Rayavadee Hotel in Railay Beach

Rayavadee is undeniably stunning and set in an incredible location. Unfortunately, the billing and checkout experience was so mishandled that it completely overshadowed our stay.

I booked through the American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts (FHR) program and elected to pay for my reservation upon arrival, which I did in full at check-in.

During our stay, we experienced a pipe leak in the bathroom that required four staff members entering the room to assess and address the issue. While maintenance issues can happen anywhere, the situation felt chaotic and intrusive, detracting from the privacy and seamless experience one expects at a property of this caliber.

At checkout, staff informed me that my accommodation had not been paid. I explained that I had already paid upon check-in and provided proof. After approximately 10 minutes of them looking through their systems and back-and-forth at the desk, they acknowledged that the stay had indeed been paid and everything appeared to be resolved.

However, the issues did not stop there. Restaurant and bar charges were miscalculated, requiring multiple corrections and additional card runs to fix their own errors. What should have been a straightforward departure took over 30 minutes to complete.

Two days after checkout, despite confirming in person that the reservation had been paid, my card was charged again for the stay — without any notice, explanation, or communication.

American Express has since had to contact the property multiple times for the duplicate charge. We continue to be told that “billing is working on it” or advised to call back at different times, yet there has been no resolution, no proactive outreach, and no acknowledgment of the mistake from their team.

For a property positioning itself as ultra-luxury, administrative accuracy and financial accountability are fundamental. The setting is exceptional. The operational standards are not.

I would strongly encourage future guests to carefully monitor their charges and statements.