From Aman’s high-design urban hideaway to Mandarin Oriental’s venerated grande dame, almost every major luxury name has planted its flag in the Thai capital, so there are plenty of familiar names in our round-up of the best hotels in Bangkok. Homegrown players like Dusit Thani and a rising crop of indie boutiques keep the mix interesting, making choosing where to stay in Bangkok a tougher call than most Asian capitals.
Hotel settings run the gamut from riverside estates shaded by century-old banyan trees to glossy towers in the middle of the commercial sprawl, and each one offers its own take on the city. Many visitors use Bangkok as a springboard for multi-stop trips across Thailand, often tacking on a detour to the mountainous North or one of the best islands in Thailand for a dose of beachy downtime. Still, it’s worth carving out a couple of nights in the city to experience its high-octane jumble or roaring tuk-tuks, glitzy rooftop bars, and street food buffets.
The simplest way to narrow down your search is to decide whether you want to stay in the Old Town or downtown. The former offers easy access to Bangkok’s postcard sights – the glittering Grand Palace, the incense-swirled temples, the slow pace of life along the Chao Phraya River – while the latter puts you within striking distance of big-ticket malls, chef-led dining, and late-night entertainment. Bangkok’s efficient public transport network and affordable taxis mean you can hop between the two without much effort (though rush hours are best avoided), so it’s easy to split your time between neighbourhoods. Below, a longtime resident shares his top picks for the best hotels in Bangkok.
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