Majestic Grande, Bangkok, Thailand - Reviews and Hotel Information

Quite a decent hotel, reasonable value (B3200 a night), good location although can take a while to get taxis sometimes, similar quality to a basic middle-top end hotel, but with a 25-50% price discount to the Marriots and Sofitels.
Service staff were good, pleasant, relatively efficient. I stayed here shortly after it opened 3 years ago and it has gone downhill a little, probably because from my assessment the guests themselves these days are very undiscerning/demanding so if noone is snapping at your heels with reasonable suggestions then standards will decline - like an airport restaurant where noone gives a damn, and noone comes back.
I was generally happy here but after 14 days, being in Sukhumvit area started to do my head in, which combined with three main apects of the hotel I was unhappy with, meant I checked out and headed for a boutique hotel near the river. The three things I didn't like about the Majestic Grande: swimming pool, wireless internet service and the restaurant.
Swimming pool - nice outside area, but pool was too small to do laps, water was murky and noone seemed to shower before using it, which to me is somewhat disgusting. There is a sign with about 12 "rules" near the pool, fairly small print, and showering before swimming is one of them, but clearly the management are not too concerned. Guys - I don't want to swim in something that people are effectively using as a bath, that's really off ! And given that some of the guests in the hotel, from my travels in the lift over 14 days, have significant personal hygiene issues, it's doubly off ! You need a big sign between the door to the pool and and the pool itself, that you can't avoid, saying "Guests MUST shower before entering the pool" and your staff need to rugby tackle people to the ground if it looks like they are about to jump in the pool without showering. To the management: it may be a cultural issue, but just be aware that a significant portion of your guests will find this lack of showering quite perturbing !
Wireless Internet service - I got tired of paying 15 bucks a day for wireless access, which is one of the reasons I checked out. I am only staying in hotels now that have it built into the price. This model of gouging guests for wireless or broadband is outdated and creates negativity with the guest. I no more expect to pay "extra" for basic internet connectivity than I expect to receive a bill each morning for the electricity I've used overnight. To management: this is 2008 guys, and people float around with laptops and expect to be able to connect - it's practically a basic human right ! Btw - I haven't turned on the tube in a hotel room for about 15 years now - do I get a discount for not using it ??? Of course not - it's built into the price and I can't say I really care. Build wireless into the cost of your room guys and stop gouging guests for it, or else we'll take our business to hotels that incorporate it into the price, like I am now.
Restaurant. I'm a vegetarian, so my needs are a little different, but basically at breakfast I'm usually looking for good and interesting bread, good coffee, good and interesting fruit, and then a bit of imagination. Sadly, the Majestic Grande fell down here. I mean it wasn't TERRIBLE but it would be nice to see a bit more effort and soul go into the breakfast selection. The bread was ok although introducing loaves of rye, sourdough etc would be a good thing. Coffee was pretty bad actually, weak and poor quality (like the instant in the rooms) and often luke warm. I took to asking for espressos and they were also a bit nasty - might be the machine they have in there or the beans, I'm not sure. The fruit juices were quite good, I especially liked the carrot and vegetable ones; iced water - tick. The fruit - they seem to be buying low quality fruit that is essentially tasteless (especially the melon); mangosteens were rotten inside. Where were the mangoes, the jackfuit, and other exotic fruits ? The hot food, which I'm not too bothered about, was very meat and seafood oriented. I liked that they made their own baked beans, but on 75% of the mornings I was in there they were undercooked and semi-raw. The cheese was ok but the same each morning. I really got tired of the breakfast options after 14 days. Perhaps rotating the dishes would be an idea. Perhaps higher quality ingredients would help.
All in all, a reasonable hotel, at an ok price, but unremarkable, not one that you will be able to remember anything about in a couple of years time.

None that I am aware of - this place is nestled firmly in the middle of the pack.

Majestic Grande, Bangkok

Majestic Grande

Bangkok Hotels