Nai Lert Park is not the best hotel in Bangkok by a long stretch, but in my experience it's a clear winner in the 'price still matters class'. It has all the amenities you would expect, but also a few unique functional benefits: 1) it's not that big, good atmosphere 2) very nice pool area and garden 3) windows you can open and a balcony 4) excellent room service (we ran up quite a bill, after some time on the road it's relaxing to eat in) 5) very good location (I don't understand people who say this is out of the way, great for shopping and the BTS) 6) excellent staff (we actually had some contact with the manager who is a great Italian guy really caring for his guests and down to earth) 7) great design, we stayed in executive, and the look and feel is exactly like the impression you get from photos - cool bar too 8) secluded and excellent security. Cons: Gets crowded around the pool. But the best thing about Nai Lert Park is the feeling. I have stayed in my share of business hotels, and this place definitely has a different feel to it. For my girlfriend and I it has become our emotional benchmark, we often remark when we are travelling 'Well this is nice, but not Nai Lert Park'. Definitely going again.

A disastrous stay from the moment I opened my room to find a near-nude man in my room. To be fair the hotel then upgraded me to a suite. Unfortunately the second room came with a dangerous combo of a broken light and a black bench at the end of my bed. After falling badly, I went down to seek help from the front desk (for what later turned out to be a broken hand). I was offered golfing ointment and was sent out alone to wander the streets of Bangkok at 2am to find treatment. Very poor indeed.

Just back from a trip around Asia that included a 5 night stay here and overall had a pretty positive experience at the Swissotel. The pool area was absolutely gorgeous (rainforest-like), as were the common areas and the front desk staff were immensely helpful with suggestions for shops, markets, giving directions, etc. I also loved the breakfast buffet, which included both Western and Asian breakfast options (shrimp shu mai and French toast, anyone?) The room was pretty nice but I do have some minor gripes: When I entered the room I immediately smelled a faintly musty/moldy smell (to be fair, I'm a bit of a clean freak, so it probably wouldn't have even been noticeable to anyone else). The woman from the front desk came up and offered to switch me to another room, which she took me to see, but that too had a bit of a musty smell. My room had old dark brown carpet, and (as I later learned) was not one of the "renovated" ones, to which I could have upgraded for an additional $20/night. I didn't bother since I liked the layout of my room better. I eventually got used to the smell, which again was very faint. Another thing that could have been better was the mattress - very hard and uncomfortable. Also the hotel is a bit off the beaten path, which is great if you want to escape the craziness of central Bangkok, but not so great if you need an ATM (none on premises!) or want to be able to walk to restaurants and shops. The front door staff will gladly summon a cab for you, however, and the PhloenChit SkyTrain stop is within walking distance. Overall the good outweighed the bad and at about US$140 a night, the hotel was a bargain. With the lush pool area, it's a very good place for some R&R.