Marriott Chiang Mai (former Le Meridien), Thailand [Master Thread]
Feb 19, 2018, 11:37 am
Shortly after check in I went back to lobby for something and the place was crawling with police and military. I asked if something was wrong and they said no the Princess (daughter of the king that died last year) who is rarely seen in public would be arriving any minute and she would be staying here. I got to see her clearly and unobstructed from maybe ten feet away! Everyone that was lucky enough to be in the lobby saw her, and that was probably only 15 people not including staff and security. I told a few thais about this and they said I was incredibly lucky. Some of them have been here their whole lives and never gotten that close to her. I don't know much about Thai royalty but it was cool to see her and I thought I have really picked the right hotel in CNX if a Princess is here! I know the staff and other guests were thrilled.
Feb 20, 2018, 8:26 am
Feb 21, 2018, 10:23 pm
Feb 22, 2018, 6:01 am
Feb 22, 2018, 6:03 am
Feb 22, 2018, 7:19 am
Le Meridien Chiang Mai
108 Chang Klan Road Tambol Chang Klan Amphur Muang Chiang Mai, TH 50100
Royal Treatment at Le Meridien (15 Photos)
Le Meridien Chiang Mai
Location
The Le Meridien Chiang Mai is located next to the Night Market (meh), and is a 5-10 minute walk from the gates to the Old City. The hotel is a ~15 minute ride from the airport (6 USD via Uber). I found the location to be satisfactory, but it is intensly touristy. I prefered the cafes on the westside.
Check In
This hotel treats it's platinum members extremely well. Upon arrival, we were escorted by the front desk to the lounge for check-in. There we were given a glass of champagne while they copied our passports, made our keys, etc. We were proactively upgraded to a nice suite and offered points or a 30-minute massage for our welcome gift.
Room
Our suite was nicely sized with dual-sinks in the bathroom, a large living room, a walk-in closet, and a separate toilet area. It even had a Bose speaker system. We were nicely surprised by this upgrade. My only complaint, which seems trivial, was that the lighting system was confusing. Because of the size of the room, it was difficult to find the proper switches, and some of them had to be switched twice in order to work. I failed to charge my phone properly on several occasions, as the outlet by the bed had to be switched twice to turn it on.
There was a box of chocolates placed in our room upon arrival which was a nice touch. There was more than enough bottled water in the room and it was replenished twice/day.
This was my first stay at a Le Meridien property, and I thought that the quality of the toiletries was high for a hotel.
Dining
Breakfast for Platinum members is in the lounge or the restaurant. We found there were some items we preferred in the lounge and some we preferred in the restaurant. Overall, I found the dining to be the weakest spot of the hotel. The hot dishes on the breakfast buffet line all seemed overly greasy and the ingredients low quality (especially for a hotel of this caliber). The sweet dishes were all very good (pancakes, bread pudding, croissants), but I tend to prefer a savory breakfast. Not complaining about the excellent chocolate bread pudding though:
The coffee bar was excellent, both in terms of product and service. There were vouchers for complimentary coffee in our room, and we very much enjoyed this treat in the morning.
Amenities
The club lounge is available for Platinum members and it serves breakfast, high-tea, and evening canapes/drinks. The breakfast consisted of both a hot/cold buffet and a large menu of made-to-order items. My only complaint is that there is not an area for self-serve coffee/tea. I hate to ask every time I need a refill.
The afternoon tea offered fruit and a selection of three desserts. As I said in the dining section, this hotel really shines when it comes to sweet offerings. I am not a sweets person, but I really enjoyed the offerings at his hotel.
The evening reception was the weakest link. The hot items were mostly fried and the cheese selection was not good. I would have preferred a few lighter options (other than fruit). The food is self-serve, but the alcohol is ordered via a menu.
Gym
The gym was small for the size of the hotel and often at capacity. It was difficult to secure a cardio machine in the morning. The ventilation was good though, which was appreciated.
Overall
The service (especially for Platinum members) was exceptional at this hotel and because of this, I would definitely return.
Feb 22, 2018, 9:49 am
Feb 22, 2018, 10:04 am
Unfortunately, the smoke will likely be getting worse in March and will be at it's worst in April.
Feb 23, 2018, 11:14 am
Feb 23, 2018, 11:39 am
. We really enjoyed a cooking class we attended (Thai Secret Cooking School), there are tons of nice local cafes to go to, we liked the Saturday night market near the south gate, and loved getting super affordable massages (Fah Lanna near the hotel is excellent). I understand your dilemma, so many wonderful places to go in this world...
Jun 8, 2018, 11:19 am
Jul 26, 2018, 5:38 pm
Nov 14, 2018, 5:37 pm
Dec 5, 2018, 8:49 pm
My wife and I stayed at this hotel for 5 nights. This was a reward stay on points, and I do think it was a steal. I reserved the hotel prior to the Marriott/Starwood merger for 7000 points per night for 4 nights (+ the 5th night free). At the time of the merger, 7000 SPG points became the equivalent of 21,000 Marriott points. But Marriott promptly raised the hotel category, so now the hotel is 35K Marriott points per night.
I have Marriott Platinum Premier status this year. I did apply 5 Marriott Suite Night awards to this stay in advance. We were upgraded to a large executive suite on a high floor with a view facing the mountains. Our suite looks just like the images in flybyFIRE's post above. This room was also much larger than our previous suite at the Marriott Bangkok Sukhumvit Soi 57.
We were celebrating our wedding anniversary while at this hotel, and I did notify the hotel of this advance. So we found some balloons in our room when we checked in and a small cake was soon delivered to our room, both of which were nice touches.
Regarding laundry: this is always a major issue for us on international trips. There is a laundry service adjacent to the hotel (1 kilo for 30 Baht). When you step outside the hotel's front doors, look immediately to your right. You will see a row of stores on the adjacent street. The laundry is there.
At check-in, we were offered a choice of Platinum gifts. Although the front desk clerk told us that the breakfasts in the 21st floor lounge and the 1st floor restaurants were substantially the same, we chose daily breakfast in the restaurant as our gift. We felt that the 1st floor restaurant offered a much larger spread and more food choice for those who enjoy a large and varied breakfast (but of course without the view that you have from the lounge).
We were first-time tourists to Chiang Mai. We enjoy exploring cities on our own when possible, and the old town is small enough that it is possible to walk (though using tuk-tuks would be an easy alternative and a time saver). We spent one day visiting some of the major temples in the old city. I was glad that I saved some maps of the city (from Google maps). The street signs did have English street names, but there are few signs, so having a map made it much easier to navigate. To reach Wat Chedi, exit the hotel and take the street in front of the hotel to the right. You will walk about 20-25 minutes (crossing the moat) and come to a large intersection. I could not find a street sign, but be sure to look to the right. Above the street there is a green sign that says "Wat Chedi." So turn right, walk a short distance, and you will find Wat Chedi on the left side of the street, across from a 7-11. From there, we easily walked up to the next large street and then left to Wat Phra Singh. After a brief lunch stop, we were able to make our way on foot to Wat Sri Suphan (the Silver temple).
Another tip: after arrival at Chiang Mai airport, it is easy to take a taxi to the hotel. There are a number of taxi operators with small booths at the airport. Shop around. The first company we asked wanted 300 Baht. The second agreed to take us (along with our 2 pieces of checked luggage and 2 carry-ons) for 150 Baht.
Last edited by GetawaysRus; Dec 5, 2018 at 10:31 pm
