Review, The Athenee Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Bangkok
Paul‘s Hotel Review for the
The Athenee
Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Bangkok
General Impression:
For the property: 
For the staff:
Customer Service: 
Details:
Duration of stay: 5 nights / vacation
Check-in / Check-out:
Check-in Process:
Check-out Process:
Concierge Service:
Staff @ Front Desk:
Bonvoy recognition:
At Check-in:
In General:
Posting of points & night:
Room / Bathroom:
Bed, quality of sleep:
Bathroom, Shower:
Room Atmosphere:
WiFi / Internet:
Housekeeping general:
Cleanliness:
Food & Beverage (tested):
The House of Smooth Curry (Dinner) :
Quality of Food: 
Atmosphere:
Staff:
Rain Tree cafe (Breakfast) :
Quality of Food:
Atmosphere:
Staff:
The View (Pool bar & restaurant) :
Quality of Food:
Atmosphere:
Staff:
The Glaz bar :
Quality of Drinkd:
Atmosphere:
Staff:
The Royal Club Lounge:
Quality of Food:
Atmosphere:
Staff: 
Paul‘s Mix:
Pool:
Spa: N/A
Hotel Location:
Mojito Rating 
:
:
General Customer Care:
Staff attitude, interaction and responsiveness:
Social media interaction:
—-
= bad, a lot of work needs to be
done
=not good, you will be busy with
corrections
= good & normal, nothing
special
= high level, but the icing on
the cake is missing
= topnotch, leave me here!
= Half a Point/sheep
= extra award for outstanding
services
—-
General Info:
The Athenee Hotel Bangkok, a Luxury Collection Hotel and member of the Marriott Bonvoy family, is strategically located in the vibrant and upscale district of Pathum Wan, making it an ideal
base for both business and leisure travelers visiting Bangkok.
Situated in the heart of the city, the hotel offers convenient access to numerous attractions, shopping centers, and cultural sites like Lumphini Park, Central World and Siam Paragon, and the Erawan Shrine.
The Hotel has a total of 374 well-appointed rooms and suites stretched over 29 floors.
The building stands on the grounds of the former Kandhavas Palace, the royal residence of Princess Valaya Alongkorn, the aunt of Thailand's late King Bhumibol Adul-yadej.
There are several ways to reach the Hotel from Suvarnabhumi Airport:
Hotel Limousine Service: You can arrange for an airport limousine service through the hotel. This option offers a more comfortable and premium experience but may be more expensive than
regular taxis.
Airport AOT Limousine Service: Once you arrive at Suvarnabhumi Airport in BKK and you are in the Arrivals Hall after customs, there are several selling points of the AOT Limousine Service.
This limousine service is around half price from the hotel limousine service. You have the possibility to choose your type of car. A normal limousine car costs 1200 Baht to get downtown.
The good point here is that you do not have to discuss with the drivers.
Ride-Sharing Apps: You can also use Grab to book a ride from the airport to the hotel. Nowadays the most convenient method of getting around.
By Taxi: Attention with the scamming from Bangkok Airport Taxi drivers! Tell them they must drive by meter before they depart or get off immediately!
Please note that traffic conditions in Bangkok can vary, so it's a good idea to plan your transportation accordingly, especially if you have a tight schedule. Additionally, make sure to have the hotel's address and location details handy to show to the driver or for input into navigation apps.
Getting around in Bangkok:
Once you have settled in the hotel and you start to explore Bangkok, we highly recommend using the public transport system or to grab a “grab”.
The closest public transport options to the hotel include:
BTS Skytrain: The nearest BTS Skytrain station to The Athenee Hotel is Phloen Chit Station, which is just a short walk away from the hotel. From Phloen Chit Station, you can easily access
various parts of Bangkok, including popular shopping centers, tourist attractions, and business districts.
MRT Subway: While the MRT Subway system does not have a station directly adjacent to The Athenee Hotel, you can access the subway system by taking a short walk or taxi ride to nearby BTS
stations like Asoke or Sukhumvit, where you can transfer to the MRT Sukhumvit Line
Check-in:
When we arrived at the hotel, the doorman greeted us and helped us with our luggage to the check-in desk.
Staff at front desk was friendly and helpful.
From the regular front desk in the lobby, we were escorted to the Lounge on the 26th floor to do our check-in.
Once in the lounge, the staff was simply amazing at check-in. We were escorted to a table and immediately offered a drink whilst waiting until our check-in was done.
The concierge then came to us and explained everything about the hotel and the benefits we would get as Titanium Elite members. Once the check-in was completed and the drinks empty, we were
escorted to the suite.
Check-out:
The check-out was also done in the Lounge. The staff again was amazing and offered an exceptional service. We could choose to do the check-out at a table with a drink or at the desk.
The agent talked to us all the time. Split payment was no problem and the final amount was taken from the pre-authorized amount on the credit card. The agent was simply wow.
Staff @ Front desk:
Staff at the main reception in the lobby wasn't really attentive or friendly. The front desk staff consists of a mix of Receptionists, Bellboys as well as concierge. Some of them greeted the
guests, took the time to chit chat and made sure to help whilst others looked at you and did not even blink with their eyes. You couldn't have more in existent for them. We had this issue
already last time we stayed and nothing has changed.
Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Recognition:
I did book an Athenee King-bed room and a few days prior arrival I saw in the app, that the hotel had us already upgraded into a Royal Suite.
Titanium Recognition was simply amazing and all perks and even more received without asking or mentioning anything. Simply amazing and just wowww.
This is exactly the Thai style hospitality that we love and always come back to.
See the picture for all the benefits you will get as Platinum Member and higher at the “The Athenee Hotel” Bangkok.
Something we loved most, was the laundry service of two items per Person every day.
You will also get a 10% Bonvoy Member discount on your F&B consumption and in the spa.
This time we had no issues, the staff immediately deducted the discount from each bill.
Once we got into our suite there was a big fruit basket and a nice welcome amenity with chocolate and some nuts waiting for us. There was a handwritten card welcoming us back.
Eligible nights and points:
The eligible nights as well as the points and revenue were credited 24 hours after the stay.
All parameters were correct.
Concierge:
The concierge / bell boy team is super friendly and helpful. They are there when needed and otherwise their system works like a clock in the background.
Room / Suite:
As mentioned before we were upgraded to a Royal Suite on the 24th floor. The Royal Suite is a one-bedroom corner suite with 1,5 bathroom and with around 100 square meters in size. The Suite
was simply amazing and what we loved was the warm and cozy touch of it. It felt like home.
When you entered the room you had a small hallway and on the right of it, there was the separate guest toilet. Then you entered the living room with a massive couch and armchair area. An
absolutely beautiful living room and decorated with care and class. On the left of the living room the was little oriel/bay area where there was the office space with a nice desk and chair as
well as the minibar area with free water and the coffee machine.
Going further you reached the bedroom. A nice and well decorated bedroom with a very comfortable king-size bed.
The mattress was top and the bedding was super comfortable.
On the right of the bedroom was a walking in closet with lots and lots of space and then there was the big bathroom.
As said, the suite was so comfortable and had an amazing warm and homey atmosphere. We felt relaxed and home from second one.
Decor wise there is a lot of wood, grey and blue. Absolutely top decoration and colors.
Bathroom:
The bathroom is massive in size, and it is fully made out of marble. There is a huge bathtub as well as a big walk-in shower.
Lots of amenities are available which you want see anymore in any of the European or North American Hotels. (Toothbrush, shaver, cotton pads, mouth wash, sewing kit, cotton bud etc.) and the
“The Athenee” uses Le chime products as shampoo, shower gel and lotion.
The water pressure in the shower is good and the rain forest shower head works perfectly fine.
WiFi:
WiFi works amazing throughout the entire hotel. You can easily work in the room and stream films but the same works as well by the pool.
Top notch connectivity
Butler Service:
The Athenee hotel offers also a butler service. They do mostly engage in the Lounge on the 26th floor and they offer a variety of services you can choose from. Easiest to get in contact with
them is via Whats-App Chat. They are available 24hrs a day. The Butler Team was simply amazing and they engage with all customers in the lounge and offer they services.
Housekeeping:
Housekeeping at this property is top notch and you can see and feel that these amazing associates are still the Athenee staff and not outsourced.
They do an amazing job with pride and passion. The room was always top notch and when you encounter them in the hallway, they always greet you and smile.
In addition to the very thorough daily cleaning of the room the housekeeping team offers a daily turn down service.
Also here they freshen up the room again and leave it spotless.
It is sooo nice to see such an amazing housekeeping and team.
F&B outlets/ Lounge:
The Athenee Bangkok Hotel has a whopping total of 8 F&B outlets. With only a 5 night stay and loving to explore the city and street food, we were not
able to try them all.
Rain Tree Café:
Our personal experience:
It is the main breakfast venue of the property and it is the biggest F&B outlet and the main restaurant of the Hotel.
The Breakfast buffet is huge and it has many different stations.
There is a fresh juice bar where you can choose the fruits and ingredients of your drink. There are fresh fruits, a yogurt, cheese and cold cuts stations.
There is a big selection of bread, croissants, bagel and Danish and then there is the hot dish area. It is one of the biggest hot items area in a hotel that I know. They offer Japanese,
Korean, Indian, Thai hot breakfast items as well as western items. Then there are live cooking stations where you can order your eggs any style, a pancake / waffle / French toast station as
well as a fresh soup cooking station.
The choice of the food was very good, but that was the good things about the restaurant and breakfast.
The staff at the restaurant were complete robots. All of them running around with headsets and walkies-talkie, being hectic but simply no one interacts or takes some time for the guests.
The hot egg dish problem (which I wrote last time already) still exists.
I ordered an omelette the first day, and guess what, it came wrong and cooked to death, bone dry! So nothing has improved here as well.
The venue itself felt like a waiting hall. It was loud, busy and with the staff running around super hectic.
We decided not to go to the restaurant for breakfast anymore but to take breakfast in the lounge. If you you are platinum elite member with Bonvoy or higher, we highly highly recommend to
take your breakfast in the lounge.
The restaurant would also be available for lunch and dinner with following opening hours:
Mon-Sat
6:00 AM-10:30 AM / 12:00 PM-2:30 PM / 6:00 PM-10:00 PM
Sun
6:00 AM-10:30 AM, 12:00 PM-3:00 PM, 6:00 PM-10:00 PM
Hashiri / Japanese restaurant:
We were not able to try this outlet.
The Silk Road / Cantonese restaurant:
We were not able to try this outlet.
The View:
Our personal experience:
The View is the pool bar / restaurant of the Athenee Hotel.
It has a beautiful outside patio and offers drinks and food/snacks during the day.
We had a few drinks here as well as some snacks during our afternoon hours at the pool. The drinks were good and so were the snacks.
Staff at the view was very attentive and did a great job.
Please note, even you are lying on your sun chairs, far away from the "view restaurant" and just sunbathing or enjoying the pool, you are not allowed to eat any food (fruits etc) from outside
the hotel. We were told from staff that this not allowed!
Opening hours, everyday
9:00 AM-9:00 PM
The House of Smooth Curry
Our personal experience:
The house of Smooth Curry is a Thai Restaurant, and it is located on the 3rd floor.
We went to this outlet for dinner and the experience was just wowww.
The restaurant and its atmosphere is beautiful. The staff is super attentive, very friendly and helpful and offers top notch service.
The presentation of the food was amazing, and the taste was super delicious. It was an absolute amazing and pleasant experience. Thai food next level.
Opening hours, Everyday
11:30 AM-2:30 PM / 6:00 PM-10:00 PM
The Allium Bangkok / French Cuisine
We were not able to try this outlet.
The Bakery
We were not able to try this outlet.
The Glaz Bar
We visited the Glaz Bar in the evening. It is the hotels main bar located in the lobby.
The drinks were good and nicely presented.
No interaction from the staff. They take order, bring drinks, bring the bill.
No smiles, no talking, no nothing. Also here pure robots.
The bar has live piano music but otherwise nothing out of the ordinary, just a simple lobby bar which is okay for a drink.
Executive Lounge:
The Executive lounge is located on the 26th floor and it is one of the best Lounges we have ever seen and been!
First of all, it serves as a check-in/out area for all guests entitled to the Lounge and for all Bonvoy Platinum Elites and higher.
Once you get to the lounge, you are immediately offered some drinks and check-in/out is done in a very relaxed manner. The staff will also explain all the benefits which either come with your
booking or status.
They offer free drinks all day long and then there are special times such as afternoon tea or the happy hour.
During the happy hour they serve alcoholic drinks as well as cocktails. The drinks menu is massive and one of the biggest I have seen in a lounge. During the afternoon tea, they serve the
typical afternoon tea etagere with snacks and nibbles.
Happy hour dinner is massive and serves from snacks, soup, salad, cold cuts, hot items to deserts everything you can wish of a lounge buffet.
Breakfast in the lounge massive as well and serves almost the same amount of dishes as in the main restaurant.
Fresh squeezed juices, fresh fruits, yogurt, cold cuts such as cheese, meat and salmon, lots of hot items, bread, Danish and a fresh egg station.
Here the eggs were cooked perfect and the atmosphere of the lounge is so much nicer than the main restaurant on the ground floor.
This lounge definitely shows once more what hospitality in Thailand means and every hotel in the US would and should be ashamed of what they serve. Marriott and Bonvoy should take an example of this lounge.
As fantastic as the lounge is, the biggest asset and the biggest treasure of the lounge is its staff. Khun D. and absolutely everyone from the lounge staff is amazing. They all go the extra mile for the customers, they offer a top-notch service and are always a step ahead of the customers. They are super friendly and all of them are real customer service heroes and brand ambassadors. Bombastic service, period!
Pool:
The pool is located on the 4th floor of the Hotel.
Thanks to its location the pool has sun from sunrise to sunset.
The hotel offers enough sun beds as well as umbrellas and they even have some cabanas for couples.
Thanks to the view bar you will get drinks and snacks by the pool.
The pool itself is long enough to swim and it was one of the warmest pools we have experienced in Bangkok.
There is also a small kids pool available at one corner of the area.
Spa:
The Athenee Spa is located on the fifth floor of the Athenee Hotel. It is certified as one of the Forbes Qualified Spa.
It has several different rooms of one also comes with a Jacuzzi.
Prices are skyrocket high compared to good day Spas in Bangkok and you simply the name which in our eyes it's not worth it.
Gym:
The gym is also located on the 4th floor and right opposite of the door to the pool area.
The gym is quite big for a hotel, and it offers a big variety of machines. There is a cardio area with bicycles and treadmills and there is also an area for lifting weights.
In addition, the hotel also offers a sauna and steam bath.
There is always staff available which are taking care of the pool area as well as the gym. The staff is super attentive and friendly.
Social Media:
The hotel is active on social media. They do post on Facebook and Instagram, but no interaction with posts etc.
Summary:
All in all a great stay.
The hardware of the Hotel is in awesome shape and the suite we had was simply stunning.
The lounge and lounge staff were amazing and one of the best we have experienced.
We would definitely recommend this property and we will consider it for future stays ourselves.
But…
the icing on the cake for a 5 Sheep rating was definitely missing.
Staff can be a real hit or miss and does not really correspond with the luxury collection brand.
Staff at the main restaurant as well as the bar are simply offering very low customer service.
Main reception and some team members there are a hot or miss.
Not allowing to eat fruits from outside by the pool (not restaurant) and being told off is a total no go!
Breakfast in the main restaurant as described above was okay but not “luxury collection” style. We had better breakfast at Premium Brands of Marriott.
Notes:
- Paul the Sheep does not get any benefits from the Hotels/Airlines etc.
- Paul will always pay for the services to be able to rate freely and truly about the experiences.
- If you are interested in more details, please send us a private message and I will be happy to share more information and pictures.