BS RESIDENCE Suvarnabhumi

A good option when you're waiting for a flight or have just landed. It's close to the terminal and has a shuttle bus. The hotel feels modern and well run, and the main pool is nice and very clean. Rooms in the main block are a little small. I've also stayed in the separate Residence block, where you may be assigned a room. Those rooms are bigger and quieter, and the block has its own pool, which is less busy. That pool area feels a bit neglected and could use tidying up, though the pool itself is clean. I'd recommend the hotel as a good balance of price and quality.

The hotel is near BKK airport, about a 25-35-minute drive from central Bangkok. The lobby looks stylish but also has the feel of an industrial complex. The rooms were clean, but the floors, towels, and water smelled of chlorine and bleach. The floor was slippery, and of the eight hotels we stayed in, these were by far the hardest mattresses. The pool's chlorine also left my eyes red. There was no complimentary water in the refrigerator, so bring your own.

The room and balcony were lovely, and the pool looked inviting, though I didn't get time for a swim. I was just stopping over after a late flight, and the place did what I needed. One annoying bit: the room service menu had no hours listed, so I assumed it was available 24/7. When I couldn't get through, I went downstairs and got a dismissive “yeah, it's closed.” A note with the hours would've helped. I ended up going to 711. Apart from that, perfecto!

We came back for a second stay on our way home, this time in Building 2. The bed was so hard that neither my wife nor I got any sleep. On our first visit we'd been in Building 1 and only stayed one night before an early 4:30 airport start. The pool was nice, and there was a 7 eleven and food market at the end of the road. The wall, or adjoining door, was thin enough that we could hear quite a bit from next door.