Siam Kempinski Hotel Opens in Bangkok

[Beachlover]

Anyone tried this new hotel yet?

It's a big new 5-star hotel, which just opened next to Siam Paragon. Apparently Kempinski is Europe's oldest luxury hotel chain (I've never heard of it) and this is their "first" property in Thailand. I read they had one property before but it burnt down and never re-opened.

Looks interesting. Rooms look very nice. I like the look of the big bathtubs. Terrace suites get a private outdoor jacuzzi! More hotels should do this.

Huge free-form pool, which is very attractive. You could get a good 50-100 metre lap in that.

But rates are a bit high, I think. I had a look and it's upwards of 6,000 baht ($200+) for deluxe and 8,000 for exec room. You could get a riverfront room in the Shangri La for that. Hope it comes down.

http://www.kempinski.com/en/bangkok/Pages/Welcome.aspx

Some shots from Skyscraper City Forum:



Interesting, the contrast between the tin sheds in the foreground and the modern buildings in the background! In many cities, riverfront real estate is generally highly valued. In Bangkok, many of the canals are lined with slum-type constructions. I wonder why this is.

Room shots from TripAdvisor:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review ... ngkok.html

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[Thai Dyed]

Beachlover, Kempinski is majority owned by the Crown Property Bureau of Thailand, something I thought an astute businessman such as yourself would know. You should stop slumming at tawdry places and get a taste of what life has to offer beyond your limited horizons.

I am shocked that they are offering rooms starting for as little as 6000 Baht! That must make it one of the cheapest Kempinski properties in the world so I am further stunned that you would find this expensive.

[Beachlover]

Well, hotel rates in Bangkok and a few other SEA cities like KL are generally quite low so it's not surprising Kempinski's BKK property has lower rates relative to its other properties.

I generally have a ceiling of 5,000 baht/night for accommodation... can't justify spending more right now. Cost comes out of my pocket. No company/employer paying for me.

Thanks for the info... Never heard of the Kempinski brand before so you'll have to forgive my not knowing its background.

[Thai Dyed]

Thanks for the info... Never heard of the Kempinski brand before so you'll have to forgive my not knowing its background.

All is forgiven! You sometimes project yourself as being very worldly and I took this opportunity to tweak your dong.

[Beachlover]

Tweak my dong? :tongue3:

[bao-bao]

Hmmm. Not slamming conspicuous consumption if anyone wishes to participate, but Bt5,000 is a lot more than I'd choose to spend for a room to write, rest and sleep in. Lovely if you have that kind of disposable income, though... dinner's on you! :thumbleft:

I wouldn't enjoy staying there knowing I could buy another round trip ticket to fly to Thailand for the cost of 10 nights there.

The place looks nice, though. Thanks for the pictures.

[Beachlover]

I wouldn't enjoy staying there knowing I could buy another round trip ticket to fly to Thailand for the cost of 10 nights there.

We all have a different perception of value. Some people fly business class but I wouldn't enjoy paying an extra $3k to fly business to Thailand knowing for that amount I could pay for 2 weeks' food/accommodation or stay in an even better hotel. But if I'm buying an airline ticket for my parents I've no problem paying for them to fly business. Can't put them in economy.

Hmmm. Not slamming conspicuous consumption if anyone wishes to participate, but Bt5,000 is a lot more than I'd choose to spend for a room to write, rest and sleep in. Lovely if you have that kind of disposable income, though... dinner's on you! :thumbleft:

I don't think $150/night for a room is too much anymore. A few years ago I loved staying in backpacker hostels. When I first traveled to Thailand I stayed in 1,000-2,000 baht/night hotels like the Narai Hotel and the Ballys Suite SIlom and thought that was luxury (Ballys Suite Silom had nice new room fittings). Then I thought I should try something nicer like the Dusit since I could afford it and boy was it worth it! Soon after that I realised paying for exec lounge access at most hotels (not the Dusit, lounge there is crap) is also worthwhile. I value the comfort, stability and amenities/convenience of a good hotel, especially if I often have to work out of it... home/office away from home and all.

[chillnorth]

That is a good price for a Kempinski hotel. There are several others in Asia.... I'm surprised if this is the first in Thailand.

Price is relative, Beachie. It may be a matter of disposable income, but for the long haul from the States I guess I'm sufficiently spoiled that not only does it have to be at least a business seat, but one from a non-US carrier, a conceit my business manager (along with other board members surely) considers insane. Mind you, I'm based in Thailand now and a lot of the travel outside is on business at the client's expense, but 18+hours in the back seats of a United/Northwest-now-Delta at this stage in my life would require something much stronger than Ambien, and not much less acceptable to the authorities than morphine.

[Beachlover]

Yeah, I'm lucky I only fly 7-10 hrs to get into Asia. Economy is no problem and no discomfort at all for me. I'm fairly small built (compared to most Caucasians) and have no problem stretching out and falling fast asleep in economy class seats for full-service carriers (not LCC seats though).

I would see value in business if I was really uncomfortable in economy seats or I had to fly 18-24hrs... otherwise, not worth paying $3k just to get lounge access, better food and be separated from the riff raff for 9 hrs... but for a good hotel to live/sleep/work/relax in, I'm more than happy to pay $150 as opposed to $30-$50. Good to bring a cute guest back to a nice place too.

If you fly at your employer's or clients' expense it's totally different. I'd be demanding business class too. I have friends who fly business/first only at client expense.

[sydneyboy]

To put it as charitably as possible it gets very mixed reviews on Tripadvisor. It has obvious teething problems and serious service issues that need to be addressed.