I started patronizing Conrad Bangkok when I was a mere Hilton Hhonors Gold member and they treated me extremely well, giving me a double upgrade to an Executive Corner the 2 times I needed to be in Bangkok. Then when I turned Diamond, the treatment got even better. They went above and beyond and upgraded me to the Executive Suite whenever I stayed there. I was sold and the property slowly became one of my favourites in the Hilton portfolio. However with the status matches that Hilton started giving out like free at the beginning of the year, cut backs have become more prevalent. They are no longer as generous as before with regards to lounge access and upgrades.
During my latest stay at the property, I booked the 1 King Bedroom like I always did with my previous 6 stays. I was not pre-upgraded the day before and thought nothing about it since I figured they would probably just upgrade me like they always do. But boy was I wrong. I am not trying to sound like a self entitled prick here, but there is a problem if a property sets you up for disappointment. I mean after so many stays here with consistent treatment, I am bound to start having expectations, especially since I have been so loyal. And when these expectations are not met, I will certainly be disappointed and that was exactly how I felt.
To cut to the chase, I was only upgraded to a King Executive room as per the terms and conditions of the program, even though the property was not full. After some back and forth with the front desk manager, I agreed to pay for a King Executive room to get upgraded to the suite instead. He offered to let me stay in the King Deluxe Suite for a night on the condition that I had to shift to the King Executive Suite for the second night. I accepted his offer immediately and was briefed of my benefits, which included:
Buffet Breakfast - 6am to 1030am
Afternoon Tea - 230pm to 5pm
Evening Cocktails (and hors d'oeuvres) - 6pm to 8pm
2 Hours Meeting Room Usage (subjected to availability)
Late Check-out at 6PM (subjected to availability)
Complimentary Local Calls
When I opened the door to the 114sqm room, I was completely blown away. It was HUGE! The room was furnished with warm brown hues, which felt very distinctively Thai yet had the luxury that one would expect from a western chained hotel. The living room had a sofa, a desk area and a small dining table. There was even a Playstation 3 next to the TV and one could loan games from the concierge. It took me awhile before I settled down because I was trying to absorb everything in.
The view that my room conferred me was quite a sight to behold. It did not feature any particular landmark, but it was very pretty nonetheless.
As it was my birthday they also delivered a bottle of Prosecco and a cake, which I appreciate. Small gestures like this really make guests like me happy.
The bedroom of the Deluxe Suite was well appointed and partitioned away from the living room by a door. I found it weird that there was only 1 bathroom in the room since suites this size usually have a guest bathroom too. In the main bedroom an extremely huge bed, which sat directly across the television set, and gave me one of the best sleeps i have ever had in my life. And even with the huge bed, there was still plenty of room to go around. There was also a pillow menu that featured different types of pillow that one can request for by making a call to housekeeping. If i had one major gripe, it would be the severe lack of power points near the bed, or rather the whole suite.
The bathroom was simply amazing. It featured a deep soaking tub with a separate luxurious rainfall shower. As is the standard for Conrads, default toiletries were from Aromatherapy Associates but one can always call housekeeping to request for Tara Smith, Shanghai Tang and The Refinery. The vanity area was rather small and compact, but i still managed to fit all my toiletries on it. This would be a different story if a female with tons of make up lived here instead. Personally, i feel that for a suite this size, they should have 2 sinks instead of 1.
The Executive Suite was not too shabby too. It was decently sized and featured the same furnishing and decor.
As a Diamond member I had access to the executive lounge which serves breakfast, afternoon tea and evening cocktails as well as snacks and juices in between. They had cakes and pastries for tea and the evening cocktails offered hot and cold canapés which could easily pass off as dinner. Essentially they were serving three meals a day. In fact, I had to make a conscious effort to exercise self restrain and not over eat so that I will have appetite for authentic thai food outside the hotel.
I paid the swimming pool a visit but did not use it since it was nothing special.
I manage to make it for breakfast once during my stay there. Wanted to try out the Cafe 2 restaurant, but it was so packed with tour groups I decided to head to the lounge instead. The spread was not amazing, but it was sufficient.
Overall i thoroughly enjoyed myself at the Conrad Bangkok. The hotel is located at Wireless Road, which is rather central. It is a 5 minutes walk away from Phloen Chit BTS and they have complimentary shuttle service provided. While this hotel used to be my to-go property, the way elite benefits have been watered down leaves much to be desired for. As a Hilton loyalist, I would not rule this property out completely, but for now I would want to try out the W and the St Regis and the new Waldorf Astoria coming 2017.