A car bomb exploded in a nightlife district in Thailand's deep south, killing one and wounding more than 30, in a nation already on edge after a bombing spree that targeted tourist towns.

The latest blast struck late on Tuesday outside a hotel in Pattani, one of three Muslim-majority southern provinces battered by a long-running and shadowy rebellion against the Buddhist-majority state.

"So far there is one killed and more than 30 injured," said Major General Thanongsak Wangsupa, Pattani provincial police commander, on Wednesday. "The hotel building was considerably damaged."