Sukhothai Bangkok (SLH & GHA)
Apr 7, 21, 11:05 pm
The Sukhothai Bangkok
The Sukhothai Bangkok
13/3 South Sathorn Road Thungmahamek, Sathorn Bangkok, TH 10120
Sukhothai Bangkok (SLH & GHA) (33 Photos)
The Sukhothai Bangkok
After butting heads with Sukhothai’s reservations department for a few months I had quite low expectations for our stay but ended up positively surprised by the good service once we were at the hotel and equally impressed by the room. There is a lot of competition in the luxury segment in Bangkok but this is a hotel where I will definitely return and I can recommend it. Interestingly it is a dual member of SLH and GHA so it can be booked via either of those loyalty programs, or via Hyatt as well.
Negative Experience Pre-Arrival
We were originally booked to stay in July 2020 but we were informed at the last minute that the hotel would remain closed in July. This was not the first time it happened to us, however the most customer-oriented hotels proposed to move our reservations to other properties (one hotel even called me personally to apologize!) but Sukhothai just left us hanging without proposing alternatives. In addition, instead of being forthcoming that they were going to remain closed for financial reasons, they said it was for safety reasons when in fact Thailand had not seen a single case of covid for a couple of months prior.
Fast forward a few months later, in late 2020 after they reopened I wanted to rebook at Sukhothai and had a few questions but they never bothered answering so I gave up. Then a third “incident” happened, I bought a voucher on Megatix to stay at Sukhothai in April 2021 but when it was time to book the reservation they informed me that loyalty program benefits would not apply. I protested because there were no such exclusions in the terms & conditions of the Megatix vouchers but they remained firm. They even refused to just give me the elite night credits to my GHA account (let alone room upgrade, etc.) which was surprising because the cost of giving night credits must be quite low. I further escalated the issue because I felt they made up exclusions after the fact and finally they agreed to give me the night credits.
Long story short, I was not looking forward to the stay very much given the various mishaps leading to the stay but sometimes staff in the reservations department do not provide the same level of service as front line staff, which turned out to be the case here.
Check In
As soon as we stepped off the taxi they welcomed us by name despite the fact that it was our first stay at this hotel which was impressive and it set the right tone. We were escorted to the Club Lounge for check-in and subsequently escorted to our room by lounge staff and service was excellent all around, in complete contrast with what we expected.
To make matters even more positive, the reservation was for a Club King room but they upgraded us as GHA Black guests to a Club Premium Suite which I did not expect at all considering the firm opposition for something as simple as elite night credits early on.
Room
The suite was very spacious at 98 square meters and the design was unique compared to any other suite we have had in Bangkok: hardwood floors throughout including wood panels on the walls as well, which blended with shiny black tables, the working desk, counter tops, and also the impressive huge rotating TV panel which allowed us to watch TV either from the living room or the dining room. The sound system was quite impressive as well, not only in the living room but also a large speaker under the night table by the bed side. There were other notable tech features in the room like the Toto washlets in both the main bathroom and the half bath which many luxury hotels in Bangkok don’t even have, or some do but only in the main bathroom. Speaking of the bathroom, the design was futuristic with again a blend of wood with shiny black but also with mirrors and lights all around.
The furniture was high quality throughout and as a further sign of the luxury level of the suite we had a very fluffy La Bottega bathrobe along with bathroom amenities of the same brand, and most surprisingly a Dyson hairdryer. We were informed that only the suites have Dyson at Sukhothai but nonetheless it was only the second hotel in the city where we had a Dyson hairdryer, Rosewood being the only other one. Finally, I thought the hotel branded face mask was definitely a nice touch and one of the very few hotels in the city who currently hand those out besides 137 Pillars and The Siam.
Air conditioning worked well and we could have good night of sleep, I would also note that instead of curtains to black out the room during the night, our suite had wood sliding panels which was another interesting feature.
If I only had one minor negative to mention about the room it might be that during the day the room lacked a bit of sunlight and was somewhat dark in some parts of the room away from windows which was not helped by the dark color scheme in the room.
Dining
Our rate package included a set Thai dinner which they agreed to serve in our room. All dishes were good quality and delicious.
Breakfast was entirely a la carte and served in the Club Lounge. We were impressed by the menu for example they had dishes such as egg truffle, avocado toast with caviar, Pad See Ew with prawns, etc. While the presentation of some dishes felt a bit “naked”, nonetheless the dishes were excellent and in my opinion this is probably one of the better a la carte breakfast menus I have seen in the city, not far behind Park Hyatt, Capella, Mandarin Oriental, and 137 Pillars.
While our rate package did not include happy hour in the Club Lounge, I thought the lounge itself was among the most attractive in the city, perhaps along the one at Athenee (Luxury Collection). One section of the lounge had several dining tables lined up but there were many dividing walls to provide some privacy rather than make it look like a long cafeteria. I would definitely be interested in returning at Sukhothai under a rate package that included happy hour in the future.
Gym and Pool
The gym had a similar slick design as our suite with a combo of many mirrors, the integrated TVs on the walls, and the shiny black pillars. While I did not use the pool, we could see it from our room and I also stopped by once. The atmosphere was peaceful and they try to give the pool area a resort-style feeling in the middle of the hustle & bustle of the city.
Wifi
Wifi worked well with speeds of 80 Mbps download and 25 Mbps upload.
Overall
Overall I walked in with a negative inclination but came out pleasantly surprised and we will return in the future for sure. The suite upgrade was competitive with the big hotel chains, the room itself was luxurious and stood out with attractive design, dining was excellent, and service at the hotel was polished; other than my unusual pre-arrival issues I had very little to complain about and I can readily recommend this hotel.
Aug 20, 22, 4:36 am
Booked a Club Room and was generously upgraded to a top floor Club Premier Suite as GHA Titanium. I checked in late so missed afternoon tea and cocktails but breakfast in the Club Lounge was high quality with very good service (probably helped by the fact I was the only guest for the first 20 minutes!).
The pool area is great and I love the landscaping. F&B quality was up to five star and possibly full luxury hotel standards. The Bottega Veneta toiletries have been replaced by Maison Francis Kurkdijian (also very nice). Service overall was very good, hard product was good but I struggle a bit with the idea the Club Wing was only finished a few years ago as the interior design feels like something from 20 years ago (quality of finish is good though). I share the view that the Club Suites lack natural light and I also dont love the very limited number of rooms with balconies (I think only two Club Suites have them and they are on low floors). Be aware there is some construction going on also currently which starts at 9am and is audible inside the rooms, the windows are not the best at sound insulation.
I would definitely rate it overall above the not-quite-luxury big chain options in Bangkok Ive stayed at before like the St. Regis and Kimpton. Service didnt quite meet the cut of the best hotels in Bangkok with a bit too much rule following (this is Thailand after all). For example, when I asked if they could provide some more sparkling water in my room (the minibar contains only one small 330 ml bottle) I was told no can do but I could go to the lounge for some (to drink it in the lounge only) instead. Wouldnt really have cost them much to provide it and even if they said sure but well have to charge the minibar price I would accepted it and shows a bit of a lack of a flexibility, bearing in mind I also paid for a Club room but then checked in too late to use any of the services. However, I would definitely go back at the right price anyway, solid second tier hotel overall.
Dec 31, 22, 12:21 am
Booking direct with the hotel will probably result in a better upgrade if you have GHA Titanium, but you might have to pay for breakfast as well as missing out on night credits.
Jan 4, 23, 4:36 am
Booking direct with the hotel will probably result in a better upgrade if you have GHA Titanium, but you might have to pay for breakfast as well as missing out on night credits.
Jan 4, 23, 4:44 am
Apr 16, 23, 4:51 pm
In many hotels, booking club room or regular room comes down to whether you want to pay for lounge access. Here it's not the case at all; the rooms in the club wing feel like it's a completely different hotel so even if you want to skip the lounge it's worth the extra. I will never go back to Sukhothai for the rooms in the main wing - I would rather burn my Hyatt free nights elsewhere. And if you are paying cash, then those entry level rooms in the main wing are badly priced relative to the competition for the state of the rooms, Park Hyatt included.
And regarding service, I ran into the Sukhothai dogmatic attitude that frustrated me before, and also noted in lost_in_t"s review. One example: the gym opens at 6am, I asked them to open the door for me at 5am and they said no. First off most luxury hotels have 24/7 gym and if not, even a lowly Sheraton will normally have staff available to unlock the door. Sukhothai is maddening. At PH sometimes the service at breakfast is not overly impressive but some other aspects are quite good, for example the concierge personally moved one of my bags in storage (after I left PH) from PH to Sukhothai which was very nice and avoided me same hassle. So all in all, in my experience Sukhothai is NOT far better than PH in service. Both are ok, some strong points and some room for improvement as well. Service is better at Sukhothai if having access to club lounge staff.
My recommendation is to only consider club rooms and club suites at Sukhothai, the rest falls short of luxury level, both the service or the quality of the rooms.
Apr 24, 23, 4:13 am
In many hotels, booking club room or regular room comes down to whether you want to pay for lounge access. Here it's not the case at all; the rooms in the club wing feel like it's a completely different hotel so even if you want to skip the lounge it's worth the extra. I will never go back to Sukhothai for the rooms in the main wing - I would rather burn my Hyatt free nights elsewhere. And if you are paying cash, then those entry level rooms in the main wing are badly priced relative to the competition for the state of the rooms, Park Hyatt included.
And regarding service, I ran into the Sukhothai dogmatic attitude that frustrated me before, and also noted in lost_in_t"s review. One example: the gym opens at 6am, I asked them to open the door for me at 5am and they said no. First off most luxury hotels have 24/7 gym and if not, even a lowly Sheraton will normally have staff available to unlock the door. Sukhothai is maddening. At PH sometimes the service at breakfast is not overly impressive but some other aspects are quite good, for example the concierge personally moved one of my bags in storage (after I left PH) from PH to Sukhothai which was very nice and avoided me same hassle. So all in all, in my experience Sukhothai is NOT far better than PH in service. Both are ok, some strong points and some room for improvement as well. Service is better at Sukhothai if having access to club lounge staff.
My recommendation is to only consider club rooms and club suites at Sukhothai, the rest falls short of luxury level, both the service or the quality of the rooms.
I had no idea club rooms were different than the main wing. Thought their entire renovation did every room.
Apr 24, 23, 8:53 pm
Apr 25, 23, 7:52 am
Is that vinyl or real wood flooring in the living room?
