We were touring South East Asia on a terribly tight budget, and we’d asked a friend of ours who lives in Bangkok to make reservations for us in a hotel that sort of fitted the budget we had in mind--i.e., as cheap as possible. Landing up at the Ambassador, therefore, came as a bit of a surprise because, for the kind of tariff we were paying, the place looked amazingly spiffy. Bang in the heart of town--on Sukhumvit Road--the Ambassador’s a high-rise hotel, ISO 9002, that's all vast lobby, gleaming glass, brass, wood, and orchids. Not the Waldorf, but good enough--with concierge, business center, health club, guest relations desk, lounge, pub, café, a special seafood center, two specialty restaurants (a Chinese one and a French one), a coffee bar called the Espresso, and a Bakery Counter--all this and a beer garden.
It’s a huge place and, for just Baht 1100 a night for a double room, it was pretty good. As far as the room was concerned, it was clean and comfortable, although the corridors outside were poorly lit and the carpets scruffy. Anyway, the room itself was large and airy and came with a full complement of furniture: king-size bed, wardrobe, bedside tables, large TV, huge dresser, minibar, and two spacious sofa chairs. Very comfy and air-conditioned, though the view left a lot to be desired--our window looked out on a terrace surrounded on all three sides by blank, peeling walls.
Included in the room tariff was buffet breakfast at the Ambassador’s Seafood Centre, which included a decent spread of fruit, breads, pancakes, potatoes, stir-fries, fried rice, eggs, cold cuts, juice, tea and coffee (i.e., the works). Other than that, we didn’t really patronize the hotel’s restaurants too much as they were a bit too expensive for us. We did have lunch once in the Café, though--a chicken green curry with rice which was exquisite.
On the whole, the Ambassador was a good place to stay, not just because it was fairly comfortable and clean (besides, of course, being cheap), but also because it was very well located--and I’d definitely stay here again if I went back to Bangkok.