Many Thai hotels sell a day pass that lets non-guests use the pool, and often the gym and showers, for a fixed price that usually includes food and drink or a credit to spend at the pool bar. In Bangkok in October 2026, the hotel offers we checked cost from 500 to about 1,200 baht per adult.
A day pass is useful in more situations than it first seems: a free afternoon in Bangkok when your hotel has no pool, the hours between check-out and a night flight, a hot day with children in a city apartment, or simply a change of scene during a long stay. This page explains how the passes work, what to check before you pay and the rules you will meet at the pool. The hotels named below are dated examples with a public price page, not recommendations, and no hotel paid to be mentioned.
Hotel day passes in brief (October 2026)
- Typical price, Bangkok
- About 500–1,200 baht per adult (three hotels' own pages)
- Usually included
- Pool access, showers, often gym; food or drink, or a spending credit
- Children
- Lower price or free for small children at some hotels; age rules vary
- Price basis
- Check "net" (all-in) or "++" (service charge and VAT added)
- How to buy
- From the hotel's own website or at reception
- Not allowed
- Outside food and drink, as a rule
How a hotel day pass works
The idea is simple. You pay the hotel a fixed price, get a coupon or wristband at reception, and use the pool area for the hours stated, usually from morning until early evening. Most offers fall into one of three types:
- Entry with food or drink included: a set lunch, a snack set or two drinks come with the pass.
- Entry with a credit: part or all of the price comes back as a credit to spend at the pool bar or restaurant on the same day. If you would eat lunch there anyway, the real cost of the pool is low.
- Packages: pool plus breakfast, a spa credit, unlimited drinks for two hours, or a room for a few hours to rest and change.
A credit is not cash. Vouchers are usually valid on the day only, cannot be exchanged for money and are often non-refundable, so a rainy afternoon is your loss. Some hotels call this arrangement a minimum spend rather than a credit; the effect is the same.
Three Bangkok examples, with prices as published
These are the offers on three Bangkok hotels' own pages on 27 October 2026. They show how differently the same product can be priced. Prices and conditions change often, so check the hotel's page on the day you go.
| Hotel | Pass | Adult price | Child price | Net or extra? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NH Bangkok Sukhumvit Boulevard | Pool and gym with a set meal or two drinks, 08:00–20:00 | ฿500 | ฿250 (6–12) | Includes service charge and VAT |
| Sindhorn Midtown | Rooftop pool, gym, sauna, with ฿700 dining credit, 06:30–22:30 | ฿1,099 | ฿499 | Net |
| VIE Hotel Bangkok, MGallery | Rooftop pool, showers and towels, ฿1,000 food-and-drink credit and ฿800 spa credit | ฿1,200 | Not stated | Plus ฿200 pool service, not included |
Two of the hotels also sell variations: Sindhorn Midtown has a four-hour pass at 800 baht net with a 500-baht credit, and NH has packages up to 1,500 baht with two hours of unlimited drinks. Notice the last column: the VIE voucher adds a 200-baht pool service charge on top, while the other two are all-in. For choosing an area of the city to stay in, see our guide to where to stay in Bangkok.
Phuket, Pattaya, Hua Hin and Koh Samui
Day passes are not only a Bangkok product. In the beach resorts, resorts and beach clubs sell similar access to a pool and sunbeds, for example as a package with food and drink or as a sunbed with a minimum spend. We did not verify a current offer in Phuket, Pattaya, Hua Hin or Koh Samui for this page, so we print no prices from there. Look on the resort's own website, or ask at reception the day before, especially in the high season from December.
In a beach town the question is often whether you need a pool at all. Our guides to Phuket's beaches, Jomtien Beach and Koh Samui's beaches help you decide whether a public beach does the job. A pool is the easier choice with small children on days with red flags and strong waves, which our page on rip currents and beach flags explains.
Children, ages and adults-only pools
Rules for children differ from hotel to hotel. NH Bangkok Sukhumvit Boulevard, for example, lets children under six in free (except on its room package), charges 250 baht for ages 6–12, and requires children under 12 to be accompanied by an adult. Sindhorn Midtown sells a separate children's pass. Some hotel pools are for adults only, and a rooftop pool may have no shallow end, so ask about depth and lifeguards if your children are not strong swimmers.
Plan for the sun as well as the water. Rooftop pools in Bangkok have little shade at midday, and the heat on the deck can be more tiring than a beach with trees. Our page on heat and sun in Thailand has the basics, and Thailand with kids covers family travel more broadly.
Booking direct and the rules at the pool
Buy from the hotel itself, either on its official website or at the front desk. That way the price, the hours and the conditions come from the source, and you know who to talk to if the pool is closed for maintenance. Before you pay, check four things: the opening hours of the pass, whether towels and a locker are included, whether the price is per person or per sunbed, and what happens if it rains.
Collect the coupon at reception before you go up to the pool. At NH Bangkok Sukhumvit Boulevard, non-guests must get a day-pass coupon at the front desk before entering, and VIE asks for the original voucher at the pool. Bring your passport or another ID in case reception asks for it.
House rules are similar almost everywhere:
- No outside food or drink. NH states that it can refuse entry to guests who bring their own; that is normal.
- Shower before you swim, and wear proper swimwear in the pool.
- Sunbeds are not guaranteed. VIE says so in its conditions; at busy times, arrive early.
- Ask about limits on busy days. Hotel guests come first, so check whether passes are sold on weekends and public holidays before you travel across town.
Net, ++ and extra charges
The difference between a "net" price and one with "++" is real money: "++" adds a 10% service charge and then 7% VAT, about 17.7% in total. Two of the three hotels above quote all-in prices; the third adds its own pool service charge. Our page on what ++ means on Thai prices works through the arithmetic. Food and drink beyond your credit is charged at the menu price, which in hotels is often "++".
Day passes for the gym or for work
If what you need is a treadmill rather than a sunbed, gym chains and hotel fitness centers sell their own day passes; our guide to gyms in Thailand compares them. If you need a desk and a fast connection for a day, a coworking day pass is the better buy, as our page on coworking in Chiang Mai and Bangkok explains. On a long Bangkok transit, a pool pass can fill the hours after check-out, and our guide to Bangkok on a long layover helps with the timing.
Frequently asked questions
Can you use a hotel pool in Thailand without staying there?
Yes, at many hotels. They sell a day pass at reception or on their website, usually with food, drinks or a spending credit included. In Bangkok in October 2026, the offers we checked cost about 500 to 1,200 baht per adult.
Is the food-and-drink credit refundable if I do not use it?
Usually not. Credits are typically valid only on the day and cannot be exchanged for cash, and some vouchers are non-refundable even if you do not go. Read the conditions on the hotel's page before you pay.
Can I bring my own food and drinks to a hotel pool?
No. Hotels selling day passes generally ban outside food and drink. NH Bangkok Sukhumvit Boulevard, for example, says it may refuse entry to guests who bring their own.
Are children allowed on hotel day passes in Thailand?
Often, but the rules vary. Some hotels charge a lower child price or let small children in free, while others have adults-only pools. NH Bangkok Sukhumvit Boulevard requires children under 12 to be accompanied by an adult.
Sources
- NH Bangkok Sukhumvit Boulevard – Day pass offers and pool rules (checked October 2026)
- Sindhorn Midtown Hotel Bangkok – Horizon Pool Day Pass (checked October 2026)
- VIE Hotel Bangkok, MGallery – VIE Pool Day Pass (checked October 2026)
- Revenue Department – Value Added Tax: tax base and rate (checked October 2026)