Banyan Tree Bangkok

Graham Parker on 04 June 2019
On the way back from Bhutan, we had the opportunity of taking a short break in Bangkok. We have been lucky enough to visit several times, so we were looking for a nice hotel to base ourselves for out visit. It had to have good facilities, pool, maybe a spa, comfortable rooms and air conditioning.

Have you noticed, all the online hotel booking websites promise best web price this, or cheapest online. What they never ever say, is "go talk to a person, you never know, you may get a good price, and you'll get personal service", which is where I come in, you only ever speak to me, no ringing some faceless call centre.

I had sent clients to Banyan Tree Bangkok, and I had the pleasure of meeting a client of a fellow Travel Counsellor in Hong Kong, and she told me they always stay in a Banyan Tree if one is available in any of the cities they intend to visit.

So I showed the hotel to my wife, and she liked the idea. Travel Counsellors have a direct contract with the hotel, which means booking with me gives you extra value, in the case of my booking we received an upgrade to the next room type available. So I booked an Oasis Retreat type room, which meant we would actually get a Serenity Club Room, giving us access to the benefits of the hotel club. The added benefits vastly outweighed the small increase in cost.

The transfer to the hotel from the airport was 90 minutes, the Bangkok traffic doing its best to delay us. We arrived at the hotel and presented our booking to the front desk and within seconds the concierge had us to follow him to the dedicated Club check-in on the 19th floor, and our bags would be taken care of. Check-in was easy and so very relaxed. Our room would be on the 49th floor.

We were escorted to the room and given a quick tour, the hotel also knew it was our wedding anniversary, and the concierge took our picture, which we would later discover was incorporated into a greetings card created by the front desk. A lovely touch.

Our room was large by hotel standards, had a sitting room and a huge bed, perfectly positioned under the gentle air conditioning, as Bangkok was particularly hot during our visit. Club Room facilities included breakfast, though one morning we also ate in the main dining room, the club lounge was quieter and arguably had better choice of food. Afternoon tea was served between 12:00 & 4:00 pm, local beer was on tap all day. Canapes & hors oeuvres were served between 5:30 pm and 7:30 pm, with an open bar. Service was unobtrusive and attentive, and the lounge itself huge, with many seating options.

The pool on the 21st floor was small, but enough for a cool dip in respite of the heat. There were 36 sunbeds, and the hotel had an unusual habit of placing towels on every sunbed when the pool opened. It had the effect of having clients believe that the beds were reserved, when in reality they weren't. It did however mean the pool was quiet most times we visited, and the structure of the hotel meant one half of the terrace was in shade until mid-afternoon.

The hotel also boasts a rooftop bar and restaurant named Moon Bar and Vertigo respectively. We had to make a trip up to the 59th floor, the views were incredible, shame same couldn't be said for the service, trading heavily on its reputation, service was poor, and the beer warm. Still worth a trip up though.

I think I satisfied the remit set by my client - Jane my wife, to have a luxury stay at a hotel boasting excellent facilities and service. I would have no hesitation in staying here again, or recommending it to clients.