mcgahat

Not to fan this gluten free flame, but the Hyatt Regency Sukhumvit has gone gluten free also. Similar sign out this morning at breakfast.

Also, it was asked earlier about the Hua Hin shuttle. I did confirm before leaving that it was not running and no plan to return.

Aventine

Thanks for the shuttle update.

yorkboy24

Actually, I eat gluten free when possible because it really helps to reduce IBS symptoms flaring up. I’m sure about 20% of people have some form of IBS. It’s not a must but I appreciate the option. It would also be better if they had a low-sugar corner for all the nice things you can’t eat when diabetic because of the sugar. When you’re on holiday you want waffles, cake etc but you’ve also got to be careful with to cream - they say it’s whipping cream (Hyatt Regency Bkk) but they add sugar! I requested cream with no sugar added! Until the day when they start having cakes with stevia extract….

Kacee

Just completed a three night stay. Booked a base room and upgraded to Grand Suite with a SUA. Further upgrade to Grand Executive Suite showed in the app about a day before arrival. Booked house car from airport and were met at the hotel entry for check-in in the suite. Skipping the front desk was appreciated, but the agent was a bit inexperienced, and failed to register my GF as a guest, which we only learned about when a visiting friend was told by front desk that they had no record of her as a guest.

Room was nice enough but we had constant issues with the thermostats, which were unable to maintain a selected temperature, and the wifi, which constantly disconnected. Even worse, the hotel's firewall would not allow me to connect to my work VPN. This was a most unpleasant surprise.

There is a ton of construction nearby (true throughout Bangkok right now) - Erawan Mall is completely shuttered and Amarin next door is also under work. This means that the walkway from skyway direct into the hotel is shut down (though there is an alternate path through Amarin which will mostly keep you out of the rain).There was a very strong smell of solvents in both the lobby and the lower lobby (suspect being pulled in by hvac from Erawan mall) - so much so that we did not even consider breakfast in the restaurant (which is located in the main lobby).

Service in the Grand Club and the Spa were the two highlights. Unfortunately, I found the GC breakfast very weak. Quality and selection were mediocre at best (with neither pineapple nor mango on offer). We wound up paying for breakfast next door at the Waldorf our second morning, which I did not regret for a moment - one of the better breakfasts anywhere, and only 1000 THB per person.

Our last day, we had an early flight and a car arranged for 7 am - which is when the GC opens for breakfast. When I called for room service at 5:30 I was told breakfast was not available until 6:30 am. Ultimately this was resolved by an assistant manager, and they managed to deliver breakfast at 6 am. Charged full price (over 1200 THB for 2 continentals).

With the exceptions of GC staff and Spa, service was disappointing. I'm used to SGS where staff throughout the property will cheerfully greet you, open doors, offer to assist, etc. There was very little of that here, with front door staff being particularly unhelpful. I had to practically beg the doorman to get us a cab. He even tried to talk us out of it, saying they are "very hard to get" and then when we insisted of course a taxi pulled up within about 60 seconds.

I needed the Hyatt nights and the overall value was solid (even without breakfast) but all else being equal I think SGS offers a much better experience.

Aventine

The SGS pool is much better too. Service wise and love the Thai teak wood layout. I had to get my own towels and hoist the umbrella myself at Erawan because pool attendants weren't around. Not a big deal but definitely a sign this hotel isn't a true 5*or Luxury Forum worthy. They've also seem to have removed the cushions for the pool loungers. Hard as a rock.

Kacee

I agree they've dropped below what I consider 5* standards. I was really surprised when told they couldn't serve room service breakfast before 6:30 am (which turned out not to be true). Many of the front-line staff seem minimally trained.

I also noticed the lack of pads on the chaises longues. I assumed they just hadn't put them out for the day yet. That's terrible if they're simply not supplying any more.

cruisingmickey

Thank you for your updated review. Were you able to eventually get them to fix the thermostat issue and connect to your work vpn? I've stayed here before and looking to return. I will also have my laptop with me so it sounds like I might also possibly experience the same issue. I hope you were able to eventually login and get everything working.

soy

How does the Erawan compare to Grand Hyatt in Kuala Lumpur?

Just trying to get a frame of reference so I know what to expect when I visit next month


TIA

Aventine

I went at 11am and 5pm and none were there. Don't seem to be in the storage areas either. I get that it is the rainy season but the loungers need cushioning.

I would say KL is superior in every way. I just don't know what the pool situation is like at KL but probably still better than Erawan without lounger cushions.

tomwhom

Had a very first stay at GHKL last week, a great hotel indeed and hardware is much better but I believe service is more polished at Erawan from breakfast to lounge. I think restaurant breakfast ties for both and lounge offerings better at GHKL especially deserts while fruit varieties are not the case as Erawan has much more cut fruits at breakfast, for example I have never seen passion fruits at GHKL during my 5N stay. Kudos to GHKL which was 100% fully booked during my stay they still managed to give me a very nice deluxe corner room, I would call this real elite recognition.

Kacee

They were not able to fix the thermostat or the wifi, though they did make some effort. They offered to move us to a Premier Suite for our last night but it would have been too much of a hassle. I will give the management points for their problem-solving efforts.

We're now out in the jungle in Bali (Capella Ubud) and the wifi is (literally) 10x better than GH Erawan, with no issues at all connecting to my VPN.

I wasn't at all impressed with fruit in GC at Erawan. No pineapple, no mango!

Aventine

The cushions are coming back. Removed for hygiene purposes from all the sudden rain. That's what senior management told me earlier today.

tomwhom

No mango but interesting during my two stays a few days ago they did have pineapple each day I recall. I will have another 2N stay two days later before departure to US and will check back.

Actually the fruits I care the most are passion fruit and papaya, HAHA. Mangosteen too but it's only seasonal and Hyatt Regency Bangkok did offer at breakfast in May when I stayed there.

Just had 2N stay at Park Hyatt checked out yesterday and checked in today for another 2N stay (both special bookings with dining credit) again, I stayed at Waldorf ( Amex FHR ) last night, still believe Waldorf has the best breakfast > great PH > good GH Erawan.

Kacee

They did have passion fruit when I was there, along with dragonfruit, watermelon, and either papaya or cantaloupe (didn't look closely).

The W/A breakfast is phenomenal. Iberico and Serrano! In addition to mango, pineapple, and passion fruit, they also had jackfruit.

fearless2357

In the middle of my second stay within the same business trip (left for Pattaya for three days and came back).

The first stay I was there for 4 nights, upgraded to Grand Executive King Suite using a SUA that Twitter Concierge helped apply. It was not initially available for a couple of weeks and I had to keep checking availability to get the SUA in. 17th floor - Club floor.

The second stay I am in a standard king room. 16th Floor, one floor below, with a staircase for a quick walk up to the lounge.

Having stayed a variety of hotels throughout SE Asia - I would describe it as this:
-Lounge is good for general refreshments/working space - imo the view of the racetrack/mall is nothing to die for, there are better lounges at BKK hotels that are either higher floored (urban city view), or have a more appealing view (river view)
-Lounge has daily happy hour from 1730-1930 but the quality of the alcoholic beverages at least in western standards is average or slightly below at best. Prosecco (nothing notable), Gordon's Gin, Absolut Vodka, Bacardi White Rum, Jack Daniel's Whiskey, saw a bottle of Campari as well - they are not doing any special mixology (rum/coke, gin and tonic, vodka soda are example drinks I would expect). Because of this I only did light drinks when going to happy hour, did more drinking outside of the hotel. Singha + Asahi bottles they have in the lounge are not bad choices in my opinion given the quality of liquors was nothing notable.
-Difference between the Suite and standard room is mainly in size. The standard room bedroom and bath areas are both more crammed. Suite has an upgraded Toto Washlet toilet for those who care. Dual sinks in the suite, larger shower (very slight).
-Air conditioning is not the same between the two rooms. The suite ran a bit colder. The standard room did not run as cold but was comfortable (and I prefer cold). Kind of odd, but I think shows the age of the hotel.
-Room has general wear which you can see in the furniture and fixtures. Design and color scheme, along with mirrors lining all the walls.
-You will be comfortable but it will feel dated.
-I had rooms only 16th and above which I think for BKK is not that high relatively speaking, but the sound was not an issue. Glass insulates the noise quite well
-Really the main reason I would recommend this hotel is convenience. Access to BTS, Centralworld, and a quick walk or 1-stop BTS ride to Siam/MBK is unbeatable especially with traffic. For a work trip this was useful - for personal I may consider another property on the Sukhumvit line as a dual Hyatt Globalist / Marriott Titanium there are many choices.
-Breakfast generally fine - the quality of food is not to die for, but you get variety. I would say I ate a light breakfast each day and looked forward to eating lunch more.
-The hotel is filled with many business travelers - look like either conference attendees or white collar firms here for meetings. You can tell they have a difference between the weekdays and weekends (when those business travelers are gone) - but that consistent volume of guests I think does two things: the service is good/consistent in my opinion, but the hotel does have some wear.