Thailand - Bangkok hotel recommendation

Just wondering if anyone is able to share a hotel recommendation for Bangkok. Previously I've stayed at the Sheraton (the one by the river) and the Lebua @ State and they were quite OK. Obviously, a good rate is a bonus!

I've got the range of ROP*G birthday coupons if they make a difference.

Thanks

I'm biased - you have to be on the river.
My preferences are Oriental,then Shangri-La. Not keen on Pen,wrong side of river but you do get a good view of the Oriental!

This comes up all the time in the Thailand forum (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=-1&f=624). For luxury hotels in particular, discussion of those in Bangkok is a popular topic in the Luxury Hotels forum (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=-1&f=220).

IMHO, it depends on whether your primary focus is touristy stuff, or the Bangkok Nightlife. If you're mainly there for the touristy stuff, then the Riverside area is the place to be. If you're there for the nightlife, I'd get a place along Sukhumvit road, somewhere between Soi 1 and soi 33.

For either location, some concept of your budget is needed to give you useful advice. You could get a place along the Riverside, for anywhere from $80/nt to $300 a night.

In the downtown/Sukhumvit area, you could spend anywhere from $50 a night (or even less if you are on an ultra strict budget) up to $200-250 a night.

I'm biased - you have to be on the river.
My preferences are Oriental,then Shangri-La. Not keen on Pen,wrong side of river but you do get a good view of the Oriental!

Personally, I wouldn't stay at the Oriental if it cost 1/3 of what it does, and it was the last hotel in Bangkok with vacancies. I have never seen a place in my entire life where the staff was more stuck up and arrogant about their mission in life. IMHO, the Peninsula and the Shangri-La, as well as pretty much every other 5* hotel in Bangkok, including the Conrad, Plaza Athenee, Sheraton Grande, JW Marriott, Sukhothai, etc. would be infinitely preferable to the Oriental.

Unless, of course, you're one of the upper crust of society, who doesn't deign to associate with the Hoi Polloi. If you're one of these, the Mandarin Oriental would be right up your alley, and is staffed by your kind of folk.

Well, I'm no fan of The Oriental, but D1andonlyDman has even stronger opinions than I do. Wow. I'd say his assessment of reasons to stay by the river or on Sukhumvit sound just about right. My own preference is riverside, at the Pen. My reasons for prefering the Pen are well-documented in this forum, and moreso in the Luxury Hotels forum, and within the last couple of months I posted a Trip Report that included 5 days in Bangkok with family.

If you don't need to be by the river the Intercontinental has the sky train right out the front, walk to Siam or Central World, excellent club lounge with good views and I always find the staff great there. The Holiday Inn next door has good rates and good staff if you are not after 5 star. A good little club lounge there for reasonable rates on the executive floors with all the bars and restaurants of the Intercon next door with chargeback.

I'd say Holiday Inn. Good price for good service! ;) You don't have to pay too much when you're out of your hotel room most of the time. :D

I second aussieguy - good location for the skytrain and shopping at Central World and Siam Paragon. It's a much nicer hotel than the HI next door ... the skytrain can easily get you to the river as well ....

Since the OP is a SPG member, perhaps the Westin BKK or Sheraton Grande? Not by the river but both at the intersection of the Skytrain and subway. Often, there are C&P rates which makes it an excellent deal! ^

Both are immensely better than the ROS, IMO.

As an SPG Member the Best offer/hotel in Bangkok is a Cash and Points deal at Royal Meridien - Plaza Athenee...Usually 2800 Points plus $45^ Be aware its not available every night.

https://www.starwoodhotels.com/preferredguest/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=1846

As an SPG Member the Best offer/hotel in Bangkok is a Cash and Points deal at Royal Meridien - Plaza Athenee...Usually 2800 Points plus $45^

https://www.starwoodhotels.com/preferredguest/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=1846

I agree, if you can get it, SPG cash + points is always the best option - although I miss the days around 2 years ago right after Starwood acquired Le Meridien, when most of the Meridien properties were put into SPG as cat 1 and cat 2 properties. When the Bangkok Plaza Athenee was a cat.2, it was probably the best deal in the entire SPG program (although, at the time, it's only competition was the Sheraton Xi'an which had been a cat.1).

As an SPG Member the Best offer/hotel in Bangkok is a Cash and Points deal at Royal Meridien - Plaza Athenee...Usually 2800 Points plus $45^ Be aware its not available every night.

The WGS is also a Cat 3.

If the OP isn't a Plat, I'm not sure I'd agree the Meridien is the best.

The WGS is also a Cat 3.

If the OP isn't a Plat, I'm not sure I'd agree the Meridien is the best.

I am referring to The Royal Meridien - Plaza Athenee much superior to The Meridien Bangkok.

Also the Plaza Athenee is usually the ONLY SPG hotel in Bangkok with Cash and Points availability hence IMHO its outstanding value. I value SPG Points at 2 cents a Point so 2800 = $56 plus $45 Cash..Total $101 at 33 Baht to the $ thats almost half the Rack Rate and less than the 7000 Points [$140] for a Cat 3 Award rate.

The WGS is also a Cat 3.

If the OP isn't a Plat, I'm not sure I'd agree the Meridien is the best.

I'm Gold, and I have been able to get the gold upgrades at the Plaza Athenee - in 3 stays out of 3 - but on two of these occassions, only after being persistent about it. The gold rooms are noticeably better.

Also the Plaza Athenee is usually the ONLY SPG hotel in Bangkok with Cash and Points availability hence IMHO its outstanding value.

Really? That I didn't know...

I was referring to the Plaza Athenee. From what I saw, their regular rooms are nothing spectacular. But if this is the only C&P hotel, then yes, it's the best SPG deal in BKK.

Last December, I stayed 3 nights at the Royal Orchid Sheraton BKK on the river on a Cash + Points award. But that was back when they were just a Cat. 2. Darn nice deal at 1600 pts + $30 for the 2nd week in December, upgraded to a gold level room. I would have stayed at the Plaza Athenee if the rates had been close, but they were not offering cash+points at the time and 1600 + $30 beats 7000 pts any time.

Right now Spg has a buy 2 nights get one free on Le Meridian which makes that an option if traveling within the dates..