TR Rock Hill Hotel — A Pool Against a Rock Cliff, Loft Design on Khlong Hong Hill
If you've ever scrolled Hat Yai hotels on Trip.com and stopped on a pool with an orange rock cliff rising behind it — the words "TR Rock Hill" carved into the stone — that's this place. TR Rock Hill Hotel is an industrial loft-style property on Soi Taweerat in Kho Hong, a few minutes' drive from central Hat Yai. The two things guests keep coming back to are the pool set against that rock cliff the hotel is named after, and a breakfast buffet that several reviewers describe as better value than the room rate suggests.
TR Rock Hill opened in 2015 on the lower slope of Khlong Hong hill in Hat Yai. The seven-storey building is done in an industrial loft style — black steel, exposed brick, timber and earth tones that read as raw but warm rather than cold. There are 79 rooms split across Standard Twin, Deluxe King and Deluxe Twin categories, and many come with a private balcony looking at the hill or out over Hat Yai. Some rooms lean hard into the red-brick-and-wood treatment, so a night here feels closer to staying in a loft than a standard hotel.
The signature feature is the outdoor pool set against a natural rock cliff. The owners kept the hillside's exposed rock face as a backdrop and carved the hotel name into it — which is why it shows up across so many guests' social posts. In the late afternoon the light hits the cliff and turns it orange-gold, and more than one reviewer says it photographs better in person than online. Palm trees and green planting wrap the pool, so it reads as a garden pool rather than the bare rooftop deck you get at city-centre hotels.
"Got in the pool in the late afternoon, the light turned the rock cliff orange, the water was just cool enough, and the kids swam all afternoon — that alone paid for half the room."
The other thing guests mention often is the breakfast buffet, served American and Asian style from 6 to 10 am, with more variety than you'd expect at this price point. There's also an on-site cafe, Roti de Forest, dressed with plants hanging from a bamboo frame — a corner that local Hat Yai visitors stop by to photograph even when they aren't staying. The ground-floor common area opens up as a lounge with an exposed-pipe ceiling and vintage patterned floor tiles, closer in feel to a cafe than a hotel lobby.
For families, there's a kids' club with space for children to run around, plus a small massage room for winding down after a day out. Parking is wide and free, which matters more than it sounds if you're driving — plenty of central Hat Yai hotels are tight on parking. Front-desk and bell staff draw praise for being helpful at check-in, though a few reviews note that friendliness isn't consistent across every shift.
The Trip.com score sits at 8.6/10 from 74 reviews — service rates highest at 8.8, with location and cleanliness at 8.7. The honest, recurring complaint is that the location is fairly tucked away and needs a car or a Grab: it's up a soi on the hillside with no convenience store within walking distance. Some guests find the pool chlorine strong on certain days, and getting to the Lee Garden night market means a 15–20 minute drive — worth knowing so you can plan around it.
The location is the thing to understand before booking. TR Rock Hill is on the Kho Hong side, about a 5-minute drive from Prince of Songkla University (PSU) and close to the 60th Anniversary International Convention Center. That makes it a strong pick if you're in town for PSU business, a conference, or simply want somewhere quiet with a pool for the kids. If your plan is to walk out to eat and explore central Hat Yai every night, you'll find yourself driving in and out a fair bit.
The bottom line: TR Rock Hill works best for families or self-drivers who want a loft-style hotel with a genuinely good-looking pool in the few-hundred-to-low-thousand baht range — design that photographs well, a breakfast that earns its keep, and a quiet you don't easily find in Hat Yai. The trade-off is needing a car or relying on Grab to get into town. If you can live with that, this is a clear step away from the standard high-rise city hotel.
Summary from Booking & Agoda
- ✓ Pool against the rock cliff is genuinely photogenic
- ✓ Breakfast buffet varied and good value
- ✓ Rooms clean, loft design, private balconies
- ✓ Wide free parking — ideal if you're driving
- ! Tucked up a hillside soi — needs a car or Grab
- ! No convenience store within walking distance
- ! Pool chlorine can be strong on some days
- ✓ Quiet, restful setting that suits families
- ✓ Kids' club and space for children to play
- ✓ Roti de Forest cafe is well decorated, a photo spot
- ✓ Near PSU Hat Yai and the convention center, minutes by car
- ! 15–20 minute drive to Lee Garden night market
- ! Staff friendliness not consistent across shifts
- ! Some rooms catch noise from nearby events
- 💡If you don't have a car — the hotel is up a soi on the hillside with no convenience store within walking distance → plan to use Grab or a taxi for trips into town, or ask the hotel to arrange a ride in advance
- 💡If you're travelling with young children — there's a kids' club and pool, but pick a rate that includes breakfast since the buffet is a highlight and children under 1.2m eat free
- 💡If you plan to explore central Hat Yai nightly — Lee Garden and the city's eating-and-drinking streets are a 15–20 minute drive away → a central hotel may suit better if you want to walk to dinner