Review: the Grand Hyatt Erawan hotel, Bangkok

This is our review of the Grand Hyatt Erawan hotel in Bangkok.

We are running two hotel reviews from Thailand this weekend, contributed by our PR consultant Caroline who some of you will have met at HfP events.

Hyatt was keen to feature some of its Thai properties and, with Caroline holding an unused flight ticket to Bangkok from the pandemic, it seemed a good partnership. Whilst Hyatt provided the hotel rooms, Caroline paid all of her other expenses.

Over to Caroline:

“With Asia now pretty much open for all travel, and the £ for $ exchange rate making travelling West particularly expensive, it seems like a good time to travel to Thailand.  It’s possible to find some fabulous accommodation at very inexpensive rates and in some of the loveliest locations in this wonderful country.

The Grand Hyatt Erawan, Bangkok, is a five-star luxury hotel with resort-styled facilities set in Bangkok’s Rachaprasong area.   Located right next door to the Erawan Shrine, the hotel has uber-convenient covered links to Chidlom BTS Sky Train and the Central World Shopping Mall. 

With easy links to other major attractions, the hotel is a highly accessible base from which to explore all that Bangkok has to offer.  The hotel website is here.

Rooms at Grand Hyatt Erawan

The contemporary yet traditionally styled rooms are all very well appointed.  I stayed in a Grand Deluxe Double Room but had access to the Grand Club Lounge offering breakfast, afternoon tea and evening cocktails and canapes.    

On entering the room, the wide hallway that was fully mirrored down one side, gave an impression of light and space.   Wardrobes were to one side as well as the extensive lighting system allowing you to choose the lighting theme for your room, depending on the time of day. 

The expansive hallway led to the main bedroom area featuring a king-size bed, along with a sofa area and a large desk and chair by the window giving plenty of space for anyone needing to work.   Rooms feature international sockets as well as USB ports so you’re well serviced for plugging in laptops and for charging devices.  

The six foot wide fully upholstered bed was supremely comfortable – not too firm and not too soft with four luxurious feather and down pillows.    

The elegant tile and marble bathroom could be opened or closed to the main bedroom area using the sliding doors, and happily featured a separate loo cubical giving more privacy if required. 

In both the bedroom and bathroom there was plenty of bottled water so you could use it for making tea and coffee as well as for general consumption and teeth cleaning.    A mini-fridge was stocked with a selection of soft drinks and beer which I assume is part of the Grand Club package as there did not appear to be a price list. 

Bathroom amenities are from Savoir Faire and included body wash, shampoo, conditioner and body balm.  With a clean and luxurious scent, the hair products left my locks feeling hydrated and tangle free – the sign of a decent product! 

Blow the Budget on the Garden Villas!

Now if you’re travelling to Bangkok and looking for super-luxury accommodation, then it would be remiss not to consider booking yourself into one of the Grand Hyatt Erawan’s Garden Villas located – not entirely logically, I admit – on the 5th floor of the property.   

As well as being a short stroll to glorious pool and garden area, these 30sqm villas have their own private outside space to enjoy.  

I was given a tour by the hotel. With a private entrance accessible from the outside area, the individual villas looked simply stunning.  You enter your suite via a grand front door into an attractive lobby.  To one side is a beautiful lounge   with sofa, chair, and large flat screen TV.  There is a Bose speaker you can connect your own device to. 

The lounge then leads into a large bedroom adorned with cosy cushions and pillows. The bedroom also has a large Smart TV.  

On the other side of the detached villa, you’ll find a large bathroom and leisure area featuring a loo cubical, an oversized bath and separate shower with steam or sauna facility. 

Moving back towards the main entrance, a further leisure area includes an in-suite massage table, tea and coffee making facilities as well as a large fridge and further sink.

At £450 per night at the time we visited, this level of luxury is surprisingly affordable compared to what you might pay for similar in other major cities.  

Spa and Pool at the Grand Hyatt Erawan hotel

After my morning spent visiting the Erawan Shrine and the Central World shopping Centre, I decided to visit the pool area, taking in the gym and spa features of the hotel along the way.  The pool area is extremely attractive featuring tropical gardens and a freeform pool.  The pool has plenty of sunbeds and pool towels are available to help yourself to.   

The leisure area is served by The Breezeway eatery operating from 10.30 to 20.00 giving the ambience of a country club.   Food options including Curries, soups, rice and noodles, as well as salads, pizzas, pasta, burgers and grilled meats with some Sushi and Sashimi thrown in for good measure. 

The pool was pretty empty, and, during my visit it was possible to swim multiple lengths without being disturbed.    

During my visit to the pool complex, I had a peep at the spa and gym areas, which looked welcoming and very well equipped. 

Grand Club Lounge

Having arrived quite late on the first evening, I went straight to bed and took breakfast in the Grand Club lounge on my first morning. It is a large and attractive area, with views of the city, and elegantly decorated.

I was brought my choice of tea and coffee and, whilst there was a decent range of western and Thai breakfast choices, the offering was limited as is often the case in club lounges.

It was quite late when I went, (just after 9.30 am) and I found much of the buffet food to be past it’s best and not really warm enough for my liking. To counter this issue, I decided to go for a freshly cooked omelette which was very nice.

As well as having my breakfast here, I also visited for the evening cocktails and canapes.  The food offering was generous, and tasty buffet style fare, whilst the serving staff were attentive regards filling up my glass.  Drinks included sparkling, white or red wine and also a range of spirits and some signature cocktails including Aperol Spritz.

It was a pleasant way to while away an hour or so while catching up on messages and social media.  

Restaurants at Grand Hyatt Erawat

There are a number of dining options within the hotel including Salvia, an Italian neighbourhood-inspired Osteria on the Mezzanine level. Spasso Bistro, a Parisian-inspired Bistro specialising in ‘sharing platters’ and You&Mee – a more casual Asian dining option, situated in the Lower Lobby, along with the French option.     

I opted for You&Mee and enjoyed a delicious Green Papaya Salad:

…. followed by the sublime grilled Australian beef hanger steak, finishing with the traditional mango, sticky rice and coconut cream. 

In addition to these main dining areas, Grand Hyatt Erawan has a bakery, also situated in the lower lobby, along with the stunning Erawan Tea Room. The latter overlooks the Erawan Shrine and serves a classic and unique afternoon tea combining both Western and Thai desserts.  The Erawan tea room is, according to the certificate, recommended in the Michelin Guide Bangkok 2019.

If these options were not enough, The Dining Room on the main level, offers an ‘international buffet’ for breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as a Grand Sunday Brunch on the first Sunday of every month. You can also have afternoon tea.

For my final morning, I decided to try the main dining room for breakfast and was very impressed with the vast choice of breakfast dishes to suit both western and Asian tastes.  All were very freshly cooked and the choice was wonderful if not a little overwhelming! This is a better choice than the club lounge if you are not in a hurry.

Conclusion

I found The Grand Hyatt Erawan to be the perfect hotel for my Bangkok city break.   Well positioned to get to many of the cities major attractions, the hotel is both luxurious and comfortable without be overly pretentious.    

A Club room can be had for a little over £200 a night with entry level rooms starting at £163 for World of Hyatt members.  The hotel is a Category 2 in World of Hyatt and rooms can be booked from 8,000 points, meaning that it may be cheaper to buy points if there is a promotion running.

You can find out more, and book, on the hotel website here. Thank you to Hyatt for hosting me.

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World of Hyatt update – September 2024:

Get bonus points: World of Hyatt is not currently running a global promotion

New to World of Hyatt?  Read our overview of World of Hyatt here and our article on points expiry rules here. Our article on what we think World of Hyatt points are worth is here.

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World of Hyatt is offering a 20% discount when you buy points by 8th October. Click here to buy.

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