Novotel Suvarnabhumi Airport Hotel Bangkok
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Suvarnabhumi Airport, 10540, Moo 1 Nongprue Bang Phli, Samutprakarn Bangkok, Thailand, 10540, 66-2-1311111
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Travel Blogs by Travelers Who Stayed at the Novotel Suvarnabhumi Airport Hotel Bangkok
After the interesting start to our holiday, the taxi from the hotel was on time and we arrived at the Perth Airport nice and early. We checked in and went through customs etc, with no problems and quite short time which was nice. After browsing the MASSIVE amounts of Duty Free shops, we sat down and had breakfast and coffee. As we were eating, we found that they'd changed our departure gate again.... I wonder if this is going to be a habit...
Once we boarded the plane, I was pleasantly su...
We left Yangon this morning, arriving in Bangkok for what we thought would be one night. It ended up being a week, but that's another story! Myanmar is a special place and it needs the tourist dollars. It is possible to minimize the amount of money that goes to the general's pockets. Our Journey's Within tour guide did the research. If you love SE Asia, you will love Myanmar.
Bangkok, Thailand carolyn684
Hi friends and family, Happy 24th to all you pioneers out there!! Last night we had an interesting last dinner in Siem Reap. We had reserved what should have been a cool/romantic dinner on a special "swing set". It was a special 7 course set Khmer dinner. However, soon after our meal began, Kathy began to turn green. Who knew that she would get motion sickness from being on the "swing". We quickly left our "swing set" for a regular table inside and continued with our dinner. The food was well...
Bangkok, Thailand craigmorris
Today I did some more shopping in Singapore. Finding clothes, and shoes for that matter, in Asia in American XL sizes can be challenging. Maybe if stores in the US had to go in the back to find your size then perhaps we Americans would be more diligent at losing weight. I had time because my flight to Bangkok wasn't until that evening. You'd think that I would have flown Singapore Airlines or Thai to Bangkok, right? Wrong, I flew Swiss, yes Swiss. Why? Because I'm an airline snob. Swiss opera...
Bangkok, Thailand juicer0
The journey home was a long one. We woke to a spectacular thunderstorm and had our doubts about whether or not the ferry would be sailing. We got a pick-up back to the docks and boarded the SeaTran to Samui. Avast Ye Jim Lad! We headed off into a very stiff gale and poor Elly was pretty sick but the ferry company offered free sea sickness pills. Nice tought but new stabilizers would have been even better. Arrived at Samui in vertical rain and got a mini-bus to the airport and a very quick fli...
Bangkok, Bangkok, Thailand markl
Flew back to Bangkok mid morning to stay overnight prior to our early fligt back to Heathrow, Stayed in the Novotel at the airport. Cheap and the most comfortable beds imaginable. Unexpectidly had a great Japanese meal and then off to bed. If you have to overnight in Bangkok I would recommend this place. However given the issues with the new airport (over heating, cracked runways etc) who knows which airport you'll be landing in.
Bangkok, Thailand markl
Today I got up early (I know, I know, it's like I'm a whole new person - I hate it) and tried every internet cafe in Thamel - to no avail. Would you believe they were ALL broken? Well, it's true. So instead I swapped the book I swapped with Sara for another, smaller book, had breakfast, and got a Suzuki Maruti to Kathmandu airport. There, I was searched and patted down 3 or 4 times, waited in a hot stuffy room with no directions for over an hour, and decided to just go and get on the plane my...
Bangkok, Thailand marymc21
07 January Auckland - Bangkok: Leisurely start before returning the car and heading to the airport. Didn't manage an upgrade but at least our 60 kg of luggage was not a problem, and we got breakfast in the lounge. Can't ask too much when we are using frequent flyer points for free flights! The Singapore Airlines flight was great as usual, and we both had a movie marathon and got two quite decent meals, and the obligatory G&Ts. Stopped in the lounge in Bangkok, then we continued on to Bang...
Patong, Phuket, Thailand russdi
Historical Traveler Reviews of Novotel Suvarnabhumi Airport Hotel Bangkok
Average Hotel Lodging
Laisse vraiment à désirer...
Catch a taxi into the city
Nice hotel, some difficulties
Rooms are stylish and spacious and the bathrooms are just wonderful.
Some minor difficulties (toilet blocked & long check in) will hopefully improve - the hotel has newly opened and some starting problems are normal.
Mixed impressions
The hotel and room are beautiful and I'm so impressed with the design which has all windows open to inside courtyards, which keeps the airport noise entirely out while allowing light into the rooms.
I had the same issue as an earlier writer with the curtains until I realized that the outer curtains were just for show and there were *inside* curtains as well that actually covered the entire window.
I'm from california, which has a king-size bed named after it, and this was also the biggest bed I'd ever seen - and comfortable.
The only problem - and this is serious enough that I will probably not stay here again - is the plumbing. Our toilet was also stopped up - they fixed it withing 10 minutes. But in the morning (5 hours later) we woke to find the sink full of sewage! We didn't have even the 10 minutes to spare, so just used the lobby restrooms to clean up, but my stomache was still turning from the smell.
Even worse, when I complained to the person checking us out (there is no way to checkout without talking to a person behind the desk) they could not give us any sort of discount on the room because the charge had been put through when we arrived. They had no problem still charging me for the beverage we drank from the bar though. I talked with a manager about how unnacceptable it was that we couln't use the room for it's intended purpose but he was unable or unwilling to do anything other than apologize.
I am currently renovating the house I live in, so I'm very aware, and tend to be more understanding of, plumbing issues.. but I think they have real problems here.
Allow Time for Check-Out
The bed, with Sealy (American brand) mattress, was about 6-feet wide and one of the largest I'd ever seen. (Then again, I live in Japan where everything is tiny.) Although the hotel is situated right next to the airport, the room was very quiet; believe it or not, the only sound I could hear from outside at night was frogs' croaking! I believe that this hotel is good enough for one-night's stay but there's some room for improvement:
*As the previous reviewer stated, the choice of TV channels was limited. Lots of local stations, one German, one French, three Chinese...English-language stations were just Bloomberg and another one called NOW, which kept showing video game reviews. No CNN or BBC World...rather odd.
*I like my bath/shower quite hot, but even when I tried the max tempreture, it was still lukewarm, at least to my sense.
*My check-in (around 6:00p.m.) was processed smoothly, but check-out at 6:00a.m. was a bit of hassle. There were about a dozen people waiting, in three seperate queues, and I had to wait for 30 min. before my turn came. Some people, afraid of missing their flights, started to shout at the hotel staff.
When you check-out, the front desk calls up a hotel staff member upstairs via radio to send him/her to your now-vacant room, apparently to check mini-bar usage and possible damages. Well, they do ask you "Did you take anything from mini-bar?" but no matter how you answer, they send someone to check. It's a time-consuming and rather unpleasant action but probably a Thai custom, as another Thai hotel I'd stayed the night before did the same thing.
The funny thing was, my room didn't even have a mini-bar! I had an electric kettle and instant coffee/tea but the fridge was empty. I didn't realise that some other rooms actually had mini-bars until I heard a guy in front of me claim 'Yeah, I had a can of cola." When I explained that there was no mini-bar in my room, the lady at the desk apologised.
The hotel shuttle to the airport (8-seater vans) - Although I was told upon check-in that the service was 'every 15 minutes,' it was more random. When I finally reached the hotel entrance after check-out, I was gutted to see a packed van leaving but 10 seconds later another one showed up.
Have a good night's sleep in a huge, comfy bed to get up a bit early...that is my advice!
Give them a year (or two)
Check in - was painfully slow. Lots of time was spent with staff members peering in to computer terminals with paned expressions while the queue of guests stood swaying as they shifted weight from one foot to the other and back.
Access - was circuitous. The subterranean walkway has yet to be completed and other than navigating through a parking garage on foot, the only realistic option is to take the hotel's shuttle bus from the airport. This is extravagantly ridiculous because the hotel shuttle must follow the looping cloverleaf around and around and around before it stops in front of the airport -which is only about 300 meters as the crow flies from the door of the airport terminal. The shuttle trip is probably more than a kilometer of looping.
ATM - in the hotel lobby is plugged in and illuminated, but doesn't yet disperse cash. The nearest ATM is in the terminal building, which requires getting back on the shuttle and looping around the clover leaf, or walking through the parking garage.
TV - in the room is devoid of the normal English language options. No CNN, no BBC, No Star stations, just a limited selection of Thai and other language stations.
Hot Water - was plentiful only once two problems were overcome. First, none of the taps are marked hot or cold. (modern styling appears to be more important than functionality) They are simple handles with no marking whatsoever. Second, the hot water apparently takes a while to work its way from the heater to the room, so lots of cold water must first pass through the system before the hot water arrives. This might prompt a guest (such as me) to move the handle from left to right again and again in an attempt to find the hot water. I was able to enter the shower after about 5 minutes of waiting and of turning on all taps to get the cold water cleared out of the line.
Drapes - in the room were designed by committee. They look wonderful! Nice fabric, beautiful contrast with the room's decor, lovely quality.... Only one flaw; they don't cover the window. The drapes are clearly decorate and not meant to conceal the room. This might have been acceptable save for one major drawback - the exterior of the hotel is brightly illuminated. In fact, it is so brightly illuminated that one could read a newspaper with the room lights off if the drapes are open. Sleep would be difficult with the drapes used as designed. This does not bode well for jetlagged guests with interrupted sleep patters (and unless they speak Thai they can't flip on the TV and watch anything during their insomnia). Fortunately I had a sewing kit in my bag and was able to sew the curtains closed and block a sufficient amount of the glare. I suggest anyone staying in this hotel make sure they take duct tape, a sewing kit, or document clips to keep the drapes closed during the night - otherwise there is a two meter gap through which much light enters the room.
In short, the hotel had far fewer problem issues than the airport itself. In time this will be a pleasant option (much nicer than the Amari Airport at the old Don Muang)
Teething problems?
1. Check in took 20 mins
2. We were given a room that hadn't been cleaned
3. It then took another 40 mins to get a new room
4. The shower and toilet were blocked and we had to call house keeping on 3 occassions to come and unblock both.
On the positive side, they allowed us a late check-out at no extra cost so we could take a shower at the gymnasium before catching our next flight.
I hope the slowness with check in and the plumbing problems are just because the hotel is new. Otherwise it looks fantastic and the buffett breakfast was good.
I wouldn't stay here again unless I heard it had improved
Excellent hotel, 5 minutes to the airport
The pictures on the Novotel website do not do it justice at all.
Not Working Well - Many Issues
1. Check in took 20 minutes, I made a booking at the hotel website and the check in staff were baffled.
2. Wireless internet did not work.
3. The bed type that was confirmed was not available.
4. There is only 1 English channel on the TV, Bloomberg, the remaining channels include 1 German news DW, a French channel and many Thai language stations. Awful!
5. The Japanese restaurant: My ramen took 1 hour and tasted like water. My seaweed salad was simple lettuce. They had no spices. Service and food were equally awful.
6. The tunnel to the airport is closed. The hotel offers a shuttle bus though.
7. Spa: Booked, in person, a 90 minute massage and got a short 60 minute one. Facilities were nice but therapist was lacking. Again producing my bill took forever.
8. Woke up for my flight and had poison ivy like symptoms on my feet and arms. I have been to Bangkok many times and this is a first for me. Spent the previous night at the Oriental and left without a rash. Bed bugs?
9. Check out took too long at 3am. Incompetence galore.
10. The A/C drones very loudly. The rooms also have a "energy saving" key slot which only accepts your room's card key. When you leave and take the card out of the slot everything turns off, including the A/C. Please note: this is the tropics! Very poorly conceived in my book.
11. The shower door opens inwardly making ingress and egress very hard. Water temperature varies.
I stayed here because it is new and figured checking out of the Oriental at 3am made little sense. While I would never compare a Novotel to most 4 or 5 star hotels my experience was truly ridiculous. I would avoid this place unless absolutely necessary.
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