If you are looking for an exciting hotel with a lively dining and night scene in the heart of the city, W Bangkok might just be what you’re looking for. W Bangkok is composed of two buildings on North Sathorn Road – a new modern tower and a heritage building. The heritage building is the House on Sathorn, which has a fascinating history and at one point used to be a Russian Embassy. When the W Hotel took over, they went through a three-year restoration process in consultation with the Thai government’s Department of Fine Arts to ensure a faithful restoration of the building.
The overarching narrative design of the hotel is ‘Bejeweled Mystique’. The concept was to create a contemporary, modern counterpoint or juxtaposition to the traditional, historic and ornamental heritage building… The heritage building represents the ‘bejeweled’; while the tower is the ‘mysterious’.
The location
Some reviewers on TripAdvisor complained about the location of the hotel, but I found it extremely convenient to everything I wanted to do. It is in the Business District.
The service
I was greeted by Alex, the Director of Rooms, upon check-in and if you ever get to meet him, do make a point to ask him about his experience working in Bangkok and other properties. He offered a lot of great insights to the neighborhood around the hotel. Alex also remembered my name for the duration of my stay and greeted me by my first name whenever I ran into him.
I highly suggest you using their concierge team if you are visiting the country for the first time. They are experienced and efficient at assisting all your needs, including direction for your taxi or uber. I've stayed at many W Hotels, the service here is a notch above a lot of their other propertities.
The room
The room is very well designed and laid out. It feels open, clean, and updated.
My room had a free-standing bathtub with the city view behind it. The bathroom is adorned with full size Bliss products, not just the travel size you normally get at other W Hotels. Everything was extremely clean and spotless. It felt like a brand new hotel.
You can manage the room's AC, lighting, and do not disturb sign from a Lenovo mobile device by the bedside. Water bottles were left all over the room, free of charge daily. Bathroom and the lighting in the room has been specially thought out brilliantly.
Being a SPG member, the wifi was also free, and surprisingly stable. There’s a sound system where you can sync your phone to play your own music as well. All the outlets are internationally equipped, you will not need to bring converters if you plan on staying here.
My room had a great view of the city with ample lighting that floods the entire room. I loved opening the curtains all the way to see the view outside every morning.
The design
I know often times W Hotels can be a sensory overload, but it works here. Everything is meticulous designed and I fell in love with the spiral staircase in the lobby and the light installation by the lift area. The installation contains 800 tuk-tuk lights. It is stunning in person. The carpets in the entrance and in the elevators are changed three times a day, from “good morning” to “good afternoon” to “good evening”.
Amenities
The highlight is definitely the WET Pool, which is the outdoor pool surrounded by lounge chairs, couches and covered day beds. The best of all? It is open 24/7! The pool is attached to the gym, which it also open 24/7.
I wish I had taken some photos of the gym, because it is a fully functional gym, not your typical hotel gym where there are only 4 machines and one rack of free weights. The gym is equipped with TechnoGym® fitness equipment such as treadmills, elliptical trainer, exercise bikes with LCD displays (2 x 46" TV's), free Weights, yoga mats, medicine ball, boxing bag and speed Ball. Towels are provided along with water cooler, refreshments. It is by bar one of the best hotel gyms I’ve been to.
Restaurant and Bar
There are plenty of eateries at W Bangkok. The Kitchen Table brings the essence of a Modern Bistro; dishes here are inspired from all over the world. The restaurant serves a wide selection of cuisine types with strong focus on honest flavors combining the best of global cookery with Thai culinary traditions.
The Kitchen Pantry is your casual spot. It houses a large designer vertical chiller cabinets that present an array of soft beverages, waters, fresh juices, wines and champagne pop bottles. It was my go to spot for my morning latte!
The House on Santhron is their main culinary house. Head to The Courtyard for high tea out in the beautiful outdoor space, satiate your palate with the delicacies at the luxury restaurant, The Dining Room, then start your evening at The Bar before partying the night away at The Woodbar.
Unfortunately, I did not get to eat here because of time constraint, but I did take some photos of the amazing breakfast they were serving in the morning. It has EVERYTHING you can imagine all nicely presented.
I had drinks at Wood bar, which was packed on a Saturday night. Great signature cocktails that are Instagram worthy!
Final Thoughts
W Bangkok exceeded my expectation. Though i’m usually a W fan, it can be a hit and miss at times….hint hint New York Times Square. I would stay here again and would definitely recommend it to friends. The service was impeccable and the hotel feels new. There’s a lot of traffic during the day and at night, but you never feel overwhelmed by the crowd. The lobby bar is definitely a scene at night on the weekends, but if you want something quieter, you can always head next door to the House on Sathorn.
It is one of the most exciting hotels to be at. I did spend time at few other hotels in Bangkok, but W Bangkok blew them out of the water. It’s stylish, sexy, and very well rounded in all aspects.