Originally Posted by
dsquared37
In both quality and breadth of offerings LM is heads and shoulders above what CY serves in the MoMo Cafe and claiming that it's equivalent to a 'lounge' breakfast is folly. Me thinks you're getting this mixed up with another hotel because the LM has an extensive breakfast layout
The best lounge breakfast I know of in Bangkok is Athenee, and I agree that LM's breakfast in the restaurant is better than Athenee's lounge breakfast.
In fact, as far as restaurant breakfasts go, LM might not be on par with SGS or Athenee in terms of food, but I do enjoy the quiet Plat area and the bubbly. This is in contrast with other hotels where we need to compromise quiet vs spread when choosing lounge or restaurant. At LM, you can get both so LM therefore provides a strong point that others do not have, to somewhat offset the negatives such as not having a lounge.
In my humble opinion LM has its place in the Starriott portfolio of hotels and it can please people who put less value on a lounge and location, but care more about suites, breakfast, and happy hour drinks, for a reasonable price point below all hotels except for Aloft, 4P, ROS, and CY. I could survive without LM of course, but I would rather have the choice available than not have it.
The properties which I question their value for Plats are rather Aloft and to a lesser extent 4P, not LM. You hardly get any Plat benefits and for select service hotels I think we can do better in other chains, such as Hyatt Place. At the higher end, I have never been to W and based on what I read I cannot say that I will go soon. If LM gets some heat for not having a lounge, then W seems even worse in terms of Plat benefits and you pay ~40% more than LM. In fact W is more often than not more expensive than Athenee, only surpassed by JW and St.Regis.