History

In the years before 1968, the Alliance Guest Home was located in the heart of Bangkok, off one of the main roads. Those were the days when Bangkok still had tree-shaded roads and a labyrinth of canals. The Alliance Guest Home was a spacious, wooden British colonial house with a large lawn with numerous mango trees. The Guest Home was established to meet the needs of international workers who lived in the villages and the provinces, but needed to come to the city for business, medical attention, or to travel in and out of the country. At that time the main focus of the Alliance in Thailand was in the country. The Guest Home was operated by the person who was assigned to handle the business needs of the organization (buying supplies etc.) and to handle visas and other government requirements.

As the organization and the international work force in neighboring countries grew so did the demands on the Guest Home. The need for a new Guest Home became apparent. The old guest home had screens as walls between rooms. There was a charcoal factory behind the guest home that blew charcoal dust over everything. A proposal was sent to the organizational headquarters asking for money to buy land and build a new facility. The answer came back, if there was a surplus in the budget at the end of the year that money would be used for a new guesthouse. That year for the first time in many years there was a surplus and the current Guest Home was built. In 1968 the Guest Home opened to serve international workers.

The Bangkok Guest Home is the largest C&MA guest home in the world. It was built to serve the region and to accommodate conferences. At the time there were many international workers serving in Indo-China (Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos) and Bangkok was the hub (and still is). Most of the international workers were stationed in the provinces and needed a place to stay in Bangkok. At the time the Vietnam War was escalating and the Guest Home was used for serviceman's retreats. It was also the haven international workers came to when they had to evacuate from their countries of service. When several of our international workers were captured at the end of the Vietnam War and eventually released they came here on their way back to the US or Canada.
On a number of occasions the Guest Home has been a refuge for those who have been forced from their countries of service. International workers from Bangladesh, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos have all come here and have found a place of solace. It also provides a home for those who are having problems getting visas and need to wait several months before getting into the countries where they work.

The first home many babies are taken to is the Guest Home. In many of the countries in the region, the health care is not adequate or is not able to handle difficult pregnancies. We have families who stay at the Guest Home for two months as they await the birth of their babies and then await the paperwork to take their babies home.  People with medical needs that cannot be taken care of in their countries stay here as they receive medical treatment.

The Guest Home exists to serve the international worker community.  Many groups/organizations use the Guest Home for their annual conferences. Groups on short-term trips pass through here and are grateful for good food, laundry service and a safe environment. The Alliance Guest Home is truly a home. When guests come here they feel cared for and encouraged. You will feel the difference when you enter through the gates.