So I decided to try a new hotel for this trip after trying IHG and Accor in this shopping and massage heaven city. It was timely that I was on my Marriot Platinum challenge and this was an easy 4-night stash to clock.

But it is an expensive property for Bangkok standards even for Marriot but also because I wanted the Club room so that just sets the bar a little higher. But I got my hands on Citi Prestige in time and so this became my first attempt using my 4th night free benefit.

Side rant:

Correspondences with the Citi Prestige concierge was alot bumpier than I thought.

When the rates dropped, I emailed the Concierge but my email was ignored for one week. I called in and by then the rates had gone up and the concierge said there was nothing they can do about it and if I wanted immediate confirmation or booking I should call in and not email. Asked about whether they would honor the rate in my initial email as their delay in responding is the root cause of the issue and they said nope. So much for Prestige service.

Anyways…

Address – 518/8 Ploechit Road, Bangkok 10330 Thailand. Website.

Contact – +66-2-125-5000. Email: gen-bkkbrresv-dl@marriott.com

(Email obtained after I facebook messaged them)

[Marriot Bonvoy what is this thingy about not having (hiding) email address on your property websites??!! Not all of us wants to call an overseas number and incur roaming charges just for a small request!]

Price – THB24,215.59 for total of 4 nights which is about THB6,053,90 per night after the taxes. That is SGD1,036 total, each night $260. But I used the Citi Prestige 4th Night Free Benefit which will get me USD161 back so the eventual cost will be around SGD$204 per night.

(Citi said the refund in USD will be in my account 1-2 billing cycles after a pre-paid booking. I pre-paid in my March statement and it has not appeared in my April statement. Still waiting.)

Getting there – I bought a Klook airport pick up @ Suvarnabhumi for SGD$25 for 2pax but the driver was not familiar with the route and took us on a longer ride than necessary. Was at the hotel in 40mins-50mins. Otherwise, the Suvarnabhumi Airport Rail Link (SARL) might work for you but you’ll have to change trains. Found this useful article on navigating your way on that route as reference.

Location – a new spot for me this time in the Chidlom BTS area. A sheltered 5mins walk will take you from hotel to BTS and then its only 1 stop away from Siam. But you can also choose to walk along the Skywalk if you prefer to exercise your legs. 10mins will take you to Central World, Big C, The Market Bangkok (new mall!), Gaysorn. In the other direction you’ll get very atas Central Embassy. Plenty of shopping options and eats to pick from. Super central and an excellent base for a 5-day trip.

Check In – one of my best check in experience ever. Day prior, I used the in-app chat function to request for a room on the same level as the Lounge and received confirmation for that. I also “checked in” for 10:30am on-app and lo and behold, my room was ready when I arrived! Yays! Staff addressed my by name and said they’ve been expecting me and thanked me for using the check in function in-app. Was offered to be checked in at the Lounge on the 21st floor and was whisked off. But not before they offered a fun lucky draw of sorts for Bonvoy guests – I had a choice of either a bonus 1,000 Bonvoy points or 300 miles of my choice of frequent flier programme. I picked the bonus Bonvoy points of course.

Couldn’t have made a guest feel more welcome than that!

Room – Executive Club 2 Double (38SqM), 2118, was spacious for 2pax with ample space for luggage and shopping loots. I’m still not sure about the use of purple / brown colors in the room but room was very clean and beds super comfy which is the priority. Bath amenities were Tokyo MILK which was fine, bathroom has plenty of space even with a bathtub. TV has plenty of international channels and work desk became extra space for loots and random stuff. A/C was abit schitzo with temperatures being cold in the morning and a little warm at night with exactly the same setting.

Renaissance Club Lounge – I read reviews of it prior but I didn’t expect it to be this good, especially for a Renaissance which is kind of mid-tier in the Marriot chain.

Located on 21st floor, the space was not big but still decent amount of seatings. I would recommend to still come early for evening cocktails otherwise you may end up sitting at the high chairs. Staff was superbly attentive, all smiles, efficient, polite, and fully conversant in English. Never saw a frown or heard a no throughout my stay. Every exchange was pleasant and everyone seem genuinely warm and enjoyed being there.

Food wise, afternoon tea was fairly basic with scones, sandwiches, crackers, nuts and coffee/tea. But evening cocktails stole the show every single night. It was evident that the chef put much thought into the offerings each evening, with most not being repeated during my 4 nights there – very impressive! Fruits, salads, appetizers, cheeses, breads, meats, carbs, desserts, olives etc. Sufficient as dinner for any appetite. Plating and presentation were impressive as well.

Alcohol selection was wide and cocktails with thai whisky (mekhong) was on offer. Otherwise, there were also wines, sparkling, beers and plenty of liquors to keep guests buzzed each night.

Last calls for food and alcohol was made respectively which I really appreciate as some lounges literally just abruptly starts putting away the food & drinks in plain sight.

Afternoon Tea:

Day 1 Evening Cocktails:

Day 2 Evening Cocktails:

Day 3 Evening Cocktails:

Day 4 Evening Cocktails:

Facilities – went for a swim in their indoor sheltered but alfresco pool on floor PL (still don’t know what that means). Water temperature was perfect for a swim at 10am. The same floor also houses their gym – spacious for a hotel gym and unexpectedly crowded – treadmills were all taken at 8pm one weekday evening!

Quan Spa – their in-house spa which has a fantastic offer off 50% off any full body massages or facials between 10am – 3pm which ended up to be THB1,500nett for a 60mins massage. Not super cheap but of course super clean and reasonable for a great experience.

Breakfast – I opted to have my breakfast on Flavors on level M on all 4 mornings as I preferred variety. Both quality and variety was great especially their home-made yogurt – I had 2 each morning with natural honeycomb honey. I am missing it already! Otherwise, my only other breakfast experience at the Club Lounge was on check in day which was nice of them to offer as technically I wasn’t entitled to it – great spot for some peace and quiet in comparison.

Service – Housekeeping was sporadically problematic with my room not being cleaned up to 4pm+ one day but other days were fine. I also sent 4 pieces of laundry for cleaning as Club guests can enjoy 1 complimentary piece per night of stay and although the stipulated time frame was sending before 11am for getting back the next afternoon, I recieved mine before 9pm that same night. Otherwise, I was greeted with smiles and pro-activeness throughout: at front desks, concierge, housekeeping staff, anywhere.

Check Out – completed at the Club Lounge albeit some confusion over 2 minibar items’ pricing. But sorted out with smiles throughout. Kudos!

In summary, a great property with great hardware and software all round. A winner in my books for sure. Will want to come back if I have the chance to!