For many, being stuck in quarantine for two weeks is both psychologically and physically undesirable. While the government is paying for the 14-day mandatory state quarantine for all returning Thai citizens, it comes with limited accommodation and services.
However, for those who can afford it, there is now a more luxurious option called Alternate State Quarantine (ASQ). Instead of being stuck at a government facility, returnees can quarantine themselves in nice hotels around the country.
The catch is that you will have to pay around 32,000-60,000 baht for it yourself.
The scheme is also being seen by hotels and resorts as a way to stay afloat at a time when the coronavirus pandemic has shuttered most hospitality related industries.
But even with the ASQ plans, most hotels do not have enough certified ASQ rooms to balance the budget, nevermind a profit.
There are also allegations that corrupt state officials are taking bribes when deciding which hotels can and cannot join the state quarantine and ASQ schemes.
Temporary product
“This is not a permanent type of product, it helps us earn a little bit of money. More importantly, it allows us to keep our staff employed,” Bruno Huber, general manager of Mövenpick BDMS Wellness Resort Bangkok told Thai Enquirer.
“There is no single hotel in Thailand that is making profit at this moment in time,” he said.
Apart from the five-star Mövenpick, there are four more hotels that have been approved by the Ministry of Public Health for the ASQ scheme including Qiu Hotel, the Idle Residence, Grand Richmond Hotel, and Royal Benja Hotel. All of them are in Bangkok or surrounding provinces.
“I was in the state quarantine as I was one of the returnees,” said Kingvarit Vongchanphen, co-owner of the Idle Residence.
“I was separated from my family and I could not get the food that I like. It gave me the idea for our quarantine program and with an increase in demand, it eventually turned into our ASQ program.”
At the moment, there are only 336 ASQ rooms in the entire country. Between 200-400 Thais fly back to the kingdom daily.
Since the program started, more than 26,000 people have been in state quarantine. A much smaller proportion have chosen the ASQ program.
Despite this, the government said it was looking to expand the ASQ program because mandatory quarantine will likely continue even after the country opens its borders.
Huber said Mövenpick signed up for the program until the end of July. The other four ASQ hotels will likely continue the program beyond July, possibly until September.
Logistic
Huber said the idea for the program came in April when Mövenpick was deciding between keeping the hotel open or temporarily closing down operations.
“There were simply no tourists,” Huber said while adding that the hotel has yet to let anyone go.
The decision was to keep it open and since the hotel already has a partnership with Bangkok Dusit Medical Services (BDMS), they came up with a product for customers who were unsure if they have contracted the coronavirus and wanted to be isolated from home.
The package would come with a coronavirus test which formed the initial part of the ASQ program.
“We [started the program] at the beginning of April and got about a hundred calls in three days from people who were in state quarantine asking to come to us,” he said.
“We then went to the authorities to find out if there is a way for us to be certified by the government. They took it positively, we talked about it, they made some inspections by all parties, and three weeks later, we got the certification,” he added.
The hotel became the first ASQ-approved quarantine site.
At the hotel, only 53 out of the total 294 rooms are ASQ certified.
“One of the requirements for this program is that you cannot have carpet on the floor,” he said.
It is one of many requirements hotels must stick to before being approved to the program.
Another mandatory requirement is a partnership with a hospital which will work with hotels to bring the rooms up to code before a Ministry of Public Health inspection.
For passengers, they will have to first call the hotel that they want to stay in.
Once booked, they will have to state their intention of joining the ASQ instead of the state quarantine. This has to be done when asking for permission to fly home from the Thai consulate in their respective countries.
Once they arrive, they will be isolated at the airport and then picked up by hotel transportation.
All ASQ hotels need to have medical staff on the premises at all times from their partner hospitals to administer a pre-quarantine check once and be on call.
Comfort is king
The rooms at ASQ hotels are much nicer than those on offer in state quarantine. While those staying there can expect small, tiny dormitories, ASQ hotels offer a suite of luxury options. Some even have small private gardens.
“There are many people who want the comfort,” said Huber.
Kingvarit at Idle Residence in Pathum Thani said that apart from added healthcare services and bigger spaces, food is another reason that returnees pick ASQ.
“It is one of the few luxuries one has when being stuck in a room,” he said. “We expect more demand for the service but the cost to operate ASQ is higher than normal.”
“Nevertheless, the program will allow us to continue hiring and this is our best choice right now.”
Maysa Phaoharuhan, co-owner of Qiu Hotel, told Thai Enquirer that her hotel’s comparative advantage is its location in Sukhumvit soi 79 and its pricing.
“The demand is still high because of our pricing,” she said.
“Many people require extra services that they cannot get from state quarantine, such as people with young children or the elderly who require constant care, and we want to help as many of them as we can,” she added.
According to the state requirement, only one person is allowed to stay in an ASQ room but if the room is big enough, family members can stay together in the same room.
The hotel, in partnership with Sukhumvit Hospital, has turned all of its 79 rooms to accommodate the ASQ program.
It comes with transportation, three meals per day, WiFi, scheduled telemedicine, and two COVID-19 tests.
About 90 per cent of the occupancy in its ASQ program are Thais and there is no cancellation fee.
“We started from 54 rooms to having to expand it to 79 because of the demand,” she said.
Laksawan Wongworrakan, president and chief operating officer of Richmond Hospitality Group said the reason they are offering both state quarantine and ASQ at their hotels is that they want to help Thai returnees.
They are also looking to expand the ASQ program which only covers 60 out of its 774 rooms at the Grand Richmond Hotel in Nonthaburi.
“It is part of the learning curve and an investment for the preparation of the new norm of the industry which has to be safer, more hygienic, [and] with less physical touch in the future,” she said.
