escape4

Introduction I have returned to Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit and completed my first stay there in over a year. Lately I stayed at various others properties in Bangkok to mix things up, for example Westin Sukhumvit, Le Méridien, Royal Orchid Sheraton, and a few hotels in chains other than Starwood. I also had four stays in Athenee Hotel in the last few months but that came to a halt when during my last stay they forced me to move to another room at 6pm when I was tired and about to go to sleep, because apparently they said the entire floor needed some kind of chemical treatment (which they knew all along but just forgot to tell me). I have decided to take a break from Athenee and we have not gone back there since, and instead for this trip I booked the other Luxury Collection in town, the SGS. There is no strong reason why I waited so long before returning to SGS (no hiccup in a past stay like at Athenee), but this time around I found a BRG at 3700++ THB which was too good to pass up. Room I have historically not had much suite upgrade success at SGS and this time was no better although I was not necessarily expecting one in part due to having a low BRG so I assumed that I would not be high in the pecking order for upgrades. The hotel is not the most modern in town compared to Park Hyatt for example, but I found the room to be in better condition that I remembered. For a hotel this age, I have to admit the room was almost flawless. The room is very comfortable and possibly the only negative I can find is very minor: there is no rain shower, and the shower hose is not very stable on its stand. Perhaps the room was in better shape than my recollection because of my recent visits to Westin Sukhumvit across the road which is starting to show its age, but it is not the case at SGS. In the past the SGS was proactive in letting me know that I could change rooms in the middle of my stay (if I wanted to) because a suite might open up, so I know for sure that they upgrade Plats to suites when available. The only issue is just that there are not that many suites available and I have had much better upgrade success at ROS and LM. Those two hotels are a notch below SGS (and ROS, probably two notches below) so we cannot directly compare but part of why I am not a regular at SGS is not only that I like variety in where I stay generally speaking, but I also will naturally gravitate towards hotels with better chances of suite upgrades for some of my stays where a suite would be more important than other stays. Dining As others have noted in this thread, happy hour was extended to 4pm-8pm in the Library rather than being limited to 2 hours, which was a pleasant surprise. This is similar to increases in drink times at Athenee and ROS. We are not interested in drinking for a full 4 hours, but it provides flexibility if we want a drink late afternoon or early evening. As nice as the Library is for happy hour, Bar Su is even better and I can say that we missed it after a long hiatus. I am generally more of a lounge kind of guy because of the food, which is another reason why I tend a bit more to book more often at hotels such as ROS, Westin, or Athenee, but in terms of happy hour environment, the Bar Su is one of the best all around. It’s just not a standard hotel bar, and it’s nice bar period. We ended up staying in Bar Su well past 8pm and despite not having dinner since we enjoyed our time there so much.Another strong point of the hotel is the quality of the food. We had breakfast in Rossini one morning and it beats any breakfast buffet. As Dr HFH suggested earlier in the thread, I asked the server if I could get something from the Orchid Café and it was no problem. They brought me a noodle soup from downstairs after I had finished my dish from Rossini. One other morning we had breakfast in Orchid Café. The place is smaller than I remembered and was quite crowded which is the downside. But once again, it is top notch breakfast quality and I would put it on par with breakfast at Athenee. I particularly enjoyed the fresh mangos which I rarely see in any hotel anywhere. The only reason I could give the edge to Athenee would be because it’s less crowded, but food wise SGS is right up there with Athenee. We ordered room service a couple of times for dinner and everything was delicious as well. There are not many hotels that have so many options on the menu, including dishes from many kitchens (Thai, Indian, Italian, American, etc.) which can please pretty much everybody. Overall All in all SGS remains a top notch hotel particularly at a price which you can sometimes find below 5k THB. If we compare to other chains, also count me in the camp of those who will not return to Park Hyatt any time soon and I easily give the edge to SGS. Within Starwood, SGS is not head and shoulders above other hotels for me simply because great service is a strong point of SGS but we are generally low maintenance customers who do not benefit as much as other guests from top service. Also I value suite upgrades and a Club Lounge and this is lacking for me which is why SGS will probably not get more than 25% of my business in Bangkok in the medium term, but it will always be on my list. Customers who do not care as much about suite upgrades and customers who enjoy happy hour for drinks more than for food can book at SGS without hesitation.