REVIEW | The Ritz Carlton, Bangkok
- VVZ Travels
- Apr 24
- 9 min read
Updated: Apr 27
Room rate and hotel details
Room type: Amaranth Suite, Club Lounge access
Room rate: AUD 2,682 per night
Nights stayed: 3 nights
Dates stayed: 18-21 April 2025
Complimentary Marriott STARS benefits when you book with us
100USD (or USD equivalent) hotel credit per stay
Daily complimentary full breakfast for 2 guests
Priority for complimentary room upgrade (subject to availability)
Local welcome amenity
Personalized welcome note
Early check-in / late check-out (subject to availability)
Overall Rating
Explanations can be found in the conclusion of this post
Room: 10/10
Breakfast: 10/10 Lounge: 10/10 General areas: 10/10
Facilities: 8/10 Service: 10/10
Value: 9/10
Introduction
The Ritz Carlton Bangkok, situated in the newly constructed One Bangkok compound, is the first hotel that we have visited with little to no faults found. One thing I have to commend the hotel on is their humble attitude to feedback which has certainly brought them to their current state of high quality service. If there was one thing I took away from why the hotel's service was so impeccable, it would be the level of personalisation and attention to detail - a level you'd think was impossible to achieve from having met someone just several times.
Prior to our stay, I had read thorough reviews online of the hotel and noticed one theme in particular - service was lacking. This was perhaps consistent with my prior experience with the brand (read our Ritz Carlton Fukuoka review for more context).
Since the hotel's grand opening in December 2024, reviews noticeably improved and our experience was a testament to that - this is the only hotel we had been to that thoroughly and consistently exceeded our expectations - far from what early guests experienced in their initial days.
If you are looking for impeccable service and ultimate luxury, look no further.
Arrival, Airport Transfer and Check-In
I arrived at Suvarnabhumi International Airport around 6pm local time and was met by the hotel representative who was waiting for me with a sign with my name. He swiftly whisked me off to the hotel's airport transfer - a BMW 740d sedan - in a record 6 minutes. The airport transfer was THB 4,000 and could service 2 people and 2 large luggages.
The trip took 40 minutes to the hotel (the highway was utilised) and amenities were aptly provided, including alcohol wipes, Evian bottles of still water, Thai sweets, phone chargers and even wifi on board! Each seat was equipped with temperature controls and full or half body massage features.
The trip felt short with all the features and amenities to explore and I soon arrived at the hotel's lobby and was greeted by the staff swiftly, once again whisked off in a record 3 minutes to my room for the check in process.
The rest of my travel party had already arrived and were comfortably resting in the room when I arrived to complete the check in process which took less than 5 minutes. The hotel graciously upgraded us to the Amaranth suite despite out first night being booked for the entry level room. They also gave us access to the club lounge, despite the privilege only being valid from the second night of our stay. Two plus points already during the brief period after we arrived!
Amaranth Suite with Club Lounge access
The Amaranth suite is the highest tier'ed suite (apart from The Ritz-Carlton suite, the hotel's equivalent presidential suite) - boasting sweeping 270 degree views of Lumpini park and the cityscape. The suite features more than 127 square metres of luxury, with double glazed floor to ceiling windows. The space is divided to 3 spaces, the living room, walk in closet and bedroom.
There are two balconies, one fronting the greenery from Lumpini park and the other with views of the hotel's pool and Bangkok's cityscape.
The bathroom was our favourite space, with 270 degree full height windows and fittings which exuded absolute luxury. At the entrance of the suite, you will find a powder room, perfect for those times when nature calls guests at the same time.
The shower and toilet both had views of the greenery against the beautiful Bangkok skyline, with blackout automatic blinds for some added privacy (though the only signs of life from up here were the birds that would peek in).
Amenities consisted of the usual suspects, toothbrushes and toothpaste, hairbrushes, shaving kits, mouthwash, shower caps, cotton buds and pads etc. Shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and body lotions were full-sized Diptique bottles, which were swiftly fully refilled at each morning and evening housekeeping services.
Welcome amenities
As part of the Marriott STARS perks (also applied to you when you book with us), we were greeted with an entire spread as a welcome amenity, along with not one, but two handwritten welcome notes. There were two types of desserts, a chocolate cake and traditional Thai sweets, a bottle of wine and some local fruits.
Breakfast
During our stay, the club lounge was being renovated, so we had all three morning's breakfasts at Lily's. There were buffet styled and a-la-carte options. The seating areas were absolutely beautiful, perfectly framing the beautiful greenery around the hotel.
The spread was of extremely high quality, with items prepared in small batches to ensure its freshness. Cold cut meats were fresh and evidently top tier meats, while fruits were delicately prepared. There was even a gelato and ice cream station! If you want an unlimited spread of fine dining level options, this is the place to be.
Our favourite item on the menu was the Thai tea waffles, made from a custom mould supplied by a specialist welder in Belgium and shaped as a Lotus flower. Every time we picked up the menu, staff would present themselves in 3 seconds flat, ready to take your order. Where else do you get service like this? Speaking of service, I had requested for the cold cut cheese to be blow torched and to my surprise, the breakfast staff said yes, bringing some crispy and smokey cheese to our table.
This was undoubtedly, the best hotel breakfast we have ever had (despite us previously being impressed by the spread at Regent Phu Quoc, which although was absolutely impressive, would rank just below The Ritz Carlton Bangkok).
Club Lounge
The club lounge's staff are to be highly commended - their attention to detail and genuine kindness were what made our stay so memorable. Before the trip, I had informed the staff of my mum's birthday.
The night prior, they took note of my mum's favourite fruit - chiku - and her affinity for local fruits, but didn't say much about it. To our absolute surprise, on the second night, they celebrated her birthday, bringing a huge mango sticky rice cake, a local fruit platter and a huge plate of sliced chiku - all a chiku lover could ever ask for. This is the level of personalisation a luxury hotel should strive for.
On our third night, my dad was at the club lounge alone and the staff thoughtfully prepared a fruit platter of local fruits, sliced and plated beautifully for him to bring back to our room. They remembered all our favourite items and always proactively made sure we had all we needed, while giving us well thought out suggestions for what we should try next.
Apart from the service, the club lounge itself was beautifully appointed, featuring private and intimate spaces, with unlimited food items and alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages (with the best mocktails you will find anywhere).
To give you a peek into the club lounge offerings, we had afternoon tea at the club lounge on Easter Sunday - the spread was amazing. When we returned to our room, a cute chocolate bunny and some macarons were waiting for us!
Rooms with access to the club lounge also had complimentary garment pressing for two pieces of clothing per night. Further details of the club lounge can be seen below.
Hotel Facilities
The hotel's pool was although on the smaller side of the spectrum, a sanctuary in the middle of the city. The poolside was equipped with loungers lining each side of the pool, as well as a grassy area for some organic feel, while cabanas lined the opposite side of the pool. Guests were free to use SPF 20,30 and 50 sunscreen, tanning oil and after sun aloe vera gels. Pool staff were quick to bring refreshments and cold water, though did not assist with setting up towels on the loungers or cabanas.
The spa was aptly equipped with a dry sauna, steam room, himalayan salt room and vitality pool It however, did lack the wow factor of other hotel spas such as the Kempinski Sindhorn and Four Seasons Bangkok spas. Spa treatments were as expected of a luxury hotel. Post-spa amenities included fried fruits from the local organic farm and local tea.
The hotel's gym was extremely well equipped, even featuring a virtual personal trainer for weights training. The gym staff were quick to sanitized used equipment and each machine featured a clean towel and a bottle of water.
The hotel also features a kid's club, though we didn't explore it given we had no kids in the party - it did look like a nice interactive space!
The general areas were bright and airy, with plenty of empty pockets to hang out at.
Departure and Airport Transfer
The check-out process was very smooth, with the staff remembering that we mentioned needing to use a different card to make the payment for our stay from the card we used initially. We were then escorted to the Mercedes V class van awaiting us at the lobby. The airport transfer for the van was THB 4,500 and could fit 4 people with 4 large luggages. Similar to the BMW 740d, the V class was fitted with Evian bottles of still water, Thai sweets, alcohol wipes, phone charges and wifi.
Perhaps a point of improvement was the lack of follow through service once we arrived at the airport. For example the Four Seasons Bangkok airport transfer saw ground staff helping us with our luggages all the way to our check in counter and then to baggage checks. It was a small but impactful gesture that was missing from the Ritz Carlton airport transfer.
Conclusion
Room: 10/10
The room was large and airy, featuring full height windows that allowed plenty of natural light to fill the room. The wooden touches were organic, while the marble clad bathroom added a luxurious touch. Views from the bathroom were amazing and the room was well equipped.
Breakfast: 10/10
Breakfast was top-tier, perhaps better than some fine dining restaurants you'd find. Service was top notch, with staff quick to make good recommendations for local food and drinks. The Thai tea waffle and caramelised banana pancakes are a must-try, while fresh produce were as fresh as it could get.
Lounge: 10/10
The club lounge's all-day offering was impressive and the elegant furnishing added to its grandeur. Staff at the club lounge were the best around the hotel, though we still found some staff struggling to interpret some of our requests, though quickly rectified.
General area: 10/10
The general areas were airy and well lit, with plenty of space for the hotel's guests to roam around. The communal areas had pockets of sanctuaries that were well designed to hide crowds at any given time. Needless to say, it was kept spotless 24 hours of the day.
Facilities: 8/10
Perhaps the only fault I could find, though in no way catastrophic, was the lack of wow factor of the spa - which was something I was looking forward to especially after experiencing those at hotels such as Kempinski Sindhorn and Four Seasons Bangkok. The pool though well equipped, lacked the level of pool service you'd find at other luxury hotels and was on the smaller side of the spectrum.
Service: 10/10
Staff were attentive and seemed to do the impossible - remembering every detail and going the extra mile to make sure you were getting above and beyond what was expected, whether it was a passing comment or intended, which made the stay ever so special. The club lounge staff especially delivered on this point. We do note points of improvement in terms of service such as that from the pool staff and airport transfers, though it was not significant enough to impact our overall experience.
Value: 9/10
Though on the higher side of the price range for luxury hotels in Bangkok, I do think the level of service and quality of materials used by the hotel is over and above what would be expected. Of course, there are other properties which are more friendly to the wallet without compromising too much, but if budget is not your concern, this is the ultimate bang for your buck.
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