Bangkok - Rose Hotel

[Wim888]

About 30 years ago, when I was young, I visited Bangkok two or three times a year, and usually stayed at the Rose Hotel. The location was great, the rooms were decent, and middle-aged women who ran the front desk were friendly and helpful. No one cared about the overnight guests I brought back.

Next month, I will be able to go to Bangkok for a short visit. Has anyone stayed at the Rose Hotel lately? Would you recommend it?

During my last two visits to Bangkok, I stayed at the Pinnacle Hotel, but it is too far from the action. (Although I had booked through an agent, Pinnacle overcharged my credit card for some misc. expenses--I drank a few beers in the room-- and it took several months to clear up the mess. )

[pong]

there were some recent reviews on it-last year. Try search for this site. In short-from what I remember: its renovated all-over, still works as you describe, is thus 99,99% str8. I think there was some lead to getting lower rates via a middle-man, not sure.
In the Silom area there is that well-known ''gay'' hotel with bad breakfast and several mixed cheap/ish places [about 1000/1200 THB/N/low season)-none of these object to visitors, as long as you book a double room. Om-Yim, corner of silom/Narathiwat, in the bend of the BTS off silom, is more like a cheaper B+B.

[francois]

I had a. recent stay at the Rose. Great location. Believe the cost was 1800 TB. Small room but ok; lousy TV. Clean and friendly but was not impressed except for the location.

[adman5000]

I agree with everything Francois said. I love the location, no problems bringing someone back, good front desk service and other folks, but the rooms are a bit claustrophobic for me and the TV is useless. Good value. Clean and excellent housekeeping. Never had a problem of any kind there. Decent basic breakfast. It is the convenience that trumps everything. Walk out the back way parallel to Surawong and you are about two blocks from the action.

[newalaan2]

I agree with everything Francois said. I love the location, no problems bringing someone back, good front desk service and other folks, but the rooms are a bit claustrophobic for me and the TV is useless. Decent basic breakfast. It is the convenience that trumps everything. Walk out the back way parallel to Surawong and you are about two blocks from the action.
I've never stayed at the Rose Hotel but I've had a look at the rooms when it was first refurbished, and thought they were just too pokey. Last 2-3 days of each trip I stay at the Tarntawan, the rooms are large, excellent 24 hour breakfast included and has other small extras like business office with computers and printer, free newspapers, wifi. Rooms have coffee/tea making facilities, large TVs, Suriwong rooms with DVD player, in-room safe, front facing rooms have floor to ceiling windows which make them feel huge and bright. At Bt2300 for "Friends of Tarntawan" rate which usually includes an upgrate to Suriwong rooms if avail, for me the Bt500 difference from the Rose at Bt1800 is well worth it....that's if the Rose even has rooms at Bt1800 all year round as the Tarntawan rate is.

Tarntawan also in excellent location, just down the road from The Rose but it depends which part of the suriwong/silom action you are after. Next trip in a few weeks i'm trying Ballys Studios in Silom again for a couple of nights at the start of my trip, rooms there are Bt1500 for September, ideal if the action you want is in Silom Soi2.....DJ station, JJ park, GOD or Forfun and Silom Soi 4. At the start of a trip after a long flight I just like to get to somewhere not too far from the airport and have a couple of lazy settling-in days so having everything closeby is handy. I don't think I would even consider the Rose nowadays.

[timmberty]

jesus newallan you going back again so soon ?? you need a plane with a revolving door ..
if you are there from 20th of october pop into the colonial and buy me a beer .. im staying there for a few months, but as a poor student i shall be skint. so all donations welcome.
sorry to go off topic ... tho im an english rose, so its still kinda there.

[francois]

Regarding WiFi at the Rose; 300 TB/day or 100 TB/hour. Another big minus.

[ChelseaNY]

My stay at the Rose Hotel last year was very pleasant. The front desk folks were kind andmy guest had no problems.

[bert160]

to ADMAN 5000

Hi,

I will stay in Bangkok for three nights in the Pinnacle lumpinee hotel at the start of my trip, but I have no reservation yet for my last three nights in Bangkok.
In your post your were talking about the Bally Studios...sound interesting, also the price.

Please tell me more about it.
Is it a hotel with reception?
Or just independent studios?
Is it a problem to bring a visitor to stay in the room (if I book double)...is there sort of ID- control as in a hotel?
Nice and clean room?

Thanks for info.

Bert

[adman5000]

Bert- I think your question should be directed to NewAlaan2 as he is the one who mentioned Bally's. He just quoted me on the Rose Hotel.

[newalaan2]

to ADMAN 5000
Please tell me more about it.
Is it a hotel with reception?
Or just independent studios?
Is it a problem to bring a visitor to stay in the room (if I book double)...is there sort of ID- control as in a hotel?
Nice and clean room? Bert
Yes it is a hotel with 24 hours reception the name would lead you to think it is apartment style but everything is as you would find in a hotel. Has a breakfast room on one of the higher floors 7th? which has a small serving area with seating and an attached very bright larger area with tables and chairs.

No problem for visitors whatsoever, it's right next door to Silom Soi 2 discos DJ, JJ Parks etc...so it's very used to visitors, I think they insist ID's at reception but can't remember for sure, but they certainly would keep ID's if you wanted that extra security. Has an elevator right at reception and staff to take care of the luggage, but also has stairs beside the lift, which I tend to use wherever I go.

Actually the rooms are very nice fresh clean rooms with wooden flooring, modern flat screen TV, the WiFi signal was VG and I think there was also Ethernet connection to internet. Coffee/tea making facilities, nice modern shower room/toilet. I stayed in a superior(standard) room which was an ok size for me and I'm quite fussy about room size, I hate a cramped room. There is no view to look out at but there are windows which brighten up the room ok. The other room size called a 'suite' is just a bigger version of the standard room but never stayed in it.

Normal price for superior room is Bt1900 but they sometimes do specials at Bt1500 (no bfast), (the rate I booked) I never have breakfast in any hotel I stay anywhere in Thailand except Tarntawan because it's available 24 hours and excellent, so i'm quite happy to have a room without breakfast, but I have stayed here when there has been a special including bfast so it just depends on the time of year you stay there.

The 'suite' is Bt2700, I think is not really worth the difference, as I say the superior/standard room is a nice size. Easy enough access for arriving taxis, it's right on silom road but set back a little (pavement width), so picking up a taxi is also easy.

If you look on the website it is very unusual for a hotel website...........the images portrayed are exactly how they look in reality! I would say it's every bit as nice as the photos. http://www.ballys-studio.com/silom

[thaiguest]

Even in this gay-friendly country we're a nervous, insecure lot. No less than 6 posters have shown concern or have mentioned the issue of guests being brought back- and I don't think it's about a possible joiner fee. The straights have no such worries- if they DON'T arrive back with a tart there's gossip among the staff.

[newalaan2]

Even in this gay-friendly country we're a nervous, insecure lot. No less than 6 posters have shown concern or have mentioned the issue of guests being brought back- and I don't think it's about a possible joiner fee. The straights have no such worries- if they DON'T arrive back with a tart there's gossip among the staff.
Don't know where you get your nervous and insecure conclusion from, we are obviously not reading the same posts. Still, no harm in a bit of dramatic over-exaggeration now and again. 5 posts did not mention it. 3 posts said that, like straights, guests NOT an issue "no one cared" "no problems" "my guest had no problems" one said joiners no probs as long as you book double which was about possible joiner fee.

Only ONE poster showed this 'concern' you have regarding guests being brought back, but even this was not clear if it was cost of a joiner or ID safety issue and 1 was in reply to that so it was irrelevant to your 'claim'. So out of your claimed 6 there is a 'possible' 1 poster showing concern. Meanwhile the rest of us have no such worries so I really don't get your point, I guess you don't actually have one. YOU might be nervous and insecure since it seems to be an issue for you, however the rest of us are just fine. Hope your nerves and insecurities settle down before you take back your next joiner, we wouldn't want to give the staff more reason to gossip now would we?

Virtually all concerns on the forums re:guests joining are about the potential joiner fees, what other reason would there be, worry about whether some Thai receptionist approves? Good lord man what you on about?

[thaiguest]

Even in this gay-friendly country we're a nervous, insecure lot. No less than 6 posters have shown concern or have mentioned the issue of guests being brought back- and I don't think it's about a possible joiner fee. The straights have no such worries- if they DON'T arrive back with a tart there's gossip among the staff.
Don't know where you get your nervous and insecure conclusion from, we are obviously not reading the same posts. Still, no harm in a bit of dramatic over-exaggeration now and again. 5 posts did not mention it. 3 posts said that, like straights, guests NOT an issue "no one cared" "no problems" "my guest had no problems" one said joiners no probs as long as you book double which was about possible joiner fee.

Only ONE poster showed this 'concern' you have regarding guests being brought back, but even this was not clear if it was cost of a joiner or ID safety issue and 1 was in reply to that so it was irrelevant to your 'claim'. So out of your claimed 6 there is a 'possible' 1 poster showing concern. Meanwhile the rest of us have no such worries so I really don't get your point, I guess you don't actually have one. YOU might be nervous and insecure since it seems to be an issue for you, however the rest of us are just fine. Hope your nerves and insecurities settle down before you take back your next joiner, we wouldn't want to give the staff more reason to gossip now would we?

Virtually all concerns on the forums re:guests joining are about the potential joiner fees, what other reason would there be, worry about whether some Thai receptionist approves? Good lord man what you on about?

Calm down. I've stayed in dozens of hotels over 10 years in Thailand many times with newly found joiners and I've never been turned away. Just tell the newbees to act like the straight 90% and stop fretting.

[latintopxxx]

exactly...a bit of confidence goes a long way...if you walk in timidly with a guilty look and body language you are already setting yourself up to be picked on...only once did I have an issue and very loudly informed the the reception bitch that I had booked a double room for two (only тВм7 extra per night)....she quickly backed off ...but gave me dagger looks for the rest of my stay...

[Beachlover]

I stayed at Bally's Studio Suites Silom a few times, years ago back when it first opened.

Location is certainly convenient, being next to DJ Station and under the Skytrain Station.

Never had any issue bringing cute guys back.

The only thing is, it's only good as a place to crash and shower. Other than sleeping and shitting, it's not the sort of hotel you want to spend any time in at all. The rooms, while comfortable and clean enough, are fairly small and have little or no natural light (the standard rooms have no windows at all).

I do recall they offer wired internet (LAN cable) and I think it's free.

I recall being able to negotiate a lower rate over the phone directly (typical Thai logic: Offer a better price to customers who waste your time calling you and reward the customers who save you time by booking online by charging them more). I think I was paying 1,200 for the smaller rooms and 1,800 for the bigger rooms but that was a few years ago so I wouldn't be surprised if this has gone up now.

[Beachlover]

Even in this gay-friendly country we're a nervous, insecure lot. No less than 6 posters have shown concern or have mentioned the issue of guests being brought back- and I don't think it's about a possible joiner fee. The straights have no such worries- if they DON'T arrive back with a tart there's gossip among the staff.
Ironically, Thailand's probably got the most gay friendly hotels of any country in Asia, in terms of bringing hook ups back or checking into a King Bed room as a same-sex couple.

Despite bringing back dozens of cute guys, I have never been charged a joiner fee. Only been stopped and asked for ID once. Over the years, I've had two hotels which verbally informed me of their extra fee for joiner policy when I was checking in, several others which had a joiner fee policy displayed and written, yet none which ever charged me. I've even had a couple of hotels offer my guests parking.

Latin is right... It's simply about posture and confidence. When I bring a guy back, we just look like two mates coming back from a night out. Similar age. Both Asian. Normal clothes you would expect any middle class guy to wear out clubbing. In the high end hotels, all the staff do is wai and smile warmly at me.

Members here have sworn they were charged a joiner fee at Hilton Pattaya and Dusit Thani Bangkok but I wasn't charged at either of these places. At the Hilton I even brought a few guys back and had a party.

[newalaan2]

Calm down. I've stayed in dozens of hotels over 10 years in Thailand many times with newly found joiners and I've never been turned away. Just tell the newbees to act like the straight 90% and stop fretting.
Ok take a chill pill, I believe you! I've stayed in dozens of hotels over 13 years and never been turned away either. It's not about being turned away, I guess for the 'newbies' it's about being charged joiners and how to avoid. It's nothing to do with being straight or not, where you getting that from? There are newbies gay or straight......there are insecure gay or straight, most gays tend to have a 'don't give a shit' attitude, how about telling the newbies to act like the other 99% of gays for whom it isn't an issue. The only one who seems to be fretting about gays and str8s it is you.


exactly...a bit of confidence goes a long way...if you walk in timidly with a guilty look and body language you are already setting yourself up to be picked on...only once did I have an issue and very loudly informed the the reception bitch that I had booked a double room for two (only тВм7 extra per night)....she quickly backed off ...but gave me dagger looks for the rest of my stay...
I don't know, its down to the policy of the place you are staying, if you have booked double there shouldn't be an issue, if you have an equally 'confident' receptionist in a hotel where there is a joiner charge, chances are you'll be made to pay or at least challenged, even your apparently foolproof confident stance didn't prevent you from being challenged, and you are apparently 'well travelled'.

By checking ahead (or on a forum) to find out the specific hotel policy and booking double it eliminates any doubt doesn't it?


Location is certainly convenient, being next to DJ Station and under the Skytrain Station. Never had any issue bringing cute guys back.The only thing is, it's only good as a place to crash and shower. not the sort of hotel you want to spend any time in at all. The rooms, while comfortable and clean enough, are fairly small and have little or no natural light (the standard rooms have no windows at all). I do recall they offer wired internet (LAN cable) and I think it's free. I recall being able to negotiate a lower rate over the phone directly (typical Thai logic: Offer a better price to customers who waste your time calling you and reward the customers who save you time by booking online by charging them more). I think I was paying 1,200 for the smaller rooms
I find it increasingly difficult to reply to a Beachlover post knowing that he is not all that he makes himself out to be, on these anonymous forums there has to be at least some kind of trust in the posters you are replying to, with BL that is getting challenging.

But where there are inaccuracies that might affect others reading it's worth a response. Just to confirm yes it's close to DJ......said that, no issue with joiners....said that, MY standard room had two sets of windows, one looked onto the wall of what I presume to be DJ station, therefore no view, the other looked onto the eating courtyard., but the blinds were such that when closed still allowed a lot of natural light into the room, so your assertion that standard rooms have NO windows is incorrect and no natural light is also incorrect. No need to 'think' whether WiFi is free...it is!

I just go with the online prices couldn't be arsed phoning round hotels to squeeze them for every last baht like Beachlover, i'm surprised someone who stays in the Dusit, Hilton etc would even bother for ┬г6, especially given the cost of an overseas call. It's amazing how you find the time BL, dozens of trips to Singapore, very busy with a successful business and you worry for a few baht.........hmmm! All hotels I stay in Bkk are 'crashing' hotels for 2-3 nights at a time, Ballys is ideal, cant think why you would even want to spend any time outwith sleeping and/or working on the internet in a Bkk hotel anyway.

Apologies to the OP that it isn't specifically about The Rose.

[Beachlover]

When was the last time ANYONE here reported being charged a joiner fee anyway? I can't recall anyone saying they were charged a joiner fee for a long time. By the looks of things, it sounds like they would be totally outraged to pay that extra 30 bucks and would make a big post trashing the establishment!

Newalaan, it's been a few years since I stayed at Ballys. I didn't spend more than $100/night on my hotel rooms back then. I wasn't born rich. I found out about the lower "sa-pecial rate" when I was checking out after my first stay there. I said I really liked the hotel and would come back and whoever was at reception said to call and speak to him for a better price next time. So I did. I think I got sick of it after 4-5 stays and moved over to the Dusit Thani.


I find it increasingly difficult to reply to a Beachlover
But you replied anyway. That's so sweet of you Newalaan. :love4:


MY standard room had two sets of windows, one looked onto the wall of what I presume to be DJ station
It's been years since I stayed there so I'm just going by memory. But what I recall is they had two room types. Whenever I booked one of the cheaper rooms, it was small and windowless. Whenever I had one of the slightly more expensive rooms, it was MUCH larger and had some tiny window/s.


the other looked onto the eating courtyard
Is that the eatery they have on level 6 or 7? Because I've stayed in that room. I remember shutting that blind because I didn't want people sitting immediately outside peeking into my room! It's a vague memory though. And are you sure that was a standard room and you didn't book a superior/suite (whatever they call it) or did they upgrade you because they didn't have any standard rooms left?

In any case, any windows I've ever seen in that place were tiny and don't let much natural light in at all. For me, windows need to be full length floor to ceiling or at least waist to ceiling. I hate rooms with small windows or only mid-height windows. I like to have a nice view, lots of natural light and good feng shui...


Don't recall if there was WiFi or not but I do recall there being LAN cables in each room.


All hotels I stay in Bkk are 'crashing' hotels for 2-3 nights at a time, Ballys is ideal, cant think why you would even want to spend any time outwith sleeping and/or working on the internet in a Bkk hotel anyway.
Well, that might be the case if all you visit Bangkok for is cheap whores. But for me these days, visiting Bangkok is just part of my routine and nothing special. So I expect the same quality of accommodation I have at home. I want a place I can actually live in... you know, watching TV while cuddling your partner on the couch, lounging beside a nice pool, spacious bathroom, standing under a nice rain shower, nice toiletries, staring out at a nice view when you're on the phone, in-room coffee machine (or butler coffee service)... that sort of thing.

Back then, I only used to visit Bangkok as a side trip on the way back from exploring other countries in that region. After a couple of weeks of letting others run my business, I would get back to running my business in Sydney from Bangkok remotely for a few days or a week while having fun there before physically heading back to Sydney. So yes, it was important to have a nice place to sit and work and call clients etc. The Bally rooms got a bit too claustrophobic and stale after a while.

[newalaan2]

Regarding WiFi at the Rose; 300 TB/day or 100 TB/hour. Another big minus.
Had a quick look on The Rose website and they have what seemed very reasonably priced rooms at Bt1529 but are subject to tax and service charge unspecified and there is no mention of free WiFi so with that added on I imagine we are talking Bt2,000+, these are Studio Corner Double Rooms.....does anyone know if these are much bigger rooms than standard or the pokey rooms I previously saw.


But you replied anyway
But not to you, I simply used your post to correct the inaccurate information you posted for the benefit of others, your part in the proceedings it was incidental. The term was 'increasingly difficult'. But I can certainly make an effort when picking holes in your posts, you see I don't really regard myself as addressing someone whom I consider to be completely genuine,while a great deal of the stuff you post is clearly from experience, I have always said that you are simply "not all you make yourself out to be".


I wasn't born rich.Yes we know. You forget the amount of posts you have made regarding your lodgings in cheap guesthouses, and it's noted how you are always 'on the ball' when it comes to advising the forums about online offers on hotels as you trawl the internet in your 'spare time'.


Well, that might be the case if all you visit Bangkok for is cheap whores
Well it's you who announced that Ballys was only good for crashing and showering.......so that 4-5 times you visited must have been during your "only visiting for cheap whores" part of your life. Since then you found a permanent 'cheap whore' now labelled "boyfriend" who is probably not considered a 'cheap whore' any longer because he is probably an expensive one, who insists on HiSo living at your expense, or he'll dump you. I'm guessing that a possibly chubby, most likely unattractive, middle-aged Asian 'customer' like your real self would probably be quite easy for him to find, so obviously you've got to cave-in to his whims just to hold onto him. Yes I get that BL. But at last some admissions from you.....Ballys=visiting for cheap whores. You stayed in Ballys many times=you visited Bkk many times for cheap whores.....now we're getting somewhere a bit more to the point eh BL? Yet you continue to denigrate others who behave in exactly the same way you do in your idiotic and embarrassing rants on PBB.


I hate rooms with small windows or only mid-height windows. I like to have a nice view, lots of natural light and good feng shui.
Yet you stayed 4-5 times in a room you hate with NO windows? NONE of the Ballys rooms have waist to ceiling windows with a 'nice view'.You hang yourself with your own words BL. Squirming from one excuse, sudden 'new' memory and 'renewed recollection' to another or simply 'can't recall exactly'.


want a place I can actually live in... you know, watching TV while cuddling your partner on the couch, lounging beside a nice pool, spacious bathroom, standing under a nice rain shower, nice toiletries, staring out at a nice view when you're on the phone, in-room coffee machine (or butler coffee service)... that sort of thing.
I'll give you one thing BL your ability to try and appear genuinely normal and disarm readers is impressive. For years so many of the panty-wetting queens soaked up this fodder, but I think we're at the stage where you are trying far too hard to try and convince. There's ALWAYS the little tell-tale signs of desperation to impress.......'rain showers' as opposed to showers, "butler coffee service" as opposed to coffee facilities, 'spacious' this, 'nice' that, 'hot' this, and 'awesome' the other.

There you go BL, some more stuff to be getting on with to help get your posting volume-rate back up, good practise for your body-swerving, goalpost moving, bland generalising-packed responses. Yes I'm stuck on the computer at home today juggling half a dozen internet windows incl SGT to break the monotony.

[Beachlover]

For years so many of the panty-wetting queens soaked up this fodder
And yet, you've managed to get yourself to the front of the line.
Are we an item yet? :love4:


But not to you
Come on now... Stop trying to downplay your overeager flirting. It's so obvious you're keen. :rolling:


Well it's you who announced that Ballys was only good for crashing and showering.......so that 4-5 times you visited
Well, back when I first stayed in Bally's I found it quite nice... I guess I grew out of it and wanted something nicer. Before that I was staying in backpacker dorms. My needs evolved.


he is probably an expensive one, who insists on HiSo living at your expense
Actually, the ironic thing is he is the one with a full time job doing long hours (not me anymore!) and his family are far wealthier than me... I guess they're the type of family those left wing folk on Baht Stop are always ranting about. Ain't it ironic. Other than a few students I dated, most of my boyfriends have been self sufficient and had the integrity to want to pay their share of expenses.

[SimpleSoul]

I think 2 saucers of milk are needed for these two... Perhaps they should get a room.

[newalaan2]

Perhaps they should get a room.
One at The Rose perhaps? On topic!.