Stayed for 3 nights as part of a Far East tour.

The hotel is amazing in every way. Location on the river and real 5* experience.

We were allocated a 3rd floor room and I had hoped for a higher floor - but only 3rd floor has balconies all other floors do not - except for the few rooms facing directly on the river - so a result.... the balcony was lovely and overlooked the pools and river.

The room was faultless and large, modern and clean.

There is nothing to fault anywhere in this hotel. Service is perfect

Be aware though that wine is expensive as import tax is 500% that of spirits so expect to pay around £40 a bottle...

As for Bangkok I found it dirty, noisy and chaotic and traffic was a real problem, although the temples are well worth a visit.
Otherwise just chill in the hotel and enjoy

Having spent 2 nights at the Oriental before going to Krabi, I do not think we could have found a better option. The service from the second you arrive is far superior to any 5* I have stayed in anywhere in the world. There is a concierge on every floor to expect you in the elevator, everyone knows who you are and are treated like royalty. We had dinner at Lord Jims which was amazing and the second night we had the buffet outside which was fabulous with a live band. The experience was above and beyond, and I would reccomend this hotel highly!!!!

June 30, 2008


Khun Kurt Wachtveitl
General Manager
The Oriental Bangkok
48 Oriental Avenue
Bangkok, Thailand 10500

Dear Khun Kurt,

Tonight was a night I have been waiting for anxiously since I received your mailing regarding the La Tour D’Argent promotion at Le Normandie. As I did a couple of years ago, I made reservations to dine at Le Normandie and enjoy La Tour D'Argent's famous "Canard a la Presse". Upon making the reservations over the phone, I learnt that tables were being booked rapidly and only Saturday, June 28 dinner was available. Therefore, I made reservations for two on Saturday, June 28, 2008 at 19:30. The ONLY conditions stipulated by your hostess over the telephone were to (1) show up on time and (2) if I were to cancel, to call one day in advance. There were NO other conditions attached and I was satisfied at this point with the understanding that all arrangements for my dinner reservations were in order.

It is a rare occasion for my wife and I to dine without our 10-month old son. However, as we both were looking forward to the promotion, and since Le Normandie doesn't allow children in the restaurant, we went through a lot of trouble and preparation in order to get my wife’s mother to look after my son for the night.

We arrived at Le Normandie at the precise time of our reservation at 19:30 on Saturday and were surprised to find out from the restaurant hostess that she did not recognize my reservation . She went through another book where I saw my name written down. She then proceeded to tell me that my reservation had been cancelled because she had made several attempts to call me to confirm but couldn't get through to me. However, there had NEVER been any mention of reconfirmation by telephone when I had called to make the reservation and in any case I had not received any phone calls or voice messages she claimed to have left and I told her so accordingly. She then asked us to wait while she called on the Maitre d'Hotel.

The Maitre d'Hotel walked up and immediately gave us a very unpleasant attitude. He was condescending and very obnoxious, acting as if we were to blame, as if I had done something terrible, as if I had committed a crime! He said that my reservation had been cancelled because they were not able to contact me to confirm our reservation for tonight. Once again, I was NEVER told by the hotel when I made the booking that my reservation had to be confirmed by phone and no where on the postcard mailing was there any mention that “reservations must be confirmed or be subject to cancellation”. As I said, when I made my reservation over the phone I was under the very firm understanding that my dinner table was booked and confirmed and NO such re-reconfirmation was mentioned by the hostess at any time. We showed up on time on the night of our dinner reservations and we did not cancel our reservation in any way prior to that.

The Maitre d'Hotel kept on accusing me of not being reachable by phone when they were trying to contact me. At this point, I found it ridiculous and very patronizing that he would behave in such an unacceptable manner to guests and I had to question, "Is this the service level of The Oriental Bangkok?" Is it the Oriental's policy to place blame on the customer when the customer clearly is NOT in the wrong?

I told him that I was a long-time Oriental customer, that I had my wedding here, that I dined here before on numerous occasions but he kept repeating that they had tried to reach me. Obviously this was not the point at all as no one had mentioned prior to this that reservations were subject to a reconfirmation via telephone by the restaurant staff and that your reservations would automatically be cancelled should the staff not be able to reach you. I was extremely disappointed by his arrogant attitude and the lack of any cooperation or consideration on his part. His total disregard for service was extremely evident . Has this become the new motto for the Oriental – “The Customer is always wrong?”. His service and approach was, to put it very simply [--]. I apologize for my foul language, but that was honestly the only word to use for the level of respect, or lack thereof, which I received from the Maitre d'Hotel. I told him that I would be making a complaint to Khun Kurt and the press about this, which might have prompted him to take a little action as he then decided to offer my wife and I a table in the walkway. The Maitre d'Hotel said that it was normal to set up tables in the walkway and this is where we would have to dine. I specifically told the Maitre d'Hotel at that point that when I had made my reservation over three weeks ago I had stipulated a table by the window. I requested a proper table as my reservations were made long in advance and did not warrant a last minute seating arrangement set up in the walkway of the restaurant. Maitre d'Hotel refused.

At this point, I asked for Maitre d'Hotel's name card, which he had problems holding on to as he dropped it onto the floor, perhaps from his shakey hands. Having learnt then that his name was Khun Loic Thomas, I then told Khun Loic Thomas, Maitre d'Hotel Le Normandie, that we would leave specifically because of the way that we were being treated especially by him. He promptly proceeded to the elevator and pressed the button for us, as if to say, you are welcomed to leave.

While waiting for the elevator, I spoke to the Thai hostess and told her that Khun Loic treated me like [--]. The Maitre d'Hotel’s behavior was simply unacceptable and in complete contradiction to what the world’s best hotel stands for. I found it ironic that we had received such shocking service from staff of a hotel which has built its reputation solely on its service rendered to guests. All of a sudden as we were speaking with the Thai hostess, Khun Loic walked up to us, interrupted and asked us to wait for five seconds. We waited and Khun Loic came back to offer us a table by the window.

This offer didn’t come five seconds too late but fifteen minutes too late as Khun Loic could have offered us this table from the very beginning when we arrived not when we decided to leave. Had he done so at the beginning of our encounter, we would have been spared the humiliation of this extremely unpleasant experience. However, his attitude towards the entire situation and the way he chose to deal with guests completely ruined our impressions of Le Normandie. His attitude was never about trying to fix the situation but simply to blame the customer. Only when faced with the threat of a serious complaint made against him did he decide that he was able to accommodate the customer’s request. I refused Khun Loic's offer and decided to leave as the whole confrontation had left me with a very disagreeable feeling.

As I left The Oriental Bangkok, at such short notice, in a suit, tie and my wife in evening dress, I called Le Bua for reservations at Sirocco. Despite being fully booked, Sirocco managed to get me a wonderful table with a magnificent view of the Bangkok skyline right away. We arrived at Sirocco where I was greeted by name, something The Oriental Bangkok was legendary for but evidently, no longer is.

I truthfully must say that Le Bua's service level has exceeded The Oriental Bangkok in all aspects.

I don't take pleasure in complaining, and I would much rather be writing a letter to you complimenting great service at the Oriental had I received it. But when I do complain, I do it for a very good reason. I believe my reason is valid and worth bringing to your attention.

Yours sincerely,
Kraipob Pangsapa

We stayed at the Mandarin Oriental for four nights and absolutely loved it ! It is the best value in town...We were met at the airport by our limo and quickly shuttled to the hotel in a first class BMW. We had beautiful fresh flowers and fruits delivered daily. Don't miss the buffet breakfast - it is the best I have ever had anywhere. The pool staff was very attentive and housekeeping made out beds within minutes when we flipped the sign "make our room". The trainer at the fitness club spent time with us one on one and helped us to get a good work out. The most amazing service was that the hotel staff (reception, elevator attendant, floor butler, waitress, etc) addressed us by our names even when we were not holding a key in our hands. I think the staff memorized our passport photos and room numbers ! If you want to be pampered and be treated as a "family guest" this is the hotel to stay at! Don't forget to go to the Thai dinner and dance and high tea in the Author's Lounge - it was alot of fun!