Key points
- A guest complaining about noise wants two things: to be believed, and to know what you can do.
- A note on rules: many condos in Thailand have rules on short stays and on guest conduct.
- For a guest complaining about noise, no greeting, and lead with belief.
On this page
Noise complaints arrive from two directions. Sometimes it is your guest: "The people upstairs have been drilling since 8 AM" or "There is a party next door". Sometimes it is about your guest: a neighbour, the juristic office or the building's LINE group telling you that unit 1204 was loud at midnight. Both are urgent in a quiet way. Handle the first well and you keep a review. Handle the second well and you keep the apartment. This page covers both.
What the guest actually wants
A guest complaining about noise wants two things: to be believed, and to know what you can do. They are worried that you will shrug, that the noise will continue every night of their stay, and that complaining makes them a difficult guest.
They usually do not expect you to stop a construction site. They expect you to take it seriously, tell them what is normal for the building, offer what you can (earplugs, a fan, a quieter time to be out, a change of unit if you have one), and follow up.
When the complaint is about your guest, the "guest" is the neighbour or the building, and what they want is for it to stop now and not happen again. They are worried that short-term guests mean a different stranger every week with nobody responsible. Your reply has to show that someone is.
Questions to answer for yourself first
| Question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| What are the building's quiet hours? | Most Bangkok condos have them in the juristic rules. Your house rules should say the same hours. |
| What noise is normal here? | Construction nearby, a bar street, the BTS line, a school. Guests should hear it from you before they book, not from the neighbour. |
| What can you offer a guest who is disturbed? | Earplugs in the drawer, a white noise fan, a different unit, nothing. Know which before you promise. |
| How do you reach your guest at midnight? | The platform chat may not wake them. Do you call? Do you have a number? |
| What is your line? | One warning, then what? Most hosts warn once in writing, then involve the platform if it continues. Decide. |
| Who in the building do you answer to? | The juristic office, security, a neighbour on the same floor. Know their names and reply to them fast. |
A note on rules: many condos in Thailand have rules on short stays and on guest conduct. What hosts commonly do is follow the juristic office's quiet hours exactly and keep relations warm. For anything beyond that, check with the juristic office and a local lawyer.
Three replies you can paste
For a guest complaining about noise, no greeting, and lead with belief.
Thank you for telling me, that is not acceptable at this hour. I have reported it to the building office and asked security to check the floor now. There are earplugs in the bedside drawer for tonight. Please tell me if it continues after midnight and I will follow up again in the morning.
That is the renovation on the floor above and I am sorry it is loud. The building allows work from 9 AM to 5 PM on weekdays, so evenings and weekends are quiet. I cannot stop it, but I can offer earplugs from the drawer and a list of good cafes nearby if you want a quiet afternoon. Let me know if it runs outside those hours and I will report it.
Let me check with the building office what is happening on that floor and when it ends. I will come back to you within the hour.
For a complaint about your guest, the reply to the guest is also short and clear:
The building office has told me there was noise from the apartment late last night. Quiet hours here are 10 PM to 8 AM and the neighbours are permanent residents, so please keep voices and music low after ten. Thank you for understanding, it protects the apartment for everyone.
And to the building: "Thank you for letting me know. I have spoken to the guests and reminded them of the quiet hours. Please message me directly if it happens again tonight, I will act immediately."
Mistakes hosts make
Arguing with the guest about whether it is loud. You were not there. Believe them, then find out.
Hiding known noise. A listing that does not mention the bar below or the building site next door produces a noise complaint on day one and a review that mentions it forever. Say it in the listing and again before arrival.
Promising a fix you do not control. You cannot stop a neighbour's renovation. Say what you can do and when.
Ignoring the building. A neighbour who hears nothing back from you goes to the juristic office. A juristic office that hears nothing back goes to the owner or the law. Reply to the building within the hour, every time.
Warning in a way that starts a fight. "Stop the noise or you will be removed" at midnight ends with an angry guest and a worse review. State the hours, state the reason, thank them. Save the firm version for a second offence.
How Tokay handles it
Noise is a sensitive topic, and Tokay treats it that way. Pam, the front desk agent, can answer the routine side from your rules: what the quiet hours are, what noise is normal for the building, where the earplugs are, and what the building allows when. Those facts are written once at the building level and apply to every unit.
Anything upset or unusual goes to you first. A guest complaining about noise, or a message that your guest is the noise, is not something Pam settles on its own; it drafts a reply and you approve, edit or deny with a tap. Pam will not promise a different unit, a discount or any exception you did not agree to.
Guests are answered on Airbnb, Booking.com or Vrbo, where the record is dated and visible to the platform if it ever matters. And in the morning, Leo, the manager agent, tells you in one message what happened overnight, so a midnight complaint is not something you discover at noon.
Questions hosts ask
What should I say to a guest who complains about noise I cannot control?
Believe them, explain what the noise is and when it stops, offer what you have (earplugs, a fan, a quieter time to be out), and promise to report anything outside the allowed hours. Do not argue and do not promise a fix you do not control. Follow up the next day.
How do I warn my own guest about noise without starting a fight?
State the quiet hours, say who the neighbours are, thank them. One short message, no threats. Most guests simply did not know. If it happens a second time, be firmer in writing and consider contacting the platform.
Should I mention noise in my listing?
Yes, if it is real. A line about the bar street, the construction or the BTS line costs you a few bookings from people who would have complained anyway, and saves you the review. Guests who know in advance rarely complain; guests who find out on arrival always do.