I just had a very enjoyable 3 night stay a the Waldorf Bangkok in April. I booked an entry level room through AMEX FHR but was upgraded to a one bedroom suite on request at check-in. It was actually room 1406, the same one reviewed by Aaron Wong of the MileLion. The suite had a little bit of a musty smell (the AC turns off entirely when you leave the room) but the hotel brought up an air purifier which helped. Otherwise I thought the room was beautiful, well-maintained, and spacious. The open-concept shower lets water go everywhere, but the Waldorf’s 2x daily housekeeping takes care of it without issue.

I’ve stayed at a lot of fancy hotels in Asia, so I was skeptical about other people saying the Waldorf has the “best breakfast buffet.” However, after spending three nights there, I’m in agreement that it’s pretty spectacular. It may not have the absolute widest selection, but it certainly has a *large* selection and everything is high quality. Not only do you get a very large buffet offering hot Western, continental Western, Western pastries, fruit, Asian (Thai, Chinese, Japanese), and build your own salad, but you can also order a handful of made to order items off a menu or from an action station. I’ve never seen soft-serve ice cream on a breakfast buffet before; I really enjoyed the Thai Tea flavor!

I also enjoyed a burger and views at the bar on the 55th floor, which has an in-house DJ on weekend nights. And the Sakura-themed afternoon tea was excellent with sushi savories and a Hokkaido scallop prepared table-side. My room service club sandwich tasted just like I’d expect it to in Manhattan.

I thought the rooftop pool was surprisingly larger than I expected from the pictures. And Bangkok’s air was also relatively clean for a big city, which means that you can sit out there and enjoy the rooftop without feeling like you’re breathing in too many toxins. I like how they bring you water and fruit when you sit down. The nearby construction did not negatively impact my outdoor experience.

I had nearly 6KG of laundry to do after hiking around Mt. Everest in Nepal. The Waldorf’s per-item laundry rates were of course exorbitant, but the concierge provided a list of 3 outside providers. I went with SIMPLY which picked up my laundry from the concierge by 11am and delivered it a day later around 4pm folded and cleaned. The concierge brought it back up to my room. I left a 500 THB note with the Concierge to pay the provider since their online credit card link wasn’t working. Great experience.

The only thing that annoyed me was how the hotel forces you to spend FHR $100 property credits and a 500 THB per person Diamond credit (up to 1000 THB per room) before providing the 25% dining discount. Hilton is currently running their “Dine Like a Member” promotion which takes 25% off most food and dining venues. However, the Waldorf Bangkok will only discount your bill at signing if absolutely $0 off your FHR or Diamond credit remains. So if you go to Afternoon Tea and still have 100 THB in Diamond credit, they’re going to refuse you the 25% discount, which is of course a raw deal. I ultimately got the hotel to discount all of my dining spend that exceeded the ~$130 in credits, but it was 30 minutes of annoyance that wasn’t worth the $15 saved for either party involved.

Finally, for anyone trying to decide between the Conrad and the Waldorf—definitely the Waldorf if your budget can afford it (About an $80 per night difference during my stay). I previously stayed at the Conrad and it was perfectly decent but it’s multiple steps down compared to the Waldorf. In particular, the Conrad bathrooms remain dated even after the refurbishment and the breakfast restaurant is kind of dark and depressing. The spread is not nearly as large or as tasty as the Waldorf. The Conrad Bangkok has a pretty good executive lounge, but neither food nor drinks are expensive in Bangkok so this shouldn’t sway your decision.