mcgahat, you probably could do that. I think that must have been what happened as a PLT, they upgraded my room to a Grand Deluxe and the breakfast was included. Never had the pleasure of using the internet so I didn't have a chance to try that.

I just checked the prices online and for my stay the Grand Deluxe room is only $10 more per night than the regular room. I wonder if they would let me pay the $10 on top of an award rather than using the 1,000 points? It seems like hotels in Asia have alot more leeway on those type of things.

Thanks again SPG for not having a hotel in Austin!

Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit Bangkok [Master Thread]
 

Can't find a dedicated SGS thread so I'll post my experience here.

Anyway, I just came back from a 3N stay as a Corporate Preferred (more or less equivalent to Gold I think). I booked 2 rooms - one for myself, wife and baby, and the other for my parents.

We took an AOT limo from the airport, that's available at the counter just before the exit - I felt it'd be better than having to deal with touts or ending up with a small cab with an even smaller boot (some taxis have an NGV tank in the boot).

Still we were "temporarily" passed to a tour operator which claimed they had a promo with AOT and offered FREE tours - transportation and local tour guide but excluding tickets. All we had to pay were B$100 each as government tax. We passed on this.

I opted for a London cab (yeah, a London cab in Bangkok :rolleyes:) since there were 4 of us and paid B$1,200 for the 40 minutes ride to SGS on a weekday afternoon.

Both Executive Deluxe rooms were upgraded to an SPG floor, which was on a higher level and faced the swimming pool/lake at the back. We were also provided butler service (only for getting coffee, tea, hot chocolate, milk, etc.), 3 pieces of laundry and late checkout.

I was given the option to add breakfast for two and a 25-minute massage/spa treatment for B$2,500/room/day which I promptly declined since there were better options outside. Instant Awards redemption is also available at a rate of 750 Starpoints for US$10.

My room came with a baby crib and toiletries. My parents' room came with a suprise "35th Wedding Anniversary" cake, which provided a fine start to the holiday.

Overall, service was good (except for the late housekeeping) and we were very happy with the room - it was big (bathroom too), and looked relatively new and luxurious. The swimming pool was unfortunately quite small and we didn't use it or the other facilities. There was a note from the GM that the restaurant, business centre, fitness centre and spa now had shorter opening hours due to the economic downturn.

The covered bridge to Asok BTS and nearby Sukhumvit MRT was very convenient since we had a baby with us. There are 2 shopping malls - Times Square next door and Robinsons across the road, which had a supermarket and 24-hour McDonald's downstairs so we didn't need to worry about breakfast.

Another hotel I noticed with a great location is the Intercontinental (or Holiday Inn next to it), where it's in a big shopping zone around Siam Paragon, Central World and MBK.

If you're a "weekend bachelor" looking for some action, the whole stretch across the road from Soi Cowboy to Nana Plaza has a variety of live shows, pubs and friendly local girls to keep you company. Do avoid the elephants!

On our return journey, I asked the concierge to book me an AOT minivan this time and for the same price of B$1,200. Since it was Sunday, we took about 30 minutes and btw, you should plan to arrive early because the airport is extremely busy.

At B$4,000/room/night (average rate after the free night offer) and the 1,500 pts/night bonus from the NAN promo, it's definitely good value.

First larrylim, welcome to FT in case nobody has welcomed you yet.

Second, I don't quite understand that area of your post. I don't know what an executive deluxe room is but if you mean grande deluxe then you should had the ability toe have breakfast downstairs at the hotel already especially since you mention butler and laundry service which are benefit of grande deluxe rooms which should also include breakfast.

Downstairs or at the Pool (which is my favorite)... I find the breakfast by the pool, while simple, compared to the breakfast upstairs, a very relaxing experience.

Thanks for the welcome mcgahat!

I booked an Executive Deluxe. A Grande Deluxe is essentially the same room, but with butler, breakfast and Internet access. As Corporate Preferred, I was only given a butler.

Anyway, it's a strange way of doing things. Because in my stay details at spg.com, it clearly stated a full Grande Deluxe package but the frontdesk assured me that it was not the case. :confused:

I actually like the sala also as long as it isn't too hot. :)

Very interesting but then again these hotels have a ton of different rate plans and I don't know how they keep them all straight. Just weird seeing that you had butler and laundry but no breakfast.

While a taxi to SGS should be 400 baht maximum (usually closer to 300) and the taxi's are in relatively good condition, larrylim would almost definitely have needed 2 taxis for him, his wife, his baby, his parents and the luggage.

In general, using the various taxi services at the BKK airport is never a good economic choice. However, things that are too expensive in Thailand tend to be not so much money. In this case, paying $12-$15 extra to share the car and not split up the family is a decision that many people would make. Also, the airport is a bit chaotic with many people offering you a taxi ride and no one letting you know exactly where to go to get the official taxis.

I think as a traveler to Thailand, people should know that the taxi situation in BKK is pretty reliable and economical. People's antennae for being ripped off need to be raised while in Thailand, but if you get to the right taxi line that fear can be delayed until the next encounter with a Thai person who takes an interest in helping you.

Actually, A very good point about two taxis. Last trip my wife and I took a regular taxi and barely had enough room for us and our bags and we did not really have a lot of bags so if we had four people and bags no way one would have worked.

Wow, 1200 THB = 'robbed' :o

Traveling with my wife and luggage, and after a long day-plus of travel, I like to have someone meeting me with a nice spacious clean car. So I'll pre-arrange to have a car meeting me, and it'll run about 1200 THB. And I'm more than happy to pay that over grabbing a cab.

Now if we want to stay on topic, then how about 'what does SGS charge for transfers?'

They don't have Executive Deluxe rooms. They have Deluxe, then Grand Deluxe and then a variety of suites.

Larry,

Welcome to flyertalk! Thank you for your post.

Did you and your family get escorted to your room?

Birthday Card
 

I just received a birthday card from the SGS. Looking forward to my next in a few weeks!

This hotel does not have club lounge?

:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

No but a Platinum member you will have:

1. Breakfast buffet at the main restaurant or Sala during the cool season
2. Complimentary soft drinks/hot beverages at the Library
3. Complimentary happy hour beverages at Sala, Library, or BarSu from 6PM to 8PM
4. All day butler service that I mainly use for bringing tea, coffee, iced tea whenever I want
5. Complimentary internet access
6. Complimentary newspaper via NewspaperDirect printing service that carriers hundred of newspapers around the world

What did I miss?

I have been there more than 12 times during the last year and those are the mainly benefits that I use.