I've stayed at the Montien Riverside in an executive room. In some aspects it was as good or better than my usual stays at the US chain hotels in Bangkok, for half the price.

Pros:
- nice room with wooden floor, far fresher than ROS and Marriott Riverside's, with more Thai flavor than the Starwoods and the JW (which has the most boring rooms of US hotel chains in BKK IMHO)
- stylish and functional bathroom on par with refurbished WGS and Conrad's
- in-room check-in, a bit artificial but far better than WGS and both Marriotts (none of which provided an escort to my room; although I only had a carry-on, I felt somehow slighted )
- quality bathrobe and cotton slippers, 'exotic' fruit plate (meaning apples and such; I would have preferred cheaper local fruits)
- honestly earnest bellboys and door openers
- great views of the river

Cons:
- location far south on the river, further than even the Marriott Riverside, which at least has a shuttle boat. The Montien has a free shuttle van, which can drop guests off at a nearby BTS station, otherwise it is at least 10-15 minutes by taxi further than most other hotels. Traffic in the area isn't too bad though.
- due to the low price, especially of the standard rooms, there are quite a few tour groups (Italian and Russian when I was there)
- concierge as useful as a retired bureaucrat

All in all, a honest 4 star hotel. The lobby eatery, which also serves the buffet breakfast, serves unmemorable but reasonably priced food; the Thai entrees are better than the western ones.


I haven't been to the Menam, which I have seen across the river on my way to the Marriott Riverside. It may have a shuttle barge to Saphan Taksin BTS station. The building, however, reminds me of some Soviet contraption due to its sheer bulk of grey concrete. I can just picture the busloads of package tourists around its pool... However, it is much closer to the other riverside hotels than the Montien.