Livotel Express Hotel Ramkhamhaeng 50 Bangkok

I thought less of this hotel at first because it was so cheap, and I’d heard it was far from the city center. But after three nights, I found the room clean and spacious, with a very comfortable bed. They replenished drinking water and toilet paper every day, and the staff were nice. There may have been a 500B deposit at the start, but it came in handy when I ran short of money on my last day. The area feels residential, and the room is apartment-like, with a balcony and a large single-door refrigerator. There’s plenty of local food nearby. The hotel is far from the center, but transport is manageable: you can take a bus, or if you’re short on time going to Pratunam, take the MRT yellow line from Yaek Lam Sali station to Hua Mak for 25b, then the ARL from Hua Mak to Ratchaprarop for 24b. That trip takes an hour.

I stayed there for over three weeks. The only positives I can think of are that the hotel is opposite a 7/11 and the street has plenty of local food merchants. That’s about it. The room was very outdated, rusty in places, and poorly maintained. It wasn’t clean either: I found long black hair when I arrived and again after the room had been cleaned several days into my stay. I’m nearly bald, so it wasn’t mine. Noise was another constant problem. If guests didn’t close their doors properly, they rang, every day, on every floor, sometimes at 3 or 4 in the morning. Cockroaches were around too, if that bothers you. Reception staff seemed uninterested. I asked for help twice and the guy was always on his phone, barely listening. I left at 9:00am one day and returned at 4:00pm after telling reception they could clean the room, but it hadn’t been cleaned. The day after checkout, I went back for an HDMI cable I’d left behind. The same guy said they couldn’t find it, though it was behind the TV. It seemed easier for him to say it wasn’t there than help. They did leave me a roll of toilet paper every day, so I ended up with almost 20 rolls in my room like a collection. I work in hospitality, and so much here was wrong. I travel on a budget, but I wouldn’t stay again even for free.

I appreciated that the room and toilet were clean, and having a 7 11 next door was handy during the day 👍. But the walls and doors don’t block sound at all. Other guests banging doors woke me several times, and I could hear people shouting on lower floors. Groups, mostly men, gathered outside the 7 11 at night, and the noise and atmosphere felt uncomfortable late into the night. Housekeeping was unreliable: they didn’t leave drinking water and didn’t clean the room on the second day, even though I put the make my room sign on the door. The hotel is also quite far from the main Siam area. A Grab cost around 240 baht each way 🚕. Public transport is possible, but inconvenient because it takes two train lines and a walk. The clean room couldn’t make up for the noise, service, and location, which left the stay less comfortable than I expected.

The deposit issue at checkout was the worst part: they kept my “caution” and refused to return it, saying the towels were dirty after normal use. That felt completely unreasonable. We couldn’t involve the police because we would have missed our flight. The room was very dark and looked more like a boiler room than somewhere for guests. It felt unwelcoming from the moment we arrived, and the staff were unfriendly, dismissive, and unhelpful throughout. Without a doubt, this was the worst hotel experience I’ve ever had. I’d strongly advise people to stay far away.