The Westin Grande Sukhumvit Bangkok

The Westin is wonderfully located nearby the BTS and underground. So you can reach the shoppingmalls, the weekendmarket and the Grand Palace (take the serviceboat at the BTS station near the river) easily.

The rooms are typically Westin-style. But that's OK. The heavenly bed is the best there is in Thailand. We've stayed in many hotels after our first stay at the Westin but none of the had such a bed. We were glad when we returned...

The staff is very friendly and helpfull. The breakfast is very tastefull. It's a pity the swimmingpool closes at 7 or 8. A bit early.

Conclusion: good value for the price you pay.

I stayed in Westin Grande Sukhumvit Hotel for 4 nights while on business in Bangkok and was greatly impressed. In the UK this 4-star hotel would certainly be a 5-star hotel.

The whole hotel is quite lavish and grand, and the rooms are stylish, clean and quite big. Mine had a great view over Bangkok.

There are two restaurants in the hotel, and the food is great. One of them serve a Thai and Japanese buffet (also western food) every night (it offers a la carte as well) which didn't dissapoint. Breakfast was also good, with Japanese food being offered alongside the more usual fry-up. However, the Sheraton is directly opposite the Westin, and the Thai restaurant in there servers _fantastic_ food (it's well priced too).

There's a nice bar on the reception floor, although it is quite pricey. But the hotel's on Sukhumvit road, so there are plenty bars etc on your doorstep. It's a great location two, right next to the Asoke SkyTrain station.

The service was second-to-none, couldn't fault it. I swear there were more staff that customers!

Next time I'll either stay here or the Sheraton.

Had a lot of troubling deciding which hotel to stay on for my brief (long weekend) stay in Bangkok - the user reviews of virtually every hotel in this fabulous tourist city were all so full of praise. The thing that clinched it for the Westin in my case was the incredible deal I got online. I won't give away how much - but let's put it this way: 3-star price for 5-star hotel.

I've stayed at lots of hotels all over the world and I must say, The Westin ranks with the very best. Then again, I should say ANY luxury hotel in Bangkok must be amongst the best of its class in the world. The Thais are such wonderful hosts. Smiles are so genuine (or at least they fooled me!), and the eagerness to please is palpable. Here's the good and not-so-good points of the Westin:

GOOD:

Service - Absoultely fabulous. Very friendly and helpful. Very efficient check-in. I phoned the front desk for an extra pair of of slippers and an extra towel. Almost as soon as I put the phone down, there was someone at the door with what I asked for ! I have never experienced service this fast anywhere. There is a slight tendency for some staff to hang around a bit for a tip, but this is the norm at almost any hotel in Bangkok, and seriously a 20 Baht tip is really spare change to most tourists who can stay at a nice hotel like this.

Location - The Sukhumvit area of Bangkok is vibrant enough with an exciting mix of good restaurants, great spas, and decent shopping. But if that's not enough, the hotel is well linked to the rest of the city. The entrances to both the Skytrain AND the MRT (Subway) are literally right outside the hotel's front door. You can get to and from almost anywhere in town with the minimum of fuss. (The only exception is the Wat Phra Keow area which is not connected by either Skytrain or MRT and is a nightmare of traffic jams to get to by taxi or bus). An added bonus is that the hotel is quite close to the Expressway to the airport. That means that the risk of getting caught in an infamous Bangkok traffic jam when rushing to catch that flight is low.

The Bed - What can I say about the Heavenly Bed (TM) that hasn't been said before? It really is a treat. It is so comfortable that as soon as I lay down on it, I drifted off inexorably into a deep, restful sleep - no matter how little I felt like sleeping beforehand ! It was like hypnosis ! Top class bed.

It's a Westin room - That means the room was tastefully furnished & very restful after a hot day out touring in Bangkok. The bedside console allowed fine tuning of the aircon and the many lighting options to my own personal satisfaction. Great. The room was also nice and spacious and bright.

COULD BE BETTER:

It's a Westin room - That also means that it feels like a western-styled hotel chain room anywhere in the world. I had an odd moment of deja vu in the bathroom - I could have sworn I was in the Westin in Sydney. The rooms (especially the bathrooms) were just so similar !

The view - Face it: if you want a nice view, maybe you should opt for a riverside hotel. The views out of any room at the Westin are completely unobstructed, and you can see really far away in any direction. But there's simply not a lot to see. Bangkok is not that inspiring a view: just a sea of low buildings penetrated seemingly at random by tall skyscrapers and intercut by wide expressways. Very flat and monotonous. It reminded me a LOT of how Shanghai looks these days.

Internet - Great that it's available in every room. Not so great that it costs so much !!

The shower - Considering how much luxury hotels spend on extravagant showers nowadays, the one at the Westin is very plain. It was also hard to get the water temperature just right. The wooden grate floor seemed like a nice touch - until I stepped on it. Maybe I'm a bit on the heavy side, but the wooden slats really hurt my feet.

Facilities - Mine was just a short trip spent mostly touring, shopping, eating and enjoying some massages all over town. I didn't spend much time actually in the hotel, so I didn't try the restaurants, hotel spa or gym, or even the swimming pool (even though I brought my trunks). However, I must say I was disappointed that there were only two restaurants in the hotel anyway - neither of which was Thai. I could cross the road to the Sheraton (which has award-winning restuarants) but wouldn't that make me feel depressed about the hotel I was staying in ? (jk) I would also have liked the pool opening times to be extending a little later. The pool closes at 8pm - a fair time you might say - but I would really have liked to come back from a nice evening in town and relax a bit in the pool an a warm Bongkok night before retiring to my Heavenly Bed.

Would I stay here again ? All things being equal, I would prefer to try another of Bangkok's fabled hotels. Nothing against the Westin (I was very satisfied with my stay), but I feel an obligation to myself to try out all of the great Bangkok hotels one-by-one - like one of those 'must-do things before you die'. However, I doubt all things are equal, and I seriously doubt I could get such a great online deal at most other hotels as I got for this one. If I could get the same deal next time, I wouldn't hesitate about staying here again.

This Starwood property remains a good tourist booking and a superb expense account venue. The hotel delivers what counts most: security; a clean, quiet, well-appointed room; efficient 24-hour service; good restaurants; and for those who pay an extra $US30 per night for the lower room categories, a fine Executive Lounge. A much appreciated option is the in-room massage service, which operates from 10 am -12 pm daily. Some of the masseuses have been at the hotel for over five years and all of them are very professional and kind. The swimming pool is rather small, but the exercise area is more than adequate. Security is discrete and efficient; guests are confirmed by the front desk and escorted to your room by hotel staff. Try to book a room facing east. Some mornings, you will witness a gorgeous sunrise.

I stayed here two nights after reserving this hotel through Priceline. Lives up with typical Westin standards. Great location next to Skytrain and Subway. Shower could have used a little bit of bleach, as there was some mildew on grout and wooden grate. Didn't eat at the hotel or use its gym/pool, but they looked and sounded nice. Concierge was helpful if not completely knowledgable. For what I paid, I would not hesitate staying here again.

I arrived at my hotel unannounced, and in a wheelchair! no effort spared, Complimentary coffee was ordered whilst my needs discussed, I was then shown to my room on the 19th floor, an extra bed soon appeared, [in case I had too much to drink, it was slightly lower]. When the catering manager heard I was English and from his neck of the woods, roast beef and yorkshire pudding was put on the menu specialy for me!! feteted, treated, and looked after like a king, what a hotel, no, it was not a hotel it was like Home Thornton

Stayed 4 nights in Dec 2004. Room rate abt USD92 incl 2 daily breakfast. Location is good. one minute walk to BTS and 2 minutes to MRT. Staffs very polite and helpful

Breakfast very good selection. Freshly squeezed juice available

But few choices of restaurant. Can go to Sheraton Grande just across the street if like hotel food. Otherwise, there are plenty of restaurants around. Taxi to airport is approx 30 minutes