The Athenee Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Bangkok — Hotel in Lumphini Subdistrict

We have been frequent visitors to the Plaza Athenee hotel for the past few years and we have always had a wonderful time at the hotel and its restaurants. We have always stayed at the Executive Floors and really loved the Club Lounge, which has a real living room feel to it. However, for each stay the level of service seems to be a bit lower.

During our last visit to Plaza Athenee the great service that we have been getting used to at this hotel was completely gone. Even during the reservation of our room several mistakes were made, and when we were checking-in the staff in the reception (a “low-talker” who spoke very bad English) could not find in our reservation that we had made a reservation for a Club Room even though her manager finally did.

After being escorted to the Club Lounge and a proper check-in, we received no information about the Executive Floor benefits. We were handed our key cards but no staff escorted us to our room even though they clearly did not have that much to do.

Our Club room was nice even though the rooms are starting to feel a bit dated. The amenities are not of high quality either.

We called for a baby cot/crib since our request for one must have been lost from our reservation. After a while one of the hotel staff delivered a crib and mentioned that she would come back again. We assumed that she would come back with a sheet, blanket and a pillow for the crib. When we left our room for the Evening Cocktails in the Club Lounge we had still not received anything but an empty crib.

Shortly after entering the Executive Lounge for the lovely Evening Cocktails, one of the staff cornered us and told us that we were not allowed in the lounge with a child. When I asked why he said that this was an Executive Lounge (as we did not know that...), but we could sit in the bar at the ground floor instead. I found this a bit strange since at first I thought that there must be a local law against bringing children to places were alcohol is served. I asked why we were not given any information about this when making the reservation or when checking-in, but no answer was given and he just ushered us away to the elevators. When we entered the elevators he said that we could sit in the lounge if the baby did not cry(!) (our baby had been totally quiet this whole time), but now we had lost interest after the rude manner, bad service and lack of information.

Instead we decided to have an early dinner at the wonderful French restaurant ‘The Reflexions’ at the hotel. When asking for a table we were told (and again, not in a friendly manner) that we could not eat in the restaurant with a child under eight years. (I have not found any information about this anywhere at the hotel or website.) As an expat living in Bangkok and a member in the hotels dining and wine club, and a frequent visitor of the restaurants and ‘The Reflexions’ in particular, I was really surprised about this. (And so were the staff in the ‘Glaz Bar’ and the Executive Lounge, they did not know anything about this when I explained the children below eight-policy of ‘The Reflexions’).

Running out of options we went to ‘the Glaz Bar’ to have a glass of wine while trying to figure out what to do and where to eat. Not finding anything of interest in ‘the Rain Tree Café’ a la carte menu, I went back to ‘The Reflexions’ and kindly asked if they could serve us in the ‘Glaz Bar’. After talking to the manager he suggested that we could have the food served in one of the other restaurants located on the same floor, but as I was tired of running around at the hotel so I kindly declined. Finally they showed us a bit of good service and agreed to serve us in the ‘Glaz Bar’.

The food from ‘The Reflexions’ was great as usual, although the staff in the ‘Glaz Bar’ did not provide the best service, but what can you expect when having a dinner in a bar. The coffee we ordered after our dinner never showed up, fortunately not on the bill either.

After coming back to our room we had still not received any blanket, sheet, nor pillow for the crib. I went back to the Executive Lounge and explained that we needed this and asked for the staff to knock at the door and not to use the door bell since our baby had fallen asleep. A few minutes later one of the hotel staff rings the door bell and deliver a King-size blanket (with no sheet around it). I went back to the Executive Lounge once again with the blanket and now the lady explains that the hotel do not provide sheets, blankets or pillows for their cribs/baby cots. I explain that I find this very odd and not suiting for a five star hotel. All other five star hotels I have stayed at have provided this and usually also provides a care-kit with diapers, baby oil, etc. If they do not provide this they should at least provide information to their guests that they must bring their own sheets and blankets when staying at Plaza Athenee. No information regarding this is provided on the website and was not provided during our reservation.

After this visit we have decided that we will never stay at Plaza Athenee again, and we will not renew our membership in the hotels dining and wine club. There are many other much better hotel options in Bangkok in the same price range that provide much better service and do allow children in their Club Lounges. Plaza Athenee is clearly not a five star hotel anymore, it should be demoted to a...

TL/DR: Thank you Narudon from concierge, Pasani and Pinit from housekeeping, Toon from the gym/pool area, Nana from the Athenee spa, Rapheepat from concierge, and Juthamart from the Glaz Bar.

I just completed a three-night stay at the Athenee Hotel Bangkok. The reservation was made via a STARS rate. Pre-arrival communications were fine but I felt like the email correspondence with the SGS was a bit better.

Check-in was pretty fast and smooth. The room that I initially reserved was the Athenee room. While the Marriott app did show availabilities for the Athenee Corner room or the Royal room, I wasn’t upgraded to the next available room type per se. I was told by the front desk agent that upgrades are subject to availability (which there was, according to the app) and the room assigned to me was on a higher floor and therefore, can be considered as an upgrade as well.

The room was a bit small but I liked the huge daybed next to the window. Loved the Byredo amenities as well but it was really difficult to use the conditioner as it was “too thick” for the pump so I had to pour it out of the bottle each time. The other annoying thing was the power outlet in the bathroom. It was loose so I had to hold the plug when I was using the hair dryer.

Breakfast spread at the Rain Tree was ok but not like great. Food options were mostly the same throughout my stay so it became a bit boring for me by the third day. With that being said, I really liked the hummus toast at the waffle station. Athenee is sort of a business hotel as well so it can get very busy starting from 8.30 am.

While I felt that the services provided by some staff may be a bit cold, they had some amazing staff as well. Pasani and Pinit from housekeeping, Toon, from the gym/pool, and Nana, from the Athenee Spa, provided the best customer experience I’ve ever had. I had the opportunities to stay at other luxury properties including the Kempinskis, the Ritz-Carltons, Jumeirah etc. but I was completely blown away by the hospitality and service of Toon and Nana. Toon was very attentive and she was ery very polite and always with a smile. The service and warmth from Nana were exceptional and perfect. Like I tried my absolute best to look for a flaw but I failed. The experience was also better than Oasis or Divana Spa.

Rapheepat from the concierge was very helpful and polite as well. He went above and beyond to help me with getting some information about the Loy Krathong Festival prior to my arrival. He completely exceeded my expectations. Further, I needed some recommendations and he was very helpful and knowledgeable. I signed up for the Epicurean Moments at the Glaz Bar and the hospitality provided by Juthamart was on another level. Initially, I was ignored by a few staff walking by even when I was clearly waiting to be seated. Tbh, I was thinking to just leave and go somewhere else. Fortunately, Juthamart came up and basically saved the whole thing. She was very friendly, polite and definitely very helpful. I forgot to let her know that I can’t eat anything spicy and she immediately removed the chilli one by one. I planned to go to the Cocktail concert at Udomsuk and she gave me some recommendations on transport and food options around the area. While the Glaz Bar does not have great views like some other rooftop bars in the city, I would not hesitate to come here again because of the great service provided by Juthamart.

I initially had three reservations in total across Nov - Dec. I was going to cancel the second and third reservations after my first night at the Athenee. Unfortunately, I had to cancel my second reservation as Kimpton Maa-Lai offered me a two-level upgrade to a suite and I had to be crazy to turn that offer down. However, I decided to keep the third reservation due to the excellent and flawless services.

So overall, I thought it was going to be a disappointing stay at the Athenee but thanks to Nana, Toon, Rapheepat and Juthamart, I’m happy to rate my experience a 5 out of 5. I look forward to my next stay at...

I had a lovely stay at The Athenee, my first time staying at this property while in Bangkok, but definitely not my last.

The service was excellent even before I arrived, with staff promptly and helpfully answering the emails I sent, and arranging a late checkout for me on my last day due to my Gold Elite status, which I greatly appreciated, having a late afternoon flight. Though my room was not available when I arrived in the late morning they kindly stored my bags so I could explore the city, and sent them to my room which was ready when I returned at check-in time. The only downside was that the room upgrade that my status entitles me to was not offered or even mentioned. I know these are based on availability, but an explanation as to why it's not given would be appreciated, as a guest. Check out was equally smooth, and throughout my stay everyone I encountered, from the front desk staff to the concierges to the doormen were helpful, friendly and made a point to say hello and ask after my day. I felt very welcome! The room was immaculately clean, well decorated, and with high quality amenities and the most comfortable bed, linens and robe. I really enjoyed my time relaxing in the room, and had a great sleep every night. Housekeeping was thorough and always left plenty of water, returning in the evening for turndown service as well.

I used the gym and the pool often during my stay, and the staff there were absolutely lovely, attentive and helpful. The gym is large, clean and well equipped, and was never very busy, and same with the pool, with lots of comfy lounge chairs, plenty of swimming space and great staff who serve water and fruit while you relax and enjoy the city views. I also had a fantastic massage at the Athenee Spa, which was great value for money with great facilities in the rooms and a very skilled therapist, Ead, who did a wonderful job of my massage. Perfect pressure, and very respectful of my modesty and comfort throughout. Mook, who checked me in and oriented me to the spa, was also lovely.

One of my reasons for booking was the excellent variety and quality of F&B venues at the hotel, and I was not disappointed. I had room service for dinner on my first evening (pad thai and fried rice with pork, both perfectly prepared and absolutely delicious), a dinner at The Allium and lunch at The House of Smooth Curry, and all were great experiences, with top notch service and delicious food. I enjoyed a drink from The Glaz Bar, the Athenee Hugo, which was super refreshing, and enjoyed the service from the lady bartenders. And the highlight was the daily breakfast! The buffet here is one of the best I've had, both in terms of the choices on offer and the quality of the food. I had breakfast here all four mornings and was able to try something different and delicious every day. And the staff were also fantastic, I never had to wait to have my order taken or tea refilled or plates cleared. A lovely restaurant manager, whose name I forgot (!) was particularly kind and welcomed me every morning of my stay.

Location was great as well, the doormen were able to easily get me taxis when necessary, but most of the time I just walked to the nearby BTS station, which was only a five minute walk away, or walked to the nearby shopping malls. Very convenient!

This is a great Bangkok hotel, and one I will be returning to on...