Very Unstable Shower Temperature at Bangkok hotels

[bgtp]

2 hours ago, alex712 said:

Accor group also announced they would open Fairmont Bangkok Sukhumvit, with 419 rooms, close to the beginning of Soi 20.

This is going to be at the location of former Windsor Suites Hotel. I usually stay close by and have been seeing them work on this for the last couple of years. 

[Sabooboo]

2 hours ago, alex712 said:

But I think it will be wise for a 5-star hotel, charging more than $140 per night for a standard room without breakfast, should invest a little bit more on the heating system to offer stable hot water in shower.

This is Thailand. Nice hotels and nice restaurants cut corners all the time that can be seen in many ways and some things are relatively expensive to fix in Thailand. High end plumbing is one. Cheap labor is so cheap that they patch over problems rather than starting with great design and quality maintenance.

So it's not surprising to me that the Centre Point has this problem, it is very nice hotel, but not what I would consider luxurious. At the truly high end places you will see much better craftsmanship.  

Like many nice places in Thailand  the appearance of luxury is more important than actual luxury, so hotels like the Centre Point look fantastic until you look at the details.

[alex712]

1 hour ago, bgtp said:

This is going to be at the location of former Windsor Suites Hotel. I usually stay close by and have been seeing them work on this for the last couple of years. 

Yes. I remember they initially planned to convert it to a Grand Mercure. But later they changed their idea and decided to make it a Fairmont.

[alex712]

4 hours ago, Sabooboo said:

This is Thailand. Nice hotels and nice restaurants cut corners all the time that can be seen in many ways and some things are relatively expensive to fix in Thailand. High end plumbing is one. Cheap labor is so cheap that they patch over problems rather than starting with great design and quality maintenance.

I’ve noticed that the Bangkok hotels from bigger hotel chains seem to have things figured out a bit more.

I stayed at the Hilton on Soi 24 before trying out Grande Centre Point Terminal 21. The Hilton was fine, everything worked, and the lobby was fancy. Breakfast was a bit crazy after 7 AM though.

For later trips I switched to The Westin across the street from Terminal 21. It was way better! The room was nicer, the food was good, and the staff were friendly. No issues with the AC or shower either.

The only bummer is that the price has gone way up since Covid. It used to be around US$130-170 a night, but now it’s like US$200 for a basic room without breakfast. If I can find a good deal, I may go back because I had such a great time.

[JVHyatt]

Breakfast imho is a waste of money at those hotels anyway, as are the concierge level amenities and rooms.  Certainly in the case of Hyatt Regency.  Nice bfast spread and decent club lounge but not really worth the price.

although the hotel is only like 6 years old at this point I can see it starting to show a bit of age in the bathrooms as far as design, but still very contemporary and you cannot beat the bathtub with views and auto shades in the King Deluxe and higher level rooms.  It is a bummer you dont get much direct sun at the pool but not a dealbreaker.

I still think 220 is a deal comparably for that King Deluxe room.  At 270, it’s a no for me, even w/breakfast.

[alex712]

3 hours ago, JVHyatt said:

although the hotel is only like 6 years old at this point I can see it starting to show a bit of age in the bathrooms as far as design, but still very contemporary and you cannot beat the bathtub with views and auto shades in the King Deluxe and higher level rooms.  It is a bummer you dont get much direct sun at the pool but not a dealbreaker.

The King Deluxe room at Hyatt Regency Bangkok Sukhumvit is difficult to beat in terms of overall package, room, tub, design, etc. The location is especially desirable: directly connected to the BTS skywalk, in the middle of Nana and Soi Cowboy, and very close to Thermae.

I even prefer it over Grand Hyatt in Bangkok, even though in many other cities Grand Hyatt is often more luxury and upscale than Regency.

[ricktoronto]

I doubt there are many or any actual true five star (rated by others) hotels which are also $140 a night on Sukhumvit.

 

[JVHyatt]

Hyatt Regency isnt even a true five star, as it has no spa.  But frankly, (a) who needs a fucking spa in BKK really and (b) who needs a spa generally.  tru it is nice to have a sauna or steam tho.

[alex712]

I think you guys are too strict on your definition of 5-star hotels.

Marriot, the world’s largest hotel group. puts its 5-star hotel brands to two categories: luxury and premium:

https://www.marriott.com/marriott-brands/explore-our-brands.mi

Hyatt Regency in general is a premium brand. But it’s often positioned higher than typical entry level, or standard, 5-star premium hotel brands, such as Crowne Plaza, Pullman or Sheraton.

But the Hyatt Regency in Bangkok has a wonderful location and was only opened 6 years ago, so I think it’s priced in a level similar to or slightly higher than some luxury hotels, such as W hotel, Sofitel, and JW Marriott.

[little_me]

There are differing definitions for the number of stars.  One states something like a spa and two restaurants on site is five star.

I could care less about the spa. And only ever eat breakfast if the included a free buffet... (And waking up before 10:00 can be an issue.)

Along Sukhumvit, $140 a night probably isn't going to be "luxury". Over the years, I've been in some of the nicer places, JW Marriott, Landmark, Westin, Intercontinental... But always had some kinda deal, last minute special, under renovation or reward points... They are nice, but can be underwhelming... Rarely much over $100 a night, but all more than 10 years ago, back in the 40 Baht / USD days...

Oh, and once, at the Shangri-la, I went downstairs in the morning and found metal detectors installed at the entrance and like 200 brown shirts in the lobby... I've also heard rumors of American dignitaries pulling that kinda security at the Marriott. Kinda shit that puts the "walk of shame" to shame...