I would like it if there was English language tourist material in the lobby.

If it's not an English speaking area, have little cards for cabs available which say the address of the hotel, and in the native language, "Please take this person to this address, the hotel will make sure you get paid".

Don't give me a lecture when I check in. I don't want to be told that if I steal the bathrobe that I'll be charged 100 dollars. I'm a theology student, I know stealing is wrong.

Something to entertain the kid during the day would be good. Not free movies in the room, but a kids club or a babysitting service. Older kids could be given a wristband for food and drink in the restaurant and the number on the wristband could be swiped at the bar and the tab assigned to the parents. The wristband would be good for food up to a certain limit and non-alcoholic drinks. The kid would also be able to go on supervised outings for age appropriate items. That way the kid gets fed and they can go shopping or sightseeing. The Prince of Wales in Waterton Park has a dedicated person to do this.

Also, parents should be able to arrange for prepaid VISA or Mastercard cards which can be charged at the hotel desk or concierge desk that their children can use for shopping or entertainment. That means the kid can go out shopping with the other kids, but that they aren't using Daddy's platinum card and aren't going to buy anything their parents aren't expecting. It would be noted on the card that the holder was a minor. Don't know about the law in the US, but in Canada this is a common option.

A bookstore in the hotel would be cool.

Have iPads in the lobby available to guests for rental by the hour. Put a chip in them so they don't go walking.

Be aware that not all guests drink. Have the option on the hotel webpage to opt out of alcohol in the minibar. Don't do it at the FD, but under the "special request" section of the reservation, you should indicate if you want booze or not.

Have free water in the lobby in machines which work when you insert your keycard where you can refill your own bottle. Also have free purified water in the room. None of this "First bottle is free, but the second bottle is 12 dollars" (I just slipped a five to the housekeeper and she gave me 4) when you're paying for a room. The whole idea "Using bottled water is bad for the environment" really annoys me when you're staying somewhere with strange water. Lots of people claim in some countries that beer is the only option. A good hotel should have alternatives to beer available.

Have rooms which have special toilets and commodes for elderly guests.

Agree fully. Truly great service is the ability to "read" guests and give them tailored service. This may involve laying it on with a trowel, chauffeurs, high end tours, safe food and the like. Or it may involve minimal contact, walking directions, interesting suggestions, non dumbed down local food and the like. A great hotel will figure this out quickly.

I've seen it before, but rarely so its not innovative but i love books and magazines i can borrow to read by the pool

Nicely said.

Here's mine...light pollution control. It would be great to be able to darken all the useless LED's that light up a room at night. The red one on the TV to let you know it's off..it's absurd..the one on the thermostat, the one on the coffee maker, the one on the smoke detector, the ones on the alarm clock (who uses an alarm clock radio anymore anyhow?). Although unrealistic, a single controller would be great for that. At the very least, hotels should take into account all the points of light in a room at night and try to minimize them.

Lastly, "Do Not Disturb" and "Privacy Please" should mean just that. Stop sending nag notes under the door and calling if I leave the DND on the door. You think I did it by accident? DO NOT DISTURB me.

Yes! I have sometimes put towels or pillows over the alarm clock (or unplugged it entirely). I did stay in one place that had a three stage dimmer on the clock display so it could be dimmed to almost imperceptible (even in the dark), which was a lot easier.

Reading these replies, I doubt most respondents have spent much time in 5* business hotels in Thailand...

I have a whole routine. I put the extra pillows by the door to keep out the light from the hallway, I close the curtains with a paperclip to keep the light from outside from seeping in, I put post-it's on the thermostat, I block the light on the tv in a similar way, and I unplug the coffee maker.

And why does that matter? We're answering the questions of the poster about what we would like as improved service. Yes, I don't do business in Thailand.....does that mean that my opinion on great customer service isn't worthy of posting (which is what your post seems to be implying)?

This isn't a contest about who YOU think offers the best service, it's answering the question of what each of us would like.

Does grand hyatt erawan count?

Most of the time in traveling very light. I enjoy the design, furnishing, and amenities of the room. I don't need someone to open my cab door, grab my things, open hotel door, room escort.... Just let me get to my room.

And another thing as I type from a 5* place in Turkey....can't remember a last time Ive seen intuitive lighting control. Where I don't have to pace all over the room to play whack a mole for the millions of lights they install in the place

AMEN!!!

I believe there there is an absolute measure of 'hotel professionalism' (perhaps there is a better expression though.) It's not a question of whether one should be fawning or sterile, minimalist or plush, but of offering a high-quality hospitality service, whatever that may mean in the context of setting, target audience, service range, etc.

The reason to question people's experiences with Thai hospitality is that there is a very different concept in Asia, and Thailand in particular, as to the nature of service and hospitality than in either the US or Europe. At a true luxury hotel in Thailand, for example, the concept of removing the front desk staffed with people there to help you, in favour of sliding your bill under the door at 3am and hoping you'll leave without further interaction, will not go very far, so discussing it as an interesting idea for the OP's son is probably pointless.

It's only pointless if the OP asked people what they expect when they travel to Thailand......but that's not what he/she asked. If one limits themselves to what's there, one will never come up with unique ideas. Different cultures, different desires, different uses - that's why all hotels (and hotel services) can't be satisfied with one standard.

You are basing your responses on what you think is the best (this five star experience in Thailand), however some people might find that the very same experience at that same 5 star hotel in Thailand still fell short in several ways......and they're not wrong. And that's the perspective they are at when answering. And that's what the OP asked for: different ideas from different perspectives.

I think one needs pay attention what was said in the begining:

- Thailand
- Luxury accommodation

Most of suggestions expressed in these two pages are from a people living in US/Europe and using local hotels for business needs. It most likely won't be the case for the property in question.

The main question to be asked first is: 'who are your potential customers by numbers?' Because if it ends up that it will be Chinese, most suggestions expressed here can be easily put in trash bin.

Right - but then the question also shouldn't have been asked here :)