dsquared37

Never understood the 'shaken' part unless you're starting with a high alcohol content booze which you want to water down. I've ordered martinis in this way on occasion but have also met incredulity from servers on occasion, especially in Asia.

EuropeanPete

The issue is that a “martini” in America is a different drink from a martini anywhere else in the world (even ignoring the Italian martini bottle). Martinis outside of the US do contain actual volumes of vermouth, so Americans travelling overseas are best either specifying just a drop of vermouth or ordering a frozen shaken shot of vodka.

Anyways, that went a bit off topic Have been reading this thread to see whether the hotel is worth a try in its new Luxury Collection format.

dsquared37

Churchill has been claimed to state “I would like to observe the vermouth from across the room while I drink my martini" and I don't believe he was American. Separately, vodka? Say it isn't so!!!

I found service to be fantastic and staff with whom I might have had one interaction knew my name thereafter. My disappointment is with the downgrade of laundry allowance to only pressing.

EuropeanPete

Surely Churchill is the most famous American British Prime Minister of all time? But yes, drinks have changed a bit since those heady days

escape4

I stayed here for the first time and I was pleasantly surprised. I would put the Athenee a notch above the Park Hyatt and Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit mostly because of the Club Lounge, and above Conrad which is supposed to be the top option in the Hilton chain (until Waldorf opens) but is not in the same league as Athenee. Price-wise, Athenee is generally cheaper than PH yet for the same price, I would choose Athenee so it's a no brainer if Athenee is cheaper. Conrad is significantly cheaper than Athenee but I find the price premium of Athenee well worth it. Athenee is in a similar price range as SGS. Of course, several people on FT love the SGS and I do too. But in what ways is SGS better? I am not quite sure why SGS gets so much more love than Athenee. Perhaps Athenee has upgraded several aspects since they have moved up to Luxury Collection and guests have not caught up with the new normal? I don't know because I did not go to Athenee when it was Royal Meridien. But I can confirm that Athenee impressed me.

Generallly, 3 hours of free flow drinks in the lounge is generous given that the "standard" is 2 hours, but at Athenee it's 4 hours (4pm to 8pm). So the wiki needs to be fixed. Hors d'oeuvres 3 hours is also quite generous (5pm-8pm). In addition, the quality of the food in the lounge is great and they also have three dessert options. The breakfast in the lounge is very quiet and peaceful, and I find the choice better than normal lounges so there is enough to keep me happy. You can have unlimited Prosecco for breakfast in the lounge, unlike SGS where you get only one glass at Rossini. For more choice than in the lounge, the breakfast downstairs is top notch. I like the breakfast at SGS, but I think Athenee is even better. I enjoyed my coconut water. They also have made to order mixed vegetable and fruit juices. When I checked in I asked if we can have Prosecco in the restaurant downstairs, or if it's limited to the lounge. They made a phone call and they said we could have Prosecco downstairs if I wanted. However when it came to it, I was not in the mood on any morning of our stay so I did not ask but I am assuming they would have accepted since I was told at check-in.

I did not get a room upgrade which was a bit disappointing, but I saw on spg.com before check-in that the hotel was close to full so I did not expect an upgrade and did not ask for one. A suite was available for the last 2 nights of my stay and they did not offer me to move to a new room, like they often propose at SGS. But I was not dying to move anyway so I did not ask. When I checked out I asked what is the normal Platinum treatment for upgrades and they told me normally it's an upgrade to a prestige room or a regular suite. So I think in normal circumstances next time I go to Athenee, I can hope for an upgrade, but possibly that would be one area where SGS is more generous? Anyway, the basic room at Athenee was fine and in fact better than SGS. A bit small, but fine. They mentioned that they get a lot of Platinums so competition for upgrades is not small, similar to SGS.

Another area where SGS might beat Athenee is the pool. I prefer the layout and environment at SGS.

The executive chef came to meet us in the lounge in the evening and in the restaurant for breakfast in the morning because my mom is allergic to gluten. She was treated like royalty with a special meals just for her, from oysters, to grilled shrimps, scallops, fried rice, pad thai, etc. Just fantastic. The chef was quite busy because there was a wedding going on in the hotel and he went out of his way to talk to us.

They also give a good night treat in the room for turndown service. A nice touch. Some hotels do it on day one, but at Athenee it was every evening.

There was a 720 kg gingerbread house close to reception for Christmas, a real one. Impressive.

I cannot wait to return!

3rdworldresident

I also prefer this hotel to SGS since it was still Plaza Athenee.

onobond

Exactly my verdict too. SGS is very good, but here all staff seem to be ready to go the extra mile.

escape4

Got a second stay here, this time one night only. Unlike last time, I got a room upgrade - to Royal Club room. Still not a suite, but suites were not available on spg.com at time of check-in so I did not expect a suite. According to spg.com, the Royal Club room is not that much bigger than the Athenee Room (44 square meters vs 38 square meters) but it felt more comfortable and less cramped so this modest difference in size actually felt quite significant.

SHLTP

I too prefer PA over SGS

SGS Is great, service excellent, but I find hard product even post renovation underwhelming compared to PA which is far more luxurious in my mind. The breakfast, the pool are superior experiences.

GalaxyChris

I got badly sick with the food in PA in 2017, never happened in the several stay in SGS.

The pool is also not comparable with the one in SGS, also service at the pool did not impressed me.

jaejaez

Hard product wise, I find PA to be superior. Service-wise, I think they are neck in neck.
But I always end up picking the SGS (or even the Westin) for its location. The direct access to the BTS cannot be beat.

Starwood Lurker III

Hi GalaxyChris,

We are sorry to learn about this. If you could provide your reservation details to us via private mail here or by email below, we would forward to the hotel management team to look into.

Best Regards,

Christina Zhou
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

[email protected]

SHLTP

I actually prefer the pool at PA - easier to get seats and relaxing. While the SGS pool is beautiful designed, it is impossible to get a seat if you are in a group and you are packed in like sardines. But the SGS pool service excellent and far superior to PA pool service - which was seemingly non existent every time I stayed there last year.

geminidreams

Athenee pool is much better for swimming.

GalaxyChris

Dear Christina,

The PA management (F&B manager) know about the food poisoning during my stay (I complained as I only ate in the hotel during the last 2 days / breakfast / pool lunch / dinner)...
As a result they apologized and deliver electrolyte drink to my room...

Serious medication (bactrim) solved the food poisoning but ruined the next 3 days of my travel.

Best Regards,
GalaxyChris