U Inn Hotel Khon Kaen

It’s an extremely cheap “hotel,” but don’t expect luxury. If you’re looking for comfort or a sense of safety and security, I’d look elsewhere. If you’re dirt poor and just need a place to rest your head, it does the job. If you want somewhere to take a lady, it’s perfect.

I’ve stayed here many times and never had a problem, which is why I recommend it. It’s very close to Srinagarin hospital, probably the closest hotel. The staff are helpful, the rooms are clean, and the laundry is quick and good. There’s no food during the day, but Tab Noor is a very good restaurant just across the road, 20 meters away. Breakfast is very Thai, but foreigners can still find something to eat. Give it a try. I doubt you’ll be disappointed.

U Inn is set up mainly for people visiting the huge Srinagarind hospital across the road, rather than tourists. We stayed ten days recently, paying 790 baht a night. It’s plain and not especially interesting, and there isn’t much around unless you’re here for the hospital. For hospital access, though, the location is excellent: about a ten minute walk, with a pedestrian overpass across highway 2 for busy periods. The road is 12 lanes wide there. The rooms are small but adequate. The Thai style bed is firm but not uncomfortable, and the linens are good quality and changed daily. You can turn the air conditioning on and off and change the temperature, but the controller is fixed so you can’t access the other settings. It was set to high fan speed and was noisy. The bathroom worked well for a Thai hotel. It has an exhaust fan and a separate shower enclosure, so the whole bathroom doesn’t flood like in many Thai hotels and resorts. Water pressure was low, though adjusting the shower head made it seem stronger. Thin floors and walls mean noisy neighbors would be easy to hear. The view is typical Thai city ugliness, as the photos show, so we never opened the curtains. The penthouse has limited appeal in Thailand. The curtains don’t block out light, so you’ll know when morning comes. My main complaint was the lack of coffee or tea making facilities in the room. I’ve stayed in many hotels across Thailand, and this may be the first one I’ve seen without that standard option. The small room service menu is 55 baht per meal, but the food is microwaved from packets. The one I tried was inedible. Wifi worked throughout our stay, at around 10 Mbps download. There are two modern lifts, so reaching any of the seven floors is easy. Staff speak a little English, but might struggle with complicated questions. Breakfast was adequate, with rice soup and a main dish with rice for Thai guests, plus eggs, toast, jam, cereal, coffee, tea, and juice. The warmer has been fixed since previous complaints, so the eggs are warm. Most guests are local, so it’s no use complaining that there aren’t more Western choices. Most nearby shops are empty. There’s an Isaan restaurant right in front of the hotel, popular with locals, though I didn’t think the food was special. About a kilometer toward Khon Kaen is T Bone Steakhouse, the closest place with farang food. It offers all you can eat steaks and sides for 219 baht, good value, and is open 6:00 - 10:00 pm. If you want a massage, there’s an excellent place right behind the hotel, run by a farang and his wife. It’s clean and air conditioned, and she gives a very good mixed Thai and oil massage for 250 baht an hour. U Inn did what we needed, providing a clean and mostly comfortable place to stay. Tourists have better options, but if you’re in Khon Kaen because of the hospital, this is one of the best choices.

I book this place every time I’m in Khon Kaen.