In my opinion The Siam is a one of a kind hotel with almost no benchmark to compare to in Bangkok: it would be like comparing an old collectible classic car to a brand new sports car.  The Siam is almost like a resort in the city, and the hotel also looks like a museum with many historical artefacts in the common areas and also in the rooms.  

Location

Many luxury hotels are by the river but The Siam is much farther north than others.  For that reason the location of The Siam is a disadvantage for me because there is not much around and it should be no surprise that the hotel shuttle boat brings guests to Saphan Taksin which is between Four Seasons / Capella and Mandarin Oriental, all three of which have a more convenient location in my opinion.  Unfortunately the shuttle boat is only in operation on weekends at the moment.

The hotel is low-rise and only has 39 suites and villas so very quiet which in periods of high occupancy in the city (non-covid times) would be a nice change from the large busy hotels.  The Siam is also in a large compound isolated from the rest of the city with vegetation to give a strong resort feeling.  

Room

I booked the entry level room (80 sqm) and received a one-category upgrade at check-in to the to Mae Nam Suite (90 sqm).  The fact that even the cheapest rooms at this hotel are so large means that for people who value space, when comparing to other hotels you probably have to match with the higher level room types.  In that regard The Siam is comparable to 137 Pillars where all rooms are suites and quite large, therefore the starting price is not cheap.  However those two properties can be less competitive for members of hotel loyalty programs which generously upgrade to suites for example Park Hyatt, Waldorf Astoria, or St.Regis.

The Mae Nam suites are on the second floor of the hotel and have modest water views; the better views are on the 3rd floor and those rooms are the Riverview suites.  That said, regardless of which room type the views are nicer at the other riverside hotels such as MO, FS, and Capella.  

The Siam is an old hotel and the room is unmatched in terms of design with a very traditional and historical feeling rather than the modern design of many other luxury hotels.  The flip side is that technological features are absent for example no electric blinds and the air conditioning was not the strongest despite moving the temperature down to the minimum possible during the night.  The room was very long with the window at the far end which made the room a bit dark.  The bathroom was at the other end of the room and only had a curtain to separate with the rest of the room which was odd.  Also because this is effectively a resort, it’s one of the few hotels in Bangkok where I saw mosquito repellant in the room which ended up being useful because we had a few unwanted visitors during our stay.  

Common Areas

The hotel common areas were stunning and beautiful, as mentioned above almost like a museum, and worth the visit by itself.  The movie room was particularly interesting where you can login to your Netflix account and project a movie on the large screen and even have the possibility to order a set dinner or lunch box.

Dining

Breakfast was outdoors close to the river in an enjoyable venue to start the day.  The a la carte menu was quite good with a mix of western and Asian options including attractive and upscale protein dishes.  One evening we ordered cocktails at their seating area near the dock which is very nice, but the cocktails were quite weak and nowhere near the caliber of drinks at Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, or Waldorf Astoria.  In my opinion the bar is a point of improvement at The Siam.

Service

The service during our stay was very good and definitely more resort-style which means down to earth and relaxed.  Also the hotel being quite small it’s easier to be recognized by staff and the GM is quite visible and available to guests at all times so he sets the tone for the rest of the staff.  That said the service was not as top notch as some more formal 5-star hotels, for example at the restaurant staff did not remember choice of drinks, did not proactively offer refills, were sometimes off a bit regarding our orders, etc.  All of those minor issues can be features we tend to notice more often in resorts.  In contrast, at the top service-oriented hotels in Bangkok as soon as our plate is empty, staff usually immediately brings new cutlery, drinks are almost immediately refilled, etc.  At The Siam restaurant service was more reactive so we had to make requests to staff instead of them always being on top of guest needs.  

Gym

The gym was adequate with a decent number of machines but like the rest of the hotel not the newest and latest equipment.  However since the hotel is small, the upside was that I was alone at all times.  

Wifi

Wifi worked well but speeds were about 15 Mbps which is below average for Bangkok standards.  

Overall

Overall this hotel can be ideal for people looking for a small and private boutique hotel with a resort feeling and a sharp break from the ordinary, because of its charming historical rooms and beautiful common areas.  It is almost impossible to compare with more modern or renovated hotels elsewhere in the city who provide more traditional luxury rather than ‘antique’ luxury such as The Siam.  The most loyal guests at The Siam will certainly not consider alternatives in Bangkok to be suitable for them.