Posts Tagged ‘Bangkok’
Posted by Aaron in Hotel reviews Tuesday, 7 September 2010 09:00 No Comments
This is the second part in a series of posts comparing two of the most luxurious hotels in Bangkok, The Grand Hyatt Erawan and The Four Seasons Bangkok.
You can see part 1 of the series, where I discuss the location, exterior, and lobby and of the two hotels at Four Seasons Bangkok vs. Grand Hyatt Erawan part 1.
In this review I’ll be comparing the standard room types at both properties, the Grand King at the Bangkok Hyatt and the Superior Room at the Four Seasons, which both offer 40 square meters.
Guestrooms at the Four Seasons Bangkok, with their wood paneled and wallpapered walls, silk paintings, and plush, upholstered chairs offer a classy and classic, old world feel. Guestrooms at the Grand Hyatt Erawan on the other hand reflect a more contemporary feel, with the white painted walls and plenty of indirect lighting.
Popularity: 6% [?]
Posted by Aaron in Lists Monday, 6 September 2010 08:00 No Comments
The banks of the Chao Phraya river are host to a number of beautiful Bangkok riverside hotels, some steeped in legend, others quite new.
The Majestic Chao Phraya river, running right through Bangkok is a must see for visitors to the capital of Thailand. Plowed by ferry boats, teak dinner cruises and barges alike, it is still a major traffic route and a great way to avoid the notorious traffic jams that can clock up the streets for hours, while taking in fantastic views.
The hotels listed here, on both sides of the river, while all accessible by road, all have their own private pier and provide complimentary shuttle boat services to Saphan Taksin pier, which connects to the BTS Skytrain, allowing guests to easily travel to just about anywhere in this bustling metropolis.
Peninsula Hotel Bangkok
One of the classic riverside hotels in Bangkok, this hotel was built in a “W” shape, affording all of the 370 rooms of the 39 story hotel stunning views of the Chao Phraya River. The Peninsula Hotel Bangkok is often the subject of enlivened debate over which is the best hotel in Bangkok. It’s main rival of course being the next hotel on our list.
Popularity: 9% [?]
Posted by Aaron in Hotel reviews Friday, 9 July 2010 11:40 1 Comment
A review of the Plaza Athenee Bangkok.
A few years ago, we were staying at the Bangkok Hyatt while they were renovating the pool area, putting in the teak deck and building the i.sawan Residential Spa & Club. It was a bit of a bummer because we weren’t able to use the pool.
I had sometimes wondered what the 5 star hotels do in situations like this, when a major facility is unavailable. In this case they had made arrangements with nearby 5 star hotels to allow guests to use their pool and gym. A bus left the hotel every thirty minutes or so and delivered guests to a different nearby 5 star hotel every day. One of the days we were staying there, the hotel whose facilities were made available to us was the Plaza Athenee Bangkok.
Popularity: 27% [?]
Posted by Aaron in Thailand hotel news Tuesday, 25 May 2010 00:21 2 Comments
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: 11% [?]
Posted by Aaron in Hotel reviews Sunday, 4 April 2010 20:39 No Comments
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 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: 30% [?]
I am a lover of Thailand and luxury hotels. I stay in as many hotels as possible and blog about them all.
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