The Okura Prestige Bangkok — Hotel in Lumphini Subdistrict

Stayed at the property for the first time with my mother and daughter for four nights in March and it was my worst experience ever. Over the weekend, almost two days after we had checked in, they informed me that I need to pay again since I did not carry the same card I booked with even though all the verification procedure was done on the App during checking and payment confirmed. No management staff was available to speak with even though I requested several times and simply because it was their weekend hence we were left to figure it ourselves. There was no consideration that it was a global weekend and that it would be difficult for me to also arrange a transfer as well since my debit card wasn’t accepted at the hotel (it said transaction declined even before I could enter my pin) even though it worked with every other merchant/ business in Bangkok. Finally and luckily the lady who was the duty manager that night happened to offer a link payment which was perfect and could have been done during check in or even earlier when this dilemma started and saved me all the trouble. I requested for a part refund for all the stress and the fact that almost two days were ruined due to this and for no fault from my end but was flatly refused. This directive was apparently coming from the GM, Neik Hammer who also responded only after we left and part of the message reads as- I would like to clarify that we will not give any compensation and/or refund. There was also a discrepancy on the refund of the initial payment that was made and the reason given was due to currency fluctuations. I had to explain that if in the first place there was no payment confirmation then how was there a refund. The card payment should have been just released so I guess he had no choice but to pay the difference which was done. Upon looking him up I was so disappointed to see that he is the same guy who has been promoting himself, taking pictures with happy guest and celebrating all the good reviews. However the same GM could have met with us during breakfast time as he was always there lingering around and mingling with selected guests. I urge him to take a lesson or two on how to face a difficult situation and also be a part of those times at the property when it’s not going well as it should because it will not always be. I am really surprised to see all the good reviews he gets and how well he promotes himself and does his personal PR. Not sure if the higher ups will have an access to this review and reward those that are really at the front line when things aren’t good- a special thanks to Ms Pimsuda Pitakpao and Ms Tapiphan Louyarat who did their best to offer other amenities like an upgrade and spa day but we just did not have the time to avail any of that and accepted the airport drop complimentary in a Toyota even though we drive an Audi and a Merc here :) Also a shout out to the duty manager who suggested the link payment and I am so disappointed with myself that I missed getting her name. The concierge was super nice and ever so ready to help out. Lastly want to add that our check in was also a big disappointment as there was so much of chaos, badly managed and one girl in particular who looked like she hated her job. Also housekeeping services were not great and I shared our experience with an image which they just ignored. All we availed of is breakfast at the hotel which was good so not able to comment on any of the amenities as we did not get the opportunity to use due to the payment confusion. All this certainly warrants a partial refund as the hotel is obliged to offer the best comfort to the guest and not make it difficult. They called it an isolated incident but failed to treat it as such! Well there was never any agreement from our end as we weren’t given any choice. Also it is justified to add a review and everything written is accurate including the good service from certain staff. We did not even know who the GM was since he replied only after we left and never spoke with us even though he was always around at...

Package deal - pay 2 stay for 7 nights, exc BF. Great value. Locatef in the business and embassy district with shopping malls within walking distance. Very convenient for business trip. Parking is shared with the busy office building but valet is available. If you are in hurry, valet can take some time to retrieve your car. Better call ahead so they can bring it up. Comfusing road leading to the entrance, if you missed the turn, it will be a nightmare. Public transportation is lot easier without luggage. 24 hours convenient store on the ground floor as well as some small restaurants and very affordable bakery, ATM and direct access to sky train. Bakery after 5pm has special 50pc discount but you have to get thete early to get in line and it is closed on weekend. Lobby is on 24th floor, small but nicely decorated in a contemporary grey and steel tone contrasting with a big cherry blossom tree in the center. Checking in was quick, few forms to complete, THB 2000 deposit per night. Deluxe room on 26th floor facing south hold the view of hotel buildings and wireless road leading to Lumpini Park, very beautiful and spacious. Premium room amenities with the tea pot and fresh tea leaves adding the touch of Japan as well as Yukata for in house comfort. The washing basin is small and shallow, water kept splashing everywhere, be careful when turn it on. Sinking bathtub is great, pour some bath salt in, get some music on bluetooth speaker, some bubble, and you are all set. Shower and tub are in the same area, and floor is bit slippery. Toilet is seperated in small room with tiny sink for hand washing, Japanese style, claustrophobic be warned. Couch, bed, pillows are clean and very comfortable. Blackout curtain work well, room is very quiet at night, no noise from outside. Refrigerator is very small and full of minibar which i asked to be removed for some other personal food. Glasses and coffee cups are provided, wash before use, they smell a bit. Smart TV is great, Wi-fi work well, AC and hot water function without a fault. Room is cleaned daily with turndown service in the evening. Origami papers were set on bed along with a paper crane. Premier room on 31 floor facing north is a bit bigger. Notice that the bathroom amenities are different for each room type, not sure if it was intentional or depend on availablity. Mouthwash and bath salt are items that come and gone. Bedsheet also feel different, but still comfortable. Really wish I could take the pillows home. They are very soft and comfortable. Facilities included gym, infinity swimming pool, and spa. All on 25th floor with stunning view of Bangkok city, particular overlooking Rosewood and Park Hyatt with Sivatel hotel in the far horizon. Morning swim is highly recommended since the pool opened at 6 am, get a few lap, took some pictures, and watch the sunrising over the city with a cup of coffee. On a clear sky day, it is breathtaking. Night time swim is also possible as pool closed at 10 pm. You can see all the city light and its bustling ambient. Pool area is not very big and can be crowded easily as everyone want to take the picture of the famous view. Bottled drinking water and towel are provided, no lifeguard. Pool is 1.2m deep with salt water and comfortable temperature. Gym is fully equipped and open to outside members as well. Breakfast is at Up and Above restaurant on 24th floor. Two choice - international or Japanese set for weekday. I chose room rate exclude BF so the promotional price is at THB 500. Food and bakery is delicious and well presented. Ask for special dish of the day as it might not be included in the menu on weekday. Hot chocolate is very tasty and high quality. On weekend, the buffet line is to die for. Thai, Japanese, Chinese, and American. The varieties and presentation is impressive and exciting. Staffs are the great. Premium service with smile and politeness, very...

I had not stayed at a Leading Hotels of the World (LHW) property for quite a while in part because they destroyed the loyalty program in 2018 and I voted with my feet. The loyalty program remains weak but at least now membership is free so I tried Okura Prestige Bangkok for the first time and came away relatively satisfied and I can recommend it.

Because I am not a LHW Sterling guest or a returning guest at Okura, I expected the standard one-category upgrade which is not very competitive compared to big hotel chains, but to my surprise I received a double category upgrade to the Premier room. The room was very spacious at 57 sqm and almost as big as what some other hotels consider suites. The room was nice and comfortable; the toilet was a Toto washlet with heated seat, like any self-respecting luxury Japanese hotel and the bathroom amenities were Aromatherapy. There was a hotel branded teddy bear in the room to bring home which was a nice touch.

Unfortunately unlike their neighbor Athenee (Luxury Collection by Marriott) I did not have access to the lounge as per the rules of the LWH program, but at least breakfast was free. I was surprised to find out that they have two venues for breakfast: one was a Thai buffet which was surprisingly crowded with guests picking food themselves (with gloves) – I would have expected a hotel of this caliber to offer a la carte instead especially now at the peak of the covid outbreak in the city. The restaurant was quite crowded with people on weekend staycation. At the opposite end of the hotel there was a Japanese restaurant which offered a Japanese set menu and it complete contrast it was a peace haven – I was the only guest there.

Service was excellent starting with the pre-arrival e-mail exchange, the GM face to face welcome at check-in, the special pillow order ready for me in the room upon arrival, and documents I sent in advance by e-mail to print were ready as well. I realize the hotel had low occupancy so maybe it was easier for staff to keep track of names but nonetheless some staff addressed me by name from day 1 and I had never stayed there before.

Wifi speed was terrible – I clocked speed of less than 2 Mbps download (at times below 1 Mbps) which considering low hotel occupancy I cannot imagine what it would be if the hotel was full. Upload was marginally better but 2-5 Mpbs was still not great. I went to reception to point out the problem and they asked a technician to install a router in my room; speed was fine after that at 40 Mbps.

Overall I was fairly pleased with my stay. Similar to the Small Luxury Hotels (SLH) chain, in my opinion LHW tends to be most valuable in random villages and towns in Europe where there is limited hotel competition in the area; in such circumstances I do not complain about lesser elite loyalty benefits. However, in large cities LHW is a tougher sell. Nonetheless with service at Okura which I found to be better as a first timer than as a repeat guest at Athenee and St.Regis, the fact that with free membership to the LHW program we can now get breakfast like at big hotel chains, plus the upgrade which was almost as good as other hotels which often give me a suite, then the gap with alternatives is not as large as I thought. I am mostly missing the lounge access which I would have at Athenee but for luxury hotels not all of them have lounges anyway so for a stay where I don’t value a lounge as much, Okura can...