JW Marriott Description: Hmmmm, was not impressed with the JW Marriott. We had to stay here returning from Phuket on the way home. Decided to shop some more in Bangkok, and thought staying downtown would be more convenient. We were wrong. Nana Entertainment Plaza is across the street from this hotel, and unless you are interested in the go-go girls and all the pleasures it offers, I would pass on this location. Although the amenities are well suited to the business traveler (great business center and conference rooms), the pool and fitness center were left lacking. There was no spa massage services - one cannot go through a day in Thailand without a Thai massage (I'm referring to the ACTUAL massages, lol). The hotel boasted one of the finest steakhouses in all of Asia, which was no doubt good. Despite the obnoxious drunk, and the apparently philandering (their words not mine) business men who had to tell - scream it to the rest of the entire restaurant - well... it was a little hard to swallow... literally. After day two we were definitely starting to feel a little trapped inside at night.

Unique Qualities: Homeless sleeping on street outside, which is in every big city location - well every one I've been to...

Directions: Downtown, so to speak.

Website: www.marriott.com

For my last few days in Bangkok I opted to spoil myself with a short stay at a downtown 5-star property. Not wanting to fork over some serious dollars, I scored a reasonable 3-night stay at the JW Marriott Bangkok via Priceline.

I arrived at the hotel early – 11am – and, despite being at near capacity, my room to my surprise was already available.

On the 9th floor (out of 24) facing south with a king size bed, my room was large enough for a small seating area and work desk. The bathroom was large and very impressive, with separate bathtub and shower. As usual, for your convenience, there is also a well-stocked mini-bar with the standard overpriced drink and snack offerings. Coffee, tea and bottled water are all complimentary.

High-speed Internet access is available, with an ethernet cable available in each room. You need to pick up a user-id and password card from the front desk, and pricing is very high at 600 Baht per day. The business center, with complimentary copy and faxing service, also has computer rental and internet access at 195 Baht for 15 minutes. However, I could NOT find any convenient internet cafes in the immediate vicinity, so I did suck up the expense of the hotel’s service.

Though not as elaborate as the Marriott’s riverside property (Bangkok Marriott Spa & Resort), the spa & fitness center at this property was rather large, taking up the entire 6th floor, with a complete set of exercise equipment, small outdoor pool and jacuzzi. Various spa treatments (rather pricey) are available.

The property is connected by skybridge to the Phloen Chit Center, a small shopping complex that is opened but mostly still under construction. The BTS Skytrain Phloen Chit station is a short 5 minute walk down Sukhumvit with a quick two stops to the Siam Square shopping complexes (Siam Center, Siam Discover Center, and MBK).

This hotel is close to the expressway leading to the Don Meung International Airport and it was a quick as 20 minutes away early in the morning (6:00am). However, it can be as long as an hour and a half in heavy traffic – so plan accordingly for your return flight home.

Pricing for this hotel varies with the seasons. For the dates I was staying there, the Marriott website quoted me $109 ($128 w/ taxes). I was able to find a slightly cheaper rate at www.bangkok-hotel.net, at $124/night tax included. This stay was right in the middle of peak-season, so my $73/night rate ($93 after taxes/fees) was a steal.

This hotel was an absolute treat to stay in and I would give it a five star all the way. I have not one complaint regarding this hotel. They even provide a free water shuttle from the hotel to the shopping areas which runs every half hour.