Assessment: W Bangkok | Prince of Journey

After hitting the slopes in Niseko on a ski trip to Japan, I took a slight detour to Bangkok for a few days in preparation for an upcoming aspirational flight booking I had on Thai Airways First Class.

At the last minute, my friends decided to join me in Bangkok for a few days before they headed off to Phuket, and the first night of our stay was spent at the W Bangkok.

With previous great experiences at other W properties, I was hoping that this property would continue my streak of positive stays with the brand. Little did I know, we were in for quite the treat.

W Bangkok – Booking

My first positive impression of the W Bangkok came when I went to check out the figures for a stay. I redeemed 30,000 Marriott Bonvoy points for our stay, which felt like a fairly low price to pay for a W hotel.

At the low end, you can find nights for around 19,000 points, and at the high end, expect to pay around 32,000 points. The average lies somewhere in between, usually around 23,000–25,000 points throughout the year.

Cash prices for the W Bangkok run between 5,700 THB ($220 CAD) and 7,000 THB ($270 CAD), with the average price falling at around 6,500 THB ($250 CAD).

I didn’t necessarily get outstanding value from my redemption, given that we value Bonvoy points at 0.8 cents per point (CAD), as it was pretty much on par. 

In retrospect, I should have just paid cash for my stay, especially since we wound up splitting it three ways. However, my friends didn’t decide to join me in Thailand until the last minute, and I wasn’t too fussed.

I wouldn’t suggest using a Free Night Award at the property, since you can get much better value by staying at a more costly hotel.

For any cash bookings at the W Bangkok, you’ll be happy to know that it participates in Marriott Luminous, a preferred partner program. By booking your stay through an authorized travel advisor, you’ll receive a number of other perks and benefits at no extra cost, which come in addition to those you may enjoy with Marriott Bonvoy status.

W Bangkok – Location

The W Bangkok is located on North Sathorn Road in Bangkok’s Sathorn district. The area is home to some of the city’s most trendy hotels, cocktail bars, and lounges.

You’ll find many other trendy hotels located close to the W Bangkok, and the area is quite bustling both during the day and during the night.

If you’d like to see the city by boat, head over to the Chao Phraya River, which is around 20 minutes from the hotel by foot. 

Nearby shopping outlets include ICONSIAM and Siam Paragon, which are just steps away from the W Bangkok.

Lumphini Park is less than 10 minutes away by car or around 25 minutes by foot, if you’re in search of some green space in the middle of the city.

The hotel is located close to the Chong Nonsi BTS transit station, and you can get there in just five minutes by foot.

Coming from Suvarnabhumi Airport, it takes around 30 minutes at the best of times by car; however, expect traffic to bump that to over an hour during the day. 

W Bangkok – Check-in

My two friends and I arrived at the W Bangkok in the early evening. They had decided to join me in Bangkok for a few days after our ski trip when my friend Seb got injured on the slopes.

Our taxi pulled up to the hotel by way of a large gate after we had sat in traffic for around 20 minutes, barely moving at all.

My last time in Bangkok was in 2008 during an extensive backpacking trip, and as I laid my eyes on the hotel’s glowing façade with a huge W gracing the exterior, I immediately knew that I was a long way from Khao San Road and its less illustrious lodgings.

Prior to stepping into the hotel, we took a moment to gaze at what appeared to be an ancient mansion on the hotel’s property that sat behind a large water feature. While we weren’t quite sure what it was at this point, we made a note to return there to check it out later on that evening.

After treating my friends to rather utilitarian stays at the Westin Tokyo and the Hilton Niseko Village, I was very keen to give them a taste of the W brand, which I have come to appreciate in the recent past.

Indeed, they had many opportunities to quickly acquaint themselves with the W brand, since the logo is plastered all over the place.

The lobby lounge at the W Bangkok is fairly minimalistic, with a low-to-the-ground sofa resting in front of a large logo emblazoned on a bright wall, a spiral staircase that leads up to some dining venues, and some delicious iced beverages located off to the side. 

There was a small lineup when we arrived, and as we were sipping on a glass of water to help with the heat, we were approached by a staff member who apologized for the delay.

He kindly offered to bring us a welcome drink while we waited, and after taking our passports to be scanned, he returned shortly thereafter with a round of shots. 

While this was surely a bit of an unorthodox way to start the check-in process, none of us were opposed, and we celebrated our arrival in Bangkok in quite the festive manner.

As it turns out, the gentleman who assisted us was the hotel’s manager, who is from Vancouver and is familiar with our website. He guided us up to the check-in desks, and made sure to mention that we pop into The House on Sathorn for a nice cocktail later on that evening, which we duly noted.

While I’d booked a base-level room for one person for the stay, the associate had no qualms accommodating our surprise group of three. She also let me know that I’d been proactively upgraded to a Marvelous Suite due to my Platinum Elite status, and that they’d arrange for a rollaway bed to be brought in without delay.

Furthermore, to my delight, we were given three free drink vouchers to use at the hotel, and we are also told that there wouldn’t be an extra charge for a third guest at breakfast the next day. 

Our stay was already off to a fantastic start, and feeling keen to check out our suite and grab some street food, we headed over to the kaleidoscope-like elevator lobby and then up to our room on the 30th floor.

W Bangkok – Marvelous Suite

As we made our way towards the room, I couldn’t help but notice the hotel’s dark hallways and colour scheme that is a vestige of the W brand’s past. I learned that the W Bangkok opened its doors in 2012, and the pink, purple, and black certainly confirmed this.

However, this didn’t deter us at all, and we were quite pleased when we opened the door to our room and took stock of our surroundings.

The room’s foyer has a transparent purple glass partition that provides a break between the room’s secondary bathroom and the cowskin furnishings in the living room. 

The bathroom located in the foyer has a single vanity and a toilet, along with a bidet hose.

The living room in the Marvelous Suite is quite spacious, and would be perfect for hosting a small gathering. There is a large, four-person couch set against a jet-black wall that separates the living room from the bedroom. A black-and-white striped table sits in the middle of the room, with square and circular ottomans available as extra seats.

On the table was a note from the hotel’s manager and a rather delicious welcome gift of mango sticky rice, macarons, and cookies. 

Set against the living room’s windows is a lengthy desk and ergonomic chair. I spent the better part of the next day working from here, and found it to be an entirely comfortable place to sit for a few hours at a time.

On the opposite wall from the couch is a large flat-screen TV and the room’s not-so-minibar. There was plenty of booze and snacks available at a steep cost; however, there were also many bottles of water and a coffee maker that came without any sticker shock.

During the check-in process, when the staff mentioned that the rollaway bed would be brought up quickly, they weren’t kidding. Before I’d been able to snap pictures of the bedroom, the staff had already come by to set it up. 

The bedroom in the Marvelous Suite is located on the other side of the wall from the living room. In our case, we had a king bed and a rollaway bed set up to the side. A pair of golden boxing gloves were placed above the headboard, which was a nice nod to Thailand’s muay thai kickboxing.

The room’s second flat-screen TV is positioned directly opposite from the bed, and was playing a DJ set when we arrived.

In the corner of the bedroom, there’s another ottoman and a mirrored table.

The primary bathroom in the Marvelous Suite is attached to the bedroom. It’s very spacious, and has a lengthy vanity, a walk-in shower, a fabulous bathtub with a nearby TV, and a separate toilet room with a bidet hose.

It’s worth noting that the sliding glass door in the bathroom can only close off either the shower or the toilet room at any given time. 

Overall, we were quite thrilled with our generous upgrade, and found that we had plenty of space to enjoy during our short stay. With a no-questions-asked late checkout granted, we made sure to stick around the hotel as long as we could. 

It was nice to have the separate living room and bedroom, as I could hop on some meetings in one room while my friends had an extended sleep the next morning.

If you aren’t proactively upgraded, be sure to apply a Suite Night Award or do your best attempts at “suite-talking” at the hotel, as you’re in for a treat if you can get a Marvelous Suite.

W Bangkok – Wonderful King Room

During my stay, I had the opportunity to have a look a few other room types at the W Bangkok.

The Wonderful King Room is a base-level room at the W Bangkok. 

Inside, a king bed takes up the majority of space in the bedroom, although you’ll also find a single armchair and coffee table placed at the foot of the bed. Opposite from the bed is a flat-screen TV, and the room’s minibar. 

A long glass desk is tucked against the window, and looked very similar to the one in the Marvelous Suite.

The bathroom has a rectangular bathtub set underneath black subway tiles, a sliding mirrored door that moved between the shower and the toilet room, and a single vanity up against the wall to the bedroom.

This room type would be perfectly fine for a solo traveller or a couple who didn’t need any extra space to entertain.

It’s also worth noting that given the hotel’s proximity to a very busy street, it can get quite noisy at times. If you tend to be bothered by noise, be sure to ask for a room that caters to light sleepers.

W Bangkok – Wonderful Queen Room

The Wonderful Queen Room is a different form of the lead-in room types at the W Bangkok. Rather than a single king bed, you’ll find a queen bed and a twin bed in this room. Otherwise, the setup is identical to the Wonderful King Room, with a flat-screen TV, minibar, and desk. 

The bathroom in the Wonderful Queen Room is also the same. However, in this case, there was a sliding door that sealed up the bathroom from the outside.

If privacy is important to you, be sure to request a room with a sliding door, as they are in limited supply.

The Wonderful Queen Room could be a great option for two parents travelling with a child, or perhaps for a small group of friends travelling together.

W Bangkok – Cool Corner Room

The Cool Corner Room is a mid-level room suited for families or larger parties. It’s worth noting that there are only two of these room types on each floor, so their availability is a bit limited.

This room comes with two double beds, a lounge chair tucked into the corner, and a desk placed in front of the window.

The bathroom in the Cool Corner Room is essential a scaled-down version of the bathroom in the Marvelous Suite, with a few minor differences. A sliding glass door covers either the toilet room or the shower, there’s a single vanity (instead of a double), and the bathtub is rectangular instead of freestanding and round.

W Bangkok – Spectacular Room

The Spectacular Room is a step up from the base-level Wonderful Rooms, and a step down from the Cool Corner Room. Upgrades from a base-level room to this room type can be expected (if available) for guests with higher statuses or who book through Marriott Luminous.

The bedroom in the Spectacular Room is more spacious than the Wonderful Rooms, and has a setup that’s more playful than the Wonderful Rooms or Cool Corner Rooms. 

A king-sized bed rests against a white headboard, and there is a black-and-white rug that spans into the room’s seating area.

A translucent yellow wall separates the bedroom and the bathroom, with the bathtub slightly visible from the seating area.

A flat-screen TV is mounted on the wall to the side of the bed, and there is a desk parked in front of the room’s floor-to-ceiling windows.

The bathroom is likewise more spacious, and has a freestanding bathtub up against the wall, as well as a separate toilet room and shower room.

Overall, there’s a nice cohesion between all of the different room types that I had a chance to visit at the W Bangkok. Every room in the hotel has a bathtub, even though it might just look a bit different depending on the level of room you’re in.

With sheer walls and doors that only cover up one space at a time, there’s definitely a playful element to the rooms at the W Bangkok. However, it’s also good to know that there are options available for people who are looking for a bit more privacy.

Given the size of the hotel, you should have a relatively good shot at getting an upgrade based on status, “suite-talking“, Marriott Luminous, or Suite Night Awards. Even if you don’t get an upgrade, the base- and mid-level rooms are still nice options.

W Bangkok – Breakfast

Breakfast at the W Bangkok is served at The Kitchen Table from 6:30–10:30am daily. 

We enjoyed complimentary breakfast during our stay due to my Platinum Elite status. As a very kind gesture, the breakfast benefit was extended to all three of us.

We were all feeling a bit worse for wear when we came down for breakfast, which was thanks to what turned into a late evening at the hotel’s cocktail bar, as I’ll describe later.

Some of the walls at The Kitchen Table are decorated in a snakeskin motif, which I thought was a honeycomb at first. The amber hues provide a nice glow to the restaurant, and I found it to be quite visually appealing.

Otherwise, the restaurant has a number of tables available for individuals, couples, and groups, including a number of high-top seats. The view from the restaurant looks out over The House on Sathorn, which we’d enjoyed in earnest the night prior. 

The buffet at The Kitchen Table was expansive, and quickly brought us all back to life. The self-serve area extended along the entire back wall of the restaurant, and took a while to fully scope out.

There’s also an à la carte menu available, which offers eggs done in a variety of jazzed-up ways, some Asian dishes such as kimchi congee, Western items such as brioche French toast, and a number of hot and cold beverages.

Hot buffet items available at the W Bangkok include items from all over the world, including chile con carne, wok-fried chicken with holy basil, stir-fried squid, dumplings, dim sum, curries, samosas, and Western breakfast staples like bacon, hash browns, and fried mushrooms.

Next to the hot buffet items, you’ll also find the W Street Noodles station, from which you can order a number of delicious noodle soups and dishes.

The range of cold buffet items was equally as impressive, with an incredible variety of fresh fruits, cured meats, cheeses, pastries, granola, cereal, and a full salad bar. 

Aside from the drinks available from the à la carte menu, you can find Thai iced tea, fresh-pressed juices, and a range of beverages available in the buffet area.

We spent the better part of an hour grazing at the buffet, and by the time we wrapped things up, we’d all been brought back to life. I began with a bowl of noodle soup, and then made my way through the hot and cold breakfast buffets, with an order of eggs Benedict somewhere in the middle.

I was very impressed with the breakfast at the W Bangkok, and I wouldn’t hesitate to return to check it out again next time I’m in Bangkok. 

W Bangkok – Dining & Bars

Aside from The Kitchen Table, which is also open for lunch and dinner, the W Bangkok is host to PAII, which is located in The House on Sathorn. The restaurant serves elevated Thai cuisine in a casual setting, with a focus on seafood.

Food is also available for order at the pool, and through room service.

Next to the check-in desks on the ground floor of the hotel is where you’ll find WOOBAR, the W Bangkok’s lobby bar. It was buzzing on the night of our arrival, and has a DJ set every night of the week.

After checking in, we headed out to grab some street pad thai and sipped on a cold beer before heading back to the hotel. We were intrigued by the way the manager had described The Bar at The House on Sathorn,and we wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

The building that houses PAII and The Bar has quite a storied history. It began as a mansion for a wealthy local, before being used as the Russian Embassy from 1948–1999.

In the recent past, it has been designated as a National Heritage Building, and was renovated in conjunction with the W Bangkok and the Department of Fine Arts when the hotel opened.

From the moment we stepped into The Bar at The House on Sathorn, we knew we were in for a treat.

The Bar is a rather intimate area, with cozy duos or trios of seats spread around the space. A DJ played continuously during our visit, and I can only describe it as an entirely welcoming atmosphere.

We were welcomed by a team of hosts and bartenders, and saddled up at the stunning bar. The entire room had intricately carved designs in the wooden door frames, and the glowing pink colour coming from under the bar provided a lovely contrast to the greens in the paint and greenery, as well as the glowing bottles.

Upon ordering our first drinks, we quickly realized that this wasn’t a typical hotel bar. Each cocktail was worked on diligently by the entire team of bartenders, and the care put into the drinks was obvious and impressive.

Personally, I’d never seen so many steps put into whipping up a cocktail. At various points, the staff used smoke, fire, ice, flowers, a Russian nesting doll, lights, and a host of ingredients to put on a show.

It was an entirely delightful and indulgent experience, and we wound up staying for a wee bit longer than we had originally anticipated.

What was particularly noticeable was how the bartenders showcased local ingredients in the cocktails.

Perhaps the best illustration of this was a cocktail with durian in it. While the fruit is known for having a particularly strong odour and taste that many people find offensive, it was infused in a cocktail that highlighted its strengths and masked its weaknesses.

We tried for a long time to describe the taste; however, we wound up deciding that it’s best just to try for yourself. 

Even if you’re not staying at the W Bangkok, The Bar is worth a visit if you’re in the area. You won’t be disappointed, and don’t be surprised if you unintentionally run up a bit of a tab.

W Bangkok – Pool

There is an outdoor pool at the W Bangkok, located right by the fitness centre. We spent the better part of the afternoon here, cooling down in the pool and relaxing in the humid heat.

It wasn’t busy at all when we came to visit, and we enjoyed a lazy afternoon feeling sorry for ourselves after our late night. 

You can find cabanas, lounge chairs, and daybeds wrapped around the pool, as well as an outdoor shower. All seating options are available on a first come, first-served basis.

We wound up using our complimentary drink tickets at WET DECK, which was a nice way to cool down in the heat.

W Bangkok – Other Facilities

The AWAY Spa at the W Bangkok is a beautiful space that is host to a number of individual treatment rooms and communal areas accessible to all guests. It’s located on the same level as the pool.

Notably, you’ll find a Turkish hammam, a hut tub, a sauna, and a steam room available in the AWAY Spa. 

The fitness centre is a large, air-conditioned space located on the same level as the pool and the spa. You’ll find treadmills, a rowing machine, exercise bikes, ellipticals, and other machines with plenty of space for each person.

You’ll also find free weights, strength training machines, a punching bag, and exercise balls, with plenty of natural light coming in from outside.

Lastly, on the ground floor of the hotel, there’s a business centre available with several desks and a multipurpose photocopier available for guests.

Conclusion

My friends and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of our stay at the W Bangkok. From the second we set foot in the building, we were treated to a number of delightful surprises, including a spontaneous round of welcome drinks, a no-fuss upgrade to the third highest room-type, outstanding cocktails in a captivating location, a well-rounded breakfast buffet, and a much-needed easy afternoon by the pool.

While the property might not reflect the current direction the W Hotels brand is taking at its newer properties, the design across all rooms and most of the facilities is cohesive and distinct. The House on Sathorn adds a unique flair to the property, and is undoubtedly worthy of a visit during your stay.

To me, the W Bangkok fired on all cylinders – great elite benefits, reasonable pricing, delicious food and drinks, interesting rooms, great facilities, and staff who all clearly enjoy themselves and take pride in what they do.

I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the W Bangkok to any traveller looking to combine work and play, and I look forward to returning to the property when I find myself in the city once again.