nicolas75

"You have to pay for Deluxe room rate at THB 6,300+10% Service charge and 7% Tax per each room/night (...)

Then, room will be upgrading from Deluxe to Club room inclusive of breakfast and all club benefits as Royal Ambassador Membership condition."

GordonGordon

Oh thanks! But if the club room is not renovated, then I am just happy to stay at GRANDE DELUXE room with or even without club access. I don't think I need to stay at club room to get club access, right? My first priority is always a renovated room over club room.

nicolas75

I will be tomorrow at IC BKK
I paid the first night (the following nights will be on points) and will tell you if rooms for upgrade are renovated or not

You to pay for surcharge at THB 3,200+10% Service charge and 7% Tax by using redemption point for deluxe room for room upgrading to Club room and entitle to club benefits as well.

nicolas75

I am now in IC BKK, on points (5,000/night), and have been upgraded to the newly renovated King Club rooms (so new that it still smells carpet glue), on 26th floor.
Very nicely decorated indeed (neo art nouveau style): large and comfortable bed, flat screen with DVD player, a corner sofa, a desk with free Internet, bathroom with seperate shower.

It is a club room, BUT without club access nor free minibar

holtju2

Nothing to complaint about. RA benefits do not apply to reward stays,

GordonGordon

The OP was trying to inform me there are no RA benefits on reward nights and the club rooms are renovated. That was it! It wasn't a complaint, but rather a disappointment since most of the IC hotels do provide full RA benefits (or at least to certain degree) on reward nights. We all know that! Next time please... tell us something we really don't know instead of trying to recall constantly the T&C.

Nicolas, can you tell me if the toiletries in the bathroom is still the British line called "we live like this" brand but made in China with Ginseng & Macadamia formula or other upgraded toiletries in club room? In addition, did you receive any ambassador gift, fruit plate and bottles of wine and water?

Enjoy your stay and the sunshine in BKK! At least you get free internet access and renovated room. No too bad for 5,000pts.

nicolas75

Yes, I know, but some hotels apply RA benefits even on points (cf thread related to that point).

I went to the Club to see how does it look.Good surprise : the manager of the club said: "welcome. You do nat have access but you can visit the club today for free if you want, and make your own idea."
The club is great: very large (2 large rooms very nicely decotared with internet access, 1 smaller room with some few armchairs, 1 meeting room). Very good selection of food and drinks.

The manager said that I can have access for only BHT 2,000 + tax per day (without internet in my room)

holtju2

Sometimes people seem to forget what the T&C's are of the RA program and especially when it comes to award stays. I do agree with you, however, that most of the IC's do provide the RA benefits even on award stays.

I no longer post my experiences as RA on FT. As a fairly regular guest at the IC Bangkok I seem to end up with a Club Suite (actually prefer the renovated suites with a club access) regardless of the rate booked.

nicolas75

Yes, it is the traditional Ginseng & Macadamia products. But I have to say that I don't dislike them, even if they are actually made in China (except for soaps, which are made in France).
In Cologne, I was recently upgraded to a seniot suite (very cool : 7O square meter + B&O flat TV and CD player + toiletries which were not Ginseng & Macadamia, as it is in the other rooms). IC may consider that it is not good enough cosmetics for a senior suite?

Yeap : the gift is a kind of DVD (but I have not yet opened it, so I do not really know what it is)
Mineral Water (one bottle, not replaced) and InterContinental water (4 bottles refill evry day)
A bottle of wine (Jacob's Creek Shiraz Cabernet 2005)
And exotic fruits + chocolates + cookies every day!!

Thank you!
It is very hot in BKK.
But we had some big tropical storms today during 40 minutes.

holtju2

Personally I couldn't be happier. Upgraded to Ambassador Suite, although the renovations haven't hit the 34th floor yet.

But then I am probably the only one that wouldn't use 5K points to stay there considering that you loose at least another 5K to 6K, Pigsback bonus, and a stay credit.

nicolas75

Over the past years there’s been a lot of hotel re-branding in Bangkok

Four Seasons / Regent

The two Regent properties in Thailand were re-branded as the
Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok, and the Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai.

The acquisition of the Regent brand in 1992 brought the Regent hotels in Bangkok and Chiang Mai under the management of the Four Seasons. In 1997, the Regent brand was re-sold to Carlson Hospitality Worldwide, but the Thai properties, owned by Rajadamri Hotels, continued to carry the Regent name. The decision to re-brand to the Four Seasons label was taken in August 2004, and the official announcement came in conjunction with the annual Christmas Tree Lighting in December.

The Bangkok property’s public areas were beautifully renovated and refurbished a couple of years ago, and are today’s choice venues of Thai society and international businessmen. Zll of the rooms were renovated. The re-branding process also involved the retraining of the staff, the first stage of which is a year-long procedure as well.

Hilton
A prominent hotel in its time, the Hilton International Bangkok has ceased to exist. In January 2004 it was re-branded as Nai Lert Park Bangkok, Raffles International Hotel.

The Sampatisiri family, owners of the property, had wanted to replace the Hilton for some time due to its deteriorating facilities. Apart from a few renovations several years ago, the Hilton was too obviously more than 20 years old, and few would pay five-star rates just for sentiment’s sake.

On top of that, the Conrad Bangkok opened in early 2003, just a few hundred yards away and is now targeting the old Hilton guests.

Conrad Bangkok

As Raffles has taken over the old Hilton, a major renovation of both guest rooms and public areas was done. Two of the three wings have been closed and gutted behind the original, exterior walls. The pool area was renovated, as the function rooms and restaurants.

Most of the management was inherited from Hilton and together with all the staff are being re-trained to Raffles’ standards.

Meridien, InterContinental

Le Meridien is another brand that has been dumped by the local owners. The group endured financial difficulties for some time until Starwood acquired its debt. Le Meridien operated two neighbouring properties in Bangkok–Le Royal Meridien, and Le Meridien President–for 20 years.

The new contract was given to InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) that re-branded Le Royal as the InterContinental Bangkok. It started operating in July 2003 and, apart from staff re-training and some minor refurbishments, nothing has changed until recent renovation.

Le Meridien President, however, operated under the name President Hotel until December 2003 when the 30-year-old property was closed for major renovations..

IHG also developed an additional property, which was supposed to be branded as Crown Plaza Sukhumvit Bangkok in 2006, but is finally Holiday Inn Bangkok.

In April the Meridien Group signed a management contract with Hotel Plaza Athenée Bangkok. Although it is a five-star hotel in a very favourable location, Plaza Athenée owners have been struggling with low occupancy due to intense competition with nearby well-established brands such as Four Seasons and Conrad. Another reason could well be that the Plaza Athenée in New York is a stylish boutique-hotel and guests may be disappointed in its high-rise configuration in Bangkok.

Westin
The Westin Bangkok has a quixotic history. Initially run by ANA, it became Delta Grand Pacific, then Grand Pacific. While none of the brands were very successful, when majority owner—Hong Kong-based developer, Lai Sun Development— put its shares up for sale, everyone from Starwood, Six Continents, Accor, and Marriott, to Hyatt, Shangri-La, and Raffles lined up to strengthen their position in the market.

The hotel’s excellent location in the heart of the city was the major attraction and the bidding was messy. The Narula family, that owns the next-door Sheraton Grand Sukhumvit, won and gave the property to Starwood to manage.


Westin Grande Sukhumvit

After some renovations, the Westin Grande Sukhumvit opened in April 2003.

Metropolitan

The sister of “the world’s coolest city hotel”–The Metropolitan on Park Lane, London—has entered the Bangkok hotel scene. The Metropolitan Bangkok opened in October 2003 and encompasses sleek design, cool dining, and a refreshingly accurate attitude to service.

Apart from the exterior walls of the former YMCA, everything was gutted and rebuilt. There are 7 types of rooms and suites in contemporary, Thai style. The public areas are minimalistic.

Like its sister, it has a “members and hotel guests only” Met Bar. The Metropolitan says that this selective process is only due to the limitations of the bar, which can comfortably accommodate only 110 people. So the management has appointed a membership committee to consider applications. Qualifications? Well, the Met Bar’s target market is the 5 Ms: Movies, Music, Models, Media, and Money. Members generally fit at least one of the categories. At the moment there are close to 800, mainly Thais (and Edward Carter, of course).

GibSpmuh

Don't forget the ever classy Regent Cha-am, which was rebranded as a Holiday Inn (not quite in the same league as the other two I guess ).

holtju2

BTW I am quite sure that I stayed at a Crowne Plaze in Bangkok way back in 1995.

GibSpmuh

The Holiday Inn Silom used to be co-branded as a Crowne Plaza (one tower was a Holiday Inn, the other tower was a Crowne Plaza).

77W_12A

Same here. I've always ended up with a Club Suite regardless of the rate. Last 3 times since the renovations, I've always ended up with a room on the 26th floor. I'm curious to see what the corner suites will be like? Have those been renovated yet?

Also to note. I think the current club manager is so much better than the previous one. She is much more personable than the former....I think she transferred to Dubai.