The Swissotel Le Concorde Bangkok is outside the main areas I recommend for visitors and suffers from split personality. The partial renovation of the hotel might leave you in a large, but outdated room in need of renovation or a modern, renovated room that’s delightful. In either case, you get great service, a big gym and pool and an ok breakfast, offering good value. Read my Swissotel Bangkok review to find out if it is worth the gamble to you!
Location: The Swissotel Le Concorde Bangkok is located North of Sukhumvit along one of the main roads out of town and next to the Huai Khwang MRT station. It’s three stops on the MRT to Sukhumvit Road, with a connection to the BTS SkyTrain and access to most places you want to visit in Bangkok. While that’s easy enough, it’s not nearly as convenient as staying at a hotel along Sukhumvit or near Sathorn or the River for visitors. The trip to Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) is about 45 minutes by car and 1h by train. There are a few simple local food shops nearby and a new, large mall “The Street Rachada” is about 15 minutes by foot. It’s a “market meets mall” setup popular with the young & trendy in Bangkok.
Service & Rewards: You enter the hotel through the grand lobby, a great first impression. Staff throughout was just as friendly as I’d expect in Thailand and as professional as you’d expect at a 5-star hotel. My check in on two subsequent stays was quick and I was provided with all the necessary information without being prompted. Despite only being a base-level member in the Fairmont President’s Circle loyalty program, I was upgraded from the Premier King room to a club level Executive Room on a high floor during my first visit. At checkout, I asked to be assigned a newly renovated room on a lower level, if available.
The front desk agent on my return recognized me – in a hotel of this size, that’s an accomplishment, and did even better – she upgraded me to a renovated Junior Suite! Staff was going out of their way much more so than I’m used to from the large chains. Swissotel is certainly more attentive.
Housekeeping did a thorough job on each stay, preparing a clean room, fully stocked and in good working order. The restaurant was equally on top of things and kept the buffet stocked and tables clean despite being very busy during breakfast.
Room: The two rooms I had at the Swissotel Le Concorde Bangkok offered two experiences that were night and day different – the Executive Room on my first stay was a disappointment, the renovated Junior Suite on the second stay was delightful!
Executive King Room: I was upgraded to the Executive King Room on a high floor (two category upgrade) on my first stay. The Executive rooms have not been renovated and it shows. The decor is outdated with old-fashioned furnitures in beige and brown tones. The room had a lot of wear & tear, with torn wall paper and stains on the walls. The carpets and curtains had seen better days as well – all in all, the rooms are in desperate need of renovation, there is nothing 5-star about them!
You do get a large room with a large bed. The mattress was old, but sheets were of high quality. There is a touch panel (no screen, 90s style contact keys) to control the lighting around the room and air conditioning – I prefer that over hunting around the room to find the various light switches any day! You also have a padded chair with table in the corner, as well as a desk with task chair to get some work done. In addition to a TV and safe, you also get a pod-coffee maker (yay!) as well as a fully stocked mini bar for a fee, that includes gummi bears (another yay) as well as condoms (ahem).
The bathroom was in much better shape, with a separate deep soaking bathtub and large corner shower, fully enclosed in glass. The sink is set into a countertop with lots of space for your toiletries and the toilet is separated by a mini-wall. All of it is tiled in marble which might not be the latest fashion, but looks very upscale and was in very good condition.
Junior Suite: This room was recently renovated. The carpets, curtains and nicely grained wood cabinets give it a much more contemporary look. The Junior Suites are set on the building corner and you enter into a hallway with the bathroom to the side. A triangular living room is on one side and the also triangular bedroom on the other, with large windows in both rooms.
The bedroom has a king bed with a new mattress and high-quality sheets facing the window. There is a TV in the cabinet to the side, as well as storage. The bedroom has a solid door, so one person could sleep while the other works or watches TV in the living room!
The living room has a sofa in a shiny-grey fabric which looks pretty modern with a couch table in the center. You have a large desk with task chair in one corner to get some work done.
A cabinet, made of a modern wood with nice grain holds a huge TV for your entertainment! You also get a pod coffee maker, a full mini-bar and a large safe, just like in the Executive Rooms.
The bathroom had not been renovated, but didn’t need to. It’s the same large bathroom clad in white marble with a separate shower and deep bathtub, toilet and sink-in-countertop as in the Executive Room, but with some fresh paint and new artwork.
The free WiFi internet was reliable and very fast, with speeds between 10-80 Mbps, averaging 29Mbps on my stays.
The renovation made a huge difference in my stay experience and I’d take a renovated standard room over an un-renovated Executive room any day! I’d recommend to request a renovated room before or at arrival and keep my fingers crossed you get lucky!
Restaurant & Amenities: During my first stay, I had access to the Executive Lounge with a great view over Bangkok.
It provides a peaceful setting and offers drinks and snacks in the evening as well as breakfast in the morning. The lounge has also not been renovated and the decor and furniture is in good condition, but dated. The food and drink is provided at a charge, which is unusual for lounges, but I’d rather have access to a lounge and pay for food & drink than not have access to a lounge. There are not a lot of upscale restaurants or bars in the immediate neighborhood of the hotel, so having one more choice at the hotel is a good thing in my book. I had a glass of wine with a view one evening. The quality and price were appropriate for a 5-star hotel (aka high). The buffet offered canapes – I passed for a more substantial meal later.
The Swissotel Le Concorde has one of the largest gyms I’ve seen in hotels in Bangkok, with a large selection of cardio and weight equipment, as well as free weights and open space for stretches, etc. The fitness center can compete with a professional gym and I believe outside guests can be members here. The gym equipment was in good working order and if keeping up with your workout routine during your travels is important to you, this hotel gym is as good as any.
The pool is on the same level outside and you’ll find one pool large enough for laps and a shallow kiddie pool. Around it are plenty of loungers and even some cabanas to hide from the sun! is large and well kept.
The main restaurant on the ground level serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. The buffet breakfast offers a large selection of breads, fruit, yogurt, juice and hot drinks, as well as make-to-order eggs and a number of hot Western and Asian dishes. Neither the quality nor the selection were up to par when compared to other 5-star hotels in Bangkok though, but competitive with other hotels in this price range. You’ll also have a lobby bar and coffee shop to choose from during the day! Inexplicably, I don’t have any photos of the breakfast – I’ll claim my phone ate them!
Bottomline: The Swissotel Le Concorde Bangkok is a 5-star hotel with a split personality. You get great service, a large pool and gym, and with a little luck, a modern, renovated room. At an average price of $95/night that’s good value. But you are in an out-of-the way location and might end up in an outdated room in desperate need of renovation, too – and $95 is too much for that. While I understand that the financial needs for a full renovation are high, the step-wise renovation approach at the Swissotel Le Concorde Bangkok bears risks and I’m hesitating to recommend it because of that. Until the renovation is complete, hotels like the pullman King Power or Patthumwan Princess offer consistently better rooms and similar service at similar prices. You can check prices at the Swissotel LeConcorde and other Bangkok hotels here!