Royal Rattanakosin Hotel - Near Grand Palace & Khaosan Road

The biggest pros of this hotel are its good location and affordable price. It's about a 10-minute walk to the Grand Palace and a 15-minute walk to the pier for the express boat, which you can take to cruise along the Chao Phraya River. The National Museum is right across the street, and there's a 7-Eleven next door. We even bought some ready-to-eat meals there after arriving from the airport. The hotel also has a Chinese restaurant, and the breakfast was decent. However, the downside is that it hasn't been renovated in a long time, so the facilities are quite old. The internet, TV, phone, and air conditioning didn't work very well. There's an airport bus stop right in front of the hotel, but we took the Airport Rail Link when we arrived and then a taxi from the terminal. Attractions like Wat Arun, ICONSIAM, and Chinatown are all relatively close by.

I've stayed at this hotel three times now. The room facilities are decent, but the main draw is its convenient location and excellent value for money, being very close to the Grand Palace and Khao San Road. This time I brought my boyfriend, and the front desk staff was a bit rude. The first room they gave us was incredibly run-down, with a leaky fridge, wet floors, and only a mattress without a bed frame. It felt like they took us to a completely different building by turning left. When we asked to change rooms, she initially said there were no rooms available, but then said we could switch for an extra 300 Thai Baht per night, so 600 Baht for two nights. We then got a room above the main lobby, which is where I'd stayed before. The new room was a bit noisy facing the street, but the facilities were much better than the first one. I had booked a room in the main building to begin with, so it should have been straightforward. It was really frustrating that they initially took us to the side building on the left. Paying extra wasn't the issue, but the problem was not getting the room we booked based on the pictures, which wasted time and ruined the check-in experience.

Great location! Convenient for getting everywhere, and the bus routes are extensive. As for everything else, it's a long story, but let me tell you: My first night in Bangkok was sleepless. When I checked in, I specifically asked for a quiet room, but what did I get? The noisiest one. The window faced a rubbish dump and a restaurant. The rumbling noise at night made it impossible to sleep. I called the front desk in the middle of the night, and an old guy came up, took a look, and told me to go to the front desk at 8 AM the next morning to change rooms. But I was supposed to start my itinerary that day! So I contacted Trip.com for help. Their customer service called the hotel for several hours, but no one answered. Around 4 or 5 AM, just as I was drifting off to sleep, the rubbish truck made a huge clanging noise that nearly scared the living daylights out of me. (There were a lot of homeless people downstairs, so I was quite scared.) The rubbish truck left at 6 AM, and I thought I'd try to get some more sleep, but then the stray dogs woke up and started barking. I was so angry I almost laughed. Trip.com told me to go out and enjoy my day and they would handle it. But they couldn't reach the hotel and kept reassuring me. By the time the sun was high, I couldn't take it anymore and had to go back to the hotel. I went to the front desk to ask about the situation. The front desk staff's face dropped, and she said, 'Are you trying to change rooms?' I said I wanted a quiet room, and she rolled her eyes and said, 'There are none.' At this point, I had to raise my voice and demand that they resolve the issue, check me out, and refund my money! 'Check me out!' Then she silently gave me two room cards (they only respond to tough talk, so annoying) for a room on the fourth floor. I went up and checked it out; it was quieter than the second floor. So I quickly moved. There was no staff to help me move. And I lost a necklace (sigh, a small loss for peace of mind). As I was about to sleep in the new room, my God, the sheets were stained with blood. It was disgusting. The Trip.com agent was excellent, staying with me throughout. When I called the front desk and no one answered, Trip.com contacted them again to get the sheets changed. Afterwards, they asked if I had any other issues. I mentioned there were cockroaches 🪳, but I didn't think it was a big deal anymore (compared to everything else). Trip.com said it definitely was a problem and had to be recorded and reported to the hotel. I said okay. In short, from check-in, the broken table lamp, broken cabinet, mosquitoes 🦟 flying around, to the noise at night, the slow hotel service, and the rude attitude with no apologies – sigh, I really hope they can renovate, improve their service, and then reopen. Trip.com compensated me for the night's stay and had a wonderful attitude, making me feel less alone and scared in a foreign country, and even brave enough to confront the hotel. All in all: try to avoid the rooms on the right side of the second floor nearest to 7-Eleven. Check the sheets upon check-in, ideally bring disposable sheets, have mosquito repellent ready, and don't be afraid of cockroaches 🪳.

The room was quite spacious, and the central air conditioning worked great. It had a fridge and a bathtub, but the hangers in the closet couldn't be removed, which made drying clothes a bit inconvenient. The soundproofing of the door wasn't very good. The location is excellent, and the price is quite reasonable.

Close to the Grand Palace, but the room facilities are a bit old. There were no toiletries like toothbrushes, toothpaste, or slippers. Breakfast was quite basic, and there was a charge for luggage storage. Check-in wasn't until 2 PM.