Review: the St Regis Bangkok hotel – understated luxury in Thailand’s capital

This is our review of the St Regis hotel in Bangkok.

This is the first of three hotel reviews on my recent trip to Thailand.

After an impressive stay at the St Regis Mardavall Mallorca (review here) last year, I was keen to try out a St Regis city hotel. My holiday to Thailand proved the perfect opportunity as the St Regis Bangkok is considered one of the best in the network.

Despite somewhat strenuous entry requirements, now is a great time to travel to Thailand as there are still very few tourists. You’ll have the many temples, beaches and other attractions virtually to yourself – a far cry from the over-tourism of previous years.

Thailand is likely to ease restrictions further over the coming months and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the PCR test requirements dropped relatively soon. It actually dropped the mandatory Day 5 PCR and hotel quarantine during my stay which meant I only had to do a self-administered lateral flow test instead, freeing up another day.

St Regis is a unique brand in the Marriott portfolio and has a storied history as well as a number of features and services that set it apart from other luxury brands including butler services and champagne sabering. Our guide to St Regis hotels is here.

The hotel website is here.

Location

The St Regis Bangkok is well located in the city in an area dominated by luxury hotels. It is just round the corner from Lumphini Park and directly opposite The Royal Bangkok Sports Club which features a race course, golf course and other sporting facilities.

This means that it is one of the few hotels in Bangkok to look out over a wide open green space – a rarity in what is otherwise a wonderfully chaotic city.

The hotel has its own access bridge to the BTS Skytrain Silom/Green line which makes getting around on public transport a doddle, although to be honest taxi fares are so cheap it’s rarely worth the effort.

I recommend downloading Grab, the Asian equivalent of Uber. It makes getting around the city a doddle and also provides a good benchmark when haggling fares with tuk tuk drivers.

Inside St Regis Bangkok

Like most city hotels you’d be hard pressed to identify the hotel building on the street, and in that sense the St Regis Bangkok is not a landmark property. It’s just another 44-floor, 228 room glass-clad high rise. But it’s what’s inside that counts ….

In we go ….

There’s a small lounge on the ground floor:

…. but the majority of the hotel facilities start on the 12th, including the check in facilities. (The intermediate floors feature a parking garage, mostly).

There are four desks with armchairs for you to sit in tucked away in this corner of the double-height lobby:

…. although at present only one to two are staffed given the low occupancy rates at the hotel.

Check in was quick and easy and my Marriott Bonvoy status was recognised.

Rooms at St Regis Bangkok

We were given a King room with Golf Course view which is at the upper end of the room categories before you get into the suites (of which the hotel has many!)

The room is very spacious, with a wardrobe-lined hallway when you enter:

Storage includes a luggage rack in between two full sized wardrobes which I always appreciate. A safe, ironing board, second robe and usual bits and bobs were all in the wardrobes.

On the left you can see into the flexibly open-plan bathroom, which features a number of sliding doors giving you as much (or little) privacy as you need.

Walk a little further and you have the main part of the room, with king bed:

Connectivity is great, with plugs on both sides of the bed as well as room controls.

In the window is a two-seat sofa, plus a very large writing desk that even comes with stationery:

A lovely welcome amenity of fresh fruit and chocolates was awaiting us, and the butler also delivered two fresh coconuts which make a great jet-lag buster.

and

Here you can see our welcome message and the view of the Royal Sports Club:

Writing on glass and mirrors seems to be very much a trend these days, although I was still surprised to see it at the St Regis. I think it may be more popular in Asia where luxury staycations are more of a ‘thing’ because we also had it at Le Meridien Chiang Mai (review to come).

Opposite the bed is a 55 inch TV above a console table which features a stocked mini bar and fridge, as well as the Nespresso coffee machine, kettle and usual bits and bobs.

Looking the other way, you can see how the bathroom is semi open-plan:

The toilet, fortunately, has its own door, and for anyone that hates open plan bathrooms, you can close the sliding doors fully for increased privacy. There are two sinks:

…. plus a large free standing bath tub:

And, of course, the shower with rainfall and standard shower heads.

Amenities are by Mor Emporium and I was particularly impressed by the shampoo and conditioner, which felt great and weren’t too aggressive on my hair.

In terms of style, the room has more of a traditional luxury aesthetic with dark woods and beige leathers. It was all in good shape and feels and wasn’t showing any signs of wear or tear.

Breakfast at St Regis Bangkok

The St Regis manages just one restaurant in the hotel called VIU (there are a couple more on site managed by third parties), plus the St Regis bar.

VIU is where breakfast is served. It is on the same floor as reception and, as you might expect, it has views across the golf course:

The restaurant is divided into three areas which are set up for different levels of formality. During breakfast of course they’re all the same.

The St Regis Bangkok has a relatively small buffet, certainly not as palatial as some (the St Regis Mardavall was completely over the top, I thought). It included a variety of fruit juices:

…. plus pastries, salads and meats, cheeses and smoked salmon:

Asian options were relatively slim, although the hot station did include chicken congee as well as bacon etc.

Supplementing the buffet was a complementary a la carte menu. This featured items such as eggs royale, a full English, pancakes, omelettes. Here’s my eggs royale:

Slightly bizarrely, I got two eggs on the first day but just one on the second, although I could have re-ordered!

I was very pleased with the modest spread of the buffet and actually prefer it that way – I don’t really see the appeal in gigantic buffets, especially when there is an a la carte menu.

In the evenings, VIU serves a Thai and Western menu which is also available as room service. The Thai options were great and I particularly liked the pomelo salad.

St Regis Bangkok pool, spa and gym

The pool, spa and gym are on the 14th floor. The pool overlooks the golf course:

Whilst it’s an infinity pool, it doesn’t overhang the building so you can’t quite immerse yourself in the view. I liked the planting though, with a couple of lush green hedges, palms, orchids and more.

At one end of the pool is a jacuzzi, although it is the same temperature as the rest of the pool. Not necessarily a bad thing in Thailand’s heat!

The spa is operated by Clinique La Prairie, a Swiss brand.

Hotel guests can make use of the gender-separated public spaces for free, including the steam rooms, hot tub, plunge pool, relaxation lounge and experience showers:

It’s a lovely spa and I was surprised by how large the areas were – it was totally unexpected. I also had one of the best massages I have ever had with (I think!) Pu, who was exceptional.

The gym is opposite the spa and features the usual equipment as well as, oddly enough, a small boxing ring.

Service at St Regis Bangkok

Service in Thailand is always great, but at the St Regis Bangkok it is even better and the butlers almost beg you to give them something to do. At a St Regis butlers will unpack your bags, press/iron your clothes and bring you tea and coffee in the mornings amongst other things. We had ours bring us tea and coffee as well as iron some clothes which I always really appreciate as I hate ironing.

After my mum commented on the beautiful cut orchids at reception, we were delighted to find the staff had sent up the same flowers the following day. It’s little touches like this that really set apart the best luxury hotels. To be honest it is something I would expect at a Four Seasons but not necessarily a St Regis, so I was particularly impressed.

Conclusion

The St Regis is a solid option if you are staying in Bangkok. Whilst it doesn’t have any iconic facilities like a rooftop bar it is a very strong, detail-oriented hotel. It’s not shouty like, say, a W, but it delivers a more restrained and consistent luxury.

The service is great and whilst you aren’t necessarily greeted by name, little touches like the orchids delivered to our room suggest the staff are on a mission to ‘surprise and delight’ guests, which is something more reminiscent of a Four Seasons.

As a well connected base in Bangkok that also acts as a retreat from the hustle and bustle of the metropolis I can definitely recommend the St Regis.

PS. if you want a roof top bar in Bangkok I can recommend the Vertigo Bar at the Banyan Tree, although I’ve been told the rest of the hotel is not particularly great.

Compared to what you would pay in other capital cities, St Regis Bangkok is a relative bargain. Rooms start at £175 for a weekday night in March. On points, you can expect to pay between 30,000 and 40,000 Bonvoy points per night until full dynamic pricing kicks in next year. You can find out more, and book, on the hotel website here.

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