russla

I was thinking about staying at the Oriental for 3 or 4 days in early Feb.
I"m thinking about switching to the Shangri-la or the Penninsula hotels.. these hotels seem a little less formal and more casual than the Oriental. Any suggestions on which hotel to choose.I like upscale similar to something like a W Hotel Thank you

Cicerone

IMO, none of these hotels have a W-like ambience; perhaps the closest (i.e., has the cleanest lines) is the Penn. The Oriental and Shangri-La are fairly ornate in terms of use the use of marble and chandeliers in the public areas, the Penn does too, but more of it is black marble and the lighting is more subtle. The minimalist craze is not that popular (at least yet) in Asia. That being said, I don't think the Oriental is stuffy. I prefer the Penn because of its pool and outside terrace areas, plus the rooms are the newest and have all the latest bells and whistles.

You might consider the Banyan Tree or the Sukothai if you want a Thai minimalist look; however I don't like the location of either of these hotels as to me, the whole point of Bangkok is the river.

rhkkmk

we prefer the peninsula to the others, but overall love the marriott, although it is far less lux....we usually split our hotel time in bkk with outside trips...a few days at the marriott upon arrival...go somewhere...a few more bkk days, maybe the jw marriott to be on that side of town, go somewhere, a few more marriott bkk days, go somewhere and then end up at the peninsula for our lux fix....this next time we are thinking about a couple of priceline.com stays at the shangr-la and/or the banyon tree in the middle of our trip to check them out....the S-La is so huge that we think it might not be as much fun and more difficult to get around in....

i would do the penn if i were you...you won't be disappointed...look at their site and get one of the packages with one way transportation..get room service on your last morning to start you off with a big breakfast---we get it at 3am in order to get the northwest early flight (6)

ThinGorjus

If you like the W hotels, you will not like the Shangri-la. It is a very nice hotel, but it is very large and noisy. It "Hilton-type" hotel.

I have stayed at W hotels in the past, and the Oriental is similiar in that it is very subdued in its architecture and furnishings, although it doesn't have the "hip" scene you find at W hotels around the bar area in the evening. The Oriental is anything but trendy, but it isn't stuffy (at least not to me and I work in the art and antique world, which can be extremely stuffy).

Never stayed at the Peninsula in Bangkok, only at the Pen in Hong Kong (which I love). My friend, who is an editor at Marie Claire, has stayed at the Peninsula Bangkok and adored it. She is VERY trendy, the type to stay at W hotels.

The Oriental, by the way, Cicerone, also has a black marble lobby, and natural lighing provided by the floor-to-ceiling windows that look out onto the pool area. The lobby is also filled with antique furniture, not reproductions.

Greetings from Devonshire, John G.

Cicerone

I don?t' recall saying anything about the furniture in the lobby of the Oriental in my post, and my comment on the Penn was that it had more black marble than the others. The lobby of the Oriental is anything BUT subdued, IMO, it has those huge Thai temple bells hanging in front of the windows. To show my age, I have been going to the Oriental since 1986 and was last there in 2002, and the lobby bells and everything else were still there, hardly trendy, although very elegant in its own way?the rooms are more subdued.

simpsonc510

I've posted on this subject before, but will once again put in my vote for the Penn. I've stayed at the Penn and the Oriental both, and would return to the Penn in a heartbeat!
Carol

sandi

Go for the Pen.

I'm amazed that anyone can consider the W Hotels upscale. Minimalist yes (too minimalist, in fact), but upscale?

The Pen is upscale and has much better prices than the Oriental.

Sameera_Anand

I vote for the Peninsula if u want to be river side and otherwise the Sukhothai - easily Bkk's most trendy hotel, amazing interiors IMO. The Pen also IMO has GREAt restaurants.

ThinGorjus

Oh, Sandi, calm down. While W hotels are not exactly upmarket, they are considered "hip," especially amongst the young and fashionable. (Being an older woman, you are probably out of the loop.) I think this is what russla was alluding to when she used the term "upscale."

Russla, if you want history and style, stay at the Oriental. This hotel is weaved into the the history and culture of Thailand. If you want to stay at a hotel, that while is comfortable, full of amenitites, and decorated nicely, could be anywhere in the world, stay at the Peninsula or Shangri-la.

I don't like "cookie-cutter" hotels.

Greetings from Devonshire, John G.

rhkkmk

"cookie-cutter"--- "any where in the world"???? neither of these terms apply to the peninsula...i think the clotted cream must have gotten to your brain

sandi

ThinGorjus -

Maybe "older" but certainly not out of the loop! Hip is one thing, upscale another. And russla originally mentioned Oriental, Shangrila and the Peninsula - those are upscale. Yes, I am aware that W-Hotels are considered "hip", but so blah, that one is better staying at a real upscale hotel and then visiting the W bar for their "hip-time."

Friends recently books themselves into a W-hotel (big mistake) and were shocked at just how small the room was, with barely room to move around the bed, no tub in bath, shower only, and yes, minimalist as most have acknowledged. Thankfully, their stay was only 1-nt. and then outta-there.

Within the "industry" W-Hotels are know to have "small rooms" regardless which destination.