Originally Posted by luxury
The service at the Four Seasons was exemplary, and while the Oriental have a lot of staff, many of them seem to be "decorative" rather than actually providing top class service... I actually felt the Four Seasons to be "more" Thai than the Oriental and I am sure many here would disagree with me. I felt the Four Seasons to capture the Thai grace and service much better and the Concierge staff were WAY superior to that of the Oriental during my stay... I just did not think the Oriental lived up to its reputation and it was more expensive than the Four Seasons.
I agree with the above statements as well. FS service is as good and efficient as the Oriental's is unresponsive and inadequate. The lady who checked us in was clueless about the room categories in the hotel, gave us the wrong room, insisted that there were no such rooms available even though we produced the booking confirmation with an explicit description of the room category we had booked, and then worse yet, the front desk manager was surly and condescending when asked. Maybe I was judging them on a higher standard due to all the accolades literally monsoon-raining-down on The Oriental but some of the situations I encountered there were unacceptable even with tempered expectations. The significant price difference was just insult to injury, IMHO. I also like the location of the FS, in the middle of the Siam/Silom/Sukhumvit triangle.
Originally Posted by luxury
I ended up cutting my stay short with The Oriental -- I was so unhappy -- and returned to the Four Seasons.
I wish I had done the same thing. I gave it a try and The Oriental just didn't do it for me. The disappointment has extended to post-stay as well as they took a month to respond (inadequately) to my inquiries.
I will concede that if one is choosing between the Pen and The Oriental, for sheer "Thai"-ness I think the Oriental pips the Pen, the latter being a very contemporary hotel. And the pool service and the food at the Oriental was top-notch, IME. Otherwise, the Pen is, to me, a better choice with stunning rooms, unmatched views and a better value.