On my recent trip to Thailand in April/May 2O15, I stayed at Le Meridien Chiang Mai, being loyal to SPG for years, and rightly so. In any case, chain hotels of quality are not numerous in the North of Thailand.
Le Méridien was the only valid option, and for 2,500 THB per night, thanks to a rate found on a comparator and which allowed me to use the famous and advantageous Best Rate Guaranteepracticed by SPG. I will discuss this guarantee in a future article.
As usual, I booked the cheapest room, without breakfast.
An excellent welcome, where I felt expected
I arrived by cab from the Chiang Mai airport, located a few minutes from the city center. The establishment is located in the center of the city, in the middle of the famous Night Bazaarwhich animates Chiang Mai at night. Our luggage was taken care of immediately upon leaving the cab.
The hotel lobby is very spacious, but completely overrun with tourists waiting for their group. Fortunately, the SPG Gold and Platinum counter is empty, and we are escorted to the Club Lounge located on the 21st floor of the hotel.
The check-in was a bit long, but I was able to have a breakfast to wait. Once the formalities were completed, I was told that I would be upgraded to an Executive Suite, and offered to accompany me to the room, which I politely declined.
A very spacious suite, tastefully decorated
The suite I was assigned, located on the 11th floor of the hotel, was very large and nicely decorated.
Here is the virtual tour:
After a tour of the city, thoughtful touches were placed in the suite, again reinforcing the feeling of being expected.
I must admit that the macaroons were excellent, of a quality comparable to those you can find in Paris.
I had an excellent stay in this suite. The bed was comfortable, but not much more. The bathroom, very spacious, the bathtub quite exceptional, and the dressing area very practical.
The free dry cleaning service for club guests was very convenient, punctual and conscientious.
A club lounge with a cold decoration and a very uneven service
Having access to a club lounge is always appreciated. The staff at the reception was always very attentive.
The decoration of the lounge is dated. Even if it is well maintained, the black leather gives it a very dark impression and lacks elegance.
Also, the evening service was not very attentive, even unpleasant. The evening buffet was poorly supplied and varied little from evening to evening.
On the other hand, the morning service was very attentive, and the eggs on demand menu very original. I recommend theEgg Royale, an egg Benedict with smoked salmon.
A very nice pool, but undersized and with a service that leaves something to be desired
A very nice pool, but undersized and with a disappointing service
On the other hand, it is largely undersized for the large number of group clients present, and the service is slow, very slow.
The breakfast is not of great quality
I tried the restaurant’s breakfast buffet one morning, which I had access to anyway. The experience was disappointing: same as in the lounge, except for some Japanese or Chinese options.
The impression of being in a factory due to the size of the restaurant is unpleasant, the service is almost non-existent except for the clearing up.
The other dining experience was the afternoon pastry marketed throughout the hotel: eclairs, very tempting on the pictures… Disappointing : dry choux pastry, filling that doesn’t hold, failed icing…
Conclusion: An excellent experience… provided you are Platinum!
This hotel could be excellent: an effort on the service and the catering! On the other hand, the experience for Platinum guests is almost perfect: guaranteed upgrade, access to the club, late check-out, etc!
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