The Quarter Chao Phraya by UHG — Hotel in Khlong San Subdistrict

Hotel Review: The Quarter Chao Phraya by UHG - A Tropical Haven in the Heart of Bangkok

Nestled amidst the vibrant rhythms of Bangkok, The Quarter Chao Phraya by UHG emerges as a refreshing oasis, channeling Hawaiian vibes that instantly transport you to a tropical paradise, albeit surrounded by the city's skyscrapers. This hotel is not just a place to stay; it's an experience, intertwining the essence of a holiday retreat with the pulsating heart of urban life.

Room: A Splice of Island Life with a Metropolitan Backdrop

The rooms at The Quarter Chao Phraya are a delightful surprise, spacious and designed with a keen eye for detail, featuring balconies that offer either a serene view of the Chao Phraya river or an enchanting cityscape. Opting for the city view, the balcony became my little sanctuary, a place where the sun's rays danced lightly across mirrored panels, diffusing warmth without the glare, complemented by curtains that could shroud the room in darkness for those late morning slumbers.

A notable commitment to sustainability is evident, with the hotel's choice to embrace natural ventilation outside of the lobby areas, a bold step towards eco-consciousness that deserves applause, despite the trade-off in hallway comfort.

The room's aesthetic attempts to blend openness with privacy, particularly in the toilet area, which sports an open concept partially enclosed by sliding doors. While the intention is clear and visually appealing, the execution—thin plywood doors that are more a test of patience than a feature—leaves room for improvement. The mirror's placement, partially obscured by the sink's countertop, might have you performing acrobatics for a full view.

The absence of an iron or steamer is noted, yet the inclusion of a medium-sized refrigerator and other amenities keeps convenience within reach.

Location: At the Heart of Convenience and Culture

The hotel's location is its silent trump card. Just a 12-15 minute walk from the iconic Iconsiam, guests are treated to a blend of luxury shopping, exquisite dining, and cultural experiences at their doorstep. However, the bustling streets of Bangkok do present a challenge during peak hours, where a short Grab ride could turn into a longer journey due to traffic. Despite this, the proximity to Iconsiam and the easy access to the heart of Bangkok’s cultural and commercial hubs is a significant advantage, making it an ideal base for both leisure and exploration.

Amenities: A Dip into Leisure and Luxury

The hotel doesn't skimp on leisure, offering two pools that cater to both the exuberance of childhood and tranquil adult swims, with the latter facing the picturesque river. Breakfast by the pool intertwines indulgence with relaxation, a theme that extends to the hotel's open space, inviting guests to unfurl on the ground for a casual picnic.

Adding to the convenience is an in-house Lawson and spa, ensuring that your cravings and relaxation needs are but a few steps away—without the dread of queues.

Service and Cleanliness: Room for Polish

While the hotel stands out for its value and unique charm, the journey is slightly marred by the warmth—or lack thereof—of its service. The staff, albeit helpful, seem stretched thin, their weariness sometimes overshadowing their ability to connect. The hallways, in their natural state, could benefit from a touch more attention to cleanliness, ensuring that the hotel's commitment to eco-friendliness also embraces a consistently welcoming ambiance.

Final Verdict: A Gem with a Few Rough Edges

The Quarter Chao Phraya by UHG is a captivating blend of holiday vibes, urban convenience, and cultural proximity. Despite its few shortcomings, the hotel stands as a remarkable choice for those seeking an unconventional retreat in Bangkok. With a slight polish on service and maintenance, it could truly shine as a beacon of relaxation and sustainability. The convenience of its location, coupled with the hotel’s audacious design and commitment to an eco-friendly future, earns it a well-deserved 4.5/5. I would...

I find it really hard to give this hotel a bad review, as the hotel is actually nice (and well located). The breakfast also has everything you need. The hotel staff was always friendly, greeted you and smiled.

BUT: There are a few things that are just not right!

The WiFi is abysmally bad. Sometimes you can't connect at all even though a good WiFi signal is displayed. And when the connection works, you surf at just 3 Mbit/s download and 5 Mbit/s upload. Every 500 THB hotel has better shared WiFi than this 3000+ THB / night hotel!

This only affects smokers! If you book a hotel with a balcony, you actually assume that you are allowed to smoke on the balcony. But when you arrive at the hotel you have to sign a policy that says you are not allowed to smoke on the balcony. No way! That brings us to

In the hotel courtyard there is a smoking area (in the middle of the sun, as there is only one parasol). There is also a small supermarket on the hotel grounds that also sells drinks. There are small signs on the tables in the smoking area that say: "No food or drinks from outside allowed." If you buy a soft drink in the supermarket on the property, then sit in the smoking area, smoke a cigarette and enjoy your drink, you will be informed by the staff of the Restaurant/bar next door, that this is not allowed. Seriously?! You are not allowed to smoke on your balcony, so you have to go to the smoking area and then only enjoy expensive drinks from the bar next door? That really is the limit! I then informed the management and told them how absurd the policy is.

Even if you then decide to accommodate the restaurant by ordering a SMALL can of beer (to smooth things over a bit), you will receive a hefty bill. 140THB for a small can of beer 😂👍 You can't beat the audacity! This can of beer normally only costs 39 THB in the supermarket next door. OK, everyone wants to make a profit. And if the restaurant doubles the price, then that's justified as far as I'm concerned, but more than tripling it? That's really cheeky. No wonder almost no one sits there in the evening! And if you look at the bill a little more closely, you'll see that there's also a 10% service charge. So, to make it clear again: the barman turns around, gets a can of beer from the fridge, hands this can to the buyer (but not in a nice glass, no, just the can!) and then charges the buyer an extra 12 THB for this "service". What is going on here? I really have to say that this ruined our stay a bit!

The pool opening times are from 7:00 am to 9:00 pm! When there are about 8 children screaming and splashing around in the pool at 7:20 am in the morning, sleeping in is out of the question! The hotel staff could step in here and tell parents that their children aren't allowed to scream until 9:00 a.m. At least it doesn't seem to be a problem to speak to people sitting peacefully and smoking and tell them that drinking isn't allowed in the smoking area. Well, it's a real shame that it's come to this. I've been living in Thailand for 3 years and have been to lots of hotels, but I've never experienced anything like this!

That's perhaps not so bad, but it completes the picture even more! We couldn't check in until 3:00 p.m., even though the time stated was 2:00 p.m.

If you hang the "Do not disturb" sign outside the door, the staff won't even put two bottles of water and toilet paper in front of the door (and that's in a 4-star hotel!). And according to the sign in the room that says you get a soft drink voucher if you put the sign on your pillow (which means the sheets and towels don't need to be changed), we should have received several vouchers by now because we never had the staff clean our room. But no, they don't even put toilet paper in front of our room! So, we keep our room clean and tidy, don't get any vouchers even though we didn't use the cleaning service, and don't get any water bottles or toilet paper.

In conclusion: A lot of things need to be thought about and changed here, but for now we're not...

A new hotel indeed so the rooms were in really good condition. Some parts of the hotel are still under minor renovations so it can be dusty. It definitely does not feel like a 5 stars hotel as claimed by some reviewers.The hotel is within walking distance to iconsiam, less than 5 mins walk to BTS, near Khlong San Pier if you wish to cross the river to Chinatown. There are super local food stalls right outside the hotel, a 7-11 next to the BTS. There’s a Lek massage place that offers clean and hygienic massage at a reasonable price. Hotel guests get 10% off. Book early. Housekeeping does a good job in keeping the room clean and comfortable during our stay. Wi-Fi connection here is good and does not require any password which I love. We were there to celebrate our friend’s birthday, so we left a note during our booking that it’s for a friend’s birthday and we needed an extra bed. We’re pleased that all these requests were met. They left a cake with a H.P.D well wishing in the fridge which is a nice touch and a pleasant surprise. Thank you!The breakfast here is an absolute disappointment. Staffs at the restaurant are sulky and takes their time to clear the tables, causing many guests to clear their own tables to get a seat for breakfast. Food and cutlery are not replenished on time and doesn’t taste good. A big disappointment. The front desk staffs were helpful and friendly, however are lacking in knowledge. We asked about a nearby attraction Jam Factory but they seemed not to have heard of it. They didn’t even know there’s a police station next to the building nor the side door that leads to Jam Factory and Iconsiam. After asking multiple staffs about the short cut , one staff finally said there’s a side door by the courtyard. We were told that we can exit but not enter via that door but later discovered that we can actually tap our room card to enter. We also asked if we could take a boat to Ratchawong and was told to take the ride from iconsiam. Only after we questioned and ask more then they told us it’s not a direct ride. For anyone who relies on the hotel local staffs to provide information, do some research before asking the staff in this hotel. For the hotel that’s reading this review, it’s a lovely place but training in hospitality is needed. Everyone seems inexperienced.There are 3 blocks to this hotel, one next to the lobby facing the courtyard, 2 facing the river. We stayed in the block facing the pool. Be prepared to be woken up by screaming children in the pool. We were woken up at 7plus in the morning because of that.The porter at the lobby can help to book a cab for 600baht to Suvarnabhumi airport, 700baht for a SUV, it excludes toll which is around 75baht. We checked Grab which would have cost us 1150baht.Overall, it’s a nice hotel but there’s definitely a lot...