Originally Posted by lost_in_translation

Perhaps I am tone deaf but I don’t interpret this as Kacee trying to imply you are a paid shill or saying you need to have dozens of stays before you can post a review. I think the point being made is to bear in mind when expressing opinions on things like elite treatment in reviews that one-night stays might not match the general guest experience. In particular:
- Upgrade may be much better than someone staying for three/four nights can ever hope to see
- Certain aspects of the service can be misleading on a one-night stay. E.g., if your coffee order is missed at breakfast is that because service in the restaurant sucks or because the staff have been dealing with a major issue? Difficult to know on a one-night stay without more data

For what it’s worth, I’ve also stayed at the Athenee five or so times as Titanium then Ambassador and eventually I gave up as the best I accomplished even before elite numbers recently inflated was an upgrade to a Royal Room and I think two or three of those times no upgrade at all. My view is the hard product is very competitive (apart from the lack of balconies and occasional damp smell in the rooms), whilst as Kacee says service is probably middle of the pack in this sub-luxury market segment and falls below competitors such as Marriott Surawongse and SGS in particular.

Your reviews are valuable additions to this forum so please don’t stop posting them.