What to look for when deciding on a hotel in the area?

[little_me]

Breakfast, if you wake up before 10:00. Watch the bookings closely to see if it's included in the price or not, you can always pay extra for it if it's not. Quality varies widely, and a lot comes down to personal preference.  If the price does include breakfast, make sure you select 2 people staying, in case you have an overnight guest that wants to join you for breakfast. (some hotels get grumpy about that, even if they are guest friendly they often want to charge extra for the breakfast and make up all kinda policies to do so. But even if you wake up before 10:00, she probably doesn't want to).

 

Elevators. Majestic Grande as an example, 251 guest rooms, 2 elevators!!!! They get busy, and you'll wait. a lot of the older hotels are bad or worse due to elevators being slower, smaller and sometimes breaking.

 

Location!!! if it's not near the skytrain, or new sukhumvit, not only far down the Soi is it, but how much traffic is on it. And where does that traffic come from and go to. Soi 11, there a older 'Suite' type place on the end, one of the president places I think... step out the front door and start walking down the street and you'll be passed repeatedly by empty taxis. Halfway down Soi 22, that place that used to be the "mercure" 4:00 PM, every taxi driving by will be full.  Taxis go up Soi 11 and back down 13, or vice versa, always passing that hotel on the end empty. Soi 22, they are going to / from people's apartments further down, or cutting from Sukhumvit to / from that other large road by the Carre Four, always with a passenger...  It's really hard to know this if you don't book the room and stay there....  But many of the Soi's are dead ends, and taxis don't go down them empty looking for passengers often.

 

Washer and dryer are pretty killer. But, the only place I've found them was over $100 a night, and getting bulk laundry done isn't that expensive outside the hotel (ask for bulk / per pound, unless you want it pressed). Or, after you get done working off your morning stiffness, ask you're longtime associate if she can do you a favour? (don't be too surprised how easy it is to get a bar girl to offer laundry services as a bonus, just be careful about how much harder it's going to be to move on to another).