32 Best Hotels in Bangkok, Thailand

The spacious and comfortable rooms at the Amari chain's Bangkok flagship are swathed in silks and other rich fabrics. The executive floor has a lounge where complimentary cocktails are served in the afternoon, and the on-site restaurants serve decent Italian and Chinese fare. A Thai eatery offers specialties from the country's four major regions, and the coffee shop has a tasty buffet. The swimming pool is one of the city's largest.

One of Bangkok's most elegant hotels, the Anantara Siam is not only popular with visitors but attracts local society for morning coffee and afternoon high tea in the palatial lobby, decorated with silk murals hand-painted by Paiboon Suwanankudt, Thailand's greatest living traditional muralist. A courtyard landscaped with lush tropical foliage is flanked by shops, restaurants, and Aqua Bar. The large rooms are decorated with silk-upholstered furniture. There are beautiful suites overlooking the hotel's tropical gardens and the Kasara Club rooms include access to a lounge where complimentary food and beverages are served daily.

Originally a mansion built in 1916 by the Vadanyakul family, this stately building has had incarnations as a Chinese newspaper printing press, a teahouse, and a warehouse before being turned into a boutique hotel in the heart of Chinatown. The spacious guest rooms have high ceilings and period-appropriate furnishings. On the same lane is Bangkok's oldest coffee shop, 90-year-old Eiah Sae.

After checking in on the ground floor, you'll soar up the elevators to your room at this 60-story hotel—the light-filled suites in the impossibly slender tower all have sweeping city views. Native woods in everything from large desks to walk-in closets give each room a warm glow. A fully equipped spa offers the latest treatments, and a 53rd-floor sundeck beckons with a relaxing whirlpool. The rooftop restaurant Vertigo is one of Asia Pacific's highest open-air eateries.

This colonial-style semi-boutique hotel has contributed greatly to the upgrading of Khao San Road. The standard rooms are comfortable, but the deluxe ones are worth the extra expense for the added space and bigger balconies. The decor is bright and cheery, with lots of natural wood. You'll appreciate the rooftop pool after a day of trekking around the Old City. The lodge is close to the river and the Grand Palace and other attractions.

On the riverbank close to Wat Pho, Chakrabongse Villas offers four Thai-themed luxury suites in reconstructed traditional Thai homes, along with three Moroccan-inspired rooms, on the grounds of Chakrabongse House, which was built in 1908 for Prince Chakrabongse. Run by his granddaughter, the urban resort is one of the city's most coveted addresses, so book well in advance. 

Though this hotel is one of the largest in Bangkok, the service doesn't suffer—the staff is attentive, and the beautifully designed rooms are perfect down to the smallest detail. Look for elaborate fabrics, plush furnishings, and light streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows. The hotel is connected to All Seasons Place, which has dozens of restaurants and shops. A free shuttle bus runs guests to and from the BTS Ploenchit station.

This stylish hotel, filled with modern Thai art is right next to the auspicious Erawan Shrine. In the spacious rooms, the wood floors are strewn with tasteful rugs, the walls are hung with original art, and a desk and two chairs are positioned directly in front of the bay windows. High-tech accoutrements also abound. The bathrooms have separate showers and oversize tubs. A BTS walkway connects the hotel to the BTS line and shopping below.

This colonial-style boutique hotel offers small and large suites, plus a few multibedroom residences, all in a style suggesting 1920s Shanghai. The room decor includes antique desks and armchairs, claw-foot tubs, and vanity mirrors in wood frames. French doors open to balconies overlooking a tropical garden. Completing the ensemble are a rooftop pool, an Isan/Lao restaurant, and the nostalgia-inducing Joy Luck Club lounge, which resembles a Parisian saloon.

You'd expect to find this charming little hotel on Paris's Left Bank—the rooms are small but comfortable, and each is individually decorated with an unerring eye for detail. It's one of the few low-key lodgings in an area dominated by office towers. Families should consider one of the suites, which are big and with kitchenettes. A ground-floor restaurant serves Thai food and doubles as a sitting room. The hotel entrance is just down Soi Anuman Rojdhon off Surawong.

The expansive marble lobby is your first clue that this hotel is head and shoulders above others in its price range. Rooms have pleasant furnishings and spotless baths. There's a rooftop garden for sunbathing, and a small indoor pool next to the lobby. The best asset, though, may be the friendly staff. Many Asian tour groups stay here. The Skytrain is a 15-minute walk from the hotel.

With a rich history dating back to 1879, The Oriental is one of Bangkok's most prestigious hotels. It's on the banks of the Chao Phraya River and has hosted presidents, royalty, and international celebrities. Each room and suite has individual touches and elegant colonial-style flair. The rooms' large picture windows overlook the river or gardens. Outstanding restaurants and bars showcase everything from Italian and French to Thai cuisine; don't miss the famous Author's Lounge, known for its English-style afternoon tea.

This hotel within stumbling distance of Patpong has been well maintained since it was built in 1970, playing up its old-fashioned aesthetic. Prices are slightly higher than you'd expect for the area, but the rooms are spacious, and discounts are often available. In-house fortune-tellers, who will read your palm for a small fee, are one sign of the quirky neighborhood a few doors down.

Dating back to 1968, this is one of Bangkok's older hotels, but it's well kept up and conveniently located by the business district on Silom Road. It has basic but comfortable rooms and a friendly staff. The hotel's name refers to the god Vishnu (Narai is the Thai name for Vishnu), and an elegant bas-relief of the Hindu deity can be seen on the wall in front of the main staircase. 

Convenient to shopping, dining, and entertainment, this sprawling hotel is a short walk from the BTS SIam station, which puts much of the city within reach. The rooms are comfortable and functional. Despite the hotel's size, staff members are always around to help you.

This attractive hotel near Bangkok's main airport rents rooms in four-hour blocks, a boon during lengthy layovers. Amenities include four restaurants, a pool, a gym, and a spa.

Ideal for travelers seeking an artsy, off-the-beaten-track experience, this cute boutique guesthouse is in the old Phra Nakhon district. The owner is an artist and it shows in the colorful hall spaces and the retro-casual rooms' individually painted murals and soap-carving, cooking, and sewing classes held for guests. If you stay here, it's a good idea to print out the website's Thai directions for taxi drivers, as many of them have difficulty finding the place. 

This four-suite hotel started life in 1917 as one of Bangkok's first cinema houses, and the art deco stained glass window and original theatre marquee have been preserved, along with an original 35mm projector and screen. The location, on a short alley off Charoen Krung Road, is superb for exploring the shops and street eateries nearby.

A futuristic facade of soaring glass and odd angles sets the tone at this upscale lodging located conveniently in the heart of Sukhumvit. Rooms and suites are swathed in soothing warm browns and beiges. Business travelers will appreciate the attention to their needs here, with private offices and secretarial services.

This hotel with four restaurants of its own is situated for exploring Dusit, the Old City, and Chinatown, and it's a short taxi ride from riverside eateries. Gardens flank the tranquil lobby. The rooms are tastefully decorated in subdued colors setting off the dark-wood furnishings, but the bathrooms are on the small side. The main downsides are that the restaurants are merely okay, the hotel is far from Skytrain and subway stations, and come evening the neighborhood is virtually deserted.

One of Bangkok's most prestigious riverfront properties, the Shangri-La rivals even the more famous Mandarin Oriental. Crystal chandeliers illuminate the palatial marble lobby, and the adjacent lounge offers a marvelous Chao Phraya views through floor-to-ceiling windows. The peace of the gardens is interrupted only by the puttering of passing boats. In the luxurious Krungthep Wing, a separate tower across the garden, the rooms are larger and quieter, with balconies overlooking the river—a rare treat in Bangkok. The hotel is a short walk from BTS Saphan Taksin.

The Sheraton soars 33 floors above the noisy city streets, and the upper-floor suites get tons of natural light. Standard rooms are formulaic—don't expect any Thai-influenced accoutrements—but they're comfortable and pleasant. In the afternoon you can enjoy tea or cocktails in The Living Room, a large, open-plan lounge that hosts some of the world's top jazz musicians at night. On the third floor, the health club and the serpentine swimming pool are in a lovely garden. A covered walkway connects the hotel and the Asok Skytrain station, and the Sukhumvit subway station is next door. This is a favorite hotel for visiting international film crews and actors as well as musicians.

The family that runs the Siam Heritage has created a classy boutique hotel with a purpose—to preserve and promote Thai heritage. Each room is individually furnished, mostly with pieces from northern Thailand. The bedrooms have teakwood floors, and the bathrooms have stonework in place of tiling. The attention to detail is seen in the painted elevator doors, colorful woven bedspreads, and other touches.

This century-old shophouse in the historic Samphraeng neighborhood has been lovingly restored by an artistic Thai couple and has three guest rooms. It’s an easy walk to the Grand Palace, Wat Pho, and other prime Bangkok sights.

The Davis has a main building and another one two doors down with a separate lobby and reception area but no matter where you end up, the rooms are comfortable and classy. Decorative styles throughout represent locales from Bali to Bombay and even Florida. The property's showpiece is a pair of villas—separate houses built in traditional Thai style. These top-of-the-line accommodations have ample amenities, their own pool, and an astronomical price tag (there are big discounts for monthly stays).

The rooms at the Peninsula have plenty of high-tech gadgets, among them bathrooms with hands-free phones and mist-free TV screens, and bedside controls that dim the lights and close the curtains. Because the hotel is on the Thonburi side of the Chao Phraya River, its spacious rooms have impressive Bangkok skyline views. A free shuttle boat takes you across the river to the nearest BTS station. Four restaurants serve Chinese, Thai, and international cuisine. There's a long swimming pool with private gazebos.

Old Hollywood meets art deco at this family-owned property on the Chao Phraya, where ultraluxurious design pays homage to the postcolonial, early-1900s era of King Rama V, with black-and-white striped chairs and a library lined with limited-edition tomes. The suites are sheer elegance, and the pool villas include private plunge pools, rooftop terraces, and quirky artifacts, from straw fedoras to vintage clocks. There is a cooking school, a conservatory, a spa, and—the hotel's most coveted accommodation—a century-old teak villa.

The first hotel in Thailand to offer guests around-the-clock personal butler service, the St. Regis is all about pampering. The rooms are plushly furnished, with tremendous views of the skyline and the Royal Bangkok Sports Club. The rooftop pool has views in every direction, and the spa offers a wide range of treatments. In the bar lavish afternoon tea and the age-old tradition of Champagne sabering create a happening atmosphere from day to night. The hotel is connected to the BTS Silom line by its own private walkway.

Fancy with sleek surfaces and neon lighting, the Westin is very convenient to Sukhumvit shopping and nightlife—it's just out the front door. The rooms come with 37-inch LCD televisions, ergonomic chairs, and the comfortable beds the chain is known for; but the room decor overall could use a modern touch-up. Though not the urban oasis that some hotels offer, the clean and simple pool makes for a refreshing stop after a hot day.