LIH Prem

Same here, and to the rest of the crew.



-David

yosithezet

My understanding is that the hotel owners took it back from Starwood as they felt that the level of finishing that Starwood gave to the property were too high for a Four Points. They preferred to take it back and flag as a high end property for their own brand.

FederalFlyer

Was looking online and see dates in mid June when I'll be in Bangkok for $125 a night at PA. This is currently the best available rate and includes breakfast for two. However, the rate is pre-pay and non-refundable and as a Platinum I will get breakfast for free. So, I'm wondering if rates without breakfast are usually even cheaper and may become available closer to June.

Edit: thought I was posting this in the PA thread.

Keyser

you should be able to get a better price for june....i would suggest waiting till a little closer to your stay date....

seanthepilot

This hotel rarely goes as low as the price you quote above. They have currently dropped rates to about that level.

Or the question to ask yourself... if the price suddenly jumps, where will you then decide on staying? Now decide between the two, PA at this rate or your next choice.

If you are happy with the hotel, book at the pre-paid rate... you can't go wrong.

Keyser

i've stayed at the pa for a little over $100 a night a couple of times....there is a chance that it may go lower....having said that, i would gladly pay $125 a night for this property....

TRAVELSIG

Book it now- that is as good of a rate as I have seen.

iahphx

Yikes -- I need an executive summary of this thread.

I'm taking my family (2 adults, 3 kids) to BKK later this year. Our first trip to Thailand. I'll do more hotel research later, but there are some attractive C&P rates currently available for my dates, so I want to hold something now, and double-check my choice later.

First, am I correct that I would need 2 rooms at all of the Starwood BKK hotels (that there's not a family room option)? If so, C&P become valuable to me, because I don't want to burn through too many points for my stay(especially because BKK hotel rooms don't seem that expensive).

I know the Royal Orchid is the cheapest full service option (Cat. 2), and a decent hotel, but my recollection is that it's considered to be a notch down in quality from some other Starwood hotels in BKK. True? BTW, and oddly to me, it's published room rates for my nights are higher than some other Starwood BKK properties.

At the same time, I understand the St. Regis is the best Starwood BKK property, but as a Cat. 6, it's out of my price range.

So that would leave the Le Meridien (Cat. 3), Plaza Athenee (Cat. 3), Aloft (Cat. 1), the Sheraton Grande (Cat. 4) and the Westin Grande (Cat. 3). All have C&P available.

For sightseeing convenience and bang-for-my-buck (assuming room choices for a family are similar), which property should I pick? I'm only an SPG gold, so if any of these hotels give better perks to golds, I'd love to know about that, too.

BTW, I always look first to Starwood in Asian cities for a good value award stay (due to C&P), but if there's an exceptional BKK award redemption opportunity from another chain, I'd love to know about that, too. Also, if there's another great BKK family lodging option (like an apartment rental) that I should know about, please share that as well.

Thanks for the help!

TRAVELSIG

SGS or Westin are excellent value and great "bang for buck" with a perfect location directly at the Asoke bts.

You may want to check the 4 points as well as they sometimes have excellent rates.

Lastly- as you asked- agoda.com sometimes has other hotels with wonderful prices/value- I would check here for your dates as that may be as cheap as cash+points (without losing your points). The REN is generally considered to be a very good deal as well (booking at their website).

Have fun in BKK!

iahphx

Thanks, Travelsig. "REN" is the Renaissance Bangkok, right? I'm not a big player in the Marriott program, but I do stay in their properties when the price is right.

And, and I think I indicated, I wanted to lock in the best C&P deal now, and then see if I can "beat it" (saving my points for when I can't) on some other type of deal. Given that BKK hotel prices seem reasonable, and competition intense, I think there's a 50-50 chance I ultimately will.

TRAVELSIG

Yes: REN is the Renaissance.
The price can be very good if you look around.
Also agoda (particularly on Fridays).

Rusty65

I think Starwood has great options and price points. For a tourist stay the first time, I think the Royal Orchid is well located by the river (good for tourist attractions, less so for general Bangkok) and priced as a category 2 makes it a no brainer. With the renovation, I don't think it is less nice than the Westin. I would make that choice based on the location only. And category 2 vs. 3 is a decent price difference.

However, if open to not staying at Starwood properties, I would strongly consider finding a serviced apartment. Bangkok is good for Starwood because it is good for accomodations in general. There are a lot of serviced apartment options that can supply you with a 2 room suite, a kitchen for snacks and breakfast for the kids, and a living area where you can all be together. Not only is it probably cheaper than 2 rooms will be, I would think it will be a better use of space for a family vacation to have common areas and shared spaces. I believe there would be a lot of these types available, Marriott has 3 executive suite properties with rooms for 5 people that you can compare on their website, and the Grand President is another good example (and they have sister properties). Not what I use, but I would if I had 3 children in tow!

iahphx

Thanks, Rusty. I think I'm coming around to your thinking on the Royal Orchid. Since they're all available on C&P, the difference between Cat. 2 and Cat. 3 isn't that meaningful to me, but I do like the river location. Do others agree that's the best location (of the Starwood properties) for a first-time tourist?

As far as other options like apartments go, I would normally be interested, but I think our stay in BKK will be short (I think the family will enjoy other more tranquil Thai places more). Given that time frame, and the fact that C&P cat. 2 is so cheap even booking 2 rooms, I suspect I'll take a hotel over an apartment for this stay.

Dr. HFH

I don't. While the view is great, I don't like the location with regard to transportation options. It's a boat ride to the Skytrain and consumes a surprisingly large amount of time, including waiting time. Personally, I think that you'll be better off with one of the many Starwood options much more convenient to public transportation, BTS (Skytrain) and MRT (underground).

SGS and WGS are right at the BTS Asok station and MRT Sukhumvit station (both the hotels and the public transportation stations are essentially co-located). SGS has a direct elevated walkway from the lobby into the station. At WGS (which is across the street from SGS), you have to walk out the front door and a few yards to the street, where you will find an escalator to the station. Unless you are carrying something large and/or heavy, they're nearly the same access.

4P is around the corner from WGS, <5 minutes walk to Asok/Sukhumvit station. Aloft is on soi 11, maybe 5 minutes walk to Sukhumvit (road, not MRT station), where, if you turn right, you'll find the stairs to Nana BTS station about 30 feet along the sidewalk.

At the very high end of the price range is StR, which has a direct walkway into Ratchadamri BTS station.

IMO these are your best bets for first time sightseeing. Taxis here are of limited use due to the unremitting traffic. Many people find the public transportation networks quite serviceable. I've also never had a question about my safety on either BTS or MRT, regardless of the hour.

yosithezet

How long will you be in BKK and how much of your sightseeing is Temples in BKK vs day trips outside the city vs shopping malls?

I think the ROS is good for a first trip assuming lots of Temples or external day trips. I did the temples an he like from the WGS (see my trip report in my sig) and it was great. But if it was my first trip to BKK perhaps the ROS would have been easier.