EGW1

Service levels remain the same as I recall pre covid - indeed many (most) of the staff are the same and very happy to see regulars returning. Check in, poolside, butler, restaurant managers etc are all people I know from previous stays, and glad to see they are still around.

The hotel while quiet during the week tends to get busier at the weekend. Verandah restaurant is very busy, all tables occupied was common. If anything, service levels are slightly increased overall because of the ratio of staff to guests … I could not find any fault in service, and I also found all restaurants and services to be available (spa, shuttle boat, poolside etc). If I recall, Bamboo Bar and Normandie are Tues to Sun, Ciao is Fri to Sun. Verandah has a new head chef and the menu is being tweaked.

Thailand itself is obviously quieter than usual regards international visitors, although I did not find the airport to be especially quiet - there were a number of international flights arriving at the same time and a reasonable queue at immigration.

Incidentally, a friend stayed in a State Room, so I have included a couple of pictures here for completeness - I found it to be a very nice choice of room and liked the decor, so would consider for a future stay.

Nagasaki Joe

As I mentioned in my post, I recall that the Oriental Hotel and Hotel Okura (in Tokyo) vied with each other for the world's number one hotel ranking back in the early 80s. I found an actual reference to this when recently exploring the Okura Hotel's website about the hotel's history. Below are the rankings and years as shown on their website:

1981: Chosen as world's No.2 hotel by Institutional Investor magazine.
1985: Chosen as the best hotel in the world by Euromoney.
https://theokuratokyo.jp/en/company/history/

In 1988, Institutional Investor ranked the Oriental No. 1 in the world for the 8th consecutive year and the Okura had fallen significantly. According to this 1988 article:
"The Okura of Tokyo is the only major player that appears to be slipping some distance from the top rank. A few years ago, the Okura moved back and forth between No. 2 and No. 3. Last year Tokyo`s No. 1 business address was in sixth place, this year in seventh."
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/...042-story.html
And today, it no longer ranks.

Pickles

Service at the Okura has always been some of the best in the world. The physical plant (except the lobby and common areas) was nothing to write home about over the last 20 years. The new building is very nice, and although not as atmospheric as the old one, the service levels remain outstanding, so I'd say the Okura should be pretty high up in the rankings. Things have been scrambled the last couple of years, of course.

The MO BKK also has outstanding service, although I did see it dip a bit, resting on its laurels, toward the end of Kurt Wachveitl's tenure. I thought Amanda Hyndman was excellent.

EGW1

Hyndman was in particular good at the finer details (example being the floral displays in the lobby, which are now quite drab in comparison) and I think brought a sense of "MO family", with a slightly more relaxed / friendly management style. She was very present throughout the hotel and easy to approach. The real stars in my opinion are the local managers, often overshadowed by the international management / senior management team. The truly outstanding touches of service and the service moments that create lasting memories I have found almost exclusively to come from the local management team and staff ... the senior managers sometimes strike me (at least optically) as slightly aloof or awkward (possibly too formal), or overly focused on certain guests ... but of course this is very subjective.

Nagasaki Joe

I agree, but if I had a complaint about its service it would be that the Okura's aesthetic embodies more an austere and formal Japan which at times is reflected in a somewhat more rigid and formal (堅苦しい) service that also reflects, IMO, Japan's highly regimented approach to education and training. If not overly rigid, it's wonderful, unforgettable, and unparalleled service. The Oriental Hotel's service does not have, IMO, this kind of austereness, which I think makes it more appealing to a wider spectrum of guests including the leisure traveler. Even if you consider the service at both hotels to be equal, the Oriental has the advantage of its bustling and fun riverside location that the Okura does not, which gives the Oriental a clear advantage, IMO. As for the rooms, the Okura opened in 1962, a time when "plastics" was the "next big thing," and perhaps wanting to be "modern" while also being traditional, its use in the rooms, especially the bathrooms, (at the New Otani as well) was probably excessive and even considered luxurious in Japan at that stage of its development.
I was really surprised that they reversed course and went with a sleek, cold, high-tech exterior, very unimaginative, IMO. OTOH, the interior seems to remain mostly faithful to its original design aesthetic, and the bathrooms have thankfully shed the plastic-era look. I base this on photos I have seen, as I have not yet stayed at the new rebuilt Okura.
I loved its service when I was there. I think a combination of excellent service, Thai culture, location, "Old World" (colonial) charm, and history (1876 founding) all contribute to its stature, though it too has fallen from most of the modern top 10 world hotel rankings that I've seen in recent years. Here's a link to an article that lists the top 40 hotels in the world in 1982 according to Institutional Investor magazine, the Oriental was No. 1 and the Okura was No. 2. But by the mid-'90s, as stimpy mentioned, the Park Hyatt Tokyo had pretty much displaced the Okura as the new favorite of financial types with higher travel spending limits than most business travelers.
https://www.upi.com/Archives/1982/05...4280390542400/

scented

Thank you for pointing this out. This couldn’t be stressed more. It’s 1000% accurate. Real superstars are team on the ground - the reason this hotel is going from strength to strength.

G4L

I'm planning on booking a 1 week stay at MO BKK this September. I've booked the Deluxe Premier room and according to the booking I received, it's facing the river and the pool.

Will this give me a good full view of the river? I looked at the layout of all the rooms in the hotel (https://photos.mandarinoriental.com/...m-location-map) and I feel like the Pool view will have a partial view of the river compared to the French Embassy side. Is this correct and should I just get myself upgraded to a Premier Balcony room to get a better view?

stimpy

As you can see here https://www.mandarinoriental.com/ban...accommodations

all rooms have river views. The river winds left and right so you can always see it from one angle or another. Personally I prefer either a Mandarin room or a Stateroom.

luxedp

I would recommend the Authors Wing, most iconic building with beautiful suites.

stimpy

Well I would too, but those suites are triple the price of the room the OP booked.

offerendum

Are there one bedroom suites in the Authors Wing?

Pickles

The best rooms with river view are the Staterooms and the suites on the higher floors directly facing the river. The Author's Wing rooms don't have a particularly compelling river view as they overlook directly a garden and the terrace and are on the second floor. Also I believe they were recently renovated and their number greatly reduced, with each re-configured suite much bigger than the original ones.

MattEvan

I think the Chao Phraya Suites are underrated, in the quiet Garden Wing. They are set back from the River a a bit but still have a River view, albeit across the pool.

Ask for a split level suite within this category.

State Rooms have some of the best style and location of any rooms here, but are a bit small we find.

luxedp

The Authors Suite is a One BR.

offerendum

I know. But the Authors Suite is located in the River Wing as far as I know.