SAMALA Hotel Bangkok

The staff were friendly, attentive, and always ready to help, and the hotel had a warm, welcoming feel. My stay at Samala Hotel was very pleasant, with clean, comfortable rooms and great hospitality. The location is excellent too, with plenty of restaurants, shops, and attractions nearby. I’d definitely recommend staying here in Bangkok.

The pool is nice, but there aren’t nearly enough sunbeds for a hotel this size. I also had a strange experience at the pool bar. Dishes ordered together came 20 minutes apart, so we had to eat separately. The waiter asked for payment while we were still by the pool and didn’t show me the bill. I paid and decided to trust them, though it looked about ฿200 more than I expected after calculating VAT and service charge. Afterwards I looked at the menu, and the guy acted funny, offering to show me the bill. I said I was checking the menu for tomorrow and wasn’t complaining, but he seemed to think I was. He was odd with me again the next day, showing me the menu and walking away before I could order, so we didn’t order again. I don’t know if people had complained before, left without paying, or if it was some kind of snobbery, but I’ve had 10x better service at places where food costs ฿100. I expect basic respect when paying ฿1800. I also object to the high deposit. It was returned without issue, but most hotels don’t ask for one, and the ones that do usually charge far less, about 1/4 of this. The location is excellent, with good transport links and a 711 next door. The room was pretty good, but at ~£69 GBP per night I expected more. It wasn’t spacious, the kettle had significant limescale, one shelf was very dusty, and the bathroom often smelled bad. Wi-Fi was unreliable, sometimes so poor I couldn’t browse, so I had to use data a lot. The TV had some kind of bug and would stop working or behave strangely. The hair dryer had loose wiring and didn’t feel safe to use. There was no toothbrush or toothpaste. If that sounds fussy, I’ve stayed in 14 hotels in Thailand and am currently at one for less than half the price that’s much better and has none of these problems. I’ve stayed in 4 star hotels for less, and staff usually treat you practically like nobility. I don’t expect that, but it’s what people usually get at this price point. This place was disappointing. There were some good things, like the service and surroundings, but several problems shouldn’t happen at a 4 star hotel at this price. I can’t call it very bad or say to avoid it at all costs, but I’d look elsewhere.

We had a great four-night stay and got a free room upgrade, which made it even more enjoyable. The location is amazing, within walking distance of trains, bus tops, and Terminal 21 ASOK. Breakfast was amazing, with a large selection of delicious food, and the staff were very friendly. 10/10, highly recommend. When we return to Bangkok, we’ll stay here!

The staff were wonderful, especially the front door men, and the hotel looks nice with a good location. But our room was dirty. There was hair all over the floor, and hair on the sheets and blanket too. The duvet cover looked like it hadn’t been washed, with hair, makeup, and stains that completely grossed us out. I told the front desk and asked for housekeeping to clean everything. They assured us they would, but when we got back the room had been serviced without removing the hair from the floor or changing the sheets. If the room and bed had actually been clean, this would absolutely be a 5 star hotel.