In short although the reception is impressive, the rooms are bland and nothing special. Its a typical corporate style chained hotel room which makes you feel like you could be anywhere in the world but nowhere in particular. There are plenty of far nicer hotels in Bangkok, so i wouldnt waste your money here. Try the Peninsula or the Conrad for better value for money and a feeling of being in the far east!

Ruern Thai suite....fantastic

Life is short, and it's only money....so why not invest in memorable travel? For our anniversary, we booked the Ruern Thai suite, one of the Plaza Athenee's four themed suites.

As we pulled up to the hotel, I noticed three hotel managers standing outside, holding flower garlands. "Are they here for us?", I asked my husband. Yes, they were. Greeting, wai-ing, and offering flowers, it was the warmest welcome we've ever received, as the whole group escorted us to our elegant suite. The wood-paneled suite mixed antique Ayutthaya-period sculptures and wood carvings with contemporary silk-covered furnishings, but managed to feel as comfortable as borrowing a friend's beautiful apartment. Beautiful large apartment, that is....2000 square feet, with a dining room, living room, two bedrooms, 2 1/2 bathrooms, and a butler pantry/kitchen. Opening into the master bedroom was a fantastic bathroom, starring a huge tiled tub. The separate shower area included a traditional ceramic water-jar, with a wooden dipper for sluicing off. All room had floor-to-ceiling windows, and gorgeous flowers were everywhere. A light lemongrass scent filled the air, and our clothing remained perfumed for days afterwards.

In general, we found the Plaza Athenee's staff to be, by far, the best trained of any 5-star hotel on our trip---friendly, attentive, and always ready to assist. The hotel's breakfast buffet offers an endless variety from many cuisines...and our anniversary dinner at the hotel's Smooth Curry restaurant was good enough to make us wonder why we'd spent the past several weeks eating the blander food of Vietnam. And although the hotel isn't on the river, it's very close proximity to a skytrain station makes the entire city easily and quickly accessible.

Tip: avoid the Starwood Group's insanely frustrating web site, and, call or e-mail the Plaza Athenee directly to book the Ruern Thai suite. I dealt with their wonderful finance manager, Freya Duncker, but probably anyone at their reservations desk could initially assist.

Got and excellent deal here back in 2004 for only $75 per night booking directly from the hotel. Stayed in a very large room on a high floor that had an excellent view of the city.

Hotel was absolutely fantastic! The lobby itself is quite impressive with an amazing included buffet breakfast. Definitely one of the best buffet breakfasts I have ever had.

Highly recommend this place!

My Husband and I stayed at this hotel for the first 3 nights of our honeymoon in December. We requested the airport limosine service which was well worth it, and a lovely way to arrive in Bangkok for our first time. The hotel staff were really friendly and helpful throughout our whole stay. Our room was incredible, we had a Royal Club room which gave us access to the Royal Club Suite for complimentary drinks and snacks. It is very close to the Skytrain which was very useful. Such a perfect hotel to come home to after a long day in Bangkok, I would definately stay there again if I was ever lucky enough to get the chance!