I’m checking out of the Intercontinental Bangkok today, and I was exceptionally happy with my stay.

Normally I’d be happiest at the Peninsula or the Metropolitan. Neither is expensive luxury by world standards, Bangkok is after all probably the best city in the world for luxury hotel values. But I couldn’t turn down the value offered by the Intercontinental.

I arrived here a couple of days ago after a seemingly endless trip to Bangkok in the Sheraton Pattaya Resort’s BMW. (I’ll share details of that truly amazing, astonishly property sometime in the next few days.)

We pulled up to the Intercontinental and walked up to the checkin desk and were escorted up to the club lounge. The lounge is brand new, now on the 37th floor, and the old 33rd floor lounge has been closed.

We were seated and given flowers and a chilled fruit drink while they took my credit card and passport.

I had emailed the hotel prior to booking to find out how upgrades work here and was told that Royal Ambassador members are upgraded two room categories, which means:

• Regular room –> club room
  
• Club room –> club suite
  
• Club suite –> ambassador suite

So I booked a Club Suite at US$218/night. Staying two nights and applying a free weekend cert, so that $218 covered 2-nights in a 1000 square foot ambassador suite. My upgrade was confirmed by email at booking, but not reflected on priorityclub.com. (They gave me their internal hotel confirmation number which differs from Priority Club’s.)

The two ambassador suites at the hotel were occupied when we checked in and so we were pre-blocked into the 1600 square foot Diplomatic Suite, the second best suite in the hotel.

Quite simply, the suite is amazing.

There’s a kitchen, with separate door access so that serving staff can enter the room without disturbing guests.

Off the kitchen is a meeting room/dining room with a table that comfortably seats 10. TV and VCR in dining room.

There’s a small office/desk with wired high-speed internet (complimentary). Fortunately, I carry a wireless router when I travel.

The living room is spacious with TV/VCR, comfortable couch, and three comfy chairs. The living room is what you walk into when you enter the room.

The foyer, by the way, is marble with columns. And off the foyer is the guest bathroom.

Bedroom is large with bed, couch, dressing area, etc.

Bathroom is huge with separate soaking tub and separately enclosed glass shower. Toilet and bidet, no separate toilet room. Double sinks.

The suite is on the 33rd floor, and offers a panoramic view of Bangkok — the suite wraps around perhaps 220 degrees, and there’s windows looking out on the city all the way around the room from the bathroom off the bedroom all the way around to the edge of the dining room.

Back to the club lounge, it’s open 24 hours, with computers and meeting rooms and three separate food presentations throughout the day.

Breakfast is served there from 6am to 10:30am, and it isn’t just a buffet. There’s table service and I ordered up some pad thai the first morning while my wife had eggs benedict in addition to extensive buffet offerings like the usual bagel and lox.

Tea with snacks are available from 2pm – 4:30pm.

Evening cocktails and canapes from 5:30pm – 7:30pm.

The lobby of this hotel is busy, and I would never ever stay here except in a suite with club lounge access. But service in the club lounge is good (only ok by Thai standards) – I’ve been remembered by name since I got here and I’ve received plenty of assistance in activities and bookings.

Up on the roof above the 37th floor is a small (though uncrowded) pool area.

As a welcome gift from the hotel I received a nice leather business card holder. The welcome amenity was a fruit basket, chocolates, bottle of wine, water — all of which were replenished daily.

They offer a pillow menu, my pillow selection delivered promptly. Room service coffee ordered at 5am, arrived before 5:10am. Recognized my 4pm checkout and told that I could pay additional money for later checkout since I have an 11:55pm flight. Instead, though, I simply have full use of the lounge and the spa after I checkout at 4pm.

This isn’t really a complaint, but the minibar was stocked with a couple beers, soft drinks, waters.. not much else, which of course is disappointing because as a Royal Ambassador drinks from the minibar are complimentary.

The Intercontinental is right next to the skytrain and Gaysorn Plaza, with tremendous upscale shopping like Pucci, Prada, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Burberry, etc.

It’s a great location if you’re moving about the city, but lacks the peace of the river which houses the Peninsula, Mandarin Oriental, Shangri-La, and slightly off the water the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit.