Grand President

I spent two months here and had no complaints. Reception staff were friendly, professional and always willing to help. The rooms are roomy and kept very clean. The location also worked really well, with what you need in Bangkok close by and good connections to the rest of the city.

I won't be back or recommend this hotel. The area is packed with men from all over looking for sex. It isn't quite a red light district, but sex workers are everywhere, and men of all ages, sizes and nationalities can be seen bargaining for their services. I thought I was getting a good deal, but the older building had a musty smell in the room. I stayed four nights. There were tiny cockroaches every day. I asked for a non-smoking room and was put on a non-smoking floor, but the room still smelled of cigarettes when I returned. At night, cigarette odor drifted in from time to time, as if someone was smoking periodically. Staff only offered to spray a scent, which I declined because masking the smell seemed pointless. They offered to move me on my last day and night, but that meant repacking everything, so it didn't make much sense. The safe wasn't working. Staff couldn't fix it and brought a replacement, then said after an hour they'd need to come back and I'd have to be in the room. I gave up. I tipped the housekeeper who cleaned daily, but the trash was left, and I had to ask the front desk to remove it. The bathtub lets water run around the sides and back onto the floor, so half the bathroom got wet every time I showered. I also asked for a 4pm late checkout and was told it would cost extra, with 1pm initially offered as the latest. I was very frustrated and sighed, covered my face and said OK. The girl at the desk reluctantly agreed to 3pm. Later, I think a senior front desk staff member called to confirm I could stay until 4pm. The senior lady had treated me superbly from the start and remembered me from day one. And if you believe in the supernatural, don't come here. Every night felt weird. I'm not angry or raging, it is what it is, but this place didn't work for me.

The rooms are dated, as others have said, but that didn't bother me. They were clean and even the standard rooms had plenty of space. Mine had a large fridge for drinks and a water heater for making tea. I had a lovely six-night stay at the grand president, with very nice and helpful staff and nothing to complain about on that front. The second-floor pool area was pleasant, about 10m long, with two different depths and a small seating area in the water. You can order food and drinks there, though black coffee costs 140 baht. I'd very likely stay here again on another Bangkok trip.

The room was dirty, the shower head and its inflexible hose were broken, and so were electrical outlets and light switches. There were no spare charging sockets by the bed. Wi-Fi was poor even though the router was only three meters away. The TV picture was bad, and despite paying for a more expensive room, the view was a concrete wall. My first and last stay here. Wouldn't recommend it.