Ok, so I gather from the few things I've read on the forum that this is an endless debate...that my husband and I are currently also having at home and I'm looking for some advice.

Thoughts on which hotel people prefer? I'm assuming we can't really go wrong with either, but given that we are going to spend 20+ hours on a plane getting to BKK, I want to make sure we're in the right hotel. Any advantage to one or the other in terms of location? We're arriving just after Christmas and staying for three nights?

Oriental has the better location. Peninsula is cheaper. Which one you should select really depends on what is most important to you in a hotel. What atmosphere you want, what are the aspects of a hotel that mean the most to you. They are both great hotels but the reason different people prefer one or the other is largely because of what they look for and want in a hotel.
Tell us what you like and dislike and we will try to help you.

I'll vote for the Pen. I've stayed at both, so have had the flavor and the service of each one. They are virtually even in a +- comparison chart (which I did right after staying at both).

The Pen location is across the river, but the shuttle boats run all the time, (except late at night) and they are quite comfortable. You can shuttle to the skytrain station (SaphanTaksin) and go to many places around the city via the skytrain. There are other shuttle stops by the Peninsula, and I think to River City mall.

The Pen is less "formal" feeling than the Oriental. Both have wonderful service. Pen has a nicer pool area. Both have good restaurants. Pen has larger rooms with more river view (and there is a TV in the wall recessed above the bathtub which is great for soaking.

The choice is yours. You are right that you can't really go wrong with either one.

Carol

I also vote for the Pen, which my husband and I agree is the best hotel in the world (at least of those we've stayed in). I do not consider the Pen's location to be worse than the Oriental's. It is on the other side of the river but the boats run every few minutes and take about 1 to 2 minutes to get to the other side.

The Pen is more hight tech but still very elegant. The Oriental is more old world elegance. In the interest of full disclosure, I have not stayed at the Oriental but have been there many times, in the lobby, at the restaurants. Both are fabulous so it depends on what you like and your budget. The Pen is about $100 less than the Oriental.

I urge you to check out the reviews for both at www.tripadvisor.com.

I prefer the Oriental. I have stayed at both although I have stayed at the Oriental many many times and the Peninsula only one.

Both have lovely rooms but the ones at the Penn are larger.

Both are very deluxe but the Oriental has the history, the old world elegance.

Both have great amenities but I would say the Penn has more high tech --i.e. tv in bathroom

I found the Penn to be much more commercial and sterile/cold in feeling.

I find the Oriental to be much warmer and actually less formal as a result.

But for me the real difference is in the service. I find the Oriental staff to be much friendlier and warmer. The Penn staff is "correct".

I think the Oriental has more diverse and better restaurants overall.

I think the pool area around the Peninsula is better.

Just as a follow-up point about the price of the 2 hotels, I have actually found that they are pretty much the same. I have been pricing out both hotels for a possible stay in May/June.

Cheapest rate I found for the Peninsula was on Asiarooms.com for $190 (including tax but not breakfast). The Peninsula website has a package price of $240 including breakfast, but not tax.

The best rate I found for the Oriental was on their website, $239, including breakfast but not tax. The discount booking website prices for the Oriental were a lot more than this.

Its not an exact comparison, but the prices were closer than I would have expected...

i need to say something about location...essentially in my mind they have the exact same location...they face each other on the river....the penn is on "the other side" from most of the hotels, but in this case i do not find it a negetive...the penn's boats are the most responsive to the guest of any river hotel...i find the oriental boats late and inconsistent...sorry gloria...

the penn has a location on the "right " side of the river as well, but i do not find access from this side of the river to be an advantage generally over the other side...you have silom road to deal with for one thing...

ks---my vote goes to the penn...the hi tech is way over played as well...there are fun gadgets but you do not have to use them...the tv's in the bathtub are nice, but who really lays around in the tub long enough in bkk for that...

YOU WOULD BE HAPPY WITH EITHER, BUT THERE IS COST SAVINGS AT THE PENN...

both have fabulous restaurants....the oriental's lobby is really grand and beautiful, and fun as well as elegant...the penn's lobby is smallish and understated...

would you consider two days in each?? its easy to move...i do think for a 4 days stay you might get a better room however...

I just got back from Bangkok and tried the Oriental this time...for one night. I was at the Pen last summer for one night before going home to the Four Seasons. In my opinion, between the two, it's the Oriental hands down. Just get a room bigger than a standard room because my room was quite small compared to my same standard room at the FS. Plus, at the Oriental, you don't totally feel like you're staying in a hotel. Happy Travels!

You guys are all amazing, thanks for all the thoughtful replys. In pricing both out, the Penn seems about $30-$50 cheaper a night, which at that point isn't going to make or break it. Will be making my husband look at all these replys and hopefully it will help him decide.

Ok might as well add my two cents:

The Penn overall because you will save money- thus more value delivered. Both are 5 star properties- in the Oriental's favor is that you can check in at any time. Working against the Oriental is that at times some guests(and you can check this forum) have experienced the yellow water syndrome in their rooms. (yellow water coming out of the faucets) No real explanation has ever been given as to why this has occurred to some guests. Yes not everyone has had this experience it seems to have happened only infrequently but hey- you don't want that rare exception to be on your visit!
The boat ride from the Penn to the skytrain is the one thing that my wife really enjoyed during our trip there.
The Penn boats run frequently and take you to more places that the other hotels.
The staff is friendly but very respectfull- as it should be in a 5 star property. The rooms give you a much better view of BKK as the hotel is much taller than the Oriental. The Penn is newer (everything works) the Oriental is an older hotel.
Gloria gets a lot of personal attention from the staff but then again so does Bob at the Marriott- why? becausae they are frequent guests and at any 4/5 star hotel they are going to give frequent guests the royal treatment- do not expect the royal treatment if this is your first time there- Penn or Oriental.

Well said, Bill, regarding the personal service! I "ditto" that comment.

I just have to say one other thing about the shuttle boats. The Penn has padded chairs while the Oriental has wooden benches along the sides of the boats. Penn boats are much more comfy (and I've spent quite a bit of time on BOTH, thank you).

I'd stay at the Penn!
Carol

The difference is there is no need to take the Oriental boat anywhere because you're already on the side of the river you want to be on. Only take it to go to the spa which is less than a minute ride.

Every hotel can have the odd major problem. Read the recent post on www.tripadvisor.com for some BIG problems a guest had with the service at the Peninsula. It can happen even at the best of hotels. You can also read some of the reports on the Oriental and there are first timers who seem to be getting pretty exceptional service.

Trip advisor gives you a good overview (and both hotels get overwhelingly great reviews) because the people tend to be less partisan than we are. They generally aren't regulars. I would read those carefully before making your decision.

TripAdvisor rates the Pen as the #1 hotel in Bangkok. The Oriental is number 2. Both are fabulous. You should be aware that the Oriental has a dress code for the lobby after 6pm and no shorts or sandals are allowed. There was an incident reported here a while back about a guest being made to go through the service entrance because she was wearing sandals. I for one do not want to pay good money to be shuttled through a service entrance, as though I'm not good enough to walk through their lobby.

Trip advisor ranking is by popularity -- number of people who have voted or booked the hotel through them. It's not about "best". If you read the reviews you will see that there are people who have had bad experiences at the Penn and there are people who have had bad experiences at the Oriental.

I have seen people in sandals at all times of the day and night in the lobby of the Oriental. But it's a busy lobby and people are often there celebrating something or going out for a special dinner so there is a dressy feel -- not formal, just celebratory. There was no one in the lobby of the Penn when I was there except people checking in and out. It was a room you walked through to go someplace else so an entirely different feel and atmospher and yes, people were dressed much more casually. No question.

At the Pen, the part of the "lobby" where you check in is removed from the rest of the lobby. The main part of the lobby is quite large and nice and has always been crowded when I've been there.

I've been in the Oriental lobby many times in shorts, sandals and my backpack and have never been turned away. This has always been during the day to make restaurant reservations. I was actually quite surprised to find out about the dress code since it was never evident to me.

that's it...stay at the marriott where there is never any of this hastle or confusion!!!

and if you look at tripadvisor, the Marriott had actually gotten better reviews than either the Orientalo or the Penn.

It's all about what you want in a hotel and what kind of "feel" you want. So what's great for one person might be horrible for another! Happy Travels!

I think the Peninsula gets better reviews than the Oriental because it is cheaper, hence more people stay there. I like the Oriental because it is very low-key. The service is good without being over the top, which I can't stand. I don't like bells and whistles, but understated elegance.

I am not saying anything bad about the Peninsula, mind you. The Pen in Hong Kong is one of my favourite hotels in the world. But for Bangkok, take the grande dame, not the ingenue.

Thingorjus-- I couldn't agree more. One thing I don't understand is when people say the Oriental is "formal". I actually felt the Penn was more formal or more hotel like. At the Oriental I feel like I'm in a home. I know it sounds weird but it just feels less like a hotel. And people seem to smile more and laugh and chat more. Feels like a big house party. The Penn is lovely and very deluxe but just feels cold and sterile to me. But obviously others look for different things and love the Penn.

One thing -- if you are going over Christmas/New years and a pool is critical I would go to the Penn. The Oriental pool area is not large enough for that time period since a huge majority of their guests come back every year and use the hotel more like a resort. Thus the pool is always packed.