Renaissance Bangkok Ratchaprasong Hotel

We’ve been to Bangkok, Thailand three times. Back in May, we stayed at the Renaissance Bangkok Ratchaprasong Hotel. It was the first Marriott that we’ve stayed at in Bangkok. We wanted to stay at a Marriott property this time and we usually stay at the Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok Hotel a block or so away, so we know the area.

Reason for Choosing

The Renaissance is about an hour from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi airport (BKK) by car, depending on how bad the traffic is day.

Marriott has multiple properties in Bangkok, but we wanted a lounge (which was especially handy this trip) and a location that we knew.  We ended up arriving in Bangkok a day before the Thai Army declared martial law in the country.  Needless to say the Platinum status benefits such as lounge access helped out in that we didn’t have to go looking around for dinner when we were there.  We ended up staying at the hotel for two one-night stays at the hotel, split by a two night trip to Pattaya.

Map of Renaiance Location

Lobby and Check-in/Check-out Experience

We were greeted by the staff when we arrived and escorted to the lounge to check in.  They offered drinks, and asked if we needed anything else before we headed to the room.  Prior to check out they were able to confirm our transfer back to the airport with the Etihad driver. In general it was seamless, much like our experience at the Renaissance Seoul.

Where the hotel stood out

The Lounge was great and the food spread was fantastic.  The chef was on hand to answer questions at night.  This was especially helpful as they had one or two special dishes out. The staff was fantastic and made sure every guest was enjoying themselves.

Lounge Food

Dessert

We were given a corner suite the second night we stayed at the hotel. It wasn’t the biggest suite but with the glass and number of windows it felt very large.

Corner Suite

For our Platinum welcome amenity, we chose a couple of beers and a mango rice dish instead of the points.  The room service delivery was spot on and the food was good even though we weren’t used to the flavors.

Beer and Mango Rice

Where the hotel fell a little short

The location is okay.  It is a bit set back from the road and it can be a little hard to find because of that, but it is also convenient to the MRT (Bangkok Metro).

Wrapping Up

The Renaissance Bangkok Ratchaprasong Hotel is a good starting point for exploring the city. We enjoyed being walking distance to some of the malls and metro, although there are other areas of the city well worth staying in. The hotel has a nice pool for a city hotel and offered a free 15 min welcome massage (ostensibly to entice further business in the spa) which is a nice touch. For us, the Renaissance is a very viable option for the next time we visit Bangkok.