peter11

I have seen much discussion on this board about the merits of the Oriental verses the Peninsula. The Peninsula seems to win out for me given that it is newer, larger rooms, less stuffy and basically the same location. However, I have not seen a discussion that mentions the FS Bangkok. It looks very nice on the website but I dont know how it compares overall. Given that service is pretty flawless in either hotel the difference is probably going to come down to quality of the room and common areas, and location. I dont remember there even being a FS in BKK. Is it relatively new? My main question, though is how does it compare to the Peninsula.

kingsroadgal

The Four Seasons Bangkok was previously the Regent and has been around for a long time. I have not been there in awhile, but it does not have a river location, so I am not inclined to stay there. I really enjoy the Spice Market restaurant there, however, and tea in the lobby. I am still a fan of the Oriental, but will have to check out the Peninsula a little more closely when we are in BKK in August.

luxury

I have stayed at both the Oriental and the FS BKK. I am on record on this board for making it clear that I am not a FAN of the Oriental. I think the hotel is vastly over-rated, and that the FS BKK is a far superior hotel. There are many service related flaws with the Oriental and despite writing to hotel management the hotel did not seem to think these were a big deal. My issues:

1. Concierge service -- e-mailed in advance to get information. Response time varied from 36 hours to 72 hours and the quality of answer was sub-par. Two notable examples. First, I had asked the Oriental for recommendation for a tailor for bespoke suits and shirts. The Concierge responded 72 hours later with the name, address and e-mail address of a tailor near the hotel and invited me to contact them directly. Contrasting this with the FS, of whom I asked the exact same question, responded within 24 hours, with the names of 2 tailors and asked me when during my stay would be convenient for them to come to the hotel to show me material swatches and sample items. The second instance was when I asked the Oriental Concierge (while staying at the hotel) for the price of the cheapest 1 way Business class air ticket from BKK to LHR on various airlines. The next morning I was given one price quote for a 1 way full fare Economy ticket on Thai Airways. At the FS, within 2 hours of request, they had 3 quotes for me in Business class on EVA, CX, GF, and Thai, all of which were lower than the price quoted by the Oriental.

2. In hotel service: At the Oriental, I ordered room service (late night snack) and it included a soft boiled egg. The egg arrived practically raw so I called the butler to sort it out for me. My butler told me to call room service. I called room service and room service told me to call my butler who will bring it to them.

While the room at the Oriental was nice, I did not think it to be nicer than the FS. In fact, I felt that the FS to be more "Thai" than the Oriental. The riverside location, for me, was not much of a draw. I actually found it rather inconvenient and preferred the city-centre location, on Rajadamri Road just south of Ploenchit Road, to be more convenient.

The service is warmer and much more anticipatory and intuitive at the FS. In fact, I even prefer the Inter-Continental BKK to the Oriental, especially given the price differential!! I have yet to try the Peninsula and it sounds as if the Pen is better than the Oriental. The Sukhothai is also suggested as a good hotel, especially its restaurant, the Celadon. However, for me, the FS BKK is my current choice. The hotel is undergoing a renovation of all its rooms.

kingsroadgal

Interesting observations on the Oriental. I haven't stayed there in a while, but have had good experiences in the past. I currently have a question which I e-mailed to reservations at the Oriental. I wouldn't say they have been quick in responding, so I will have to see if they get to it by the end of this business day. We had a good experience at the FS when it was a Regent. The FS location is good, although I love the activity on the river and the patio at the Oriental. Glad to hear that they are keeping the rooms up at the FS.

coplatua1k

I truly love the Oriental, as a return guest the service and treatment improve each time. From room upgrades to overall service. Last trip I had an early departure and the front desk made sure I had continental breakfast along with a wake up call. The breakfast came without charge.

The hotel is NOT stuffy. It caters to its guests first and formost but stuffy it is NOT. I have been there with teenagers and they were treated well despite their casual dress and loud moments in the public areas.

The Oriental may not be for everyone. It is older (although constant rehab in the works), The rooms are not HUGE but they are comfortable. The hotel has character that NO other hotel in BKK has. Its an institution.

fleur_de_lys

Certainly the Oriental is an old favorite, but IMHO I think that it has slipped somewhat. The Peninsula is wonderful but I would suggest trying somewhat a little different. I don't think that I have seen the Sukothai mentioned anywhere but it is a gorgeous place with fabulous service. The architecture is much more appealing as it is not a generic highrise like the Peninsula etc. It has beautiful grounds right in the heart of Bangkok. It is right next door to the Banyan Tree, which is also a very nice place, and the Metropolitan which is newer, hip and elegant as well. Do yourself a favor and try the Sukothai. The restaurant called Celadon is at the Sukothai and is one of Bangkok's best.

Sorry, LUXURY, I missed the mention of the Sukothai and the Celadon in your post.

Fliar

I just emailed the Pen and had a friendly and accurate reply within a few hours. They even reconfirmed me booking details, without my asking. ^

MegatopLover

I stayed at the Pen on my first trip to BKK in August 2001, back when they (and all other hotels in Bangkok) were struggling for guests and cut rates. Granted it was off-season, but I paid $135++ including breakfast. The Pen very quickly became my favorite hotel. I returned in December 2003 and again in December 2004, and its position as my favorite hotel in the world has solidified. Spacious, well-appointed rooms with great views, a terrific riverside location with an oasis-in-the-city feel, great F&B, lots of nice inclusions if you ask (such as MBZ airport transfers), excellent service, and undisputably the best value in the world.

If I had any "nits" about the Pen at all, they'd be that service isn't *always* stellar, and that's only because when you're at that level to begin with, the small slips are noticeable. After my extended stay in December 2004, I filled out the manager's comment card and left it in the room. Within days, the resident manager replied with regrets acknowledging my three concerns (unhelpful front desk, mistake by concierge, and error by transport desk) and stating that they would be addressed. We exchanged several emails over the next few days, and I assured him that PBK remained my #1 hotel and I was already looking into resy's to return for my birthday in May. The next day (it's a 12-hour time difference, so communication takes a day usually) he replied that he could confirm reservations for me and Mr. Megatop for May XXth at a special low corporate rate with all the usual inclusions. Somehow he had checked my file and discovered which date was my birthday (in 2004, the Manager of the Peninsula HK had sent me and Mr. Megatop a chocolate mousse cake to our room for my birthday and kept a record of which day, apparently, which was just a few days after she sent us champagne to celebrate our engagement) and volunteered to proceed with a res'y for us at a lower rate than I could have expected. When I made a special request about the reservation, he acknowledged exactly the unexpressed concern that was underlying the request--which was what the front desk had failed to grasp in the first place. When they make a mistake, they work very diligently to correct it, so I will not hesitate to go back and strongly recommend it to anyone.

If you look back through the threads here, you'll find many posts on the Pen vs. O debate. A general theme I've noticed is that younger folks seem to favor the Pen, while older folks seem to like the Old School feel of the O.

For my part, I had a horrible experience with the Oriental on my first trip and vowed never to go there. We had resy's at La Normandie, the French restaurant atop the O one night. Earlier that day, we ventured across the river to check out the menu before going shopping. It was August, and I happened to be wearing shorts (not short short tennies or something crass, but respectable length clean linen Bermudas) and a polo shirt. The O doorman refused to let us through the door--just kept holding up his hand. Wouldn't even address me in English, and kept talking with his colleagues in Thai throughout. After enough hand-wagging, finally he produced a brochure from beneath an ashtray stating that policy banned shorts in the lobby. We could see plenty of guests in backpacks and shorts hanging out in the lobby, so he was just trying to keep the riffraff gawkers out, or so he thought. I explained why we wanted to stop in briefly, to review the menu for our dinner reservations. He pretended not to understand and summoned someone else who had some command of English but not much (or so he let on). I told them they could do whatever they wanted with their policy but I instructed *them* to cancel our reservations on the spot. This guy was shocked and wanted us to speak to someone else or call the restaurant, then he tried to get a copy of the menu brought to us. I refused and told him that he'd have to explain what happened and why we cancelled. When we were done, Mr. Megatop lit into them in Thai (he's Thai) about being rude to foreign guests and that not being the Thai way and that he could tell they could speak English just fine and that they could take their attitude and shove it. (He's not normally like that, but when he gets irritated, watch out!) The O lost us as a potential guest forever, and we bad-mouth the place whenever someone asks about it compared to the Pen. Considering that our life expectancy was a good 40+ years at the time and we will visit Thailand frequently, they've lost a lot more than one dinner reservation-- probably hundreds of potential room nights over the years between us and friends whom we'll happily steer toward the Peninsula. I too am NOT a fan.

broadwayboy

I too was declined entry at the Oriental one afternoon because my 2 friends were wearing shorts at the time (it was 40 degrees!). The ironic thing is that you can see all the (European) tourists in the pool (it is visible from the lobby) wearing very skimpy bathing suits.

I would stick with Pen, Grand Hyatt and perhaps will try The Metropolitan for my next stay in Bangkok.

francophile

Service at both hotels is generally excellent.

Though I will say that I have experienced occasional lapses at the Oriental: The unsmiling staff at the breakfast buffet on the terrace and the very slow and uninformative e-mail responses from the Concierge.

But the moments of excellent service vastly outnumber those of mediocre/poor service.

Nevertheless, for my money, at least until September 2005, I would pick the Pen. Notice that rates at the Peninsula for the high season rise this October 2005 quite a bit, compared with the high seasons the year before. I think they feel that they can match the Oriental's prices.

One thing to note, if you are like me who likes to eat a lot in the morning: the breakfast buffet at the Pen is outstanding and is better than the Oriental's breakfast buffet. At the Pen, the fruit and pastry selection is excellent, and they have great hot Western and Oriental food selections in the cooking stations (try the tasty noodles and French toast). The breakfast buffet at the Oriental is fine.

Also, the health club at the Pen is much nicer than the Oriental's. Quite frankly, it seems that the Oriental's renovation completely bypassed their health club. The men's locker room is a disgrace for a hotel of this caliber. The men's locker room at the Pen is great: there are both sauna and steam rooms, cold dipping pool and jacuzzi and very nice shower stalls.

However, the Pen doesn't have a complete spa per se, but they do offer massage servcie. If you do stay at the Pen but want to go to a complete spa facility, the Oriental Spa is a five minute walk from the Pen on the same side of the river.

For lunch and dinner options, I think the food at the Oriental is much better. I loved the lunch buffet at Sala Rim Naam and Lord Jim at the Oriental.

Kettering Northants QC

The Four Seasons Hotel was originally operated by Peninsula Hotels (back in the 80s) before been taken over by Regent. The Hotel's lobby is very similar in style and layout to the Peninsula in Hong Kong :-:

Sandal

It's fun and very convenient to go around town by taking the boat to the Sky train station without feeling that Penn is on the other side of the river. The service is surpass the Oriental. Staff is more friendly and eager to service you. Same for the Sukhothai, FS and GH.

meh130

Last time in Bangkok (Nov 2003) I stayed at the Sukhothai. A coworker wanted to stay at the Oriental, but could not get a business rate which met our spending limit. On the advice of friends of hers who lived in Bangkok, she contacted the Sukhothai. They gave us rates within our budgets, and we made reservations. Upon arrival, they upgraded both of us to their stunning Deluxe Residence Suites, which list for $1,000 USD/night. Wow.

The Sukhothai Deluxe Residence Suite was the best hotel room I have ever been in hands down. The bad thing is during my time off in a foreign country, the last thing I want to do is sit around in the hotel room, so I did not get to enjoy it as much as I would have liked.

The Sukhothai offers an Executive Package for business travellers which includes a small suite, breakfast, and airport transportation. This sounds like what we got, but at a lower price and obviously a much better room upgrade.

The Sukhothai caters to Japanese customers, and all I can guess is mid November is a low travel period for that clientele, allowing us to get the big upgrade. However, they have an excellent fitness center, and the restaurant was very good and reasonably priced. The pool bar was also reasonably priced.

The location of the Sukhothai is not great (Sathorn Tai Road, between the French and German embassies), but in our case it was well worth it. But you will likely need a taxi unless you like walking a couple of miles in Bangkok's heat.

I have also stayed at the Grand Hyatt Erawan (Oct 2002), and found it very good, but my room window overlooked a parking deck. I guess you need more Hyatt points to get a better view.

Next time I would like to try the Intercontinental. It is right by the Hyatt, and I like the location, but I have not stayed there.

GolfTravelr

With so many excellent hotels at such reasonable rates you can hardly go wrong anywhere in BKK. I have found the Intercontinental to be very reliable and the location is tops for my purposes. Rooms are spacious with marble bathrooms. The lounge is more than adequate and the service is professional and courteous. I especially enjoy the rooftop pool after a hard day. Shopping options abound (both high end and lower range) within a three or four block radius. Transportation is a snap with the SkyTrain outside the front door and taxis are readily available.

HKTraveler

Stayed at both the FS and Sukhothai in the last two weeks and here is my comparison:

1) FS - the hotel is under renovation though I don't hear any noise when i am there. The hotel has been around for a long time and didn't notice any changes to the room since at least 5 years ago. Rooms are a bit tired though still nice. Service is excellent as usual.

2) Sukhothai - an utter absolute nightmare. I like hotels but am usually not too fussy. But my experience here was so bad that I vow never to return to this hotel. My room was far from the lobby. And when I walk there, I get to see all the various construction sites around the hotel. It almost felt as if I am passing through the service area of the hotel. Room condition was OK. Nice large bathroom. After dinner, when I returned to the hotel, the key to my room didn't work. Tracked down someone to open the door for me so that I wouldn't have to trek all the way back to the lobby. He opened my door and I asked him to switch the key for me. He then asked if he can do it tomorrow morning. What kind of service is this? At a 5* star, the staff doesn't want to replace a malfunctioning key because it is 10 pm? I asked him to give me a new one, he left the room and never came back. At night, I could hear the noise coming through from the two neighboring rooms. Not to mention everytime someone turns on or off their faucet. Didn't fall asleep till really late because of all the noise. As i was sound asleep, the alarm went off. AND I DIDN"T EVEN SET THE DARN ALARM! I guess the previous guest did and I would have thought any 5* hotel would turn off the alarm as a new guest moves in. Thought about going to the pool and it is even farther away than the lobby. As a matter of fact, it is in a separate part of the hotel. By this time, I have had it with this hotel and why bother to return when there are so many other nice ones around? Even right next to the Sukhothai, there is the Banyan Tree and the new Metropolitan. The FS, Grand Hyatt and Conrad are all close by as well and I would take anyone of those over the Sukhothai.