[Hotel Review] - Dusit D2 (Studio Suite), Chiang Mai, Thailand (9 - 12 Nov 17)

Location

Dusit D2 Chiang Mai is located just outside the East of the Old City of Chiang Mai, within 15 min walk to the eastern Tha Phae Gate. The hotel's location is nearby 2 night markets in the vicinity. Dusit D2 Chiang Mai is 2 min walk from the Night Bazaar and 5 min walk from the Night Market. It is 10 min away from the Ping River. However, the hotel is rather far from shopping malls in the city such as Maya Lifestyle Shopping Mall and Central Festival Chiang Mai. One point to note, Central Festival Chiang Mai offers shuttle bus service that stops by Dusit D2 Chiang Mai at scheduled timing.

Dusit D2 Chiang Mai Signage

Hotel Facade

Dusit D2 Chiang Mai Reception

The Suite

There are 2 types of suites in Dusit D2 Chiang Mai, namely Studio Suite and the larger D'Suite. I stayed in the Studio Suite which has a total room size of  64㎡ . The Studio Suite in Dusit D2 Chiang Mai has 3 sections to the suite, namely Living Room, Bedroom, and Bathroom.

Living Room

Entering the suite in Dusit D2 Chiang Mai, the minibar is hidden in the wooden cabinet to the right of the main entrance. Here is where one would find the mini fridge, electric kettle and glasses. Opposite the minibar, a door leads to the walk-in wardrobe, which is also linked to the bathroom (more about the walk-in wardrobe later). Further into the little corridor from the main entrance, the suite opens up to a spacious living room. The decoration in the living room is contemporary yet exudes a Thai flavour,. The choice of colour in the suite is also in line with the familiar bright orange we have seen in the hotel lobby, extending the vibrant and energetic spirit into the suite. The furnishings in the living are stylish yet functional. A large work desk, tucked into the wall of the living room on the right side, extends from the hidden minibar to the midpoint in the living room. This large work desk serves as an alternate space for me to put my things onto. There are a few power sockets on the wall, which makes it an excellent place to work and to charge my lifestyle devices.

Entrance to Dusit D2 Chiang Mai Studio Suite

Mini bar is tucked inside the cabinet next to the main entrance to the suite

Work desk with plenty of space

A small table built into the wall next to the work desk functions as extra space which is perfect for me to place my shopping. A curved couch, capable of sitting 4 persons wraps around the corner of the living room all the way to the wall separating the living room from the bedroom. At the end of the couch is where one would find complimentary beverages such as coffee, tea and bottled water with a coffee machine nicely tucked in the corner of the living room. A couple of wall lights on either side of the wall, in front of the large panel window that looks out into Doi Suthep, provides additional lighting in the living room of the suite. Across the curved couch is a large LED TV mounted onto the angled wall, which is perfectly angled for watching TV. A small glass top coffee table is placed between the TV and the couch. There is a single seat orange couch chair placed at the corner of the living room, providing the additional seat for guests to entertain their guests. The entire living room did not feel cramp and has loads of space to move around, as the furniture is arranged flushed to the wall around the living room.

Couch in the living room with a glass top coffee table

Coffee and tea area

Living room in Dusit D2 Chiang Mai Studio Suite

TV in the living room

View of Doi Suthep from the suite

Bedroom

A large wooden sliding door serves as the entrance to the bedroom from the living room. The bedroom is also heavily decorated with a Thai theme, together with the bright orange colour theme that is seen throughout Dusit D2 Chiang Mai. The bedroom feels cosy due to the colour scheme used and the lighting, making the entire bedroom feels very comfortable visually. Entering the bedroom, a wooden-framed king bed sits in the centre of the room. The height of the bed is a tad high, nonetheless, the sleep quality is excellent on the bed. However, I find the pillows too soft to my liking. On either side of the bed are bedside tables, but only the table nearer to the window has power sockets. Tucked by the large window panel on the right side of the bed is a couch, perfect for watching the TV in the bedroom or just for relaxing and enjoy the views of the mountain from the bedroom. Opposite the king bed, mounted on the wall, is a small TV. Despite the placement of this TV is a little off, guests are still able to watch the TV from the comforts of the king bed.

King bed in bedroom

One of the bedside table in the bedroom

Couch inside the bedroom

Couch and a small TV in the bedroom

Bathroom

Dusit D2 Chiang Mai Studio Suite has a large bathroom. The bathroom is accessible from the bedroom and the living room. Entering the bathroom from the bedroom, a shower cubicle sits opposite the door. Only regular shower head is found in the shower cubicle, however, the pressure from the shower head is great. The sink is located next to the shower cubicle where one can find ample space to put additional toiletries on the sink countertop. To the right of the sink, tucked into the corner of the bathroom is where the toilet is located. Opposite the sink, next to the large panel window that looks out into the bedroom is the bathtub. The bathtub seems to be tucked in a corner, making getting in and out of the bathtub difficult. I appreciate the window panel as it allows guests to watch TV from the bathtub. The sound from the TV in the bedroom is also piped into the bathroom, making it ideal to watch TV while relaxing in the bathtub. Dusit D2 Chiang Mai provides their house brand bath amenities, which is both of good quality and feels luxurious.

Shower cubicle in the bathroom

Sink in the bathroom

The toilet is located beside the sink area

Bathtub is placed next to a large window that looks into the bedroom

Bathroom amenities 

Dusit D2 uses their in-house brand bath amenities which feels luxurious

Bathroom Amenities

Walk-in Wardrobe

The walk-in wardrobe is found in between the bathroom and the living room. Dusit D2 Chiang Mai employs an open concept for their walk-in wardrobe. Other than the 2 doors accessing the wardrobe, there are no wardrobe doors. The wardrobe space is large, allowing guests to change up after their shower. Next to the door to the bathroom, is where a 3 tiered drawer is located. These drawers provided additional storage space for small personal items. On top of the drawer is the in-room safe. A large ledge for guests to put their luggage on is located opposite the wardrobe.

Walk-in wardrobe where we stow our luggage

Wardrobe in the suite

There are places to put one's luggage in the walk-in wardrobe

Club Lounge

The Club Lounge in Dusit D2 Chiang Mai is located on level 7 of the hotel. There are armchairs for smaller groups and several dining tables capable of sitting up to 6 guests for larger groups. Guests staying in Club rooms and suites can check in and out from the Club Lounge. Guests can walk in during the opening hours for complimentary drinks. Hors-d'oeuvre are served every evening in the Club lounge, where guests staying a club room and suites in Dusit D2 Chiang Mai can enjoy. The selection for Hors-d'oevure in the Club Lounge is, however, limited.

Sitting area in the club lounge

Hors d'oevure served in the evening

Swimming Pool

The swimming pool in Dusit D2 Chiang Mai is located on level 1M. The freeform swimming pool is a little small but is still capable of letting guests to swim a few laps in. There is a limited number of suntan chairs at the pool area.

The free-form swimming pool is rather small

Gym

D:Fit is the gym in Dusit D2 Chiang Mai. The gym is located on the 10th floor of the hotel, with the entire floor dedicated to the gym. There are the standard treadmills and elliptical machines in the gym. which allows guests to do a decent workout. There are also some weight machines in the gym. There is a steam room inside the toilet in the gym.

Entrance to D:Fit, the gym in the Dusit D2 Chiang Mai

Gym in Dusit D2 Chiang Mai

The gym is well equipped with exercise machines

Weight area in the gym

Soi Cafe

The package that we booked includes breakfast and dinner. Both meals are served in Soi Cafe, located on the ground floor, next to the lift lobby in Dusit D2 Chiang Mai. Similar to many hotels, buffet breakfast was served in Dusit D2 Chiang Mai. Breakfast includes both oriental and western options, such as porridge, salad, bread to name a few. There is also a small selection of Thai food available during breakfast. There is a hot counter which prepares eggs, chicken noodles, pancakes and waffles that are prepared a la minute. Food on offer during breakfast is fresh and delicious. There are some variations in the breakfast served daily.

Soi Cafe signage

Cold bar in Soi Cafe during breakfast

There are cooked food which changes every day during breakfast

Cooking station where noodles and eggs are cooked a la minute

Dinner was served in Soi Cafe as well. During our first night there, we were given options of Thai cuisine (fish in black pepper sauce) and western cuisine (chicken steak). We opted for the Thai cuisine. The food was delicious and flavourful. During the subsequent 2 nights, instead of set dinner, Dusit D2 Chiang Mai offered us seafood buffet dinner. There was a good spread of food during dinner service. Cold dishes are placed in the centre of the restaurant, with options such as sea snails, cockles, cold soba shots and salads made available to guests. There is a section where guests can choose from a range of raw meats such as pork, pork ribs, chicken, salmon and dory fish, where the chefs will barbecue for guests. There are also cooked sections with fried rice, noodles, pizza available. As with breakfast, there is a minor variation during dinner service to the cooked food. The food on offer was delicious, with the right amount of flavouring to them.

Thai set dinner that we had on the first night

Cooked food served during buffet dinner

Cold bar during dinner where calms and sea snails are served on top of many other dishes

Barbecue station with numerous options

Cooked food options

Cooked food options

Pizzas as part of the buffet dinner

Desserts are tasty

Service

The service we received in Dusit D2 Chiang Mai is impeccable. Every staff who we came across displayed the nature of the Thais that we have all came to know about, hospitable and warm. They seem to go all out to ensure we feel comfortable in Dusit D2 Chiang Mai and our requests are being met with. The excellent service came weeks before we even departed for Chiang Mai when I coordinated with the hotel via email. The reservation supervisor, Panatsaya, was very prompt in her replies and gave us assurance that our requests are being captured. As the package we booked comes with return airport transfer and a vehicle for us to use for 8 hours, Panatsaya was able to quickly coordinated our requests and our flight details to arrange for the drivers to pick us up. During her absence, the coordination continued with her colleagues, Preenan and Pennapa. We were being picked up by the hotel staff the moment we walked out of the restricted area in Chiang Mai airport upon our arrival.

The staff at the main entrance, Young, welcomed us and quickly unloaded our luggage when we reached the hotel. By the time we were done with the check-in procedures and proceeded to our suites, our luggage was already waiting for us in our suites. When Young saw us heading out and helped us hail a taxi. He helped us translate to the cabby on our destination and even ensured that we were not overcharged. Young is always very welcoming and gave us the warmest smile whenever we bumped into him at the entrance to the hotel. Young drove us to the airport during our departure and refused to let us handle our luggage. At the airport, he even took the initiative to help us get trolleys and loaded our luggage onto them.

The staffs at Soi Cafe did a tremendous job in making us feel welcome. Phet showed us to tour table on the first night we had dinner. She was welcoming and made us feel like VIP. We requested for warm water from Phet during our dinner. 2 nights later, we met Phet again at Soi Cafe. After showing us to our table, she asked if we prefer to have warm water. Such observant and taking the extra mile in remembering our preference, despite being 2 days ago goes to show that the level of service rendered by Phet was impeccable. I don't even remember what I had eaten the night before, let alone expecting Phet to remember our preference for small items such as water. I was pleasantly surprised by Phet.

Poy is another staff working in Soi Cafe in Dusit D2 Chiang Mai. We would see her every morning during breakfast service, standing at the entrance to the restaurant welcoming guests. I am glad to find that we only have to mention our room number on the first day during breakfast and Poy took the effort to remember our room numbers. During subsequent days, Poy did not even asked our room numbers and showed us to our table without delay. As one of the members of our group is a vegetarian due to religious reasons, I requested to Poy if the kitchen was able to prepare some vegetarian meal for my friend. To my surprise, instead of rejecting us, Poy got the kitchen to whip up a vegetarian meal and even checked if my friend like the taste. Subsequent mornings during breakfast, Poy would sit us at a table and quickly went into the kitchen to place the vegetarian meal order without us reminding her. She would never fail to check if the meal was sufficient for my friend.

Puchong is another staff working at Soi Cafe. During one of the dinner service, Puchong showed us around on the food options for the buffet dinner. He recommended us to try out the barbecue ala minute and would help us take our order and brought the cooked food to us. Puchong even took the initiative to bring us some sauces which he had recommended us to try with which food. Indeed, the sauces did make the food taste better (not as though the food is not good enough). Puchong would always check on us and ensured that empty plates are cleared and our water is being topped up.

There are still many unsung heroes, who either work in the background (such as the housekeepers) or whose name I did not manage to get. They made us feel welcomed in Dusit D2 Chiang Mai and portrayed the traits of Thais that the world has come to know of. I have travelled to Thailand many times a year and this is the first time I experienced the warmness and hospitality of the Thai people in Thailand.

A very nice touch in Dusit D2 Chiang Mai. The housekeeper would place a different souvenir every day for guests to bring home 

Welcome drink served in the bar at Dusit D2 Chiang Mai

Overall

I highly recommend one to come stay in Dusit D2 Chiang Mai should one visits this Northen Thailand City. The Studio Suite in the hotel is very spacious and comfortable. The design of the suite is functional and the infusion of Thai elements and contemporary decor makes the suite feel very cosy. The location of Dusit D2 Chiang Mai is excellent to explore the daily night markets and the rest of Chiang Mai. What left a good impression on us was the impeccable service. Every staff member truly embraced customer-centric and displayed the hospitality and the warmness that the Thais came to be known about. The staffs always saw with a smile and are very welcoming. I would come back to Dusit D2 Chiang Mai the next time I return to the city.

[Hotel Review] - Hatten Hotel (Hatten Suite), Melaka, Malaysia (30 Sep - 1 Oct 17)

Location

Hatten Hotel is located in the middle of Melaka, where the only shopping malls are located in the town. The hotel sits on top of Hatten Square a shopping mall that is also linked to the rest of the shopping malls. Hatten Hotel is a mere 7 mins walk from Jonker Street and 5 mins walk from St Paul's Church, making it a great place to explore the foodie scene and the major sights of Melaka.

Hotel Signage

Hotel lobby on the ground floor

The Suite

Hatten Hotel is an all suites hotel, offering minimally a Junior Suite. Guests staying in the Hatten Suite can check-in at the Premier Lounge located on the 12th floor of the hotel. There are no queues at the lounge at the time of my check-in. I checked into the large 74㎡ Hatten Suite, a 1 bedroom suite. The hotel has very limited Hatten Suites, with 1 on each floor a few more on its top level. The Hatten Suite is contemporary and in its decor and feels very comfortable once I entered the suite.

Living Room

Entering the suite, one would come across a toilet before the mini bar area. The toilet has only a sink and toilet bowl, which is perfect for guests to use without having to enter the bedroom. The placement of the minibar area next to the toilet in the living room makes total sense as guests in the suite can obtain water and wash their mugs without having to enter the bedroom.

Main entrance to Hatten Suite in Hatten Hotel. A small plate of welcome fruit consisted of an apple, orange and pear is placed on the ledge by the entrance.

The corridor inside the suite that leads to the living room. The toilet in the living  room is the first door on the right

The toilet in the living room

Mini bar area, located next to the toilet in the living room

Drinks in the fridge are complementary in Hatten Suite

Passing the toilet and the minibar area, the space opens up to the living room. Placed near the wall is a decent sized dark brown wooden dinning table with 2 chairs. One can have a decent meal at the dinning table. Further into the spacious living is where one can find a large comfortable 3 seater couch, facing a 32" LED TV that is mounted on the wall. A coffee matching coffee table is placed between the couch and the TV. There are 2 single seat chair and a small side table placed at the end of the living room, right in front of the floor to ceiling windows looking out into the town of Melaka. I do find the single seat chairs a great place to relax and do some work in the living room. The entire living room feels very cozy and comfortable.

View of the dinning area in the Hatten Suite

Dinning table in the living room is of a decent size for 2 pax in the suite

The living room feels luxurious and is a very comfortable and cozy place to laze in while not exploring the streets of Melaka

The use of floor to ceiling window allows a great amount of natural light in and also make the living room look bigger

TV in the living room mounted on the wall opposite the couch

View of Melaka from the living room

View of Melaka from the other window in the living room

Bedroom

The door to the bedroom sits between the dinning table and the couch. A huge king size bed sits in the centre of the bedroom greeting guests. The bedroom decor looks simple yet elegant, with the luxurious feel from the headboard of the king bed. The sleep quality on the king bed is excellent, I feel recharged after a night's shopping. However the bedsheets are badly stained. The worst stain are found on quilt cover that is facing down, where there seem to be blood stains on them that seem to make the quilt cover look unwashed! 

The king bed in the bedroom that provided excellent sleep quality

Stains found on the bedsheet of the king bed

There is a patch of red stain on the quilt cover that faces down

Spot stains that look like blood stains found on quilt cover

More stains on the bedsheet

Opposite the king bed is a elongated dressing table, which provided additional space for guests to place their small items on. I find the placement of the mirror on the wall here a little odd as the table lamp was blocking the mirror, meaning guests will find it challenging using the mirror while seated on the chair that is by the table. Another LED TV is mounted beside the mirror, facing the bed. The wardrobe is found at the end of the walkway in the bedroom next to the bathroom door. The wardrobe is of a decent size, sufficient for guests to hang their clothing. There is a 4 tiered cabinet inside the wardrobe as well as an in-room safe.

Dressing table and the TV opposite the king bed

Bedside table and the use of these bedside lamps gives the bedroom a luxurious vibe

Mirror and a stool where I placed my backpack on opposite the entrance to the bedroom

A decent sized wardrobe in the bedroom, next to the entrance to the bathroom

Bathroom

The bathroom of the Hatten Suite is located inside the bedroom. The marble laid bathroom gives it a opulent feel. As soon as I entered the bathroom, a large sink on a elongated sink counter top tucked to the wall of the bathroom was in sight. The clever use of the mirror that fills up the entire length of the wall in the bathroom makes it look larger. Bathroom amenities are being placed by the hotel staff on the right side of the sink counter top. However do check the labels on the bath amenities as I received 2 shampoos and no shower gel. A hug bathtub sits on the left side of the sink area, tucked by the wall of the bathroom. There is a glass (with curtain for privacy) that looks out into the bedroom, which is ideal for guests to watch the TV from the bathtub while getting a soak. On the right side of the sink is a walk-in shower cubicle, that has both a rain shower head and a regular shower head. The shower cubicle in the suite that was assigned to me smelled mouldy, especially when enclosed. The toilet bowl can be found on the right side of the door to the bathroom.

Sink area in the bathroom of Hatten Suite

Bath amenities in Hatten Suite

The bathtub is located beside the sink area

A large bathtub by the window in the bathroom, where guests can soak and watch TV at the same time

Separate walk-in shower cubicle

There are rain shower and regular shower head in the shower cubicle

Toilet bowl is tucked in a corner to the right of the entrance to the bathroom

Premier Lounge

Guests staying in the Hatten Suite can gain access to the Premier Lounge. The Premier Lounge is nested on the 12th floor of Hatten Hotel and faces Melaka Straits. It is a perfect place to chill out and watch sunset over Melaka Straits. The lounge is empty most of the time at the time of my visit, making it a great place to enjoy some quiet time. I did not see any snacks or finger food being placed in the Premier Lounge, however guests can request for coffee or tea, which the staffs will be happy to serve up. Guests staying in the Hatten Suite can opt to check-in at Premier Lounge, which I highly recommend to do so as there are no queues at the time of my check-in.

Premier Lounge is located on the 12th floor in Hatten Hotel

Reception at the Premier Lounge

The Premier Lounge is a great place to chill in and is empty most of the time

Swimming Pool

The swimming pool in Hatten Hotel is located on 12th floor of the hotel. There are 2 pools in Hatten Hotel, the larger deeper pool and a very small wadding pool with a slide for young guests to play in. The larger pool though is of a decent size capable to allowing guests to swim some laps in, however the swimming pool is usually very crowded making swimming laps a challenge. The swimming pool is tad small for the number of guests that the hotel can accommodate. There are also limited amount of furniture in the pool area for guests to even leave their towels around. Nonetheless the infinity swimming pool, sitting on top of the roof gives great view of Melaka at the edge.

Swimming pool view from my suite

View of the pool

Swimming pool in Hatten Hotel

There is a large sauna room in the toilet next to the swimming pool

There is also a steam room beside the sauna in the toilet next to the swimming pool

Gym

The gym is located on the 12th floor of Hatten Hotel, with the entrance located at the side of the swimming pool. The gym is rather small, however it is well equipped with treadmills, elliptical machines and some weight machines which is capable of providing guests with a decent workout. The drawing point of the gym is the floor to ceiling window which the treadmills are placed, providing a stunting view of Melaka and Melaka Straits while guests are jogging on them.

Entrance to the gym is next to the swimming pool 

Some of the gym equipment

Gym equipment

Guests can enjoy the stunning view of Melaka and Melaka Straits working out in the treadmills and elliptical machines in the gym

Breakfast

Breakfast is served in the Chatterz restaurant located on 11th floor of the hotel. Chatterz has a large dinning area, capable of hosting a large number of guests dinning at one time. There are a huge variety of local and western food for breakfast. The food served during breakfast is very tasty. Guests staying in the Hatten Suite can also opt to consume their breakfast at the Alto Restaurant, located on the top floor of Hatten Hotel. The number of guests coming up here is far lesser compared to those heading for Chatterz for breakfast. This means guests can enjoy a peaceful breakfast while treated to the view of Melaka. The food options are lesser in Alto compared to those served in Chatterz.

Some of the many food served during breakfast

Some of the many food served during breakfast

Service

Overall the service in Hatten Hotel is good. Most of the time I met with very polite staffs that makes me feel welcome Hatten Hotel. The good service started at the point of my check-in, where I was made welcome by the staff in the Premier lounge processing my check-in. The staff processed my check-in with speed and briefed me on the privileges that I am entitled as a guest in the Hatten Suite. However during my booking of the suite on the hotel website, I indicated that I prefer a high floor suite. This remark seemed to be overlooked by the staff, making me feel if anyone bother to read the comments left by guests during booking. The staff even asked if I made my booking through their website despite showing her the email printout sent by the hotel. Nonetheless, the staff processing my check-in was patient and made me feel welcome to the hotel.

I find the staffs at the reception on the ground floor are very observant. I returned to the hotel late at night and had left my key card in the suite. As I was approaching the reception counter, the 3 staffs were seen talking to each other initially. One of the staffs saw me approaching the reception counter and prompted the other staffs. They were ready to serve me by the time I reached the reception counter.

Reception staffs on the ground floor

The housekeeping staffs were exemplary as well. I called reception to inform them about the stained bedsheets on my bed and it was already past midnight. Despite taking about 30 mins for someone to come to my suite and change the sheet (which is understandable), the housekeeping staffs first apologized for the stain bedsheets and proceeded to change the sheets swiftly so that I can rest sooner.

The good service in Hatten Hotel is smeared by the staffs at Chatterz Restaurant. I encountered what appeared to be racists behaviour from the security staff at the entrance of the restaurant. As I was queuing up for my turn to be shown to a table at the entrance of the restaurant, a group of Caucasian guests were chatting among themselves at the entrance. Instead of asking the Caucasian guests to move to aside to continue their chat, the security staff instructed me (yes in a very rude manner) to form the queue around them. I told the staff that he should have asked the Caucasian guests to move instead of instructing the queue to be formed around them, however this was turned to deaf ears. When I raised my unhappiness to another staff who showed me to my table, she gave me the look of "not my problem". After settling on my table and grabbed some food, I returned to an empty table. The container of sugar that was on the table was being cleared and there are no cutlery placed on the table. I had to signal a staff member to bring a set of cutlery. Most of the staff inside Chatterz Restaurant are seen to be standing in one corner and chat among themselves. Plates are seen uncleared on the tables around as though they are not interested in doing their job.

Overall

Hatten Hotel is well located in Melaka and is very accessible in the town of Melaka. Hatten Suite in Hatten Hotel is very comfortable room to stay in. The space is large and yet the furnishing does not make the suite look empty. The Suite has a very comfortable vibe. The sleep quality on the bed is excellent. The service is generally good, but the service standards in Chatterz Restaurant is the black sheep that brought the service standards down.