Amari Watergate Bangkok – A Review By Punam Mohandas
The Amari Watergate describes itself as “being in the heart of Bangkok” and ne’er was a truer word said! The hotel is located in one of the most congested areas in Pratunam on Petchburi Road and, whilst there may be some great shopping to be had, much of the impact of the façade and the surroundings is reduced by the sight of the roadside shacks and pavement hawkers.
The faint hum of traffic permeates through to the rooms. The hotel holds a fairly large inventory, with 569-keys. The 32nd floor houses a private reception, lounge and 24-hour butler service for the four executive floors it services. Wifi is available throughout the hotel.
Room categories include the Deluxe, Grand Deluxe, Executive Rooms, Corner Suites, Executive Suites and of course, the Presidential Suite. All rooms come equipped with in-room safes, mini bars, tea/coffee making facilities and adequate supplies of mineral drinking water. A big plus is that not just the butler service, but also the laundry and valet departments for the entire hotel offer 24-hour service
The Executive Rooms are extremely spacious, measuring 73-square metres in size and have Thai wooden flooring as opposed to carpeted. Wooden partition doors cordon off the sleeping area from the living room. Overall, this category has a larger room and bath space. The bathrooms are equally roomy and come with personal Jacuzzis and the twin washbasin concept. The lavatory is a separate room altogether, complete with its own washbasin.
It must be said that the Amari Watergate is fairly busy and nearly always full up. According to Ciaran Brazil, the Irish revenue director, Singapore is the biggest market while India and Australia are key feeder markets.
Recreational facilities includes the Breeze Spa which has six treatment rooms with three couple rooms, two of which come equipped with Jacuzzis; two swimming pools and the Breeze Salon which is on the same floor as the shopping arcade – a clever move in that ladies get to satisfy both primary urges in one go, of looking good and spending more! The Amari Watergate Bangkok will also be the launch pad for FitCentre this July, an in-house Amari brand fitness and gym centre.
Convention facilities include eight larger rooms including the Watergate Ballroom and a number of smaller meeting spaces including the Executive Boardroom. The Watergate can accommodate 1500 pax. An escalator on the lobby level leads to the ballroom on the sixth floor; a distinct advantage in that it avoids non resident guests from wandering across the floors and other areas of the hotel. Further, the eighth floor has a garden that is used for parties and product launches and is generally an area for recreation and relaxation.
Not only does the Amari Watergate put together theme events such as a Wild West Party, Oscars Night, Lost in the Jungle and so on, it can also get creative enough to provide catering options to its guests outside of the hotel.
F&B options are varied and include Promenade, the all-day dining outlet; the Cantonese Heichinrou; Cascades, for beverages, tapas and other international snacks; Henry J Bean’s Bar & Grill for everything American; the rather unimaginatively named Thai on 4 which is self-explanatory, it’s the Thai restaurant on the 4th floor and the Pool Bar.
F&B service is prompt and efficient enough. Housekeeping can tend to be a bit sloppy; the clothes will be strewn as you left it with no attempt to fold things and put them away neatly and used bathroom amenities such as shampoo bottles and suchlike are not removed and thrown away. Be warned that the hot water too takes some time to gush through.
As already mentioned, the hotel is in an extremely crowded area and it’s a bit of a nightmare getting to and fro as tuktuk and motorcycle drivers tend to overcharge, knowing the guest is entirely at their mercy. The nearest BTS stop is Chitlom and that’s a good 10-12 minute brisk walk away.
Paradoxically, most Asian visitors like the hotel on account of the proximity to shopping it offers.
Most major airlines fly into Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport. From there, you can take a taxi to Pratunam (approximately THB350 plus THB50 airport surcharge) or else take the air conditioned bus into town that stops at a lot of places. The Skytrain BTS connection (THB45) from the airport is only until Phaya Thai station; not an advisable option if you have a lot of luggage.
AMARI WATERGATE BANGKOK
Tel: +66 26539000
Fax: +66 26539045
Email: [email protected]
Punam Mohandas asserts her right to be identified as the author of this work. Any views or opinions expressed in this review is that of the author.
