Originally Posted by
aceman
Haven't stayed in the other two, but I like the Millennium a lot. Don't recall getting anything as a gold, though for some reason the main thing I remember is how amazing their orange juice is at breakfast. Seriously.
Juice selection at breakfast has been severely downgraded at the Millennium, with only the orange juice served by staff from pitchers (with less alacrity than in the past, refills seem to be upon request), and some mediocre 'multi-fruit' juice on self-service. Gone are the fresh guava, mango, pineapple, etc. juices, which fortunately still are served in the lounge. The banana smoothie remains for now, although blander than I recall.
Cost-cutting has been ongoing at this property, more so since it has started to cater mainly to tour groups: a few years ago the cloth laundry bags and toothbrushes (when the Peter Thomas Roth toiletries were introduced?), now the juices and smoked salmon (and perhaps fancier cheeses: I recall when it used to have something like a -paid- higher-end cheese tasting event after breakfast hours, with some of those cheeses making it to breakfast) at the restaurant breakfast, and a further downgrade in the quality of the slippers, which are now the scratchy nylon one-rung-above-bottom-paper-thin type.
However, the quality of the evening snacks is definitely up. This is probably the way to go to placate non-group guests, although the lounge was a total zoo on a recent weekend evening, with guests lined up for and demanding cocktails past the 19:30 ending time. I really fear this property is too far on the slippery slope of cost-cutting, with the soothing 'sanuk' vibe missing from much of its demotivated staff - had my first unpleasant interaction ever here, with the rude middle-aged fellow in charge of calling the taxis. After many stays, I probably won't return unless on sub THB2600++ promotional rates, which is what I value the experience at.
The Conrad is a more solid operation, and its main breakfast is now superior in quality/diversity, although served in an un-atmospheric room. However, it too has been hit by the slipper downgrade, gone are the nice waffle patterned cotton Conrad-embossed ones, replaced by lesser generic nylon ones. Laundry bags were downgraded from cotton to nylon some years ago, and the Conrad paper bag is now a rare sight.
For those using the hotel limo services, the Millennium has some of the lower priced 5-series in town, and the Conrad's, while overpriced, makes an extra effort at DMK to wait near the terminal, as getting there from the parking area easily takes 20+ minutes nowadays, taking away all of the time savings.