The Landmark Bangkok

I know this Hotel since about 40 years and stayed there many times. Living in the Isaan area, my family and I stay there often when in Bangkok. However, around two years ago (at least) the management decided for an extensive renovation. The basement restaurant, the legendary terrace, the bakery – disappeared. What exactly they are doing, nobody (even the staff) knows for sure. The old Charme of the place - gone forever. What we see already is what the Germans call “verschlimmbessern”, means improve something for the worse. The lobby is a huge, shiny marble place, empty except the reception desks at the end of the room. No seat, no armchair or nice sofa, no atmosphere. Instead at the left side, after entering the hotel, there is a large dark space with many seatings/tables incl. cute ladies serving drinks and snacks; with other words a bar, but no lobby. To the right, in connection with the shiny lobby on the way to the old restaurant there is a small seating area with furniture compared with that even the cheapest IKEA stuff would be royal. From there you enter a construction site. Now it’s too late, but you should have asked your customers, and studied the lobbies (for example) of the JW Marriott Soi 4 or the Shangri La before assigning a (competent) architect. We had a corner room, we knew already, which unfortunately was not included in the renovation. The door to the bathroom didn’t close firmly, the closet doors could only be moved with real effort, the whole room (sofa and bed) were overstuffed with useless cushions all size (what for?). However, the rain shower is the best in whole Bangkok. Nothing the hotel can do about is the noise from the nightlife around until 3.00 in the morning, something walls and windows cannot stop. We finished one day with a good meal at the red top restaurant. Service and food were excellent as always, but the place was like Siberia, definitely too cold to enjoy the evening; with air cons blowing full power from every angle. We friendly complained, but the polite smile and understanding signaled that there is nothing the staff can do, and that the management doesn’t care at al. I had confused our schedule during the (2 rooms - prepaid) booking, leaving one day earlier, and using the second room for my son only for two ours in the morning. They politely explained regarding the ‘reimbursement policy’ there was no way of refunding, not even a coupon for the next stay. I don’t care about the money but the style. Summarizing, the never-ending renovation seems to become a disaster. It was a complete disappointing stay in one of our favorite hotels and we won’t come back.

This was our second stay here, despite the renovations still taking place we had a great stay. We booked a club room which comes with lounge access and other benefits. Check in was smooth as we were checked in via the club lounge desk, staff were really friendly and explained all the benefits. The pool area probably needs a little bit of updating, maybe it’s on the list for renovation, but it’s nice and peaceful, the staff here are also really helpful, we ordered snacks and drinks, which arrived promptly, no hovering for us to sign the bill, they were quite happy to wait till we’d eaten. My husband visited the ‘sundeck’ this really needs some care and attention, probably best to fence it off until it’s renovated. We visited the club lounge in the evenings, staff were attentive but not intrusive, great choice of drinks on offer and food. We also opted for breakfast in the lounge as it’s a much quieter than the restaurant. Staff came round to check at our room in the early evening to see if we needed more towels or water. Would recommend this hotel.

I love lots of food and beverages in THE ATRIUM at The Landmark Bangkok Hotel. Lots of appetizers, main courses, and desserts are delicious. Unfortunately, service may be too slow when time flies around an hour after the first dish. However, the overall of food is okay.

This was a very nice hotel. It was centrally located and within walking distance of lots of restaurants and shops. Also very easy access to BTS train station which can get you anywhere you want to go. I just wish their construction was complete.

We had a 3-night stay and some aspects of our time here felt short of the 5-star level associated with this type of hotel. Some areas have been nicely refurbished but these conflict with dated rooms, corridors, lifts, Club lounge and other facilities that are in desperate need of a revamp. The new Atrium restaurant is fresh, spacious and offers a great breakfast selection but the service has a lot to be desired. We had to continuously chase staff for coffee and the team appeared disinterested and lacking leadership and training. The swimming pool was a complete let down and one of our main reasons for booking The Landmark. The water was freezing cold (also in the jacuzzi) and there was an evident problem with pigeons that harboured in the window seals. Pigeons continuously flied over people scaring guests and spreading disease. The floor around the pool was so dirty and the woodwork neglected. Don’t waste your time visiting the “solarium” which will remind you of the past glory of this hotel and the maintenance issues of this property. Rooms were clean, bed was comfortable but the shower head was old. We heard other guests complaining about the noise from the busy road but this didn’t affect us as our room faced the back towards the Novotel. The Club lounge in my opinion is a good option if you plan on drinking alcohol. Nice wine, beers and cocktails were on offer. The evening canapés were cheap and lacked finesse: spaghetti (omg), big chunks of beef shin, frozen KFC-style chicken strips, chips and tasteless chicken wings. Service in the Club Lounge was inconsistent and impersonal and staff was hiding behind the computer most of the time. Overall it was a disappointing stay and we won’t return at least until the full renovation is completed. There are many better options in Bangkok currently.