Hotel Deals - $12 ACCOR in Bangkok, Thailand

Normally, I'm too selfish and I wouldn't share this, but I really REALLY like this thread, and appreciate those who post here...

OK, it's NOT a mistake, it's a REGULAR "hot deal" at Accor Hotel's IBIS Huamark in Bangkok, available ONLY on the internet, as a "hot deal"... seems to be available at this rate ANY night. Only a few weeks ago, it's had been only $9.50 per night, so it's gone up a bit to about $12 a night... The hotel is not in central downtown Bangkok, but it's not far, maybe a 15 or 20 minute taxi, which should be $2 to $3 tops for the taxi. The hotel is nice, has a small pool, a decent reasonable restaurant. The room is fine, quiet, and it's near some big shopping malls.

They have another hotel, the IBIS SIAM, in Bangkok, which is about $25 a night on a "hot deal", same quality, but no pool, but much more central... a 15 minute walk to the VICTORY BTS Skytrain station, or a 10 minute taxi to Siam area, about $1.50 for the taxi. Also has reasonable restaurant, very good.

The breakfast buffet at either hotel is about $4, and is a major bargain.

I don't think you can find an international chain in Bangkok, anywhere, anytime, for less than this... and the hotels are perfectly nice, with international cable t.v. channels, bathroom amenities, etc.

http://www.ibishotel.com/ibis/fichehotel/gb/ibi/6297/fiche_hotel.shtml

This is a decent rate - I'm heading to BKK in October - but the virtual tour of how small that room appears actually dissuades me from booking...I'll still check with my friends whom I'm traveling with though - thanks for the heads up!

Hi all. The rate is very good but the position is not. Remember that Bkk is always trafic blocked. It will take you over 1 hour to get to Siam. And when you want to get back, you will have a problem to get a taxi to take you there. Try and find somewhere more central, maybe even their siam hotel.
KC

malteser is right in the location of Hotel Ibis Huamark Bangkok - it is out on Ramkamhaeng and traffic to Siam, etc. is aweful. Not a good way to spend your holiday in Bangkok. This hotel is not too far from the airport, though, (I'd say 15 minutes) and I think it would be great for layover in BKK. There is all kinds of shopping and eating at The Mall at Ramkamhaeng and if you want to venture in, you could likely get a taxi to bring you to the MRT subway stop at Rama IX (Phra Ram 9 station) and you could go from there. If you have a one-day stopover in BKK, this is a good alternative to saving money - it is 525 baht after tax.

Hotel Ibis Siam Bangkok (1000 baht after tax) is in a more central location (Pratunam) but still not right be a BTS station. I would guess a 10 minute walk.

Both places look like they have very small rooms.

malteser is right in the location of Hotel Ibis Huamark Bangkok - it is out on Ramkamhaeng and traffic to Siam, etc. is aweful. Not a good way to spend your holiday in Bangkok. This hotel is not too far from the airport, though, (I'd say 15 minutes) and I think it would be great for layover in BKK. There is all kinds of shopping and eating at The Mall at Ramkamhaeng and if you want to venture in, you could likely get a taxi to bring you to the MRT subway stop at Rama IX (Phra Ram 9 station) and you could go from there. If you have a one-day stopover in BKK, this is a good alternative to saving money - it is 525 baht after tax.

Hotel Ibis Siam Bangkok (1000 baht after tax) is in a more central location (Pratunam) but still not right be a BTS station. I would guess a 10 minute walk.

Both places look like they have very small rooms.

I would NOT call the rooms at the Ibis SIAM "small" at all... they are not huge, but there are two beds, a desk, dresser, closet, and space to walk around. The rooms are fine for two people.

And thank you to the person who conceeded that $12 was a "decent" rate for an international chain hotel. I clearly indicated the Ibis Siam is about a 15 minute walk to VICTORY BTS Skytrain. Honestly, traffic from the Ibis Siam to say Siam square isn't too bad... and it's usually a straight shot right down the street. The only time of day there might be big traffic would be say 4 pm to 7 pm. The rest of the time, it shouldn't be any problem at all.

For someone a little more delicate and "high maintenance", you won't find any international chain hotel between the Ibis Siam for about $25, and about $100 for the Novotel Siam Square, which is real close to a BTS station. Hiltons, Hyatts, etc are probably starting at $150 to $200 a night, and honestly won't be that much different from the Ibis Siam.

I agree the other IBIS Huamark is a little further out, but in Bangkok that could mean A LOT of traffic. That's why it's priced so low... location is expensive.

Wow, the rooms really did look small. No space to put luggage at foot of bed and I thought the desk was the window ledge! I would not consider the hotel room small, but rather efficient. :p

What I did find interesting is that breakfast is served 4am-12noon!?! Perfect for us jet lagged travelers as you can either dine before finally getting to sleep or choose to sleep in and then have brunch.

NOTE: For only about $6-7 more, you can get the fully refundable rate. Worth it if your plans should change as $12 rate is non-refundable, no changes and no cancellations.

Well, for that price, you can't complain. You can get a mansion apartment in BKK for about the same price, but it won't be as nice.

Both hotels look fine to me.....I have stayed in much worse and paid A LOT more for it. Of course the location isnt great but that is the sacrifice you make to save some money. I think the Huamark would make a good place to stay for a short stopover at the airport.

Awesome flyrights, this tip was great!

Awesome flyrights, this tip was great!

Thanks for your kind words... I'll share one other little tip about the Ibis Siam... about a minute walk away is the first class Century Park Hotel... which is 5 star... many airline crews stay there. They have a bakery/sandwich place, and exactly at 6 PM, everything not sold is 1/2 off... and the starting prices are low... like a salmon salad platter, big enough for a meal, regulary about $6, on sale for $3 at 6 pm... And they give you all the fresh rolls and butter you want too... a great piece of cake might regularly be $2, on sale for about $1 after 6 pm. Some days they have lots left, other days, it's all gone by 6:02 pm.

And it's really 5 star... great food, generous size platters and sandwiches. Some come with a side salad too.

Last week I was there... left the Ibis Siam at 5:55 PM, ordered the last two platters of food at the Century Park by 6:01 PM. Then about five minutes later, and irate European was yelling at the staff, "you told me everything is 1/2 off at 6 PM..." and the staff politely told him it was now 6:05 PM, and he was too late. Then I gave him a little wave from my nearby table.

One other good thing about the IBIS Siam is it's near the King Power Duty Free downtown Bangkok mega store, which is GORGEOUS... they offer free transportation to/from. There is an incredible restaurant upstairs, very reasonable, with a puppet show and other entertainment... It is very beautiful... they have lunch and dinner buffets, and it's subsidized by the Duty Free place, so you get a good deal for lunch. The Duty Free also has free transport to the Victory BTS Skytrain station... so you can get from the IBIS Siam to the Duty Free, then to the BTS all for free with their tuk-tuk shuttles.

No great deals at the Duty Free store, but it's beautiful, and the subsidized restaurant is the real attraction for me.

Many thanks for sharing these valuable nuggets of information - it's exactly what makes FT great

Well done flyrights! Wish I was in BKK to take advantage.

I stayed at the Ibis Siam Square in October last year. The rate then was around AU$27.00.

The rooms are fine, not small at all (At least mine wasn't) and have everything you need including cable TV. It is at most a 10 minute walk to Siam Square. I'd recommend the hotel to anyone.
The buffet breakfast was pretty crappy however.

I was put off booking the Ibis Huamark by the location but the Ibis Siam is great.

Well done flyrights! Wish I was in BKK to take advantage.

I stayed at the Ibis Siam Square in October last year. The rate then was around AU$27.00.

The rooms are fine, not small at all (At least mine wasn't) and have everything you need including cable TV. It is at most a 10 minute walk to Siam Square. I'd recommend the hotel to anyone.
The buffet breakfast was pretty crappy however.

I was put off booking the Ibis Huamark by the location but the Ibis Siam is great.

Thank you for your kind words, but... I stay at the Ibis Siam all the time... I think you meant it was a ten minute TAXI to Siam Square, which is about right... traffic is uaually pretty good there... it would take maybe 30 or 40 minutes to WALK, and it would be a hot, uncomfortable walk... not a ten minute walk! ... It is about 10 or 15 minutes to WALK to the Victory BTS Skytrain.

I thought the buffet breakfast was acceptable, for 128 baht, which is less than $4. They had hot eggs, pancakes, waffels, fresh cut fruit, breads, rolls, canned juices (not great!), coffee/tea, cereals, rice, some thai hot foods, and some low quality breakfast meats. You could walk over to the Century Park, a minute away, but the breakfast buffet there, of high quality, will cost about 600 baht, which is almost $20. I saw a few local places, on the street going to the King Power Duty Free, like bakeries that look like they served breakfast too... i think the street is named Rankong Road??

I get the breakfast at the hotel, and I buy a 100% juice drink at the adjacent 7/11 store, brand is TIPCO or MALEE, about 45 cents for a boxed drink... just fine.

Should mention the Ibis hotels have refrigerators in the rooms too.

Is anyone seeing the $12 rate for January? I'm only seeing 600 Baht (706 w/tax), which is closer to $24. Still not too bad, but...

Is anyone seeing the $12 rate for January?

It is high season.

Maybe I walk faster than average but I managed to walk to the Siam Discovery centre in between 10 or 20 minutes.

It was indeed and not particularly pleasant though.:D

I see the Ibis Huamark has WiFi. Do they charge extra, or is it free?

Can't say about Ibis Huamark, but the Ibis Siam has internet in the lobby, a card with an hour use is about $5; many nearby internet cafes are much cheaper, about $1 an hour. I don't remember if they had WIFI.

I agree that the Ibis Huamark is good for a lay over in BKK. I used it a couple of months ago and it was very quick - no more than 15 minutes - from BKK in the evening and just as fast getting to the airport in the morning.

However, I would rather pay a bit more and stay downtown if I was doing more than getting in, going to bed, getting up and then leaving.

A couple of points to note about the hotel:

1. Make sure that the taxi driver knows where he is going before you set off.
2. Don't rely on the room photographs. The main hotel was full when I got there and I was shunted off into the 'annex.' Despite what I was told, this was not just like the main hotel. It was an adjacent apartment block with no services. Basically you got a frugally furnished studio apartment. The only concessions to the Accor room were a sachet of shampoo and a towel. There were no hotel services - the telephone was connected to the block's security guard who didn't speak English. To get a wake up call I had to go to the main hotel reception and when 4am came around, the wake up was delivered by the security guard knocking on the door! (The rubbish bins serving the apartments which seemed to be situated on each landing were pretty high as well).
3. Definitely no Wifi in the annex.

However, for a very short layover, you probably can't beat it for price.

It is high season.

Yes, I know... It's also when I'll be visiting, so that's why I was wondering. So I'm guessing that's a no??

If you go to the Ibis website, there is an option to look at an entire month's rates at a glance... the low rates seem to be available most of the time. Up until about a month ago, I ONLY saw the low rates.

Also, I would add that the dollar is VERY low now, about 30 thai baht to 1$ U.S.... traditionally it's around 40 to 1, so rates may convert a little bit higher.

It's always nicer to be more central, but in Bangkok that is going to cost... as an example, the Florida Hotel, pretty much a dump, is close to a BTS station, and I think it's about 1,200 baht a night... and it's a dump... The Reno Hotel is a 1 minute walk to the National Stadium BTS skytrain, a great location... friendly staff, but pretty much a dump too... also about 1,200 baht. The Ibis hotels are NOT dumpy at all.

The next jump up in quality to a nice international hotel chain near a BTS station will start at 6,000 baht. Sometimes you can get the Novotel Siam for about 4,000 baht... a pretty good deal for a nice hotel.

Thanks for the tip flyrights, I'll check out the month's rates. I'm going to be arriving at BKK late at night, so something close to the airport sounds good! May book it anyway, even with the higher rate.

I've just booked Le Fenix, Sukhumvit, BKK online for 1900Bht (£31) a night for 8 nights in October. Run by Accor but not bookable on their websites. 4* apparently and very new and modern

how far is this hotel from US Embassy?
I need to get my passport pages add ;)

how far is this hotel from US Embassy?
I need to get my passport pages add ;)

which hotel? Ibis is around 30 mins taxi, Le |Fenix around 5 mins taxii. US embassay is on wireless road(I think), whic is just off Sukumvit.

which hotel? Ibis is around 30 mins taxi, Le |Fenix around 5 mins taxii. US embassay is on wireless road(I think), whic is just off Sukumvit.

Ploenchit Road at that point.......Sukhumvit ends at the overpass.

Ploenchit Road at that point.......Sukhumvit ends at the overpass.




In Bangkok:
American Citizen Services (ACS)
Address: 95 Wireless Road, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
Tel: [66](2) 205-4049
E-mail: acsbkk@state.gov
Home Page: http://bangkok.usembassy.gov/embassy/acs.htm

In Bangkok:
American Citizen Services (ACS)
Address: 95 Wireless Road, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
Tel: [66](2) 205-4049
E-mail: acsbkk@state.gov
Home Page: http://bangkok.usembassy.gov/embassy/acs.htm

I'm gonna assume this deal is LONGGGGG gone and this last post was only informational.
;)

I'm gonna assume this deal is LONGGGGG gone and this last post was only informational.
;)

Not USD 12 but it's still pretty cheap for the prepaid.