Hotel Review for the Renaissance Bangkok Ratchaprasong Hotel
Paul‘s 155th Hotel Review for the
Details:
Duration of stay: 4 nights / vacation, city trip
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 & nights:
Room / Bathroom:
Bed, quality of sleep:
Bathroom, Shower:
Room Atmosphere:
WiFi / Internet:
Housekeeping general:
Cleanliness:
Food & Beverage:
Breakfast:
Breakfast staff:
Bar:
Bar Staff:
Restaurant:
Restaurant Staff:
Lounge:
Lounge Staff:
Paul ‘s Mix:
Pool:
Spa:
Gym:
Hotel Location:
Mojito Rating:
General Customer Care:
Staff attitude, interaction and responsiveness:
Social media interaction:
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= 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
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After 10 months we are back at this property. Oh boy, it has changed a lot. The staff has exchanged almost by 95% since last time.
The hardware of the hotel in the public areas are still in good shape and reflect the “modern” Renaissance Brand (Well the Renaissance Brand in our eyes has a huge identity crisis within Marriott). The rooms furniture would be ok but the colors in orange, green etc now urgently need a facelift. The rooms look old and worn out. Unfortunately, nothing happened here.
The software (staff) is a big issue at this property. There are currently only new employees working who are still learning either about the hotel or even about the position they are working in. They try their best to offer a customer service but at many places it does not get to the guest.
The entire summary at the end because now it is time for the full review.
General Info:
The hotel is located in Pathum Wan district very close to Lumphini Park and right next to the BTS Station "Chit Lom"
So getting around with public transport is not a problem at all here in Bangkok.
The hotel is set back from the main road and has a total of 333 rooms including suites. All in all the hotel is spread over 24 floors.
The hotel isn't the newest anymore. Nevertheless, in general, it is in great shape. It is super stylish, modern and has a great colour concept throughout the entire prop-erty where reddish
colours are the dominant part and includes other items which represent a lot of the Thai culture.
They were able to mix the modern Renaissance vibe with a rather older building.
Refurbishment is actually ongoing especially in the rooms.
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 lim-ousine car costs 1200 Baht
to get downtown.
The good point here is that you do not have to discuss with the drivers.
By Taxi: Attention, the scamming at Bangkok Airport of the Taxi drivers is back!!! The do refuse to drive by taximeter. Read below what happened to us.
The taxi would be the most convenient option to get into town. You can easily find a taxi at the airport's designated taxi stand. The Athenee Hotel is located in the Pathum Wan district,
which is approximately 30-40 minutes away from Suvarna-bhumi Airport, depending on traffic conditions.
This drive usually costs by meter and including all additional charges between 400 and maximum 500 Baht.
When we arrived at the airport, we went to the taxi stand and took a ticket for our ride. We made it to the stand where our supposed taxi was standing.
We put the suitcase in the trunk and the taxi driver asked us where we would be go-ing. We told him to the Athenee Hotel, and he said it would cost 800 Baht. I told him he has to drive by
Taximeter, and he said again it would cost 800 Baht.
I then removed the bags from the trunk and walked off.
Back in line we took a new ticket and went to our “new” designated taxi stand. Al-most same game. He asked where we would be going, and we said to the Athenee Hotel. He said it would cost 700
Baht for the ride and 20 Baht per suitcase (This sur-charge for the suitcase would be correct). I again told him he has to drive by taxime-ter, and he refused and wanted 700 Baht. So we left
again.
Once back at the taxi line, we saw a new taxi stall for electronic taxis with a massive sign “we drive by meter” so we decided to try them out.
Same scam. They refused to drive by meter and wanted to have a fixed price.
At the end we walked off, went back to the arrivals hall and just booked an AOT Limousine to get to the hotel.
Airport Rail Link: Take the Airport Rail Link from Suvarnabhumi Airport to Phaya Thai Station. From Phaya Thai Station, you can transfer to the BTS Skytrain (Su-khumvit Line) and take it to the Phloen Chit Station, which is the nearest station to The Athenee Hotel. The hotel is within walking distance from the station, or you can take a short taxi ride if you have a lot of luggage.
Ride-Sharing Apps: You can also use Grab to book a ride from the airport to the hotel.
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 rec-ommend using the public transport system or to grab a “grab” or official taxi. Please be careful with the
regular taxi and always tell them to start the taximeter before you start your journey.
BTS Skytrain: The nearest BTS Skytrain station to the Renaissance Bangkok Hotel is the Chit Lom Station, which is within walking distance from the hotel. This station is part of the Sukhumvit
Line and offers a convenient way to access various parts of Bangkok.
MRT Subway: While there isn't a direct MRT station adjacent to the hotel, you can access the MRT Subway system by taking a short walk or taxi ride to nearby BTS stations like Chit Lom or Asoke.
These BTS stations have connections to the MRT network, allowing you to explore other areas of the city easily.
Check-in:
When we arrived at the hotel, the bellboy greeted us and escorted us to the check-in counter.
The Front Office Agent checked our reservation and then we were escorted to the Lounge on the 21st floor for the official check-in.
The Check-in agent in the Lounge was very new. She welcomed us to the Renaissance Hotel but had trouble to read our reservation as I booked a room on points and added some Suite Night Awards
which were guaranteed 4 days in advance.
No mentioning of the Bonvoy Status or acknowledgement at check in. The Check-in agent just explained us the Lounge Times and the additional benefits like laundry etc.
We were allowed to choose the welcome benefit of an F&B item or 1000 points.
Unfortunately, in Asia Renaissance Hotels does not grant breakfast at their restaurants except for Resorts. Even so 10 month ago in this property we were allowed to have breakfast at the
restaurant, this time it was in the lounge only.
The check-in process in general was a little clumsy and rather cold.
Check-out:
Check-out would have been possible in the Lounge, but we decided to check out at the main reception in the lobby.
Check-out was nothing special at all. The agents were friendly and and professional but the check-out was a robotic routine for them without any big interaction.
The agent next to our agent who checked us out was interacting with us a little bit more.
No help from the bellboys and / or concierge on departure. No one there on the curb side who would ask to help with the bags.
It sort of felt like now you have paid the invoice, thank you and good bye. No more customer service needed.
Staff @ Frontdesk:
Staff at the front desk was okay. Nothing out of the ordinary as also here most of them were new. Minimal interaction and customer service.
The only positive point was one of the agents / loyalty mangers at the Elite Desk who really went above and beyond and chatted with all the guests and he made sure everyone was enjoying the
stay.
Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Recognition:
I booked this stay with points and used my Suite Night Awards to get upgraded into an Executive Corner Suite which worked out 4 days prior to arrival.
We received all benefits such as Lounge access, F&B discount, other benefits, and a very nice welcome amenity in the room.
Otherwise, no mentioning of the status etc. at check-in.
No problem for us, we just went with the flow, as everything else worked.
The last time we stayed at the Renaissance Bangkok was 10 months ago. Back then und until then, as Elite guest we were able to choose our if we wanted to have our breakfast at the Lounge or
in the Restaurant.
This benefit unfortunately has gone, and you are only entitled to breakfast in the lounge.
Eligible nights and points:
Eligible nights were posted 24 hours after our stay. The amount of posted points was correct as well.
Concierge & Bellboy:
The concierge and bell boy team are the stars in the lobby. They are actually the ones who keep everything running.
They interact with the customers, talk to them, offer them some advice and give them tips and hints about Bangkok.
They do the most work in the lobby and do even more in customer service as the front office team.
Exactly at departure this team also has failed tremendously as it was more important to chat behind the desk instead of helping the guests.
No one helped in getting out to the curb side or to help with the luggage when the taxi arrived.
First and last impressions are the things which stay in mind of a customer, so the two gentlemen this morning ruined a lot what the team has built up during the stay.
Room / Suite:
For this stay I booked a Studio Suite with my points and applied some Suite Night Awards to be further upgraded. The Suite Night Awars worked and 4 day prior our arrival we got upgraded to a
bigger one bedroom suite with city view. This is actually their Executive Suite.
We liked this suite much better as the Renaissance Suite we had last time. The Executive Suite feels airier and more specious than the Renaissance Suite and has an absolutely stunning corner
view over the city.
The suite itself is 72sqm big.
When you enter the suite, on you left of the corridor, there is a big desk to work, two lounge chairs to relax and on one suite of the suite a huge bench/sitting area next to the window. In
the middle the is the king size bed.
The suite also offers a coffee/tea area as well as a minibar.
On the right of the entrance, there are the wardrobes as well as the entrance to the bathroom.
The atmosphere in the suite is good as it feels very airy and thanks to the many windows over the corner it offers a lot of natural light.
The room itself is very colorful. It has a lot of pale wood as floor and as furniture and then there are the bright colours of orange and green.
Unfortunately, the colors used in the room and especially the orange is super out. It gives the suite a worn out and very old feeling.
It is definitely time, that the hotel works on the renovation or at least on a refreshment of the rooms. Especially the colours must go.
In our opinion if they will not start shortly with a refreshment, the Renaissance has the oldest and worn-out rooms in Bangkok. The competition is big even within Marriott and there are a lot of new, modern Hotels and rooms coming into the market.
Bathroom:
The bathroom of our suite is massive in size and in great shape. It has a huge bathtub with a stunning view over the city, right next to the window.
On the left there is a huge walk in shower with rain forest shower. Next to it, there is the toilet and on the other side there is a double vanity think.
As said the bathroom is in great shape, still looks good and modern.
The only thing here is that the rainforest showerhead needs to be descaled. This is normal as house keeping has no chance to reach them to clean.
WiFi:
WiFi is a so so thing. Sometimes it works perfectly fine and then it is again suuuuper slow.
But the connectivity is good throughout the entire property.
Housekeeping:
Housekeeping does an amazing job and the suite is always cleaned and tidied up in perfection.
They are super present on the floor and always greet and smile when passing them.
I don’t know how they made it, but every time we returned from breakfast, the room was already done.
The hotel also offers a turn down service every night and the housekeeping team once more freshens up the room before the night.
F&B outlets/ Lounge:
The Renaissance Bangkok Ratchaprasong Hotel has a total of 5 F&B outlets. Once of them, the “La Tavola” is currently closed and under renovation and the “H2O Pool bar” is closed.
With only a 4 nights stay we were not able to try them all.
Flavors
Our personal experience:
We can not talk about breakfast at flavors as during this stay we were not allowed to choose it as benefit.
But…
One night when it was raining heavily outside, we decided to stay in and had the dinner buffet at Flavors. They call it Seafood on fire and also offer other international dishes.
Wowww, we were actually blown away by the buffet the hotel was offering. It was simply huge, a massive variety of food, and everything was super fresh and of outstanding quality. We would
never ever have expected something like it.
The staff at the restaurant was simply amazing. The waiting staff was very helpful and friendly. The chefs and kitchen staff were the starts of the evening. They showed with pride and passion what they can and offered a culinary delight to the guests.
Should you be in the area and if you like seafood, this is definitely something we do recommend you to come to the Renaissance Hotel and try it.
Hotel Description: International
Experience all-day dining with our enticing menu and buffet dinner in Bangkok at Flavors, our international restaurant. This interactive dining venue features an open kitchen for a superb
culinary experience and boasts TripAdvisor Certificate of Excel-lence
Everyday: 6:00 AM-10:30 PM
Fei Ya
Our personal experience:
We were not able to try this restaurant during our stay. But we tried it 10 months ago. So please have a look at our other review. (klick here)
Hotel Description: Chinese
Dine in Fei Ya's award-winning restaurant and experience authentic Chinese delica-cies in the heart of Bangkok. This popular Chinese restaurant in Bangkok offers fla-vorful takes on Peking
duck and an extensive dim sum menu.
Everyday: 11:30 AM-3:00 PM / 6:00 PM-10:30 PM
La Tavola - Under renovation tentatively open in early October 2023
Our personal experience:
Closed, currently under rennovation
Hotel Description: Italian
Savor Italian cuisine made from fresh produce and sample homemade pizzas prepared in our woodfired oven. Brimming with the casual charm of a trattoria, La Tavola is a favorite Italian
restaurant in Bangkok. Open for lunch and dinner.
Everyday: Open for lunch and dinner
R Bar
Our personal experience:
We were at R Bar a few times during our stay. It is sort of a hip bar but they show football all the time so I don’t know if they want do be a sports bar as well and just please everyone.
The bar itself is very modern, has a great vibe and colorful.
The bar menu such as cocktails and drinks is on the very short and poor side. There is lots of air to improve and to become a real cocktail bar.
Food wise I think they have positioned the bar perfectly; you get different style flad bread pizzas as well as some tapas styles.
The pizzas were very nice and there is not need for a bigger food menu as otherwise they would cannibalize their own restaurants itself.
As described above, the hotel offers an amazing choice of different F&B offerings and is very innovative.
So we had a very modern interpretation of an afternoon tea at the R-Bar.
The snacks were simply amazing and great. You pair the sweets with either coffee or tea but there is also the option to pair it with mocktails.
So, a very relaxing but yet modern tea time treatment if you would like to escape the hustle and bustle of the city.
On the only rainy day, we stayed inside the hotel for the entire afternoon and evening. The R-Bar then offered a cocktail workshop which can be booked by everyone and all guests of the hotel.
Also here they show that they are willing to go the extra mile and offer something special for their guest.
The workshop was fun and we were able to mix two drinks / cocktails which you would not be able to find on any other menu then on the R-Bar. One of which is becoming their new signature
drink.
Staff at the bar was okay. Some were top, some were okay. Some have a huge language barrier as they hardly speak some English and will not understand you if you talk to them.
The main problem here is that the employee who has been there the longest has only been working there since March this year.
Everyone is new, most of them have no idea what they do as they are new in the job and everyone would need training. But there is no one who would be able to give them training as everyone is
new.
Hotel Description: International
Let loose in an upbeat atmosphere reflecting Bangkok's modern style at R Bar. Connect with family, friends and colleagues while enjoying small bites, delicious wines and handcrafted cocktails
at this vibrant Bangkok hotel bar.
Everyday
11:00 AM-12:30 AM
H2O - Temporality closed until further notice.
Our personal experience:
It is funny that they say temporarily closed as it is now closed for several years and it look like they have no intention to get the pool bar back running.
At least you can order some drinks and food to the pool via in room dining. They have installed a phone on the bar to order.
Hotel Description: Other
Soak up and relax in our beautifully designed indoor pool. Featuring a wall of windows with views of the city, our Bangkok hotel bar will be a highlight of your visit to Bangkok. Dress code:
swimwear attire
Executive Lounge:
The Lounge of the Renaissance Hotel is located on the 21st floor.
The check-in / check-out area of the lounge is right by the entrance. Staff is friendly and interacts with the guest but also here, everyone is super new. The longest serving staff member in
the lounge is there for 9 months now.
So they simply do not have the routine and with some things do not know what they do.
They would need additional training.
The front office team is there, they hide at this little reception and they say hello and goodbye when you enter the lounge. That is basically it.
The lounge staff during some days was so new, they were even scared to interact with the guests and they rather prefer to hide instead to go out, interact with guest and offer some customer service.
In our eyes the most friendly and open staff in the lounge was the kitchen / chef`s team. They came out, interacted with the guests and always had a smile on their face.
The Lounge itself is simply top notch and offers a fantastic service. They offer soft drinks, tea & coffee all day, they have a great breakfast buffet, in the afternoon they offer
afternoon tea and from 17:30 until 19:30 they have a happy hour.
The buffet is always huge and offers a fantastic and huge selection. The food is very delicious and super fresh.
Some U.S hotels do not even offer such a choice and buffet selection in their main restaurant for dinner.
So the F&B offer in the lounge is simply wow.
The breakfast buffet in the lounge was great as well. Unfortunately, if you are on vacation, you do not want to have breakfast in the midst of business travelers who are there with the
laptops or on their phones.
It is simply a bad atmosphere for vacation travelers and the hotel should urgently reconsider to offer the option of having breakfast either at the lounge or in the restaurant. I am 1000%
certain, that people do not eat more in the regular restaurant than in this lounge. So this must have come out of pure cost cutting but was a terrible decision.
Pool:
The pool is a huge plus for this hotel, as it is semi-indoor style.
The pool area looks amazing, and it is very instagramable. It looks like in the 70s but still very modern.
I really love the look of the pool.
Unfortunately, they only have 6!!! Sunbeds for 333 rooms hotel. So that is not sufficient.
As the H2O bar is now closed for years and it looks like that they will not reopen it, it would take a huge part of its space and to create another area with sunbeds and lounge style.
You can still keep the bar once you would like to bring back the bar.
Well no guest space (6 chairs) means also no guest for a bar. So, this could also be an improvement for the H2O bar if more guest would be up there.
Spa:
Also, the Quan Spa is located on the 23rd floor, next to the gym and pool.
The spa is huge and simply amazing.
We did enjoy a 90-minute treatment there. The therapists are great and very professional. Make sure to check with the spa as they have some great offers. For example, on Wednesday`s you will
get 30% off your treatments.
Gym:
A very huge and modern gym. It is located on the 23rd floor and offers a huge variety of cardio options as well as weightlifting.
Please note it is also frequented from guests outside of the hotel as you can buy the membership.
Social Media:
The social media team is one of the most active teams I have seen. They are present on all channels, interact with guests and customers on the channels and offer a great customer service.
They do post and repost and interact.
This team should be an example and role model for other hotels of how a social media team of such a hotel should work.
Summary:
All in all a really good stay but the hotel definitely needs to work on a few things now if they do not want to loose their position and marked share in Bangkok.
They have some minor hardware issues and some bigger software issues. In addition, they have to be careful not to cut to many items and costs as customers start to realize it.
Hardware:
- The public areas of the hotel such as the lobby, the restaurants, bar, pool area still look good, are up to date, modern and funky
- Guest floors and especially rooms are slowly looking tired and used. They definitely need a renovation or refresh. The colours they use, orange, green etc are so 80`s and they just look
worn out.
Compared to other hotels in Bangkok the rooms look now tired and worn out.
- Bathrooms are still in top shape.
Software;
General:
The hotel has cut a few things which were okay and normal during our stay 10 month ago. Suddenly these perks do not exist any longer or are not part of benefits anymore.
Staff;
- This is the biggest issue of this hotel at the moment. Most of the staff is brand new. In some areas, no one is working there with more than 6 month seniority.
- At the bar, everyone is new, they are still learning but they try hard.
- The lounge staff is a bit issue. The check-in staff at the lounge hides behind their desk. More than a hello or goodbye is not coming out of their mouth. No interaction with the guests at
all. Some of them also have some difficulties to understand English. During the last night I tried to get a sewing kit which the first agent did not understand what is was or did not
understand what I was asking for.
- Waiting staff is okay, they are friendly and smile but also here no interaction with the customers.
- Front desk staff, bell boys and concierge try hard. Some of them do a great job and others are just there.
- The best and most friendly and outgoing staff throughout the hotel was the kitchen staff and the chefs. They walk around, talk to you at breakfast and do a fantastic job.
The management, at least from the departments who still have a management, some departments are “headless”, are simply running around and seem overworked.
If the managment team would radiate more security, calmness and patience towards their team, this would be transferred to them and have a positve impact as well.
Happy relaxed staff = happy relaxed guests.
As said, we still liked our stay at the Renaissance Ratchaprasong Hotel, The room was great, the lounge offering was top, but the hotel has to work on its customer service, train their staff
and finally renovate the rooms. We would come back to this property and really hope they work on the above topics.
Should they succeed then this will be again a top property in Bangkok and find its place again.
If they don’t, they will slowly loose their position in Bangkok.
That would be really sad, as in our eyes the hotel has one of the best views in their rooms over Bangkok.
Notes:
- Paul the Sheep does not get any benefits from the Hotels/Airlines etc.
- Paul will always pay for the services in order 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.