Can I open a Thai bank account while staying in a hotel with a US passport?

Get the O in the US, you'll find it easier opening an account once you have the visa.

I'm not a big proponent of using agents but in this situation I believe it's the wisest route. I've seen many posts in the past where people are exasperated after having gone to bank after bank only to be turned down every time. If I were you, I would hire an agent the day after I arrived. I hear it costs about 3K THB but I think it would be 3K well spent. If you are in Pattaya, I've heard good things about Mots Services and Key Visa. You can find them both on FB. Also, Bangkok Bank is one of the banks (maybe the only bank) that will receive foreign transfers above 50K THB and will document the transaction as income from outside of Thailand (this can be very important at some immigration offices.) Below is a screen shot from Wise (money transfer service) from when I send over my monthly pension. Details matter here and can be the difference between being approved or denied and ending up having to hire an agent to acquire you a visa, at a hefty price. Good luck!!

Most "welcoming" Banks for Foreigners: Kasikorn (K-Bank), Bangkok Bank, Siam (SCB). But, as others have said, every Branch is different, just have to "shop around". It can be done.

If you buy the insurance from Bangkok Bank you can open with your passport only

If you get a notarized copy of your passport from your embassy, then this meets the requirements of Bangkok Bank in Bangkok, regardless of where you stay though you might not want to tell them it is a hotel

I would say go the agent route, will save a lot of time and stress. You could end up spending a few days going from bank to bank and still have no joy. Mind you could get sorted a the 1st attempt. If that happens I would do the lottery 😁😁. Good luck

Hello Rick, some hotels in Bangkok charge both daily and monthly rates. That means the border line between a hotel and a serviced apartment is not very clear-cut in this case.

I agree 100% with

@Brandon ***********

. I'll just reiterate what he says in that it's very useful to take a Thai person with you when you open the account. Even more useful if they have an account with the same bank, even moreso at that branch. Keep in mind also there's a few forms that need signing which are invariably in Thai, so it's good to have someone to explain exactly what you're signing. I believe the branch at the Bangkok Bank HO in Silom as they have a specific international section where they all speak English. Try to avoid the insurance deal, as it's not particularly good, but they like it as they get the commission

That's between you and the bank. For the most part each individual branch manager kind of makes up their own rules and you can find different requirements at different branches of the same bank. I certainly wouldn't mention that you're using a hotel address, but my bank has never mailed anything to me.

But the reality is since covid, it's been very difficult for people to open a bank account when they're on a tourist visa or visa exempt.

Sometimes people find the bank requiring them to purchase an insurance policy (usually around 5000₿) if they'll open an account at all.

Many people also turn to an agent to help them open an account (price ranges from 3000-5000₿).

I'm not saying it's impossible to open an account as a tourist but it's not easy.

A few things that might help include telling them the reason you need the account and the amount of money you'll be depositing, bringing a Thai person that also has an account at that bank, and sometimes they want to see a residence certificate which is impossible to get from immigration as a tourist in Bangkok but you may be able to get from your embassy. You need to decide what address to use for that though.