Tori Crown Hotel in Bangkok: our very bad experience despite the good location
Tori Crown Hotel is located in Bangkok's Pratunam district, in a location that at first glance seems convenient for guests who want to be close to shopping areas and public transport. The hotel's official website highlights its proximity to Phaya Thai station, Pratunam Market and major shopping centres, and the location is indeed one of the few things working in this property's favour. However, our actual stay was very different from the impression that can be gained from the descriptions of the facilities and the photographs. Problems began from the moment we entered the room: stuffy air, a very pronounced feeling of humidity, old furniture, poor internet, train noise and a series of small but important shortcomings. When the uncertainty surrounding the advertised facilities and what we found by the fire escape are added to this, the overall impression can hardly be positive.
This is not a rating based on one insignificant detail or on an expectation of luxury that the hotel never promised. It is about a series of specific issues that directly affect the quality of the stay, from the ability to ventilate the room and the stability of the Wi-Fi connection to noise, bathroom functionality and the availability of facilities. The staff were friendly and willing to help, which certainly deserves to be highlighted, but even the very professional attitude of the employees could not compensate for the problems with the property itself. Our final assessment therefore remains very low, especially for the room, bathroom and facilities.
A room with no possibility of normal ventilation
The first and perhaps most unpleasant problem was the air in the room. The windows and the doors leading to the balcony could not be opened, and there was a notice on the doors stating that they must not be opened for safety reasons. Such a restriction may have a technical or safety explanation, but for the guest the consequence is very simple: there is no possibility of natural ventilation. In our case, the room was extremely stuffy, and the feeling of humidity was so strong that staying in the room was uncomfortable immediately after entering. The air conditioner did work and the room could be noticeably cooled after approximately 15 minutes, but the lower temperature did not remove the impression of heavy, stale air.
The inability to open the balcony doors further intensifies the feeling of being enclosed. If such a restriction has been introduced for safety reasons, we would expect the ventilation to be good enough that guests would not feel uncomfortable because of it. In our case, that was not so.
Old furniture and very modest equipment
The official Tori Crown Hotel website states that the property opened and was refreshed in 2023 and describes it as a contemporary city hotel. Our room, however, did not give that impression. The furniture looked old, and the overall appearance and functionality of the space suggested a property in need of more serious maintenance and renovation rather than recently refreshed accommodation. This does not mean that every piece of furniture has to be new, but when outdated elements are combined with stuffiness, humidity and other shortcomings, the overall impression quickly becomes poor.
There was no electric kettle in the room either. For guests who want to make tea or coffee in the evening or early in the morning, this means going to reception, because hot water was available only in that part of the hotel. Such a solution may be acceptable in a very basic hostel, but in a hotel that publicly presents itself as offering a range of services, we expected at least a basic possibility of preparing a hot drink in the room or on every floor. The issue itself may not be decisive, but combined with the other shortcomings it further confirms the impression of very modest equipment.
The television was not without problems either. The batteries in the remote control were so weak that using the device was difficult. This is a minor issue that the staff could probably resolve within a few minutes, but details like these show how important it is to check the room regularly before new guests arrive. When a guest already has problems with humidity, noise, internet and the bathroom, a faulty or barely functional remote control also stops feeling like an insignificant detail.
The bathroom was one of the weakest parts of the stay
We give the bathroom only 2/10. In our accommodation there was no classic separate shower without a bathtub, and the entire space felt outdated and far from the level of comfort we expected. The mere fact that the shower is located in the bathtub will not be a problem for everyone, but for guests who prefer a walk-in or separate shower, this is important information. Much more important is the overall impression: the bathroom did not feel like a space focused on modern functionality and comfort.
The combination of an enclosed room and pronounced humidity further negatively affected our experience of the bathroom. For that reason, our rating is very low and we consider this part of the accommodation one of the reasons why we would not return.
Noise from the elevated railway is a major problem
The hotel is located in an area with very good transport connections, but that advantage also has another side. Railway lines run nearby, and Phaya Thai is an important transport hub where city systems connect. Thai government sources state that the Airport Rail Link connects Suvarnabhumi Airport with Phaya Thai station and that a large part of the route is built on an elevated structure. For a traveller whose main priority is moving quickly around Bangkok, such proximity to the railway can be a major advantage. For us, however, the noise was one of the worst aspects of the stay.
From the room we could hear the trains passing along the elevated track near the hotel very clearly. The sound was not an occasional detail noticed a few times during the day, but a constant part of the soundscape. We had the impression that the train noise almost never stopped. For people who are light sleepers, want to work from the room or simply expect peace after a tiring day in the city, this can be a serious problem. A location close to public transport is convenient, but a hotel in such a position needs appropriate sound insulation if it also wants to offer quality rest.
It is important to distinguish between two things here. The hotel cannot change the route of the railway or stop the trains, but it can influence the quality of the windows, doors, insulation and other elements that determine how much outside noise enters the room. Our experience showed that the sound protection in the room where we stayed was insufficient. We would recommend that future guests for whom quiet is important check directly before booking where the room is positioned in relation to the railway and whether accommodation is possible on the quieter side of the property.
Wi-Fi in the more distant rooms practically did not work
One of the bigger differences between the advertised service and our experience concerned the internet. The official hotel website states that free Wi-Fi is available in the rooms and common areas. In the rooms farthest from the router, which was located roughly in the middle of the corridor, the connection during our stay was so weak that the internet practically could not be used normally. This is not merely an inconvenience for a guest who wants to browse social media. A stable connection is now a basic necessity for booking transport, communication, work, navigation, checking flights and a range of other everyday tasks.
If the signal relies on a single device in the middle of a long corridor, it is entirely possible that the more distant rooms will receive significantly weaker coverage. That is exactly what we experienced. In a hotel that lists Wi-Fi among its basic facilities, we would expect a system with enough access points so that the quality of the connection does not depend so heavily on which end of the corridor the room is located. For digital nomads, business travellers or anyone who needs to be reliably available online, this could be a reason to look for different accommodation.
One lift for the entire hotel creates additional waiting
The hotel has eight levels when the ground floor is counted as the first level, or seven floors above the ground floor according to the usual European method of counting. In our experience, guests had only one lift available, and it was very slow. The problem became particularly noticeable during room cleaning times, when the same lift was also used by housekeeping staff. Waiting then becomes noticeably longer, especially if several guests with luggage are moving around at the same time.
One slow lift in a multi-storey hotel can significantly reduce convenience during busy periods. When all the other problems are added to this, waiting for the lift becomes yet another source of frustration.
A fire escape that seriously concerned us
The most serious thing we noticed was not related to comfort, but to safety. During our stay, we saw that part of the fire escape was obstructed by a larger object that looked like a mattress or something similar. We photographed the situation. Based on a brief observation, we cannot determine how long the object had been there or whether the passage was technically completely blocked, but we consider the fact that a larger object was located on a route intended for passage to be concerning.
There is no room for improvisation when it comes to evacuation and fire escape routes. In an emergency, the passage must be clear, visible and easily passable, without objects that can slow movement or create an additional obstacle. Therefore, we do not mention this as an aesthetic complaint, but as a situation that we believe the hotel management should check immediately. A guest can tolerate an older piece of furniture or weak batteries in a remote control, but anything that could potentially affect the safe evacuation of the building deserves a much more serious approach.
The advertised facilities and what we found did not match
Additional frustration was caused by the difference between the facilities mentioned in the hotel's presentation and what we were actually able to use during our stay. The hotel's current official website lists free Wi-Fi, breakfast and café service, spa and massages, room service, luggage storage and a 24-hour reception. A separate facilities page states that spa and massage services are available and that options for an American breakfast and made-to-order breakfast are listed for certain rates. In our experience, however, we did not see a traditional spa centre or gym, but rather massage services in the lobby area. We also did not find a restaurant or separate breakfast area of the kind we would have expected based on the presentation of the hotel's services.
It is important to be precise here: individual services may be offered only at certain times, in a different form or by prior arrangement, and the official website itself recommends checking availability for some facilities. We therefore do not claim that a particular service never exists. We claim that during our stay, the facilities we expected were not available or recognisable in the way we had expected based on the descriptions. We advise future guests to check directly before booking exactly what is meant by terms such as spa service, breakfast, café service or fitness, and where these facilities are physically located.
It is particularly disappointing when a guest chooses a hotel specifically because of a certain facility. If someone plans to exercise while travelling, expecting a gym is not the same as having the option of a massage in the lobby. The same applies to breakfast and a restaurant: a guest wants to know whether there is an actual dining area, what is served and at what time. A clear and up-to-date presentation of facilities is therefore not a marketing detail, but an important part of the booking decision.
The smoking area left a very poor impression
We cannot praise the area intended for smokers either. It was very poorly organised and gave the impression of a space without a basic level of comfort. This will not matter to many guests, but for those who use it, it represents another negative point.
The staff were the only clear bright spot
Despite all the criticism, it would be unfair not to single out the employees. The staff were friendly, approachable and willing to help. Communication with the employees was a significantly more positive part of the stay than the experience with the room and facilities. When we needed help, we did not get the impression of indifference or unfriendliness, which is important and deserves recognition.
That is precisely why our criticism is not directed at the employees, but at the condition and organisation of the hotel. A receptionist cannot change the proximity of the railway line, the construction of the windows, the number of lifts or the arrangement of the Wi-Fi equipment. They can try to resolve an individual problem, but if several structural shortcomings occur at the same time, the staff's options are limited. Our staff rating is 6/10, noticeably higher than our ratings for the room, bathroom and facilities.
A good location cannot make up for a poor stay
Tori Crown Hotel has one objectively important advantage: it is located in Pratunam, in a part of Bangkok from which shopping areas and public transport are relatively easy to reach. The hotel's official website states that Phaya Thai station is approximately an eight-minute walk away, while official Thai sources confirm that Phaya Thai is the terminus of the Airport Rail Link and provides a connection with the BTS system. For travellers who want to be close to a direct rail connection to Suvarnabhumi Airport, this is very practical. However, a good location is not enough if it is not possible to rest properly in the room.
For us, the constant train noise, very poor Wi-Fi in a distant room, stuffiness, pronounced humidity, the inability to open the balcony doors, old furniture and the poor bathroom were more important than saving a few minutes when going to public transport. A hotel can be conveniently located and at the same time provide a poor stay experience. That is exactly our conclusion after staying at Tori Crown Hotel.
Our ratings of Tori Crown Hotel
- Bathroom: 2/10 - outdated impression, lack of a separate shower without a bathtub and a very low overall level of comfort.
- Room: 3/10 - stuffiness, strong feeling of humidity, inability to open the windows and balcony doors, old furniture and constant outside noise.
- Staff: 6/10 - friendly, approachable and willing to help; the best part of our experience.
- Facilities: 2/10 - weak Wi-Fi in more distant rooms, a very slow single lift, a modest smoking area and an unclear difference between the advertised and actually available facilities.
When we add everything up, our experience was significantly below expectations. The biggest problem is not one isolated flaw, but a combination of shortcomings that reinforce one another. A room that could not be naturally ventilated was stuffy and humid, the trains could be heard very clearly, the internet in the more distant part of the corridor barely worked, the bathroom left a very poor impression, and the hotel facilities did not match what we had expected. We were particularly concerned by the object left in part of the fire escape, which management should seriously investigate.
The positive aspects remain the friendly employees and the convenient location in relation to part of Bangkok's transport network. Nevertheless, that is not enough to change the overall rating. We would find it difficult to recommend the hotel to guests for whom peace and quiet, reliable internet, good ventilation, a quality bathroom and clearly available facilities are important. After this experience, we would not return to Tori Crown Hotel.
Sources:
- Tori Crown Hotel Bangkok - official hotel website, information about location, rooms and advertised facilities (link)
- Tori Crown Hotel Bangkok - official facilities page, information about Wi-Fi, breakfast, spa and massage services and other hotel services (link)
- Thailand Government Public Relations Department - official information about the Airport Rail Link, its route and connection with Phaya Thai station (link)