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Thanks

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Posts posted by Thanks

  1. Posted · Edited by Thanks

    16 hours ago, SAGuy said:

     Very often hotels will have silly pricing policies, ... , where their rack rate is more expensive than via booking portal, for which they have to pay a 10-15% commission

    I'm not sure what the reason for the price difference in my particular case was. I suspect however, that the hotel's revenue management system predicted 100% occupancy for my specific travel dates and automatically increased rates to optimize RevPAR.

    The hotel indeed seemed to be full when I arrived by the way...

    I also suspect that rates were either not automatically correspondingly increased on the zenhotels.com site or that they sell unused contingents or quota from travel agents and other consolidators that get lower than BAR (or even agency rates) than the two big online travel site groups Expedia on the one hand (with their brands hotels.com, Orbitz, Travelocity, trivago...) and the (former) Priceline group (with their Agoda, booking.com, kayak, momondo... brands).

    Also sometimes hotels simply want you to book through the big online travel sites (OTS). The more bookings an OTS is getting for a specific hotel, the more likely it is that the hotel will appear further up on their search results list. And the higher up on the list a hotel appears, the more people will book the hotel...

    16 hours ago, SAGuy said:

    The question is how far down soi 2 is the Icon? 

    It is located very close to the (former) Majestic Grande hotel, around the corner from where Annie's BJ bar used to be, near the cut-through to the Hillary bars on Soi 4.

    Getting from the Icon to the Marriott or the Ploenchit center on Sukhumvit will take about 5 minutes on foot. But the hotel also has a free on-request shuttle service to Sukhumvit. They stop by the Ploenchit center. Ploenchit BTS station is about 500 meters from the hotel.

    http://www.hoteliconbangkok.com/m/location.php

    16 hours ago, taaseesanuk said:

    I presume the tea and coffee is complimentary?

    Yes Taas. Also two bottles of water are free of charge every day.

    The Icon is also only 10 minutes away from Chaos 9 ladyboy lounge (their sign says Chaos 9 food & drink...):

    IMG_20190321_100551.jpg

  2. Posted · Edited by Thanks
    Video

    I've recently stayed for two nights at the Icon on Sukhumvit Soi 2.

    As usual I first checked the hotel's own website for promotions and deals and then compared it to some hotel reservation sites such as Agoda and Expedia. To my surprise, the best deal I could find wasn't available on the hotel's own site but on zenhotels.com. Price for a "superior" (standard) room w/o breakfast was 2100B including taxes.

    Officially a **** hotel, it looked more like a very good *** hotel. Anyway... doesn't really matter...

    The hotel has opened I think in 2014 and still looks and feels rather new. There's some minor wear and tear here and there but overall it's okay. A little bit of mold in the shower cubicle but really nothing dramatic.

    Reception / check-in was friendly and quick. I didn't get the desired upper floor room but instead a quiet second floor room away from the street. One of the front desk ladies is a ladyboy! :)

    There are two elevators (lifts). No key cards necessary! There's a 24 h security guard so when bringing back a girl he'll ask you to register her. Definitely no joiner fee for the first girl. I think they said they charged for the second girl - but am not sure. BM Madchild mentioned 800B for the second guest in a previous post.

    The room was bright and looked very nice to me. The hotel's favorite colors seem to be pink and white. I liked the large window front and the natural light that came into the room.

    Didn't watch TV so don't know what and how many channels they have.

    My room had a queen size bed that was very comfortable. A bit hard perhaps but not too much so. 2 soft and 2 firm(er) pillows. Room was very clean. Housekeeping lady was very helpful but didn't speak much English. I needed an ironing board and it was quickly delivered. A 10% service charge is automatically included in all bills.

    The pool area on the 6th floor was too small for all the people there. A big big minus for me... At least the pool bar had some cold beer available...

    I didn't eat there so cannot comment on the restaurant on the ground floor. I just know that brekkie can be had from 6:30 - 10 am.

    WiFi very good. A/C excellent.

    Location was the big plus: it's just 5 or 6 minutes on foot to NEP!!

    When leaving the hotel, I asked for a metered taxi. The taxis that are waiting on Soi 2 however are all fixed priced taxis. So they took me and my suitcase on a golf buggy cart up to Sukhumvit. One of the hotel staff even successfully hauled me a metered taxi! That's service!

    For the price (2100B incl. taxes) the hotel was okay.

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    OneTrueSaxon reacted to this

  4. Posted

    Must be a system wide problem because the sister site ladyboyspattaya.com is apparently also not running smoothly and BMs there have reported similar problems (no email notifications, double posts, long upload time...).

    The admins are aware of the problems:

     

    IMG_20190319_164450.jpg

  6. Posted

    Is it just me who has experienced technical issues with this site since Saturday or has anyone else also been affected?

    I've seen SQL errors and unwanted double and triple postings. Also I apparently don't see anymore when a thread has been updated...

    ???

    Thanks :-)

  8. Posted · Edited by Thanks

    Thanks for pointing this out, @Boomerang ! 

    TBH I don't know how much time b100 or even b300 will buy me. B300 unlimited for 8 days indeed sounds like an excellent deal. As I'll have 2 phones with me, I will then buy a new sim for one phone and keep the old one for the other phone, just in case...

    BTW: klook offers the same card for only b195:

    https://www.klook.com/activity/9494-thailand-sim-card-bangkok/

    Thanks :-)

     

  13. Posted

    Early February 2019 I bought a dtac happy tourist sim card with 8 days unlimited internet access. I was happy with the happy card and would like to use the same sim card again in a few weeks. 

    Is it possible to reactivate the card outside of Thailand already and extend its validity and perhaps to top up / refill online - again outside of Thailand? 

    I want to avoid long queues at the airport. Also liked the easy to remember number.

    IMG_20190226_151038.jpg

  15. Posted

    I've been walking by the REX a couple of times recently but didn't venture inside as I've never heard of this club before...

    It's located in a small, dark alleyway around the Trendy building that connects Soi 13 and Soi 15. Address for your Google maps is: 12 Soi Sukhumvit 13

    I've seen a Facebook update of one of my favorite LBs today that must've been taken there. So must be lb friendly!!

    Anyone been there with a lb - or knows otherwise more about the club?

    https://m.facebook.com/REXBKK/

    Using the search function I couldn't find anything. But since it's so close to "our" favorite nightlife spots I cannot believe no BM's been there???

    IMG_20190224_071904.jpg

    IMG_20190224_072129.jpg

    Edit: See now that the club has opened its doors only fairly recently...by "Jean-Marc"...

    Boomerang reacted to this

  16. Posted

    @taaseesanuk

    I'm also not fixated on one specific hotel in Bangkok. Actually I like moving around a bit: 3 days staying in the Nana south area, 3 days in the Soi 20/22/24 area (QPP & naughty massages near Phrom Phong), 3 days staying somewhere else...

    Staying in different areas of Bangkok during one trip gives you a different perspective each time. If you're staying near Asok instead of Nana for example, you're more likely to take the MRT to Pong. Staying in Soi 11 or 13 gives you an excuse to venture around that area and perhaps visit the Arab quarter...

    It's like 3 or 4 holidays in one. And the taxi rides from hotel to hotel within Bangkok are quick and inexpensive by day as they use the meter... And in case your hotel is below expectations, you can still look forward to your next one... only thing that is a small annoyance is that you have to pack your suitcase more than once... but I often live just out of my suitcase anyway...so no big deal...

    taaseesanuk reacted to this

  17. Posted

    I've recently stayed at the Styles. Here's my personal, subjective review:

    The Styles hotel is a relatively new  addition to the accommodation market in the lower Sukhumvit / Nana area. I think it opened in late 2017.

    It's a nice three stars hotel. As it's located in the same building as the more upscale Novotel, you don't feel you've booked a cheap hotel. It rather feels you're staying in a standard room in a quality, upper middle class hotel.

    Also, despite being located so close to the naughty nightlife scene, the majority of guests are "regular" people visiting the "normal" tourist attractions of Bangkok (Wat Po, Wat Arun... ). It doesn't give you the feeling of being in a "mongerer hotel" such as the Dynasty Grande or perhaps the Nana hotel also. Seems many guests came from places where smaller room sizes are more common than in the US for example, such as Japan and the European countries.

    There's a free shuttle service from the hotel to BTS Nana that departs every 30 minutes from the front entrance. Though it's only a 7-8 minutes walk it can be useful when it rains (and it does so occasionally in Bangkok I've heard...) or during midday heat.

    You can use the "inbalance" gym of the Novotel on the 7th floor. I didn't venture in so cannot comment any further. On the ground floor there's a lobby bar and the "food exchange", a good looking restaurant.

    The standard room that I had booked looked spacious, at least bigger than the official 21 sq. m. it supposedly only had. It didn't feel small. When I'm in Bangkok I basically need a room only for sleeping and going to the bathroom, taking a shower etc. The rest of time I'm out and about. For this purpose the room was absolutely sufficient.

    Everything you would need or want is there: bum gun, electronic safe, quiet a/c, queen size bed (upon request), mattress not too hard but also not too soft, hairdryer, liquid soap and shampoo. It also had a small fridge (empty). The big screen telly had a million channels or so (IP TV). You get daily two bottles of water for free. Everything worked except for two sockets (no power). But that was quickly fixed by hotel maintenance.

    Once you get used to the characteristic, unusual style and decor of the room, it feels almost like home away from home.

    Its main advantages are:

    - Hard to beat location just 5 minutes on foot from NEP, the gravitational center of the ladyboy nightlife universe.

    - Great value IMO: price range depending on season, demand and day of the week: standard rooms (21 sq. m.) with queen size bed go for I think about 2000 - 2500 Baht, superior rooms (26sq. m.) for about 700 Baht more.

    - It is almost new: it shows almost no wear and tear (yet).

    - It has a fantastic infinity pool and an exciting rooftop bar that you "must" visit with an awesome view of "downtown" Bangkok

    - Wi-Fi worked without a problem in the room as well as in the rest of the hotel.

    - I didn't see any tour groups...

    - Breakfast was included in the room rate. Breakfast room in the "strEATS" restaurant on sixth floor is for Styles guests only (not for Novotel guests). It is open until 10:30 h. Food is good for a 3 star hotel. There's no egg station. But your stomach will get full, don't worry.

    - Girl friendliest as can be (can also be a disadvantage...). If you despise the walk of fun and shame, you can enter the hotel through the entrance of the (often empty) "food exchange" restaurant or through the carpark which is located on floors 2-5. That way you'll avoid walking right through the front desk areas (which however is also no problem at all). I personally prefer ST rooms anyway and take back girls to my hotel room only occasionally and only if I know her well enough and only for LT. So this aspect of the Styles was not so important to me personally...

    Disadvantages:

    - I didn't notice them proactively checking girls' IDs. If for security reasons you want to register your LB, you have to walk up to the front desk (there's one for the Styles and one for the Novotel) and have her registered. One night I saw a middle aged Japanese man trying to sneak in a girl, telling her to stay close behind him so that no one could see her. That was hilarious as I think no one, I repeat: no one, neither staff nor guests, could have cared less... You get two room key cards so you can give the extra one to your LB girlfriend...

    - The hotel appears to be in high demand, so might be sold out by the time you book...

    - As I had an early flight out of Bangkok, I went to bed earlier and until 3 o'clock in the morning could hear noise from the street...

    - The tears you will shed on the departure day when you have to leave this fine hotel...

    You can book on the usual sites such as sexpedia, so sorry, Expedia, Agoda but also on the Accor site

    I am a sucker for nice swimming pools. I don't want to visit the tourist sites and shopping malls so much anymore (ya know: been there, done that...). I'd rather now stay by a nice (!) pool and recover from the previous night's debaucheries and get some rest for the next wild night ahead. So that infinity pool was particularly important to me... 

    On previous trips I'd stayed at the Dynasty Grande (DG, a **** hotel) and the Citrus Suites Soi 6 (CS6, also a **** rated hotel), both just a minute away from the Styles. Both are fine but the DG's pool is cold and most of the time in the shade. The CS6 is much more modern but also more expensive than the DG as it has recently become more expensive than it used to be (I think) - and I don't like their pool...

    I personally clearly now prefer the *** Styles when I want to stay in this area of Nana with it's excellent PVR and would not go back to any one of the other ones mentioned - unless the Styles was full.

    Even though it's just a 3 star place it didn't feel like a downgrade from the two 4 star hotels mentioned, except for the room size.

    BTW: This was not an attempt at writing an objective review. It was just my personal impression of the hotel that I wanted to convey... It's not even meant to be a recommendation, just a review. Okay?

    Thanks :-)

    Standard room:

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    Location on Sukhumvit Soi 4 and 6:

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    View of "downtown" Bangkok at night from top of hotel:

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    Styles' breakfast room on 6th floor:

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    Infinity pool area with a wow view (inspired by Marina Bay Sand's Singapore?)

    IMG_20190221_185714.jpg

    Red Square rooftop bar:

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    Madchild, Chris85, Pascal and 6 others reacted to this

  18. Posted · Edited by Thanks

    @mespicy@mardhi

    A nice spot but seems they don't serve women at The Mexican restaurant:

    IMG_20190220_080358.jpg

    Image: billboard seen in front of the Mexican restaurant located in the alley between the Majestic Grande hotel (soon to be the DoubleTree Ploenchit) and Nana Soi 4, an almost women free zone...

    Isn't it a tiny little bit discrimatory if they only serve men but not women?  What would feminists say if they heard that they don't serve women in there? And if you actually brought your own woman there, would she have to get the food and beverage from the kitchen herself as they don't serve women or how does it work in there? ;-)

    What comes next: We don't serve the full enchilada here, you have to bring your own mole !

    :Eating:

    Sorry... just kidding of course... zzzzzzzzzz...

    Thanks ;-)

  23. Posted

    @mangatanga

    Cool, thanks!

    B 2800 around Chinese New Year was not bad at all...

    Your executive suite looks good! Last year I'd stayed in a premier suite, a bit smaller (45 sq. m) than your exec room. I had issues with the shower and some noise from the street. Good for you if your room was better built and better situated than mine...

    Yes, the private browsing mode on your phone was probably the main reason for the rate difference...

    I've used "member" as promo code for the Citrus / Compass hotels too in the past but last year was also successful once with a corporate or special code (I think it was CPC or CLC or something like that - don't know if they still work or only during certain low season periods) and I got - I think - a >20% discount rate...  :-)

  24. Posted

    "As far as reservations are concerned, I’d recommend using their mobile site. It was cheaper compared to using a desktop browser. Interesting to see that difference. I saved 5000 baht for my 7 day stay. I booked 5 days prior to my stay."

    This is interesting! Did you delete cookies, browser history & cache before your booking attempt(s)?

    May we know how much you paid on a daily basis, on average, including taxes?

    IMG_20190218_051040.jpg

    The Citrus Suites 6 seen from the Styles hotel across the street.

  25. Posted

    On 11/10/2018 at 10:33 PM, rouke said:

     I also read somewhere that Cozy at Ten no longer operates as a hotel, is this true?

    "Cozy at Ten" advertises itself now as an "Entertainment Complex" and promises massage and karaoke in Korean writing (Korea Town is nearby). Also says "room available." But I don't know if they still operate as a "normal" hotel or not.

     

    IMG_20190213_130557.jpg

    rouke reacted to this
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