I arrived at the Marriott after a rather uneventful one hour
UberX ride from the airport, and was warmly greeted by the doorman, who
redirected me to a separate check in counter for Marriott gold and platinum
members.
In the middle of the lobby was a portrait of the previous
king of Thailand, who passed away last year.
As a Marriott gold member, I was upgraded to a deluxe corner
room, which had a beautiful view of the Bangkok Skyline, and a walk in closet.
I especially liked the hard tiled flooring, which has a nice
cooling effect on your feet after trudging through the hot Bangkok heat.
Having stayed at a standard room before, I actually felt the
actual bedroom space was a bit smaller, as the walk in closet took away some of
the space from the main area.
The sunken tub was replaced with a regular bathtub, and had
a corner view of the skyline.
The room also had a welcome platter of sweets and fruits, the
chocolate covered strawberries being particularly delightful.
Overall, I was pleased with my room. However on the first
day after taking a bath, I noticed some sludge like substance coming out of the
onto the bathroom floor.
It was later explained to me by housekeeping that it was a
mere cleaning issue. I found it really odd that a floor under the bathtub could
be so dirty, but the sludge didn’t appear for the next couple days.
However, on the fifth day, the mysterious sludge appeared
once again, so my guess would be it was a plumbing issue from the drain pipes.
After another maintenance call, the hotel did finally switch me to a junior
suite, but clearly having sludge coming out of the bathroom drain is not what
should be expected at a five star hotel.
Most rooms in this hotel have the sunken bath tub, so I
suspect this won’t be an issue with most guests, but I’d avoid the corner view
rooms until this plumbing issue is sorted out.
Standard bath tub
found in most rooms
My upgraded junior suite had a substantially bigger
bathroom, with a sliding door along with a sunken tub featuring similar
gorgeous views of the Bangkok Skyline.
Otherwise, the bedroom is pretty much the exact same design
with a slightly longer couch.
On the 7th floor is the hotel’s infinity swimming
pool and a small gym.
I found the pool to
be a bit chilly during the twilight hours, but given how hot Bangkok is nearly
year round, that’s not such as a bad thing.
Marriott gold and platinum members are treated to breakfast
at the restaurant Street 21 or the
club lounge. I’d highly recommend heading downstairs as the buffet spread is
among the most varied I’ve seen, with dishes from India, Japan, China, Thai,
and your typical western staples.
There was also an omelet, crepe, and noodle soup station. Of
all the dishes, I found the 57th signature omelet to be particularly
appetizing.
Items were constantly changed throughout my one week stay,
and the staff was all exceptional. Due to it being Chinese New Year, the
restaurant was almost always full, with the excess flow being diverted to the
tables located in the lobby.
By far the highlight of the hotel is its spectacular rooftop
bar located on the 48th floor, which has a 360 open air view of
Bangkok.
Surprisingly, drink prices are extremely reasonable with
mixed drinks running at around $10. You can opt for table service or grab a
drink at the bar.
While many tourists head to The Hangover Bar, with drinks costing at least twice as much, I’d
highly recommend having a drink instead at Octave, which has healthy mix of
both local Thai and foreign guests staying at the hotel.
As a Marriott gold member, I had complimentary access to the
Marriott lounge located on the 40th floor. The lounge features a panoramic view of the
Bangkok skyline, which looks especially magical during the twilight hours.
The lounge is a bit small for a hotel of its size, with
around 20 or so small tables and seats. As a result, during peak hours the
tables were all full and guests were asked to sit next to the computer room or
in the meeting room. If you’re looking to grab the tables with prime views of
the horizon, make sure to arrive a bit early to reserve your spot.
The food on offer included two hot food choices, separate
desert station, cold cuts, and an a la carte cooking station.
Each day the food was rotated around different themes (eg.
Japanese). There is also dedicated bartender that can whip up anything from a
Mojito to a Cuba libre.
Overall I was extremely impressed by the lounge set up at
the Marriott Sukhumvit. With its generous free flow of drinks till 9:30 (food
is taken away at 7:30), the 4 hour long cocktail hour is sure to delight among
heavy drinkers and vacationers looking to unwind.
Besides the sludge issue with my corner room, I had a
wonderful week long stay at the Marriott on Sukhumvit. If you’re a Marriott
gold member (complimentary for American Express Platinum holders), this place
is a no brainer for an award stay and one of the best hotels to use a Category 1-5 Marriott Travel Package.
As a Category 5 property, the Marriott on Sukhumvit costs
35,000 points a night. Paid rates can usually be found for $100-$150, so I’d
probably pay cash if I didn’t have a free night certificate.
