AVANI Atrium Bangkok Hotel Review
The AVANI Atrium hotel is located in the Vadhana neighborhood in Bangkok. Vadhana spans parts of Sukhumvit and Thonglor. If this sounds confusing, the hotel is also next to a major freewayand hemmed in by low-rises and the water canal. While on a map, the hotel seems reasonably close to most of the attractions near Sukhumvit, it is a sweaty 10 to 20-minute walk or a gridlocked taxi drive to get anywhere.Thankfully though, you can take the airport train from Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport for 30 THB and then just walk 10 minutes to get to the hotel.
The AVANI Atrium Bangkok often posts rates around $60 or less, making it one of the best 4-star deals in the city.
Check-in was cheerful and much more interesting than most. The agent was fluent in English and understood how to easily combine my reservations and upgrade me without asking. Perfect!
My room had a fantastic view of the Sukhumvit high-rises and Thonglor.
The AC was strong but only had three fan settings and was ultimately too strong to run at night. So I accepted somewhat hot nights.
The bathroom was functional but well done and the bathroom amenities were of high quality.
The Internet worked fast at 4 Mbit at any time during my stay and the bed was the right mix of hard and soft.
In general, the hotel 'felt' like a 'Le Méridien' that had recently been reflagged and seemed at brand standard.
The hotel features a pool and gym. While I did not get to use them much, they seemed ready for a sweaty workout and dip.
In time, I started requesting taxis from the great transport desk downstairs. They just flag down a taxi from the busy highway, soit may take a few minutes at times. These metered taxis would be registered in the system (so they don't hotwire their meter suddenly when you leave the parking lot). All of the drivers I got this way were respectful and drove me all over Bangkok for under 100 THB (and short trips were under 50 THB). This is not just cheaper than Uber or GrabCar, but also faster and the drivers were more respectful.
I generally found the staff to be a great plus at this hotel; they were knowledgeable, fluent in English and joyful - a great respite from the subservient but ill-educated staff that I had encountered at other Bangkok hotels.
The location is a clear negative for this hotel but given how well they manage the taxi queue, thishotel is a keeper and I would not hesitate to return.
You can book theAVANI Atrium Bangkok here.