This hotel is a newly refurbished hotel, but not new like VIE or Pullman. As a 4 star hotel, it is excellent, but as a 5 star, the ambience and charm is just not good enough. The management has tried hard to reach higher standards, but there are some loose ends. I expected abit more, given the pricing.

Upon arrival, you're greeted by a rather ordinary entrance, more suited for a hotel a class below. The lobby itself has modern furnishings, minimalistic, but rather cheap looking. The layout is unimpressive, and fairly dark. More lights would help.

Room
I had the Executive Premium room, which are the refurbished rooms located at each corner of the floors, mine was 27th... nice. When I first entered, I was abit disappointed, it was less luxurious than what I saw online. There was no see through glass window seperating the bedroom and toilet which was what I saw online. Also, the 32 inch Samsung LCD was located at the side of the bed, not they best layout. The finishings were modern, and good quality, but not luxurious like in a 5 star establishment. The windows were on 2 walls of the room, and provided very good view of the surrounding area. The bed was very comfortable and had good linens. I noticed that while the airconditioning was very effective in keeping the room cool, the noise it made was noticeably louder than other hotels I've stayed in, but eventually we got used to it. All in all, a comfortable room, with splendid views, but dont expect for it to take your breath away.

Toilet
Huge!! The toilet is a all marble affair, but you will notice that it seems quite bare and simply finished. The bath tub was volumous and very attractive, but the plug wouldnt allow it to hold more than 8 inch of water, the seal was probably worn. I had to use the floor towel to help with the sealing to get the water up to chest level. Because of that it was rarely used. The shower area is seperate, and quite large too. It has a rain bath, and a seperate shower head, water pressure is average. The toilet bowl also has a seperate area. Toiletries provided are pretty good.

Pool
Good size pool, but dont expect a beautiful infinity pool. Lots of benches around to lie on, and it has 2 jacuzzis for use. The water in the jacuzzi seems a bit murky for my liking, but still a good place to relax for an hour or so.

Breakfast
Excellent buffet breakfast. Despite a chef cooking eggs for the guests, they enclosed indoor restuarant did not smell. Everything was tasty, and the spread is pretty huge. American, Japanese, CHinese, Thai. Has good selection of bread too, and a few basic cheeses. Juices were excellent! I woke up for it every day! As an experience though, dont expect much, there are no views, and the restaurant gets real busy. Sometimes a queue forms outside, and you have to share tables in close proximity to other guests.

Location
Superb location, connected to MBK where you can have cheap bargains, and excellent eats! Tons of money changers, and the MBK food court is an excellent way to spend 100b/pax. MBK food court taste better than Siam Paragon in my opinion. MBK itself is also connected to SIam Discovery which is in turn connected to Siam Paragon. MBK is also connected to Siam Square where is bustles with street life all night long. THe national stadium bts is at the end of MBK, 5 mins walk. I feel being close to MBK is more important than Siam Paragon for its bargains and local brands. SIam paragon is a very nice malls, but the labels are international, which you can buy in your own country for the same price.

Hotel Service
Generally good, always greeting you. However, the room maids are particularly enthusiastic about cleaning your rooms, if you dont want it cleaned, turn on the privacy sign! One of the maids entered our room when we were inside, not so comforting!

Bottom Line
As a first time visitor and shoppers alike, I highly recommend this hotel for its location and very good accomodation (if you dont mind the price). If you want a new hotel with cutting edge decor and feel, try Pullman Hotel, but the location is less convenient.