Guest friendly BKK Suk Hotels - Updated July 20, 2009

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

A lot of Bangkok hotels are offering special deals which may last through the autumn, as bookings are reported to be down 30% to 40% this year from last year. It's mostly high- to mid-range hotels that are offering bargains, so it means you can get a room that normally costs 7,000 - 8,000 baht/night for around 3,500 to 4,000 baht/night or a room that usually goes for about 3,000 b/n can be had for 2,000 b/n. However, rooms that ordinarily go for 1,500 or less aren't being discounted by much if at all because profit margins are already low at that level.

 

The Landmark, Grand Hyatt Erawan, Citadines (all its BKK properties) and the Centre Point hotels are only a few of those offering deep discounts. Check the deals available on a site like LateStays or Agoda to find the deals. If you want to make sure you get a G/F hotel at the best rate, go through Tim at www.thaihoteldiscounts.com.

 

Evil

[CheshireTom 1,377]

A lot of Bangkok hotels are offering special deals which may last through the autumn, as bookings are reported to be down 30% to 40% this year from last year. It's mostly high- to mid-range hotels that are offering bargains, so it means you can get a room that normally costs 7,000 - 8,000 baht/night for around 3,500 to 4,000 baht/night or a room that usually goes for about 3,000 b/n can be had for 2,000 b/n. However, rooms that ordinarily go for 1,500 or less aren't being discounted by much if at all because profit margins are already low at that level.

 

The Landmark, Grand Hyatt Erawan, Citadines (all its BKK properties) and the Centre Point hotels are only a few of those offering deep discounts. Check the deals available on a site like LateStays or Agoda to find the deals. If you want to make sure you get a G/F hotel at the best rate, go through Tim at www.thaihoteldiscounts.com.

 

Evil

 

Many of the agents, such as the guy Tim, are advertising deep discounts but the reality is something different. Citadines and CentrePoint are a couple of examples. There are 50% savings to be made ........ against the hotels rack rate. It is wrong to suggest to members that the discounts currently available at places such as Citadines and CentrePoint represent savings of 50% of what was previously available. They do not. They are both offering savings of around 10% in USD terms from what was generally available in late January and prior to the Xmas peak season.

[MM 6,562]

A friend sent me this from the stickmanbangkok site. I haven't been able to confirm it on the Hyatt Erawan site, nor could I find the stickman article from which it is taken, however. It's a heck of a deal if it is available.

 

With the high season proving to be anything but high, The Oriental is continuing their low season luncheon special and has extended it right up until Christmas. That means you can get a multiple course lunch at the hotel's premier restaurant, Le Normandie, for 1,000 baht with NO ++ added to the price AND you can bring a bottle of wine for which there is no corkage charge! 1,000 baht per head is all you pay. Such a superb place for lunch is Le Normandie.

 

The Grand Hyatt Erawan, one of the city's finest hotels, has a special offer to Thais and expat residents in Thailand with a room for just 2,009 baht per night! It really is the absolute best time to visit Thailand NOW! I don't think it has been this good for a loooooong time! Now, for those of you on holiday here, I reckon you could bluff your way into getting that rate...

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

It is wrong to suggest to members that the discounts currently available at places such as Citadines and CentrePoint represent savings of 50% of what was previously available. They do not. They are both offering savings of around 10% in USD terms from what was generally available in late January and prior to the Xmas peak season.

 

 

I wasn't comparing the discounts to the rack rate. Except at the peak of the high season or when there is a special event in town that keeps the hotel booked solid, you can almost always find a better deal for any hotel than the rack rate.

 

I was using rough figures for what you would normally pay at some hotels and stated clearly the steeper discounts are at the more expensive hotels. Neither Citadines nor CentrePoint fall into that category. Normally a one-bedroom suite at the CentrePoint property on Suk Soi 10 can be had for about 3,000 baht/night. At the beginning of February, I paid about 2,200 baht/night. The Majestic Grande was recently offering discounts off rooms that usually go for around 3,500 baht/night.

 

Those types of deals are still around, but not necessarily at the same hotel. Once the hotel reaches a certain level of occupancy, the heavily discounted rooms won't be available any longer. The thing about using an agency like Thai Hotel Discounts is that you can easily find out the best deal for the day. You can also phone them and speak to Tim directly - he is very accustomed to finding bargains for guys who want guest friendly hotels.

 

At some of the more expensive hotels, you can find deals that would be in the half-off range from what you'd normally expect to pay, not the rack rate. Here's the link to the deal at the Grand Hyatt Erawan. It's a pay one, stay two nights (maximum) offer. The Landmark last week was charging US$100 for rooms that usually cost $175.

 

But whatever the discount, 10% or 50%, it's still cheaper than before. What that means in effect is that a traveller with a budget of US$100/night can get a better hotel than he normally would, just like those with a budget of US$50/night can also move up a notch. There are some deals in the under US$50 range, but they represent less of a saving from what they normally cost. Even the Majestic Suites was offering a discount and that's very unusual, as they only have 55 rooms which are mostly booked to 100% capacity.

 

 

 

A friend sent me this from the stickmanbangkok site. I haven't been able to confirm it on the Hyatt Erawan site, nor could I find the stickman article from which it is taken, however. It's a heck of a deal if it is available.

 

I don't know about the offer to Thais and resident expats. I posted the link above to the offer to which I was referring.. Here are the prices I got for May : Grand Deluxe room at 4,186 baht/night for each of two nights. That room usually goes for 8,700/night. Grand room at 3,670 baht/night for each of two nights, usually costs 7,600/baht night.

 

 

 

Evil

 

Edited August 16, 2009 by Evil Penevil

[CheshireTom 1,377]

I wasn't comparing the discounts to the rack rate.

 

I didn't say you were. I said agents, such as Tim.

 

Except at the peak of the high season or when there is a special event in town that keeps the hotel booked solid, you can almost always find a better deal for any hotel than the rack rate.

 

I was using rough figures for what you would normally pay at some hotels and stated clearly the steeper discounts are at the more expensive hotels. Neither Citadines nor CentrePoint fall into that category.

 

You quite specifically quoted Citadines and Centre Point as "offering deep discounts". That's why I chose them as examples. Prior to the airport closures they were regularly available at 1850 Baht and 2,500 Baht respectively.

 

"The Landmark, Grand Hyatt Erawan, Citadines (all its BKK properties) and the Centre Point hotels are only a few of those offering deep discounts."

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

 

The Riverfront Residence has serviced apartments that are available on a daily or long-term basis. It's located on Rama III Road (close to the Silom and Sathorn Roads' business district), with spectacular views of the Chao Phraya River. I paid about 2,500 baht/night in late January for a one-bedroom suite, but I'm not sure that price is still available. Highly recommended if you want to stay outside the Sukhumvit area. I had some business meetings nearby, so it was convenient for me to stay there a few days. It's a bit of a haul to the Suk, though, whether you go by BTS or by taxi. Not much of interest within easy walking distance of the hotel.

 

Riverfront Residence

SV City, 912 Rama III Road, Bangpongpang

Yannawa, Bangkok 10120

Telephone : (662) 682-7888

E-mail : sales@riverfrontbangkok.com

 

 

The entrance:

 

 

The view from the balcony - the Chao Phraya River on a cloudy day:

 

 

The entrance and part of the living room:

 

 

The living room:

 

 

 

 

The kitchenette and dining area:

 

 

Bedroom:

 

 

Now that's a proper inroom safe - big enough for a full-size laptop, camera and everything else you need to lock up.

 

 

The Riverfront Lounge, where breakfast is served:

 

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

 

The Centre Point on Sukhumvit Soi 10 is one of seven Centre Point properties in Bangkok. They function on the serviced apartment model, with daily or long-term options available. All are good, but the one I like best is on Sukhumvit Soi 10. The one-bedroom suites are a roomy 73 sq meters (there are also some 89 sq m one=bedroom suites) and are very well equipped. They even have a washing machine. The only downside is the long haul to the Suk, but you can walk it in roughly 10 minutes or take the tuk-tuk than runs 24 hours a day. There's a mini-mart and beauty/barber shop on site.

 

I paid 2,200 baht/night in early February, but a more usual price is between 3,000 and 3,500 baht/night.

 

 

 

 

 

The building entrance and lobby:

 

 

 

 

 

The bedroom:

 

 

 

The bathroom:

 

 

The kitchen:

 

 

 

The living room:

 

 

 

The view from the balcony:

 

 

The garden:

 

 

Looking down from the sixth floor:

 

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

You quite specifically quoted Citadines and Centre Point as "offering deep discounts". That's why I chose them as examples. Prior to the airport closures they were regularly available at 1850 Baht and 2,500 Baht respectively.

 

 

 

Citadines has four properties in Bangkok and Centre Point has seven. Some Centre Point properties have rooms ranging from 30 sq m studio rooms to two and three-bedroom suites. Certainly not all rooms at Centre Point were regularly available for 2,500 baht/night prior to the airport closure. Perhaps the smaller rooms at one property were, but the one-bedroom suites at Suk Soi 10, of which I posted the pictures, went for at least 3,000 baht/night. I got it for 2,200 baht/night.

 

 

 

At Citadines, through www.thaihoteldiscounts.com , every studio room in all four of the properties can be had for 1,612 baht/night including tax and service charge. On Nov. 1 last year, the cheapest rate offered at Citadines on Soi 11 was 2,205 baht/night including tax and service charge. It might have been 1,850 excluding tax and service charge.

 

 

 

Whether these represent deep discounts depends on your definition. To me, a savings of 20% to 30% is a deep discount.

 

 

 

Evil

 

[CheshireTom 1,377]

Citadines has four properties in Bangkok and Centre Point has seven. Some Centre Point properties have rooms ranging from 30 sq m studio rooms to two and three-bedroom suites. Certainly not all rooms at Centre Point were regularly available for 2,500 baht/night prior to the airport closure. Perhaps the smaller rooms at one property were, but the one-bedroom suites at Suk Soi 10, of which I posted the pictures, went for at least 3,000 baht/night. I got it for 2,200 baht/night.

 

 

 

At Citadines, through www.thaihoteldiscounts.com , every studio room in all four of the properties can be had for 1,612 baht/night including tax and service charge. On Nov. 1 last year, the cheapest rate offered at Citadines on Soi 11 was 2,205 baht/night including tax and service charge. It might have been 1,850 excluding tax and service charge.

 

 

 

Whether these represent deep discounts depends on your definition. To me, a savings of 20% to 30% is a deep discount.

 

 

 

Evil

 

 

Evil,

 

I'm well aware of how many properties each group has. In the case of Citadines, it is the "budget" brand within the Ascott group with whom I have stayed, on average, around 8-10 days per month for the last two years so I'm pretty familiar with their rates over that period. Even their mid-branded Somerset Lakepoint (about 150 yards from Citadines, Soi 16) was freely available at 2,100-2,200 Baht prior to the airport closures.

 

As for Centre Point, I was referring to Centre Point on Soi 10.

 

I can't comment on the rates offered by www.thaihoteldiscounts.com since I book through www.ratestogo.com because they offer real time booking and confirmation and only take their element of the booking fee from your CC at the time of booking, rather than full payment.

 

As an aside, the table below is pretty much up to date re those hotels which do/don't charge for unregistered guests ...

 

 

 

Edited March 25, 2009 by CheshireTom

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

The Fraser Suites on Sukhumvit Soi 11 has some special offers, but I'm not sure if better rates are available through the various booking agencies. The Fraser is another facility on the "serviced apartment" model. It offers great value for money. I posted pics from the Fraser in one of my T/Rs: link

 

Evil

 

 

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's the address and contact information on the Garden Grove Suites:

 

51 Sukhumvit Soi 16 Bangkok 10110

tel/fax: +66(0)2663 3120

e-mail: sales@ggrove.com

 

Web Site

 

Below is the floorplan of the 90-square-meter unit I had:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just two pictures from The Dawin on Suk Soi 4, the most recent addition to the Dynasty hotel chain.

 

Contact details:

 

35/1-2 Soi Sukhumvit 4 (Nanatai), Sukhumvit Rd., Klongtoey, Bangkok 10110 THAILAND

Phone: (66)-2-2535555

Fax: (66)-2-2556380

E-mail: thedawin@dynastyinn.com

 

Web site

 

 

[CheshireTom 1,377]

Here's the address and contact information on the Garden Grove Suites:

 

51 Sukhumvit Soi 16 Bangkok 10110

tel/fax: +66(0)2663 3120

e-mail: sales@ggrove.com

 

I booked into the Gardengrove about 9 months ago. The staff, if that's what the solitary female could be termed as, when she eventually appeared, was obnoxious in the extreme. I didn't complete my check-in and simply moved to the Somerset apartments next door. There are too many other options available to be bothered putting up with that sort of crap.

Edited July 20, 2009 by CheshireTom

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

The staff, if that's what the solitary female could be termed as, when she eventually appeared, was obnoxious in the extreme.

 

I checked in and out of the GG without incident. It went like it usually does at most hotels and I didn't have much contact with the reception staff beyond that. The other service staff - the maids, tuk tuk driver/bellman, security guard - were very helpful and friendly.

 

Evil

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

Here's the Web site for the Grand Millennium Sukhumvit. It used to be one of the Mystery Hotels on www.wotif.com and you could get exceptionally good rates, but I don't know if that is still the case.

 

Evil

 

 

Edited February 1, 2010 by Evil Penevil

[MM 6,562]

I booked a room at the DREAM Hotel (soi 15 Sukh) this weekend, and was quite happy with it. Their night rate for the king room was 2350 including breakfast.

 

I booked it off latestays.com at the last minute. After I booked, I went to their website and found essentially the same rate, so you can book directly with them.

 

The rooms are nice for the price.