Will arrive 11/09 late night (11pm) at the new airport in BKK and transit out the very next morning (9am). I don't think going into town for a few hours is a good idea.

Any suggestions???
Are there any *A lounges, or pay lounges that are open?
Thanks.

There are "day-rooms" which have just opened and are quite expensive:
Standard Room
4 Hours: 2,000 THB
6 Hours: 3,000 THB
8 Hours: 4,000 THB
10 Hours: 5,000 THB
12 Hours: 6,000 THB

Suite
4 Hours: 3,200 THB
6 Hours: 4,800 THB
8 Hours: 6,400 THB
10 Hours: 8,000 THB
12 Hours: 9,600 THB

More here (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=610646).

And there's a guest house with a pool about 5 km from the airport in Bangpli which only charges 350 Baht for an A/C room (500 Baht for a "superior" room): Sananwan Palace (http://bangpli.com/sananwan.htm)

There is a Novotel (http://www.novotel.com/novotel/fichehotel/gb/nov/6183/fiche_hotel.shtml)at the airport.

There is a Novotel (http://www.novotel.com/novotel/fichehotel/gb/nov/6183/fiche_hotel.shtml)at the airport.

I've read some dreadful reviews of this new property, mostly concerning incompetent check-ins. I'm arriving late on 11/7, are there any other options somewhat nearby? My flight to Phuket the next day is not until 10:45 the next morning.

And there's a guest house with a pool about 5 km from the airport in Bangpli which only charges 350 Baht for an A/C room (500 Baht for a "superior" room): Sananwan Palace (http://bangpli.com/sananwan.htm)


Has anyone stayed here? What about meals? Is it nicer than the price would indicate? It looks okay in the photo. I will be traveling through BK in November, arriving on a Friday afternoon, spending one night in BK and most of the next day, flying out at 6pm. I liked staying at the Rama Gardens at the old airport, especially enjoying the breakfast and areas for walking, but am a little befuddled by figuring out what is around that I would both enjoy and feel safe at.

What about the hotels listed as "Airport - nearby Suvarnabhumi" on Sawadee ?
http://www.sawadee.com/hotels/bangkok.html

How difficult would it be for a first timer to get to those places by taxi ?

Thanks,
Yann

I've read some dreadful reviews of this new property, mostly concerning incompetent check-ins. RK7 -

Where, please, did you read those reviews?
Since Novotel at BKK airport is valuable for transit travellers, learning more about it would be important.

Thank you.

- Peter
.

What about the hotels listed as "Airport - nearby Suvarnabhumi" on Sawadee ?
http://www.sawadee.com/hotels/bangkok.html
How difficult would it be for a first timer to get to those places by taxi ?It shouldn't be very difficult or far by taxi, but it is advisable to print out the Thai language directions/address (if available on the website) or ask the hotel to email or fax Thai language instructions as there is no certainty that the taxi driver will know where the hotel is.

Has anyone stayed here? What about meals? Is it nicer than the price would indicate? It looks okay in the photo. I will be traveling through BK in November, arriving on a Friday afternoon, spending one night in BK and most of the next day, flying out at 6pm. I liked staying at the Rama Gardens at the old airport, especially enjoying the breakfast and areas for walking, but am a little befuddled by figuring out what is around that I would both enjoy and feel safe at.
I wonder if this place is at Lat 13.604714°, Lon 100.715338° viewed on Google Earth. If so, one concern I would have is that it may be on the flight path to/from BKK. For anyone who has stayed at the Comfort Suites at the old BKK, you know that can make for a restless night. Bring earplugs.

On the other hand, the price and distances are right. And it beats going all the way into town when all you want is a couple of hours rest. I wouldn't be too concerned about the price being too low for something decent. Once you're out of tourist central in Thailand, prices like these are pretty representative. The toilet may even be western. The canal may be a bit stinky.

It would be helpful to know if there's a 7/11 or Family Mart close by that sells cheap SIMs, another traveller's essential. The local Mooyin restaurant looks promising since their website is all in Thai. Looks like it's time for a recon trip.

It would be helpful to know if there's a 7/11 or Family Mart close by ... Not so much an "if" but more of a "which one is closer."

RK7 -

Where, please, did you read those reviews?
Since Novotel at BKK airport is valuable for transit travellers, learning more about it would be important.Thank you.- Peter
.

I saw them at Trip Advisor (http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g293916-d614241-Reviews-Novotel_Suvarnabhumi_Airport-Bangkok.html) e.g.: My check-in (around 6:00p.m.) was processed smoothly, but check-out at 6:00a.m. was a bit of hassle. There were about a dozen people waiting, in three seperate queues, and I had to wait for 30 min. before my turn came. Some people, afraid of missing their flights, started to shout at the hotel staff.
I've also run across the Grand Inn Come Hotel (http://www.r24.org/thailand1x1.com/bangkok/grandinncome/pictures/) which does not look quite as opulent as the Novotel, it looks to be fairly close to the new airport.

Thanks for the link to the reviews! I am also wondering if the tunnel from BKK to the hotel is open yet? I hope to avoid the shuttle bus, so I hope it will be done soon. We have reservations at the hotel on November 23 and November 29. I hope someone can update us as th ework progresses and the staff gets used to all the new systems.
Kate

Thank you all for the suggestions. ^
Does anyone know if any of the Star Alliance lounges are open 24 hours?
I'm hoping Thai Airways has at least 1 lounge open all night. They have several there, but could not find their hours of operations on the website.
Thanks again.

...
I've also run across the Grand Inn Come Hotel (http://www.r24.org/thailand1x1.com/bangkok/grandinncome/pictures/) which does not look quite as opulent as the Novotel, it looks to be fairly close to the new airport.
If the map is to be believed, the hotel is about 1.3km to the west of the western runway, maybe at Lat 13.677790°. Lon 100.722396°. This is one of those areas where Google Earth has low resolution.

The Sanawan Palace hotel, also discussed in this thread, is about 8km further south. Grand Inn Come looks pretty good for THB1150 nett, especially the 24 hour restaurant. Closing early was always a problem with the cheapo airport hotels by old-BKK.

If the map is to be believed, the hotel is about 1.3km to the west of the western runway, maybe at Lat 13.677790°. Lon 100.722396°. This is one of those areas where Google Earth has low resolution.

The Sanawan Palace hotel, also discussed in this thread, is about 8km further south. Grand Inn Come looks pretty good for THB1150 nett, especially the 24 hour restaurant. Closing early was always a problem with the cheapo airport hotels by old-BKK.

Thanks, RJH. I think I will try the Grand Inn Come--I mean it can't be more than a 5 minute cab ride, can it? Why pay more for bad service at the Novotel.

Thanks, RJH. I think I will try the Grand Inn Come--I mean it can't be more than a 5 minute cab ride, can it? ...
You may want to see if you can get their address in Thai (with a map in Thai) for the cab driver.

If I don't beat you there, please try to report back on how you like this place. Especially if the Thai karakoe is decent. Oh yeah, and whether the 7/11 or Family Mart is closer.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=88328

Thanks, RJH. I think I will try the Grand Inn Come--I mean it can't be more than a 5 minute cab ride, can it? Why pay more for bad service at the Novotel. It's about 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) from the airport. Here's a discussion about it (http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/lofiversion/index.php/t86063.html).

Ok, the devolved knowledge from the posts is that the Grand Come Inn is further in transit time than, say, the Sananwan.

The distance estimates for Grand Come Inn and Sananwan make sense if you take the southern route out of the airport, Th Thorani Wiphak, toward highway 34, the Bang Na-Trat road. Then it's a short shot to Sananwan, which is another 3km south near the Samrong canal. This place is more my style, anyway. Though there's isn't a 24 hour restaurant, hey, it's Thailand, so some street vendor is selling something decent a poh piah throw away. Maybe in between the Family Mart and the 7/11.

To get to Grand Come Inn, whether you exit north or south, you have to travel west to highway 3256, Th King Kaeo, and then go north to the hotel. So, while it appears to be physically closer to the airport, it's further by the route one must take to get there. This assumes there's no western route to the terminal area, though something shows, maybe a service road, on Google Earth imagery.

This is all based on the helpful posts on FT and elsewhere, the pretty terrible hotel maps, the PN map of Bangkok, and what I can surmise from Google Earth. It's not been field validated, which I plan to do as soon as I can get my Thai karaoke pipes in tune with the help of some Beer Chang.

How does one book a day room at the airport?

I have a flight in on 11/25 that arrives 1 am and departs 7 am - and I do not want to leave the airport so I'm not at all price sensitive.

RK7 -

Where, please, did you read those reviews?
Since Novotel at BKK airport is valuable for transit travellers, learning more about it would be important.

Thank you.

- Peter
.


My wifes friend had a friend who stayed there recently and had the following experience.

She had a reservation for a set amount (cant remember the exact amount) but when she showed up (about 9pm I think) and gave them her confirmation they said she did not have a reservation. It was very late and and she was so tired and having an early flight the next day she accepted the rate they offered at something like 50% more than she had actually reserved. She then went to check out at something like 4AM for her early flight out the next day and they told her there would be a surcharge for early check out. Huh?? She argued but to no avail. I still dont know why she paid that fee but when she told us the story I just couldnt believe it.

The reservation thing I can understand (who know if the travel agent etc didnt screw up so I would have given them the benefit of the doubt on that one, maybe) but checking out at 4am is not a reason to charge an early departure fee. My wifes friend is Thai so no language barrier involved...just poor service on their part.

I know this is second hand info as it didnt happen to me but my wifes friend isnt smart enough to make something like this up. :D

Grand Inn Come:

Inn Come Traditional Thai Massage ::
Let out professional masseuses treat and pamper your stiff and stressed.

Is this a short-time or long-time establishment? :eek:

My wifes friend had a friend who stayed there recently and had the following experience.Normally I wouldn't reply to hearsay like that, but mcgahat may be on to something ...

they said she did not have a reservation. ... she accepted the rate they offered at something like 50% more than she had actually reserved. She then went to check out at something like 4AM for her early flight out the next day and they told her there would be a surcharge for early check out. Huh?? This is the second time in the past two weeks that I've heard this same story, but at two different hotels in Bangkok.
The first time was a friend of mine, who is here now, on his third trip to Thailand, so he's not a beginner.
Different hotel made similar claim of no reservation so extra charge ... "hotel policy".
And, at checkout the next morning, another similar claim of additional surcharge ... "hotel policy".
His experience was at the Grand President Hotel in Sukhumvit 11.

At this point, it's just more hearsay, but, what a coincidence!

Is this a new scam gimmick among Bangkok hotels?
I don't have enough information yet to know.
If it is, then travelers to the Novotel at the airport would be particularly vulnerable.

Does anyone have more information?

- Peter
.

I am eagerly awaiting further reports. We made reservations at teh BKK airport Novotel for November, thinking it would be more convenient; however, I have nonrefundable reservations near the old airport, so we will have a fallback position.
Kate

My wifes friend had a friend who stayed there recently and had the following experience.

She had a reservation for a set amount ( :D

By recently, you do mean after Sept 28th? Not doubting your statement, just that as it is 3rd hand that there might have been confusion over the timing, and thus the actual location?

Before the 28th (or thereabouts), she'd have been talking about the old BKK airport, and the other hotel next to the airport, where there were lots of reports of similar issues, and their pricing was, shall we say, aggressive in taking advantage of their proximity.

I'd hope that a Novotel at the new location wouldn't have the same issues, but as they are also starting up it may take a while to get the folk experience and processes down.

As for me, I always take a printout of the confirmed e-mail reservation/page printout and pricing with me to the hotel. If there are further problems, it's easy to just reverse the credit card charge until they can sort out the issues.

And since my hotel reservation (for new BKK Novotel ) was made during the airport transition period,
I'm planning to e-mail them again a week before I leave, just to make sure.

I'd never expect things to be perfect when a new hotel is starting up, and an entire airport is moving to a new location!

Also, Caveat Emptor. Remember that lots of smaller hotels miles from the airport are jockeying for business among a confused folk trying to discover the lay of the new land. Common to spread dis-information about the competitors on site until enough reviews come onto the web.

It's all a matter of if the price difference offsets the taxi cost/time. The Novotel price structure on the Web is significantly more reasonable than the old BKK's onsite hotel... and the advantage in pricing by offsite hotels is much, much less, from what I can see.

This is probably the best 3 star hotel deal in the New Airport area

http://www.asiarooms.com/thailand/bangkok/avana.html

The total rate inc ABF is less than Breakfast for 2 at The Peninsular :D

Hotels own site http://www.avanahotel.com/index.php

The Avana actually shows up on Google Earth. It's about 8.5mi/14km from the southern access road to new BKK.

Not too far from the Rice with Pig's Leg restaurant, which may have lost something in translation.

She had a reservation for a set amount (cant remember the exact amount) but when she showed up (about 9pm I think) and gave them her confirmation they said she did not have a reservation. ... My wifes friend is Thai so no language barrier involved...just poor service on their part. Here is more information.
Today I discussed this with Thai friend of mine who has been working in Bangkok hotels for 10 years.
As soon as I described the situation, he understood and explained.

(Disclaimers: We don't know the facts of the situation which mcgahat described, so this information is based on conjecture.)

(not verbatim)

We are always sorry when this happens with any guest, but we see it a lot when guests make their own bookings on the Internet. We can see this problem several times a day. The guest prepares the form on the web site, then prints out the reservation form on paper. It is that paper they bring to the front desk to check in, but they do NOT have our confirmation number. Without a confirmation number, there is no reservation.

Sometimes the Internet system they use will confirm right away, in just a few moments. Sometimes, the confirmation will take a few hours or even several days, because the reservation must first be processed by the Internet web site, then it is sent to our hotel, and then we send it back to the web site, and then they email to the guest. It all depends on the system they are using. So, the guest can already be flying in the airplane before they get the confirmation number.

Every hotel that uses Internet reservations is trying to get the maximum rate it can for every room. So if the guest is using a web site that promises a very low rate, the hotel will delay as long as possible, hoping to book rooms at a higher rate for that night. This means, the lower the price, the longer it can take to get the confirmation number. Some hotels won't reply at all, hoping to sell the room at a higher rate before the guest arrives. This is the hotel business.

The most important thing to understand, is without this confirmation number, the guest does not have a reservation. They have a paper, but they don't have a reservation. If they show up in our lobby, and if we have a room available, we will offer them the walk-in rate for that room. In Bangkok, walk-in rates are almost always higher than Internet rates.

What every guest should do, if they use Internet, is first be sure they get our confirmation number. Then they should phone the hotel directly and ask the hotel to double check that reservation number.

It is too bad that people who make their reservations on the Internet have this problem so often. Every travel agent is trained to be sure to get the confirmation number, but on the Internet, it is do-it-yourself, and so we often see this happen.
- Peter
.

Ok, I am back home now and just ask my wife about the details. Her friend did book online and did have a printout (but once again if this was a valid confirmation I cant say as I havent seen it). She was actually flying out on 9/29 and stayed the night before because of the new airport and possible confusion of getting checked in etc. It was definitely the new Novotel airport location and the surcharge that she was asked to pay was 10% for the supposed early checkout.

Like I said, I would have to give the hotel benefit of the doubt on the confirmation as that can get screwed up but the early check out thing on a one night stay is :td: .

Any more news on the possible surcharge for early check out? We have a confirmation # for our reservation, so I am not worried about a rate change, but I would NOT like to be hit with a surcharge while trying to catch a very early AM flight.
Thanks!
Kate

I've just returned from Thailand and had two stays near BKK airport. I did stay at the Grand Inn Come Hotel (http://www.r24.org/thailand1x1.com/bangkok/grandinncome/pictures/) discussed earlier. The rate was 2200bht. Clean room, no complaints. The taxi ride from the airport to the hotel (at 2am) was no more than 15 minutes--it's probably the closest hotel outside the airport. Nothing around the hotel to speak of but the restaurant has good food. For my return flight, I chose the Royal Princess, Srinakarin, Bangkok (http://bangkok-srinakarin.royalprincess.com/) which was a bit nicer and the rate was $75 US. Cab ride from airport out to here at 4pm was about 200bht and took 30 minutes. Return to airport at 430am took 20 minutes and cost 150bht. The Royal Princess is right next door to Seacon Square mall which is gargantuous and has Starbucks, MCDonalds, etc. If you have time to kill choose the Royal Princess. If not, the Grand Inn Come will work just fine.

here's a webpage that has some good info on BKK airport accomodations:

PDF page (http://www.thaiairways.com.au/vwm/upload/fabpics/6F2_SUVARNABHUMI_AIRPORT_HOTELS_V.2.pdf)

Note: prices are in Australian Dollars

Two of us just got back from a trip via BKK. We arrived at BKK at midnight (00:00), and had a 07:00 to HKT, so opted to stay at the airport. No arrival lounges, but we found a really nice 24-hour restaurant on the top level (called Sky Lounge, IIRC) that had big, comfy sofas as well as a lot of tables.

We had green curry and beer until it was time to go; a great way to overnight, if you are willing to spend a bit of cash on food and/or drink.

We are just returning from Thailand and overnighted at the Novotel at BKK at the beginning and the end of the trip.
The hotel honored our reservation rate and there were no added charges, so far. The early check out was just this morning, so the charges haven't posted yet, but the accounting I got at check out seemed correct (it was in Baht, so I am not positive).
Kate

So here I am at the transit lounge on level 3 of the BK airport. I got in from Myanmar on Thai this morning at 11 or so and don't leave til 10:30pm on JAL. I'm economy and work for a non profit so have always jumped airline groups and haven't gotten enough points in any one to join you elites. I'm determined to try harder in 07. Anyway, coming through here a couple of weeks ago I tried to find the reported nice Thai economy lounge and was turned away without a gold card, so just wandered around. My wait was only a couple of hours so no big deal. But today, I waited in the transit line to get my boarding pass only to be told that they only do Thai Air passes until 2 hours before flight time, when I guess the JAL employees will magically appear. There isn't a JAL sign anywhere so we'll see if I can find someone that will check me in this evening. I asked about a transit lounge and she said "transit lounge closed." I asked the unsmiling lady where I could go to wait and she just motioned with a circling gesture that I should walk around. For 8 hours I said? She then motioned that I should go upstairs. So I followed the signs up to the transit lounge, which is not closed after all and has free internet and internet-cafe style barstools with outlets. So I'm a happy camper sitting here tapping away on my keyboard after 2 weeks with no internet allowed in Myanmar.

Stayed overnight arriving about 9pm leaving 9am. Took the hotel shuttle both ways and both times the vehicle was waiting when I needed to go. Very impressed with the hotel. Big and impressively designed with imposing entrance atrium and lots of design flourishes most of which work for me. Not my idea of a Novotel at all. Seemed a pity not to be able to enjoy what looked like a great pool. (Novotel, like some other chains, offer disgracefully little information - like pics of rooms etc.- about specific properties. In this case they do themselves a great disservice since what they have to offer is excellent.)

Booked an executive room and had separate check-in and check-out in the lounge. The lounge has a business area - had to pay for internet usage, though, and a very spacious eating area. Arrived too late for cocktails but did enjoy the breakfast. Plenty of choice including stuff cooked to order and we were the only people there.

The room was very well appointed with marble bathroom, dressing gowns, magazines etc. and there was a beautiful plate of sweets shaped like miniature fruits as well as a fruit basket in the room.

There was one blight on our stay. The air conditioning unit was stuck on one setting. I noticed right away and the bell boy said he would get someone to attend to it. Maintenance men arrived after about 20 minutes and tried their damdest to no avail. Eventually it was evident that they were not going to get it right in any reasonable time scale. I phoned to ask for another room. Every time I said "air conditioner" the person at reception said "sir, do you see the box next to your bed" (which is where the control resides so often these days). I couldn't get it into her head that my inability to find/use the box - which by now was dismantled and being interchanged with other boxes - was not the problem. I asked to speak to another person. I said "... air conditioner.." and he said "sir, do you see the box next to your bed". :mad: :mad: Luckily the maintenance chap returned at this stage and I put him on the phone. 15 minutes later a phalanx of staff arrived and we (in our dressing gowns) with our luggage being carried by the minions tripped a few yards down the passage to another room. What a lot of hassle for such an obvious result!

On the assumption that this won't happen to everyone I must say that on balance I thought the hotel was convenient, well appointed, and very good value for money. I would definitely stay there again.

We are just returning from Thailand and overnighted at the Novotel at BKK at the beginning and the end of the trip.
The hotel honored our reservation rate and there were no added charges, so far. The early check out was just this morning, so the charges haven't posted yet, but the accounting I got at check out seemed correct (it was in Baht, so I am not positive).
Kate

I would add that while my credit card was charged for the last night several days before our stay, we were additioanlly charged for our room service meal several days after checking out. What's the problem with that? Well, I had paid the bill in cash when we checked out. It took not just a call to the hotel, and a fax of our receipt, but also involving the credit card company. I think it was simply poor staff training/communication, and would like to stay there again. If BKK is ever safe to fly into...:eek:
Kate