Bangkok Hotels

[QUOTE=MRahul84;1599701]Any good neat & clean rooms near Nana plaza in range of 800-900 BT.

Need for 3 day stay. Gfriendly too.[/QUOTE]My Friend, Bangkok has something for every budget.

[URL]http://www.bangkokmag.infothai.com/bkkhotel400.htm[/URL]

[QUOTE=Bigatl164;1599895]Ok, but is it convenient to the entertainment? Not close to the BTS, need to use shuttle.[/QUOTE]Which Entertainment? If I was staying at Bally, I would take very short walk to corner of Soi 22 (7 Eleven) and catch motorcycle there to send me to BTS, Cowboy, Nana, Soi24/1 Massage, whatever. No real issue for me. Its probably close to 10 min walk to Asoke BTS / MRT (perhaps too much for many).

I am liking Grand Mercure right now. A bit closer to the BTS. Only 5 minutes walk to Cowboy or BTS. 70+ sq. M suite with kitchen and lounge and good B/F around 2800. Bally would be a lot cheaper I guess. Half the price, so a good deal, especially if you want to stay extended time, like a week or more.

For a well located mid priced (1800) Amora Neo Lux is not bad, but a standard room. For a similar price (slightly more) Asoke Residence offers very good size Junior Suite if don't mind close to Petchburi MRT station end of Asoke. I still found easy to get places with short Motorcycle ride, e. G. 5 minutes to Dr BJ. So I prefer it over Amora.

Admiral Premier has kitchenette type room for approx. 2400. But Grand Mercure is better and only slightly more expensive with current specials. Much better swimming pool for example, much larger room, excellent bathroom with separate shower and bath, and better breakfast. I even prefer this over Grand Millenium (smaller room).

Its always good to be located not too far from BTS and MRT Soi 24 and 33 MPs, Cowboy etc.

[QUOTE=Syzygies;1599960]Which Entertainment? If I was staying at Bally, I would take very short walk to corner of Soi 22 (7 Eleven) and catch motorcycle there to send me to BTS, Cowboy, Nana, Soi24/1 Massage, whatever. No real issue for me. Its probably close to 10 min walk to Asoke BTS / MRT (perhaps too much for many).[/QUOTE]I'm looking for a decent hotel with a reasonable rate. $50, $60 a night, close to any of the Red light Districts.

Hi all,

I will be traveling to Bangkok early August. I am staying at company expense so ready to experience some luxury hotel. Provided it is girl friendly hotel and not asking for supplement for the girl.

I would appreciate some advice on this preselection in the Sukhumwit area from ISG seniors.

1. Dream Bangkok Hotel.

2. Landmark Hotel.

3. Rembrandt Bangkok Hotel.

4. Bangkok Marriott hotel Sukhumwit.

5. S31 Sukhumwit.

6. Westin Grande.

7. Sheraton Grande Sukhumwit.

8. Grande Millenium Sukhumwit.

Best regards,

K.

[QUOTE=Kostaboda;1600217]Hi all,

I will be traveling to Bangkok early August. I am staying at company expense so ready to experience some luxury hotel. Provided it is girl friendly hotel and not asking for supplement for the girl.

I would appreciate some advice on this preselection in the Sukhumwit area from ISG seniors.

1. Dream Bangkok Hotel.

2. Landmark Hotel.

3. Rembrandt Bangkok Hotel.

4. Bangkok Marriott hotel Sukhumwit.

5. S31 Sukhumwit.

6. Westin Grande.

7. Sheraton Grande Sukhumwit.

8. Grande Millenium Sukhumwit.

Best regards,

K.[/QUOTE]With the exception of the Sheraton Grande, the Sofitel Sukhumvit is much nicer than all the hotels on your list. The Sheraton Grande and Sofitel are GF, as are virtually all hotels along Sukhumvit. You could also add the JW Marriott to your list. The Sofitel is a couple of years old. The JW Marriott and Sheraton Grande are much older.

[QUOTE=PaulKausch;1600220]With the exception of the Sheraton Grande, the Sofitel Sukhumvit is much nicer than all the hotels on your list. The Sheraton Grande and Sofitel are GF, as are virtually all hotels along Sukhumvit. You could also add the JW Marriott to your list. The Sofitel is a couple of years old. The JW Marriott and Sheraton Grande are much older.[/QUOTE]Can I ask why Grand Millenium is not so nice? Is it that rooms are too small?

[QUOTE=Syzygies;1600281]Can I ask why Grand Millenium is not so nice? Is it that rooms are too small?[/QUOTE]My now aren't we sarcastic.

Aggregate reviews on websites such as Agoda and Tripadvisor rank the Sofitel considerably higher than the Grand Millenium. Not that any of the 1100 people who reviewed the Sofitel and 1000 people who reviewed the Millenium know as much as you. ;)

Unless it's been recently refurbished, I think the Grand Millenium is showing it's age, as is the JW Marriott, which I also think is over-priced. The last time I was in the Sheraton Grande I thought it was also beginning to look dated; however, I understand they have refurbished the rooms. The Sofitel is about 2 years old, which is not enough time to get much wear and tear. Three weeks ago I returned from a three week stay there so I have had a lengthy and very recent experience. In general I find the Sofitel properties have very good amenities and provide excellent customer service. Also, I like the French.

P.S. I didn't write that the Grand Milleniun is not so nice. I wrote that in my opinion the Sofitel is nicer.

[QUOTE=JungleJon;1597382]I have been a fan of Marriott. I've been at hotels in the Starwood family (Aloft and Four Points), Marriott (Courtyard and Executive), and a not so familar name Frasier Suites on Soi 11. My favorite hotel is Courtyard. It is a bit far from Nana (I like to hang at NP), but not if you take the BTS. Executive is far from Nana, but you do have the BTS close by. Frasier offers suites with kitchens for a relatively low price. I've taken rooms for $70 USD. It is older and is quirky in service delivery. Currently I'm staying at Grand Sukhumvit by Accor. I'm getting a suite room for about $71 USD. It offers a great location on soi 6 (inbetween Annie's and Bamboo), but it is poorly managed.

I'm a collector of points so because I've been jumping around I use [URL]hotels.com[/URL] to book. It has its own loyalty program so I can build points across the various properties. On my next trip I thought about IBIS near Nana. I love the IBIS brand. Anyone have experience with the property? Is it girl friendly? All the hotels I've mentioned are girl friendly.[/QUOTE]Jungle.



Have you tried the Marriott serviced apartments on Soi 24?

I looked the other day for Dec bookings. Pricing was around $100 for a studio $115 or so for a 1 bedroom with breakfast for 2 included. The property is well kept, full kitchens & laundry, a great breakfast, is GF, and for me the location is good with the BTS and Emporium just down the street.

Not to mention several massage parlors.

Guido88.

[QUOTE=PaulKausch;1600320]My now aren't we sarcastic.

Aggregate reviews on websites such as Agoda and Tripadvisor rank the Sofitel considerably higher than the Grand Millenium. Not that any of the 1100 people who reviewed the Sofitel and 1000 people who reviewed the Millenium know as much as you. ;)

Unless it's been recently refurbished, I think the Grand Millenium is showing it's age, as is the JW Marriott, which I also think is over-priced. The last time I was in the Sheraton Grande I thought it was also beginning to look dated; however, I understand they have refurbished the rooms. The Sofitel is about 2 years old, which is not enough time to get much wear and tear. Three weeks ago I returned from a three week stay there so I have had a lengthy and very recent experience. In general I find the Sofitel properties have very good amenities and provide excellent customer service. Also, I like the French.

P.S. I didn't write that the Grand Milleniun is not so nice. I wrote that in my opinion the Sofitel is nicer.[/QUOTE]Paul,

No, I speak only straight with no sarcasm.

Its fine for you to say how great is the Sofitel, I don't have issue with that, but questioning what are the issues with others in particular GM which I have experience with. Your recommendation of the Sofitel as being much nicer comes across like the wealthy, looking down on very good Hotels, perhaps not the most outlandishly posh, at a slightly lower price. Do you always fly first class? (whoops, I am sneaking into something like irony). LOL.

The Grand Millenium is a relatively new Hotel in comparison to many others, so I have to question "showing its age"? Okay Its much older than 2 years now however I recall watching them build it 2007. You should be giving us your own honest opinions rather than trip advisor rankings, which can be affected by disgruntled customers. I don't see any reason to downgrade Hotels unless they have particular problems.

I am not claiming to be expert on all these Hotels, as I haven't tried them all. I have been at Grand Millenium. Failed to find anything less "nice" about it. My only problems with Grand Millenium were really that at such a bargain price, not everything was always included in that price. So I sometimes prefer cheaper all in Hotels.

So its an honest question about what makes some Hotels on your list less "nice". Surely not just "trip advisor" rankings? I thought you originally stated Sofitel and Sheraton were "much nicer". This seems to imply something is wrong with the other Hotels on the list, like there is something not so nice about them.

I would have thought, that when Grand Millenium is on special, it can be very good value for money indeed. Not necessary to pay Sheraton, Sofitel and JW Marriott prices.

[QUOTE=Bigatl164;1600041]I'm looking for a decent hotel with a reasonable rate. $50, $60 a night, close to any of the Red light Districts.[/QUOTE]Okay Amora Neo Lux is about your price and quite good. Ocean Livingstone has super bargain price right now more like $35. I think that may be unbeatable value for money. Maybe not as close as you desire but Cowboy is walkable (or quick Motorcycle ride). Solo Soi 2, Dawin, Tune, are good options. City Lodge Soi 19 is a budget place.

I still suggest there no reason why you need to be right on any particular red light district, within 1 km is okay For me. It doesn't cost much for a short motorcycle or taxi ride, or even skytrain or underground.

[QUOTE=Syzygies;1600517]I still suggest there no reason why you need to be right on any particular red light district, within 1 km is okay For me. It doesn't cost much for a short motorcycle or taxi ride, or even skytrain or underground.[/QUOTE]Thanks, I appreciate your advice. I will keep that in mind. Having said that, what would you recommend in this price range?

[QUOTE=Syzygies;]1600509]Paul,

No, I speak only straight with no sarcasm.[/QUOTE]The GM has generous 39 sqm rooms, about the same size as the SGS, Sofitel and JWM, and larger than the Landmark. I thought you were being sarcastic when you asked if the rooms were too small. By the way, I appreciate sarcasm.

I think the Sofitel is nicer in large part because it is newer; it's the newest 5-star hotel on that stretch of Sukhumvit. Hotels begin to show their age after 6 or 7 years, depending on how much and what type of use they get. In my opinion the rooms in the JWM and GM need refurbishing. I could say the same thing about the Intercontinental and the Shangri-La for that matter, but I'm not using them in the comparisons because of their locations. I would include the SGS on this list but I've been told it has been refurbished.

The Sofitel is a relatively inexpensive 5-star chain. The property on Sukhumvit is very reasonably priced. I just did a price comparison on Tripadvisor for December 2014, which quotes rates from multiple booking sites, and got the following: SGS US$157, JWM US$176, Sofitel Sukhumvit US$141 and Grand Millenium US$123. However, using my Le Club Accor membership I recently booked a two week stay at the Sofitel for US $112. All the big chains reward loyalty. They will offer a first time guest who signs up for their loyalty program about the same price as the best price you will find through the hotel booking sites; and after you have stayed a few times in one of their hotels you will get significantly lower rates. Booking far in advance also lowers the price.

I use Tripadvisor when I'm doing research. One thousand ratings, taken in aggregate, give a good idea of what people think of each property. Even the best hotels get a small number of disgruntled guest ratings. Poor hotels get a large number of poor ratings. I look at the aggregate numerical rating. I read a smattering of the reviews. It's not too hard to tell which poor reviews are written by disgruntled guests versus people who have valid complaints. Also, in December I had the Sofitel staff give me a tour of the property and based my decision to book it in June on my impressions from that tour. On this last trip I toured three more hotels, one for myself and two for a friend.

Bangkok hotels have very reasonable rates and large rooms. There are many excellent properties in the city. I think the Sofitel is nicer than the GM. That doesn't mean the GM is not nice. I think the Mandarin Oriental is nicer than the Sofitel. I'm not going to spend US $400 per night for a hotel room. I would pay a little more to stay at the Sofitel over the GM. All of the Bangkok properties we are discussing are much nicer than the Hong Kong hotel I booked for December. My room in the Hong Kong Ibis, a 3-star Accor hotel, will cost more than my room in the Sofitel. I could have stayed at a Novotel on Hong Kong Island, a 4-star Accor hotel property, but I don't think it's worth the additional expense. I have money to spend because I spend wisely and look for opportunities. I flew business class from LAX to HKG, but I booked a premium economy class seat because I thought it was worth the additional expense and I had a hunch I might be offered a free upgrade to business class. I would not have paid for a business class seat. I might use miles to get a free upgrade to business class. I'm more likely to use miles to get a free economy ticket. As for first class, I'd have to be much wealthier than I am before I'd spend that much for a plane ticket, and even then I probably wouldn't. I have the means to afford a few luxuries because I have worked hard, invested wisely and live beneath my means. A luxury has to have good value before I'll spend my money on it.

[QUOTE=Kostaboda;1600217]
1. Dream Bangkok Hotel.
K.[/QUOTE]I am not sure how high end it is but I have stayed there a couple of times and can recommend it.

Just to chime in, the Sofitel is indeed substantially posher than all the hotels on that list. It is less overpriced than the JW Marriott and the Sheraton, although its rates have been creeping up. The Sheraton has great service and spacious rooms, but most of them have not been refurbished yet. The Westin's rates have been inching down, in line with the age of its rooms. In general I find Starwood hotels in BKK have been priced above market for the past 2 years. For the $112 mentioned by Paul the Sofitel would be a no brainer in that price range, however it has been closer to $150 lately.

The OP was asking about the new Marriott Sukhumvit on Soi 55, not the JW. That hotel is a bit of an outlier, as during periods of low occupancy it shows up on wotif and latestays as a mystery hotel around THB2200-2400 all in, making it a great deal compared to the quality of the room, if you can accept its location. However its rates shoot up as soon as occupancy inches up.

One of my regulars liked its standard rooms best of all the ones she's met me in, including the Sofitel, Conrad, both Hiltons, and Westin, because of the large circular tub next to a window and probably because the huge open-plan bathroom's mirror allowed her to take (rather good I must say) selfies which have been up on her FB page for now over a semester!

About the Intercontinental: its rooms have been refurbished again recently, and are in excellent shape, almost as posh-feeling as the Sofitel. However it is also way overpriced, and I cannot fathom why its new 50" Sharp TV's are fed a VCD-grade analog signal.

[QUOTE=PaulKausch;1600220]With the exception of the Sheraton Grande, the Sofitel Sukhumvit is much nicer than all the hotels on your list. The Sheraton Grande and Sofitel are GF, as are virtually all hotels along Sukhumvit. You could also add the JW Marriott to your list. The Sofitel is a couple of years old. The JW Marriott and Sheraton Grande are much older.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Brandt;1600918]Just to chime in, the Sofitel is indeed substantially posher than all the hotels on that list. It is less overpriced than the JW Marriott and the Sheraton, although its rates have been creeping up.[/QUOTE]Thanks for the up to date information about which hotels have refurbished rooms. I guess my friend was lucky and got one of the new rooms at the SGS. Regarding prices at the Starwood properties, as I recall the rates at the SGS were significantly lower three or four years ago than they are today. It's good to know that the Intercontinental has updated the rooms, not that I'd stay there, even though I belong to the IHG Rewards Club. Too expensive for me.

When I stayed at the Sofitel in June the room rate was $111 per night. I did not use any of my Le Club Accor points to get that rate. I was able to get a free upgrade from a standard to a club room. This is another benefit of belonging to a hotels loyalty program. I was only able to get the $112 room rate for December only after using several thousand reward points to get that rate. I wonder if I will get the free room upgrade during high season.