Originally Posted by
EuropeanPete
I also like to differentiate between service and hard product.
Thanks for all your details. However, I think you misunderstood. I like to differentiate between
service and
Platinum recognition as much as between service/soft product and hard product.
You and most other Platinums IME seem to consider service and Platinum recognition to be equivalent; I do not. I think a hotel can offer excellent service and poor Platinum recognition, just as I think a hotel can offer poor service and excellent Platinum recognition.
The difference in Platinum recognition between this StR and other StR properties or between this StR and the SGS and Athenee--with welcome amenities, drink coupons, and/or availability of free appetizers during happy hour, etc--is a significant factor for many Platinums and something even you mentioned during your earlier thoughts. I absolutely could care less about such Platinum amenities in comparison to the overall service level accorded me during a stay at such a luxury hotel.
If the service is top drawer and I don't get a drink coupon or get a weak welcome amenity, I'm still exceedingly pleased. I see them as different quantities, and I care far more about the service quotient.
That isn't the case for most Plats who comment herein IME. To me, most Plats seem to care far more about their free drink coupons, free appetizers during happy hour, and the like.
Originally Posted by
EuropeanPete
I'd say the Bangkok St Regis is stronger on hard product than soft, but neither were really where they should be for Bangkok given the alternatives available.The hard product is clearly that of a luxury hotel (vs. that of the SGS for example, which in places looks a bit cheap), but it's a bit smaller, worse designed and less attractive than any other St Regis I've been to. In my Metropolitan Suite for example, the living room felt small and slightly claustrophobic from the lack of decent windows. Downstairs the venue is obviously expensive, but the bar and living room area are (in my opinion) really badly designed and not conducive to inspiring anyone to sit there. The hotel is slightly reminiscent of one of those super expensive upper East Side restaurants that has deployed $5M in marble but which nobody actually goes to.
I think we differ in that I tend to obviously consider the brand standard--but also in the context of the locality more than you're doing. While the StR Bangkok may not quite live up to the standards of other St Regis properties around the world to which you compare it, I suspect the StR Bangkok still compares quite favorably to the best luxury hotels in Bangkok.
Your issues with hard product seem mostly to be about design--not quality--so they reflect a design style that was assumed more appropriate to the Thai market for its opening in 2011. That is also true even for the Oriental, which has a far more traditional style in Bangkok than with most MO properties elsewhere in the world. Looking at the Oriental's style in Bangkok makes more sense than such a traditional scheme would in Paris! The same is true for the St Regis IMO. So I'm not as bothered by your concern there. I also doubt that the stylistic dislikes you have with this StR will be shared by me in the same manner.
Originally Posted by
EuropeanPete
In terms of the soft product, the upside as I mentioned was that now the staff were trained to a level where nothing went wrong - and the Butler was genuinely good at his job. The rest of the staff were very transactional - no evidence of either warmth or the ability to anticipate and meet your requirements. I would not call the service good - merely that it was no longer unacceptable. Contrast that with the Peninsula whose staff always seems to effortlessly be one step ahead of anything you want, or the SGS staff who every visit seem to come up with new and unexpected ways to make you feel welcome and to go the extra mile.
This sounds like an issue where I might feel as you do. But it's hard to say for sure, since my demeanor and priorities in what I expect in terms of service may differ from yours. The fact that we tend to like so many of the same properties suggests that I might also find this to be a problem here. But we also have differed in the past in terms of what we like. So it's impossible to know for sure!
Originally Posted by
EuropeanPete
This is clearly off thread, but if I could stay anywhere for any budget in Bangkok I'd probably stay at the Mandarin Oriental, though I can understand why it's not for you. The Siam looks beautiful but is just too far out of the way of the places I go in Bangkok to work for me, plus given other options it's priced too high for me to consider in Bangkok.
I stay 10-20 nights a year in Bangkok and have adopted the SGS as my home away from home with a level of service and welcoming that doesn't exist anywhere else, but I'd recommend the Peninsula for you if you are looking for a stay in the city more aligned to luxury stays elsewhere. As an aside, if you want to see a review where I really hate somewhere go check out what I had to say on the Park Hyatt Bangkok.
I suspect I'd stay at the St Regis despite your concerns. I don't think the SGS or Athenee will be luxurious enough for us, and I love the St Regis butler service. We loved the Peninsula when we visited last and stayed at the Sukhothai, but we also very much enjoyed the Sukhothai (even despite the Vegas-y interior design that isn't to our style, and even despite the lack of river location). If the rates for suites at the Peninsula were low, we'd probably consider the Peninsula--but otherwise stick with the St Regis.
I also think I get exceptional treatment and attention (and service recovery) because of my SPG Plat100 Ambassador status. That factor can't be understated in this equation!
Either way, your review tempers my expectations for this St Regis. So thanks!
That being said, everyone also had tempered my expectations for the St Regis Rome, everyone clamoring to put it down, to slam the staff for being arrogant, to slam the outdated rooms/suites...and yet we really loved our stay, found the public spaces to be spectacularly beautiful, found the staff to be wonderfully hospitable, and found our junior suite to be very comfortable despite the dated decor.
As an aside, I already know how soulless and problematic the PH Bangkok property is. After my housekeeping issues at the PH Sydney in May 2017 and my service letdowns even as a visitor to the PH Vienna in Oct 2017, I actually have some concerns for the entire PH brand. I therefore wasn't surprised at all that you hated the PH Bangkok.