I have resisted for a quite a while before trying W Bangkok and I chose other properties repeatedly, in part because of reports of subpar Platinum treatment particularly in the SPG days. I was not in a rush to try W given reports of lack of upgrades and only one drink per person per stay as the Platinum benefit, compared to other properties which tend to be more generous including hotels with a lounge and/or free flow drinks for happy hour. However I have been pleased with my stays at other W hotels in the last few months so I wanted to at least give it a shot myself if the price was right.  I found a Best Rate Guarantee for less than 3.4k THB so at the price I was willing to live with potentially disappointing Marriott Ambassador treatment, for the benefit of trying a new hotel and see with my own eyes.  

Room

I booked the entry level room and several days before my arrival I saw online that I had been pre-upgraded to the spectacular room, and then a couple days before my arrival a further upgrade to the studio suite. Earlier reports in this thread that upgrades are unlikely might be a thing of the past, at least for me it was done proactively without me asking for anything which is always appreciated. 

Despite the lack of happy hour, I can see why W has its fans because the room is the strength of the hotel in my opinion.  The hotel opened 7 years ago and unlike many hotels in Bangkok built with shoddy construction materials and cutting corners, this one is withstanding the test of time quite well so far.  It is obvious that they have spent money on quality for example the thick entry door to ensure good soundproofing.  It is better than hotels renovated or newly built in the last 12 months which I have seen recently.  The studio suite is lovely and so simple in design: one large open room when you enter (= bedroom) and one large room behind it (= bathroom).  The bedroom is very bright thanks to the windows on the entire length of the room.  There is a very wide working desk where you can spread yourself around and not be missing any space, in addition to an L-shaped sofa.  Because the bathroom is right behind the bedroom, it is equally long as the bedroom, if not longer, due to the angle of the wall (not a rectangle). At the end of the bathroom is a huge walk-in shower with a large bath tub in the same area without a separation, and once again a window on the entire outside wall.  The inside wall is fully covered by a mirror all the way from the windows to the end of the toilet enclosure.  Amenities were the standard Bliss products for W hotels.  

The purple glass wall besides the bed gives a nice flair to the room, along with the decorative keychain boxing gloves on the bed which are the trademark of this hotel; by the way you can buy small souvenir boxing gloves marked W Bangkok at reception.  

It was refreshing to have a unique and attractive room which differs from the standard looking rooms found in many other hotels. Except for those who really need a separate living room (standard suite, not junior suite) and perhaps 1.5 bath, this room is just fine because it’s large enough (64 sq m) and no space is wasted anywhere so very comfortable and not cramped.  If there is one minor negative about the room it is that with so much being windows, mirrors, and glass in this room, they should have done something different for the toilet door because you can see a bit through it; it is a dark tinted sliding glass door.  It looks nice and it’s all fine for a solo traveler, but some couples might think it’s not ideal.    

The tech features were better than I expected for a hotel which is a few years old.  The electronic panel by the bedside controls air conditioning, lighting, the do not disturb sign, and an alarm.  There is also a Bose sound system and international power plugs on both sides of the bed.  

Finally, I had a few dessert-kind welcome gifts and a written note waiting for me in the room upon arrival.  

Dining

I chose breakfast as my amenity instead of points. The buffet is fine, and a first time visitor in Bangkok might be impressed but if we compare with other hotels roughly in that price range in the city, it’s ok but not top of the line.  Just within Starwood legacy hotels, in my opinion St.Regis, Athenee, Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit, Le Meridien, and perhaps also Westin all have a better breakfast so W is no better than 5th on that list, not counting Marriott hotels although if those have a lounge then breakfast is usually not free in the restaurant for Platinums so it would not be an apples to apples comparison.  The weaknesses of the W breakfast are that fruits are just a bit more than what you could find in a North American hotel, whereas local competitors in Bangkok would have more local choices such as mangoes, pomelo, passion fruit, etc.  Yogurt and cereals were slim pickings as well, for example no homemade granola, or anything that stands out.  There was no fried rice at W; some hotels have luxury versions with protein such as crab or seafood fried rice.  At W, it was only baked rice with herbs.  On the positive side, breakfast has an Indian / Middle East station which was good, and the best for me was the choice of special salads which were different every morning and tasted great.  The restaurant has a bit of a busy layout with many tables close to each other, but at least when I was there it was not overly crowded.  

As mentioned above, happy hour is more stingy than what almost every other Marriott family hotel offers to elite guests: only one drink per person per stay.  I had drinks at House on Sathorn which is an interesting venue for a hotel restaurant because it’s the old Russian Embassy, immediately adjacent to the hotel (you have to step outside the hotel and walk a few meters).  Coupons are valid for drinks that cost up to 450 THB. Dinner was excellent and I loved the Hokkaido scallops.  The portion was fairly small but the dish was very well prepared.  Prices are on the high side for Bangkok standards but this is a high end restaurant in a unique building, and also Marriott members get 20% discount so with the free drinks it turned out to be a reasonable final bill.  

Pool

The swimming pool looks nice although a bit small and not many chairs with shadow – most are directly exposed to the sun.  There are a limited number of cabanas which can partially protect from the sun in addition to some umbrellas.  The unique feature of this hotel is that the pool is open 24/7 so it is a fun experience to go for a swim at 3am when being jet lagged during a warm Bangkok night.

Gym

The gym is right next to the pool and is of a decent size, including eight or more weight machines which I find to be above average.   

Woobar

The bar near reception looks good; I had a couple of snacks and a freshly prepared juice over there.

Service

In my opinion service at W is better than other hotels in this price range, especially if we compare to hotels which are perhaps more business oriented and more sober.  I found staff at W to be more friendly and more chatty than the norm, which is entirely suitable for a W.  

Overall

Overall I think the hotel has enough strong features that it possibly can afford to be less generous with Platinum/Titanium/Ambassador benefits, to a certain point.  No happy hour and no room upgrade would probably not cut it for me, however I can live with the lack of happy hour if I can get decent room upgrades when available to match the competition, and they scored on that point, plus the fact that I really liked the room.  Not everybody wants a lounge and not everybody wants to drink at the hotel during happy hour so people that value a different kind of design for their hotel room will find that W can meet or exceed their expectations.  Marriott does not really need another hotel with nice standard rooms and a lounge because there are already quite a few good ones of those, but W definitely has a niche that adds something different to the Marriott alternatives in Bangkok.  W used to be almost always in the price range 4.5-5.5k THB but now I sometimes see rates below 4k even without BRG which is more competitive than in the past. Depending on the nature of my future trips I will return to W and I am more positive about this property than before I tried it.