Mandarin Oriental Bangkok is arguably the most luxurious hotel in the city.  They closed for a few months during covid but we had a stay when they reopened.  It is an old historical property which was recently renovated and it clearly fits the mold for “old luxury”, in sharp contrast with the recent constructions in Bangkok such as Waldorf Astoria and Park Hyatt which are more modern in style.  MO is best for people who highly value personalized service – it is truly world class.  The drawback of MO would be mostly for elite guests of loyalty programs from big hotel chains who care about having lots of space in their room, because many hotels in Bangkok are generous with suite upgrades which is an aspect not found at MO.

Location

For someone going on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Bangkok, I would recommend a hotel by the river, and MO is in an ideal quiet spot right on the water and on the more convenient side of the river as well.  They have a shuttle boat that can take guests to the luxury shopping mall Icon Siam or to other destinations upon request.

Room

I booked the entry level Deluxe Premier room and was upgraded one room category to the Chao Praya room.  The room was very charming, colonial style, built to a high standard and was very comfortable including strong central air conditioning.  The room had a seal on the entrance door to certify that it had been sanitized to hospital standards. 

The hotel is more than 100 years old but because of the thorough renovation the technology features of luxury hotels are not missing, for example the electric blinds and curtains.  The living room had floor to ceiling windows which are not commonly found in older hotels, which was perfect to enjoy the river views.  The living room also had a high ceiling due to the entrance door of the room being on a split level higher.  Unfortunately the ceiling in the bedroom and bathroom was much lower which was one aspect betraying the age of the building.  Some new hotels such as Waldorf Astoria Bangkok has issues with sound proofing with the windows on the busy street in front, but at MO the issue was more about sound proofing of the floor/ceiling above where we could hear people walk and it could disturb our sleep on occasion.

While the overall build quality at MO was higher than Park Hyatt and Waldorf Astoria where for some aspects they cut corners, on the flip side at MO I thought the room was a bit small at 34 sq meters compared to PH 48 sq meters and WA 50 sq meters, let alone the fact that chain hotels liberally upgrade elites to suites which further compounds the difference.  In our room at MO, the living room did not feel cramped but the bathroom was small and only had a single vanity.  Nonetheless I liked the small window in the toilet enclosure for some natural light with frosted glass with wood blinds for privacy.

Regarding other miscellaneous observations about the room, the lemon-scent bathroom amenities were not an international brand but marked MO Bangkok on small metal bottles.  The silk bathrobe was quite pleasant to wear and not something I have come across in other hotels in the city.  It should also be noted that in-room movies were all free.

Dining

The breakfast venue in the Verandah restaurant on the terrace outside immediately next to the river is hard to beat.  However the a la carte menu was disappointing for a hotel of this caliber and I much preferred the luxury choices at 137 Pillars than at MO which did not have anything that would make you go “wow”; the Japanese set might be the more interesting choice but it was not included in the breakfast benefit which can come across as a bit stingy.  In fairness, the food presentation was excellent and the prawns and avocado on toast was delicious; they also accepted when I asked if they could prepare something off the menu.  They brought up fried rice and stir-fried veggies which were good but fairly standard for Bangkok.  By comparison, at 137P the menu includes great choices such as crab meat omelets, squid salad, wagyu steak, free flow Cava, and a similar Japanese set which 137P does not exclude.  I have not been to Waldorf Astoria Bangkok since covid because the hotel has not reopened yet, but the breakfast buffet there was also a couple of notches better than the current offerings at MO, for example the choice of fruits is stellar at WA with many berries, a daily rotation of hot dishes such as fried rice with scallops, many kinds of curries, thick pieces of sea bass, truffle eggs with caviar, etc.  So overall while I liked the restaurant itself at MO, the menu left to be desired and would be something easy to improve.

Service

Service was excellent even as a first-time guests at this property.  Immediately upon arrival they offered to clean our suitcases; it set the tone for the service we would receive during our stay.  I realize that the hotel was far from full so it might have been easier to keep track of who in-house guests were, but even at the beginning of our stay if we met one staff on the ground floor near the elevator she would escort us to our room because she knew what room we had without us having to say anything.  One time we went near reception, staff knew right away that we had an appointment at the spa and they led us to the right place.  We had a late flight out of Bangkok and the hotel extended 8pm check-out and once we arrived at the hotel they even made it 9pm check-out which is about as generous as it gets.  The way we were treated was fantastic throughout and I can only imagine how it is for regulars at this property.  We had great service at other luxury hotels in Bangkok before, but MO stands tall in that regard and it is clearly the number one strength of this hotel. 

Spa

The spa is not in the main hotel building but it is rather on the other side of the river so you need to take the shuttle boat to go there.  I personally did not mind in fact the boat ride is pleasant and enjoyable with comfortable seating.  It should not come as a surprise given my comments about the service that I thought the spa at MO was great as well, even compared to other top destinations in the world with great spas such as the Maldives or Bora Bora.

Bamboo Bar

The Bamboo Bar is popular and quite famous, attracting many people who are not guests of the hotel.  They have live performers every day and a good choice of cocktails.  Even for people not staying at MO, I think it’s worth the detour for the premium experience.

Wifi

Wifi worked well with speeds of 60-75 Mbps which is faster than most business hotels in the city.

Overall

Overall we had a nice stay and I could not recommend this hotel enough especially for people who care most about service.  However they should up their game with the breakfast offerings to match with the other luxury aspects of the hotel.  Regarding the hardware it’s an older hotel which gives a feeling of “old luxury”, but it also comes with some drawbacks such as room size and soundproofing.  For someone without elite status at any hotel chain, MO is a solid choice, but for MO to compete with the generous suite upgrades elite guests can receive at St.Regis, Park Hyatt, Waldorf Astoria, or the all-suites property 137 Pillars then if having a lot of space is a priority, then in that case MO will have a more difficult time to compete.