Trajan

Top Bangkok Hotels in my opinion:

The very top hotels in Bangkok are probably as follows (in no particular order):

Peninsula (riverside)
Oriental (riverside)
Four Seasons
Metropolitan
Sukhothai
Shangri-La (riverside)

Very closely followed by (in no particular order):

Hiltons
Conrad
new Hilton Millenium (riverside)
Intercons
Intercontinental
Hyatts
Grand Hyatt Erawan
Marriotts
JW Marriott
Marriott Resort (riverside)
Starwoods
Royal Orchid Sheraton
Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit
Westin
Plaza Athenee, a Le Meridien Hotel
Others
Pan Pacific
Dusit Thani
Banyan Tree
Imperial Queen's Park
Swissotel Nailert Park, a Raffles Hotel (previously Hilton Nailert)
Davis

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In Travel + Leisure's survey 2005 of the Top 100 hotels in the World the city of Bangkok has more top hotels than ANY other city (five hotels)!!

4. Four Seasons, Changmai
6. The Peninsula, Bangkok
11. The Oriental, Bangkok
40. Banyan Tree, Phuket
47. JW Marriott, Phuket
48. The Sukhothai, Bangkok
69. Four Seasons, Bangkok
72. Amanpuri, Phuket
93. Shangri-La, Bangkok

(The brand new Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi in Chiang Mai will also surely make the list for top hotels in Thailand in the near future….)

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party_boy

I agree with the list.

Meerkat

I consider the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit certainly better than the Westin.

wideman

I've stayed at the InterContinental, Grand Hyatt Erawan, and Sheraton Sukhumvit in the last 3 months.

Of those, I found no appreciable difference between the Hyatt and the IC: excellent (and comparable) facilities, service, rooms, and restaurants. However, both the Hyatt and IC are, in my experience, clearly superior to the Sheraton GS in each of those respects.

Trajan

yes, I forgot to add Sheraton Grande (only across the street from Westin)

stephem

I stayed in one of the GH Erawan Spa Cottages in December and while I think the rest of the hotel is just ok and I wouldnt put it on a "best of" list, I think the Spa Cottages are likely some of the best accomodations in Bangkok. But at $499 per night I was expecting that.

Trajan

Yes, on reflection, I agree and edited to put GH Erawan on the second list (before you posted)....thanks (Ive never tried the spa cottages at the GH Erawan, just the normal rooms)

Im making this list for our company, when visiting clients ask for suggestions/quality etc.

gleff

Ah, but if we start to compare specific rooms with entire hotels things become a bit more complicated.

For instance, I'll be staying at the IC BKK soon. I chose them over the Pen because I was able to book an Ambassador Suite for less $$ than a basic room at the Pen or MO or any of the hotels in your first tier list. So for me easy decision.

In general I think we ought to be comparing either basic rooms or median rooms or best rooms... apples to apples.

GUWonder

I agree with that and I'd place Starwood's SGS above the Westin across the street.

dh01

Agree totally, Grande Sukhumvit much much better than Westin which is pretty basic.

Pickles

Just spent a weekend at the MO BKK in one of the author's suites. Ar, completely off topic, but just wanted to gloat a little. Ar!

Sandal

Agree wth Gleff and Guwander!!!!

Everyone has their own preference !!!! We're in Luxury forum, so why not talk in term of luxury!!!! We should share our experience of staying in these luxury hotels in BKK and who's worth the most luxury experience ??? So, we should share about

Luxury type of room ?
Expensive but worth the price room ?
Luxury spa ?
Luxury or famous restaurant ?
Great Staff ?
Luxury limosine?
Luxury aminities?

The Metro in BKK never fall into "luxury hotel" at all no matter what angle you look at, same as Westin (the old Grand Pacific 3 star hotel).

Shang only in Krungthep wing which is very nice worth the luxury category.

Conrad and Hilton Milinium ? I don't think so. Did you visit the hotel ? How can you tell the other it is great !!!!!!! The hotel will be opened from March with the difficult access through Thonburi side. Conrad bldg is too near to the next bldg, I HAVE NO PRIVACY AT ALL WHEN I OPEN THE CURTAIN.

Intercon and Hyatt are Ok, GH just got the most luxury spa cottage in the city.

JW OK but not the Marriott riverside with 3 fixture bathroom. Taking shower in the bathtub, do you call it luxury ????

Starwood only SGS worth the category, room size spacious high ceiling

Banyan Tree worth mentioning as all suite hotel.

Swissotel anywhere in the world never exist in the luxury category especially this one!!!!

deer

1. Of course the Metro in BKK is a luxury hotel - nothing for people over 50, but the suites are way more stylish and luxurious than for example in the tastewise very mediocre Four Seasons BKK. And the Spa plus the organic restaurant are on the same level than the facilities at Oriental and the Pen.

So the 3 possible luxury hotels in BKK for the modern, tasteful traveller are Pen, Oriental and Metro.

2. Swissotel Berlin is design- and servicewise one of the best three Hotels in Berlin, truely qualifying as a luxury hotel. Their "Restaurant 44" was last year "Best new restaurant" in Germany according to Gault Millau and is definitely the best restaurant in Berlin.

wideman

Excuse me?

deer

Dear wiseman, since the Metropolitan is more on the trendy side regarding the design, the bars and restaurants, the main audience and the whole feeling, most people who are older than 50 (except the cool over 50s) or do not live in a stylish way would normally not like the hotel. Meaning also, it would feel not luxurious to them...