The five-star Hotel Plaza Athénée Bangkok, A Royal Méridien Hotel is located in the heart of Bangkok. 374 hotel rooms are spread over a total of 27 floors. A separate building from the hotel contains residences (private residential units).
Around the corner is Central Embassy, an upscale shopping mall that is also home to the Park Hyatt Bangkok. The nearest BTS station “Phloen Chit” can be reached on foot via the Skywalk within 5 minutes. So there is plenty to discover all around.
Admittedly, I was a little suspicious of this hotel. Although it is a Le Meridien Hotel, despite the renovation of the rooms, pool and restaurants, it still looks very much like it was built in the 70s. This is particularly evident in the lobby area, the lifts and the club lounge.
After a short airport transfer, organized by the hotel, I was a little surprised not to be greeted personally, nor to be accompanied to the check-in (directly to the room). That should already be standard…
As the check-in area in the lobby was very busy, I made my way to the elevator to check in at the club lounge. Mirrored, dark wood-paneled elevators that took what felt like 3 minutes per floor. This was going to be a good stay…
Club Lounge
When we arrived at the Club Lounge, everything changed abruptly. Visually, it hadn’t been renovated yet and was reminiscent of grandma’s living room with sofas that were so soft you could half sink into them. But after a day of sightseeing, you actually felt quite comfortable!
The girls here were so on the ball and read your every wish from your lips. Unique. It often doesn’t pay to book Club Floor because the food and drink presentations are all well and good, but only consist of calorie bombs. Excellent lounge staff who make your stay a pleasant one: priceless.
There is breakfast in the morning, various food presentations during the day and an open bar with cocktails in the evening, which we enjoyed.
Room
The newly renovated Club Junior Suite with 55 square meters offers enough space for a longer stay to feel comfortable: A generously sized comfortable bed, work area with desk and the necessary cables for your notebook, lounge area and large bathroom. Ceiling-high windows let enough daylight into the room and offer a wonderful view of the city and the Central Embassy opposite.
Particularly noteworthy in the rooms are the bed-side switches that allow you to control all the lighting without having to guess which button is responsible for which area. Hats off!
Breakfast
Breakfast is served in the Raintree Cafe on the lobby level between 06:00 and 10:30. Large, varied selection of fresh fruit, fruit juices, hot and cold dishes, cold cuts, several cooking stations. There is something for everyone here.
However, from half past eight you can tell that the hotel has 374 rooms – for early risers like me who wait for the buffet to open at 05.50 this was never an issue.
Service – fast.
Fitness and pool
The newly designed outdoor pool on the roof terrace is a real success. There are plenty of loungers and salas and you have enough space without getting in the way of other hotel guests.
Right next to it is the fitness area with an extraordinary number of modern machines that are not just steppers and treadmills. This was also the first time I had seen a deadlift rack in a hotel.
Restaurants
We also took advantage of the food on offer. The hotel offers a total of 8 restaurants – of course we tried the Thai restaurant “Smooth Curry”.
Apart from the air conditioning being set too low, we were completely satisfied.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Plaza Athénée Bangkok surprised me in a positive way and I would book it again without batting an eyelid. The partly old, partly new hardware leaves nothing to be desired and the proactive Club Lounge staff make the hotel a second home.




































