[Airline Review] - Thai Airways (TG409) - Economy Class, BKK-SIN, (30 Dec 13)

Pre-Flight

The check-in counters for Thai Airways is located in the mid section of the Airport in Bangkok. There are several counters for Thai Airways thus it is imperative that passengers check the correct check-in row from the screen located in the centre of the airport terminal. Queue at the check-in counter bounded for Singapore was light, there was practically no waiting time, partly due to the numerous counters were opened for this flight. Check-in process was swift and the staff waste no time in processing our check-in. I requested for the last row of seats, which was promptly assigned.

Check in counters in Bangkok International Airport

There was a huge crowded bounded for Singapore on this flight, when I reached the boarding gate, most of the passengers were already there waiting for their outbound flight. It seemed that this flight is full. Despite an almost full flight, the ground staff at the check-in gate managed to process the boarding with ease like a well oiled wheel and wait time is reduced to a minimum. TG409 is located at the far side of the airport, buses were arranged to ferry passengers from the terminal to the tarmac. Again, this is where one can see the well organised Thai Airways in managing a nearly full flight of passengers swiftly and with minimum delays.

Waiting for boarding at boarding gate

View of the Tarmac at the boarding gate

Boarding at the gate

The bus that ferries passengers from the terminal to the aircraft

In-Flight

Pursuers are seen at the door of the aircraft greeting passengers and directing passengers to the correct aisle according to their seat assignment. The flight that bring me to Singapore on this leg is serviced by the 2 class Boeing 777-200ER. As with other Thai Airways flight, the Economy Class cabin is decked out in their iconic purple colour with seats in both purple and bright yellow colours, which adds a certain liveliness to the cabin. There seemed to be a overhaul onboard this aircraft. As I walked from the Royal Silk Class to my seat, I observed that the seats in the Royal Silk Class being different from that when I flew into Bangkok.

Bright Economy Class cabins

The Economy class cabin is spotless and bright when I walked in. The newly overhauled seats in the Economy Class seats are both comfortable and bright. The seats pitch is slightly longer at 86 cm (or 34 in) apart compared to the 82 cm (or 32 in) in the other Thai Airways aircrafts. Being in the last row did give me more leg room than those up front. Only the last seats in this aircraft (apart from the Royal Silk Class) are dual configured in 2-3-2, whereas the rest of the Economy Class is configured in 3-3-3. As with the other aircrafts, the seat controls for reclamation is located on the armrest, while the control for the AVOD is located below the screen. There is a hook by the side of the AVOD screen and also a USB outlet.

Pursuers seen helping passengers with their luggages

The AVOD screen is larger then the other Thai Airways aircraft, at a 10.6 in screen. Perhaps due to the recently overhauling of the aircraft, the AVOD is very responsive and is packed with loads of entertainment options from Movies (both Hollywood and Thai movies to games to short sitcom clips) to cater to passenger's preference.

The new AVOD system onboard TG409

Meal was tasty as well. I opted for the Thai Curry Chicken set, which is mildly spiced and the chicken is tender. The only downside is the portion is a tad small, perhaps due to the tastiness of the food, one would want more of that.

Meal time

Close up of the Thai Curry Chicken

Meal time

The lavatory is located right behind my seat. The newly renovated lavatory is spotless and seem larger then one would experience in a typical Economy Class lavatory. Other then the hand wash (which is the only option in Economy Class of most airlines these days), TG409 also has eau de cologne in the lavatory for passengers to smell good after their flight.

Toilet seat

Eau de cologne available in the lavatory

Service

The service onboard this flight is far better then my inbound flight in Royal Silk Class. I can feel the warmth of the pursuers onboard this flight. After settling down I approached a pursuer to ask for a deck of playing cards, she mentioned that they have given out all the playing cards in the previous flight, however she told me that she will look around and see if she can find one for me. The pursuer returned to my seat a little later with a deck of playing cards and told me with a genuine smile that this is the last deck of cards she can find and apologised for that.  The pursuer told responsibility for a fault which is not hers, this goes to show that they value customers on this flight.

Before taking off, the pursuers were seen going from seat to seat to distribute blankets, leaving no seats uncovered. This is a stark difference from the Royal Silk Class which I flew in. The pursuers on this flight took initiative throughout the flight ensuring that passengers are comfortable and well hydrated. They are seen walking around asking passengers (including me) if I need more drinks. Once they saw the empty cup, the pursuer would started to ask if passengers wanted more drinks or shall she clear the cup. This level of attentiveness is what should be accorded in the Royal Silk Class during my inbound experience. 

Taxiing to the runway

Taking off

Take off

During meal time, pursuers were spotted going around distributing food to a near full flight with relatively short amount of time taken. After 30 mins into meal service, it seemed that all passengers have gotten their food and were enjoying their meal. Meal trays were promptly collected after meal as well. 

View of the sky

Overall

TG409 is a pleasurable flight to fly in. The cabin is newly overhauled with comfortable seats and responsive, power packed AVOD. The more important aspect is the warmth in service projected by the pursuers. They go all out to ensure that passengers feel comfortable during the flight.

[Hotel Review] - S31 Sukhumvit Hotel, Bangkok (Duplex Suite), Thailand (26 - 30 Dec 13)

Location

S31 is located along the main Sukhumvit Road along Soi 31. The hotel is around 5 mins walk from the nearest BTS station. There are a number of food options available around the vicinity. There are also quite a number of massage parlours around mainly offering traditional Thai massages. There is an upmarket shopping mall along the main Sukhumvit Road, which is near to the hotel. There is a 24 hour supermarket nearby. The hotel is 4 BTS stations from Bangkok city centre.

Hotel Signage

Hardware

The hotel is under the Small Luxury Hotel group. Being SLH member, I got an upgrade to a duplex suite. The 2-level suite was fantastic. The lower level of the room has a small kitchenette and a full sized fridge with a microwave oven that greet patrons when we enter the room. Opposite the kitchenette is a toilet, which is a thoughtful additional into the room. There are some storage space underneath the stairways leading up to the second level of the room. Further from the kitchenette is the living room of the room. This part feature a 3 seater couch facing the TV downstairs. There is a reading couch for one to relax on just after the 3 seater couch, in front of the floor to ceiling glass window.

Minibar at the Kitchen area

Bar table separating the kitchen from the lounge area

Full Size fridge in the kitchen

Kitchen area

View of the ground floor

Toilet on the ground floor

View of the couch by the window from second floor

Round the corner is the stairways leading up to the second level. Most of the storage space is located on this level. Upon arriving on the second level, a huge bed, which seemed to be able to sleep 4 to 5 adults comfortably. One thing good about this level is there are ledges along the perimeter of this level, where one can put their things on. There is another TV facing the bed on this level. The wardrobe can be opened on both sides, from the room and the bathroom, where the basin is located. The bathroom is just a little up from the bedroom. It featured a huge bathtub and a walk-in rain shower, and a toilet bowl. There is also a huge mirror in front of the toilet bowl, which is also a fire escape leading to a corridor outside the room. 

Staircase leading to second floor

Huge King bed on the second floor

Another TV in front of the bed

Huge king bed

Toilet on second level

Walk-in shower

Sink area

Bathing amenities

Bathtub

Sink area

View from the room

I had the chance to utilise most of the facilities on this property. The pool area was rather small, with less then 10 suntanning benches. The pool was of a good size and is elevated onto the platform. One can see the activities inside the pool through the glass wall, perfect for photo taking without getting wet. There is also a mini golf area at the side of the pool, where patrons can borrow the golfing sets at no extra charge. The gym is located on the 9th level. The small but functional gym seem well equipped with most of the gybing equipment one can find in a full scale gym. There is even a boxing ring in the gym. At the same level was the changing room, where one can find both sauna and steam bath facilities. The hotel has fantastic hardware that can make one feel comfortable.

Thai artwork along the corridor outside my suite

Corridor outside the suite I stayed in

Massage centre reception

Swimming  pool, gym reception

Gym

Boxing ring inside the gym

Swimming pool

Tuk tuk provided by the hotel

Heartware

Most of the staffs here are very friendly and know the meaning of customer centric. Upon entering the lobby of the property, the friendly and welcoming staffs welcomed us to the hotel and extended their services to help with luggages. Despite declining their assistance, the staffs escorted me to the lift and pointed out that the reception is on 8th floor, where I will be able to check in. Check in was a breeze and the staffs at the check in counters were very friendly and very welcoming. 

Most of the staffs are welcoming and pleasant, especially those on the ground floor where concierge is located. They are very willing to recommend places to go and their local knowledge is fantastic beyond words. However the staffs at the gym level and the spa staffs needs to pay more attention to their customer service. Most of the time they are seen chatting with each other or playing on their mobile phone. Even when approached for towels for the pool, they couldn't seem to care less about meeting customer needs. The hotel provides free tuk-tuk shuttle to the nearest BTS station, but at the period when we were there, it was down except for the last 2 days.

Overall

The hotel has fantastic hardware, with excellent sleep quality and spacious suite that I stayed in.  Most of the staffs are very friendly and there are certainly huge room to improve on the customer service aspect of the hotel for the staffs at the gym and the spa.

[Hotel Review] - The Westin Grande Sukhumvit (Deluxe Room), Bangkok, Thailand (25 - 26 Dec 13)

Location

The location of the hotel is fantastic, it is just next to the Terminal 21 shopping mall. The hotel is also close to the BTS train system. There is no lack of food options around the hotel and there are several shopping malls around the hotel.

Hotel Signage

Hardware

The floor area of the room felt just right for its category, it isn't too cramp and there isn't too much unnecessary furnitures in the room. Heading into the room, the toilet door is located on the right side. The toilet itself was presentable and functional. A single basin with racks that the hotel staffs displays the amenities. The amenities are of good quality, but the flaw is it is too small a bottle. I had resorted to bugging the housekeeping staff a few times to get more bathing amenities. The walking shower is just next to the toilet bowl, tucked in one corner of the bathroom. On the other side of the bathroom is a smallish bathtub, with a huge mirror hung up on the wall. The bathtub looked too dirty to be used, hence I did not even bother using it.

Bathtub

Walk in shower and toilet bowl

Storage shelf in the toilet

Storage shelf in the toilet

Opposite the toilet are some shelvings that houses the minibar and drinks, with a small wardrobe. The main bulk of the room is taken up by the king-sized bed, big enough to sleep 3 adults. Opposite the bed was a large LED TV. There is also a 2 seater couch beside the bed and a study study for those who want to do some work in the room. The view of the room we were assigned was facing the city, which is a better view of the 2 sides of the hotel. However the down side of the room is that it somehow felt wasn't ready for occupancy. We saw an empty plate on the study desk, which comes with a small note that reads "Please enjoy the complementary fruits", it turns out there was NO fruit on the plate! I am not too sure if this is a practical joke that the hotel cracks with the customers on Christmas itself. 

Mini bar area

Mini bar

Wardrobe

Couch in the room

King-size Bed

TV and the work desk

EMPTY fruit plate!!

View from the room

After settling in, I headed for the pool for sun tanning. The pool was of a right size, however the water is very cold , despite it being the middle of the day. The amount of tanning benches at the pool is rather limited. Once one is able to grab a spot, the pool is a good place for tanning.

Pool area

Facade of the hotel from the pool

Heartware

I stayed at this property on Christmas day itself. Check-in counters are located on the 8th floor. Upon arrival, I was warmly greeted by the staff at the front door, whom had volunteered to help with my luggage to the reception which was pointed out by the staff is on the 8th floor. I told the staff I can  manage the luggage and he showed me to the lift that will take me to the check in counters. 

Check-in counters 

Xmas tree in the lobby

At the counter, the staffs greeted me with a smile and helped to process my check in promptly. I gotten the keycard and was given a room that matches my requirements. However, there was no special mention about my SPG member unlike the other hotels under the chain. I collected the keycard and proceeded up to our room. When I was at the door of the room as assigned, I couldn't get the door open with the keycard. I enquired with the housekeeping staff who was a few rooms down regarding the problem I was facing. She promptly put down her work and concentrated on helping me solving the problem. Although she spoke very little english, she managed to find out my problem and called front desk. Upon checking with front desk, I realised I was told the wrong room. The housekeeping staff even showed me to my room and ensured that I was comfortably settled down before resuming her work.

While at the pool, I saw some staffs around at the pool. All of them doesn't appear to be interested in working. Spotted some chatting in one corner with their colleagues, while others were busy playing on their mobile phone. I checked out the gym, which was rather small, the staff at the gym saw me entering the gym and gave me a "what the hell are you here for" stare. I am taken aback by the difference in service standards amongst the staffs that we have met throughout the hotel. Some of the frontline staffs are not interested in ensuring customers are well taken care of, while that level of service was seen portrayed by a backend staff such as a housekeeper was totally different. The free wifi at the lobby is a joke! I was given one slip, which can only be logged in by one device at a time for 1 hour! However most of the slips that I was given were expired! Wonder what is stopping the hotel from opening up wifi at the lobby for patrons to use!!

Overall

Overall, while the sleep and the room was comfortable in this hotel, the difference in service standards portrayed by the various staffs and the rude joke that we encountered in the room, coupled with the dirty bathtub are serious flaws that the hotel intentionally or unintentionally overlook. There are better hotels around at this price range that will provide better and more consistent service.