Hotel: Ritz Carlton Bangkok (2 nights) / Program: Marriott STARS
The Ritz Carlton Bangkok opened in early 2025 to much fanfare and hence we were quite keen to check it out to see it for ourselves and understand whether it would compete head-on with the top luxury hotels in Bangkok. This city is no stranger to top-end luxury hotels and hence Ritz Carlton would have to give it their 100% to stay competitive and relevant.
Marriott STARS
Before we review the property, a quick note that the hotel can be booked under Marriott STARS. Booking under the rate, you can receive the following benefits:
- One category room upgrade (subject to availability)
- Daily Complimentary breakfast for two
- $100 equivalent hotel credit (can also be used for airport transfers)
- Early check-in and late check-out, subject to availability
Quite often, we can offer additional perks such as free night offers, higher credit, guaranteed upgrades, and more. You can reach out to find out more.
Location
The Ritz-Carlton, Bangkok sits in a prime spot beside Lumphini Park, right within the city’s most exciting new district, One Bangkok. Surrounded by greenery yet firmly in the heart of the capital, it blends in with Bangkok’s energy, dining, and business hubs just steps away. From both Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) and Don Mueang Airport (DMK), the hotel is around 35–45 minutes by car, depending on traffic, making it an easy, elegant arrival into the city.
The hotel’s location is ideal for both first-time visitors to Bangkok as well as repeat visitors, given the easy access to both restaurants, nightlife and shopping. Whilst many of the other luxury hotels (Mandarin Oriental, Four Seasons, Capella) are by the river, convenience does get compromised due to Bangkok’s notorious traffic. This is where the Ritz Carlton has an edge in my opinion. Added to that, the swanky new One Bangkok development has a range of fabulous new designer stores and cafes.
Arrival & Check-In
We arrived at DMK Airport from Laos, and as always, the scene was chaotic. What we didn’t realize at first was that we could have used our hotel credit to pre-book an airport transfer, which would have made the arrival far more seamless. After a long wait, we finally secured a taxi from one of the official desks and reached the hotel late in the evening.
The property sits adjacent to the One Bangkok business district, but in the dark the signage wasn’t immediately clear. As I entered the hotel, the marble and the high ceilings instantly grabbed my attention. The hotel lobby is located two levels above street level and is accessed via lifts from the ground-floor entrance.
The main hotel lobby has a range of seating options and booths, with fabulous views across the city. As we arrived late in the evening, we couldn’t appreciate it that well. Below are some photos from the next day to give a better idea.
Booking under Marriott STARS, we were guaranteed an upgrade. We received a double upgrade from the Deluxe Room Lumpini Park View room to a Deluxe Room with Club Lounge access. Upon arrival, the staff immediately escorted us to the Club Lounge for check-in, bypassing the main reception entirely. From there, we took a second set of lifts, where we were welcomed with a drink and invited to enjoy the buffet before it closed—a thoughtful touch after a long day of travel.
Room – Deluxe Room with Club Lounge
The first thing I noticed was how bright the room felt. The beige and white colour palette really amplified the natural light, creating an airy, uplifting atmosphere. A long corridor led to the room, with a small-ish wardrobe to the left and the spacious bathroom to the right.
The bedroom area was quite spacious with a plush king sized bed, a small round dining table and a long sofa overlooking the expansive floor to ceiling windows. The tea and coffee station was tucked away in a black cabinet with other amenities such as snacks and a mini bar.
The room had automated sheer and black-out window controls, again highlighting the luxury feel of the entire room. Further details on the room layout are available on the website which has a very handy virtual room tour feature.
We were pleasantly surprised by a personalised welcome amenity, featuring iced Thai milk, which was a thoughtful touch.
Bathroom
The bathroom was fully marble, featuring a separate shower area, an electronic toto washroom and a spacious double vanity; a must in a true luxury hotel in my opinion. There were a few amenities provided in the bathroom along with glass water bottles fully encased in leather sleeves.
It also came equipped with a Dyson hairdryer and Dipytique toiletries, all of my favourites. The freestanding bathtub looked quite inviting, although we didn’t get a chance to try it out during our short stay. Hopefully next time!
The bathrobes were from Frette, and I can’t even begin to describe how soft and luxurious they felt! Honestly, these were the MOST COMFORTABLE bathrobes that I’ve tried on, EVER! They were so good that I was quite tempted to buy them. I’ve made a mental note to go to a Frette store on my next trip and purchase this bathrobe. Also, special kudos to the housekeeping team that tied the belt into a tidy little bow…details matter!
Below is a full room tour video:
Breakfast
Breakfast in the restaurant was bustling, as you’d expect at a busy city hotel, especially as it got closer to closing time, when tables tended to have queues. We went both days knowing this, and the staff handled it impressively. They were very organised, ensuring service ran smoothly and everyone received their orders. We did have the option to have breakfast in the Club Lounge which would have been quieter but the menu is limited and we prefer to try out the full menu especially as we already have dietary restrictions being vegetarian.
On the second day, they did mix up one of our orders, but aside from that, the service was excellent. Despite the busy atmosphere, the staff truly did an amazing job keeping everything on track.
The options for breakfast included a combination of à la carte and buffet options. The buffet covered the usual continental favourite: pastries, yogurts, granolas, and more. While the à la carte menu featured a wider selection, including both continental dishes and local Thai specialties. We tried various options during our stay and the the Thai milk tea-flavoured waffle was a true highlight!
Club Lounge
The Club Lounge was included in our room and was an absolute delight. The Club lounge access will be a key differentiator between an OK-ish stay experience at the Ritz Carlton Bangkok and a stellar exprience. As noted, our check-in was conducted directly in the club lounge and is one of the perks of the Lounge.
The Club Lounge has a beautiful marble look throughout, keeping in with the theme of the ground floor and the main lobby. There’s plenty of seating available with the best seats overlooking the lush-green Lumpini Park through the floor to ceiling windows.
The Lounge serves food five times per day: Breakfast, lunch, tea, evening drinks and dinner. During our stay, we enjoyed our arrival dinner there and later returned or lunch, sampling a mix of local curries and international options, including pasta. We didn’t get a chance to visit during evening cocktail/drinks. Service for the freshly prepared items was a bit slow during lunch, but once our food arrived, it was really tasy and clearly freshly prepared.
Gym
We did manage to squeeze in a quick gym session on the second day. As expected, the gym was well-equipped with all the essentials for a quick workout, including a TV screen for guided exercises, making it convenient and functional even for a short session.
It’s definitely not the best gym out there nor is it the best hotel gym, but it’s functional and does the job. No complaints.
Outdoor Pool
We didn’t get a chance to relax by the outdoor pool, but caught a glimpse of it at check-out. It was a bit rainy that day, yet the pool area still reminded me of our stay at the Four Seasons Hong Kong, surrounded by distant high-rises. There were plenty of cabanas to relax and also a small jetted hot tub near the main pool.
Turndown Service
Each evening, the turndown service added a thoughtful touch to our stay. A bottle of water was placed by our bedside, accompanied by a small snack/treat next to our bed. I loved the comfortable fluffy slippers next to the bed and our garments were neatly folded away. The little details truly stood out..
Return Airport Transfer
For our trip back to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi (BKK) airport we decided to take the hotel’s BMW 7-Series. It was a quick and comfortable ride. Most importantly, we could use our $100 Marriott STARS credit for the transfer and given that we were at the hotel for only two nights and had not made use of it, it effectively made it a ‘free’ transfer for us.
The BMW 7-Series was of course perfect in all senses. superb legroom, water bottles, in-seat massages. Everything you could ask for. Once we got the airport, the hotel arranged meet and greet service for us and the staff escorted us to the check-in desks, helped with check-in formalities and dropped us off at the fast track security.
The hotel car service is almost a no brainer and we’ll certainly use it for both pick up and drop off the next time we’re in Bangkok.
Overall Thoughts
Service throughout our stay was exceptional, and I would easily give it a 10/10. We had no complaints. Staff both at the reception and Club Lounge anticipated and fulfilled every need, ensuring our stay was memorable.
Ritz Carlton is the perfect location to stay if you are visiting Bangkok for the first time either for leisure or business. It is located not too far from the shopping centres and also very accessible by subway.
Looking to book Ritz Carlton Bangkok?
We are Marriott STARS advisors and can get additional perks by booking this hotel with us! Please fill out your details, and we will get back to you!