Great New hotel on Suriwong

[blueboy]

Last week, I stayed at the Glitz Hotel, Bangkok for a few nights.

The hotel is on the corner of Soi Tawan (Tawan bar) and Suriwong, opposite the new Meridien and next door to Tantawan.
It's very modern, on 4 levels only 14 rooms and suites. First night I stayed in one of their smaller rooms - hundreds of TV chanels, big very modern and highly practical bathroom with glass walls.
Second night I wanted to try a medium size room, which was quite a bit bigger with similar bathroom.
I paid a special rate of 1800 & 2000 Baht forthe 2 nights.

Overnight guests welcome - no charge.

Downside - no lift, and breakfast is a continental style one only.

Super alternative to the other hotels in the area.

http://www.glitzbangkok.com

[Brad the Impala]

Thanks for the update, looks interesting, not least for it's location!

There seems to be a little confusion on the Rates page as the nightly rate is shown as ++, indicating that tax etc is to be added to the price, while underneath it refers to the prices as being inclusive.

[blueboy]

I just called them and they gave me special rates different than on their website.

I just called them and they gave me special rates different than on their website.


No surprise there!

It's a buyer's market at the moment.

:happy7: :happy7: :happy7:

[yedo111]

Thanks , will try this for a few days next time I'm in Bangkok

[thrillbill]

Good info. I do my booking with Agoda since they constantly update their rates and (seem) to have the best reduce d
rates. What I don't like about Agoda is that they do not tell you if breakfast is included or not until you have booked the hotel and with the online voucher it will state "no breakfast or with...". I don't have to have a large breakfast (if I manage to get up before 10am) but it would be nice just to have a roll and fresh coffee -- and inexpensive perk any hotel could offer.

This seems odd, I was led to believe that the owners of the Tarntawan Place owned this building.
Perhaps it has been onsold.

Correction- Just looked at the website map and slightly different location (by one alleyway!)

Interesting that one can have a suite at Glitz for less than the price of a tired and dirty old "Deluxe Suriwong Room" at the Tarntawan.
This place should really be successful, I know where I'll stay when next in BKK.

I stayed at Glitz a few weeks ago.

In case anyone has wondered about taking the Airport Express the first bit is about my trip from the airport. If you don't want to read it, skip down to the line of stars ...

My flight arrived early into Bangkok and as I had a few hours to kill I decided to experience the Airport Express.
I'm not sure if this was the normal route because this was my first trip using them, but their schedule lists a few different stops at the beginning of the route. He may have taken a detour because the overpass on Rama IV was closed due to roadwork. However, once the driver turned onto Rama IV from the expressway exit, he started to let people off wherever they wanted. He made a stop at Soi Ngam Duphli, where the The Pinnacle/Malaysia hotels are located and again at the Lumpinee MRT Station. Again at their advertised stop for the Pan Pacific on the far side of Silom in front of McDonald's on Rama IV. He then turned left onto Suriwong.

It was 1/3 amusing, 2/3 annoying but I was not surprised. Just after turning onto Suriwond, The Tawana hotel was still maybe 200M away and the driver was wanting to me to get out where we were, almost in front of Soi Twilight. He turned around, said "Tawana", I nodded 'yes', he opened the doors. I shook my head, pointed up the street and said "Tawana". He nodded and pointed to the door. I remained in my seat until we were stopped in traffic in front of the 7-11. Odd...I guess if you can see the place it means you're there.

The ride itself was actually pretty quick and I was dropped off almost outside the Giltz Hotel. On the Airport Express (Route AE1), I got off at the stop for the Tawana Hotel. The driver didn't help anyone with the loading or unloading of luggage, but what could one expect for 150 baht. I've read a couple of horror stories about the AE on different sites but didn't witness first hand any of the claimed shenanigans. The bus while not new, was air conditioned, clean and for the most part comfortable. I waited about 10 minutes at the airport before it departed. The driver didn't speed and his driving was safe, for Bangkok.

*************************

From the moment I arrived at the hotel, the staff were always very friendly, hospitable, helpful and sincere.
I'll say this now, that any perceived glitches I observed, experienced or review about this hotel, were eclipsed by the warm, hospitable nature of this exceptional group of employees. They were all wonderful. Rose, the receptionist, went out of her way to help me out. She even followed up with a phone call several days later after I had left to see how things turned out. That is customer service and I was in total shock when I heard her voice. ... but back to check-in.

When I arrived I was still pretty early, however the staff were able to accommodate me and checked me in. This was probably because the room was vacant from the previous night so I was fortunate as I desperately needed a nap. The check-in was pretty standard except I was asked to leave a 1000 baht deposit in cash and my credit card was charged for my stay at check-in. I know a deposit is standard at all hotels on a credit card, however I was specifically asked for cash. Hesitantly I handed over 1000 baht and it was returned to me when I checked out.

I was shown to my room up a flight of stairs. The public has access to the lobby 24/7, but guests need a key card to get past the glass door at the end of the hall past reception to gain access to rooms. The first night I walked into the lobby late in the morning and found the desk attendant fast asleep. I walked past the desk and went upstairs. I left again a few minutes later and the attendant was still fast asleep. When I returned a short time later, the attendant was awake.

The same key card opens the room and connects the power once placed into the card reader inside the room by the door.

To be honest, I wasn't expecting much and therefore wasn't surprised. I had a hunch the photos on the website had been touched up, I just wasn't sure to what extent.

[attachment=3:34tm7o0j]Glitz_ex3.JPG[/attachment:34tm7o0j]
The exterior was easy to recognize and if you look carefully you can see the sign for the Tawan Club down the soi on the left side just below the cluster of wires. (How convenient is that?) ....no issues with guests btw.

The room was not as warm and bright as advertised on the website but the furnishings were essentially as depicted. I was expecting something more 'boutique' like.

When I entered the room for the first time I was overwhelmed by the odour of cheap paint (fumes). This is the paint that was used to paint the interior and exterior of the cabinets. The paint itself takes away from the room as it's no gloss (flat) black paint. I am not sure how many rooms had the same treatment or if this room was special.

There was an electronic safe, mini-bar fridge and plenty of storage space. The safe is small, not large enough for a laptop. Complimentary water was provided daily and there was a strong WiFi signal in the room. The room was also furnished with a decent size LCD TV and DVD player with a good quality picture and many channels to flip through. As well, there was a public computer on the second floor just outside the doors to the guest rooms, around the corner from the breakfast area.

The air conditioning worked quite well and was fairly quiet. The street noise can be a bit much at certain times of the night so I would suggest bringing ear plugs as I did. There are quite a few convenience stores and pharmacies close by so finding a pair should be a easy.

There are black-out curtains on both windows. They are effective and a must as front side of the building is illuminated by flood lighting at night that eventually get turned off in the wee hours.


[attachment=2:34tm7o0j]glitz_bed.JPG[/attachment:34tm7o0j]
From the website photo I thought the bed might be suspended by the four cables at each corner, which worried me. Upon closer inspection, the cables were wires and appeared to be decorative as far as I could tell, and hopefully not part of a seismic upgrade design. I did manage to get snagged by one of these wires getting out of bed, but only once and the ceiling stayed where it was.
The bed and it's bedding were crispy clean and comfortable. The room was serviced daily.


[attachment=1:34tm7o0j]glitz_bath.JPG[/attachment:34tm7o0j]
The bathroom is separated by a semi-frosted glass wall and door. The bathroom is not air conditioned because it's sealed off from the rest of the room when the door is closed. The only source of ventilation in the bathroom was a small window with no screen. So every time I entered the bathroom it was hot, humid and smelled of the outside. As well the occasional mosquito and other bug flew or crawled through the window. There was also a small army of ants making the rounds in the bathroom. It's risky to keep the bathroom door open because it also swings open in the direction of the front door and also presents the hazard of forgetting that the door is open and walking into it, especially in the dark after possibly having a few too many drinks.
Steam from the shower was not a problem as there was no hot water, it was barely tepid. The water from the sink was a bit warmer but the faucet fell off every time the water was turned on.

[attachment=0:34tm7o0j]glitz_int.JPG[/attachment:34tm7o0j]
I checked into a large room and personally prefer a little more space. But I guess it's a decent size for a hotel room in Bangkok. Perhaps the angles and layout gave the room a smaller feel.

There is a breakfast served every morning. Cold cereal, juice, milk, coffee and toast were available every morning. There was a lady who cooked eggs and little mini hot dogs (hot dogs for breakfast?) In addition to what was placed out, they also ordered some outside dishes from somewhere. One morning Pad Thai was offered, another day mini-croissant sandwiches as well as fruit plate. It was enough to tie me over to an early lunch.

On my last morning, I chose to eat out since I was leaving at 8 and knew I wouldn't have a chance to eat again until 1. That seemed to offend the breakfast lady, so I sat down and had some coffee and toast while waiting for my ride.

Overall, I think they're asking a bit much for their published rates. I did email Glitz to inquire about availability and was offered a better rate, around 1500 baht/night. They are pretty much on par with Baan Saladaeng as far as decor and services. Baan Saladaeng is quieter at night and a quick walk to Silom. Glitz is pretty much right in the action, which is probably why they are asking what they are.

I have never seen the rooms at Tawana, but they had some pretty good rates for a standard room w/o breakfast. I think Tawana might be a better bet unless you're able to get a reduced rate from Glitz. IMHO

[piston10]

I appreciate Soi-toi's balanced account of this hotel, but it would not encourage me to stay there. Pleasant and helpful staff are much to be welcomed, but do they outbalance his account of the bathroom and the smells of paint and the outdoors? A bathroom that is not mosquito- (there is much dengue fever in Bangkok) and insect-proof and a shower that provides no hot water seem supremely unattractive to me. Admittedly, a cool shower is often very welcome in Thailand, but I like to have a choice. Still, I suppose it depends where your priorities lie. And I'm known to be faddy about hotels; not grand staircases, chandeliers, etc., but about what I consider to be essentials.

After snooping around on the internet and inspecting the website images again, I realized that every image that appears on The Glitz website are actually design sketches or artistic renditions of the hotel and or it's rooms. There are no actual photo's, hence the drastic contrast between my poor photography skills and their creative advertising.

From the website photo I thought the bed might be suspended by the four cables at each corner, which worried me. Upon closer inspection, the cables were wires and appeared to be decorative as far as I could tell, and hopefully not part of a seismic upgrade design.They look to me to be part of some oversize but strategically placed abacus, possibly intended to help work out the tip for the boy?

[TrongpaiExpat]

Soi_toi, That was an excellent review of a hotel. Unfortunately, I don't need a hotel room in Bangkok since I fortunately live in Bangkok. I do, however, have the need to stay in hotels in other locations in Thailand and I wish others would follow in your example and do similar write ups on other properties elsewhere.

Hotel web sites only give you a general idea of what your getting. The power of the internet with review sites and message boards often provide much more useful information once you filter out the special interest, nuts, trolls and the odd person that does not like anything.

[fedssocr]

This review is a great service. Thank you very much. I am not sure why they would design a bathroom like that.

Guess I will stick with Siri Sathorn or Bandara Suites.

[Sen Yai]

It was 1/3 amusing, 2/3 annoying but I was not surprised. Just after turning onto Suriwond, The Tawana hotel was still maybe 200M away and the driver was wanting to me to get out where we were, almost in front of Soi Twilight. He turned around, said "Tawana", I nodded 'yes', he opened the doors. I shook my head, pointed up the street and said "Tawana". He nodded and pointed to the door. I remained in my seat until we were stopped in traffic in front of the 7-11. Odd...I guess if you can see the place it means you're there.

I think one (or maybe both) of you mis-heard. There is a small hotel on Suriwongse almost opposite Soi Twilight called Bavana which Thais pronounce Ba-Wa-Na. On the other hand, Thais pronounce Tawana was Tawan without the final '-a' just like Singha beer is beer Sing

Thanks for the great report on Glitz.

[Shuee]

nice informative hotel report, i like also what trongpai suggested, a personal indepth report,
150bt fot the airport express, i would have thought a taxi would have been about the same, or just slightly more?

nice informative hotel report, i like also what trongpai suggested, a personal indepth report,
150bt fot the airport express, i would have thought a taxi would have been about the same, or just slightly more?

Really?

I have rarely got from the Airport to Surawong Rd (in a taxi) for less than 400B!
I don't know if that's typical though - and I don't really care that much as I just want to get there in the shortest possible time

:dontknow: :dontknow:

nice informative hotel report, i like also what trongpai suggested, a personal indepth report,
150bt fot the airport express, i would have thought a taxi would have been about the same, or just slightly more?

Really?

I have rarely got from the Airport to Surawong Rd (in a taxi) for less than 400B!
I don't know if that's typical though - and I don't really care that much as I just want to get there in the shortest possible time

:dontknow: :dontknow:

You're right.
350B to Sukhumvit 21 when I did the journey 3 days ago
About 50B more to Silom/Suriwong area.
Depends a bit on time of day and traffic of course.

and 150 for the airport express bus :pottytrain2: ... sorry I don't use backpacks no more

[fedssocr]

I don't think it is possible to go fro the airport to Suriwong for 150 baht. The tolls alone are 75. And coming from the airport there is the 50 baht service charge unless you get a cab from somewhere other than the official stand on the lower level.

To Sathorn area on my last trip it was in the range of 300-400 including tolls around lunch time. My final return to the airport the driver wanted 400 baht and he paid the tolls along the way. I didn't fight with him as I figured the cost to me would have been about the same either way.

[TrongpaiExpat]

I don't think it is possible to go fro the airport to Suriwong for 150 baht. The tolls alone are 75. And coming from the airport there is the 50 baht service charge unless you get a cab from somewhere other than the official stand on the lower level.


The lower level (ground floor) is now where the public taxi stand is now located. If you don't want to pay the 50B go to the top floor, departures and catch a taxi arriving. I do not recommend this, many have to pay the guard to wait and then have to rip you off to recoup the bribe they paid. Go to the ground floor and pay the 50B extra. The new system has the taxis parked and ready to load but look in first to see that the meter is not on and running. A few have been paying the trick of turning on the meter when they first park and then get in line for a customer. If the meter is covered with a towel, remove it and see that it is off.

Tolls are 45 and 25B and late at night with no traffic the meter will read around 180 to 200 to Silom. Up to 100 more with traffic and forget arriving rush hour on a Friday.

There are also two different highway routes to Silom and it's not easy to get them to take the shorter one.

[Shuee]

sorry guys, looks as though im a bit out of touch with the taxi prices,

[Beachlover]

Good info. I do my booking with Agoda since they constantly update their rates and (seem) to have the best reduce d
rates. What I don't like about Agoda is that they do not tell you if breakfast is included or not until you have booked the hotel and with the online voucher it will state "no breakfast or with...". I don't have to have a large breakfast (if I manage to get up before 10am) but it would be nice just to have a roll and fresh coffee -- and inexpensive perk any hotel could offer.

The other thing I don't like about Agoda is the rates listed exclude taxes... it's the only hotel booking site I know that does this. So whatever price they're listing, you need to add 10-20% depending on the country.

[Beachlover]

This review is a great service. Thank you very much. I am not sure why they would design a bathroom like that.

Guess I will stick with Siri Sathorn or Bandara Suites.

Bandara Suites actually look pretty good.

Only thing is do the rooms have a decent work desk and chair that can be moved around? I can't tell from the photos.

[Beachlover]

I don't think it is possible to go fro the airport to Suriwong for 150 baht. The tolls alone are 75. And coming from the airport there is the 50 baht service charge unless you get a cab from somewhere other than the official stand on the lower level.


The lower level (ground floor) is now where the public taxi stand is now located. If you don't want to pay the 50B go to the top floor, departures and catch a taxi arriving. I do not recommend this, many have to pay the guard to wait and then have to rip you off to recoup the bribe they paid. Go to the ground floor and pay the 50B extra. The new system has the taxis parked and ready to load but look in first to see that the meter is not on and running. A few have been paying the trick of turning on the meter when they first park and then get in line for a customer. If the meter is covered with a towel, remove it and see that it is off.

Tolls are 45 and 25B and late at night with no traffic the meter will read around 180 to 200 to Silom. Up to 100 more with traffic and forget arriving rush hour on a Friday.

There are also two different highway routes to Silom and it's not easy to get them to take the shorter one.

I read in some news article the average waiting time for taxis (the time the drivers have to wait in line to pick up a passenger) at the airport is 2 hours. Is this true. If so, how unbelievably painful...

[Beachlover]

Thanks for the great review Soi Toi. The downside of these budget or mid-range places is it's hard to tell what you're getting from the website where as with high-end hotels there's a minimum standard.

Yeah... the pics on their site are design illustrations.

It sounds like a great place - excellent value - except for the bathroom problems and paint smell. No hot water is really unacceptable when you're paying for a decent hotel... I thought their rates were a bit low for what they were offering (by the pics on the website... the rooms look huge) but your photos and report make it more realistic now. I might give it a try.

Can you tell us... is there a good sized work desk in each room? The design pictures on the website show there is one but your photos don't.

[ThaiFan]

nice informative hotel report, i like also what trongpai suggested, a personal indepth report,
150bt fot the airport express, i would have thought a taxi would have been about the same, or just slightly more?

Really?

I have rarely got from the Airport to Surawong Rd (in a taxi) for less than 400B!
I don't know if that's typical though - and I don't really care that much as I just want to get there in the shortest possible time

:dontknow: :dontknow:

You're right.
350B to Sukhumvit 21 when I did the journey 3 days ago
About 50B more to Silom/Suriwong area.
Depends a bit on time of day and traffic of course.

and 150 for the airport express bus :pottytrain2: ... sorry I don't use backpacks no more

Just 2 weeks ago, I also paid about 350THB (excluding toll) for a trip to a hotel near Chong Nonsi station. Actually the taxi meter was something like 280+THB. So, plus 50THB airport fee and the toll, that's about consistent. Surawong is just a right turn and 2 traffic lights away so I guess it would be equivalent. FYI, I had a smooth ride from the airport (no jams around Christmas) and we took the toll until the Silom exit just next to the Manohra hotel.

[fedssocr]

I read in some news article the average waiting time for taxis (the time the drivers have to wait in line to pick up a passenger) at the airport is 2 hours. Is this true. If so, how unbelievably painful...

I read that too. I would guess that if it wasn't worth it the drivers wouldn't do it.

[Brad the Impala]

Bandara Suites actually look pretty good.

Only thing is do the rooms have a decent work desk and chair that can be moved around? I can't tell from the photos.

Stayed at Bandara Suites(previously known as Chin House) regularly over ten years. Recommend it as the ideal balance between hotel and apartment. The One/Two Bedroomed Suites have a proper dining table/chairs which are perfect for work, but I don't know about the rooms.