Bangkok Hotels

[QUOTE=El Greco]Ibis at soi Nana

I was in the area and went to check it out.

Shining brand new.

Actually not all the rooms are open yet. Very modern with small LCD tv and bathroom

Tiny rooms about 15-18 m2 I guess. Girl friendly for one, charges for the second girl if any. Small charge for the internet too.

[url]http://www.accorhotels.com/gb/hotel-7295-ibis-bangkok-nana/index.shtml[/url]

Baht 1.000 - 1.200. Breakfast is extra[/QUOTE]

Thanks El Greco. I will book a room for a couple of night to see if I like it. I don't have a problem with small space as long as it is functional and clean. Being new, I am sure they are spotless. Most hotels I used in Bangkok are always near perfect when new and start to deteriorate due to poor or improper maintaince-nothing I hate more than the mold growing in the grout join in the bath room.

[QUOTE=El Greco]Small charge for the internet too.
[url]http://www.accorhotels.com/gb/hotel-7295-ibis-bangkok-nana/index.shtml[/url]
Baht 1.000 - 1.200. Breakfast is extra[/QUOTE]

I can live with extra for breakfast, but I refuse to live at a hotel that charges extra for internet... I can't understand why the do this to theirseles. I think most people today bring their laptops and likes to use internet while beeing indoors.. and would not like to pay extra for that, as many hotels has internet service included.

It's an easy choice to make.. The LL charges 1800 bht for their cheapest option, internet and breakfast are included.. so how much is the difference in price. OK... If it's a must to live close to NEP of course... But there are several other hotels with internet and/or breakfast included situated closer..

Just my point of view

[QUOTE=Dextro Sol]I can live with extra for breakfast, but I refuse to live at a hotel that charges extra for internet... I can't understand why the do this to theirseles. I think most people today bring their laptops and likes to use internet while beeing indoors.. and would not like to pay extra for that, as many hotels has internet service included.

It's an easy choice to make.. The LL charges 1800 bht for their cheapest option, internet and breakfast are included.. so how much is the difference in price. OK... If it's a must to live close to NEP of course... But there are several other hotels with internet and/or breakfast included situated closer..

Just my point of view[/QUOTE]
the hotel charges on internet would require a whole forum!
Go figure: I travel worldwide mainly for business in tons of hotels from 3 to 5 stars. Sometime it is free sometime you pay 5€ other times 12€....up to 18€ (peak I ever paid) for the same damn 24hrs access to the internet that is always the same all over the world! If I pay 5€ (or I have it for free) I have the same capacities when I pay 18€!
The same chain offers free internet in the USA and then overbills you in Europe...again, for the same damnd internet access.
Sometime I get furious...but I pay: they know that and they keep on charging! New income in a new economy! If I ever find the guy that some 15/20 years stated "internet is free!!!" I have something to tell him, now!

[QUOTE=Dextro Sol]I can live with extra for breakfast, but I refuse to live at a hotel that charges extra for internet... I can't understand why the do this to theirseles. I think most people today bring their laptops and likes to use internet while beeing indoors.. and would not like to pay extra for that, as many hotels has internet service included.


Just my point of view[/QUOTE]
I agree, internet is not a luxury, it's a necessity and hotels would be more appealing if they included internet service in the basic room rate. Majestic Grande and the Hyatt Hotel are two of the better Hotels in BKK but I refuse to stay at either one of them anymore because of their excessive and incessant internet charge. The good news though is that there are many hotels including the smaller ones offering free internet service so there's no need to pay extra for that service.

[QUOTE=Run Mann]I agree, internet is not a luxury, it's a necessity and hotels would be more appealing if they included internet service in the basic room rate. [/QUOTE]

I agree, in 2009, the hotels NOT offering internet access as a FREE part of their services will no longer be the hotels of choice

[QUOTE=Dextro Sol]I can live with extra for breakfast, but I refuse to live at a hotel that charges extra for internet... I can't understand why the do this to theirseles. I think most people today bring their laptops and likes to use internet while beeing indoors.. and would not like to pay extra for that, as many hotels has internet service included.

It's an easy choice to make.. The LL charges 1800 bht for their cheapest option, internet and breakfast are included.. so how much is the difference in price. OK... If it's a must to live close to NEP of course... But there are several other hotels with internet and/or breakfast included situated closer..

Just my point of view[/QUOTE]

Agree with you. I don't care about breakfast because I very rarely have it but I do care about internet too.

I didn't say I was staying there. I only went to check it out and was trying to help a fellow monger asking questions about it.

Citidines Soi 23.... OK construction is going on, the pool is closed and they put temporary fitness center in the parking garage... A decent place, a tad of a hike but easy access if only going to Cowboy. They did register my guest but they did not register the second guest. So confused how this works. However... found out our bed squeaks like an SOB and there was no hot water first day...

Went down to the front desk to ask them to change the bed out and standing in front of me was a guy complaining about noise from the next door room of a bed squeaking all night long. So smiling like the SOB I am I go to the next front desk lady and ask her to send maintenance up to the room to oil the bed or take it out as it squeaked all night long.

The guy looked at me grinning ear to ear and just walked off. Still waiting on the bed to be fixed or take the damn bottom part out, it was annoying as all bloody hell last night.

[QUOTE=NicFrenchy]I agree, in 2009, the hotels NOT offering internet access as a FREE part of their services will no longer be the hotels of choice[/QUOTE]
but at the end most of travellers will go in those hotels and pay (as I pay) those awful rates...:( I am not so sure the consumer will win, I am afraid.
Unless one starts to decline to go there saying "would be nice to check in at your place, but your internet charges turn me off"...
How many of us will do it on regular basis?

Hi Bob,

The Ibis is quite good. Nice clean interior, spanking new and best of all, free wifi internet but you have to book through agoda. It's chargeable otherwise.
I paid USD28 per night. No breakfast, no free newspaper but who cares right...

The only thing i hate was the small shower. You won't be able to get the girl to join you in there. And talking about girls, they don't bother me when i brought one back.

I'm not sure about the other hotel in Soi 4 area but i'm satisfied with Ibis.

Hope this helps.

Cheers.

[QUOTE=Butthole]Hi Bob,

The Ibis is quite good. Nice clean interior, spanking new and best of all, free wifi internet but you have to book through agoda. It's chargeable otherwise.
I paid USD28 per night. No breakfast, no free newspaper but who cares right...

The only thing i hate was the small shower. You won't be able to get the girl to join you in there. And talking about girls, they don't bother me when i brought one back.

I'm not sure about the other hotel in Soi 4 area but i'm satisfied with Ibis.

Hope this helps.

Cheers.[/QUOTE]

Butthole,
Thanks for clarification about the free internet (I book all my travel with Agoda now as they have the best price I found among all the Asian Hotel website). I agree with all ISG members here that free internet is a basic requirement for a hotel stay.

[QUOTE=Bionicman]
How many of us will do it on regular basis?[/QUOTE]

I do it all the time. No Internet = I change hotels

Oh yeah... ISG website is not accessible using this hotel's internet. :(

[QUOTE=Bionicman]but at the end most of travellers will go in those hotels and pay (as I pay) those awful rates...:( I am not so sure the consumer will win, I am afraid.
Unless one starts to decline to go there saying "would be nice to check in at your place, but your internet charges turn me off"...
How many of us will do it on regular basis?[/QUOTE]
This is similar to the joiner fees issue; consumers will win if they pass on that hotel that insists on charging for internet. If you want to change any system you have to start by not accepting the norm. Some hotels now even offer internet stations with computers to their customers because they recognize it is a basic necessity.

Citidines Soi 23... is definitely not as good in terms of service staff as Citidines Soi 11 and 23 is farther from the BTS station then 11 is. The only good thing about location is that it is near cowboy, however I have not been one time yet to cowboy this trip.

Soi 23... take an ID of every girl every time even though it is day time... And they flash out my file of attached ID pages for every new girl and it's like a friggin record book, they are not discrete at all. I have two girls I've seen a few times and they go through the same procedure the same time and they see the entire book of my history every time. It was starting to [url=http://isgprohibitedwords.info?CodeWord=CodeWord140][CodeWord140][/url] me off. At Soi 11 the staff applauds when you are switching girls in the middle of the night :)

No hot water, replace the hot water unit, the shower drain clog up and no staff to fix until next day, the bed squeaked like an SOB and they would not remove it so I turned it up against the window and put the mat on the floor. Yesterday they did not want to make up the room until 5:45 pm... I had the door locked as I was in a joiner session and then a phone call comes if I not open door htey not clean my room as they go home at 6 pm... I said bloody hell you had all friggin day to clean this now I'm shagging and you will wait.

Today I got them to clean up early and they want to charge extra to clean again and for extra towels. Soi 11, they were full up but cleaned the room multiple times a day, changed towels and sheets whenever etc... Just the entire feel of Soi 23 is against you where as Soi 11 Citidines was welcoming.

Oh.. construction right above my room and they say they will finish on my check out day, but as of now, it's loud as hell.

So for me, the three things I need when I travel and in a room is 1) a nice clean bed (this one was noisy as hell) so Strike 1... 2) a clean bathroom that works... Strike 2... 3) some peace if you want it to rest in day STRIKE 3... To add to it, they treated my guests (and the members that know me know I do not take home skank or sluts or such) with disdain which I will not tolerate.

Citidines Soi 23 did not make the cut this trip. Citidines Soi 11 passed with flying colors and went above and beyond for same price. Due to traffic, from Soi 33, the taxi is the same as to Soi 23 late at night, due to walking Soi 11 is closer to BTS, and at Soi 11 you have more options of where to monger where as Soi 23 you are pretty much limited to Cowboy area.

[QUOTE=Bob1000]Butthole,
Thanks for clarification about the free internet (I book all my travel with Agoda now as they have the best price I found among all the Asian Hotel website). I agree with all ISG members here that free internet is a basic requirement for a hotel stay.[/QUOTE]

Having tried em all, I can say that Asiatravel definitely has some of the best rates when comparing the whole packages, which usually include Breakfast and Internet, whereas Agoda packages are often devoid of inclusive breakfast etc. I gave up using them on that basis alone.

In order to get more details I use booking.com for reviewing hotels as they give very explicit details on internet charges for most of their arrangements.

Asiarooms and Tripadvisor have the best impartial reviews from customers too.

Armed with a combination of info from all these sites I will make my reservation to suit requirements, however two of them are most definitely FREE WiFi and inclusive Buffet Breakfast.

Given present downturn in business etc I have recently contacted the Hotels directly and been able to nail a deal with a price as good as the cheapest website and inclusive of my WiFi and breakfast requirements too.

Recently I chose a Hotel that I knew charged for WiFi, however I really wanted to stay there for other reasons. Whilst checking in I asked if Internet was free, when told there would be a small charge, I said I would cancel my 5 nights and only stay one - I was then given a free WiFi Login and Password with seemingly indefinite life !! (No, I only give it to trusted friends - dont ask cos its in Samui anyway)

There are always ways round it, including standing with ones laptop at the window and knobbing a WiFi signal from elsewhere if necessary, however stealing breakfast requires more persuasive powers. Usually a good 500 Baht tip will do it in buffet style places, then you can often eat with the rest of em throughout your stay.

Wearing Good shoes sometimes helps too :)

Cheers, FF