eccentricfusion

I just talked to the staff often and asked them since I was living out of the hotel for a few weeks. They gave rough numbers in conversation.

WasKnown

That makes sense. It’s too bad their occupancy is low. I frequently saw other guests in the lobby and in elevators so I wonder what St. Regis occupancy is at (given that I very rarely saw other guests during my stay there).

EuropeanPete

Slightly off topic, but it looks like dining will be coming back to Bangkok from tomorrow, possibly at 25% or 25 pax max utilisation (please excuse my Thai).

Fims

That sounds promising.

Kacee

I completely respect that (and I find myself more and more gravitating towards yogurt and granola for breakfast, as opposed to the lavish spread). But Bangkok hotel breakfasts are among the better ones anywhere, and I suspect some percentage of W guests are surprised and disappointed to find the property doesn't really try to be competitive.
I don't think any of the Bangkok properties are knocking it out of the park. I suspect they're all operating at a signifcant loss.
Can the government here get any more schizo about this stuff???

WasKnown

Would you say the SGS has the best Bangkok breakfast? The only Marriott breakfasts I had in Bangkok pre-lockdown were: Renaissance and Marriott Marquis. They were really great but nothing I would go out of my way to eat. I guess I’m just very easy to please when it comes to hotel food. I thought those breakfasts were great but no better than options at places like JW Tomorrow Square or St. Regis Saadiyat. Generally, I try the breakfast for one or two days and stick to fruit and tea for all subsequent days.

Anyway, I guess everyone values things differently. I really value hard product and suite upgrades more than breakfast. Perhaps pandemic breakfast offerings can be an indicator for soft product quality but I was very pleased with the service at the W.

Also, I think it depends on the purpose and duration of stay. If I’m in Bangkok frequently and for a very long trip, I will probably value the breakfast more. However, if I visit the city infrequently, I will try to save my meals for trying some of the city’s great food! I love Bangkok because it the #2 city for total number of restaurants in the Asia Top 50 (hopefully COVID doesn’t change that).

—

No clue what the suite upgrade situation here was like pre-pandemic. These days, upgrades at the W Bangkok seem straightforward and abundant. For people that value this and can tolerate a mediocre breakfast, I think this is an excellent choice. Despite the comparatively weaker breakfast, I do not think the hotel service was lacking in any way.

Kacee

You asked me this already, and I deferred to escape4 (because he's stayed in way more Bangkok hotels than me). :-)

I think SGS lags W/A, at least in terms of food quality, and I suspect there others that are also better.

WasKnown

Sorry, I forget people’s usernames on here lol

tomwhom

So far I had about 200 nights at Bangkok Marriott (140N) and Hilton(60N) FS hotels, no Hyatt. I really value breakfast as it's my most important meal of the day. Kacee is right WA is top notch (yes those free flow berries :-) and a bit better offerings and view than SGS Elite breakfast, followed by Marriott Surawongse (restaurant breakfast not lounge as I prefer Asian dishes) and Athenee. St Regis is just average.

After COVID, most of my nights will be in SGS (elite recognition, breakfast, location), St. Regis (room, location and FHR benefit), Athenee (breakfast, room, service), Surawongse (breakfast, suite upgrade, lounge quality) if restaurant breakfast offered to elite, WA (hardware, breakfast, location). Also I will utilize STARS to book short stays for the hotel credit as it’s easy to move between these hotels with Taxi and BTS even just by walk from Regis to WA. My late night arrival hotel will be Courtyard (then walk to WA or Regis) and Fourpoint (walk to SGS). Really great BKK has so many excellent reasonable or low priced hotels.

WasKnown

Whats the FHR benefit at the St. Regis? Can you book through FHR/Stars and still pay with Megatix? If so, I missed out on property credits lol

escape4

WasKnown My latest breakfast experience at W was mixed because during our April stay, on some days occupancy was low therefore they served a la carte in the restaurant, which was quite good. Other days during Songkran it was higher occupancy and they had a buffet; for Bangkok standards it was average.

Regarding the top breakfasts in the city, 137 Pillars used to be #1 but they have cut back after covid unfortunately. WA has one of the best breakfasts all around but mostly on the strength of the buffet; the a la carte component is good but not great. Some luxury hotels have a better a la carte offering, for example Capella, which is logical since it's the most expensive hotel except perhaps Mandarin Oriental. Park Hyatt also has a nice breakfast nowadays, and Kimpton + Sukhothai are nothing to sneeze at either.

In a lower price range, SGS is very good in normal conditions but current in-room menu is a bit light to be considered among the best in the city but it's not entirely fair if comparing to the names above which have room rates at least double SGS. Marriott Surawong also deserves high marks although in non-covid times the restaurant breakfast is not free for Platinum-Tit-AMB so it's obviously easier to provide a fantastic breakfast when you get income for it.

I find that despite having stayed in a gazillion hotels in Bangkok, it is hard to consider myself an expert at any single point in time, especially for something as fluid as breakfast. Using the example of W, they have already had three versions in just one month: a la carte in the restaurant, then buffet, and now in the room.

WasKnown

Thank you! Sounds like SGS is a great value for breakfast. I hope to try SGS, WA and Park Hyatt when I return to Bangkok. Hopefully 2022.

FQ415

Is W offering breakfast for elite members or choose from welcome amenities?

WasKnown

Yes, also two drink vouchers per stay. The room service breakfast is quite basic but gets the job done.

FQ415

Thanks. I don't need to book room with breakfast then.