I will be spending the first night of my stay in Bangkok at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Sukhumvit Bangkok. This is my first time trying out this property. I have actually heard a couple of good things regarding this place. It is also one of the cheaper Hilton options in Bangkok. Given how I will only be arriving in the evening, I decided to just book the DoubleTree. There is no point forking out for something more expensive since I am just there for the night. This turn out to be a good decision as I spent less than 7 hours in the room. This place is extremely affordable and good for clocking nights if you are doing a long stay. The DoubleTree is located in the Sukhumvit area and there are lots of restaurants and dining options in the area including this highly popular local noodles joint that is just next to it. You can check out the famous Rung Rueang Pork Noodles when staying here. The nearest BTS station is the Phrom Phong station which is just a 5 mins walk away. The Emquartier and The Emporium shopping centre is also in the vicinity.

Booking Process & Pre Arrival 

I book directly with Hilton for my one-night stay and the rates were still rather good back in May. This was at a time when prices are still much cheaper than before in Bangkok. I got the base-level guest room and my nightly rate was around 80 SGD including taxes. That is a decent price. Nights, points plus breakfast for this price? I will take it anytime. A couple of days out, I can see from the app that I have been upgraded to the Deluxe Suite. This would have cost almost double the rate I paid for my stay. The DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Sukhumvit Bangkok features 177 guest rooms and suites spread across 4 categories. It has quite a small footprint.

RoomsBathtub Room Size
GuestNo28 Sqm
DeluxeNo28 Sqm
SuperiorNo37 Sqm
Deluxe SuiteNo54 Sqm

Checking In

We took a grab from the airport which cost around 300 THB and this includes the additional 75 THB for using the expressway. Always do cater some additional time as the traffic is unpredictable in Bangkok. It took almost an hour to get to the hotel as the traffic was really bad. Upon arrival, as we pull up to the driveway, the staff came over to help us with our bags. We were immediately helped to at the reception and there is no wait given the late hour. I was thanked for being a Diamond Member and offered the signature doubletree cookie. Sadly, this is where the good things ended. 

Check-in was a mess and it took such a long time. It took close to 20 mins despite payment already made beforehand and they made all sorts of mistakes. Everything they have to do double work and it is so annoying. The staff are unpolished and badly trained. After I was handed the key card, then they realised that I had two rooms booked. This also means that they have to redo everything and take another deposit again. This is in view of the fact that they charge the wrong credit card in the first place a couple of days before the trip. The lobby looks rather nice and has quite an amount of seating. It is not on the grand side of things but decent. Since they do not have an executive lounge, Diamond members are also offered 2 drinks coupon which was a nice touch. Even when the check-in is done, they could still mess things up. The bellboy approaches me seemingly to usher me to my room and help me with my bags. I had a dinner appointment and was leaving the hotel right after check-in. The bellboy had to ask me for my room number like I am his colleague. Couldn’t they have communicated with the front desk for the room number to bring up my baggage? Furthermore, the second room was not ready which was ridiculous since at this moment it is already 7pm. I mention simply 5 mins earlier to send the key cards to the room that was ready and yet they still came over and ask me for my room number. I have never experienced such a messy arrival process.  

Deluxe Suite

I was upgraded to the deluxe suite. The hotel only has one category of suites. I was assigned one on the 23rd floor. Suite 2305 to be exact. It is located on one of the highest floors and the suite measures 54 Sqm. The suite seems much more spacious than its size, particularly due to the conventional configuration. The main living room area is right in front of you once you entered and it has a rather open concept. Being so high up, the view is rather great and you can check out the surrounding. 

Right near the entrance, you can find some cabinets on the left. These are great for storing items. 

Then on the right, there is sort of a platform which is great for storing your suitcase. The minibar area is right next to it. Here you can find bottles of drinking water provided alongside packaged tea and coffee. You also have an actual coffee machine in the room itself. It is rather complex that they have the minibar set up in two different areas. I appreciate having a proper coffee machine in the suite seeing how there isn’t an executive lounge in this hotel. A mini fridge is provided here too which is left empty for your convenience.

I love the living room and it is equipped with an L-shaped sofa and an armchair. This can easily sit 4 to 5 people. They work perfectly as we had some gathering in the late night enjoying the amenities that were provided. A generous welcome amenity was left on the coffee table which consists of some packed sweets, cakes, macarons and fruits.

Adjacent to the side of the window you have a working desk which frankly looks rather sparse. Outlets can be easily found here. The wifi is easy to connect to and the speed was fast. 

Also equipped in the living room was a high-quality Smart TV with a good selection of cable TV channels. I did feel that the size of the TV was on the smaller side for the suite. If I had one complaint about the suite, it would be the lighting. It is much dimmer than what I would like it to be. The bedroom and the living room are separated by an actual door. I prefer this layout as you can get some work done or laze in the living room if your partner is resting and sleeping in. A large king-size bed is in the middle of the bedroom. The bedding and mattress are comfortable and I had a good night’s rest. It offers great back support. I love that it is on the firmer side of things which is my preference. Nightstands can be found on both sides of the bed with power outlets and controls for the lighting. 

In the room, you have another working desk as well as an armchair on the side by the window. The view is the same as the one from the living room. The room comes with another television which is the same as the one in the living room. 

The suite comes with a spacious walk-in wardrobe concept and this is right outside the bathroom. There is another minibar area here too as shared earlier. A safe can also be found. Inside the cabinet, you can find the ironing kit. 

The bathroom is slightly on the smaller side and comes with only a single sink. Toiletries provided are from Crabtree & Evelyn, the usual collection for Hilton. The bathroom only comes with a standing shower. The showering space was spacious. Water pressure and temperature control were really really good and I had such a great shower. 

Pool 

The pool is located on level seven and is open from 7am to 9pm. The pool is pretty nice but on the smaller side. It comes with a view of the surrounding area and the open concept makes it nice for a chilling spot. The place gets plenty of sun which makes this good for tanning. You can find sunbeds scattered around the pool. There is a bar next to the pool and this is also a spot where you can redeem your welcome drinks. I got some beers. 

Fitness Centre

The gym is also located on level 7 and is open from 7am to 9pm. If you would like to visit the facility after hours you can contact the front desk to make arrangements. I love that the place gets plenty of natural light which makes it welcoming. It is on the smaller side but you can find most of the general gym equipment that you might require. Towels and water are provided. 

Breakfast at Hilton Sukhumvit Scalini Restaurant

During the time when I stayed, the DoubleTree close its restaurant and breakfast is instead served at Hilton Sukhumvit, their sister hotel just next door. This is not surprising since they have the same owner and management. It is connected via a sheltered walkway and easy to find. On the surface, this would be an upgrade since the Hilton is on a higher tier than the DoubleTree. The Scalini restaurant is on the second floor. Breakfast is served from 6am to 10.30am. I was down for breakfast and it was a huge mess. The restaurant was operating way over what they can handle and even the overflow areas were packed to the brim. Soon people were left waiting around the area for tables. This makes me wonder why did they choose to merge the restaurant then? It is a pure tactic to save cost and staff. I do appreciate that they reserve tables for elite members but that is apparently not a factor anymore at this stage and they were purely enforced too. You can also order coffee and tea from the staff. It does take some effort to flag down one of them given how busy the restaurant is. I appreciate that they have baristas with made-to-order coffee in addition to those machines made once. I love coffee that is made from an actual espresso machine, they are tons better.

The food selection was actually pretty good and there is a huge varied choice of items. Upon entering have the pastries corner where you can find a good number of bakes. 

And then there is also a noodles station. Plenty of sauces and condiments are offered. 

There are plenty of fresh fruits offered alongside some fresh juices. 

They have food ranging from Thai options, Asian selections as well as the usual Western choices. I will let the pictures do the rest of the speaking. As with most breakfast buffets, there is also an egg station where you can order eggs cooked to your order. I got a Thai omelette which is disappointing. It is nothing like what it is supposed to be. 

I have recently heard that DoubleTree has reopened their restaurant in recent weeks which should be good news. While the offering might be better at the Hilton, the crowd and the wait left a sour taste in the whole breakfast experience. 

Conclusion

I had a short but sweet stay here, the pricing is great and I have no issue with the hard product but the front desk staff need some polishing. I have never encountered such a messy arrival process and everything is full of mistakes. It is such an unpleasant point of my stay and this was left lingering. Service which needs some improvement, this can be seen during breakfast too. They clearly can’t cope with the demand and yet they want to reduce capacity. Their rooms here are pretty nice and I will recommend this for travellers who will not be spending a lot of time in the room. All in all, they have a solid product here but they are not utilizing it well.