Pattaya, Thailand – An Italian tourist, Marco De Vivo, was found disoriented in Pattaya this week after becoming separated from his belongings and losing track of his hotel for two days. De Vivo arrived at the Pattaya Police Station with only a hotel room key as identification, triggering a search effort aided by social media and Thailand’s tourist tracking systems.
De Vivo told police he had been enjoying a night at a local bar on October 15th, 2025, and became heavily intoxicated. He subsequently lost all his possessions, remembering only that he had a key to his hotel room - number two - but unable to recall the hotel’s name. The key itself bore no identifying hotel logo or markings.
Police, assisted by an international liaison officer, initially struggled to locate the hotel. They then turned to online platforms, sharing a photograph of the key in hopes of public assistance. Netizens quickly responded, suggesting multiple potential accommodations and recommending a check of the Thai Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) and TM30 databases, which record foreign visitor registrations.
According to Pattaya mail, Thai law requires hotels and inns to report foreign guests to immigration within 24 hours of check-in, a measure designed to aid in tracking tourists’ whereabouts. This ultimately led to the triumphant identification of De Vivo’s lodging.
Authorities have placed De Vivo under the care of international representatives and are preparing to return him to his hotel. The incident serves as a reminder for tourists to carry essential identification and contact information, and to exercise caution with alcohol consumption while traveling.
