Omni Tower Hotel & Related Rambling Tourist Thoughts

In researching the many reviews of hotels I had narrowed my choices down to the Omni Towers, Majestic Suites and Grand President in that order of preference. I like new modern hotels not rustic and had made a reservation at the Omni Towers for a 1BR suite for 1600baht/night ($40 US). Their website shows a higher price but seems negotiable depending on occupancy. Their new website is now at http://www.somerset.com.sg/somni.htm But since they have been taken over by larger company the marketing address there may be slow.  Suggest contacting the Omni Manager directly who was very friendly in person also. See his note below with address:

Dear Dave, Sawsdee-krab! & Greetings from Omni Tower, Bangkok!

Yes , It is most welcome for people to E-mail me directly if they are visiting Thailand.

Sorry for the link up problem on the Website. We have just undergone a recent change in Company Name exercise from the old Liang Court to this present New name that is: Somerset Holdings Limited. Somerset International Management Asia Pacific is the Hospitality arm of Somerset Holdings. 

Should U require further assistance , please feel free to contact me on my E-Mail address or Tel: 662-656- 8300 or my Direct Line at : 662 -656 8330. Many thanks for your interest and support for Omni Tower Service Apartment, Bangkok.

Sincerely, Danny SJ Chua Manager  (update new sales person 9/00is  mr. winan kwunsri.... sales & marketing)
omni@loxinfo.co.th

Wow, it was far nicer than either of the two Manila hotels I stayed at for about the same price. They even have an electric outlet for my electric razor in the bathroom with a switch for either 110 or 220 with a cute mans face and bead symbol on the outlet. None of the 3 hotels I was at in the Philippines had any bathroom outlet which made it hard to shave with no mirror. The bathroom is also nicer with great shower/tub again far nicer than in similar class places I was at in the Philippines.

I have great central air instead of window units blowing on me as in Philippines.

Even the toilet seat is "American Standard" (literally – that is the brand of the toilet) large enough for us big American butts vs. the little Asian people sized toilets in the Philippines.

Everything is very nice including the glass elevators, which have a view of the city and hotel pool. My room is on the 20^th floor.

Here are pictures I took from the outside glass elevator: They almost fit together!

 Nice easy to operate room safe…BUT…it is not big enough for my valuable traveling companion – no not a women to stuff in safe – but my precious new Toshiba laptop I love so much and has all these "valuable reports on! But I think I hid it quite well… but if the safe were just slightly larger it would fit.

I call it a hotel, but actually it’s a serviced apartment, but only difference I can see is no housekeeping service on Sunday which I really didn’t need.

I didn’t watch much TV but set was very good with remote. Channel 0 shows the video camera in the lobby so you can see people coming in and checking at the front desk. If you are expected someone this could be handy to see when they come in.

There is no problem with guests, no extra charges or ID checks.

The suite has a very large living room and great view from 20th floor.  Great for storm watching also, although I was lucky in September to have mostly good weather.

Has an internet cafe and a small convenience store on the ground floor where I got my daily newspapers and frequent frozen ice cream bars which stored perfectly in the freezer section of the fridge in room.  Has a separate kitchen area with stove etc.  I never used it for cooking but unlike in hotels with just small fridge for drinks etc, having a freezer was nice for my ice cream treats :)

If you have a laptop I suggest you bring with you (for any hotel) a Y adopter phone plug so you don’t have to keep plugging and unplugging hotel phone and a long 25’ or 10 meter phone extension cable. Before I got the extension cable to reach the living room I had to use the laptop from my bed which was the cause of some of my neck tension from being in such a poor position. I made two trips to I Mart on 3^rd floor of very modern Ploenchit Center to get these supplies. I Mart is a very nice computer store that has most everything. This is also where I got my loxinfo Thai ISP connection.

Until I got smart enough to use the "No Entry" sign on the door knob, housekeeping knocks to clean my room at 8-9am at which time I am still very much asleep except waken by the knock. Since I’m up till 4am or so, I’ve barely gone to sleep. It seems most everyone is a late night owl here except housekeepers perhaps. Since I have room bolted and I don’t’ let them in they return at noon (I am still sometimes not fully up) and again at 1pm when I usually let them in. Once I got smart I just took off the No Entry sign once I was up.

Also the hotel is about a 10-minute walk from Nana Plaza, while the other two hotels are closer. It’s not that far to walk…except on the nights it was raining. However after doing the walk so many times it gets a bit boring. I think every bar girl tout at bars along the way to Nana must recognize me by now. 

Zippy Motorbike Rides
After my fun motorbike ride that "Long Gun" introduced me to, I had so more fun rides back to the Omni like from Ploenchit Center or my one visit to McDonalds near by. Long Gun is a really nice local chap I met from the ASFO mailing list, who I visited some beer gardens with. He has been a BKK resident about six years, originally from the U.K. While he has a very British accent it was nice to have good conversations with someone I could understand instead of just very basic bargirl English!

The only problem was just like my cab getting so lost trying to find Omni, the motorbike guys just up the street around Nana, or Ploenchit didn’t know where it was. I always carried the hotel’s card that has its address etc both in English and Thai. On my last day, I showed it to the lad that so nicely got my attention as I came out of Ploenchit Center once but he zipped right by it thinking it was the large building much further down. I thought he was pointing to the Omni with its slanting face when he asked, "is that it", but he was actually meaning a building much further down the Soi. The Omni has a huge "Omni" sign you can’t miss but its in English (obviously for us tourists) not Thai for the lost local transport people. We made a quick U-turn and got back fine.

Also when I was with Long Gun, the night before, who speaks Thai (even thought he claims his Thai is terrible), he worked out the deal with two motorbike lads. He got them to take 20B to a beer garden, which was further away. But I could only get a 40B quote from Ploenchit Center. However, I think he thought the Omni was much further down the Soi. Anyway the ride was fun…for an old geezer like me who has never been on a motorcycle before, other than the night before.

I enjoyed .. sort of .. the trikes of Angeles City, but they had a sidecar vs. jump on the back of the bikes in BKK. Having my big 6-2, 220 body stuffed in the small sidecar, especially with also a lady, made for a rather crunched ride. Riding the back of a bike was a lot more comfortable…as long could hang on the him or the rear handle sort of thingy,

I had always noticed the zillions of bikes around Nana and all over BKK. Most of them had shirts with numbers on the back. I wondered why so many young Thai bikers at first, dumb tourist me, not realizing they were another version of a taxi. But since they had no sidecar like in PI, I didn’t realize they were Taxi’s. In PI every 20 feet or so another trike driver yells "Trike?" at you. In BKK the taxi’s (like in cars) were more aggressive going after people like walking the streets than the motorbike guys. Earlier I had enjoyed all the walking I did, but after walking all over so much, which I’m not used to doing feet starting getting tired.

Some mornings I got up in time to walk to Nana Hotel, which has a nice breakfast buffet. But they clear it away about 10:30 am. The lobby and coffee shop looks very nice. I’ve had a few dinners there. Reports say the rooms are rather rustic however, and I prefer new and modern so didn’t stay there.  But many people like Nana at only about $US25/night.

I have also eaten at Dynasty Inn, which is OK. I prefer simple American food, not Thai. I even ate McDonalds next to Marriott and Ploenchit Center a few times.