W Bangkok, Thailand [Master Thread]
 

I was disappointed in the service and stay. I only stayed one night but it was not special. Treatment was poor and the staff doesn't seem to know much about the rewards program and benefits of platinum members. I did see the GM walking around so I guess that says something right? Rooms are small. I'll post some pictures up when I have a little time.

Biggest turn off was the staff. Really not familiar with the brand and they had an attitude like if they were better then you during my check in. They also messed up on the room they gave me. They gave me a room with two beds rather then a king. I was sure confirmed a king and they also confirmed a king during the check in, but I didn't really care and I enjoyed the two beds. Breakfast sucks. Get the points for the amenities if you stay at this property.

FYI this is my first post on flyertalk but I have been reading and getting tips from Flyertalk.com for several years. I was just too lazy to join till there was this facebook login. Nice touch FT.

I would steer clear of the W hotel till they get there stuff together in Bangkok and head over the the Grande Sheraton. It's like super close to the Terminal 21 mall and Citibank at the BTS walkway with the MRT also connecting to it.

Traffic was another issue I had with the W hotel location. You have to walk to the BTS which is far and I took a taxi in the day and at night from the W hotel and it REALLY sucked. I was stuck in traffic for over 30-45 minutes to get to the sukhumvit road.

Welcome Tom Jobs to Flyertalk and thanks for posting!

One question- I was under the question the hotel was connected to the BTS by walkway?

Isn't this W brand standard? :D

Thanks for the welcome man. The hotel is definitely not connected to the BTS. It's a ways to walk (because I'm lazy) and you have to go through a building to get to the BTS.

Already been a few comments but...

Did manage to arrive just before opening and was guest no 1

Had to wait outside until the 9:09 opening but this all added to the excitement. Certainly I was made to feel very important and was greeted by pretty the much the whole management team. Everyone was beaming with pride. The Vueve was also very much appreciated (especially at that hour of the morning). Lot of photos were taken and I received a hard copy of one later which was delivered to my room. As noted on another website, many of these pictures ended up on the W Bangkok facebook page

That evening there was a celebratory couple of hours of drinks and canapes. I scored a W pin and chatted to several of the staff again. Mostly drunk wine but also had a Hendricks based cocktail (but not sure of what is was) which was delicious. Again the staff were really on form

I think this W captures well what is the essence of W hotels. If this is not your thing then thats fine. W hotels perhaps capture the narrowest demographic of all SPG hotels. On the other hand you you like W hotels I suspect you'd like this W and I do think it's a great addition to Bangkok

A lot has been said of the location. Really it depend where you need to be but I personally don't have any problem with the location of any of the Bangkok SPG properties. The immediate area around the W is quiet but for some that will be a bonus. It's only a 15 minute walk to patpong if that's your thing

The building itself I think is rather attractive especially when you include the heritage building. Not all the hotel is complete and there is some construction noise but this was fairly minimal. Bathroom amenties were of standard size (unlike the W Taipei). Decor is very W (I prefer slightly the Le Meridien nearby)

Clearly it's possible my opinion may be coloured by the occasion but I shall be sure to stay again

Jeff

Thanks to everyone who are adding their reviews. I will try this property out sometime early next year and by then I'm sure quite a few kinks will be worked out.

I will be visiting this property right after Xmas but my opinions don't count right?

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Thyetus Lee | Social Media Specialist
Starwood Customer Contact Centre (AP) Pte Ltd

The Lurker's opinions make a great difference here... and are welcome.

In fact, because of your unique perspective, understanding both sides, you can likely provide insight that other FTers could not.

When you go, don't forget to weigh the price a FTer would pay for the same night you were in house. When dining, try to determine what a Gold, or Platinum member would receive or pay for the same sampling (ie cocktails by the pool, breakfast, room service) and include that perspective. Also remember that some of us are members of Starwood Privilege (or the new program Eat Drink & More) and would be interested in the hotel's level of participation in these type of programs.

And last but not least.... you know that convincing them to post a competitive room rate on FT would allow many to assess the hotels themselves.

We would be very welcoming to any policy statements on amenities, number of suites available for Platinum upgrages, or even people to contact before and after our stays.

As we say here..... "bring it on!" :D

agree completely....looking forward to a review thyetus....:D

+1
I am looking forward to testing out this property- even though the location is not perfect for me (My office is at Ekkamai)- it looks interesting enough to test out. It will be very tough to beat the Bangkok market in general- ranging from the Four Seasons to the Pen to the Oriental to the SGS- this must be the most competitive market for hotels in the world in terms of service and overall value for the money (I even love the aLoft here and this is not a brand that normally fits my tastes).

Thanks for the comments. It's not an ideal location for me, but I tend to take taxis around BKK anyways. I'm a big fan of the W concept (even if not always the execution!) so will probably try this out on my next trip.

For perspective, my regular hotel in BKK is currently the Conrad which has perfect execution and solid design but is a bit dull, though I occasionally treat myself to one of the real luxury hotels when I feel I deserve it.

Moderator Note
 

FYI, discussion which preceded the opening of the hotel can be found in this thread:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/starw...iscussion.html

-AZ
Moderator

I had some time and looked up Nick Heath since his name popped up on the reservation email. He was the GM at the W hotel in Seoul before becoming the GM at the W hotel in Bangkok on linked in. Anyone stayed at the W Hotel in Seoul? Heard great things about the property in Seoul.

The property in Seoul is getting dated and the location next to Sheraton far from perfect. As it is sometimes the case with W's, I had some upgrade issues there.

Still in the midst of my busy travel schedule, so am unable to post any substantial reviews, but for those looking for pics can visit my wife's blog:

http://blog.naver.com/dalgizoa?Redir...No=50156806791

a few things to note:
1. No breakfast for plats, must choose as an amenity in place of 500 pts
2. No suites available - none are ready even for purchase
3. The mindset of Whatever/Whenever does not exist. I asked for water at the pool and they asked me to get it myself from the gym
4. No direct link to the BTS skytrain. This hotel is far from any malls/tourist sites. It is right next to the RBS (royal bank of scotland), BoChina, PwC buildings... which means the area becomes dead quiet during weekends.
5. Staff are friendly - was happy to see some staff that I remember from Le Meridien Bangkok.
6. Rooms are a step further away from 'luxury'. You'll see what I mean when you see it for yourself but as an example the curtains are manual (you need to pull them open/close yourself, there's no automatic switch).


Happy to answer any questions you may have. But my verdict for now is to stay away until they have their acts together. I mean, not even their house-keeping has their acts together yet...

[EDITED TO ADD]

7. No happy hour of any kind for plats. The only thing you get aside from the amenity (500 pts etc) is the free internet, which btw was unusable (read my lips... not "slow" or "unstable". It was simply "unusable").
8. Spa is not ready yet
9. Only one restaurant open (the Kitchen table). The prices are very very high (even for hotel standards).
10. Closest MRT station is the Chong Nonsi.