FIRST IMPRESSIONS: The reborn Dusit Thani Hotel, Bangkok

Dusit Thani is a name eternally tied to its history as one of the first five-star hotels in Bangkok. The original hotel opened in 1970. It was Thailand’s tallest building and the first property of Dusit International. The now-outdated hotel was demolished in 2019, and a new hotel using the same name opened on the same site, but set back further from the road, on September 27, 2024.

Dusit Thani, Bangkok today

Although the original building had a triangular cross-section, the new hotel is constructed with a single line of rooms facing Lumpini Park. The box window design echoes that of the original hotel. Room-wide windows face Lumpini Park and are backed by a room-wide padded seat that allows lounging while enjoying the spectacular view.

The hotel has also reassembled and installed its famous spike, a distinctive identifier on the Bangkok cityscape. It now sits atop the contemporary 39-floor building. The hotel’s previous incarnation was a mere 23 floors.

Arrival

If you arrive by car, there are no problems. You loop up the impressive driveway to the formal entrance. If you arrive on foot, however, the entrance is more difficult and uninviting. Essentially, you need to walk up the driveway; there is little to no sidewalk, if any.

On one occasion, I was returning from a wander, and the security guard challenged me and shouted things in Thai at me. His tone only changed when I flashed my Dusit Thani hotel key holder at him (the keys themselves are blank white, with nothing to identify them).

The foyer is suitably impressive, and, in fact, since I was using the hotel’s airport chauffeur service, a member of the reception staff greeted me and asked whether I wanted to proceed directly to my room to check in. After a more than 9-hour flight, and having been ‘up’ since 6 am, the answer was ‘Yes’.

Service at the Dusit Thani, Bangkok

This was the outstanding trait of almost every staff member I interacted with at the hotel. Service was at the forefront of their mind. Everything from the in-room dining service, turndown, breakfast service, and even the chauffeur transfers was more than I expected.

Here are some examples. At breakfast, when I was admiring the self-serve pastries, the attendant offered to plate one for me. When I asked to take a photo, she did a quick tidy so all the croissants faced the same direction, and then left the counter, and stood behind a pillar so I could get a clear shot of the bakery goods.

When any of my breakfast a la carte menu items were delivered, the wait staff would always ask if there was anything else they could get me, or volunteer an additional item.

When my in-room dining arrived, two staff members asked how I wanted the dining chair oriented: towards the TV or the window. They set it all up, and when I was finished, I phoned, and almost immediately someone arrived to clear the table.

When I was returned to the airport by my hotel driver, I was met by another hotel employee who took me to the correct check-in counter, and then guided me to Fast Track, and bid me farewell.

Now all those things come with five-star service, but this was all done with generosity and ease.

The Room

I got an upgrade, which really just means a higher floor as a result of joining the hotel’s loyalty program.

Up on the 36th floor, the view was spectacular, and I did spend a bit of time reclining on that padded divan across the whole window, resting on cushions and reading my book.

Again, it was difficult to fault the room. It had a range of seating options, from a window seat to a lounge at the end of the window, through to a bucket chair at the table, which doubled as a desk, with power points handy.

The entrance way is effectively your wardrobe and dressing room, with direct access to the bathroom. The bathroom has a rain shower, double sinks and, icing on the cake, a Japanese toilet. I loved it all.

Not quite faultless

Without faults? Not quite. The weight scales had dead batteries. The air conditioning was noisy for a new build hotel. There are quieter technologies available. It was also impossible to turn the fan down to a quiet and low setting. That meant I had to turn the aircon off at night, with the room temperature slowly rising to an unacceptable 26°C.

I also didn’t get turndown service on my final night. Now, I was hitting the hay fairly early during my stay, as I knew I had a very early start for my departure. When no one arrived to do the turn-down by 8 pm, I put on the ‘do not disturb’ sign. In the morning, there was a card apologising for the lack of turn-down service, but they did not want to disobey the do not disturb sign. Well, that’s okay, but they had come closer to 6 pm on the previous evenings.

But my major gripe is that the hotel is not smoke-free. Almost every day, I could smell smoke in my room. As an ex-smoker for a few decades, it really gets to me. Should I have asked for another room? Perhaps, but I’m not sure it would have helped. Only a blanket ban on smoking in the hotel would do it.

2PAXfly Takeout

This is a great hotel, not cheap, but it certainly delivers on the five-star experience. That is putting the smoking issue to one side.

And I haven’t even mentioned the Spire Bar on the rooftop. Rooftop bars in hotels are two a penny in Bangkok, but the one on top of the Dusit Thani was certainly an enjoyable place to enjoy a drink and some truffled chips and a drink or two.

Would I recommend a stay? Certainly. Would I stay again? Maybe not, but only because there are so many other excellent hotels in Bangkok that I have yet to try.

I will compile a comprehensive review as part of the overall trip report in a few weeks.