Saturday, Sep 04, 2010
Thailand fares well in Best Hotels list 2010 Foreign embassies in Thailand Hotels near Bangkok’s BTS Skytrain stations
Thailand fares well in Best Hotels list 2010 Best Hotels list 2010 features many Thai hotels and resorts. Hotels and resorts in Thailand secured over 40% of the spots in the Asia categories in the results of the Traveler’s Choice 2010 poll conducted by Tripadvisor.com. The Best Service category was dominated by Thailand, with independent travelers voting Thai resorts into 6 of the [...]
Foreign embassies in Thailand Click here for a full list of all consulates and foreign embassies in Thailand. Lose your passport? Overstay your visa? Want to get married in Thailand? Need a visa to take your sweetheart for a visit home? Get arrested? (heaven forbid!) Or maybe you just need some documents notarized. In any of the above cases [...]
Hotels near Bangkok’s BTS Skytrain stations I am pleased to announce that we have just completed and uploaded a comprehensive list of 3, 4 and 5 star hotels near all BTS Skytrain stations in Bangkok. Since opening a few years ago, the Skytrain has made traveling around the capital a breeze for locals and tourists alike- though it hasn’t done much [...]

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Dusit D2 Chiang Mai

A call for Bangkok hotel submissions – Tell Your Story

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10 hotels closed by protests to be featured in new spotlight series

As if the Bangkok hotel industry in Thailand wasn’t suffering enough, with memories of Suvarnabhumi airport being closed down by protesters in late 2008, the global economic meltdown, and the havoc strewn by Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajokull this spring.

The two-month long street protests by anti-government protesters, followed by scenes of the military crackdown and subsequent rioting and arson attacks streaming into living rooms around the world certainly put any hopes of a recovery this year to bed.

While the tourism industry of Thailand as a whole, which makes up 6% of GDP and accounts for 12% of employment in Thailand, is set to suffer from the loss of confidence over at least the next 12 months, I believe that hotels and shops who were forced to close or suffered damages during the unrest are at an even bigger disadvantage.

With this in mind I would like to extend an offer to the management of any hotels that were forced to close down during the protests by the UDD and the subsequent unrest over the past few weeks.

I’m preparing to write a ten part series focusing on ten hotels in the Bangkok hotel industry, large or small that were forced to close down during the events of the past few weeks. If you are associated with such a property and would like to have a post featuring your hotel’s story, please get in contact with me by either leaving a comment to this post or on Twitter @Sabai_Sabai.

While what I can offer is not such a huge thing, I do believe that at times like this we are all in it together and any extra exposure or publicity can only help, especially if you have had to close down recently. It doesn’t matter if your hotel made my list of Bangkok hotel closures that received over 1300 unique visitors a day during the conflict or not, if you would like some free exposure in the post-protest market, please feel free to let me know.

What I am offering

I will dedicate a post in the 10 part series to your hotel and your story. Tell us how you were affected, what you did for your guests, why you closed, how long you were closed for, how it has affected your staff, when you opened or will be opened again, or anything you want to tell us.

Tell us what’s great about your hotel, the people, the facilities, or if you have made improvements or renovations to your property. Your story can be between 300 and 1000 words and you can include 3 or 4 photos if you like. The photos can be of damage you sustained, renovations you made, or even just general photos of your hotel.

I’ll include all your hotel information including a link back to your site- not an affiliate link to a booking company, with your hotel name in the do-follow link. The only thing that I do ask is that the material you submit is original.

I hope this small gesture can go at least a small way to improving the situation a lot of people in Bangkok, not just the Bangkok hotel industry are now faced with right now.  We can do this, let’s get the word out.

Popularity: 12% [?]

Bangkok hotel closures & re-opening status

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Bangkok hotel re-opening dates list updated daily.

Bangkok is now back to normal with all roads, hotels, shops and attractions operating as normal. I am leaving the previous updates below as a record of events.

Following the departure of UDD protesters in central Bangkok, the city is now in cleanup mode. A city-wide curfew remains until Sunday night. Hotels that were forced to close are cleaning up and preparing for re-opening, with most set to re-open Monday the 24th or Wednesday the 26th. This morning I have updated Bangkok hotel re-openings for the Ratchadamri and Siam areas which were the most severely affected areas, and will update the others later today.

Updated MapA full, annotated zoom-able Google map of the Bangkok protests is available here. The map is still online and marked with the danger spots at the peak of the unrest, however Bangkok is now back to normal and totally safe for visitors and residents alike.

I am calling many of the hotels in the affected areas every today to check whether they are open and when they are re-opening. I will list all hotel closures and re-opening dates here. Below is the list of their current status as of today. Check back daily as I will be updating this list of Bangkok hotel closures everyday until the situation is back to normal.

Updated 12 pm Bangkok time, Tuesday May 25th 2010

Popularity: 35% [?]

Four Seasons Bangkok vs Grand Hyatt Erawan- Part 1

This is this first installment of a series of posts where I will compare two of the premier five star hotels in Bangkok- The Four Seasons Bangkok and The Grand Hyatt Erawan.

I guess I should start this comparison of the Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok and the Four Seasons Bangkok with a disclaimer.
The Grand Hyatt Erawan and the Four Seasons Bangkok- two of the premier 5 star hotels in Bangkok

The Grand Hyatt Erawan is usually my first stop every time I arrive in Bangkok.  It’s become customary for me to spend my first night there and has been for a long time. I have always wanted to try the Four Seasons, but always found a reason to stop me.

One of those reasons was the lack of a Frequent Guest program at the Four Seasons. I must admit that I am a status freak and love collecting points and status at hotels and airlines, and have racked up quite a few benefits at the Hyatt, Marriott and a number of other places.

I was also under the impression that the Four Seasons was going to be a lot more expensive, but with the current worldwide economic environment, coupled with the recent instability of Thai politics, hotels in Thailand are providing some great deals lately.

I recently had the opportunity to stay at both properties in the same week and was glad to be able to compare the two. Though I am a fan and frequent guest at The Grand Hyatt Erawan, first and foremost I am a lover of luxurious hotels, and will endeavor to compare these two magnificent properties as objectively as possible.

Location

Both hotels are located on Rajadamri Road, a couple of hundred meters apart, across the street from the Royal Bangkok Sports Club. The Grand Hyatt Erawan is close to, and indeed connected to BTS Skytrain Chitlom station on the Sukhumvit line, while the Four Seasons is closer to Rajadamri station on the Silom line. You can however, easily walk to either station from both hotels.

Exterior

What better place to start than the exterior of the hotels. Both properties were built in the early 1980’s and began life as different hotels, The Four Seasons as The Regent and the Hyatt as the Erawan Hotel.

The Four Seasons is definitely a nicer looking hotel from the outside.  In front of the hotel leading up to the entrance there are beautifully maintained gardens with lots of water and tropical plants, which are subtly lit up at night, creating an elegant atmosphere, which hints at the luxury inside.

The property is low and wide, comprising only 9 stories and separated into 3 wings, a central  “Kannika” building and two atrium wings on either side, Monthathip Court and Parichart Court.

The Grand Hyatt Erawan stands taller at 22 floors, and while the sweeping entrance is a little more grand than the Four Seasons (well it IS the Grand Hyatt), the exterior of the Hyatt as it rises above the 5th floor betrays it’s early 80’s vintage with it’s black glass windows, looking like a dated, anonymous office tower.

At the entrance, guests are greeted by two huge elephant sculptures and a flurry of activity from the attentive staff, many of whom are clad in traditional clothing reminiscent of a bygone Siamese era.

Lobby

Popularity: 31% [?]

Foreign embassies in Thailand

Click here for a full list of all consulates and foreign embassies in Thailand.

Lose your passport? Overstay your visa? Want to get married in Thailand? Need a visa to take your sweetheart for a visit home? Get arrested? (heaven forbid!) Or maybe you just need some documents notarized.

Foreign embassies in Thailand

In any of the above cases you will need to visit, or at the very least call the embassy or consulate of your home country. If you get into a spot of trouble and find that you need the services of your embassy or consul, finding the contact details at the last minute can be just another hassle.

With that in mind I have put together a list of every foreign consulate and embassy in Thailand, incorporating not just Bangkok, but Phuket, Chiang Mai and Songkhla. Pretty much every country has their embassy in Bangkok, but a number of countries also have consulates in other cities throughout Thailand.

Here is a short list of foreign consulates in Thailand’s major cities outside of Bangkok.

Popularity: 27% [?]

 

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