Bangkok

Disclaimer: In exchange for a review, I was invited to stay at Chatrium Grand Bangkok.

How is it that, after countless visits to the three shopping centers of Central World, Siam Paragon, and the MBK Center, I never knew that the Chatrium Grand Bangkok existed? It’s not a small property, but to give myself the benefit of the doubt, I’m generally in that area just to food shop.

Location

It’s also a little difficult to explain how to access it. That’s probably why, when going to that hotel, I gave up and took a tuk-tuk from Siam Paragon.

You see, Google Maps, as it often does, chose not to reveal the entire truth. The app told me that it was about a 26-minute walk.

I called shenanigans. Indeed…it turned out to be just a few minutes walk thru the Siam Kempinski (another hotel) roadway to access Chatrium Grand Bangkok.

Just follow the black line I drew for you:

Google Maps sends you to the entrance from the busy Phetchaburi Road, hence the longer walking route.

It’s somewhat far from a handful of my favorite Bangkok eats, but it’s also a stone’s throw from many, many other food options.

Anyway, let’s check out the hotel.

Second thing you should know, there are two towers.

Again, I had no idea which one was the main entrance, so I happen to have checked-in at Tower #2. Whoops. Tower #2 has the gym, spa (and meeting rooms), but most of the fun stuff is at Tower #1, i.e. the main tower. More on the facilities later.

Depending on whether or not your room includes Club Lounge access, you will receive up to two info sheets at check-in. Given that my room type was Club King, I therefore had Club Lounge access.

Room

There are a number of room types at the Chatrium Grand Bangkok, spread across its two towers. There are many long-stay guests, particularly from the Middle East; I specify the Middle East because there’s an in-house chef from that region who specializes in dishes from that part of the world. That food rarely disappoints, so that’s a big plus in my book.

Right, back to the room.

For that time of year (early April), good a/c was indispensable. Fortunately, it was working on all cylinders.

The bed was nice, the shower’s water pressure good, and the robe very cozy. Oh, and the minibar contents are all included…can’t complain about gratis coconut water!

Negatives were the inconvenient shape of the desk for working, and the dubious quality of water in the complimentary water carafes. But the worst offender by far is “technology.”

Look at this thing–

I unplugged it as there was no obvious off button, so unless you brought a homemade Faraday cage, have fun with your calls being (more transparently) recorded.

For foodies, pralines with locally sourced ingredients are a Chatrium Grand Bangkok mainstay.

Club Lounge

For club room guests, Club Lounge entry is complimentary. However, any guest can pay to enter, depending on availability.

I was able to visit it at the tail end of afternoon tea, cocktails, and breakfast (in that order). Breakfast was pretty good, but I’m indifferent to the other two aspects.

And before you ask, young children aren’t allowed in after 19:30…or at least that’s what I was told.

Hotel facilities

As mentioned upthread, the spa and gym are in Tower #2. The towers are accessible both from inside (just a couple of quick elevator trips), or simply hop across the covered outdoor entryway.

I don’t care about spas or saunas or onsen, for that matter, but THANN Spa Chatrium did look like a nice place to spend an hour or two.

I was surprised to see such a sizable gym, but didn’t have any time to use it.

As for the pool, it’s on the 7th floor of Tower #1. Right by the pool entrance, there’s a place to grab drinks, and even snag oven-fired pizza.

Dining

There are a few places to eat on-site at the Chatrium Grand Bangkok. There’s Flow by the pool, the Club Lounge, and Etcha, the 1-Michelin star avant-garde restaurant helmed by Chef Giacomo Primante.

Finally, on the ground floor of Tower #1, there’s Savio, which offers buffet and à la carte options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I ate there a lot, because it was quite good overall.

Not to mention, every day of the week there’s a new theme buffet section; while I was there, Mexico and Lebanon seemed to be the stars, as well as Spain (standby for more on this one).

Whereas I forgot to take a video of Savio’s dinner choices, I did remember to take ones of breakfast and lunch.

Breakfast

Lunch

As my stay occurred during April, there was one special dish in honor of Songkran, i.e. the upcoming Thai New Year. The dish is called “khao chae,” and translates in Thai as soaked rice. It originated from the Mon people (of present-day Myanmar) as a meal for festive occasions. Makes sense that it became popularized during Songkran, when people are out getting soaked with water guns (don’t fret too much; under that Bangkok sun it dries pretty quickly). Anyway, khao chae includes a variety of raw produce, and some prepared snacks such as shrimp paste spheres and fried salted egg yolk, served alongside rice in a bowl of jasmine-scented water.

For dinner on the last night, there was a Savio collaboration with a local Spanish chef, Roberto González Alonso, of Albricias restaurant. In fact, Albricias happens to be the marquee restaurant at the other local Chatrium property, Chatrium Sathon Bangkok.

To sum up that dinner, there’s not enough Spanish gastronomy around the world.

Oh yeah, since this section is about food, and it’s in Thailand, I probably shouldn’t forget to throw in one of these photos.

Tally ’em up

Reflecting on my stay at Chatrium Grand Bangkok, it was one of the better ones I’ve experienced lately. The staff were mostly pleasant, the food a hit, and the room relaxing. Sure, the pool had some rowdy guests, my room had some AI device slop, and the water didn’t taste good, but given the location and eats, I’d definitely consider another stay here.

Disclaimer: In exchange for a review, I was invited to enjoy one of the new guest rooms at the Tower Club at lebua, Bangkok.

The last time I stayed at the Tower Club at lebua,  the focus was on the food. Given its Michelin-starred pair of restaurants, as well as other fine dining options, it’s easy to see why the hotel trumpets itself as the culinary “vertical destination.”

But this time, I’m going to center more on the guest experience, especially the newly refreshed guest rooms. In fact, they’re so new that I had to stay in the model room, seeing as some finishing touches were being placed on the real deal.

Location

First, to clear up one potential miscommunication, both the Tower Club at lebua, and lebua at State Tower are under the same roof. The latter has fewer floors, and Club access, but they’re both in the same building.

The property is close to the Chao Phraya River, Si Lom shopping and nightlife, and Saphan Taksin BTS Skytrain station. During much of the day, the hotel provides a free tuk-tuk to this BTS station. As I had to make a souvenir run before check-out, I was glad to know that there was a “Tops” supermarket located on the way to Saphan Taksin, an under-10 minute walk.

Room

After check-in, which was simple, and included a welcome drink and a moist towel (late March – May is Bangkok’s summer, so it’s more sweltering than usual), it was time to see what the fuss about the new Tower Club Suites was.

To be candid, for this review I’m borrowing a few photos from my first stay (a rainy November 2025), but the views would be the same.

And by the same, I mean spectacular.

Those iconic balconies — and indeed, the building itself — are the work of Thai architect Rangsan Torsuwan.

But the room, wow, what an improvement over my first experience.

The new design is minimalist, and uses Thai woodwork and crafts to augment the stay. You might be in crazy Bangkok, but while you’re in the room, you’re in your own quiet and clean environment, perhaps even inspiring some to head out of the city.

This isn’t to say that the older rooms are in bad shape; far from it. It’s more that their evolved forms look that much more welcoming, and feel quieter.

There may have been a couple of hiccups here and there, but it was a model room. I expect that the minor nuisances such as a non-working iron, slightly leaky shower head in the tub, and unnecessarily-stocked fridge would get sorted out before other guests get to stay in the new rooms later this month.

Dining

Sirocco

As noted earlier, a huge draw to lebua in Bangkok is the dining scene. This time, I coincidentally caught another chef collaboration at Sirocco by lebua, the hotel’s premier Italian restaurant. On this occasion, called “Beyond the Bar, Beyond Dessert,” working alongside Sirocco Executive Chef Brian Rodriguez was Seoul-based pastry chef Justin Lee.

Not to mention, it’s hard to beat that Sirocco setting, en plein air.

The restaurant happens to hem in Sky Bar by lebua, that oh-so photogenic and famous Bangkok rooftop bar.

Note to those who disdain smoking: if you’re about to dine at Sirocco don’t ask to seat next to Sky Bar by lebua. Not pleasant.

Chef’s Table

The 2-Michelin starred French restaurant using many Thai ingredients provided another delicious dinner. The restaurant interior is sleek, with an open-kitchen concept. And that ice cream scoop of butter…oh, yes. Definitely looked forward to having that again.

Breeze by lebua

Breeze by lebua is the hotel’s contemporary Chinese restaurant. This was my first time eating there; in spite of the open-air setting, I really wasn’t looking forward it. I find eating Chinese food outside of China to be a waste. Ultimately, it wasn’t my favorite place — and probably was never going to be — but I still had some good dishes.

The tasting menu, which I tried, included Hokkaido scallop, crispy orange chicken, and wagyu tenderloin. I’d just about never turn down scallops or wagyu, but orange chicken, what the?

Café Mozu

Café Mozu is the buffet restaurant at lebua, for both Tower Club by lebua and State Tower at lebua guests. However, Tower Club by lebua guests can also use the 52nd floor lounge for breakfast, light afternoon bites and drinks.

I wouldn’t say it’s among the best buffets in the city, but I think the Indian dishes were easily the standouts. Regardless, if you’d like to see some videos about Café Mozu, check out my four related videos here.

As a bonus, here’s a video of the Tower Club lounge–

Hotel Facilities

Lebua’s pool is perched upon the outdoor seating area of Café Mozu.

The property’s gym and spa are getting a big redo, too…but you’ll need some patience to experience them. For now, my hotel PR contact sent me some renderings of the facilities, to be tentatively ready by the end of the year:

Tally ’em up

I think the key to my second very nice stay at lebua was the pleasant staff. I’m prone to asking ridiculous questions about the city, my room, Thai food, but I was typically met with helpful employees.
It seems that a lot of the folks working at lebua have been there a while, which I think would instill more confidence in guests about their choice of Bangkok hotels.

The new rooms looked and felt great, the rooftop restaurants were good times, and my dip in the pool has scarcely been more desired than on a Bangkok summer day.