Everything you need to know about SHA Plus Hotels in Thailand

Read all about SHA Plus Hotels in Thailand, where to stay from, who is eligible to visit the Land of Smiles and more. 

You’ve probably heard that Thailand will welcome visitors this year, and you’d be correct. After closing its borders for nearly a year, the Land of Smiles began welcoming tourists back to select locations in early 2021. You must complete some formalities and procedures before entering Thailand if you plan to visit soon.

One of them is staying at a SHA+ hotel. Before you book your accommodations, read on to learn more about SHA. Excellent Thailand Safety & Health Administration is abbreviated as SHA (SHA). It is a project of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), the Ministry of Health, and the tourism-related government and private sectors to prepare Thailand for new visitors daily.
Their goal is to instill confidence in local and international travelers that these businesses are certified to operate during the pandemic and adhere to the Department of Health’s health and safety protocols.

What is the difference between SHA, SHA+, and SHA++?

In Thailand, there are three types of SHA certification for lodging. SHA is the first and most fundamental of the three. It establishes the basic safety and health standards that establishments must follow to provide public services. Safety signage, making sanitizers available to guests, and so on.
See the complete list of SHA hosting criteria for more information. SHA+ (SHA Plus) must adhere to the same protocols and have at least 70% of their employees vaccinated. The rest of your unvaccinated employees should avoid direct contact with guests. These employees should also have emergency COVID-19 solutions on hand. Thailand’s SHA+ hotels are the only ones authorized to issue the SHABA certificate to visitors entering the country.

Finally, hotels that have met the SHA+ criteria and are affiliated with certified hospitals for RT-PCR testing are awarded the SHA++ (SHA Extra Plus) certification.

Who can stay at SHA+ hotels, and for how long?

NOTE: Beginning April 1, 2022, visitors will no longer be required to submit a negative RT-PCR test prior to flight, but will still be required to complete the required immigration programme tests.

The test you must take upon arrival will be changed from an RT-PCR test to an antigen test kit performed by a professional on May 1, 2022. You must book a stay at a SHA++ property while you await the results of your COVID-19 trial. Your days are determined by whether or not you are travelling under the Test and Go programme.

If you are unvaccinated, you must self-quarantine for ten days at the Alternate State Quarantine (ASQ) facility. Before booking your preferred lodging, confirm that the SHA+ hotel will provide the SHABA certificate required for your COE application. You can stay in any city or location in Thailand. Check to see if the hotel or venue is SHA-approved.