Sandeep1

Thats my question as I’ll be going in Feb. Been told that Malaai is the nicer property.

JimboUK2000

Hi, I have stayed at the IC a number of times, before their refit, and would say its a great hotel in a perfect location for seeing the sites and getting an authentic experience of the manic Bangkok. The roof pool was nice to relax in and I have seen photos of the update and it looks really nice now. During my last stay they had moved the Club room downstairs as they had just started the update, it was ok, but not as good as expected. I am an IC Ambassador and have always received excellent service and welcome at the hotel.

I am booked in next feb too - might see you there LOL!

HadesNL

Sandeep1 : Kimpton BKK in its own thread: Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok, Thailand [Master Thread]
Photographic & visual impressions to be found there

bhyx

Breakfast at club lounge

Breakfast at club lounge

Evening cocktails

Evening cocktails

Afternoon tea

escape4

This is a statement I strongly disagree with. For one thing, rooms at Kimpton are not only more luxurious but also more spacious, not to mention better service at Kimpton all around, as can be expected for brand standards Kimpton > IC. I would say breakfast is one of the least important advantages Kimpton has over IC.

jxd

The Kimpton is better than the IC Bangkok is every single aspect other than the location.

Aventine

Kimpton feels like someone was trying with the design but the IC is just Instagram scenery.

escape4

That I would agree with. Not to say that Kimpton is a bad location, in fact it's a nice residential neighborhood with greenery which is not so common in Bangkok, but IC's location is simply the best.

Perhaps one other aspect I might put in IC's favor is the fact that they have a lounge and Kimpton does not... they initially intended to have one but they decided to use the space for something else in the end. That said, for some stays I don't care about a lounge so that advantage for IC goes away, but some people might value the lounge so it can be a plus for IC.

Everything else, it's Kimpton for me.

nicolas75

I think it really depends on each person's aspirations and whether or not they are coming to Bangkok for the first time.

Personally, as I've done most of my visit by bike (courtesy of the hotel), and the urban environment of the InterContinental is a bit too 'Blade Runner' for me, being in a quiet, leafy environment is priceless.

Also, walking 10 minutes to Chit Lom station - if you need to - is not really a problem. And the pleasure of being a 10-minute walk away for a morning jog in Lumpini Park is really a plus for me.

escape4

Similar to you, I have a strong preference for Kimpton over IC. But if we speak specifically of location, of course different people will have different preferences and a 10-minute walk might not be a problem, but there are nonetheless lots of people who will prefer a 1-minute walk to a 10-min walk, especially considering the hot climate. In addition, the advantage of IC over Kimpton (and over any other hotel in the city besides Grand Hyatt and a handful of others) is that it's at the intersection of the two BTS lines so you have direct access to anywhere. This is objectively an advantage over hotels on the Sukhumvit line (such as Kimpton) which require a transfer if you want to go to the Silom line.

For that reason, IC is geographically arguably at the city center and will meet the needs of perhaps 70% of guests whereas 30% would prefer Kimpton for other reasons, such as the residential neighborhood.

That said, the central location can have drawbacks particularly if combined with poor soundproofing such as IC hotel where you can hear street noise during the night even from fairly high floors in the 20s. Kimpton being away from the action, that problem goes away regardless of window quality.

The-Aviator

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
1 King Classic High Floor, upgraded to 1 King Premium Club Lounge Access (one-category upgrade BUT they included the Club access too!)

How are the rooms?
The hotel has just completed a top-to-bottom refurbishment and everything, including the rooms, looks spectacular. My 31st floor room had a plush king bed, lounge by the window and a work desk. Fully stocked mini bar and tea/coffee facilities including Nespresso were also available. The bathroom was spacious, with separate tub and shower. Air conditioning, Wi-Fi and houseekeping were all good.

How is the exec. lounge?
Exceedingly good, located on the 37th floor with views over the city. Club InterContinental benefits include daily breakfast either in the lounge or main restaurant, afternoon high tea and evening cocktails and canapés. Had breakfast in the lounge twice and in the main restaurant once. Both were very different experiences but equally enjoyable. I would say if you want a lighter meal and more refined environment go for the lounge, if you want to try a bit of everything and don't mind the crowds then the breakfast buffet at Espresso is the way to go. If you have a few days, definitely try both! The high tea was lovely, with a high tea set brought around at the start with refills of anything that took your fancy. I was sad I could only make the evening happy hour on one night of my stay because it was excellent! Lounge staff were all really nice and the lounge is open throughout the day, so even outside of meal times you can stop by for a quick snack (fruit, chips etc) or a non-alcoholic beverage.

What was good and what was bad?
The Good

• The lounge - just such a good experience, couldn't be faulted.
• Great location - it is connected to Gaysorn Village shopping centre and from there you can also walk to Big C and Centralworld, Siam Paragon is not far either. There is a BTS station just across the road however given the short stay we only used Grabs, which were cheap and plentiful.
• Welcome amenity provided of a fruit bowl, bottle of premium water and a plate of sweets.
• The modern TV included Chromecast and its list of channels was the most impressive I have ever seen; in addition to local channels they had international channels from the US, UK, Australia, France, Germany, China, India, Korea, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman and Kuwait!
• Toiletries (standard Bal d'Afrique) were not locked in a holder, I prefer this especially with the lotion as it's so much easier to access and carry to other parts of the room.
• Good housekeeping, serviced early on both days. I always like when I can come back to the room and not worry about having to vacate later for housekeeping to do their work!
• The pool is spectacular both at day and night, as you will see in the pictures! Alongside the pool is the all-day Oasis Pool Bar, the staff there bring towels and complimentary chilled bottled water to your pool chair and provide pool-side drinks service, an excellent way to use up some of your ฿600 Ambassador F&B credit.
• Plenty of variety in terms of food and beverage venues, many with daily specials and/or live music. Aside from the Oasis Pool Bar for drinks and Espresso for breakfast I also had a drink at the Balcony Lounge in the lobby, nice venue with live music during the evening rush however was a lot quieter when I visited at close to midnight.
• Gym is large with plenty of equipment and stunning views.
• The staff - service managed to be polished but still warm and welcoming. For most of the day they had someone to open the front door and someone in the lift lobby on the ground floor to call the lift for you. Service at restaurants and lounges as well as housekeeping were all really good.
• Steak breakfast at the lounge, need I say more?

The Bad (none are particularly bad, but have noted for review purposes)

• Two disappointments in the bathroom were that the tiles in the shower came across as a bit slippery and water pressure in the rainfall shower wasn't quite right, so I used the regular showerhead instead.
• Quote for an airport transfer (a Mercedes V-Class admittedly) came in at a surprisingly high rate of THB ฿3,500, went with Welcome Pickups instead which I have used previously in Europe and worked well for a quarter of the price.
• The FTers over at the champagne thread will not be pleased but as far as I could see, no champagne available in the lounge, only sparkling wine and only available during the evening service. Didn't bother me as I liked the cocktails, particularly the Old Fashioned!

Value for $ or IHG One Rewards Points? Would you return?
Paid THB ฿6,059/night (including taxes and service charge) for three nights, which in my view is unbelievably good value for money. Big call I know, but this would have to be one of my best hotel stays ever. This was my first visit to Bangkok but I'm sure I will be back and I will certainly be returning to the InterContinental!

Photos in the spoilers below!

Modo

Great review. Sounds like you may have had the same room as we had for 6 nights in early December. Agree on all your points and the refurbished lounge is impressive - we have Lounge Pass, so was expecting access. And had stayed Club level several times pre Covid.

My only complaint is that the AC in the lounge is brutal. The only area at a reasonable temperature is the soft seating near the lounge entrance.

HadesNL

Thanks for reporting back !
Great to hear the hotel is back on track,
Looks pretty great and worthwhile.... i'm getting visions again of yummy thai style iced tea ....
I want to -like- but i am thwarted ..., so here goes

demue

I have a one night stop in BKK in a few days and thought why don't I check the IC post renovation. I was encouraged by the 6.x k THB the OP paid, but to my surprise the IC wants 15k THB for a Classic room. Not sure if this is just Chinese New Year madness or there is some event or a wedding or so (as happened in the past), but no thanks. Even the new IC on Sukhumvit is 9.x k THB so I threw in the towel and will just stay a night at the brand new Courtyard by Marriott at BKK airport, less cost, less traffic in and out of town and longer sleeping in.

Maybe next time my timing and the pricing will be better.

Geoggy

If I book on points as an Ambassador, how much is the surcharge for Club lounge access?