Overnighting at new BKK airport?
Oct 18, 2006, 8:55 pm
#16
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Berkeley, CA USA
Programs: Kam Leng; Two Dragons GH
Posts: 1,615
Originally Posted by RK7
Thanks, RJH. I think I will try the Grand Inn Come--I mean it can't be more than a 5 minute cab ride, can it? ...
If I don't beat you there, please try to report back on how you like this place. Especially if the Thai karakoe is decent. Oh yeah, and whether the 7/11 or Family Mart is closer.
Oct 19, 2006, 3:06 am
#17
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 1999
Posts: 12,375
Oct 19, 2006, 8:25 am
#18
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Del Ray, Alexandria, Virginia
Programs: KE Skypass, Morning Calm
Posts: 1,655
Originally Posted by RK7
Thanks, RJH. I think I will try the Grand Inn Come--I mean it can't be more than a 5 minute cab ride, can it? Why pay more for bad service at the Novotel.
Oct 19, 2006, 10:13 am
#19
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Berkeley, CA USA
Programs: Kam Leng; Two Dragons GH
Posts: 1,615
Ok, the devolved knowledge from the posts is that the Grand Come Inn is further in transit time than, say, the Sananwan.
The distance estimates for Grand Come Inn and Sananwan make sense if you take the southern route out of the airport, Th Thorani Wiphak, toward highway 34, the Bang Na-Trat road. Then it's a short shot to Sananwan, which is another 3km south near the Samrong canal. This place is more my style, anyway. Though there's isn't a 24 hour restaurant, hey, it's Thailand, so some street vendor is selling something decent a poh piah throw away. Maybe in between the Family Mart and the 7/11.
To get to Grand Come Inn, whether you exit north or south, you have to travel west to highway 3256, Th King Kaeo, and then go north to the hotel. So, while it appears to be physically closer to the airport, it's further by the route one must take to get there. This assumes there's no western route to the terminal area, though something shows, maybe a service road, on Google Earth imagery.
This is all based on the helpful posts on FT and elsewhere, the pretty terrible hotel maps, the PN map of Bangkok, and what I can surmise from Google Earth. It's not been field validated, which I plan to do as soon as I can get my Thai karaoke pipes in tune with the help of some Beer Chang.
The distance estimates for Grand Come Inn and Sananwan make sense if you take the southern route out of the airport, Th Thorani Wiphak, toward highway 34, the Bang Na-Trat road. Then it's a short shot to Sananwan, which is another 3km south near the Samrong canal. This place is more my style, anyway. Though there's isn't a 24 hour restaurant, hey, it's Thailand, so some street vendor is selling something decent a poh piah throw away. Maybe in between the Family Mart and the 7/11.
To get to Grand Come Inn, whether you exit north or south, you have to travel west to highway 3256, Th King Kaeo, and then go north to the hotel. So, while it appears to be physically closer to the airport, it's further by the route one must take to get there. This assumes there's no western route to the terminal area, though something shows, maybe a service road, on Google Earth imagery.
This is all based on the helpful posts on FT and elsewhere, the pretty terrible hotel maps, the PN map of Bangkok, and what I can surmise from Google Earth. It's not been field validated, which I plan to do as soon as I can get my Thai karaoke pipes in tune with the help of some Beer Chang.
Oct 19, 2006, 10:37 am
#20
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Fort Worth TX
Programs: Earned status with AA, DL, SPG, HH, Hyatt, Marriott, Seabourn, NCL, National, Hertz...I miss my bed!
Posts: 10,927
How does one book a day room at the airport?
I have a flight in on 11/25 that arrives 1 am and departs 7 am - and I do not want to leave the airport so I'm not at all price sensitive.
I have a flight in on 11/25 that arrives 1 am and departs 7 am - and I do not want to leave the airport so I'm not at all price sensitive.
Oct 19, 2006, 2:40 pm
#21
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: W29
Programs: It's Complicated...
Posts: 6,811
Originally Posted by Peter4
RK7 -
Where, please, did you read those reviews?
Since Novotel at BKK airport is valuable for transit travellers, learning more about it would be important.
Thank you.
- Peter
.
Where, please, did you read those reviews?
Since Novotel at BKK airport is valuable for transit travellers, learning more about it would be important.
Thank you.
- Peter
.
My wifes friend had a friend who stayed there recently and had the following experience.
She had a reservation for a set amount (cant remember the exact amount) but when she showed up (about 9pm I think) and gave them her confirmation they said she did not have a reservation. It was very late and and she was so tired and having an early flight the next day she accepted the rate they offered at something like 50% more than she had actually reserved. She then went to check out at something like 4AM for her early flight out the next day and they told her there would be a surcharge for early check out. Huh?? She argued but to no avail. I still dont know why she paid that fee but when she told us the story I just couldnt believe it.
The reservation thing I can understand (who know if the travel agent etc didnt screw up so I would have given them the benefit of the doubt on that one, maybe) but checking out at 4am is not a reason to charge an early departure fee. My wifes friend is Thai so no language barrier involved...just poor service on their part.
I know this is second hand info as it didnt happen to me but my wifes friend isnt smart enough to make something like this up.
Oct 20, 2006, 7:46 am
#23
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Business class, aisle seat, in Bangkok, Thailand
Posts: 161
Originally Posted by mcgahat
My wifes friend had a friend who stayed there recently and had the following experience.
they said she did not have a reservation. ... she accepted the rate they offered at something like 50% more than she had actually reserved. She then went to check out at something like 4AM for her early flight out the next day and they told her there would be a surcharge for early check out. Huh??
The first time was a friend of mine, who is here now, on his third trip to Thailand, so he's not a beginner.
Different hotel made similar claim of no reservation so extra charge ... "hotel policy".
And, at checkout the next morning, another similar claim of additional surcharge ... "hotel policy".
His experience was at the Grand President Hotel in Sukhumvit 11.
At this point, it's just more hearsay, but, what a coincidence!
Is this a new scam gimmick among Bangkok hotels?
I don't have enough information yet to know.
If it is, then travelers to the Novotel at the airport would be particularly vulnerable.
Does anyone have more information?
- Peter
.
Oct 20, 2006, 9:17 am
#24
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: PDX
Programs: UA Nobody, HH Silver, PC Platinum
Posts: 996
I am eagerly awaiting further reports. We made reservations at teh BKK airport Novotel for November, thinking it would be more convenient; however, I have nonrefundable reservations near the old airport, so we will have a fallback position.
Kate
Kate
Oct 20, 2006, 9:45 am
#25
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 502
Originally Posted by mcgahat
My wifes friend had a friend who stayed there recently and had the following experience.
She had a reservation for a set amount (
She had a reservation for a set amount (
Before the 28th (or thereabouts), she'd have been talking about the old BKK airport, and the other hotel next to the airport, where there were lots of reports of similar issues, and their pricing was, shall we say, aggressive in taking advantage of their proximity.
I'd hope that a Novotel at the new location wouldn't have the same issues, but as they are also starting up it may take a while to get the folk experience and processes down.
As for me, I always take a printout of the confirmed e-mail reservation/page printout and pricing with me to the hotel. If there are further problems, it's easy to just reverse the credit card charge until they can sort out the issues.
And since my hotel reservation (for new BKK Novotel ) was made during the airport transition period,
I'm planning to e-mail them again a week before I leave, just to make sure.
I'd never expect things to be perfect when a new hotel is starting up, and an entire airport is moving to a new location!
Also, Caveat Emptor. Remember that lots of smaller hotels miles from the airport are jockeying for business among a confused folk trying to discover the lay of the new land. Common to spread dis-information about the competitors on site until enough reviews come onto the web.
It's all a matter of if the price difference offsets the taxi cost/time. The Novotel price structure on the Web is significantly more reasonable than the old BKK's onsite hotel... and the advantage in pricing by offsite hotels is much, much less, from what I can see.
Oct 20, 2006, 10:02 am
#26
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: AA Lifetime PLT , BA Silver , BD RIP , HH Gold, SPG / Marriott PLT , EF Subscriber
Posts: 6,702
This is probably the best 3 star hotel deal in the New Airport area
http://www.asiarooms.com/thailand/bangkok/avana.html
The total rate inc ABF is less than Breakfast for 2 at The Peninsular
Hotels own site http://www.avanahotel.com/index.php
http://www.asiarooms.com/thailand/bangkok/avana.html
The total rate inc ABF is less than Breakfast for 2 at The Peninsular
Hotels own site http://www.avanahotel.com/index.php
Oct 20, 2006, 3:35 pm
#27
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Berkeley, CA USA
Programs: Kam Leng; Two Dragons GH
Posts: 1,615
The Avana actually shows up on Google Earth. It's about 8.5mi/14km from the southern access road to new BKK.
Not too far from the Rice with Pig's Leg restaurant, which may have lost something in translation.
Not too far from the Rice with Pig's Leg restaurant, which may have lost something in translation.
Oct 21, 2006, 5:57 am
#28
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Business class, aisle seat, in Bangkok, Thailand
Posts: 161
Originally Posted by mcgahat
She had a reservation for a set amount (cant remember the exact amount) but when she showed up (about 9pm I think) and gave them her confirmation they said she did not have a reservation. ... My wifes friend is Thai so no language barrier involved...just poor service on their part.
Today I discussed this with Thai friend of mine who has been working in Bangkok hotels for 10 years.
As soon as I described the situation, he understood and explained.
(Disclaimers: We don't know the facts of the situation which mcgahat described, so this information is based on conjecture.)
(not verbatim)
We are always sorry when this happens with any guest, but we see it a lot when guests make their own bookings on the Internet. We can see this problem several times a day. The guest prepares the form on the web site, then prints out the reservation form on paper. It is that paper they bring to the front desk to check in, but they do NOT have our confirmation number. Without a confirmation number, there is no reservation.
Sometimes the Internet system they use will confirm right away, in just a few moments. Sometimes, the confirmation will take a few hours or even several days, because the reservation must first be processed by the Internet web site, then it is sent to our hotel, and then we send it back to the web site, and then they email to the guest. It all depends on the system they are using. So, the guest can already be flying in the airplane before they get the confirmation number.
Every hotel that uses Internet reservations is trying to get the maximum rate it can for every room. So if the guest is using a web site that promises a very low rate, the hotel will delay as long as possible, hoping to book rooms at a higher rate for that night. This means, the lower the price, the longer it can take to get the confirmation number. Some hotels won't reply at all, hoping to sell the room at a higher rate before the guest arrives. This is the hotel business.
The most important thing to understand, is without this confirmation number, the guest does not have a reservation. They have a paper, but they don't have a reservation. If they show up in our lobby, and if we have a room available, we will offer them the walk-in rate for that room. In Bangkok, walk-in rates are almost always higher than Internet rates.
What every guest should do, if they use Internet, is first be sure they get our confirmation number. Then they should phone the hotel directly and ask the hotel to double check that reservation number.
It is too bad that people who make their reservations on the Internet have this problem so often. Every travel agent is trained to be sure to get the confirmation number, but on the Internet, it is do-it-yourself, and so we often see this happen.
We are always sorry when this happens with any guest, but we see it a lot when guests make their own bookings on the Internet. We can see this problem several times a day. The guest prepares the form on the web site, then prints out the reservation form on paper. It is that paper they bring to the front desk to check in, but they do NOT have our confirmation number. Without a confirmation number, there is no reservation.
Sometimes the Internet system they use will confirm right away, in just a few moments. Sometimes, the confirmation will take a few hours or even several days, because the reservation must first be processed by the Internet web site, then it is sent to our hotel, and then we send it back to the web site, and then they email to the guest. It all depends on the system they are using. So, the guest can already be flying in the airplane before they get the confirmation number.
Every hotel that uses Internet reservations is trying to get the maximum rate it can for every room. So if the guest is using a web site that promises a very low rate, the hotel will delay as long as possible, hoping to book rooms at a higher rate for that night. This means, the lower the price, the longer it can take to get the confirmation number. Some hotels won't reply at all, hoping to sell the room at a higher rate before the guest arrives. This is the hotel business.
The most important thing to understand, is without this confirmation number, the guest does not have a reservation. They have a paper, but they don't have a reservation. If they show up in our lobby, and if we have a room available, we will offer them the walk-in rate for that room. In Bangkok, walk-in rates are almost always higher than Internet rates.
What every guest should do, if they use Internet, is first be sure they get our confirmation number. Then they should phone the hotel directly and ask the hotel to double check that reservation number.
It is too bad that people who make their reservations on the Internet have this problem so often. Every travel agent is trained to be sure to get the confirmation number, but on the Internet, it is do-it-yourself, and so we often see this happen.
.
Oct 21, 2006, 11:11 am
#29
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: W29
Programs: It's Complicated...
Posts: 6,811
Ok, I am back home now and just ask my wife about the details. Her friend did book online and did have a printout (but once again if this was a valid confirmation I cant say as I havent seen it). She was actually flying out on 9/29 and stayed the night before because of the new airport and possible confusion of getting checked in etc. It was definitely the new Novotel airport location and the surcharge that she was asked to pay was 10% for the supposed early checkout.
Like I said, I would have to give the hotel benefit of the doubt on the confirmation as that can get screwed up but the early check out thing on a one night stay is
.
Like I said, I would have to give the hotel benefit of the doubt on the confirmation as that can get screwed up but the early check out thing on a one night stay is
.
Nov 14, 2006, 10:31 pm
#30
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: PDX
Programs: UA Nobody, HH Silver, PC Platinum
Posts: 996
Any more news on the possible surcharge for early check out? We have a confirmation # for our reservation, so I am not worried about a rate change, but I would NOT like to be hit with a surcharge while trying to catch a very early AM flight.
Thanks!
Kate
Thanks!
Kate