Which hotel in Bangkok?
After I made arrangements for my flight from Tokyo to Bangkok in Thai First Class, I needed a hotel in Bangkok since I was arriving after the last flight of the day to Chiang Rai. This wasn’t an ideal situation, but I got to have a nice in flight experience from Tokyo, which made it worthwhile. I could have stayed closer to the airport, but there were a few hotel promotions going on at the time, which I took advantage of.
I had originally booked a stay in one of the various Starwood properties in the city to maximize a promotion. There were also various Club Carlson promotions going on at this time. I don’t regularly stay at Radisson or other Carlson properties, but they have had some amazing promotions recently. This summer they have multiple promotions at some of their brands that earned one free night anywhere in the world for one paid stay. I had already grabbed bonus points for Radisson, and Country Inn and Suites.
Deluxe king roomPark Plaza Bangkok Soi 18
I then realized there were 2 Park Plaza hotels in Bangkok. Park Plaza only has one property in North America, with most of their hotels in Asia and Europe. Hotel prices in Bangkok are generally very reasonable, so I was happy to take advantage of this promotion. I would get 50,000 Club Carlson points, redeemable for one night at a Radisson Blu (their top tier property) anywhere in the world. I booked at the Park Plaza Soi 18, which cost about $60 for a one night stay. Internet access and an English newspaper were included. I spent $20 or so in taxi fare to/from the hotel, but despite that cost and the inconvenience of trekking away from the airport, the free hotel points made that easy to swallow.
The hotel is located on a side street (Soi 18) near Sukhumvit Road in central Bangkok. Its a very new property, and the taxi driver had a bit of an issue finding it. That was likely at least in part due to the language barrier. But keep in mind, there is another older Park Plaza less than a kilometer away.
Here are some views from my room:
modern bathroom with glass-walled shower and decent rainfall shower head
The hotel itself is pretty modern, with bold colors in the lobby and rooms. I was just looking for a place to sleep (and some free points). My standards weren’t that high, but this fit the bill very well. I’d certainly return to a Park Plaza hotel if I had the opportunity.
After very low key “one night in Bangkok”, I headed back to Suvarnabhumi airport for my onward flight to Chiang Rai.
