whackyjacky

Wow, good to know. 80% of my bookings have been in Asia and the rest in the States and I've yet to run into it. I think I've seen hotels ineligible for a 10% off coupon. Maybe they're one in the same.

remymartin

Never stayed in above mentioned property but both prices seem a bit high for BKK?

whackyjacky

Yeah, but not for that Novotel. It's by far the best hotel at the airport and they know it.

Goldorak

And you pay a premium price for being at walking distance from the terminal.

RJ77

Make that the only hotel by the airport, hence the price. And they know it. Rooms are poor compared to what you can get at Novotels in the city.

whackyjacky

Didn't know that. I've only stayed at BKK once. Got a new 3 star for 1200B or so. In town I'd probably have to pay at least 1800 for it. Maybe 3 or 4km away. Let me see if I can dig up the name

flyertalker00143

Accor has very nice new properties in BKK and it's so convenient to get to the airport with the skytrain that i don't see any point of staying at the Novotel facing Suvarnabhumi

Novotel Bangkok Platinum will be my next stay

DancePlaza

do you get an upgrade if you booked via kayak or hotels.com?

Goldorak

The point is, as for any airport hotel, if you arrive at BKK let's say 9pm and take another flight the following morning, so no time at all to enjoy the city.

flyertalker00143

i would agree with you when airport is far away from downtown... Paris, Tokyo and lots of cities


but for BKK, the Novotel is overpriced compared to the advantage it offers

and it only takes 15 minutes with the Skytrain from downtown BKK to Suvarnabhumi

remymartin

+1

You should always enjoy Bangkok!

Goldorak

Paris ??? I'm pretty sure Suvarnabhumi is further from downtown Bangkok than CDG is from Paris. Don Muang is very close to city center but not Suvarnabhumi.
And you say it's only 15 min train. OK and RER B CDG to Paris is 20 min
And add time to take your ticket, to wait for the next train and then reach your hotel when you get off the train and we are talking of min 45 min. So, I was just saying that, for me, there is no point going dwtwn if it's just to go directly to bed and waking up early the following morning to go back to the airport.
You have also to consider the case of very frequent travellers. When you've been many times to a city, even if you enjoy it a lot, you don't care anymore if it is just to have 30min-1hr to spend in the city and you're just looking for minimum "hassles".
And that's why airport hotels are for. And hotels directly located in terminals are always charging you a premium for the convenience. Look at Sheraton CDG2 : rooms are most of the time in the 300-400€ zone. Overpriced ? Certainly, but ultra-convenient. Same for Novotel BKK, a bit pricey compared to dwtwn hotels but convenient.

This being said, I fully agree that it is way more fun to stay dwtwn Bangkok than at the airport

whackyjacky

I agree with going downtown. Disagree with 15 mins on BTS & ARL. The express only runs once an hour now and the city line is more like 40 - 60. If you caught the Express Line just right you might be able to do it in 30 maybe. Better to take a taxi except for about 3 or 4 hours/day. If you're taking Novotel Ploenchit, situated next to the Tollway, 15 mins is possible in a cab

DancePlaza

stayed in Sofitel Le louise, for118 euro instead (hotel) of 159 euro (accor) for superieur room

go my upgrade to deluxe room
nice welcome letter from the manager
welcome present (biscuits and chocolate)
2 free drinks (try the westvleteren beer )
and no points

Wayfahrer

Just found this thread. To sum it up what I have learned (not sure everything was clear):

- If you found a better deal on the hotel's site than on the OTA site, talk to Expedia about your $50 discount per night, book your stay in 3 separate chunks per month, search info on the forum
- If OTA rate is the same or better than hotel's rate, go with Hotels.com, enjoy Welcome Rewards, cashback, seasonal promo (can be 10+10+10% off)

Do I understand it correctly?