Le Méridien Bangkok — Hotel in Si Phraya Subdistrict

Prepaid for 3 nights in the Vista Executive room winding up my last nights of a busy 6 week trip in SE Asia. I was contacted in advance of my arrival by an "Experience Specialist", Nicole Monsanto and asked if there was anything I need assistance with. After some brief correspondence which was appreciated I felt well prepared for my arrival as I assumed they were as well as I mentioned I was simply looking to relax at the hotel and get some work done winding up my trip as my girlfriend was coming to join me for the last three nights.

First the Cons:

The room I checked into was not quite what I was hoping for and honestly feel it could have been designed better as there is not a single drawer in the room other than the minibar area to put away clothes or other items and the closet itself is no deeper than a coat hangar and you have to stack your clothes one in front of the other rather than side by side.

The desk and work area as well are extremely small and not very practical if you wish to do some work there and spread out your papers. If two people wished to work or even sit side by side it would have been very uncomfortable. I can’t imagine someone staying in an “Executive” room” here for a work trip for more than 2 days would have thought this room would be good for a comfortable work/stay option. Might want to change that room name.

After first sizing up the room and wanting a bit more space for us to spread out, I went downstairs 10 minutes later to the check in area and asked if my room was somehow unique and were there other rooms at my level that offered a bit more space to work in or spread out. I was told that the hotel did receive a number of complaints about what I had brought up and was expecting the conversation to take a turn for a possible different room option, paid upgrade or other, or even being told about a business lounge or other work area in the hotel for me to be comfortable, but was basically told that was all that they had and I let it go at that and returned to my room a bit disappointed in that conversation, but resigned to make it work. So much for my Gold status I thought. After that point I never really heard from anyone else at the front desk or a follow up from Nicole to see how my stay was going until my checkout four days later with her which I will get to later.

Another slight disappointment is that this hotel does not have a Club Lounge area but offers a 3 hour window for complementary drinks and light appetizers which consist of some mixed nuts and a small plate of three different bite size choices brought to you once seated. The alcohol selection was very good, but I would have appreciated more food selections. As far as the staff here, they were all extremely good and made the experience there pleasant.

Another slight negative was the Spa service at the hotel. While I was needing some time to get some work done I was prepared to pay for a day of Spa services for my girlfriend centering on a good facial for her skin type. The person working reception at the time basically presented a menu of choices and after some initial conversation with him that didn't seem to answer any of our questions another person came over to try to help but he also did not make a good case for why I should use their services and recommended I go elsewhere which kind of surprised me so I then went downstairs to concierge who helped me book a 3 hour and 45 minute package including a massage and body scrub at a very good nearby spa (Dhara Beauty and Spa) at nearly the same price for what a standard 1 hour facial would have cost me at Le Meridien.

At checkout, there was some slight confusion regarding my final bill as it came out to slightly more than the SPG operator told me when I modified my reservation as he said that I wouldn’t be owing anything additional. Nicole did mention this in her previous emails to me and said that there was a slight difference that I honestly didn’t understand why even after it being explained to me and then quite honestly being made feeling guilty for bringing it up again. I told her I was not going to really make a big issue of a rather small amount and she did ask me if I did want the amount taken off as it wasn’t that big of a deal for her to do, but I was more put off by the fact that she had asked me if I wanted to ask her to take it off than simply offering to do it without further conversation. Plus the fact that I had no follow up from her or anyone else at the front desk staff since my check in, I was simply ready to go and paid the additional amount so I could be on my way.

Pros:

I will say however that my interaction with the rest of the staff was very positive. I especially appreciated the professionalism of the concierge who was able to help book appointments as well as the front doormen who whenever I needed a cab made sure to speak to the cab driver and note their information before getting in and greeted warmly upon our returns.

I also really liked the staff at the Latest Recipe restaurant who I saw each morning for breakfast. They were always keeping busy and I never needed to alert them to any special request, coffee refill or other as they were constantly scanning the room and even taking the time to engage us as well as families with little children. Bravo to them.

Housekeeping was also very nice and I appreciated always having a lot of extra waters and toiletries noting there were 2 of us in the room and working around a convenient time to freshen up the room for us as I worked in the room from late morning to early afternoon each day.

Also on a big plus side, the gym and pool areas were great and got really good use out of both. The Gym is open 24 hours and has the latest modern equipment including televisions on them which made it more comfortable for me to workout longer and justifying a bit more food at breakfast ☺

All in all, this is a very nice well kept hotel, especially if you want to be near the Patpong area. Aside from my earlier complaints, I do recommend this hotel as a comfortable...

I stayed at Le Meridien Bangkok in the past and I picked it for our quarantine because I knew the Avantec Suite would be a comfortable room to spend two weeks. They fed us very well during our stay and they were very responsive to miscellaneous requests so excellent service given the circumstances. Except for people considering a quarantine in a pool villa in Phuket, with all things considered for Bangkok standards I can highly recommend LM as one of the best places for quarantine at the moment including the fact that we can earn Marriott Bonvoy points, which not all quarantine hotels allow.

I found the Avantec Suite to be in good condition, similar to last time we stayed a couple years ago. One unique feature I like is the double shower with a window looking through the bedroom and the black marble tiles throughout including the Toto washlet. These suites are in the corners of the building so usually quiet and little to no foot traffic outside the room. Early during our stay we had a few neighbors close to us but later on we seemed to be alone in the wing of our floor. One minor inconvenience is that carpet in the room had to be covered by some kind of weird plastic for sanitary reasons. This is most likely the same requirement at other quarantine hotels so I would argue rooms with hardwood floors or tiles might be marginally preferable for a quarantine stay. Air conditioning was working very well and we could have very good nights of sleep.

The main thing to do during quarantine was eat, eat, and eat. Despite the fact that the menu did not contain junk food, we certainly did not lose any weight during our stay and at no time did we feel the need to order extra from the room service menu. For each meal there was always a choice of three: Thai, International, and Italian/Japanese; there was good variety from one day to another and enough to meet all tastes. We especially appreciated that they were not overly rigid in the menu choices; on occasion we could ask for minor modifications and they were pleased to oblige which was great.

After one week we were allowed to get out of the room for one hour per day to the ‘relaxation area’. Unfortunately because of the recent uptick in covid cases the fitness gym was closed as per government rules so the only places allowed were the pool area and the indoor lounge near the pool, and we were not allowed to use the pool either.

During quarantine we could have housekeeping done three times in the second week of the stay, all after the second negative covid test. Also during the second week we could have laundry service with a total of 15 items per person so 30 items for a couple.

Wifi had good speed of around 30 Mbps but there were unexplained disconnections a few times per day. Thankfully they never lasted long.

Obviously a quarantine stay cannot be fantastic, but in the circumstances we had a good stay and the hotel took great care of us. For anybody wanting to quarantine in Bangkok in a suite for reasonably good value for the money including earning loyalty program points, I believe the Avantec Suite at LM is a...

Having stayed at a few 5 star hotels in bangkok now, mostly in the club rooms, I can now appreciate what Le Meridien Bangkok offers.

From the time when you exit your vehicle, the staff greet you and run up to ensure they are the ones to pick up your heavy bags. The friendly check-in staff give a personal touch.

The circle wellness room I booked was amazing, as always. My only disappointment was not having a coffee machine in there as per my previous visit, but this was explained by the concierge (the machine is only for select circle wellness rooms). The room itself also was very quiet, with possibly double glazing. The bed is really comfortable.

The pool is on the smaller side but perfect for relaxing. The gym is also on the smaller side as well, but there is a good balance of pin machines vs cardio.

The highlight was the club lounge where we were greeted every afternoon and night very nicely. The range of food at night is amazing and the service just put a smile on my face. The friendliness, professionalism and the personal touch at the Club Lounge was a highlight of my trip.

The restaurant on the lower floor for breakfast on the other hand was mixed. The buffet food was spectacular, amazing, superb but the service is a little here and there. The person who showed us to our tables had no idea where to get some chilli in any form. He directed me to ask the kitchen staff. I finally found some chilli close to the noodle station (which he should have known - this is Thailand after all, and it isn't such a strange request). The other disappointment was for two out of the four days, no one cleaned up our dishes on our table or even the tables around us. Some staff would walk past, eye the dirty dishes all around and start refilling cutlery or wiping down already clean tables. It was a little surreal how often they could walk past dirty dishes and clean an already clean table. I did complain to the manager about this though and she was very apologetic, but it is a bad look for a 5 star hotel restaurant having dirty dishes on tables for 45 minutes all around and some staff doing everything but cleaning them up.

But ignoring the restaurant, the main advantage of the hotel is staff. They are well trained, and they add a very personal touch to everything, seeing how you are and just making you feel at home. Greeting you warmly every time they see you. Everything at the hotel just works as it should, due to the staff being professional but still warm and personable.

Just thinking about the nights at the club lounge brings a smile to my face and such warm memories. I...