stimpy

I did read that. It did not specifically state the suite was the Grande Suite as I wrote. I've never been to this hotel and I wouldn't automatically make that assumption. And the website states that there are two Grande Suites.

stimpy

I guess the suite isn't ready either. I just got an email from the hotel stating they cannot honor my reservation.

We would like to request for a huge favor from you to cancel this booking as we are not able to honor the mentioned booking since this room type is not available in our inventory and please allow us to make a new reservation for you with a proper rate amount according to your suggestion.

Or perhaps they rate they sold it to me isn't as much as they really want from me? This is a first for me with Starwood.

JFKSFOLAX_friend

I didn't see an offer of compensation for the inconvenience. Was that somewhere else in the email?

stimpy

Nope. I'll give them a call Monday to see what's what. But from the email it doesn't seem good.

BigE

We recently stayed at Le Meridien Chiang Rai and would agree with many of the previous comments about the beautiful resort, friendly staff, and comfortable Grande Deluxe rooms. We received a fruit basket (oranges) as well as three little desserts with strawberry and whip cream. The Chiang Rai night bazaar is cute and we really enjoyed the open air restaurant next to the stage, with live music and dancing. We also enjoyed the nearby flower festival, which was gorgeous and free.

Having noted the good points, I was a little disappointed given this price level (well over $100 per night) and given the previous glowing reviews. The location is poor - nothing of interest near the hotel, save a nice view of the river - though I suppose that is typical for many resorts. It's so remote that there isn't any public transportation, meaning that you're stuck with whatever the hotel offers. Fortunately, they do offer a free shuttle to town 4-5 times per day in a spiffy minivan. There's not a lot to do at the resort, so far as I could tell, besides a few daily scheduled activities and swimming. Breakfast was above average, but the expensive lunch/dinner food in the restaurant was mediocre, and I'm probably being overly kind in that assessment. We ordered Thai food, so maybe you'll have better luck with western food (the 60 Baht ice cream was pretty good). The AC is too loud, even on the lowest setting. Thankfully, it was cool during our stay and we could just it turn it off.

We used cash & points and thought it was odd that they convert the $45/day into Thai baht at an exchange rate of 30.5 baht/dollar then, at check out, automatically convert it back into U.S. dollars at about 29 baht/dollar (plus tax and 10% service charge on top of that). I would call it a scam, though if you insist on paying in Thai baht you only lose once on the unfair exchange, not twice. My advice to the hotel would be to not play this kind of game because it spoils the good mood and isn't netting them that much extra profit.

This hotel might be a good fit for some, though I wouldn't stay there again and wouldn't recommend it to friends. Then again, I wouldn't really recommend anywhere in Chiang Rai. For me, Chiang Mai is 10 times more interesting. The Chiang Mai Le Meridien there is also lovely and right in the center of things...and a bit cheaper.

yosithezet

If you leave the property and start right down the street there are some nice local places to eat and enjoy music along the river.

rick253

It seems some posters forget that This is Thailand.
Expect the unexpected, and things don't always happen on time or schedule.
If you can live with that then enjoy the experience that is Thailand.

stimpy

OK, I found out the answer. What they effectively did was sell me their "Presidential Suite" for 2000 baht per night. It seems the Grand Suite is currently the top suite in the hotel. I accepted this as a mistake and I accepted the move down to a Grand Deluxe room. No blood, no foul.

stimpy

Thanks for the recommendation. That sounds perfect.

yosithezet

Now I'm confused. This is what I think I understand.

They sold you the Presidential Suite. The Grand Suite is currently the top suite in the hotel. As the Presidential Suite isn't ready they are suggesting to move you down to a Grand Deluxe Room.

Why aren't they moving you down to a Grand Suite?

stimpy

Sorry if I didn't explain it well. They are calling the Grand Suite their "Presidential Suite". It sounds to me that this is temporary and there are plans to create a Presidential Suite. But that is just my speculation.

So they sold me the Grand Suite for 2000 baht and they say that is a mistake. They cannot sell it for so cheap. So they are moving me down to a Grand Deluxe.

yosithezet

Obviously they can and did sell it to you for that price. Perhaps they shouldn't have. But they did. Sounds like a mistake rate. Some properties have gotten a lot of attention and subsequent loyalty for honoring such rates. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hotel...shillings.html

So did they offer some compensation if you agreed to move?

stimpy

Yes, it was a mistake rate. They are honoring the rate, but not the suite. No offer of compensation, but we'll see what happens after my stay. I'll report back.

PointWeasel

Be very direct and persistent with this property as they tend to deny the existence of obvious errors or simply ignore them.

I stayed there last week and the 'hotel car' from the airport 8 mins away was actually an underwhelming van and a bit of a ripoff for 600 THB I thought, but this is Thailand. In comparison, our daytrip up to the Burmese border with a "car service" was 2000 THB.

My Platinum late check-out privilege was agreed to at check-in but my key didn't work after 12 noon and when I called the front desk they suggested that perhaps I didn't insert the key propely or placed it next to my wallet. BS. Someone didn't enter the time properly on the card, and they just denied it was their mistake. Given that its a bit of a walk to the room in the Grand Deluxe wing and I had to use the facilities after a day trip to Burma, I was less than impressed.

As others have mentioned, the property is rather removed from the city itself which can be both good and bad - the only noise (other than the AC which I also shut off) is the call to prayer at the nearby mosque and some of the boats on the river I think enjoy making tons of noise as they go by.

The breakfast is well done, much like the Meridien Bangkok, but the service later on is spotty with missed/incorrect orders and/or drinks.

SanDiego1K

For those who rented a car while here, what agency did you use, and how much did you pay?

If you did a one way rental between Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai, same question.