The Royal River Hotel

“Fantastic room, good stay overall”

The hotel is a good hour away in a taxi from the airport, we got a meter taxi from the airport which we would never do again! the taxi driver didn't have a clue where he was going, he stopped four times to ask for directions even though we had the sat nav up showing him which direction to go and ... more

The hotel is a good hour away in a taxi from the airport, we got a meter taxi from the airport which we would never do again! the taxi driver didn't have a clue where he was going, he stopped four times to ask for directions even though we had the sat nav up showing him which direction to go and he had his on but kept on ignoring the route, probably to scam us into paying more money but it was infuriating with two tired kids and not the best start to our Bangkok adventure! anyway nothing to do with the hotel but be warned! When arriving at the hotel check in was fine and the room was ready, they didn't offer to help with our bags which we thought a bit strange as it looked like they were helping others, we took the elevator up to our floor and went into our room and were pleasantly surprised, it was better than the pictures! fantastic family room, it was huge! two single beds tucked away for the kids, big comfy bed for us, massive vanity area with two sinks, separate toilet, shower and a bath. A big balcony too, it wasn't the best view, the rooms on the opposite side have river views but we think they are double rooms not family rooms on that side, we were very happy. The room has a big clothes rail with hangers, drawers, a safe, TV with cable channels, air con, water replenished daily, fridge, hairdryer and soap/shampoo etc and the room was kept really clean. There is an outdoor pool at the hotel, we only used it a few times but it was a good size and the temperature was ok, not too cold. There is a café inside which over looks the river and outside there is a bar area, you can eat at the restaurant inside or outside in the evening too. We had breakfast included at the hotel which was good, we all found something to suit us, lots of choice other than English tea but we took our own. Its a huge hotel and a lot of it looks like its not used much any more, there are a lot of conference areas. The hotel is in quite a remote area but a taxi into the main areas like koh san road, china town and the malls are cheap, we used grab mostly with the odd tuk tuk, the underground train station was only about a 10 minute walk away too and we often used this, a few pounds for a family of 4 to get to most places we wanted to explore, they just got a bit busy at certain times of the day. Overall the service at the hotel was ok, breakfast was ok, the room was fantastic, the area not the best but close to transport links and easy enough to get a grab, value for money that we paid definitely worth it so over all would recommend and if we return to Bangkok which we may be doing again soon then we would return here again.

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“Value for money”

It's nice hotel on riverside in Bangkok. Location is little difficult 😕 but every thing was good. Rooms are good with balcony facing river. Breakfast was good . You need cab for transportation. Well meantaid hotel. House keeping is good. Front desk is not helping much.

“Solid 3 star hotel”

Location is on the river which was ideal for our tour plans. Check in nice and allowed early. Hotel very big and spacious. Room big with great view of city and river. Location away from nearest train station but has free tuk tuk shuttle which we used. Room itself was adequate. Bed mattress not g... more

Location is on the river which was ideal for our tour plans. Check in nice and allowed early. Hotel very big and spacious. Room big with great view of city and river. Location away from nearest train station but has free tuk tuk shuttle which we used. Room itself was adequate. Bed mattress not great, very bouncy and hard and couldn’t sleep that well. Air con worked ok. No sofa or plates given in room. No bath tub our room. No safe. Fridge was ok but not great. So the word adequate springs to mind. Not bad, did the job but could use some minor improvements on this dated hotel. Best point is Chit Hole (Chit Beer) craft brewery downstairs on the river. 5-12 open. Great beers with some nice music and singer. The main reason we chose this hotel. Parking lot good and undercover, no one checked. A bit tight cornering in our car so be careful. Buffet breakfast included great with asian and western dishes. Overall did the job, some things great some things not so much. But can recommend if it meets your requirements. (A lot of Indian and Chinese tour groups use this hotel, so avoid if that’s not your vibe)

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“A decent 3 Star Hotel well past its former glory of 5 Star Celebrity Royal River Hotel.”

A family reunion for 11 guests which was a Bangkok river centred catch up. The hotel promised a great deal but the hotel fell short on so many levels. If the hotel was advertised & sold as a 3 Star hotel then, yes, expectations would have been adequately met & nothing we experienced would have b... more

A family reunion for 11 guests which was a Bangkok river centred catch up. The hotel promised a great deal but the hotel fell short on so many levels. If the hotel was advertised & sold as a 3 Star hotel then, yes, expectations would have been adequately met & nothing we experienced would have been unexpected. But when sold as a 5 star & on some sites an old world 4 star (that should have been the first alarm bell), well expectations were a lot higher & not many were were met Lovely old building well positioned on the wonderful riverfront with an old-world charm. Like the Buddy Oriental (much further north on the river & much grander undergoing major renovations in 2024). I can see how this was once a glorious establishment, rich in Thai heritage & doubtless bustling with who’s who in prominent social circles of the Bangkok scene. Alas those days are long gone. Sadly the entire property is in dire need of maintenance, upgrade, repair & general make good. It is at very best a decent 3 star hotel with willing but limited, inflexible service. No room for reasonable check in neither one hour late checkout & a perfect example of strange service was the Chit-Hole terrace restaurant on our first night. The staff point blank refused to allow us to put 3 tables together to accommodate all 11 of us. Surreal, never experienced that ilk of lack of willing in Thai service before. I had to simply pick the tables up myself & move them & of course return them after our dinner much to the waiting staff’s amusement. I could list a lot more like a flooded room with an AC fault & having to demonstrate the pooled water to get my nephew & his wife a different room for the first night. But you get the picture. Almost Fawlty Towers. If advertised as a decent 3 star hotel, then I’d have no complaints, I’d say, all as expected & fair enough. One day the proprietor will invest renovate this hotel back to its former glory. Then it will be worth visiting again. Until then it remains a decent crash pad of a 3 star hotel on the river front. Nothing more, nothing less.

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“Cheap place, but far away from the airport”

I chose this hotel mainly cause the price was good for a three night stay and the place had a pool and a balcony that looked out on the river. However, it was a lot further from the airport than I thought, the ride took 70 minutes from the airport. Once here, check in was a little problematic, t... more

I chose this hotel mainly cause the price was good for a three night stay and the place had a pool and a balcony that looked out on the river. However, it was a lot further from the airport than I thought, the ride took 70 minutes from the airport. Once here, check in was a little problematic, the reception person did not speak English and did not seem bothered to actually acknowledge that I was checking in. Room is huge, basic, no safe, beds hard, bathroom basic, balcony is big and looks out on the Chao Pra River. I had to call housekeeping as there was no hot water, they came and ran the water in the sink and then I had hot water. Bring your own soap, none provided. I had dinner downstairs sitting outside, pleasant surroundings, service was average. My Thai dish of larb moo was great, the white wine I had was excellent but not cheap.

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