tinder to find a cruise partner. Thank goodness, we were sick of catfishing.
Entire Travel Group’s Canada and Europe 2024/25 brochures are out now
Entire's new brochure is bittersweet; it both informs your clients and makes you envious of the holiday they'll take.
Malaysia Airlines adds 3 new destinations & A330neo seats
More seats means cheaper airfares and more money to spend on overpriced airport sandwiches. Woohoo!
Two divine days onboard Crystal Serenity
It's only pure serenity onboard this ship. Anxiety, agitation and anguish have been rejected by the bouncer.
How the Globus Family of Brands elevates coach touring: Travel Weekly TV with Chris Fundell
Chris' here so you don't think coaches mean peeling your thighs off a sticky leather seat every time you stand up!
The Flight Centre Foundation gears up for massive 2024 with 3 new board members
The foundation looks to invest $200k this year, spurring the TW journos to figure out how to qualify as a charity.
Barking Owl Communications to head up Anantara & Avani in ANZ
Fellow PR competitors had been barking up the wrong tree even thinking of bidding for this job!
Amex GBT to purchase CWT for $871m
It's big deals like this that get a firm handshake - hence the sore hands over at the CWT and Amex GBT offices.
1000MTG’s second global conference reminds agents to ‘strive and thrive’
Alongside messages to 'strive' and 'thrive' were those to 'survive', 'drive', 'arrive' and 'jive' (when appropriate).
Qantas A330 makes “loud bang”, pilots forced to shut down one engine
Qantas refusing to let Boeing have all the headlines in aviation world today!
GX Community Tourism Summit 2024 location revealed!
The new location has arrived and it'll blow your socks off! Time for another trip to Target for more socks then.
Visiting the destination my Mum didn’t want me to
Yet again, this journo has been a stress to his mother. Discover how this trip spurred his mother's anxiety here.
Agents come out of their shells at P&O’s turtle hatchery event
For some, it's a few glasses of bubbles to lure them out of their shell. For these agents, it was a bit more literal.
Boeing cleanout: CEO, chair to go as safety crisis plagues the manufacturer
CEOs are falling thick and fast these days. We should have started up a bingo game with their headshots in the office.
Virgin looks to swap MAX 10 order for MAX 8s amid Boeing delays: Reports
Virgin has changed its order for something smaller. Much like we have to at Maccas following a worrying doctor's visit.
Club Med unveils newest luxury yacht for 2024/25 early bird sale
This yacht is preserved for the early birds! Night Owls may also get onboard depending how late they stay up.
Abercrombie & Kent 2024 Asia Portfolio is here
Round up the family and get planning an Asia jaunt. Or, if they're hard to handle, brush them all and go it alone!
Elevate your earnings: Final days to secure double commission with Inspiring Vacations’ March offer
What could inspire you to sell more Inspiring Vacations? Double commission of course! That's all the inspiration needed.