Grand Ever9

Right in the city center, this is a very good hotel. The rooms are large, quiet, and comfortable, with balconies, flat-screen TVs, AC, and hot water.

I came to Korat hoping to spend three days unwinding after my Isan trip, but after what happened here I decided to leave after one night. They call this a four-star hotel, though I don't think it really is. I do want to say the staff work hard, and I respect their efforts. The front desk and guard were also kind and helpful, which is why I still gave two stars. The first issue was being charged 100 baht to get into my room about an hour early, around 1 pm, after the train from Ubon arrived. They had a spare room ready and cleaned, but made me wait outside for an hour or pay. I understand there are rules, but I didn't feel the human warmth that matters in Chinese and Japanese culture. Other hotels around Thailand haven't charged me for just an hour. If the hotel has rules, they should apply consistently, instead of making customers follow rules that seem to apply only to them. It felt disgusting. Then, after I finally got into the room and lay down to rest, a staff member suddenly opened my door and saw me half naked on the bed. She apologized, but imagine having a stranger open your room without warning. The key was an old-fashioned key with a card, the kind you see in older places in Thailand. I felt anyone could open the door if they wanted, even at night. From then on I felt unsafe and really scared, and left the city the next day.

The beds were so comfortable, the room was quite big, and the AC worked well. Breakfast had lots of Asian and Western choices, plus simple coffee. People working there were lovely. When I checked out, they noticed I'd left my glasses behind and someone brought them to Reception.

The room felt modern and was nice, and breakfast was excellent. I was happy with the stay. The location worked for me because I had a motorcycle, but it's a little far from the main center if you don't have transport.