The occupancy rate in hotels in Samui is not constant for the whole year. It will change depending on each season or month.
We can be able to predict which months there will be the most or least travelers here in Samui.
- Peak season: February – March
- Side-season: April – June
- High season: July – August
- Rainy season: September – January
The question is why should you know about the tourist seasons in Samui when you are about to plan for a vacation here?
Knowing about the occupancy rate will help you decide
- When you will meet a bunch of people and where to get max enjoy your quiet relaxation during the vacation.
- When to get the best price of the hotel (where fewer people are, the hotel price is low.
- When will you face rain or sunshine
The touristic reasons in Samui consist of 4 seasons. Each season combines months, rain, and sun intensity. Namely,
Peak Season (Jan-February)
Low Season (March-May)
High or Summer Season (June-August)
Green Season or Rainy season (September – December)
Generally,
Hotel occupancy rates on
Koh Samui is varied for each area in the same season. The most popular area in Samui is Chaweng/the biggest city of Samui.
In low season (March-May). Most travelers coming from Europe are mostly young people.
I try to research why young people love to come to Samui during these months. I still don’t get it. According to the statistics, most are young people.
The hotel prices in Samui are not that expensive during this low season as mentioned, even in Chaweng the hotel prices are also low and have many rooms available.
The young people will definitely choose to stay in Chaweng first. Chaweng is the tourist center containing everything like the biggest shopping mall, nightlife center, spa, restaurant, and transport hub.
They don’t need to take a long time to get there by driving.
They can only walk to almost every shop here in Chaweng. (Be careful March-May is the hottest month in Thailand).
This makes people love to stay in Chaweng, especially, for first-timers traveling to Koh Samui who want to see everything without being snuggled to find the how-to get there.
That means if you come to Samui during the low season you will meet many young people in Chaweng hotel.
Hotel about in other areas? Although the hotels in Chaweng are cheap during this season the hotels in other areas are much cheaper.
Still, some guests choose to stay in another area due to they want a quiet place. But there are still many fewer people compared to Chaweng.
Interestingly, some 5-star hotels in other areas are cheaper than a 4-star hotel in Chaweng, they cannot beat a lower category hotel in Chaweng due to the popularity regarding the location.
So, if you love to stay in a quiet place you have a great opportunity to get a cheap room in a great Hotel if you come to Samui during March–May.
When people select the hotel in Centre/Chaweng first during March–May.
The room prices here are getting to be high but there still are people who can pay despite of high cost of staying in Chaweng.
Finally, all the rooms are fully booked.
What happens when all the rooms in Chaweng are fully booked?
The hotels in other areas now can up their price of rooms as they want because travelers have no longer a choice with hotels in Chaweng.
When the 2nd popular area is full, the hotels in the 3rd popular area can up their price now.
However, this mechanic cannot be applied 100% as some specific hotels are not dependent on the area they are located. When they have their significant signature.
If you are going to book a hotel in high season and want to book the hotel in Chaweng, do it many months or even a year early when the price is still low.
If you are too late, the price in Chaweng is already high. Let’s consider the hotels in other areas.
Because you can get many better hotels with the same price in other areas.
Keep your budget for the transfers or taxis instead.
The next season after the high season is the rainy season or in tourist language, we call the green season (September – middle December).
The occupancy mechanic during this season works like the low season.
Rooms are low everywhere during the low season like low season and cheaper during the green season.
If you want to stay in the city in a good and cheap hotel in Chaweng, then do a vacation in the green season.
However, you have to accept the fact, that it will rain much during this time. People who come to Samui in the green season do fewer outdoor activities.
Most time they stay in a hotel room. Or try Thai foods, and explore the Thai culture and town.
One secret thing I would like to recommend you to do in Samui when it rains. Do a trip: Jungle Safari.
It is a trip experience an exciting drive up to #Samui mountain//geography of Samui (middle area of Samui).
This trip can be more fun when it rains. The atmosphere then looks like the journey in a rainforest.
Most forests in Thailand are rainforests and they will be a perfect rainforest when it rains.
Next season is a crazy busy season called the peak season. It is just a month next to the green/rainy season but everything will change immediately. Also, minimum to maximum.
The occupancy in peak season works the same as the high season just much more intensive.
It is crowded on the roads, beaches, and hotels. Almost all 3 – 5-star Hotels are fully booked.
Surprisingly, some clients who have booked a hotel online, once they arrive at their hotel, they got no room. Because the online booking website confirmed the room a bit late.
Since the hotel got many orders for this room, the hotel had to sell this room to the one who made the confirmation first.
Unfortunately, the online booking website did not reconfirm the clients, if the room is completely booked for them or pending.
When the flight is confirmed, (but the room is pending) clients assume that everything is booked.
So, they will not have room when they arrive and have to find another hotel by themselves on the spot.
As mentioned there will be no available 3 – 5 star hotel. They might have to stay in an unpopular hotel instead.
So, if you booked online for vacation in peak season, let’s check the reconfirmation with the room first before you make a journey.
In peak season, all rooms are expensive, but if you want to stay where many people are,
you don’t need to bid on an expensive hotel in Chaweng, because there should be many people in every area in the peak season.
So, you can have friends everywhere.
They then traveled to Thailand without realizing that the room was not booked. This situation will not occur in the low or green season.
Even if the online website did not reconfirm the room, this room will be available till you arrive and you can rebook it on-site directly.
Even if the room was given to other clients, the hotel should always have another room available.
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