Waldorf Astoria Bangkok = Most Generous Room Upgrade So Far

100   Recommended
Astoria Suite
February 4, 2020 by

 Map | 4 Reviews | 100% Recommended
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Waldorf Astoria Bangkok
 Map | 4 Reviews | 100% Recommended

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Astoria Suite

Liked:
Location
Service
Food
Amenities
Room
Stats
Room
Astoria Suite

I have returned to WA Bangkok for the first time in the last few months and had another great stay, this time with my best room upgrade so far at this property which I previously thought was out of bounds, therefore I thought it might be an interesting new data point for others to consider.  It was also the first time I stayed in a room on a low floor facing the road so I can chime in with my perspective about the noise level which others discussed in the past.

 

Room

I recently mentioned earlier in the thread that if booking the entry level room, Diamond guests were unlikely to receive a full suite with the living room separated from the bedroom and that the best that can be hoped for was the deluxe suite which is more like a junior suite.  Well in light of my recent stay, I take that back.  I was successful on a Best Rate Guarantee but the BRG was for the entry level room only, therefore this is what I booked.  Subsequently I contacted the hotel and asked about a paid upgrade to the corner suite but due to high occupancy at the tail end of Chinese New Year this room type was not available, so I decided to keep with my original room type.  Upon check-in to my surprise we were upgraded all the way from entry level room to the Astoria Suite despite the low BRG rate and despite possibly above average occupancy, which was very generous and once again they proved to me how well they treat returning guests.  

Other guests commented before about the noise level from the street but I never had a room on a low floor before so it was not an issue for me.  In the past when I booked a corner suite they upgraded me to an Astoria suite on the left side of the hallway with the better views of the sports club.  This time, given that I booked the basic room, they upgraded me to the “lesser” Astoria suite: low floor and on the “wrong” side = city views mostly.  You have to go closer to the windows and look on the left to see the sports club.

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Also from the bedroom you have a view of Grand Hyatt so not particularly attractive.  

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Anyway this is fully understandable – guests booking higher categories of rooms should get the better upgrades, or guests booking the Astoria suite outright should also get the better views and higher floors.   Some like @EGW1 even commented that he prefers a deluxe suite in the back of the hotel because they are more quiet so he would take a downgrade.  I can see that point of view now after my recent stay.  During the night I could hear some motorcycles who are testing their engine power by speeding on the main road at the early hours of the night when there is no traffic.  It did not bother me to the point that I would refuse an upgrade to a low floor Astoria suite, because after all that room is fantastic.  However I can better understand guests that prefer the more quiet rooms.  Also one other note is that I previously commented that WA being a new hotel I found the rooms to be in pristine condition.  The latest room we had had some modest wear & tear which was a first for me.

Dining

Breakfast at WA remains a highlight and I did not observe any cutbacks since our previous stay.  I recently stayed at 137 Pillars Suites in Bangkok which in some ways had a more luxury breakfast than WA: free flow bubbly in a small private room on a high floor with views of the city, and a very extensive a la carte menu.  WA’s breakfast could probably offer more a la carte choices if they want to compete but despite all of this I think WA remains my number one breakfast in Bangkok.  Fruit selection is great, figs, pomelo, passion fruit, jack fruit, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and mango lovers such as @Kacee and myself will be pleased to know that this time the mangoes were placed on a shelf behind the counter and were not coming from a fridge.  The hot dishes were great as usual, fried rice with scallops, yellow curry shrimps, thick pieces of sea bass, etc.  

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The hotel is generous with us with room upgrades and when we stay there we usually return the favor by spending on the property including ordering from the room service menu on a few occasions.  I would not be surprised if ancillary spending possibly contributes to returning guests receiving better room upgrades so it’s a win-win situation.

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Service

Service is still excellent at least for us.  Despite not staying there for a few months, on our first morning we were addressed by name as soon as we arrived in the restaurant and they even remembered our choice of drinks.  Either some staff have exceptional photographic memory, otherwise they must have an early morning meeting to go over pictures and names of previous guests along with favorite drinks, in either case it’s impressive.  Another very appreciated service was that one morning we had an appointment early morning in the city and could not eat breakfast before leaving, and we suspected that we would be back to the hotel only after the cut-off time of 11am.  A shame missing this breakfast!  I asked the hotel if they could bring some food to our room around noon instead.  When we came back we had a special delivery waiting for us which was a nice gesture since in-room dining breakfast is not supposed to be a benefit.

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Overall

For us it was another great stay at WA and we’ll be back for sure.  However it should be noted that a high floor Astoria suite on the left side of the hallway is materially better than an Astoria suite on a low floor looking on the right.  If I was paying for that room out of pocket rather than receiving an upgrade I would suggest asking ahead of time for the better variety of that room type.  If it’s an upgrade then I will never complain about what they assign to us, otherwise the deluxe suite is a fine place to stay minus the views and minus the huge space too.

 

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