UA-NYC

especially when you are willing to fork over $0 (net) for a credit card

Kacee

If you're interested in lounge, you might also consider the Marriott Marquis. I think the general consensus is that Ren, FS Marriott, and Marquis are all better options than JW (though there aren't many reports since JW started renovating rooms).

SGS does not have a lounge, but they offer Plats free drinks in the Library during happy hour (not sure what the hours are) and free coffee all day long.

Not sure we're clear how the properties are now handling Plat v. Plat Premier in terms of upgrades and other perks.

Yeah that's what I was referring to.

enthrop

I'll look into the Marriott Marquis.. originally I had taken it off the list simply since the location looked further away. What is "FS Marriott"? Is the JW ranked "worse" from that list due to the need for renovations, or other reasons?

Oh, did not realize SGS does not have a lounge! Do they offer breakfast though for PP/P members?

Kacee

MM is a little farther from BTS than the others, yes. FS is the full service Marriott at Soi 57 (Thong Lo).
They have a fantastic breakfast benefit. You can eat either in Orchid Cafe which has an enormous buffet, or Rossinis, which has a smaller buffet (very high quality) and an entree off the menu. On weekends there are two additional options.

Chris26WI

Have they (MM) opened a passway (exit) through Benchasiri Park meanwhile? Last time I was staying they said it would be in planning..
would shorten the walking distance to BTS I imagine.

yosithezet

Every time I see FS Marriott I struggle to remember what that means. Couldn't we just calling Mar57 or some such? Most of the hotels are 'full service' hotels so calling it FS doesn't seem to be beneficial.

Anyway, I have visited the Mar57 and it is a good option. I stayed at the Marriott Marquis and it is a great property though a bit further from the trains. For a first visit I'd say go for the SGS and don't look back.

EuropeanPete

I would also definitely go for the SGS. No "lounge", but multiple free breakfast options, open bar at the island-like swimming pool, a jazz club and a fun cocktail bar and all kinds of other Platinum benefits. Incomparably better than a dull lounge with packets of crisps and the odd bottle of spirits.

funkbandit

Calling the Soi57 property the FS property goes back to the days before Marriott opened two more FS Marriotts in town. However, I would second your suggestion.

catocony

[QUOTE=EuropeanPete;30290817 Incomparably better than a dull lounge with packets of crisps and the odd bottle of spirits.[/QUOTE]

This is a very inaccurate description of the lounges at the JW and the Ren, and even at the Courtyard. Having food available pretty much all day, with 3-4 hot options in the evening, high tea food and bev and even a light lunch, is not "packets of crisps".

funkbandit

This doesn't sound right. Especially the JW has a good lounge with a very nice offering for dinner & drinks. You get your cocktails and longdrinks mixed by the staff and can even have the food brought to your table. Maybe they'll also bring a bag of chips if you ask nicely.

Kacee

Well since this timeless debate has reopened, put me in the "package of crisps" category. Some people value free alcohol and warming trays of mediocre free food over virtually everything else, while others just don't understand the lounge fixation. Especially in a city like Bangkok. And especially where the absence of lounge means you get a restaurant breakfast at a choice of multiple venues (i.e., at SGS).

EuropeanPete

Of course for Bangkok I was slightly exaggerating, but no lounge in the world has as nice ambiance as La Sala by the pool, no lounge has as good music as world-famous live jazz and no lounge has the atmosphere of BarSu where your lounge attendant will lead you in a spirited dance of Cotton Eyed Joe. Obviously some lounges do have table service, alcohol options and passable food, but within the context of a closed room.

enthrop

Wow, lots of active discussion since I went to bed last night.. and all very insightful! A few follow ups from me to all those better informed:

1. The stickied first post of this thread recommends Renaissance for first time travelers, partially due to the convenience of access to public transit. Is this still true, or is that recommendations either dated or simply an opinion.
2. Kacee, you mentioned JW as the bottom of a small list of properties. Why is that? I've been reading TripAdvisor reviewed of Renaissance vs JW, and there seems to be a lot of support for JW.
3. SGS definitely sounds like the best breakfast option. So I'll make a definite note on that. And it was already on my radar because old SPG threads seem to keep comparing SGS vs Athenee LC. Can I assume it's in a convenient location for first time tourist?
4. SGS benefits: "... multiple free breakfast options, open bar at the island-like swimming pool, a jazz club and a fun cocktail bar and all kinds of other Platinum benefits.". To confirm these are PLATINUM benefits, versus simply guest benefits? Like can a normal guest get open bar at the island-like swimming pool?. Because they definitely sound look good benefits, and above any other Platinum benefits I've seen in any other Marriott/SPG property I've stayed at, and it almost seems "too good to be true."
5. SGS: This is pretty silly, but, if there's no lounge, is there somewhere I can grab soda/water/coffee from for free at any time of day? I'm always like the convenience of ducking into lounge and stocking up on my liquids. I know I can always make a convenience store run.. but just asking. (Does Bangkok have convenience stores everywhere like Japan?)
6. EuropeanPete's sarcastic comment -- Sorry, I don't get it. Are you saying.... go out and enjoy Bangkok instead of relying on a lounge's dinner spread?
7. JW/Ren/MM lounges for dinner -- Getting a little lost in what's sarcastic vs realistic in terms of offering "a package of crisps." My last trip to Asia was Marriott Beijing & Shanghai, where both had decent dinner spreads (although I still preferred eating out to experience authentic fare). Is "package of crisps" referring to a decent spread, but one you wouldn't write home about? Or more like the US ones where they give you nachos and over microwaved pasta?
8. I had read that the newly Christianized "Mar57" was not as convenient for tourist activities as some other locations. Is that not true?

eccentricfusion

I'd say the density of 7-11's (and other convenience stores) in Bangkok is as high, if not higher, than the density of conbini in Tokyo.

catocony

1. The Skytrain station is right in front of the Renaissance. You walk out the front and into the next building, where you can take the elevator up to the 3rd floor and walk straight into the station. It's also the start of the elevated walkways along the Skytrain. You can walk quite a ways down to hit all of the malls/shopping areas along that strip.

2. The JW has been undergoing a slow renovation for some time. Aside from that, the bathrooms are a weird design and there isn't much of a pool. Depending on how you look at it, it's go views right down on Soi 4, which is one of the louder booze and hooker areas in Bangkok.

3. The Sheraton Grand is a good location for tourists. It's right by a SkyTrain station and pretty close to a Subway station. Terminal 21 is across the street, which is loaded with restaurants.

4 and 5. I've never stayed at the Sheraton but in general, I do what you do and treat the lounge like a convenience store. I want a good breakfast, some evening food around 6:00 PM since I usually don't eat dinner until very late in BKK, and lots of snacks and beverages during the day. The Marriott lounges are this. Heavy breakfast (both Western and Asian foods), light foods (sandwiches and deserts) through the late morning and afternoon, then a light dinner/heavy appetizers and desserts from 5:30 or so until 9:00 or so at night. Open bar, yes limited but free flowing. Then open till 11:00 PM or so for snacks. Bottles of water and sodas, juices, teas and coffees all day. Note that at the Renaissance and Courtyard, you can have breakfast in the lounge or restaurant. Both are pretty much full buffets in both the lounge and restaurant.

6. For anyone who gets condescending because you want to get a quick light dinner in the lounge instead of going to a restaurant, I guess my reply would be why sit around hotel bars and restaurants when you could be out enjoying the city. I couldn't tell you how the bars or restaurants in pretty much any hotel in the world is because I treat the restaurants as coffee shops - breakfast only. I'll supplement meals with a lounge visit - the JW is pretty close to a full heavy meal, the Ren less so - but I"m in and out of the hotel all day and night.

7. The lounges at all of the Marriott hotels are pretty well described in this thread. They're not US lounges, where breakfasts are usually decent but there's nothing during the day and the evening stuff can be a cheese plate and cold cuts - if you're lucky. Maybe a cake for dessert but frequently just some cookies, and booze isn't included. Bangkok lounges are far better than European and South American ones, which are massively better than US/Canadian ones.

8. Suk57 - which is what most of us call the Marriott there - is right beside a Skytrain station, but otherwise the location is meh. Read up on it, some like the location because it's quiet, but if you're not a homebody at night, it's Sytrain and taxis instead of a walk to get to things.