Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is getting tough on the country’s illegal accommodation industry with a threat to either become legit or face closure.
The PM is using executive order Section 44 to bring safety standards at all such lodgings in line with registered hotels.
It is estimated there are about 20,000 unregistered places which do business as an accommodation provider.
These include traditional hotels, vacation rentals, houses and entire floors of condo buildings which operate as de facto hotels.
The order specifically focuses on fire safety compliancy for all establishments.
"A hotel must install a hand-held fire extinguisher per 200 square metre area. It should have at least two fire extinguishers on each floor," the order says.
This must be completed within 90 days.
Local inspectors will monitor accommodations with regular visits and owners will have 30 days to make right any ‘irregularities.’
All must also comply with existing land use requirements.
