We stayed at this hotel 23rd Dec 2007 to 1st Jan 2008, as part of a longer trip that included Abu Dhabi and Dubai. We have been to Thailand a few times before but only ever stayed in Bangkok for a couple of days and decided this time to see all that Bangkok had to offer. We travelled as a family of four - two adults, two children and booked two interconnecting Royal Club Rooms. We booked the hotel through Dial a Flight and paid less than £100 sterling per room per night - we thought this was reasonable considering it was peak season (Christmas and New Year). As we were there for 9 days, we chose this hotel as we wanted to be central and in a good location that was slightly quieter, and had a great pool.The hotel is on Wireless Road near to many embassies and Lumphini Park. The sky train station (Ploen Chit) is 2 minutes walk from the hotel which provides easy access to the malls, markets, main sights etc, but taxi's are cheap and plentiful from the hotel. We arrived at 9am after a night flight from Abu Dhabi and got an estate car taxi from the airport to the hotel - easily fitted us all in, as well as 4 large cases and hand luggage. Cost was 600 baht - took approx. 25 minutes.
Lobby area - very spacious and beautifully laid out. We were immediately directed to the Club Lounge for check in as we had booked Royal Club Rooms.
Club Lounge - this is on the 26th floor. Large and spacious, beautifully furnished. Has plenty of sofa's as well as tables and chairs. Plenty of newspapers and 'coffee table' style books to browse as well as games for you to play - chess, backgammon etc. Also has computers for club guests to use with free internet access. We found the service from the club room staff to be superb. Breakfast is from 6.30am to 11am - brilliant spread - not just a cold buffet/ continental - includes bacon, eggs, french toast, pancakes etc. Chef is on hand to cook your eggs anyway you like. You have the choice of having breakfast in either the lounge or the main breakfast restauarant on the ground floor - we tried the main restaurant one day, but preferred the lounge. Quieter and more personal service and you didn't get that much more choice downstairs than the lounge. Free soft drinks, tea, coffee etc. all day. Aftenoon tea is 3-6pm - great club sandwiches, mini bagels with roast beef, chicken etc. Also, freshly made scones with clotted cream and jam and other 'mini' style deserts like eclairs. Evening cocktails and canapes are from 7-9pm. There is a cocktail menu as well as wine, spirits etc - whatever you fancy really. They are also very good at offering refills - whether you are having an alcoholic drink or not. The canapes are great - it's more like a dinner! You could eat and drink for free in the club lounge without needing to go for a meal later! We never found the club lounge that busy, apart from New Years Eve, and the personal service we received from the staff was fantastic. The only negative point about the club lounge is that it closes at 11pm! We have stayed in hotels throughout the worl with club lounges and this is the only one that closed so early. As we had our children with us, we did not often return to the hotel that late, but on occassion it would have been nice to sit and have a drink before bed! If the manager from the hotel is reading this, then change your early closing time! Most other 5 star hotels with club lounges are open 24 hours!
Rooms - we had two interconnecting Royal Club rooms on the 28th floor (the hotel has 29 floors). Beautifully furnished, with immaculate bathrooms. - fantastic views and they were enormous! As well as the large bed (the children had two beds in their room), there was a sofa, desk and chair and large plasma TV (great choice of channels including BBC and movies). We had free bottled mineral water that was regularly replenished as was the fruit bowl. There was also tea and coffee (instant and filter) making faciities in each room, complimentary morning newspaper. There was an ironing board and iron and hairdryer that you could plug in anywhere - I hate it when they provide a fixed one only in the bathroom. They even had large umbrella's - useful if you are there in the rainy season! Bathroom had walk in shower and separate bath. Toiletries were superb - even included toothbrush and toothpaste and shaving kits. Nice robes and slippers. Rooms were kept immaculate by the cleaning staff and turndown service was good. On Christmas Day each of the children found on their pillows a stocking with some presents! On New Years Day we received some beautiful confectionery.
Swimming pool - this is on the 4th floor. We used it nearly every day as we had blue skies and sunshine every day. The pool is really beautiful and surprisingly large. It's hard to tell you are in the middle of Bangkok! It's really well laid out, with a shallow pool for children. Lots of greenery, trees so you feel like it's a little oasis. There is also a garden and jogging track. I love to sunbathe, and there were plenty of sunbeds which had the sun all day. But there was also plenty of shaded areas for those who don't. Service by the pool was excellent - staff brought you as many towels as required and were quick with drinks and food. There is a restaurant attached to the pool area which serves light lunches/ snacks.
Spa/ gym - we went and had a good look at these, but didn't actually use these services. Spa is beautiful, gym small but more than adequate. They also had squash courts.
Concierge - as a previous reviewer found, we did not find the concierge helpful at all when we were asking for information for sightseeing etc. When we mentioned this to the manager of the Club Lounge, she was extremely symapthetic and did raise the issue with front desk management. From then on, we just asked the Club Lounge staff to assist us - which they did wonderfully. By way of recompense, the Club Lounge manager gave us free late checkout, which was great.
Would I return to this hotel? In an instant. Great location and facilities - would highly recommed the Royal Club Rooms - the Club Lounge alone makes it worth it.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Would I recommend this hotel to my best friend?
absolutely!
I recommend this hotel for:
Young singles, An amazing honeymoon, A romantic getaway, Girlfriend getaway, People with disabilities, Older travelers, Great pool scene, Families with young children, Families with teenagers, Tourists
I do not recommend this hotel for:
Pet owners
I selected this hotel as a top choice for:
Beach / Sun, Museums / Cultural / Historical sites, Shopping