I can't let those last comments go unchallenged. We found the Penn staff very helpful, couteous and respectful and was not over the top.
The Penn is elegant. Maybe more people stay at the Penn because the value proposition is better.
You get all the 5 star luxuries at a better price- for a lot of people that spells value.The debate rages on!

Ok, Bill -- let's set some facts straight. 1. The "popularity" is based on trip advisor which has nothing to do with how many people actually stay in a hotel. From what I can tell both hotels are doing very well. I am sure if the Oriental had a huge number of empty rooms they would lower their prices or offer more specials. The fact that they don't seems to imply that they are doing just fine.

2. I am 100% sure that you had fabulous service and the Penn but that doesn't mean that someone is wrong if they say they didn't. I am treated wonderfully at the Oriental and have never seen anyone thrown out nor have I ever seen yellow water. But if someone experiences that they're not wrong or lying. By the same token the person who said that he/she prefered the service at the Oriental and thinks the service at the Penn is "over the top" isn't wrong. It's what they felt.

As for why people stay at a hotel and what each person perceives of as "value" is completely different for each individual. No one is right and no one is wrong.

And I still want to know if you have ever actually stayed at the Oriental? I at least stayed at the Penn before I compared and for me there was no comparison. Carol felt the opposite. Guen agreed with me although prefers the 4 Seasons over both. No one is right and no one is wrong.

Yeah, Bill...I was wondering,too if you have actually stayed at the Oriental. The reason I stayed there this past trip was so that I could come back and comment from personal experience and not hearsay...so to speak. And I'll say it again. If someone who is going to BK asks me which hotel to stay at and they have narrowed it down to either the Pen and the Oriental...I'd tell them to find the extra money and go to the Oriental. It's like comparing apples and oranges as far as I'm concerned. Happy Travels!

No argument Gloria on your comments- just want the other side represented. To answer your question- no I have not stayed at the Oriental- the value prop is not there for me. I did my research and all indications were that the Penn would deliver a better experience for us at a lower cost- to us that means better value. (and it did!) We like to ride the boats, we prefer newer hotels because everything tends to work well- older properties tend to have issues at times. The yellow water syndrome is probably due to the fact that the piping in the Oriental is quite old and leaks are common- you can't renovate the plumbing infrastructure. We also like a high room with a view of the city/river- can't get that in the Oriental. So... the Penn works best for us.

As someone who works in non-profit and does not make much, I also look for value. I went to the Pen because I wanted to be able to come to Bangkok, have a fabulous hotel experience and spend less than the Oriental. Unfortunately, for me, the value was not there at all at the Pen. For me, the Oriental (while more expensive) gives me more value for the money. My bank account wishes I had felt differently. :-) But as we have discussed, many of the things that you (Bill) love at the Pen are meaningless to me -- like the tv in the bathroom and the higher floors and city view, I actually prefer views from lower floors where you can see the boats closer up and the activity of the river. The Bangkok skyline does nothing for me. If I want skyline I don't need to leave Chicago. :-) And pools mean nothing to me. So what one perceives of as "value" depends on what each person actually values. And that is different for everyone.

As one who has only stayed at the Oriental, I can't wait to get back from Bangkok after my February stay at the Penn so I can participate in this endless nonsensical debate...

OP ksblank -
Do you keep checking back?
Has your husband read all of the replies?
Have you made a decision yet?
Are you thoroughly confused?

Right now with Rita heading for Houston I'm wishing I was in the Penn or the Oriental!

Craig, I have been checking back...and am thoroughly amused by the endless debate, I'm sure we can't go wrong with either. Friends heard they were doing some construction at the Oriental so I was going to give them a call adn find out what the story is with that...we haven't totally made a decision yet. my husband was a little more convinced on the Oriental when he discovered they have a great sushi bar. I'm hoping to make a decision in the next week...I'm procrastinating.

ks---is sushi a wise thing to eat in thailand???

Good point Bob! Maybe he likes to live on the edge! In his favor however is that its the Oriental and I should think they would take great care to ensure the quality is sound. Some risk none-the-less- just not sure how much risk.

I agree with Gloria's comments. I don't like high buildings and looking out the window and have everything look "ant" size. That's the one drawback of the serviced apartment I will have for 3 weeks in BK this coming Dec/Jan...all of the apartments start at about the 34th floor,I think it was. But, since I love the apartment and the building along with all the conveniences,I'll have to deal with it. But, at least the view was beautiful.And as for all that high-tech stuff at the Pen, I can live without that,too.I found it a headache...almost needed a manual to figure out how to keep the light on...that kept dimming out... in the bathroom... I did,however, like the TV on the wall above the bathtub and the size of the bathroom. But as far as value, I felt I got more for my money at the Oriental...as in atmosphere and a different experience...than what I got at the Pen.Plus, I paid UNDER $200. I've stayed at an awful lot of hotels in BK and about everywhere else in the world and I really don't like hotels because they feel like hotels...but the Oriental didn't...and neither does the Four Seasons which is why I stay there regularly...it's only 7 stories high and feels very homey and intimate. Happy Travels!

OK - most people that I have know in my life when they check into a hotel almost always ask for a high floor! Why?
They want the view from on high! This is the first time I have encountered folks who want a low floor! OK as it has been said many times- value in in the eye of the beholder!

people that you know always ask for a high floor ...why ....they think BIG....TEXAS

may i remind people of our experience coming home in june, 2004....karen assisted the cabin staff on the airplane with a passenger who was very seriously ill .... a 30-something guy from NYC who had eaten raw fish at either the oriental, peninsula or shangri-la the day before....when asked why in the world he would eat such a thing in bangkok....his response.....it was from a 5 star hotel.....duh.............

Re: sushi. The only place I have eaten sushi is in Japan. However, my friend has eaten it on a regular basis at the Oriental and has been fine. She also says it is just about the best she has ever had. I don't eat it anywhere but if I was a sushi eater in the U.S. I would certainly eat it at the Oriental.

Re; construction at the Oriental. Generally they finish all their construction before November (i.e. high season) so I would be surprised if it was still going on in December but it makes sense to ask.

i haven't had sushi in bangkok, not because i'm afraid, but sushi is not very high on my epicurean list in bangkok. i did, however, have shrimp sashimi at my favorite mobile seafood restaurant in chinatown(also featured in the ta airline mag). it was excellent.(my cousin concurred.)

since my visits to the oriental are limited to the bamboo bar for jazz, and the lobby for some great classics, i was unaware that they had a sushi bar. i would think that if its in a five star hotel, it would be ok(yes, i read what bob posted. i thought that his orig post said the guy ate oysters).

while i don't look for sushi bars in bangkok, if i see one, i will usually look at the display case to the see the freshness and variety of the items. i will do this next time i go to the oriental. who knows, i may even partake.

as far as high or low floors, i prefer low floors, as i am not really a view kind of a guy, neither would i watch tv in the bathroom, so that benny is not important to me. a bathroom should be functional, get in and get out.

My wife would disagree-big time with that bathroom comment- she practically lives in the bathroom (the tv thing is irrelavent- we don't care about that stuff). In fact the bathroom is the most important aspect for her- so its got to be big, well lit, plenty of shelf room for her stuff, etc. New - not old! Ok one more comment- its often difficult to get a high floor at times but to my memory its never been a problem requesting a low floor!

Kuranosuke -- the sushi bar is in Lord Jim. Have you been there since they redid it? It's a spectacular space now. And the food is wonderful.

I'm with Kuranosuke -- the bathroom is completely unimportant to me as long as it works well, is clean (now that IS important), has a good shower (hate baths) and nice towels. I spend as little time there as possible. I do remember some hotels in Vietnam when I did live in the bathroom but that was because it was the only place light enough to read (it was early 90s).

Bill -- I never request a floor unless it was because of a specific butler. And I have never been on a "low" floor. I seem to often end up on the 9th or 11th floors - both of which are fine for me and both of which are non-smoking floors. I would not want to be higher than say the 12th floor -- after that the view becomes much less interesting to me. The rooms at the Oriental actually start on the 4th floor and all have wonderful views. Lord Jim on the second floor has fabulous views for example.

billt, my dw does not share in my sentiments of the bathroom, probably along the lines of your wife.

glorialf, thanks for the info. i had lunch at lord jims a few years ago, so i have not seen the remodeled restaurant. i will check it out his trip, maybe even have lunch there. i think when i first went there, they took only usd. could that be correct? this was about 6-7 years ago, or maybe 7-8, where does the time go. halloween stuff up in stores, so are some xmas decorations.

Watch out Lynn (of 10-day Trip Report fame), I think this Oriental vs. Peninsula topic has all the hallmarks of a post that will be around for a very long time!