Review: Bangkok Marriott Hotel Sukhumvit

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Bangkok is one of the more economical cities in the world to visit because food is ridiculously cheap and good accommodation doesn’t have to be expensive – there are a lot of good properties to choose from in the city and you won’t have to break the bank to stay at a lot of them.

For this trip, I chose to stay at the Bangkok Marriott Hotel Sukhumvit which, although not particularly centrally located, is easy to get to from the airport and has good access to Bangkok’s public transport – the BTS.

From the airport to the hotel takes approximately 50 minutes if you use public transport and, given how congested Bangkok’s roads can get, using the SRTET City Line and the BTS Sukhumvit line is a good idea unless you’re traveling with a lot of baggage.

The local BTS station is “Thong Lo” and the hotel is less than 5 minutes walk away….even if you’re rolling suitcases.

Lobby & Check-In

As you walk in to the Marriott the lobby stretches out from left to right (click to enlarge).

To the left are stairs to a mezzanine level, to the right is a large sitting area, a small bar and the entrance to the hotel’s restaurant….

….and straight ahead are the check-in desks.

There were a couple of people ahead of me waiting to check-in but no one in the ‘elite check-in’ line so I walked up to the front and was served straight away.

As I was being checked-in I asked the agent if I had been upgraded and, when she checked, the answer was ‘no’.

Without having to say anything further my original room slip was shredded, and I was moved to a ‘Premium Deluxe’ room (this stay happened before Marriott top-tier elites were entitled to suite upgrades).

I was also informed of the other benefits open to me on this visit courtesy of my top-tier status:

• Complimentary high-speed internet
• Complimentary 1-hour meeting room usage
• Complimentary valet pressing (3 pieces) or Laundry service (2 pieces) per day
• Complimentary black and white print or photocopy (20 pages per day)
• 20% discount on food and beverages excluding breakfast and in-room dining
• 20% discount on laundry services
• 20% discount on massages at the 7th-floor spa.

10 minutes after arriving I was making my way to my room on the 32^nd floor.

Premium Deluxe Room

The hotel has 4 elevators servicing 45 floors and during my stay, I didn’t have any significant wait times – they seemed pretty speedy and efficient.

The corridors leading to the rooms were a little bland….

….and I wasn’t overly fond of the floral carpeting…..but that’s just my personal taste.

The door to the room opens inwards to reveal a short hallway leading to the right….

….with a ledge for suitcases at the end.

The room opens up to the left of this ledge to reveal the bed, bathroom and sitting area:

Just before you reach the bed there’s a cabinet on the left which houses the mini-bar….

…glasses, an ice bucket, a bottle of red wine, and a scary price list.

The bed is a nice size but it isn’t as wide as a US King bed.

Past the bed are a small sofa, a glass desk, and an office chair…

On the wall by the desk are two universal power outlets…

…and there’s a further universal power outlet on one side of the bed.

There’s no power on the left side of the bed (as you look at it) and there are no USB sockets anywhere in the room.

Opposite the bed is the bathroom area…..

….and this isn’t quite as exposed as it may look in the picture above – there’s a door that slides across to divide the bathroom from the bedroom for added privacy.

The bathroom offers a single vanity unit with a lot of mirrors:

There a small amenity kit box on one side….

…and complimentary bottles of water on the other (important in a city that can get very humid).

To the right of the vanity unit is the toilet cubicle….

…while to the right is a shower unit with a circular tub offering a view out over Bangkok

The views out of the room’s windows are expansive and mostly unobstructed but there wasn’t much of significance that I could see out of this particular room.

Lastly, we come to the closet.

This is in the room’s hallway and directly opposite the door as you walk in. It’s not particularly large and there aren’t a lot of drawers…but at least the safe can take a 15” MacBook despite its small size.

Here a very short video that may give you an even better idea of what the room is like.

Breakfast

As with most hotels, the Bangkok Marriott Hotel Sukhumvit offers a variety of meals but, as with most of my trips, I only ate breakfast at the property (why eat in a hotel when you have one of the world’s best foodie cities outside the front door?)

Complimentary breakfast isn’t available at all of Marriott brands for top-tier elites (e.g. EDITION hotels do not offer breakfast as an elite benefit) but it’s offered at ‘Marriott’ branded properties so breakfast was included in my stay.

I was also allowed to choose between taking breakfast in the Executive Lounge or in the restaurant on the hotel’s ground floor.

A buffet breakfast is served between 6:00 am and 10:00 am on weekdays with an extension to 10:30 am on weekends and is offered in the restaurant on the ground floor (to the right of the reception desks).

As with a lot of buffet breakfasts you’ll find at properties across Asia this Bangkok Marriott caters to a variety of tastes and palates and the offering is pretty comprehensive.

For guests looking for a traditional western breakfast, the buffet breakfast includes all the usual hot dishes (bacon, eggs, waffles, pancakes, etc…)….

….and the usual cold items like cold cuts, cereals, salads, pastries, and cakes.

There’s even quiche and sandwiches on offer.

For guests looking for food of a more Asian origin there’s plenty to choose from too with congee, curries, noodles being just a few examples of what’s available.

For guests looking to be extra healthy, there’s an ample supply of fruit and juices….

….and the servers are very good at making sure that coffees and teas are topped up frequently.

I can’t imagine too many people leaving here hungry unless, possibly, if you have very specific dietary requirements…but even then I’m sure the hotel can probably cater for you – there’s something for most people here.

Here’s a video I cobbled together which may or may not give you more idea of what the breakfast offering is like.

The Executive Lounge

The Executive lounge is on the 40^thfloor of the Bangkok Marriott Hotel Sukhumvit and is open to guests booked into Executive rooms and to Marriott Platinum and Marriott Titanium elites.

Here are the important time you need to know:

• Opening Hours: 6:00 am – 12:00 am daily
• Breakfast: 6:00am – 10:00am (10:30am on weekends)
• “All-Day Refreshments”: 10:30am – 5:00pm
• Afternoon Tea: 2:30pm – 5:00pm
• Evening Snacks: 5:30pm – 7:30pm
• Beverage Bar: 5:30pm – 9:30pm
• “Evening Delights”: 7:30 – 12:00am

The lounge offers a variety of seating options….

….and my particular favorite was the series of chairs near the entrance which allow guests to eat/drink while gazing out over the Bangkok skyline.

The far end of the lounge is a small “business area”….

…offering a couple of PCs and internet access.

I only visited the lounge on one of my evenings in Bangkok….and that was just to check what sort of food was on offer.

It was an impressive spread:

If the food out on the streets wasn’t so good this would be a pretty good place to have dinner.

The Rooftop Bars

There are few things that I enjoy more than a city viewed from a great height, and one of the main reasons I chose this particular property was because it offers bars at the very top of the building.

Octave is the bar atop the Bangkok Marriott Hotel Sukhumvit and is set over two levels.

The main hotel elevator only goes as high as the 45^th floor where the first level of the lounge is to be found…..

…complete with fantastic panoramic views (click to enlarge):

…and a second elevator takes you up the very top of the building where there’s a second bar….

….more seating….

…and more views….

These bars can get very busy so, if you plan to visit, I suggest getting there as early as your schedule allows or waiting until later when some guests’ stamina runs out J

The Pool

There are a pool, spa, fitness center, and kids zone all on the 7^th floor of the Bangkok Marriott but I only got a brief opportunity to catch a few photos of the pool area….which also has a bar.

As you can see, it’s a reasonable size and there but I suspect loungers may be hard to come by during busier times as there weren’t that many.

Given that there’s not much more to say about a hotel pool I’ll leave it there.

Thoughts

The Negatives:

• The lack of USB ports in the bedroom is poor
• The fact that both sides of the bed don’t offer a power outlet is poor
• The bedroom closet is on the small side

The Positives:

• Easy access to the BTS line
• The room was a good size
• The bed was comfortable
• The breakfast offering was expansive
• The complimentary pressing/laundry that I was offered was a nice touch
• The executive lounge is very nice and the food offering (in the evening) was impressive
• The bars on the top floors can be a very nice place to watch the sunset or just to get some amazing views of Bangkok – the fact that they’re open-air is a big bonus too.

Bottom Line

The staff were all friendly, the breakfast was very good, the room was more than adequate, the Executive lounge was great and the transport links are good – there’s not much to dislike about the property.

I may choose a property closer to one of the more touristy areas for my next visit (there’s not much to see within a short walk of the property) but that’s only because I’d like to check out other options to see how they compare – this shouldn’t be taken as an indictment of this property.

Overall, the Bangkok Marriott Hotel Sukhumvit is a very solid 4* hotel and I’d happily visit again.

You can find out more about the Bangkok Marriott Hotel Sukhumvit via the hotel’s webpage (here)