I agree too. We have never had a problem wearing shorts and t shirts in the lobby. After a few hours sightseeing in Bangkoks heat and humidity I look a complete mess despite my best efforts and they still let me back in !

re shorts @ MO BKK - they knew you were guests... MegatopLover was clear on that in one of his reports. guests were all in shorts, but he was not allowed in, even though he had a dinner reservation.

IIRC Pickles mentioned arriving by private car ensures an appropriate greeting.

I had a very similar experience on my first visit to Bangkok seven years ago, except that I had reservations for dinner at one of the restaurants that night (it was early morning) and I wasn't permitted to enter at all. I told the security guard and doorman off in English, which they pretended not to speak, and then Mr. Megatop lit into them in Thai about being rude to foreign guests in their country. I vowed never to darken the Oriental's door again. It's a promise I've kept. Twenty-odd stays at the Peninsula later, I've never looked back and never regretted it. The Oriental can get stuffed.

The difference in treatment between guests, who are obviously permitted to wear shorts (BECAUSE IT'S BANGKOK AND IT'S BLOODY HOT!!!), and non-guests who may have business at the hotel only underscores the discourtesy.

(Just looked at the third page of posts. Excellent memory, Kagehitokiri.)

SHANGRI-LA UNDER EXTENSIVE RENNOVATION

I haven't seen it covered anywhere on FT recently, though I'm sure Kagehitokiri can locate a thread if there is one: the Shangri-La Bangkok is undergoing extensive rennovations at the moment. The entire riverfront area in front of the new wing (the Shangri-La wing, I believe) is completely torn up. The pool there is closed, a chunk of the lobby is closed off, lots of construction workers are on the grounds, and somewhat noisy concrete-busting machines are about. This will supposedly result in significant upgrades to parts of the lobby, the restaurants, the main pool area, and that vicinity. For now, I think a smaller pool remains open in front of the older wing (the Krung Thep wing, I believe). The objective, of course, is to complete the rennovations before the peak Christmas-New Year's season.

Correct. I have sympathy with the previous poster's poor experience with simply asking about accomodation when in shorts, and it is a very strange policy. I think part of the reason is that the Oriental still gets many tourists (clad in many different ways) who want to check the place out - and so the dress code, which is really only applied to non-guests, is a way to keep this flow manageable. There are probably other better ways to restrict access to a hotel's public spaces, I suppose - but as a guest (often wearing shorts - and many guests stroll down to the pool in robes, incidentally), I actually like the policy (though as a non-guest in shorts, I would obviously hate it).

But what do you think about the fact that you get a special silk robe (varying colours according to the accommodation) if you stay in a suite? I always feel slightly self conscious wearing one of these down to the pools. But then, The Oriental has a thing about status, maybe because GM Kurt Wachtveitl is married to a Thai Royal. It is all very proper.

The door policy does not appear to keep out the sightseers. Earlier this year we watched endless lines of backpacker people wander past the Verandah with their cameras. Can't remember if they were wearing shorts though....

That's very interesting and more than a little off-putting that even the silk robes they provide you are segregated into color depending on the level of your accommodations. They certainly do have a thing about status! So what would the "best" color robe be, a la say, the Oriental Suite? I imagine it to be all colors of the rainbow and so bright that lesser guests will have to cover their eyes and cower and bow!

I was showing a colleague around Bangkok and wanted him to see the Oriental. We were both in shorts and polo shirts (not particularly fancy labels). We did arrive in a chauffeured car (either a BMW or Mercedes). No trouble walking in and having a clerk show us a few rooms and around the property.

Technically speaking, you are in the middle of the jungle. The fact that the town happens to be a 5 minute drive away doesn't change that.

From what I remember, the silk robes from The Oriental Suite were dark green, but Mr Vuitton thinks they were purple. I could be confusing it with the Michener Suite.

They do sell the the silk ones in several colors in the gift shop don't they? I'm also not sure about the color coding. We stayed in the same deluxe stateroom twice a year ago, about a week apart, and I'm sure one time the robes were red and the other time they were green.

LAst year Robes where dark green in a Deluxe River wing room.

Do you think they change the colours every year? It could be, as we have a collection of robes from The Oriental which go back to the 1980s and they are all different. Keeps us on our toes.

and another great FS ad.
http://www.elite-travelerdigital.com...10/?pg=47&pm=1

Oops - sorry I missed this. I find the Oriental's robe policy strange because I don't necessarily want people to know where I am staying (I think they may have changed the colour of the robes, by the way). The door policy doesn't work completely, either.

But, having said that, if part of the marketing spin for suites/special floors/whatever is the promise of superior service for a higher rate, then guests who are prepared to pay more will expect better service.

As long as we are talking about The Oriental, I heard the River Wing's decor was freshened up over the summer. Has anyone experienced it?