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[QUOTE=Mouse1;1143748]For various complicated reasons I mostly use Agoda (credit card statement does not name hotel or location and price appears in GBP) , plus they are normally amongst the cheapest. When I have rarely had to change plans they have been exceptionally helpful, either by email or helpline.[/QUOTE]Agoda and Booking. Com are both owned by Priceline
[QUOTE=Natty Bumpo;1143632]This was exactly my reaction when I first checked into AP in February. I had made reservations for one of the Grand Suites (55sq meters) and I specifically requested a high floor. They gave me a Grand Suite on the 2nd floor with a beautiful view of a Condo parking lot a few feet away. I complained politely at check in, but was told there was nothing they could do because they were booked solid. I put up with it for 5 days, but I did not like the room even though everything else about the hotel was fine. Free WiFi and complimentary breakfasts were a plus. The room was spacious and I liked having an entertainment room that was separate from the bed room. The view from the windows was depressing however, like a basement apartment. I kept the curtains drawn.[/QUOTE]I got upgraded (no extra charge) to Grand Suite and was on 2nd floor. The girls seemed impressed by the 55 Sq m and didn't look out the window at all. Wasn't worried about the lack of view at all, as was working on Computer when in room, or screwing or sleeping, and otherwise spent time outside. Bedroom had a massive mirror, not that it was that much use other than checking out if my waistline was making any progress in the right direction. Forgot to position the girl correctly to get porno views. :(
I would say that higher floors are definitely better for the limited view. I am quite satisfied that it is hard to do better than this for the price. Bed is not quite as soft as I would like. Other weakness is shower over bath and no seperate shower booth. This is not a big deal if water drains correctly rather than flooding the floor.
No Hotel is total perfection in this price bracket. We have to be realistic. The Grand Millenium is better with fantastic bed mattresses for a higher price but then you have to start paying for extras like internet, DVD player, and get the normal shitty little fridge.
[QUOTE=NicFrenchy;1143823]Agoda and Booking.Com are both owned by Priceline[/QUOTE]I'm sure you are right. And?
[QUOTE=Mouse1;1143748]For various complicated reasons I mostly use Agoda (credit card statement does not name hotel or location and price appears in GBP) , plus they are normally amongst the cheapest. When I have rarely had to change plans they have been exceptionally helpful, either by email or helpline.[/QUOTE]I use Agoda too, as can get a refund if change plans (not that often) and give 24 hours notice. I would say Agoda's weakness is not including the tax surcharges in the quoted price. That is where Wotif is better (they don't include the booking fee) , but they often have "no refund" conditions attached to their deals. I am willing to look at booking.com to see if they are price competitive and give instant confirmation of bookings. I can't tolerate some sites that take too much time to confirm if can get a room or not.
On occasions recently, Agoda's Hotel pages have had redirection errors that made it impossible to get the rates for a particular hotel and book it. E. G. Admiral Premier. Was frustrating. Kept asking to enter my dates when had already done so and would redirect me to all Bangkok Hotels list again.
Guys,
Just to cut the Crap on who's cheaper and where to get what, just go to:
[url]www.wego.com[/url]
I just checked for the Admiral Premier: [url]http://www.wego.com/hotels/thailand/bangkok/20110429/20110504/4247973[/url]
[QUOTE=NicFrenchy; 1143941]Guys,
Just to cut the Crap on who's cheaper and where to get what, just go to:
[url]www.wego.com[/url]
I just checked for the Admiral Premier:
[url]http://www.wego.com/hotels/thailand/bangkok/20110429/20110504/4247973[/url][/QUOTE]It's a great idea, but for what it's worth it doesn't seem to find my current favorite hotel, Boss Suites.
I'm paying 1100 + taxes through Agoda (total about 1500) , and it was similar or slightly less through Bookings. Com.
The advantage for me is that Agoda doesn't identify the hotel on your credit card statement (and you can charge in your home currency) , plus you are awarded points which rack up quite quickly for a good discount.
I have been a great fan of Wotif, but I find it generally more expensive than Agoda.
I just spent a couple of nights at Le Meridien Hotel on Surawong Road. I would rate this hotel 4++ stars (with a 5 being subjectively unattainable in BKK it seems).
Very nice hotel all around. Great breakfast buffet. Friendly helpful staff. Good chocolate. ;)
Le Meridien is almost directly across the street from the Patpong entertainment district, and is directly across from JC Massage.
Although I was with a friend, for future reference (for the Team), I checked with the concierge and the hotel is guest friendly. They don't even check IDs unless you want them to.
I booked the "secret deal" on Wotif the morning of the first night. 3500 baht per night (including breakfast for two).
[QUOTE=NicFrenchy;1143735]@1, 800 thb. What did you expect? The Shangri La? .[/QUOTE]Hmm I guess you have a point there. But I wasn't asking for a valet box, just a mirror would be nice.
The lack of view I'm realizing I can live with. As Syzig mentioned, at the end of the day, you are not looking out that much, what with all the things to do inside the room ;)
[QUOTE=Syzygies;1143854]I got upgraded (no extra charge) to Grand Suite[/QUOTE]What did you do to get that? Do tell!
Coming from Europe, I suck at tipping.
Tipping in hotels.
How do you do it?
When do you do it?
How much do you give?
Do you tip people early? On a daily basis?
How do you tip front desk people, who are often the most helpful and the most able to help and affect your stay, but who are usually in a team of 2 or 3 or 4? How do you tip discreetly without them losing face or getting in trouble?
Fire away your hotel tipping tips, please!
[QUOTE=Chill Out;1144250]Hmm I guess you have a point there. But I wasn't asking for a valet box, just a mirror would be nice.[/QUOTE]I put a smiley in My original post to make sure you got the fact that I was teasing. But the smiley did not appear, did not mean to be rude.
For me, I usually (when on business) not stay in places below 4, 000 thb, I am used to the service and amenities.
Actually, the 2 places I stayed at in Bangkok below 4, 000 thb were:
1. The Solo Hotel sukh. Soi 2 (I loved it there, but the room was small) Paid 1, 800 including Breakfast.
2. Town Lodge Sukh. Soi 18 (same as Toxic Club). Paid 2, 500 for their Jacuzzi suite and it was quite nice
[QUOTE=Chill Out;1144253]Fire away your hotel tipping tips, please![/QUOTE]Oh Lord. Tipping is always a touchy subject LOL.
As far as I am concerned, I don't tip the Front desk unless they do something special for me.
I tip Luggage porters 100 thb, Waiters 100 thb, and if I plan on bringing girls and being naughty, I also tip the Security guard)
[QUOTE=NicFrenchy;1144262]As far as I am concerned, I don't tip the Front desk unless they do something special for me.[/QUOTE]But how? I got them to give me an extra lamp yesterday. It took them some effort. I would have liked to tip, I just didn't know how. It seemed rude to slap a note on the desk. There was no way to pass a note without the rest of the staff noticing and I didn't know if that was ok.
Tipping front desk folks seems especially useful because they control the upgrades...
[QUOTE=NicFrenchy;1144262]I tip Luggage porters 100 thb, Waiters 100 thb, and if I plan on bringing girls and being naughty, I also tip the Security guard)[/QUOTE]Interesting. Isn't 100 baths quite a high tip for say luggage guys? I would have thought 50 or even 20 would be more standard.
I did tip 100 to my floor room staff after my 5th request for fresh towels yesterday...;)
As always, I appreciate all the input!
[QUOTE=Chill Out;1144253]... Tipping in hotels...[/QUOTE]
NicFrenchy already indicated some good tips (pun intended). I will add that it also depends on your hotel category. For instance, I am a bit less generous than NicFrenchy, but nowadays, I usually stay in much cheaper hotels than him. So, my tips are about half his (that's 40 or 50 baht for the luggage porters for instance, a bit more if my luggage are really heavy or numerous).
I always tip the security guard(s) at least once at the beginning of my stay (the amount depends on the length of my stay, among other criteria, but 100 or 200 baht is already a good tip to begin with). I might tip him/them again during my sojourn if he is/they are particularly helpful.
For the front desk, it really depends. If they have been helpful, I tip them at the end of my stay (again, it depends on many criteria, but a few hundreds is enough usually for the whole desk staff to share between them). I also tip the maids (for instance, if I need some extra towels...) reasonably (about 50 baht usually per maid for a whole short stay).
[QUOTE=Chill Out;1144271]But how? I got them to give me an extra lamp yesterday. It took them some effort. I would have liked to tip, I just didn't know how. It seemed rude to slap a note on the desk. There was no way to pass a note without the rest of the staff noticing and I didn't know if that was ok...[/QUOTE]
If you are not comfortable with directly giving some money to the person who helped you (it's not a problem in Thailand usually, but I can understand your embarrassment), you might offer this person a (reasonable) gift, or something for the whole desk staff at the end of your stay. For instance, good quality chocolates are (relatively) expensive in Thailand, and are usually much appreciated by the locals.
Noted on the chocolate or gift idea, thanks. There is a similar "gift culture" going on in China so you can give stuff without them losing face (one of the reasons why luxury watches sell so well! Greasing the wheels for business deals...)
For hotels, I would rather go with money though. I don't want to spend time shopping and carrying stuff for hotel staff if I can avoid it. I can see it being a good idea (on top of cash maybe) if you are a regular in a given hotel, for that special touch, but not in my current situation.
So how do you give a few hundreds to the frontdesk for example? Describe the process in painstaking detail, please! ;) I have no problem adapting to cultures, so if you tell me it's perfectly a-ok to slap it on the desk and say "here you go buddy", then I'll do that twice and be comfortable with it. I just need to know how and I'll get in the groove.
One more question: why tip the security guards? I don't need them to avoid LBs (until that fateful day when I'll be proven wrong ;) ) and so far I've had 0 physical drama with girls, not even a hint of anything that would require security assistance.