Check In

Couldn’t have been easier.  Booked the hotel car from the airport and arriving at the domestic terminal it was only a very short walk to the waiting car.  I don’t think they update the wireless network details in the car because even before I got in my phone had connected to the car wifi as a known network from my last stay.

After a very quick light traffic trip arrived to the hotel and was greeted by the normal bell staff and the head butler and was escorted to the elevator by the Hotel Manager.  Slight faux pas on my part because the manager introduced himself as Cameron and even though I had dealt with him in the past I didn’t register who he was.

Check in itself was done in the room and only took a couple of minutes to sign some paperwork – the hotel car was also booked for my departure.  My luggage quickly followed, they had also taken the liberty of ordering my preferred type of tea which was also a nice touch.

The normal array of fruits and chocolates were also in the room along with a selection of various welcome notes.  It may have just been luck but they also managed to remember my abnormal pathological hatred of bananas, so my fruit bowl was banana free.

Room

Even the entry level rooms here are very nice.  However at the time of booking I was concerned about high occupancy rates with the King’s Cremation Ceremony so had booked the next level up – I was confident of an upgrade but for a five night stay I did want to guarantee a room with a view.

Two weeks before my stay I noticed that I had been upgraded to a St Regis Suite, obviously nothing is guaranteed until you are in the room, but things were looking up. Shortly before check in I received an email from the Director of Rooms saying that he had upgraded me to a Caroline Astor Suite which was extremely generous and much appreciated.

The C.A.S are located on the corners of the building and was extremely nice.  There was a very large entry area with a guest bathroom to one side and a connecting door to the room next door if needed.

Entrance:

Living Area:

Desk:

Adjoining the lounge was the bedroom – again just stylish and comfortable.  A huge bed, a nice chair and a very handy Geneva S speaker.  The windows and stunning views really dominated the room.

Bedroom:

Though the walk through robe was the main bathroom. Again a huge size with a massive bath and stunning views.  Having a bath late at night watching a massive thunderstorm over Bangkok was bliss.

Plenty of Storage Space:

Massive Bathroom:

In terms of layout, comfort, furnishings and views I can’t fault the suite in anyway.

Service

In the past I’ve had some minor service issues – but this trip flawless.  Didn’t have much to do with the butler but all interactions were perfect.  I’m not really much for small talk so my standard reply to how was your day is normally “very well, thank you for asking” but I had no doubt if you wanted to have a chat with the butler they would be happy to share with you anything you needed to know.

Leaving for each day felt like I was aged eight back out boarding school being sent out on an errand.  I was always asked if I had the hotel contact details, told how much the approximately taxi fee would be, given a bottle of water, told to look out for pick-pickets and reminded to hold on to my manbag, European Carry All manly leather satchel. One morning I must have looked like a complete rube because I was warned not to buy anything from people approaching me on the street.

Service by the pool was also excellent.

Dining

It doesn’t make any difference in the scheme of things but when I get an above and beyond upgrade I do try to increase my discretionary spend in the hotel.  I don’t drink more then one drink a day (if that), so no huge bar tabs to run up.  My partner loves spa treatments but this was a solo trip and I despise them so that left food.

Breakfast was taken as a platinum amenity and was fine.  As an early riser usually only two or three other tables were taken so service was very attentive.  I only drink watermelon juice which they didn’t have but was made on request and automatically delivered on subsequent mornings.

Also had a meal at Viu – service standards were a lot more formal compared to breakfast, the food was good but nothing special.

A meal by the pool was fine, pretty much standard pool fare.  Room service was nice and reasonably priced.  Also had afternoon cakes from the lobby which were always nice.

However, the real stand out was Jojo which I highly recommend – really nice restaurant.

Location

Absolutely great.  The internal walkway to the BTS is super convenient.  Also ample taxis and easy walking distance to the park in one direction and shopping in the other.

Overall

Great hotel and a great stay.  Also worth mentioning the pool area which I found very good for a city hotel.  Spent a couple of hours there most afternoons and it was usually deserted giving it a very serene and relaxing atmosphere.

Pool: